Saturday's Laniappe: 'The Weight of the BCP at General Convention' And More

The Weight of the BCP at General Convention
The 2024 General Convention will consider a second reading of a revision to Article X of the Constitution, which governs the establishment and revision of the Book of Common Prayer in Resolution 2024-A072. For the reasons that he outlines in this article, Matthew S.C. Olver is convinced that it would be very unwise for the General Convention to pass this revision to Article X and he urges the General Convention to reject it.

What the Future Looks Like for Multisite Churches
"When it comes to making predictions, I study the past, observe the present, extrapolate into the future … and anticipate surprises!"Jim Tomberlin explains why.

9 Obstacles When Planting a Church
Like any movement, challenges exist that threaten the vitality and longevity of church planting. We must consider how to address them. This list certainly isn’t exhaustive, but I’ve identified 9 challenges that could hinder the forward advance of church planting.

Among the obstacles to church planting that I have encountered is the lack of interest of clergy not just in my deanery but in the entire diocese in church planting. In the opening decade of this century the parish (county or local government district) in which I lived was experiencing an explosion in in the growth of its population and could have easily supported one or more Episcopal churches in addition to the three which existed in the parish at that time. However, the rector of my parish, which had been planted as a mission in the 1980s, and the rectors of the other two churches in the parish showed no interest in planting new churches. Indeed, one of them asked that the bishop not plant a new church in his part of the parish, fearing that it would not only attract newcomrs to the area but members and attendees of his own church. The bishop acquiesced to his request, only to change his mind when the Anglican Mission in America announced its plans to plant a church in the parish. He authorized the planting of a new church at the other end of the parish. Both of the rectors of the churches at that end of the parish refused to have anything to do with the new congregation. The bishop appointed the rector of a church in Baton Rouge, almost 80 odd mile drive from the parish, to oversee the new work. The new congregation thrived until the events of 2003, which had a negative impact upon church attendance across the diocese, resulting in the shutting down of the diocese's other church plant and the reversion of the diocese's newest parish to mission status. The congregation eventually disbanded after maintaining a shadow existence for a number of years. It never recovered from the effects of the events of 2003.

‘Live My Truth’: The Gospel in an Age of Privatized Faith
True evangelism announces the good news that cannot be reduced to personal preference or private spirituality.

Opinion: Gov. Landry and the new Ten Commandments
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry seemed quite smug with himself, surrounded by similarly adoring fans as he proudly — yes, even regally — signed into law his dangerous bill to place the Ten Commandments in every classroom in every public educational institution in Louisiana.

Christian Reformed synod tells LGBTQ-affirming churches to repent or disaffiliate
At its national synod this week, the Christian Reformed Church in North America voted to put congregational leaders on 'limited suspension' if their churches publicly welcome LGBTQ+ members, violating the CRCNA's official stance on same-sex relationships.

Also see: Synod Sets a Course of Discipline for CRC Churches Acting Contrary to CRC Teachings

People Give to People
People give to people. This is a fundamental principle that most in the church have failed to grasp. The belief in the mission of the nonprofit may be the number one reason why people say they chose to give to something, but in most cases they also had some relationship with the person who was leading the mission. It was the degree of confidence they had in that person that would often make the difference in the degree of support.

How the Church Can Support Families Going Through a Medical Crisis
More often than not, a medical crisis isn’t planned or anticipated. And even if we have some heads-up and some time to plan, we can still be surprised by feelings and needs that might arise that we didn’t see coming.

The Disciple Making Movement Urban Settings Calls for New Methods
The Disciple Making Movement (DMM) that is sweeping around the globe began among unreached people groups in remote, rural areas. Today there is growing interest in multiplying disciple makers in urban centers. But how do the simple, Biblical principles that propel the Disciple Making Movement in out-of-the-way places work in today’s growing urban centers?

Image Credit: Daily Office Anchor Society