Friday, September 15, 2023

Friday's Catch: 'Two Areas of Ministry in the Church Where the Pastor Needs to Be the Champion' And More


Hint: Most pastors are not the champions in either area. Thom discusses this challenge and opportunity.

Why Playing It Safe Is Not a Good Idea
The sustained pressures of unanswered questions, unsolved problems, and an unknown future can cause leaders to pull back, hesitate, and, in many cases, play it safe.

Confronting Pluralism: Can Salvation Be Saved?
We can’t explicitly preach about pluralism each week, but we can enrich our church’s gospel soil so its weeds don’t take root.

VOICES: 4 dualistic teachings that undermine the effect of the Gospel
Dualism is a theological focus that inadvertently separates the physical and spiritual realms. It also dissociates heaven from earth. Within this inappropriate viewpoint, the Gospel’s ability to engage and influence the earth becomes limited.

We Are Repaganizing
Christians have always been unusually vehement in their disapproval of the killing of infants, whether born or unborn, and their legal regime prevailed until the mid-twentieth century when we experienced a religious shift that will probably be understood by future historians as a Second Reformation. Christians are no longer in charge, and their prohibition of abortion—unlike their prohibition of infanticide, at least so far—is regarded by most pro-choice secularists as archaic, illogical, and misogynist.

Understanding India’s Fascination with Prosperity Gospel Teachers
The prosperity gospel does not honour the basic tenets of historic Christianity. What then explains India's growing fascination with prosperity teachers?

5 Ways to Spot a Skilled Worship Musician
... why is skill in musicianship on the decline in church? Why is it that we are not teaching music to our next generation—theory, technique and performance?

Christian parents are failing to pass on the faith to their children, says Christian researcher
Millions of uncommitted Christians are causing a "catastrophic decline in biblical worldview in America" because they have been poorly discipled in their faith and often don't know how to pass on biblical values to their children, research in a new book from veteran Christian researcher George Barna shows.

Kids Ask: If Jesus Is God, Why Did He Pray to God?
Adults ask this question too.

Blessing of the Animals as Community Outreach
An animal blessing is a wonderful opportunity to invite those who have not been in worship in a while as well as those who are unchurched.

The Three Biggest Keys to Becoming an Evangelistic Church. Key #1: The Pastor Champion
Church Answers has incredible research on evangelistic churches. In this three-part series, Thom looks at each of the three main keys they have discovered.
Also see: The Three Biggest Keys to Becoming an Evangelistic Church. Key #2: The Prayerful Jump Start and The Three Biggest Keys to Becoming an Evangelistic Church. Key #3: The Consistency Factor.
8 Reasons Why Non-Believers Don’t Always Listen to Us
Chuck Lawless shares some of the reasons he's hearing non-believers don't want to listen to believers when we try to share the gospel.

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