Sixty years—that’s how long Stephen Jackson, an architect by profession, has been worshiping at St. Luke’s Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was also there that he met his wife in 1987.
In the early hours of Saturday, February 17, 2024, the parish caught fire, destroying the library and the hall where parishioners gathered for worship.
I visited St. Luke's when its rector was the late Charles Jenkins who later became Louisiana's 10th bishop and attended a celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the church which was destroyed by fire. Early in his episcopate, Bishop Jenkins launched a new church planting initiative. Despite widespread disinterest among the diocese's clergy in planting new churches, two startups were launched, one in East Baton Rouge, Bishop Jenkin's old deanery and the other in the North Shore Deanery, my own deanery, one in which had some involvement in its early stages. Both church plants suffered an untimely demise, the result of a strongly negative public reaction to the election, confirmation, and consecration of Gene Robinson as the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop. These events would also have a detrimental effect on church attendance and giving in the diocese. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita would further devastate the diocese.Welcoming Special Needs Children: Your Church Needs to Improve
Every Sunday, in churches all across the USA, families with autistic children are pushed to the side and made to feel unwelcome because most churches just aren’t ready to deal with these children. It’s not just autism either: Families who have children with special needs ranging from MS to Down Syndrome to cerebral palsy find themselves being pushed to the perimeter of the “church family” until they quietly leave on their own.
Pelagius’ Commentary on Romans
The Pelagian controversy is often described as a dispute over grace, in which St. Augustine of Hippo defended orthodoxy against the rigoristic beliefs of Pelagius, a British monk, and his supporters. Protestants sometimes further interpret the Pelagian controversy as a forerunner of the Protestant Reformation and its alleged emphasis on salvation by grace alone (in Latin, sola gratia). But is either interpretation historically accurate?
Fight the Good Fight
...how can we partner with God to do all we can to stay strong, joyful and healthy as church leaders? Here are four practices or principles that can strengthen us in our general leadership and in our evangelism.
Preaching to Digital Disciples
Times have changed. If you were a public speaker in the 19th or early 20th century and someone in the audience was not keeping eye contact and was focused on something other than you, you would think the subject matter was boring or the participant was not interested or engaged. However, in the 21st century, it is often just the opposite. People now are using their digital devices to Google information, fact check and share content from the presenter. This is the age of digital disciples.
5 BIG Things Missing from Modern Worship
I once paid a visit to one of the most mega of America’s megachurches. It’s a church whose pastor is well-known, a church known for its innovation, a church held up as a model for modern evangelicalism. I went into this modern worship situation with as open a mind as I could muster. I left perplexed. I was perplexed not by what was said or done in the service as much as what was left unsaid and undone.
Since that visit I’ve had the opportunity to attend many more churches and, as often as not, they have been similar, missing a lot of the elements that used to be hallmarks of Christian worship.
Lectio Divina: An Ancient Prayer and Bible Reading Practice
Being formed by the Spirit using scripture requires more than a quick reading to check an item off a to do list.
Advent Devotions & Bible Study Starters for Youth Group
Advent devotions aren’t just for adults. Kids and teens also benefit from preparing their hearts for Jesus at Christmas. But getting teenagers excited about Advent can be a challenge. December is packed with finals, sports, concerts, and Christmas chaos. Waiting quietly for Jesus’ arrival might not be on teens’ radar.
But Advent isn’t just for little kids lighting candles or for adults doing daily Scripture readings at home. It’s also a meaningful season for teens. So help them slow down, reflect, and find awe in the coming Christ.
6 Things to Do When You Don’t Feel Like Going to Church
When Christians go to church, we do not merely gather in a local setting. In these earthly assemblies, we are lifted by God’s Spirit to His heavenly presence.
Maybe you should talk to strangers
Most of us were taught as children not to talk to or take candy from strangers. (Except for on Halloween, and then get all the candy you can handle.) There is wisdom in this, of course. But we can also take it too far and not speak to anyone at all. At least, not anyone real.
Image Credit: Hoffpauir Studio Architecture
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