Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, September 15, 2024) Is Now Online.

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

You may have had the experience of a child coming home from school in tears because a classmate was spreading rumors about them and their other classmates were giving them the cold shoulder because of these rumors. Or perhaps you heard or read about a teenager who committed suicide because a group of other teenagers ganged up on the teenager on the internet and were bullying them. One of the other teenager’s mothers even joined in the bullying. These are just two examples of how words can be used to harm others.

In this Sunday’s message we take a look at what the Bible says on the topic of using the tongue and words for good and for evil and how it applies to Christians.

Readings: Isaiah 50: 4-9a, James 3: 1-12; Mark 8: 27-38

Message: How to Use the Tongue: The Choice Christians Face

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2024/09/sundays-at-all-hallows-sunday-september_14.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing each lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows each lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Saturday Lagniappe: 'Aging Graciously in an Anti-Aging Culture' And More

Aging Graciously in an Anti-Aging Culture
Geriatrician Louise Aronson believes there is a “disconnect between the reality of old age and our beliefs about it.”[i] She describes society’s negative view of old age: “to look at old age and see only bodily decline, forgetting that inside the body is a fellow human being.”[ii] Aronson invites us to foster a worldview toward older adults that says: “We still see you, and we still like, love, respect, admire, and are inspired by you, both for who you were and who you are….”[iii] When older adults believe that they are seen, known, and loved, they live fully and graciously as they age. Aronson is not a Christian, and yet, her words challenge Christians to consider what it means to age graciously in an anti-aging culture.

Hearing loss advocate urges churches to 'learn from Jesus' to reach deaf communities for Christ
An advocate for the d/Deaf community challenges churches to re-evaluate their approaches to fellowship and evangelism to better serve the distinctive needs of this sizeable people group, which has its own cultures and languages.

4 Simple Ways to Build Momentum in Your Organization
Who Is Your Mephibosheth?
We aren’t children on account of our genes or deeds but solely by grace through faith in Christ.

Is Your Preaching God-Centered?
Our preaching is a reflection of our theology. If the Word is theocentric (God-centered), how can our preaching be anything other than theocentric?

7 Ways to Make Church Visitors Comfortable in Worship Services
Making church visitors feel comfortable about visiting and attending your church is a key ministry component to consider. While the pastor is responsible for delivering the sermon and possibly helping with the service order, the worship director handles the sound, music selections, and stage designs, the communication director handles the website and communication on stage–all these things work together to make church visitors comfortable in worship services. In this article, we’ll look at seven ways to make church visitors comfortable in worship services....

9 Ways A Worship Leader Can Become More Sensitive To The Holy Spirit
One of the most important aspects of effective worship leading is cultivating our responsiveness to the Holy Spirit’s guidance during a worship set. If we don’t care about having a collaborative experience of worship that invites God to bring his “in the moment” touch to what we are doing on a Sunday, then we are song leading – not worship leading.

Helpful Principles for Writing Public Prayers
Begin with Christ. How does one best begin writing? Start with a posture of humility. Light a candle. Seek the mind of Christ. Pray to be ushered into the mystery of co-creating with God, a grace-filled process surpassing our understanding. Acknowledge this as a holy privilege to which God has called us.

Prayer Is the End of Preaching
My goal is to show that when “Praying’s the end of preaching,” prayer is not an escape from the terrifying realities of here and now to a privatized piety, but rather prayer is a different mode of being and doing that engages us with the world in ways that can start and sustain the impulses of transformation.

Living Prayer
God’s best for us goes beyond the prayer elements of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication–beyond simple listening, and into the kind of living, breathing prayer that is life itself. Let’s explore how to take the apostle Paul’s words seriously and practice praying “without ceasing.” The following five points come from Michael C. Voights’ book, The Fourth Degree of Prayer.

Everyday Monks: Holding the World in Grace
Over the last ten years, I have adopted the practice of praying daily a form of the prayer hours. I don’t do seven offices each day, nor do I get up at 3:30 a.m., but I am consistent with two, morning and evening. I use a simple liturgy along with daily Psalms and scripture readings. I have a journal to write gratitude and concerns, and then finish with the Lord’s Prayer. It is first thing I do each morning, after getting my cup of coffee, and if I have something scheduled for early morning, I get up earlier. My morning prayer office is the threshold of the new day.

A Guide to Praying the Daily Offices
n this article I offer a basic guide to praying the Daily Offices. The four offices with which Anglicans and Episcopalians in North America will be most familiar are the services of Morning and Evening Prayer, the service of Noon Day Prayer, and the service of Compline, or Prayer at the End of the Day. Some may be familiar with the Lucenary, or Lamp-Lighting Service, called the Order for Worship in the Evening in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer; others may be familiar with the Litany, or General Intercession, used as a separate service.

Clean-Up Campaign Ideas for Youth: Help Teens Practice Their Serve
Clean-up campaign ideas are for more than just service hours. These projects guide teens toward lives of service and caring. When kids serve, they give back to their communities and churches. Plus, they develop teamwork and grow in faith.

Set the Pace!
The best way to get kids and teens to share their faith is to show them how it’s done.

Friday's Catch: 'Immigrants, pets and the sin of slander in an age of social media' And More

Immigrants, pets and the sin of slander in an age of social media
No one is going to eat Rover.

After Bomb Threats and Political Vitriol, Ohio Mayor Says Enough
The mayor of the Ohio city at the center of a firestorm over immigration says that his town needs help — not the hate that has been stirred by politicians and extremists. “We are hurting,” the mayor of Springfield, Rob Rue, said in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday.

Elected officials who spread immigration lies pose a threat to public safety, rights groups say
Members of Congress who actively spread anti-immigrant conspiracy theories pose a significant threat to public safety and democracy, according to a report released by eight human, civil and immigrant rights groups. The “Bigoted Conspiracy Caucus Report” examines the power and legitimacy elected officials bring to white supremacist movements by promoting the “great replacement” and other invasion theories in legislation, official hearings, public speeches, press releases, social media posts and op-ed pieces.

Haitian-descent lawmakers have a word for Trump and Vance and their claims about pets in Springfield 

Donald Trump and JD Vance are smearing Haitian immigrants in their anti-immigrant presidential campaign, according to Florida elected officials of Haitian descent. And Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is joining them, eight Floridians declared in a news release Sept. 12. Those “dangerous falsehoods” include Trump’s untrue statement in Tuesday night’s presidential debate that Haitian immigrants are stealing and eating family pets in Springfield, Ohio. Law enforcement officials there have said no such thing is happening.

Sister Norma sees God in the crying eyes of migrant children — and wants you to as well
Sister Norma Pimentel wants Americans to see children held in detention centers along the U.S.-Mexico border as human beings.A lthough she has been persecuted by other conservative Christians and even her fellow Catholics — like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — for showing compassion for immigrants, the South Texas nun has no plans to stop sharing the love of God, she told a group of journalists and religious leaders.

Methodist council sets membership rules
At the prompting of United Methodist bishops, the World Methodist Council formalized its application process for new members. The formalization comes as disagreements within The United Methodist Church are giving rise to new denominations. The World Methodist Council also addressed international conflicts including calling for a permanent ceasefire in occupied Palestinian Territories.

Church faces shake-up in ecumenical relations
The United Methodist Church is grappling with questions that affect its relationships with other denominations. Ongoing disaffiliations and the launch of a conservative, breakaway denomination pose challenges for United Methodist relations with other Methodists. Meanwhile, The Episcopal Church is waiting to see what The United Methodist Church’s General Conference decides before moving forward with full communion. At the same time, the United Methodist Council of Bishops heard about why ecumenism is crucial to ministry.

Evangelical giving to churches is 'way down,' new research suggests
The share of Evangelical Protestant Christians giving financially to churches fell significantly in the last three years, a new survey finds.

Thursday's Catch: 'Top 5 Things Intentional Pastors Do in the Fall' And More

Top 5 Things Intentional Pastors Do in the Fall

The fall is my favorite leadership season. It’s often a time when momentum can be built in the church while simultaneously getting your leaders together to dream about the future.

Overrated and Popular Ministry Strategies You Really Don't Need
Some ministry strategies are overrated, but everyone seems to be doing them. Josh and Sam discuss their thoughts on what's popular but you don't really need. The co-hosts cover vision statements, one-line sermon summaries, live streaming, and others.

I would want to see more research before I considered discontinuing live broadcasting on cable TV and live streaming on the internet. While those viewing services on cable TV or the internet may be largely members and attendees of the church, it is meeting a need. They are also maintaining contact with a community of which they are a part. It may not be ideal but it is better than the alternatives.

‘Believing Alone’ Is a Spiritual—Not Just Civic—Problem
As the vitality of church communities wane, the ripple effects are felt throughout civic life.

7 Healthy Ways To Resolve Conflict at Church or Work
...many churches simply don’t grow because they suffer from conflict and that many teams never thrive because there’s simply too much tension. What do you do?

The Pastoral Prayer: Examples and Inspirations
Of all the elements that once made up traditional Protestant worship, there is probably none that has fallen on harder times than prayer. It is not unusual to visit a church today and find that prayer is perfunctory, rare, or absent altogether. If that is true of prayer in general, it is particularly true of the pastoral prayer.

Praying in Jesus’ Name
Why should believers pray to God “in Jesus’ name”? If we are going to employ the name of Jesus in a conscientious way at the end of our prayers, a proper amount of theological reflection is required.

Your Church Needs a Social Media Policy
Phil Cooke eplains why churches need a social media policy.

Small Groups Remain Key Aspect of Churches’ Discipleship Ministry
Almost half of adult Bible study groups ministry leaders say Bible study is the highest objective for their groups.

If a Sunday school class is larger than 15 members, it is not a small group. The unique dynamics of a small group disappear, the larger the group gets. 15 members is really too large for a small group. Once it reaches 12 members, it should consider splitting into two groups. The two new groups can always have periodic social gatherings together.

The Most Effective Way to Build Trust in Your Small Group
How do we foster an environment of trust where everyone feels the freedom to be vulnerable about where they are in their spiritual journey?

How To Lead Youth Ministry: 7 Habits To Develop Now
If you lead a youth ministry or student life group, these habits will create positive momentum toward spiritual growth.

Our Greatest Tool for Reaching the West Again
We need to keep sharing the gospel, but we also need to point to the evidence of its truthfulness. How can we prove it? In one sense, it’s impossible to satisfy a person’s questions or doubts about the truthfulness of the gospel message (at least until they experience it). But we can point to one thing in particular as proof: our fellowship with one another. And this just might be our greatest tool for reaching the West again.

Overcoming Fear of Evangelism
The main problem I have with evangelism is fear of man. I heartily recommend and have benefitted from training and equipping in evangelism, but none of it can make up for being afraid of what people think of me. I’m convinced that it’s not mainly because we feel ill-equipped that we don’t share the gospel; it’s because we’re afraid. We need courage.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, September 12, 2024) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

The passage of the seasons is a reminder that most things in this world do not last forever. One thing, the apostle Paul tell us, lasts for all time—love.

In the message we look his discourse on Christian love in his First letter to the Corinthians, what it means, and how what he writes applies to us.

Reading 1 Corinthians 12:31b-14:1a

Message: Christian Love

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2024/09/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows_12.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing a lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows the lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Wednesday's Catch: 'The Shift in Churches Caused by 9/11' And More

The Shift in Churches Caused by 9/11
The events of September 11, 2001 marked a profound and sad moment in American history, influencing almost every aspect of society in the short term. The immediate aftermath saw a noticeable increase in religious observance, but the long-term impact on churches and religious communities was less pronounced.

“Remembering 9/11: Leadership During a Disaster” featuring Terry Bradfield
How can we lead in times of disaster? As we remember 9/11, Terry Bradfield, a retired Army chaplain who was assigned to the Pentagon on that fateful day, joins Lewis Center Director Doug Powe for a conversation about leading faithfully during a disaster. He reminds church leaders to check their doctrine at the door, focus on the sacredness of humanity, and bring a connection to the divine.

The angel in the rubble on 9/11
As we mark the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that shocked the world and changed the coursbe of history, there are many stories of courage, faith and hope that bring light out of the darkness. One extraordinary survival story features what many believe to be an angel, and a dramatic conversion to Christ while holding on to life after being buried beneath the ruins of the North Tower

ACNA Priest Elected Bishop in Madagascar
The Ven. Darrell Critch, a priest of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), was elected August 24 as Bishop of Mahajanga, Madagascar, a diocese of the Church in the Province of the Indian Ocean. Critch’s new diocese is part of an Anglican church in communion with the See of Canterbury, unlike the ACNA. This will likely make his ministry the first of its kind amid deep division across the Communion.

As Trump praises Orbán, new polling data show who supports authoritarian rule in America
Among all Americans, Republicans and white evangelical Protestants are most susceptible to authoritarian views, according to new national polling from Public Religion Research Institute. Among that group, those most susceptible to authoritarianism are Americans who hold favorable views of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, PRRI said in its Sept. 10 report.

In election year, climate faith leaders urge voters to make environment a priority
Polls show voters are concerned with other issues, such as inflation and immigration. But the environment continues to be a top concern for many voters, especially younger ones, and the issue crosses lines of faith and politics in ways that others don’t.

Why You May Be Losing Church Attendees Due to Life Changes
For some, the life changes they experience impact their church attendance habits. What is the church’s role in these member’s lives?

Neuroscience Says That Your Brain Dismisses Outgroup Members Within a Fraction of a Second
A problematic response that is hardwired into how the brain categorizes social groups. Humans have a deep-seated tendency to categorize others into "us" and "them," a process that occurs within fractions of a second.

This finding helps to explain why tribalism in various forms infects churches in the United States, is a serious obstacle to professing Christians putting into practice Jesus' teachings, and has even resulted in Jesus' teachings being dismissed as too liberal or too progressive.

. Is a Simplified Leadership Structure Right for Your Church?
Many churches are adopting a unified board structure to minimize layers of committee work and free time for hands on ministry. Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff outlines factors a church should consider in evaluating whether this approach fits their needs and circumstances.

A Plentiful Harvest
Tom Berlin explains why fruitfulness in terms of membership, discipleship, and growth are key measures of leadership effectiveness.

More Than Words and Effort
According to Joe McKeever, preachers and teachers are tasked with doing something very much like what a police artist does. They have a mental image of some event, some truth, some lesson, some reality which they want to transfer into the brains and hearts of the hearers. To do this, they employ several tools....

Pray with the Trinity
Prayer with a controlling, cajoling attitude is out of sync with God.

How a Pastor Can Feed the Flock Every Day on Social Media
Thanks to modern technology, you can teach your people every day – without them having to physically gather. However, it will require a shift in how you distribute your preaching and teaching.

Adding New People to Existing Groups: What you need to know to be successful
There are several reasons you might add new people into existing groups. Here are a few to consider.

Tuesday's Catch: '‘Confession of Evangelical Conviction’ puts Jesus ahead of politics' And More

‘Confession of Evangelical Conviction’ puts Jesus ahead of politics
A new confession of conviction to counter the politicization of evangelical congregations will generate pushback from Christians convinced their preferred political candidates are chosen by God, faith leaders said during an online briefing about the document.

It’s time for Christians on all sides to talk — even debate — about what divides us
We need a conversation about how our faith will factor in this election.

Character Matters
Pondering your spirituality, and the Soul of the Nation, let us ask: Does character matter? In somebody we might vote for? In me and the other voters?

The Quickest to Anger Are Often the Slowest to Forgive
What we'll reflect on here relates primarily to the former: those of us who are having a hard time forgiving someone who has misunderstood or misrepresented us, who holds a different view theologically or politically than we do—or who frankly just gets on our nerves. Psalm 103 helps us navigate such situations by revealing key attributes that characterize God, and that by extension, should be true of those who bear his name. These characteristics help us by putting our frustrations and disappointments—our need to forgive— in perspective.

Can-Do Leadership
Can-Do Leadership is about more than having a strong work ethic; it’s also about your perspective, mindset, tenacity, and posture toward being solution-focused. The best Can-Do leaders share eight qualities that keep them from getting stuck.

Leaders Can’t Avoid Conflict, It’s How You Handle it that Matters
Conflict is inevitable but divisiveness is avoidable. How we handle human conflict determines whether the outcome is unity or division.

Leading When You Want to Quit
In a world that often prioritizes personal fulfillment and happiness, it’s easy to forget that God’s ultimate goal for us is holiness.

Polyamorists look for their place in church as the practice loses its taboo
For polyamorous clergy and Christians, ‘love is love is love.’

Related Article: Is There Room in the Church for Polyamorous Priests?

4 Questions a Pastor Should Ask Himself Before and After Giving a Sermon
There is a myriad of books about preaching on the market at present, and each of them presents useful information, tips, and methods for preaching a good sermon. Yet, when I’m evaluating a sermon or preparing my own messages, there are four simple questions that I ask myself....

What’s Wrong with Using an iPad to Preach?
Do you use paper notes in the pulpit or digital technology? Which one is best? Josh and Sam discuss the advantages and disadvantages of technology and homiletics. Old school or new school, there are some important considerations before preaching.

Take Your Worst to the Table: Reclaiming the Heart of Communion
The Lord’s Supper reveals that Jesus takes the worst we can do and makes it a sign of the best he does for us. Within hours of that meal in the upper room, Jesus’s body would indeed be given and his blood poured out. This dreadful tragedy accomplished our glorious salvation.

Church Speaker Placement 101 – Everything You Need to Know
Church acoustics matter. Nothing can improve the quality of your church sound system as much as determining the proper church speaker placement for your system.

Why Church Membership Matters
Although we come to Christ individually, we don’t live in Christ solitarily. Christian fellowship is concerned primarily with giving rather than with receiving. The local church is where God intends for us to discover our spiritual gifts.

Alistair Begg does neglect one critical area of church membership in this otherwise well-written article on the importance of church membership--evangelism!

The Key Things Evangelistic Churches Do
I’ve studied North American churches for years, and few churches do well at emphasizing evangelism. Here are some general conclusions I’ve reached about evangelistic churches....

Monday's Catch: '8 People You Should Invite to Church' And More

8 People You Should Invite to Church
Do the churchgoers in your pews regularly see people they could invite to church? Here are eight ideas of people they can invite.

The New Mid-Size Church Advantages
Fifteen years ago, I wondered if mid-size churches might go extinct. Would they dwindle as people transferred into megachurches and planted new churches? The mid-size church is still here, and I’m glad I did not publish my thoughts. Now, they have several growth advantages in North America.

VOICES: 5 American myths of successful churches and ministries
Many of the ways American churches measure success are ... direct violations of the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 23. In this passage, Jesus speaks against people loving titles, celebrity status, and desiring prominent places in public events.

When People Leave Your Church... and it's okay.
No matter how healthy your church is, no matter how much it is growing, people will leave. It’s as simple as that. And many of those departures do not reflect poorly on the church.

 
10 Ways to Fracture Your Church
In this article, I point out ten ways in which you can fracture the church to which you belong. Most of these ways can be caused by anyone. The last few are normally caused by church leaders. If any of these describe your actions or your attitude, may God give you grace to amend your ways for the sake of Christ who desires his people to be truly united.

Related Article: 10 Reasons Why "Parking Lot" Church Busiess Meetings Are Seldom Good

Are People Really Lonely and Miserable?
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Census Bureau launched a new survey called the Household Pulse Survey. It’s an online instrument that takes about twenty minutes to complete, and the goal is to help policymakers and stakeholders understand what is happening on the ground in near real-time. They are constantly fielding the instrument and releasing the results for public consumption. Be still my data-obsessed heart. I am going to show you some data from the Phase 4.1 study, which was fielded between April 2 and July 22, 2024. That means that this data is less than six months old. Fantastic.

Human perception: Our brain sees not what we see, but what we expect
In recent research conducted at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, scientists have made a significant discovery about how our brains process social interactions, such as observing someone else's actions. This study suggests that our perception is heavily influenced by our expectations, rather than solely by the visual information we receive.

Like Charles Stone, I believe that pastors and other church leaders can benefit from the latest findings of neurscience research.

How to Wisely Help Your Team Learn
Wise leaders curate skillfully what they ask those they lead to read because “what develops us, changes us.” Many have said that “we will be the same people in five years except for the people we meet, the books we read, and the places where we travel.” While this may be an oversimplification of what forms us, it is true that the experiences we have with others, with reading, and with new places impacts us deeply.

Alistair Begg warns rise of 'consumer' worship eroding biblical engagement in congregational life
Pastor and author Alistair Begg lamented the diminishing role of Scripture in congregational life, warning that modern churchgoers often arrive not with a sense of reverence but with a consumerist mindset and called for a return to “serious engagement with the Bible.”

Unfortunately it is tempting for pastors and other church leaders to fall in with the consumerist mindset out of a desire for a larger congregation. The result is that they may for a time have a larger crowd on Sunday mornings but this crowd has a strong likelihood of evaporating if the church cannot keep its attention and sustain its interest and of migrating to another church which it for the moment sees as more capable of meeting its perceived needs.

To get emotional benefits from going to church, believers must attend regularly: study&
Believers who only attend church a few times a year yet expect to get an emotional lift that will last need to go more frequently, according to the findings of a recent study published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. In 'See You Sunday?' Effects of Attending a Specific Weekend Religious Service on Emotional Well-Being: A State/Trait Analysis of the SoulPulse Study, researchers found that regular weekend church attendance leads to an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in negative ones. Subjects in the study who did not attend church regularly, however, experienced no change in their emotional well-being.

What’s the Point? (Alternative Ways to Frame Your Sermon)
As a Baptist, I’m plenty accustomed to hearing three-point sermons. As a Baptist preacher, I’m plenty accustomed to preparing and delivering them. But as time goes on and I (hopefully) grow in my ability as a preacher, I find myself trying to avoid the use of the word “point” and to replace it with alternatives that may be more interesting and more effective.

Crafting A Strong Sermon: 10 Checkpoints
It's not "10 easy steps" to preaching, but practical help to make sure your work is sound and true.

Restore Passion To Your Preaching: Three Essential Steps
You may think it can be hidden, but when you lose your passion for the pulpit your congregation can hear the difference. Recapture the fire!

6 Tips For Preaching To A Hard Audience
Larry Moyer says "Hardened hearts need to hear from a communicator, not a speaker." Can you bridge the span to a hard audience?

Saturday Lagniappe: 'Time to Come Clean—and Green' And More

Time to Come Clean—and Green
To “come clean” usually means to ’fess up about something not so good, so that you can make a “clean break” and begin again in a more positive direction. Sometimes the reveal comes from learning something new that sparks a desire to do better— for God’s sake. Perhaps these Tips will help you come clean.

Praise Be to You
The words of St. Francis of Assisi have come into even greater prominence under the papacy of Pope Francis. Tony Alonso’s setting of Canticle of the Creatures highlights Francis’ call for the care and respect of all creation. A short refrain punctuates the litanic nature of the verses, allowing the assembly to add their voice to this chorus of praise. For cantors or soloists and C or B-flat instrument. Octavos may be purchased from GIA Publications.

"Praise Be to You" is suitable for general use as well as for Creation Care Sunday.

We have to understand different people
There are...those who would be mortally offended if you do not attend the funeral of their close relative to support them. But there are just as many who would feel it is intruding on a family affair for you to turn up. The answer here is not to simply always go or to always stay home. The key is knowing our people and understanding who are the folks who definitely want you around and who are those who would be happier without you there.

4 Principles for Doing Biblical Theology
A healthy way—perhaps the best way—to do biblical theology is to follow the lead of the apostles and examine how the apostles wed the Old Testament to their discourse.

4 Diagnostic Questions for Every Sermon
As we launch a new series of skills articles called "Back to the Basics," we asked a younger preacher (Daniel Fusco) and a veteran preacher of almost 25 years (Matt Woodley, Editor of PreachingToday.com) to weigh in on the four basics of every good sermon. Think of them as four simple, routine, diagnostic questions that will help you prepare every sermon.

Best Practices for a Successful Fall
Fall means it’s the start-up of a new season of ministry. For many of us, this is the most hectic and exciting time of the year. Because of the energy and stress that come from starting a new ministry year, September, more than any other month, can define our entire program.

Best Fest: 4 Can’t-Miss Tips for Planning Your Fall Festival
We know a large number of churches enjoy putting on a Fall Festival. Here are four tips to help make your Fall Fest planning a treat. It’s a great way to reach out to the community and connect with families who wouldn’t normally come to your church or ministry.

6 Fantastic Fall Craft Ideas for All Ages
As the air becomes cool and crisp and the leaves begin to change into a variety of beautiful colors, you can use these six fantastic fall craft ideas to settle into the season with the children in your ministry.

Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, September 8, 2024) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

In this Sunday’s readings God makes a promise to the people of Israel; the apostle James, the brother of Jesus, instructs the Church on how to treat the poor and how to distinguish a faith that is true and vital from a faith that is dead and useless, and Jesus performs two miracles.

In this Sunday’s message we take a look at what John wrote and how it applies to modern-day Christians.

Readings: Isaiah 35:4-7, James 2:1-17; Mark 7:24-37

Message: A True and Vital Faith

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2024/09/sundays-at-all-hallows-sunday-september.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing each lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows each lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Friday's Catch: 'Prevent Dechurching: 3 Critical Questions Your Church Should Ask' And More

Prevent Dechurching: 3 Critical Questions Your Church Should Ask
If the church in America is going to make any meaningful progress toward addressing the 40 million adults who’ve left the church in the last 30 years, we must run on two mission-critical train tracks: individual and institutional.

The Ideal Church Size to Pastor
What is the ideal church size to pastor? Josh and Sam discuss the benefits of several different sizes of churches. They each have a favorite size, but the cohosts also cover why many pastors maximize their leadership ability at mid-size churches.

The 3 Kinds of People in Every Church
In Judson Edward’s book, The Leadership Labyrinth, he describes 21 paradoxes in ministry. He defines the ‘relationship paradox’ in this way: the people who like you the most will be the ones you try least to please. He then writes that these three kinds of people fill every church.

4 Healthy (and 4 Unhealthy) Ministry Practices
Little practices, both healthy and unhealthy, can impact the effectiveness of the ministry God has called you to.

Fewer churchgoers giving more to cover church expenses as pastors contend with inflation: study

Though churches have reported ongoing declines in worship service attendance, their fiscal health has not suffered as significantly because the faithful who continue to attend have been giving more to cover operating expenses, a new study from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research suggests.

The late A. Wayne Schwab, Evangelism Officer of the Episcopal Church in the early 1990s, found that increased giving by the remaining attendees of a church was a common response to declining attendance and a shrinking congregation. It was not a sign of a healthy church or congregational viability.

Engaging Non-Givers: 8 Strategies to Inspire a Generosity First Step
In a typical church, about 37% of attendees don’t give at all. This is the overall average across all denominations (and non-denominations). Whether it’s 20% or 60%, the number is too high.

Great Staff Meetings Require these 7 Rules
Leaders can’t lead without meeting with others. Sometimes meetings go well. Sometimes they don’t. Often team dynamics derail productive meetings simply because someone misspoke or misheard. As I began to realize this, several years ago I asked a psychologist to help me create some rules for talking in our staff meetings. I call them conversational ethics. Here are the 7 rules....

Detterman's Top Ten List: Modern-Day Challenges to Authentic Christian Worship
Christian worship is in trouble. Books, CDs, journals, conferences, events, and Internet resources are promoting innovative ways to ensure exemplary corporate worship. But pick a church, attend Lord’s Day worship, and more than likely you will discover that authentic Christian worship is in real trouble.

Where Twenty or Thirty are Gathered: Creative Worship Ideas for Smaller Congregations
Ever been scheduled to both take the offering and play the offertory during the same service? Found yourself the sole soprano while singing hymns? Been locked out of your worship space because the only two keyholders were both out of town? If so, you probably belong to a smaller congregation.

In his book Renewal in Worship (1982) Bishop Michael Marshall recommends that smaller congregation tailor their worship to their size and other circumstances and not try to imitate the worship of larger congregations. It is a recommendation from which smaller congregations would greatly benefit. Thom Rainer found from interviews with pastors and the visitors themselves that first time visitors do not respond well to greeting times in church services and recommends against having one.

Word of Truth and Life
This gospel acclamation from Marty Haugen's Mass of Creation would be a useful addition to a congregation's repertoire. It is quite easy to sing. It has an added flute part. The octavo is available from GIA Publications and includes permission to print the congregation's part in the worship bulletin.

Helping Families With Hard Questions
Children ask all kinds of questions—some easy, some difficult. As church leaders, how do we help people respond to these complex questions?

4 Issues Your Children Are Facing That You Never Had To
Parenting in this culture is fraught with challenges that our parents did not encounter when we were kids. Our parents took certain things for granted that our generation of parenting no longer can. For example, the idea of “pronoun preference” was inconceivable twenty or thirty years ago.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, September 5, 2024) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

Jesus promised his disciples not to abandon them as orphans. He promised to send them a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who had already been with them but from then on would be in them. And Jesus kept his promise. Jesus continues to send the same Helper to each generation of his disciples.

In the message we take a look at what the apostle Paul wrote the church at Corinth about the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts and how it applies to us today.

Reading: 1 Corinthians 12: 1-31

Message: Gifts from a Generous God

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2024/09/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows.html

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-It is recommended that after reading or hearing a lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows the lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Thursday's Catch: ''Lessons from Church Autopsies' And More

Lessons from Church Autopsies, Part 1: Dealing with Denial

Between 8,000 and 12,000 churches close annually in the United States. Thom examines one of the leading factors in the death of churches: denial.

Lessons from Church Autopsies, Part 2: The Failure to Deal with Toxins
Between 8,000 and 12,000 churches close annually in the United States. Thom examines one of the factors in the death of churches: toxic church members.

Lessons from Church Autopsies, Part 3: Refusal to Accept Responsibility
Between 8,000 and 12,000 churches close annually in the United States. Thom examines some of the common excuses we've heard that lead to church death.

Before You Modernize Your Church Building
This article will walk you through the full menu of the best ways to modernize your church building, from visuals to sound system and security software.

YES in God’s Back Yard!
Richard Reinhard shares how some congregations are using their property to develop affordable housing and meet other community needs, as well as local initiatives to lower the barriers to this type of development.

9 Lessons from Nehemiah for Faith-based Property Development
David Bowers draws key lessons from the biblical story of Nehemiah to guide churches that are redeveloping their buildings or property to serve community needs. He says that such development is difficult, but doable, when approached with the correct spiritual and practical perspectives.

Working through the Stages of Grief when Cutting Your Budget Dan Pezet says a major alignment in a church’s budget can be accompanied by all the classic stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. By acknowledging these phases and allowing people to come to grips with their emotions a church will ultimately find its way to the final stage of grief—acceptance.

8 Ideas to Encourage Kids to Share God’s Love at School
We’ve compiled these super-smart ideas for you to help kids show Jesus’ love throughout the school year.

Bible Lesson: We Show Kindness by Encouraging Each Other
In this Bible lesson for all ages, kids explore Genesis 37 as they discover what it means to show kindness by encouraging others.

God Uses the Weakest Saints for His Powerful Ministry
God is inviting us into his work, to partner with him, not do the work for him. John 15:15 says he calls us friends, not servants, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Jesus makes known to his disciples what he wants to do in the world, not necessarily because he needs us, but because he wants to use us, his willing vessels.

Wednesday's Catch: 'Putting Belonging in its Proper Place' And More

Putting Belonging in its Proper Place

The balance between belonging and conviction makes a church not only a place where people want to be but a place where they can truly belong.

How the Unchurched Really Feel about te American Church - Free Report
Church Answers Research has surprising new insights.

Creative Ways to Share the Gospel in Your Local Community - Video
If you missed yesterday's seminar, here is a video of the seminar. Pastor Juan Vasquez offered useful tips on how to partner with community organizations to meet community needs as a part of an overall evangelistic outreach strategy, how to plan marriage seminars and other evangelistic outreach activities, and how to recruit and train ministry leaders, and other helpful ideas that work.

To Have a Healthy Church, Have a Healthy Structure
Structure is far more important that we usually realize. Every building in the world has to have the right structure to stand up and not collapse. Living things have structure as well. An animal can grow to no more than nine inches without an internal skeletal system. And every church has a structure as well. Some churches are structured for health and growth while others are structured merely to maintain and to survive.

What to Cover in a New Members’ Class
...what needs to be taught and shared in this class? A lot could be said, but I believe the following must be said. My hope is this will help you as you consider how to educate God’s people on what membership in the local church is all about.

What Americans Believe About Jesus
With the success of The Chosen streamed series and the conversations sparked by He Gets Us, Jesus Christ is trending in pop culture. However, does Jesus register in the hearts of Americans? Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” In our own way, Barna has posed this question to millions of people over decades of surveys. Here are three findings from our most recent data on who Americans say Jesus is.

How To Add Impact To Your Leadership Language
Like any language, the skill of talking like a leader can be learned, developed and mastered. As a starting point, here are 10 unmistakable signs that you’re talking like a leader....

5 Ways to Communicate More Effectively with your Congregation
Ensuring that everyone in a busy church is informed about upcoming events can be a daunting task. Doug Powe, Director of the Lewis Center, shares strategies that can significantly improve your communication efforts and help make sure your messages are effectively conveyed and received by your congregation.

Loving the Bible, Part 2: Teaching others to love Scripture
God in his mercy refused to abandon me to my whims, but sent me a priest who unashamedly, enthusiastically, intelligibly, and joyfully preached and taught Holy Scripture. Being shepherded by someone who loved the Bible taught me something no one had ever shared with me before: that reading and interpreting Scripture was not just good for the life of faith but is a source of inexhaustible joy. This completely changed my encounter with the Bible, and my faith life.

What sparked my own interest in the Bible was a friend's father, a Jehovah's Witness. I was not comfortable with his interpretation with Scripture so I decided that I needed to be able to interpret and understand the Bible for myself. My first step was to read Bernard Ramm's Protestant Bible Interpretation, which I checked out from the public library.

4 Reasons You Might Think the Bible Is Boring
If you’re bored with the Bible, have you wondered why? A variety of explanations exist, and any (or several) of them could identify the problem. Let’s consider four possibilities.

What Bill Gates, Spurgeon and Muslims Teach Us About Bible Memory
Now if young boys are able to memorize an uninspired book about brooding legalism, how much more can Christian youth memorize divine words that give joy and life? Christians should be memorizing a lot more Scripture than they are.

Why might risk be the proving ground for our faith?
At its core, faith is an act of trust - a confident reliance on God that often requires stepping into the unknown. One of the most profound yet frequently overlooked aspects of faith is risk.

Preparing for Lausanne’s L4: Prayer, Purpose, and Proclamation
The Lausanne Movement has convened evangelicals for 50 years for the cause of world evangelization. Along the way, the movement has always recognized the importance of balancing theological clarity with missional urgency.

Don’t Worry About Gospel Conversations with Your Muslim Friend
A review of A.S. Ibrahim's Reaching Your Muslim Neighbour with the Gospel.

The Power of Your Story to Draw People to Faith
One of the most effective tools in your evangelism tool belt is your testimony, the story of how the gospel shapes your life. There are times that your testimony serves as a real-life illustration. Other times, it serves as the main content of the conversation. If you end with a question like, “Has anything like this ever happened to you?” It invites others to trust Christ too.

Tuesday's Catch: "The Implications of the Rise of Non-Denominational Churches' And More

The Implications of the Rise of Non-Denominational Churches

Ryan Burge and others offer fascinating research about the growth of non-denominational churches, especially compared to denominational churches. Sam and special guest Matt McCraw look at five of the implications of this movement.

Why Location Matters for the Fastest-Growing Churches
The fastest-growing churches are often located in prime areas for growth. In a recent Church Answers Research article, Ryan Burge took a deep dive into how churches located in growing communities generally find it easier to add new members. Thom and Sam discuss the implications of these findings.

Episcopal diocese of Georgia to sell headquarters, relocate to closed church: Move will 'advance the Gospel'
The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia plans to sell its office and move personnel into a shuttered church building due to a myriad of issues, including the expenses involved in maintaining its headquarters.

This article provides more information about this development.

African Methodist Episcopal Church reaffirms ban on same-sex marriage
The African Methodist Episcopal Church has rejected a proposal to strike down its ban on same-sex marriage. At the AME Church's 52nd Quadrennial Session of the General Conference, held Aug. 21-28 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, the historically black denomination voted down an amendment to its rules.

Andrew Wommack’s version of Christian nationalism is spreading across the country
September is a big month for Andrew Wommack, the controversial health and wealth preacher who celebrates the 30th anniversary of his Charis Bible College on Sept. 6 and hosts his annual gathering of his Christian nationalist political arm, the Truth and Liberty Coalition, Sept. 12-14. But you don’t need to be a Wommack disciple to be impacted by his activism or his teaching, both of which have spread across the country.

Faithful Politics examines 10 ways Christians do politics
Theology professor Miranda Zapor Cruz was raised to believe one American political party could save the country and the other was evil. Her new book is created to give readers a better education on Christian civics than the one she received. In Faithful Politics: Ten Approaches to Christian Citizenship and Why It Matters, Cruz, professor of historical theology at Indiana Wesleyan University, seeks to do for politics what Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture did for culture by showing how different branches of the Christian tree have embraced differing approaches to engaging with government over the past 20 centuries.

Americans’ Theological Beliefs Changed to Suit Post-Pandemic Practice
With many theological beliefs remaining stable, shifting beliefs point to where changing culture may be impacting religious perspectives.

Americans Grow More Liberal on Moral Issues, More Concerned About National Moral Values
As Americans are growing increasingly progressive in areas of morality, they also think the country’s moral values are worsening.

The Loss of Intellectual Curiosity—and Why It’s Dividing the Church
...what would happen if the evangelical church expressed more intellectual curiosity with one another? I think we would discover four things....

5 Signs the Enemy (Not God) Is Winning In Your Life and Leadership
The greatest mistake you can make with evil is to overestimate or underestimate its influence.

Loving the Bible, Part 1: Learning to Love Scripture
...loving Scripture isn’t something that just happens, and it doesn’t always come easily. We have a Bible-reading problem in American Christianity. Too many mainline churches, preachers, and teachers ignore the Bible at best, or treat it as something awkward, embarrassing, or as a “text of terror.” Other Christian traditions are adamant about the importance of the Bible, but too often demonstrate this devotion by using it as a cudgel to beat those who do not conform to an agreed-upon doctrine.

Balancing Proclamation and Action in the Lausanne Movement: The Ongoing Debate in Mission
When evangelicals from around the world gather for the fourth global Lausanne Congress (L4) in Seoul, Korea, we will once again grapple with an ever-present tension of evangelical mission. Evangelicals, like Christians for 2,000 years, will work through the relationship of the proclamation of the gospel in evangelism and the demonstration of the gospel through acts of mercy and justice.

The Gospel Still Can’t Be Stopped
Despite resistance and persecution, the gospel spread throughout the known world in the span of one generation.

Image Credit: Purpose Church, Murray. Kentucky

Monday's Catch: 'Belonging Before Believing' And More

Belonging Before Believing
How does someone find their way into a church? Most would argue that it’s through some kind of invitation, and I would agree. But what keeps them there? What is it that, once they engaged a church in some form or fashion, has them remain in attendance? The answer might surprise you. For most groups of people, it is not a shared faith.

Creative Ways to Share the Gospel in Your Local Community - Free Online Webinar on Tuesday, September 3 2024
Join David Perrera and Juan Vasquez for this free online webinar to discover new and innovative ways to share the gospel in your local community using Healthy Church principles.

How might we honor those who labor for us and with us?
The first Labor Day was celebrated Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, thanks to the efforts of that city’s Central Labor Union.

The friendship between Christians and the labor movement shows signs of life
Worker-preachers are back on the move and not just on Labor Sunday.

Who and What Is the Silent Generation?
You likely have some members of the Silent Generation in your church. Don’t take them for granted. There are only 19 million people in this generation living today. Based on current mortality rates, there will only be 14 million living five years from now. Talk with them. Listen to them. Hear their stories. You and your church will be richer for it.

My 7 Strategies in a New Leadership Position
Here are 7 elements of Ron Edmondson's strategy for the beginning days in a new leadership position.

Feedback Attacks the Biggest Prohibitor to Development
Not providing feedback hurts the team and the organization, but it also hurts the person....it is kind to provide corrective feedback to those you love. The goal of corrective feedback is NOT to be right or make a point, but to encourage and help the person receiving the feedback. Feedback is not unloving; not providing feedback is unloving because feedback helps someone grow.

God, Be the Love to Search and Keep Me (O Christ, Surround Me)
This hymn is a 21st-century adaptation of the traditional Celtic prayer style known as a lorica (Latin for “armor” or “breastplate”), attributed to St. Patrick. Written by Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan, and set to the tune GREEN TYLER, also composed by Bruxvoort-Colligan, it is quite singable and would make a useful addition to a congregation's repertoire. It is a good choice for an offertory hymn, post-communion hymn, or closing hymn. and is suitable for general use as well as on All Saints' Sunday and at baptisms. It appears in Glory to God: The Presbyterian hymnal and Voices Together. A choir anthem based on the hymn and arranged by David Sims is available from AugsburgFortress.

Writing Prayers for Others
...writing prayers that are read by the person you’re praying for isn’t some sort of modern idea, but is something that appears a number of times in the Bible.

What the Bible says about being religious
The Bible has some interesting, and for some people surprising, things to say about being religious. This is the story ...