Tuesday's Catch: 'NEW Surprising Insights from the Unchurched (Releasing New Research)' And More

NEW Surprising Insights from the Unchurched (Releasing New Research)
Almost 25 years ago, we completed a research project that yielded the book “Surprising Insights from the Unchurched.” The study was a breakthrough in many ways, shattering long-held myths about how the unchurched felt about the church. What about now? Do the unchurched today have feelings similar to those of a generation ago? Thom and Sam reveal their new research.

Most Protestant Churchgoers Have Non-Christian Friends
Most U.S. Protestant churchgoers say they currently have non-Christian friends, according to a Lifeway Research study.

4 Election Day Practices for Pastors
Elections matter, and today’s election is no exception. But Election Day also gives us an opportunity that rises well above politics.

Seven tips to overcome the political divide and befriend your opponents
In recent years, surveys show that we are becoming much more divided over politics, with real animosity felt towards the other 'side' that can lead to family breakdown and intolerance. The 2024 US presidential election has been yet another example. However there are ways in which we can reverse this trend in our own lives and so influence others towards a more charitable attitude, too.

Sexually harassing a nation 

I have been watching social media as people are responding to the recent uptick of violent sexual rhetoric targeting women (and everyone, really) from former President Donald Trump and those from his inner circle. This aspect of the Trump campaign seems to be the most difficult for people to engage with, and rightly so. We have not unlearned enough or practiced healthy sexual ethics enough to know how to deal with a leader sexually harassing a nation. Mostly we are just retraumatized.

New Getty Song Rivals ‘In Christ Alone’
"This song, introduced in September at the 2024 Sing! Conference, strikes a powerful chord," writes Trevin Wax. "I first encountered it in South Korea, when the Gettys led worship at the Fourth Lausanne Congress, introducing it to a gathering of 5,000 representatives from over 220 nations."

Sing (Official Video)
When writing songs from J.I. Packer’s classic Knowing God, we realized why good theology should always lead to glad doxology. Packer’s book didn’t simply contain words on a page to be read. They were songs waiting to be sung. So the first single from the album, Sing, encourages us to do just that. It’s a jubilant call to worship, reminding us that the One who created, redeemed, and sustains us is worthy of unending songs of passionate praise.

How to Vent (Safely) in a Small Group
Here a four tips on how to vent safely and unload stresses and frustrations without hurting yourself, others, and your God.

Reviving the Remnants: How a Swedish Church Is Reawakening Its Culture to Faith

Niklas Piensoho, senior pastor of Filadelfiakyrkan (Philadelphia Church), a Pentecostal church in Stockholm, Sweden, has seen his downtown church grow from a few people when he arrived in 2006 to more than 1,000 attendees today across four campuses. The average age of churchgoers has dropped from around 60 to about 40. This renewed spiritual interest is happening in a country where only 5% of the population attends church on a typical weekend.

Monday's Catch: '"Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe takes office, proclaims ‘one church in Christ’ for a changing world" And More

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe takes office, proclaims ‘one church in Christ’ for a changing world
The Most Rev. Sean Rowe began his nine-year term as the 28th presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church with an intimate but festive investiture service on Nov. 2 in New York that was livestreamed to close to 20,000 viewers in homes, churches and dioceses in the United States and around the world.

United Methodists stress values, character and duty as election looms
With the U.S. presidential election and down-ballot contests looming, United Methodists are making a final push to encourage their sibling Wesleyans to vote as a sacred duty, using Christian values and character traits as their guide.

Catholic voters are suffering a barrage of fake 'Catholic' news
Mock Catholic media outlets support Republican victories up and down the ballot, reporting only the ways Democratic policies digress from, not how they agree with, church teachings.

This year, I’m a single-issue voter
"This year, as we approach the presidential election, I have become a single- issue voter." Richard Conville explains.

Unveiling the True Nature of Grumbling
"I’ve recently tried to reflect on why I’m so prone to grumbling," writes Paul Levy. "The Collins Dictionary defines grumbling as “to murmur or mutter in discontent; complain sullenly.” I’m not the first to struggle with this sin. It has been a constant for the people of God."

Pastor, Use This Checklist for Better Preaching
Michael Lukaszewski shares a re a few things that e has learned as a preacher and things that he is currently trying to implement.

Daring Faith in a Culture Far From Christ
Esther and Mordecai are surprisingly helpful guides for pastors equipping their congregants to live out their faith in a culture far from God.

6 Ways New Churches Can Do Missions
If you wait to support missions financially until your church has enough people and money, I suspect you won’t do much for missions.

Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, November 3, 2024) Is Now Online

 

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

On this Sunday a number of churches will be celebrating the Feast of All Hallows, also known as the Feast of All Saints or Hallowmas. While All Hallows’ Day falls on November 1, its feast may be celebrated on the nearest Sunday, which is November 3. All Hallows Murray takes its name from this feast and is dedicated to all who faithfully served God in their generation.

The topic of this Sunday’s message is the most important commandments identified by Jesus.

Readings: Deuteronomy 6: 1-9; Mark 12: 28-34

Message: The Most Important Commandments

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2024/11/sundays-at-all-hallows-sunday-november.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's Lagniappe: 'The Power of Small Church Outreach' And More

The Power of Small Church Outreach
Kevin Harney shares three lessons he learned from two churches that he pastored and which he believes will encourage and help small church leaders in a wide variety of settings.

GAFCON Blasts Welby for Endorsement of Gay Sex
The GAFCON Primates’ Council rebuked Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby for stating in a recent podcast interview that he believes that sex within any “committed relationship, straight or gay,” is moral, which they call an “explicit repudiation of Christian doctrine.” The statement from the global movement of conservative Anglicans came in a Reformation Day email message from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where they had gathered to celebrate the installation of the Most Rev. Steve Wood as Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America.

Once a beneficent King Cyrus, Trump has lately been cast as a biblical avenger
Charismatic 'prophets' have long compared Trump to Bible characters to justify their support for the former president. But the latest iteration, as King Jehu, may signal tacit acceptance of political violence.

In his book Keeping in Step with the Holy Spirit the late Evangelical Anglican theologian J. I. Packer identified as one of the major weaknesses of the charismatic-Pentecostal movement was how those involved in the movement interpreted Scripture. In his writings the late British charismatic Anglican leader David Watson expressed concern over the tendency of some charismatics to give too much credence to personal revelations from God claimed by various individuals in the movement and the "prophesies" they made and not enough to the Bible's warnings related false prophesy.

With Bible verses and Baptist zeal, Amanda Tyler offers how-to for dismantling Christian nationalism 

In her debut book, How to End Christian Nationalism, Tyler presents a roadmap to building multiracial interfaith coalitions and fostering what she calls 'uncomfortable' but necessary conversations — especially for white Christians.

Founded by a ‘witch,’ Salem’s oldest Anglican church tells its unique history
St. Peter’s/San Pedro Episcopal Church is Salem’s oldest Anglican church. It was founded in 1733 by Philip English, who along with his wife Mary English was one of more than 200 people who were accused of witchcraft during the infamous witch trials. The Englishes were forced to flee to New York City and did not return to Salem until the witch trials had ended. 

Democrat or MAGA, left or right, liberal or conservative: is it possible to overcome our hostile political divides?
What does 'loving our enemies' look like in our bitterly divided society? Although they don't always make the headlines, many people are working hard to overcome hatred for people who vote differently.

The Hypocrite Is the Greatest Rationalizer of All Time
"The Lord has this thing about hypocrites," writes Joe McKeever. "He doesn’t care for them much."

Expand Your Gospel Vocabulary: How to Talk About Sin and Salvation in a Post-Christendom World
The problem is what you say is not what they hear.

Keep the Feast
Keith and Kristyn Getty have released a new communion song, lyrics and music by Skye Peterson ad. Ben Shive. The words to this song are posted below the video on YouTube as well as show in the video.

Friday's Catch: 'ACNA Installs New Archbishop' And More

ACNA Installs New Archbishop
In a service marked by pageantry, prayers and celebratory bagpipes, the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) received its new Archbishop and Primate this week. Hosted at the Mount Pleasant, South Carolina campus of Seacoast, a nondenominational megachurch, the gathering drew together clergy, bishops and laity from across the denomination as well as global Anglican and ecumenical visitors.

Church Court: Season of Church Exits Is Over
The United Methodist Church’s top court ruled that a church closure cannot be used as an alternative method of disaffiliation. The Judicial Council also struck down as unconstitutional an expansion of the church-closure law. The two rulings were among five the church court released dealing with church exits and closures.

Burge sees danger in ‘political monoculture’ of evangelicalism
The problem with white evangelicals isn’t their close affiliation with the Republican Party but the homogeneity of their political thinking and culture, sociologist of religion Ryan Burge said during a conference hosted by Denver Seminary. “When a religious movement becomes overwhelmingly a political monoculture, that’s bad not just for the people in the pews, but for democracy as a whole,” said Burge, associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and author of the “Graphs about Religion” Substack.

Also See: Voters must choose between two religious visions

What Exactly is “Sola Scriptura” Protecting Us Against?
At the heart of Sola Scriptura, is the recognition that fallen humans are always looking to replace God’s authority with some other human/creaturely authority. After all, that was the essence of the very first sin in the garden. The rebellion of Adam and Eve was fundamentally a rejection of God’s word that if they ate of the fruit they would surely die. Ever since, humans have been remarkably inventive in the variety of authorities they erect in place of God. Sola Scriptura is designed simply to prevent these other authorities from ruling the Christian and to keep God’s Word rightly as our ultimate guide. Here are three examples of such authorities....

Sustained Influence
Leadership is influence … for the good of the people and the advancement of the mission. It’s one thing to gain influence and a very different thing to sustain influence.

How to preach about the election
Only one Sunday remains until Election Day. With a candidate on the ballot who promises to be a dictator on day one, the stakes could not be higher — for the church or for democracy. The truth is the vast majority of American Christians reject the manipulation and abuse of faith exemplified by ex-President Donald Trump and his court pastors. Despite this, too few clergy are shepherding their congregations away from the conspiracy theories and January-6-style violence of far-right Christian nationalism and toward Jesus’ teachings of love, truth and peace.

Children’s Ministry Strategies for Unchurched Kids and Families
Children’s ministry strategies for unchurched kids are vital. Many children have little to no exposure to the Bible or Jesus. For kidmin leaders and teachers, reaching unchurched kids can be challenging. But it’s also a way to fulfill the Great Commission!

6 Things That Happen When a Youth Group Focuses on Evangelism
Every youth pastor wants to see their students on fire for Jesus. But what’s the best way to help them get there? Youth ministry tradition says a weekly game, 20-minute sermon, and the occasional special event can do the trick. But tradition is losing its impact on today’s teens who need and want more. Instead, let’s look at 6 things that happen when you switch gears and start to focus on relational evangelism.

Embracing Embodied Spirituality: A Call to Pastors and Church Leaders
In a world where the intellect often receives precedence, the church faces a vital call to reclaim and embrace the holistic nature of discipleship that integrates mind, spirit, and body.

Five practical ways to support your missionaries
Hugh Johnson identifies five practical ways that churches can support missionaries.

How I Overcame My Fear in Evangelism
How can young adult Christians share their faith without fear. Daniela Angulo offers three things that have helped her.