Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, August 13, 2023) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

The Saturday evening news is filled with bad news. Two mass stabbing In South Korea two weeks apart. Wildfires raging out of control on the island of Maui. 80% of the town of Lahaina destroyed. 89 people killed. Hundreds unaccounted for. At least two churches, one Episcopal and the other United Methodist, gone up in flames. A Buddhist temple also burned to the ground. A three-year-old Venezuelan girl collapsed and died on a bus the Republican governor of Texas uses to ship migrants to out of state cities with Democratic administrations. A surge of deaths of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea in small, overcrowded boats in stormy weather.

In the midst of all this bad news, Christians are called not only to be the hands and feet of Jesus but also to tell others about Jesus. We are called to be the bearers of Good News.

Readings: Genesis 37: 1-28 and Romans 10: 5-15

Message: Called to Be Bearers of Good News

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/08/sundays-at-all-hallows-sunday-august-13.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:

-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: 'To Revitalize or to Replant?' And More

To Revitalize or to Replant?
In the post-COVID world, Thom Rainer, CEO of Church Answers, see the need for many churches to replant instead of revitalizing. In this article he explains th difference between the two.

Two Anglican Church Plants Leave for the Episcopal Church
Resurrection South Austin is the latest to go, citing issues around race, women, sexual minorities, and abuse response.

This article explores in more depth why these two church plats and a third church opted to disaffiliates from the Anglican Church in North America. f you do not have a subscription to Christianity Today, you will need to copy the entire page and then paste it in a Word document. This will bypass the subscription wall.

Can We Integrate 8 Views of the Atonement?
Review: ‘Mapping Atonement’ by William G. Witt and Joel Scandrett

5 Statements that Help Leaders Define Reality
New to a ministry leadership role? Charles Stone recommends a process to use with your staff to learn fresh insight about your work setting.

Is Your Fear Affecting Your Leadership?
Joe McKeever identifies the tell-tale signs that a pastor is operating from fear.

8 Things to Do Whe Depression Hists Your Pastor More and more pastors are dealing with the issue of depression. The pain is often deep, and few pastors have immediate places to turn for guidance and comfort.

Social Media Is a Spiritual Distortion Zone 

If consuming digital content can form us away from Christ, then it can also form us toward Christ.

What I have personally noticed is the substantial number of vocal social media influencers who, while identify themselves as Christians, encourage un-Christian attitudes, ways of thinking, and behavior. These influencers include those who subscribe to conservative political and social views as well as those who subscribe to progressive ones.

Preparing Yourself to Share the Gospel with Muslims
Tim Challies recommends four books for those who want to better understand the faith of the Muslims in their community so they can more effectively present the gospel to them.

Canadian Supreme Court refuses to hear appeals over worship restrictions on churches
The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to hear appeals from churches in Ontario and British Columbia that challenged pandemic restrictions on in-person worship. The churches had been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for violating gathering limits.

From a public health perspective there is a difference between a retail store where customers do not stay for any length of time and a sanctuary or worship center which may e poorly ventilated and where the same people may stay together for a hour or more and engage in activities which have bee shown to contribute to the spread of an infectious virus. While meeting a congregation's spiritual needs may be a concern for pastors and other religious leaders, preventing the spread of a dangerous communicable disease is going to be given greater priority by public health authorities.

A teaching of Jesus which was glozed over or ignored in this controversy is that our Lord repeatedly emphasized that God did not desire sacrificial offerings from us whatever form such offerings might take but that we show mercy to our fellow human beings.

Will the Supreme Court take up the denial of religious exemptions for unvaccinated schoolchildren?
A Connecticut case makes it likely.

We are already seeing a resurgence of dangerous childhood diseases due to lax attitudes toward vaccination and the spread of inaccurate information and intentional disinformation about vaccination and vaccines. A Supreme Court decision overturning public health measures requiring the mandatory vaccination of children could make the situation far worse than it already is.

Friday's Catch: ''United Methodist pastors feel worse and worry more than a decade ago'And More

United Methodist pastors feel worse and worry more than a decade ago

Half have trouble sleeping, a third feel depressed and isolated, half are obese, and three-quarters are worried about money, according to a new study.

Study shows shift in disaffiliations
The Lewis Center for Church Studies has done a second study comparing U.S. congregations disaffiliating from The United Methodist Church with those staying. Disaffiliation numbers have grown rapidly in 2023, and the new study finds the pool of departing churches is less dominated by the Southeastern and South Central jurisdictions. Departing churches remain more likely to be majority white and led by a male pastor than churches remaining United Methodist.

Compare this explanation of the latest Lewis Center report on disaffilations publsihed on United Methodist News wesite with the explanation of the same report published on United Methodist Insight website to which I posted a link yesterday.

Is The UMC really...? Part 12: Where are we now?
With some congregations considering leaving The United Methodist Church or just wondering about its future, Ask The UMC offers a series of questions and answers to help clear up some common misperceptions or misinformation around disaffiliation.

This is the United Methodist Communications' take on what is happening in the United Methodist Church.

Progressive National Baptists gain partners to address voting rights, gun violence
Members of the historically Black Protestant denomination also marked the ninth anniversary of the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, in nearby Ferguson, Missouri.

7 of the Most Dangerous Mindsets for Leaders
leader can be doing everything else right and yet one flawed mindset overshadows and jeopardizes all the good leadership principles he or she knows. One constantly repeated action, one trait, one habit. Simply one mindset.Sadly, it’s not even that the person isn’t a good leader – it’s the one mindset that gets them off track.

Invent Now – Tweak Later
Apparently, it takes time for innovation to ultimately find it’s true destination.

A Simple Exercise that will Infuse Life into your Staff
Gratefulness expressed to others is not only biblical, but it brings with it many practical personal benefits as well. Science is now telling us what the Bible has for centuries: showing gratitude, saying thanks, and affirming others is really good.

Preach the Gospel at All Times
If there is one thing that unites people across many different faith traditions — a kind of ecumenical via negativa — it is an aversion to evangelism.

This aversion is particularly strong in the Episcopal Church but it is also quite evident in the churches which broke away from the Episcopal Church at various times in its history. It is widely seen in most North American churches, evangelical and mainline.

5 Steps for Planning a Church Communications Timeline
A church communications timeline is crucial for effective communication. Here are five steps to creating an achievable communication plan.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, August 10, 2023) Is Now Online.

 

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

All Hallows is a digital church and online worship ministry designed to serve families and individuals who are unable to attend a local church in person for any reason; who are traveling; who wish to learn more about the Christian faith and way of life; and who otherwise may benefit from its services.

This evening’s service is one of two services that are offered on this website each week, one on Thursday evenings and the other on Sundays.

Reading: Matthew 7: 21-23

Message: The Path of a True Disciple

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/08/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows_10.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:

-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: '4 Ways to Make Your Church Safer' And More

Update: El Roi Haiti reports the safe release of American Christian nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter held hostage in Port au Prince, Haiti.

4 Ways to Make Your Church Safer
With a variety of safety concerns, how can churches take the next step in providing a safer and more secure place of worship for congregants?

VOICES: Here's how religious institutions can prevent child abuse
Churches and other religious organizations can take a more proactive role to prevent child abuse not only on their campus and the campus of any facilities such as schools which they operate but also in the community.

What I’ve Learned About Those Who Serve
These are Tony Morgan's 15 random thoughts on volunter engagement.

3 Ways to See a Miracle
Rebekah Simo-Peter shares 3 ways a church can see a miracle.

Why Tracking Worship Attendance Is Vital
Thom exhorts church leaders to keep an accurate count of worship attendance. It’s not all about the numbers. He shares why.

Three Ways to Keep Accurate Worship Attendance
Can you really keep accurate worship attendance? Thom gets a hearty “yes” and explains three ways to do it.

3 Reasons Why Your Church Isn’t Engaging In Worship
On a scale of 1-10, how engaged is your church?

The Worship Team’s Guide to Transitions
We talk a lot about songs. We talk a lot about music. We talk a lot about worship. But an often neglected (but no less important) aspect of leading worship is how you approach transitions.

Transitions are important in liturgical worship as well as in so-called non-liturgical worship. I say so-called because services of public worship in supposedly non-liturgical churches do follow a predictable pattern from Sunday to Sunday with minor variations in that patter. This pattern is determined at the local level rather than prescribed at the denomination level as in liturgical churches. Factors that play a role in determining the pattern include local custom, the church leaders' understanding of the nature of worship and its place in the life of a church, and the influence of other churches.

6 Ways Digital Technology Deforms Us
We don’t only act on the world with our technology—our technology ends up acting on us.

VOICES: 7 things to do when your friend is hurting
According to Melissa Richeson, Job's frieds got some things right.

Shifting Our Mindset on Evangelism
We have to get underneath why people are not sharing the gospel. That frequently means facilitating a mental shift that can unleash their motivation and engagement. Mary T. Lederleitner believes that three areas are critical for making that change.

After tornado destroys vacant Arkansas church, diocese invests in booming corner of state
Hundreds of miles from the ruins of a long-vacant Arkansas church, destroyed this year by a tornado, another Episcopal congregation is rising – in a building that the Diocese of Arkansas purchased with some of the insurance money it received for the tornado-razed former church.

It is possible to plant and grow a new Episcopal church in a area which is experiencing a population boom and whose population is relatively diverse provided that the new church actively seeks to engage the community and connect with it. This observatio applies to Anglica Church in North America, Reformed Episcopal, Continuing Anglican, and United Methodist church plants.

Updated Report on United Methodist Disaffiliating Churches Shows Trends Holding
The Lewis Center has issued an updated report on the characteristics of churches disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church that covers more than 6,100 churches approved for disaffiliation through June 2023. There continue to be more similarities than differences between the cohort of disaffiliating churches and the total pool of United Methodist churches. But disaffiliating churches are disproportionately in the Southeastern and South Central Jurisdictions, they are less likely to be served by an active elder, they are disproportionately white, and they are more likely to have a male lead pastor.

Nearly 70% of churchgoers have 'a growing sense of fear': Lifeway Research
More than two-thirds of Protestant pastors have reported that there is “a growing sense of fear” in their congregations regarding the future, according to a recent report by Lifeway Research.

I observe a lot of fearmongering occuring on social media such as Facebook and YouTube which suggests to me that social media ifluencers are stoking the fears of US Christians. I also observe a lot of catastrophizing and other forms of distorted thinking both in posts on social media and in responses to these posts. This, I believe, accounts at least in part for this pessimistic outlook.The negatvity bias, the tendency to pay pay more attention to negative information than positive information also accout at least in part for the same outlook.

Americans worry that religious institutions are watering down, abandoning traditional beliefs: survey
While a significant number of American adults say religious faith is important to their everyday lives, many fear that religious institutions are “watering down” or abandoning traditional beliefs, according to a recent survey.

What is stoking the fears of US Christians reported in the first article is also encouragig the anxieties of Americans reported in this article. What these surveys are reporting are perceptions of what may be happening. They are not studying what is actually occurring. There is a lot of inaccurate information and intentional disinformation circulating on the internet.

Are white evangelical pastors at odds with their congregants? A new study says no.
A new study shows white evangelical clergy are as conservative, if not more so, as the people in their churches.

Wednesday's Catch: "Ed Stetzer: Everyone on Mission' And More

Ed Stetzer: Everyone on Mission
Ed Stetzer shares two ideas for helping to disciple moderately-involved people from consumer to co-laborer.

Why Your Church Is Larger Than You Realize (And Pastors Are Busier Than Ever)
Your church is likely much larger than your worship attendance average.

A New England Church Comeback Story Everyone Needs to Know: An Interview with Gary Moritz
At Church Answers we love a good turnaround story, especially when a struggling church gets healthy and begins to thrive. In this episode, Thom and Sam interview Gary Moritz of City United Church in Lunenburg, MA. This comeback story is incredibly inspirational

3 Major Advantages of Bivocational Church Planting

Over the past several years, we have seen an increasing interest in church planting. As a result of declining attendance and the closing of many existing churches, every major denomination is focusing more resources toward starting new congregations. During this proliferation of church planting, one of the most significant trends is bivocational leaders starting new churches.

The Lost Art of Independent Thinking

James Emory White expresses concern over the loss of the ability of Generation Z to think for themselves and the influence that social media has upon what that generation does think about.

3 Reasons You Should Learn From People Different Than You
Does the breadth of your learning impact the depth of your learning?

6 Ways to Pray for Global Hunger
Churches can continue to show up for food-insecure communities by giving on Global Hunger Sunday and praying for sustainable solutions worldwide.

Global warming is here and it is getting worse
We are like frogs in a pot of water being slowly cooked as the temperature rises. We don’t have the sense to get out of the pot, let alone turn off the heat.

10 Everyone-Wins Fall Festival Games for Your Children’s Ministry
These 10 “everyone-wins” games and activities are perfect for a church fall festival.

Young Man, There’s a Place You Can Go
Sam O'Neil gives three reasons that he believes Kids Ministry is an amazing place for young men to serve.

Safeguarding concerns may account for why churches do not recruit young men for children's ministry.

It’s Go Time: 10 Tips for Youth Group Chaperones
“If you positively engage in activities or provide positive encouragement to youth, the group will have a better experience.”

17 Service Project Ideas for Youth Groups 

Looking for new ideas to get your youth ministry students involved in service this year? We’re all called to be the hands and feet of Christ, and we believe that one of the greatest opportunities a youth ministry can provide is practice serving for their students! So here is a list of some of favorite ideas from our friends in student ministry.

10 Bits of Wisdom from 10 Years of Socials
Karen Ellis shares the wisdom related to social media and its use that she has garnered in a 10-year hiatus from social media. .

Tuesday's Catch: '"Real Church"' And More

"Real Church"
Michael Adam Beck, coauthor of Fresh Expressions of the Rural Church, explains how the faith communities formed using the Fresh expressions approach can connect with people that the conventional church cannot. 

The formation of micro-churches meeting in non-traditional venues is a possible option for Anglicans and Methodists who for one reason or another are unable to attend a local church or have no local church to attend.

When a Ministry Partnership Must End
Every seasoned pastor and organizational leader experiences significant conflicts and disagreements with fellow staff members, elders, or ministry colleagues. There are various reasons for such disputes: theological convictions, ministry strategies and priorities, leadership styles, communication gaps, perspectives about partnerships, and more. While many conflicts can be resolved to preserve and strengthen ministry partnerships, disagreements often prompt coworkers to part ways.

7 Steps to Agile Leadership
In this rapidly-changing world, churches have been forced to assess how we do ministry, and pastors must practice agile leadership.

Songs Are Discipleship
If a mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew, the same is true of the songs we choose and sing congregationally. How does this song build up the body of Christ? How does this song edify a seasoned saint? How does this jingle build up the newly-born believer? How does this worship leader understand his role and responsibility? We must take seriously the theological development of the individuals we call worship leaders because they are disciples too.

How and When to Memorize Scripture
This article is adapted from Glenna Marshall's book, Memorizing Scripture, published by Moody Publisher.

Memorizing Scripture was a common practice in early monastic communities. There were no printed Bibles, much less digital ones, and what Bibles there were, were laboriously copied by hand. The early monks would memorize portions of Scripture so that when they were traveling together, they could recite a portion of Scripture for the benefit of those with whom they were traveling. Each monk would take turns in reciting a portion of Scripture.

VOICES: How to be reconciled to God
While it is natural to assume that every human being is a member of God’s family, such flawed thinking is not rooted in reality. The truth is that man is separated from God because of sin and is in desperate need of being reconciled to his Creator. Our sins have actually produced a huge chasm between us and God.

10 Things Evangelism Is and Isn’t
"It is time for people to understand what evangelism is, and what it means for the church of the 21st century to engage in evangelism," writes Luiz F Cardoso. "So, to begin to stir the pot I would like to introduce 10 things that evangelism is and is not."

Americans think more highly of their religious practice than those looking from afar see
Most of the world doesn’t consider the United States to be nearly as religious as many Americans do, new research shows. According to data from Pew Research Center, 41% of U.S. adults describe faith as essential to them while only 23% of the rest of the world’s population views Americans that way. Respondents in the United States were almost twice as likely to make that claim about themselves than were their peers (at 21%) in other wealthy nations.

Monday's Catch: 'Why Your Church Will Die within Five Years' And More

Why Your Church Will Die within Five Years
Thom Rainer strikes a somber note in his article explaining why a growing number of churches will die within five years and what church leaders can do about it.

Church attendance dropped faster during the pandemic, but parishes are adapting: Statistician
Canon Neil Elliot, statistics officer for the Anglican Church of Canada, says the church needs to start planning for a future of smaller communities and new expressions of church life in response to the pandemic's acceleration of already declining attendance.

What If Churches Ask for More and No One Says Yes?
Jake Meador has a provocative proposal for reversing dechurching. But it may not be that simple.

The Underground Church
Although we tried to get them involved, the new believers simply didn’t fit very well in the established churches in our community. It seemed clear that there was a need for new church structures that would effectively be home to converts from a variety of backgrounds. That’s why Jesus said we need to put new wine in new wineskins. “… Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (Matthew 9:16-17).

Garden for All’ Episcopal ministry alleviates hunger in central Ohio
Community gardens, whether started by a church or some other community group or organization have demonstrated their usefulness in reducing food insecurity and increasing the availability of nutritionally-dense foods to low income families.

Worship bands strike a discordant note
Julian Mann joins the chorus of voices drawing attention to how praise bands are contributing to the decline of congregational singing.

To my mind "passive worship" is not worship at all. If we truly honor and reverence God, we will show it, and showing it require more from us than listening to a band and a talk.

John Wesley, Hymns, and “Directions for Singing”
In Select Hymns: with Tunes Annext (1761), John Wesley included a short guide to singing his collection of Methodist hymns. Titled “Directions for Singing,” Wesley lays out seven principles when it comes to hymns.

Top 10 Things I Love That Worship Leaders Do
"I love it when worship leaders...," writes Jared C. Wilson. He goes on to list 10 practices that characterize a good worship leader.

6 Ways Digital Events Benefit Women in Your Church
As you evaluate ways to invest in women in your congregation, consider bringing digital events to ladies in your church.

What is Christian Hospitality?
For a Christian to show hospitality to whomever the Lord puts on our path it must be exempt from xenophobia, racism, ethnocentrism, classism, pride, or prejudice.

Where Does Mission Happen? How the Church Wins the Lost
In your mind, what are the most appealing aspects of our churches for nonbelievers? Is it the personal invitation? The welcoming and thrilling atmosphere? The uniqueness and oddity of Christian worship?

Abiding Fuels Evangelism
We can’t authentically offer others what we don’t have. We must live as branches in the vine.

Only Half of Americans Believe in God With No Doubts
Half of Americans say they believe God exists and have no doubts. In 1993, 65% of Americans said they were certain God existed.

Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, August 6, 2023) Is Now Online

 

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows. Sundays at All Hallows was originally lunched during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as a Zoom service. It was subsequently decided to adopt a simpler platform. The basic patter of worship is adapted from The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992). Other patterns of worship have also been used.

Sundays at All Hallows is designed to serve the needs of Christians who are home-bound, who have no local church they can attend, or who are for one reason or another unable to attend a local church, those who are traveling, those who wish to explore the Christian faith and way of life but are not yet ready to visit a local church, and those who might otherwise benefit from the services.

Sundays at All Hallows is also designed to serve the needs of small groups gathering in a private home or some other venue for Sunday worship.

Readings: Isaiah 55: 1-5 and Matthew 14: 13-21

Message: The Feeding of the 5000, a Lesson in Compassion

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/08/sundays-at-all-hallows-sunday-august-6.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:

-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: '3 Options When the Church No Longer Reflects the Community' And More

3 Options When the Church No Longer Reflects the Community
Whatever the church decides to do will determine the future of the church. Pastors may come and go, but those in the church will likely have to live with the answer for the remaining life of the church.

11 Tips for Cross-Cultural Church Planting
While we tend to associated cross-cultural church planting with planting a church in another country, it can involve planting a church in a community, district, or neighborhood whose dominant culture is different from our own. Te language spoke in that community, district, or neighborhood may also be different from ours. A number of the tips in this article can also be applied to church planting that is not cross-cultural.

J.D. Greear Rebukes His Congregation for Arriving at Church Late and Leaving Early
According to Greear, "An important part of demonstrating the gospel is how we treat people in church, and that requires presence." He has a point.

Investing and Inviting to Achieve Maximum Impact
The core dynamic of evangelism is investing and inviting. Let’s start off with the invest part. Investing in someone is simply about building a relationship: getting to know them, spending time with them, entering into community with them.

Deuteronomy and the art of listening
Jewish academic and Hebrew scholar Irene Lancaster explores the concept of listening in Judaism and explains why it is so important to faith.

VOICES: Why bashing feminism for trans insanity is a misfire
...the point that needs to be made here is this: Regardless of how badly astray the movement has gone in recent years, and it has indeed gone astray, the original, early feminism was largely a necessary response to men behaving badly and abusing their power.

Why America Is Not a Christian Nation
Michael Horton explains why there is no such thing, in the new covenant, as a “Christian nation” apart from the worldwide body of Christ. “The problem with Christian nationalism is not that some Christians are taking a biblical idea too seriously,” says Horton, professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Westminster Seminary California, “but that they are confusing America with Israel under the old covenant. From a biblical perspective, it’s actually heretical. It confuses the law with the gospel.”

Corporate Prayer Has Left the Church Building
Josh and Sam discuss a recent survey that reveals where people pray. Far fewer people pray in the church building than they thought. How can congregations teach corporate prayer and encourage people to pray more? This episode covers best practices for pastors and church leaders.

While liturgical churches have in their Sunday gatherings what are called the Prayers of the People, the Universal Prayer, the Prayers of the Faithful, the Bidding Prayers, the Prayers of Intercession, or simply the Prayers, these prayers in a number of churches might be less perfunctory and more particularized. The congregation might also be encouraged to add their own petitions and thanksgivings.

Kids in Your Ministry Won’t Tell You These 10 Things: Listen Up!
How well do you know the kids in your children’s ministry? Do you ever wonder what those students are thinking but not saying? Here are 10 things kids won’t tell you but wish you knew.

FAQ: Do You Have a Job Description for a Small Group Director?
In this article Mark Howell identifies four things that he thinks ought to be on the job description for a small group director.

VOICES: Does your sinful nature still control you?
Whether you realize it or not, your life is controlled by one of two things: Your sinful nature, or the Holy Spirit. And in the case of the Holy Spirit, He is not a “thing,” but a Person.

Enter your new season with a new outlook
Do you want to enter your new season? How does God get us ready?

St. Brigid Oceanside
The Episcopal Diocese of San Diego is excited to announce plans for a new Episcopal community have taken root in the city of Oceanside, California. Under the leadership of the Rev. Brian Petersen, St. Brigid’s Episcopal Church will be a beacon of hope and transformation for the community of Oceanside.

From what I have observed church planting in The Episcopal Church appears to occur in 20 to 30 year intervals rather than on a ongoing basis. In my former diocese a number of new churches were planted in the 1950s and in the 1980s and in the early years of the first decade of the century. In the Diocese of Kentucky in which I now live two new churches were planted in the 1950s and one new church in the 1980s in my part of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. No new Episcopal churches were planted in this region in the first decade of the twenty-first century. However, three breakaway churches were planted. Only one of these churches survives.

To grow, churches must not only replace members and attendees who die, become homebound or institutionalized, move away, migrate to another church, or drop out altogether, but also they must add new members and attendees. The same holds true for denominations. As well as replacing churches that close, disaffiliate, or break away, they must also plant new churches. Otherwise, they will become increasingly less viable.

Friday's Catch: '7 Actions I Recommend When A Church is Declining' And More

7 Actions I Recommend When A Church is Declining

In this article Ron Edmondson makes a number of suggestions, which come from working with churches in decline.

4 First-Century Exhortations for the 21st-Century Church
Paul closes his first letter to the Thessalonians with four timely exhortations extremely applicable to the American church today.

The Sound of True Freedom 

Why the Gospel is central to solving the problem of sex trafficking.

No, Slavery Didn't Benefit the Slaves: Dismantling the myth that ancient slavery ‘wasn’t that bad’

Chance Bonar identifies and explains three myths that stand in the way of understanding ancient slavery and how systems of enslavement have evolved over time.

Anyone who has studied the archeological record and ancient literature knows that slaves in the ancient Mediterranean world and elsewhere did not have an easy life. They were their master's property to do with whatever their master pleased. They were often war captives or the children of slaves. Those who were war captives would have suffered from the trauma of having seen family members and loved ones killed in front of their eyes and might have been raped themselves. They were physically and sexually abused and otherwise ill-treated; slept in crowded, cramped quarters; worked hard for long hours; and poorly fed. Those who romanticize their lot need to be transported back in time and enslaved themselves. They will be quickly disabused of their romantic notions!

Farming is ministry: 5 ways your congregation can start today 

Farming fosters hands-on opportunities for fellowship while producing a tangible good.

A Former Pastor’s Perspective on What Makes a Compelling Worship Service
Having visited several churches during the past year and then joining one as a non-staff member, here’s what Charles Stoe believes can help make a compelling worship service that would encourage people to want to come back.

Sixteen lies Satan feeds us about worship
If God uses our worship to transform sinners, starting with us, then the enemy will do all in his power to neutralize it.

5 Ways the Enemy Seeks To Attack Us Before Worship Happens This Weekend
...the devil wants to hinder your worship of God this weekend, so he will work to distract and deceive you. Even before we get to worship this weekend, he wants us to....

Our Missions Approach Is Too Western
For nearly a century, missiologists have tried to correct the influence of colonialism on Christian missions. Countless articles and books have been written critiquing the Western church’s attitude toward and treatment of other cultures. Today, postcolonial sentiment is pervasive in the West as well as among majority-world Christians who express frustration with the Western church’s missiological approach.

3 Steps to Leverage a Mission Trip for Discipleship Growth
These simple steps can help maximize the summer mission trip experience for discipleship. But intentionality is key. 

Don't let leprosy surge spoil your holiday plans, says charity
Several cases of malaria which was contracted in Florida and not outside the state or the country have also been reported.

Thursday's Catch: 'Welcoming Visitor without Scaring Them Away' And More

Welcoming Visitor without Scaring Them Away

Joseph Yoo offers some good advice in this article on the ways that a church can scare away first time guests.

In two of the new church plants I helped to pioneer, we handed out contact cards and complementary pens with the worship bulletins. The pens had the name of the church and its logo printed on them. During the Sunday gathering guests were invited to complete a contact card if they wanted to fill one out and to include any prayer requests. There was space on the card for prayer requests. They were told they could turn in the card when the offering was taken or at the end of the service. They were not pressured into filling out a card. It was presented to them simply as an option as was submitting a prayer request. Most guests turned in a card. In one of the church plants we also had a welcome kiosk where first-time guests could pick up a brochure about the church and a complementary coffee mug with the church's name and logo on it. We also gave away T-shirts with the church's name and logo on them.

Comfort and Challenge – A Ministry Balancing Act
Church growth is a complex and multifaceted process, but at its core, it involves creating a skillful balance of comfort and challenge. The art of church growth lies in the ability to present the comforting love of Jesus Christ while simultaneously challenging congregation members to grow in their faith, as well as their commitment to the engagements of the church.

How Should Church Leaders Decide What Activities the Church Needs to Eliminate?
Many, if not most, churches have far too many activities and full calendars. Thom looks at how to lead these churches to do less to be more effective.

Safeguarding Your Church
Here is a quick reminder of the policies and procedures every church should have on file.

How Pastors Can Preach Effectively in Light of the Dechurching Movement
In this episode of As in Heaven, Jim Davis and Michael Aitcheson welcome Sam Allberry and Michael Keller to discuss preaching in light of the dechurched phenomenon. The guests share insights from their own preaching preparation, cultural insights from their contexts, and how they question cultural assumptions.

Don’t Just Pray — Become a PRAYING Church
Most churches pray, but not all are praying churches. Most churches pause during their gatherings to pray, sometimes out of ritual, but certainly out of sincerity. But how does a church make the leap to become a praying church, where prayer is the engine and fuel behind every spiritual advancement?

What’s the Point of Re-Reading Familiar Bible Stories?
Certain Bible stories stand etched in our minds, whether it’s the tale of the slingshot-wielding David or the animals marching two by two. These narratives permeate our world so much so that even many non-Christians can recite the key points from memory.

Intergenerational Worship is NOT...
Lenses of tradition, personal preference, and familiarity often cloud the conversation when we talk about any kind of change at church, but especially when we talk about bringing together generations for times of worship in a corporate worship setting. It may be helpful that begin by explaining what this time of worship is NOT so that it can set the stage for what it is intended to be.

Five Ways Intergenerational Relationships Can Transform Community
Within the context of a church or faith community, age-specific opportunities like Sunday school and youth group are the “norm”. However, if communities lack the space and opportunity for generations to connect, develop meaningful relationships, and engage in intentional discipleship, we miss out on some incredible ways to grow with God and one another. It is essential to recognize the tremendous benefits that intergenerational connections can bring to the spiritual growth and overall vibrancy of the community.

“Thank You for Coming. Please Leave.”
This article reminds me of what happened to my older brother and his wife when they took their three daughters to a local church with them, having decided that it was time for them to start attend church again after a long absence as they now had children. Unfortunately they picked the wrong church to visit. The longtime members made it evident to them that they and their children were not welcome at that church. A year or so after that the church closed its doors. Too many visitors had gotten the message that they were not welcome at that church.

Is It Time To Re-Think The Role Of “Communications Director” at Your Church?
If there’s been a remotely positive outcome of the virus, it’s been that church leaders are finally realizing that their online congregation matters, and communicating and connecting with that congregation is more important than ever. 

How to Develop a Social Media Strategy That Enhances Your Ministry
In one of our most recent podcasts, we had the opportunity to chat with social media expert Jacob Shipley, who offered us a wealth of knowledge regarding how ministries can best build and boost their social media strategies while maintaining a heart of worship that is people focused. Here is what we learned....

Being a Navigator of Discussion
...small group leaders can implement some strategies that can help lessen the number of negative experiences that occur within the church’s small group ministry.

Climate Change Fingerprints Could Inspire Swedish Death Cleaning
July 2023 was Earth’s hottest month ever. New Climate Central analysis finds that human-caused climate change made July’s extreme heat in the U.S. and across the globe far more likely.

The Climate Canary Is Dead
In earleir times coal miners took canaries done in the coal mines with them. Canaries are very sensitive to coal damp, or methane, a gas toxic to humans as well as canaries. If a canary died in oe of the tunels, it signaled the presence of this deadly gas. The elderly, people with chronic medical conditions, the homeless, and outdoor workers are the canaries that warn us that the heat waves we are experiencing has turned deadly.

4 surprisingly simple keys to effectively sharing the Gospel
Sharing the Gospel is like flying an airplane. You want to take off smoothly, have a solid flight plan, know how to deal with emergency situations and then, of course, land safely.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, August 3, 2023) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows. To a believer, Jesus is not only Savior, Teacher, Companion, and Friend but most importantly of all Jesus is Lord. And as Lord, his teaching carries far greater weight with the believer than the teaching of the wisest and most learned sage. At the same time the knowledge and wisdom that the human race has acquired over the centuries can prove helpful in understanding what Jesus taught. We cannot dismiss that it was God’s grace working in the human race that enabled the human race to garner this knowledge and wisdom.

Reading: Matthew 7:1-5

Message: What Does Jesus Teach About Not Judging Others?

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/08/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:

-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: 'How to Welcome Visitors to Your Church' And More

How to Welcome Visitors to Your Church

While he writes from a Methodist perspective, retired pastor John Sumwalt hits the nail on the head!

Partnering Together: A Practical Guide
...many denominations have lost sight of the forest for the trees—they’ve so emphatically focused on cooperation for mission that they’ve neglected other important and biblical aspects that define how independent churches relate to each other.

What I Learned when I Taught my Church About Heresies
Heresies are not killed, only recast in a modern light. Seeing the lies and the way God has provided for the protection of the faith in the past, helps us to face modern challenges with confidence and faith.

God or Wealth?
“When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.” Those words are attributed to John Wesley, the 18th-century Anglican priest and founder of Methodism. And there’s evidence to show that he really meant it.

VOICES: Jesus among the stars: What does the possibility of extraterrestrials mean for Christianity?
Could God’s power for salvation be for the Jew, the Gentile, and the extraterrestrial?

Is worshipping online a valid substitute for in-person worship?
Christians who do not participate in a worshipping community significantly are less adapted to some important life challenges than those who never have been religious.

If we value our brothers and sisters with learning disabilities, we must do better
Imagine attending church as an adult with a learning disability. It's a friendly place. You love Jesus and enjoy singing the worship songs. But it's hard too. You want to learn more about God, but the sermons are confusing, and Christian books are full of difficult words in small print. Without appropriate teaching and encouragement, how can you grow in your faith?

5 Transformative Benefits of Women’s Bible Study for Your Church
Women’s Bible study groups are a way of centering fellowship around a focus on the truth and timeless counsel revealed through God’s Word.

Appeals for prayer after Christian nurse and daughter kidnapped in Haiti
A Christian education ministry in Haiti is asking people to pray for one of its workers and her daughter who have been kidnapped in the troubled country. Alix Dorsainvil, a committed Christian and school nurse from New Hampshire in the US, was working for the El Roi Haiti ministry when she and her daughter were kidnapped from the ministry's campus near Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, on July 27.

Digital Leadership—It’s a Thing,
It’s all about creating value for people.

20 Truths From ‘The Power of One: Reaching Every Person on Earth’
...here are 20 quotes from the book, The Power of One: Reaching Every Person on Earth’ of One.

What Do Mormons Believe About Jesus?
Here are four things you should know.

Image Credit: John Sumwalt

Tuesday's ' And MoreCatch: '5 Essentials For Today’s Church To Thrive

5 Essentials For Today’s Church To Thrive
If you quietly believe your church isn’t that different today than two years ago, consider that because the culture has dramatically changed, people see, perceive, and experience your church differently. That reality is unavoidable. The essential question is — Are people experiencing the difference in your church that you want them to experience?

8 Reasons Potential Pastors Would Rather Begin Ministry with an Internship or Assistant Pastorate
...young leaders preparing for ministry are much more inclined to look for an “entry-level” position before stepping into a lead pastorate. Here are some reasons why....

Recruiting Students to Serve in the Church
The next generation is ready and able to serve. Recruiting students for the work of the ministry should be a high priority for every church.

Digital Icons or Concrete Words – How to Communicate our Content?
Here is one of the greatest challenges, controversies and problems confronting church communicators today: the mistaken priority use of images over carefully crafted words to communicate our content. It doesn’t matter what technology channel we use, the issue of the communication value of words vs. digital icons is the same.

How to Lead a Dynamic Cell Meeting
Joel Comiskey shares key tips to ensure needs are met and people go away satisfied from your small group meetings.

How Can I Love a Difficult Church Member?
The gospel-shaped church should be like a family because it is a family. That is the overarching theme of 1 Thessalonians 12-15: how Christian love is manifested in our relationships.

Do you believe in angels? About 7 in 10 U.S. adults do, a new AP-NORC poll shows
The large number of U.S. adults who say they believe in angels includes 84% of those with a religious affiliation, and 33% of those without one.

Belief in God, angels, Heaven, Hell and devil hit record lows: study
The shares of Americans who believe in God, angels, Heaven, Hell and the devil have all tumbled to the lowest levels ever recorded over the last two decades and belief in God and Heaven have made the steepest dips, new data from Gallup show.

Monday's Catch: '12 Principles of Leadership Inspired by Jesus' And More

12 Principles of Leadership Inspired by Jesus
What can we learn from Jesus' leadership style?

Does Your Team Lack Trust? You CAN Rebuild It!
Trust is a critical ingredient to the success of a team.

Texting in Church: It’s a Good Thing!
Over 99 percent of all text messages are opened and read within five minutes or less. That factor alone makes text communication for churches a no-brainer. Want to learn more? Let’s start out by discussing the foundational basics of church texting.

12 Spiritual Disciplines That Will Make Your Faith Strong
According to Brandon Hilgemann, twelve primary spiritual activities were practiced by Jesus and prescribed for all believers in the Bible.

3 Dangers of a Mission-less Church
Jesus assigned His mission to the church. What are the consequences of a church that neglects its mission?

Rick Warren wants to talk about the Great Commission
Rick Warren is obsessed with the Great Commission — the final command of Jesus to go into all the world and preach the gospel, baptize believers and make disciples. His Great Commission passion and his belief that both women and men are equally called to the task recently got Saddleback Church kicked out of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, July 30, 2023) Is Now Online.

 

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows. This Sunday’s music includes two beloved traditional hymns as well as a new arrangement of a third traditional hymn. This Sunday’s message takes a look at what the New Testament tells about being a child of God.

Readings: Romans 8: 26-39 and Matthew 13:31–33, 44–52

Message: Children of God

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/07/sundays-at-all-hallows-sunday-july-30.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:

-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: 'Congregation to leave ACNA, seeks new affiliation with Episcopal Diocese of Texas' And More

Congregation to leave ACNA, seeks new affiliation with Episcopal Diocese of Texas

It is too early to say whether the departure of this church from the ACNA and its migration to TEC is the beginning of a disaffiliation trend in the ACNA.

Also see: Austin ACNA parish joins the Episcopal Church and Second Anglican Parish Heads for Episcopal Church.

As churches shrink and pastors retire, creative workarounds are redefining ministry
As older clergy get set to retire, there are few younger seminarians to replace them — and few churches that can afford to pay them.

What’s lost when religion becomes a ‘luxury good’
The church has failed when only the prosperous feel welcome.

Why Pastoral Competition Is Decreasing
“What are you running?” was once an ever-present question among pastors. That is not the case nearly as much today. Thom explains why.

4 Ways To Empower Young Leaders
The greatest satisfaction of most teachers is when others take what they have been taught and inculcate it into their lives. That’s what it means to relinquish leadership.

How to Lead with Influence and Impact
One of the often-overlooked characteristics of effective leaders is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to how well you manage your own emotions and responses and react to those of others.

Evidence of the Holy Spirit at Work through Your Leadership
There are two great dangers in the life of a church leader. Leading from your own power and assuming it’s all up to God’s power. One leader tends to over-do and under pray. The other tends to over-think and under-do. We all have a natural bent or bias toward one side or the other. For some the emphasis is slight for others it’s significant. The farther toward an extreme the greater the danger. The great caution is that they are both exhausting and can be very stressful.

Family Night Ideas for Children’s Ministry and Community Outreach
Family night ideas are a hit for community outreach and congregational fun. Invite parents and children from the church and surrounding neighborhoods. Then gather for fellowship, games, snacks, and lots of laughter!

Re-Thinking Evangelism
A reality which we all must is face is that the way things are is not how we hope they'll be.

Judge orders Oklahoma to redo special session
A district court judge has ordered the Oklahoma Conference to re-create its April 22 special session to vote on the withdrawal of a church that filed suit. The order essentially requires the United Methodist regional body to hold what would be an illegal meeting under church law, the conference said.

The Church of England's image crisis
The image problems of the Church of England in secular Great Britain do not portend well for churches and denominations in the increasingly secular United States and Canada.

Most family breakdowns aren’t due to couples divorcing: study
Most family breakdowns aren't happening because marriages are falling apart, a new study from the Marriage Foundation shows. The trouble, according to the data, is among the unmarried.

Image Credit: Resurrection South Austin (via Facebook)

Friday's Catch: "Becoming a Connector Church' And More

Becoming a Connector Church
All the church had to do in the past was turn on the lights and unlock the doors, and people would come. That season in the church’s life has shifted, but many churches have not changed with the times. Long before the pandemic, the church in North America was in a season of decline, and those numbers have accelerated since 2020. Instead of looking backward, the church should begin to look outward as it revamps how it reconnects with the community.

3 Keys to Effectively Connect with New Guests
In our work consulting with hundreds of churches, we’ve found some common practices that can help you make a successful, lasting connection with a new guest....

Understanding Why the “Know Your Community” Report Is So Popular
Thom provides a high-level overview of the Know Your Community report. He looks at the factors that have led to its rapid growth.

A Great Source of Information for Religious Data by County
If you have never read The Association of Religious Data Archives, you need to watch or listen to this podcast by Thom.

5 Negative Church-Leader Mindsets About Funding
As church leaders, there is a connection between our beliefs on generosity, fundraising, funding, giving, and what happens in our churches. We must identify inherently negative ways of thinking and replace these thoughts with the mindset God desires of us. These negative mindsets can creep in over time, without us even realizing it.

The Case for Engaging in Prayer
At all times we ought to pray. We ought–that’s the imperative of prayer. Not faint--that’s the alternative to prayer.

What Is God Up To?
Ceilia Bernhardt shares what she has come to know about God's ways.

10 Reasons Why Your Children’s Ministry Is Not Growing
Is your children’s ministry stuck? No matter what you do, you just can’t seem to grow. You are not alone. The vast majority of children’s ministries are plateaued. What is causing this? Let’s look at 10 reasons why your children’s ministry is not growing. See if you can identify with any of these.

How to Rehab a Biased Heart
What we need most isn’t better information. We need a radical reorientation toward the person of Jesus.

4 Reasons Volunteering Within the Church Is Crucial
We are all inspired by stories of personal sacrifice, but too often this boldness doesn’t translate into volunteering in the local church.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, July 27, 2023) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows. Small spherical glass oil lamps and pillar candles, when lit, can add ambience to this evening service which is conducive to prayer. It is suggested that one lamp or candle be lit at the very beginning of the service and additional lamps and candles during the singing of the evening hymn. The lamps and candles can be extinguished at the conclusion of the service. Since ancient times lamps and candles have been lit as way of honoring God who is our light and our salvation.

Reading: Matthew 6: 1-4

Message: What Does Jesus Teach about Giving to the Needy?

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/07/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows_27.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:

-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.