Saturday Lagniappe: '4 Purposes of Church Leadership' And More

4 Purposes of Church Leadership
Why does your church need leadership? More specifically, what do church leaders do?

New books spotlight women’s leadership in New Testament
‘It’s not that we’re trying to rewrite history. It’s simply that women have been obscured,’ said Beth Allison Barr.

FAQ: Will We Ever See God the Father?
The Bible says no one can see God, but it also talks about a future time when we will see God.

5 Things That May Be Hindering Your Prayers
Here are 5 things that can keep our prayers from getting through to God....

Gain Is Godliness, or Godliness Is Gain?
Submitting to God in Christ, finding your identity in Christ is the only real good.

God Save the King: King Charles III crowned in coronation dedicated to service
King Charles III today became the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey in a service interspersed with hymns, Bible readings and a liturgy underpinned by Christ's call to serve.

King Charles III coronation: Andrew Lloyd-Webber hopes anthem based on Psalm 98 will be sung in churches
Renowned British composer Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber said he hopes the coronation anthem he composed for King Charles III will echo in churches throughout the United Kingdom for years to come, especially on special occasions like weddings and christenings.

Korean leaders voice hope for church, despite exits
A webinar held by the Korean Ministry Plan drew more than 200 participants to discuss the future of the church. The Rev. Paul Chang said that disaffiliations are driven by a variety of factors and predicted that 40 of the denomination’s 280 Korean churches would leave. The United Methodist Church has nurtured Korean congregations for decades and Bishop Hee-Soo Jung said he sees no justification for leaving. Participants also discussed concerns about inclusiveness for women and young people and the possibility of forming a Korean annual conference.

The late Lyle E. Schaller, at one time the country's leading interpreter of congregational systems and their vitality, proposed the creation of affinity networks as a solution to the divisions in the United Methodist Church. An affinity network is composed of churches that have shared characteristics and would have its own annual conference. The formation of affinity networks would have permitted churches that take a different position on key issues to remain within the same denominational structure.

Report sheds light on disaffiliating churches
The Lewis Center for Church Leadership has done a report that compares characteristics of disaffiliating churches with those remaining in The United Methodist Church. The large majority of exiting churches are in the South and Southwest. Disaffiliating churches are more likely than remaining churches to have a male pastor and to have a majority white membership. United Methodist Council of Bishops President Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton said the report has information that can help guide the denomination as it seeks to renew itself, including in areas where many churches have disaffiliated.

Report on Disaffiliating United Methodist Churches through 2022: Comparing Similarities and Differences
What are the characteristics of churches disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church? Lovett H. Weems Jr. reports that there are more similarities than differences between the cohort of disaffiliating churches and the total pool of all United Methodist churches. But disaffiliating churches are overwhelmingly in the South with majority white memberships. They are also more likely to have a male pastor and are less likely to have an active elder as pastor.