Ever wondered what your high school chemistry class has to do with the struggles your church is experiencing in growth? I’m guessing you haven’t. But I want to introduce you to two words from your high school chemistry textbook that impact whether your church is able to overcome growth plateaus.
You Can Inspire Big Accomplishments by Celebrating Small Wins
Ever noticed how we, as leaders, often get caught up in the big picture, waiting for those monumental milestones to throw our confetti? Leaders love to win. To make progress. To see results. The bigger, the better. Meanwhile, the small victories, the everyday wins, go by unnoticed. And therein lies the problem.
Military Christians Need the Local Church
While on-base churches are valuable, I believe it best serves the military member’s soul to join a local church in the community.
How the Church Can Support Survivors of Domestic Violence
Domestic abuse is an epidemic issue that has been going on for generations right within the walls of the church. I believe that God is calling us to step up and into this place of sin and suffering in our faith communities.
Lay Presidency Comes to the Church of England
The Church of England’s blessings for same-sex couples, which stop short of marriage rites, have prompted a comparable protest from low-church evangelicals. St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, a large church in Central London, has turned to “lay presidency,” a practice long favored by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. The church commissioned laymen for “Christian leadership in Church of England churches,” including overseeing informal services of Holy Communion. Leaders of sympathetic parishes, including All Souls Langham Place and Holy Trinity Brompton, attended the commissioning service.
St. Helen's Bishopgate has published a video explaining the rationale behind the July 23 commissioning service. It is noteworthy that the Bible does not prescribe who should preside at a celebration of the Lord's Supper. Who presides at celebrations of the Lord's Supper in the provices of the Anglican Communion is determined by tradition.How Jesus Really Feels About You
Both the United Methodist Church and the Methodist Church in Britain license lay persons - called licensed local pastors in UMC and licensed local preachers in the MCiB- to plan and lead worship, preach sermons, preside at celebrations of the Lord's Supper, and to provide pastoral care.
REACH South Africa has a provision in its governing documents authorizing its presiding bishop to license lay readers to preside at ceebrations of the Lord's Supper under special circumstances and the Reformed Episcopal Church ad at one time a provision in its canons permiting missionary bishops to do the same thing in missionary districts. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic former Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies authorized lay readers to preside at the celebration of the Lord's Supper in remote communities and encouraged families in lockdown to celebrate the Lord's Supper in their own homes, pointing to their attetion that while it would not be an Anglican celebration of the Lord's Supper, it would be a Christian one.
Iam often surprised and dismayed when I hear Christians speak about the way God feels about them. So many believers live with the conviction that God is generally displeased with them, that he regards them with a sense of disappointment. They may even believe he has a sense of regret that he reached out to them and saved them. While they believe they are forgiven and will someday be accepted into heaven, they carry the sense that God will welcome them reluctantly and more out of a sense of obligation than delight.
Seven Principles for Civil Engagement
In an age of interconnectivity, communication has never been easier. With the ability to interact and engage with fellow human beings at the touch of button, conversation has never felt so accessible. With such technological privilege, one would think that hyperconnectivity with our fellow man would naturally result in civil discourse, hearty debate, and charitable disagreement. Yet one has only to peruse their social media stream to realize that something has gone awry.
You can mass produce many things—cars, furniture, plastic bottles, etc.—but you can’t mass produce disciples. One-size-fits-all simply doesn’t work when you’re trying to help people become more like Jesus.
Finding Our Passion
You may not have heard of Billy Graham. A study once found that nearly one out of every three Americans under the age of 30 have not. Graham was a lanky, North Carolina farm boy who felt called by God to the ministry of evangelism. Before his life ended, he shared the message of Jesus with more people – and saw more of them respond to that message – than any other figure in human history.
The Flawed Followers Who Changed the World
In 1 Corinthians 16:17–18, Paul says, “I am delighted to have Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus present, because these men have made up for your absence. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore recognize such people” (CSB). I don’t know about you, but I want to refresh people. I want to be like a cool breeze on a hot day. Normally, I’m more like a stout punch in the teeth (pray for me on that).
Three Ways to Grow While You Wait
God wants to do something incredible through your ministry. No one can take that away. Your critics can’t. Neither can Satan. But that doesn’t mean you won’t have to wait for it. Sometimes God cracks a door and lets you see your future before you’re ready to walk through it.
In an age of interconnectivity, communication has never been easier. With the ability to interact and engage with fellow human beings at the touch of button, conversation has never felt so accessible. With such technological privilege, one would think that hyperconnectivity with our fellow man would naturally result in civil discourse, hearty debate, and charitable disagreement. Yet one has only to peruse their social media stream to realize that something has gone awry.
Related Article: So easily offendedThe Fallacy of One-Size-Fits-All Discipleship
You can mass produce many things—cars, furniture, plastic bottles, etc.—but you can’t mass produce disciples. One-size-fits-all simply doesn’t work when you’re trying to help people become more like Jesus.
Finding Our Passion
You may not have heard of Billy Graham. A study once found that nearly one out of every three Americans under the age of 30 have not. Graham was a lanky, North Carolina farm boy who felt called by God to the ministry of evangelism. Before his life ended, he shared the message of Jesus with more people – and saw more of them respond to that message – than any other figure in human history.
The Flawed Followers Who Changed the World
In 1 Corinthians 16:17–18, Paul says, “I am delighted to have Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus present, because these men have made up for your absence. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore recognize such people” (CSB). I don’t know about you, but I want to refresh people. I want to be like a cool breeze on a hot day. Normally, I’m more like a stout punch in the teeth (pray for me on that).
Three Ways to Grow While You Wait
God wants to do something incredible through your ministry. No one can take that away. Your critics can’t. Neither can Satan. But that doesn’t mean you won’t have to wait for it. Sometimes God cracks a door and lets you see your future before you’re ready to walk through it.
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