Saturday Lagniappe: 'Confronting Child Sexual Abuse' And More

Confronting Child Sexual Abuse
Any member of the body of Christ must report any suspicion of sexual abuse or any behavior that could fall under the category of sexual grooming.

Should We Welcome Sex Offenders into Our Churches?
One pastor and his staff considered whether their congregation should accept people with a history of abuse.

Preston Sprinkle Shares What He Appreciates About Andy Stanley’s Message and What Concerns Him
Dr. Preston Sprinkle, who has a ministry geared toward helping churches address questions on sexuality and gender, has joined the ranks of those responding to the recent controversy surrounding Pastor Andy Stanley and North Point Community Church.

How to Welcome Guests, Without Going Overboard
Many visitors come to church expecting to be treated royally, often carrying a list of what they require from churches lucky enough to have them in their midst. And if those conditions aren’t met, they never return and bad-mouth you to their friends. These guests have specific ideas of what they will be expecting and can be harsh and judgemental toward churches failing to meet their standards.

Poverty is not just about food - there is a deeper need on our doorsteps
The issue is not a lack of food but of income, caused by the inadequacy of social security and unstable and low paid work, which is leading to rising numbers of people needing to seek support.

This issue is not confined to the United Kingdom but affects families and individuals in the United States.

Pastors say there's a dire need for forgiveness, lament some Christians not in ‘forgiving mood’
For National Forgiveness Day, The Christian Post interviewed pastors to learn more about why God expects Christians to forgive and why forgiveness is increasingly difficult for many believers who find themselves unwilling to forgive even after years or decades have passed.

Jesus is very clear in his teaching about forgiving others and pursuing reconciliatio with those with whom we have issues, who have something against us. He also warns his disciples about the consequences of uforgiveness. We are hearing and reading more ad more about Americans who identify themselves as Christian and profess to accept Jesus as their Lord as well as their Savior but nonetheless do ot follow his teaching or example. They appear heedless of Jesus' words, :Why do you call me Lord when you do not do what I tell you?" Can such people be regarded as genuine believers, much less as disciples of Jesus?

Essential Advice on How to Write a Bible Study
Learning how to write a Bible study and create lesson plans is a basic skill that some youth workers seem to lack. The skill is essential if you’re creating your own Bible studies for teens but even more critical when you’re evaluating resources to use with them. (After all, if you don’t know the basics, then how can you evaluate a resource?)

Ministering to Teenagers With Special Needs
Ministry to “special needs” kids is a big, big topic in the world of children’s ministry. If your ministry focus is grade-school kids, you can find dozens of books, workshops, magazine articles, and digital resources to help you come alongside the developmentally disabled. But there’s a “glass ceiling” once you move it up a notch into youth ministry—the conversation seems muted, at best.

A Call for United Methodists to Combat Life Threatening Ableism in Healthcare
On September 7, 2023, the Biden Administration announced a sweeping renewal of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the provision of Federally funded programs and activities. The Rehabilitation Act was the first civil rights legislation intended to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. After forty years, the Rehabilitation Act still lacks adequate enforcement of these protections, particularly in the healthcare industry.

This is an issue that requires the attention of other Christians beside United Methodists.

Vatican Synod on Synodality signals hope for women’s ordination advocates
Dozens of women holding banners calling for female ordination marched to the Vatican on Friday.

Oklahoma high court rules against UMC churches prohibited from disaffiliating amid LGBT schism
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled against two congregations seeking to leave the United Methodist Church amid the ongoing debate on homosexuality within the denomination. First United Methodist Church and Church of the Servant, both located in Oklahoma City, filed separate lawsuits to get the UMC Oklahoma Conference to allow them to hold disaffiliation votes. After hearing oral arguments on Thursday, Oklahoma's highest court concluded that civil courts should not have a say in a religious body's disaffiliation process, reversing lower court rulings in favor of the congregations.