Friday, September 29, 2023

Friday's Catch: 'Are Aging Churches a Bad Thing?' And More


Are Aging Churches a Bad Thing?
Rather than risk burnout by trying to attract populations that might not exist in their communities, rural churches in communities where recent retirees are the fastest growing population have a significant opportunity to lead. In doing so, they can help reframe the rural narrative and breathe new life into their towns.

Talking about Money in a Small Member Church
Amy Mayo-Moyle discovered that her church was not unique in that it members did ot pledge. Upon discussion with a clergy cluster group, she found it to be the same with other small, rural congregations. Many do not pledge, do not want to talk about money, and do not want anyone to know their business.

Giving and Receipts: What You Need to Know
One of the most exhilarating and sometimes frustrating subjects that face nonprofits today is, you guessed it, money! How motivating and exciting it is to receive support from friends, family, and even strangers, but what do you do when that initial excitement and willingness to support dies down?

A Stewardship Lesson from an Unlikely Source
Calvin Lane shares what he has learned from playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

10 Essential Ways Leaders Build Relationship With Their Team Members
The quality and enduring nature of your relationships will make or break your leadership. That axiom is true in every arena of leadership but especially so in the church.

Confronting Pastoral Hypocrisy: Perception Versus Reality
Live in reality instead of perception. Acknowledge even the painful parts of depravity, and live in freedom, knowing Jesus is redeeming you.

Preparing for Retirement: What Will Your Last Lap Look Like?
For most pastors, there will be a season of service that isn’t vocational. So why do some ministers dread retirement and preparing for it?

Hospitality
A pastor’s relationship to his congregation must extend beyond preaching and one-on-one counseling. Hospitality is conducive to fellowship, and fellowship is conducive to building the bonds of unity within the church.

TGC Announces The Carson Center for Theological Renewal
Colin Hansen announces the the launch of a major new initiative: The Carson Center for Theological Renewal.

VOICES: 3 ways to stop preaching boring sermons
The way to dampen the dust in any sermon is to spray it with three things: Humor, anecdotes, and sermon-points.

The Potentially Pernicious Power of Pesky Pronouns
A pastoral reflection on the use of “I” and “we” in corporate worship.

Church of Nigeria to dissolve its North American-based dioceses
The general synod of the Church of Nigeria has adopted a resolution dissolving the church's two North American dioceses and redesignating them "mission areas" effective February 2, 2024. The two mission areas will continue under the episcopal oversight of the primate of the Church of Nigeria.
I found the title of this press release misleading. The Church of Nigeria has simply changed the designation of its North American branch--a move apparently intended to ease tensions between the Church of Nigeria and the Anglican Church in North America (or to make an appearance of seeking to do so.)
Filipino lay leaders call for autonomy
United Methodist lay leaders in the Philippines are calling for the Philippines Central Conference to become autonomous from The United Methodist Church without going through the process laid out in the church’s Book of Discipline.

Conference's 'Re-affiliation' Policy Seeks to Welcome Disaffiliated Churches Back Home
While U.S. annual conferences are going through the throes of more painful disaffiliations through the end of 2023, Alabama-West Florida Conference's board of trustees has set up a policy for churches with "buyers' remorse" over their disaffiliation to rejoin The United Methodist Church.

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