John Stott – a tribute

"God greatly used John Stott during his 90-year life.

John was uniquely gifted intellectually but also as speaker and writer.

He analysed complex matters of theology and biblical exegesis and articulated them accessibly for all.

He was effectively the father of modern day text-based expository preaching.

‘Uncle John’ – as he was affectionately called – was a humble man who lived simply, even we might say in a ‘Spartan’ way.

From his early years Stott emerged as the leader of classical evangelicalism, following in the footsteps of Calvin and Simeon. Yet Stott was above all a biblical scholar and teacher rather than a theological dogmatician...." To read more, click here.

The Culture of Death Grows Desperate: War Declared on Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Crisis pregnancy centers deserve the support of all who cherish the sanctity of life, the defense of the unborn, and the right of free speech.

"The US Supreme Court’s declaration of war upon the unborn in its infamous 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade, caught most conservative Christians unprepared and unaware. This shock to the nation’s conscience required Christians and other pro-life activists to develop arguments, strategies, and organizations in order to confront the Culture of Death and the legalized killing of the unborn.

The Roe v. Wade decision was quickly repackaged by pro-abortion forces into a “pro-choice” argument that was intended to avoid the scandal of being pro-abortion. Nevertheless, the pro-choice mantra never really worked as a public relations strategy for pro-abortion forces for one simple reason: The only “choice” the pro-abortion forces would accept or respect is the choice to abort.

If that sounds extreme, just consider recent developments in cities like Baltimore, New York, and San Francisco. First in Baltimore, and then in New York City, municipal governments passed laws intended to shut down or curtail the work of crisis pregnancy centers in their cities. The crisis pregnancy centers have been among the most important platforms for saving unborn human lives and reasserting human dignity. This is especially true in more recent years, as many of these centers have begun using sophisticated ultrasound imaging technologies in order to show pregnant women the unborn babies within them.

These centers are staffed by brave workers and an army of volunteers who are committed to counsel women against killing their unborn babies. The ultrasound images have been massively important in this counseling process. Once the woman sees the unborn life within her, the chances of that baby surviving to live birth are tremendously enhanced...." To read more, click here.

No one has the right to switch off a human life... I should know: One woman's story of being locked inside her own body

Campaign: 'I believe that every life that ends at Dignitas, and every dependent patient who is allowed to die by starvation, erodes my right to live'

"Can you imagine a lonelier or more frightening place to be trapped in, unable to communicate, than your own body?

These are terrifying times for anyone who cannot speak up for themselves. Whether they know it or not, they are lying prone in a world increasingly seduced by the idea that death is preferable to the life they are living.

The increasingly vocal advocates, who promote ‘assisted suicide’ for those who are too disabled to express their own feelings on the matter, cannot begin to imagine what it is like to live such a life.

They cannot begin to imagine how profoundly illness, or physical and mental disability, might actually enhance that individual’s appreciation of the value of life itself — even if it bears scant resemblance to the life they were living before.

But I can. I have lived that life and I know how precious it is. I have experienced the torture of total paralysis and I now live with serious disability. But I will be grateful until my dying day that no one had the right to ‘turn’ me off." To read more, click here.

Children in Celina Cass' Home Town Fear for Their Own Safety

"The cause of the death of Celina Cass, who disappeared and her body was later found in the nearby Connecticut river, is still a mystery to authorities, it was reported. The toxicology report is awaited in the hope that it could shed some light on the cause of the death of the 11-year-old girl.

Cass was last seen at night in her bedroom. By morning she had disappeared without a clue. There were no signs of struggle and her family claimed her to be a cheerful girl satisfied with her grades in school. She lived with her mother and step-father.

Children in the locality, especially Celina’s friends, are frightened by what happened and were worried something like that could happen to them. Parents were having a tough time comforting their kids and honestly assuring them of safety...." To read more, click here.

Treasure Hunters Discover Possible UFO in Baltic Sea

"A team of Swedish sea treasure hunters have uncovered a peculiar object on the bottom of the sea floor, arousing speculation that it could likely be a UFO or another modern marvel.

The 65-foot-wide disk-shaped object was discovered in the mud at the bottom of the Baltic Sea nearly 300 feet below the surface between Finland and Sweden

The Ocean Explorer team, led by Swedish researcher Peter Lindberg, found the object while on a hunt for a century-old shipwreck believed to be holding several cases of expensive antique champagne.

"You see a lot of weird stuff in this job, but during my 18 years as a professional I have never seen anything like this. The shape is completely round," Lindberg told local media. Lindberg claims to have spent hundreds of hours watching sonar images of the sea floor and this find is a first for him.

The placement of the object proved to be more interesting than the object itself, with evidence of a long trail of displaced seabed outline nearby. The scars and marks of the nearby earth suggests that the object left a trail from where it crashed to where it ultimately laid on the ocean floor...." To read more, click here.

Asteroid Is a Dance Partner for Planet Earth

"Finally tonight, a dance partner for planet Earth. It's called a "Trojan" asteroid, one that shares a planet's orbit circling around the sun. Many such asteroids have been found near other planets. Now, as reported in the journal "Nature," the first has been discovered near the Earth.

We get an explanation from Mike Brown, a planetary astronomer at the California Institute of Technology.

So, tell us a bit more about a "Trojan" asteroid. In this case, it's held in the gravitational pull between the Earth and the sun?" To read more and to view the video, click here.

Earth used to have TWO moons... but one was destroyed in a giant collision

"Earth may once have had two moons - the one that shines at night today and a smaller companion, according to a new theory.

A slow-motion collision between the two is believed to have created the mountainous highlands on the moon's far side, as debris from the second, smaller moon piled up.

The side of the moon facing the Earth and the side facing away have strikingly different topographies...." To read more, click here.

Related Article: When Moons Collide They Form One

Surge in Copper Theft Continues for Churches

Air conditioners are being destroyed and stolen

"A surge in U. S. copper thefts has continued throughout the summer.

“We've had copper robberies since forever, but we've seen a spike so far this summer," says a police officer in a recent Reuters article. Fueling more thefts: the rising value of copper during the summer. Since we last wrote on copper theft in late May, the price of a pound of the industrial metal has gone up around $31—from around $412 to $443.

Churches are a major target for these thefts...." To read more, click here.

What is a Church Worth?

Are you undervaluing the impact your church is having on the local community?

"A recent research study from the University of Pennsylvania attempted to put a value on a church in light of the community it serves. They calculated the "halo effect" of 12 churches of various denominations within the Philadelphia area.

The study created 54 value categories in order to determine a net worth for each church. One value category adds up all the money generated from weddings, funerals, and day care. Another calculates the staff salaries and the money paid for services (cleaning, shoveling, etc...). They even put tangible amounts on intangible services, such as teaching children, suicides averted, saved marriages...." To read more, click here.

Ordinariate Watch: The New Evangelism & the Ordinariates

"In the Red Chapel of Nashotah House there’s an icon of Bl. Jackson Kemper (many believe him to be a Saint!) which portrays him spreading out seeds from a bag that are actually little churches all across the land. He not only is known for founding Nashotah House, but a multitude of Episcopal parishes in the Catholic tradition all across the American mid-west. To say that Bishop Kemper would be devastated to see what’s happening to Anglo-Catholics in America – and around the world – today would be an understatement to say the least, but his missionary zeal is an integral part of our Anglican patrimony. It is a part of the Anglo-Catholic DNA, from New York’s Bishop Hobart, to Oxford’s Bl. John Henry Newman; to the Midwest’s Bishop Kemper and James DeKoven to California’s Fr. Neal Dodd (check out his IMDB page!). And we must not forget Bishop Charles Grafton, Frs. Charles Lowder and Lincoln Wainwright, and Fr. Basil Jellicoe! The list goes on and on.

This missionary zeal is what is being incorporated into the Ordinariates. There are Anglican Use societies popping up all around the United States, usually very small at this point, with the future goal of becoming full Catholic parishes for the Ordinariate, worshipping according to the Anglican Use. This is the “other side” of our forming the Ordinariate in this country, with the more popular story of the already-established Anglican parishes choosing to come in en masse. The latter gets the secular press headlines, but the former is where the substantial future of the Ordinariate lies...." To read more, click here.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: When Congregations Leave Their Denominations

"More and more, conservative congregations are choosing to leave liberal denominations. Rarely does the opposite occur with a liberal congregation withdrawing to unite with a more conservative denomination.

'I think conservative Christians generally take their faith seriously,' says Dr. Jeffry Marlett, an associate professor of religious studies at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. 'They feel that it’s better to stand by their faith and not become conformed to the ways of the world, which is why you see conservative congregations leaving liberal denominations and not vice versa.'

In December 2006, parishioners of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Va., voted overwhelmingly to sever ties with The Episcopal Church (TEC), igniting a hailstorm of controversy. While church leaders pointed to TEC’s gradual shift away from the traditional teachings of TEC on the authority of Scripture and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the core reasons for the disfellowship, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the election of Gene Robinson, a practicing homosexual, as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003.

'That was our wakeup call,' says Warren Thrasher, executive director of Truro. Starting in 2003 and continuing over the next few years, Truro leaders had a number of meetings with TEC officials in Virginia to resolve the issue of Robinson’s election and its implications for TEC’s teachings on marriage being between one woman and one man.

Then in mid-2006, the bishops elected Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori as head of TEC in America. Schori said in a Time magazine interview shortly after her election that 'Christ was a vehicle to the divine – that Jesus is not unique,' says Thrasher. 'Basically, she expressed the universalistic view that all religions lead to God.'

A few months later, Truro, along with eight other congregations, withdrew from TEC and joined the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), a mission initiative of the Anglican Church of Nigeria...."To read more, click here.

29,000 Children Die in Somalia Famine, U.S. Estimates

According to United States aid official Nancy Lindborg, the U.S. has estimated that upwards of 29,000 children under the age of 5 have died in the last 90 days since the devastating famine hit Somalia.

The U.S. estimate is the first precise death toll from the crisis that has ravaged the Horn of Africa and been particularly acute in war-torn-Al-Shabab ridden Somalia.

The entire Horn of Africa is suffering, however, Somalia with nearly 3 million people at risk of starvation, has been the hardest hit by the worst drought the region has experienced in 60 years.

Yesterday, the U.N. expanded the number of famine zones present in Somalia, bringing the number from 2 up to 5.

The concern in Somalia is so vast that U.S. officials moved forward this week to ensure aid organizations that they would not face prosecution by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) if humanitarian aid lands in the hands of terrorist groups such as Al-Shabab.

Aid groups have largely left the region due to the dual threat of prosecution from the U.S. and extremism from Al-Shabab...."To read more, click here.

20 Years of Surveys Show Key Differences in the Faith of America’s Men and Women

"It’s hardly news that men and women think and behave differently. But a new analysis of national tracking surveys conducted over a 20-year period by the Barna Group profiles specific differences between the genders in relation to 14 religious beliefs and behaviors of significance. The report is the third in a series of six that constitute the annual State of the Church report released by the Barna Group. This year’s report became public simultaneous to the release of the latest trends book by author and researcher George Barna, entitled Futurecast...." To read more, click here.

Related article: Women Falling Away From Religion, Report Finds

ACNA College of Bishops Approves Ordinal

"Text Describes the Form and Manner of Ordaining Bishops, Priests and Deacons. View here: http://www.anglicanchurch.net/media/ORDINAL_2_0.pdf

The Anglican Church in North America is pleased to announce the Ordinal has been approved for use by the College of Bishops. The Ordinal text was approved on June 24, 2011. To view the PDF document, please click here.

'One of the major things that we sought to do was to craft an Ordinal that was written in contemporary English, but also was clearly in the Prayer Book tradition. Of particular focus was the strengthening of the vows that those who are ordained ascribe to,' said Bishop Bill Thompson, Chair of Prayer Book and Common Liturgy task force.

'We were very deliberate about the tone and content of the Ordinal and the fact that it is clearly connected to our Anglican roots. Our intention is for the other liturgies that we put forth to have that same quality,' Bishop Thompson said.

The language and doctrine of the new Ordinal is descended from the historic Anglican Ordinals of 1549, 1662, and the American 1928 and Canadian 1962. The primary source was the American book of 1928 because it has removed references to the English Monarch and Government, which makes more sense in our North American context. The other editions are used in places where there has been a variance between the various editions.

The structure of this edition, however, does look to ecumenical and more recent Anglican Ordinals, especially the American BCP of 1979, the Church of England 'Common Worship: Ordination Services,' Study Edition of 2007, and the Province of Southern Africa 'An Anglican Prayer Book' of 1989. Where appropriate, this edition seeks to reconcile the text of the Ordinal with the English Standard Version of the Bible...." To read more, click here.

A New Kind of Pentecostal

It's no longer just about raising a hand to God. It's also about reaching out a hand to the needy.

"To get into the minds of today's Pentecostals, visit a classroom of ministers in training, 20-somethings getting their first taste of practical ministry. Recently I posed several questions to a large group of them in one of my practicum classes: What are the changes going on among North American Pentecostal believers and Pentecostal churches today? In what ways does the new generation of Pentecostals differ from earlier generations? In what ways is it similar?

The first response was immediate. A young student named Emily said, 'For years, Pentecostals had an inferiority complex. They felt as if they were the weird uncle of modern Christianity, as if they were not quite accepted by peer denominations. Today it is different. Pentecostal churches have become more accepted and now are part of mainstream Christianity. That may be good—in some ways, not so good.'

Indeed, Pentecostalism in North America has come a long way. It has moved from a faith to and of the disenfranchised to one that is recognized if not fully accepted across the board among evangelicals. From the movement's origins among a few adherents in the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles (1906), Pentecostalism grew to some 12 million adherents by 1970, and now incorporates some 600 million worldwide in its various expressions, a fourth of all Christendom. David Barrett's monumental World Christian Encyclopedia states that in 1900, only seven-tenths of 1 percent of Christians were Pentecostal; today, approximately 25 percent are.

Another theme emerged in my classroom. As a student named Ross put it, 'There is a new Pentecostalism emerging, a more meditative movement, a more social justice movement, more concerned about the outside of the church rather than [what goes on] inside.'

Ministry practitioners, denominational leaders, and scholars whom I have talked to have noted three prominent trends in North American Pentecostalism: a marked decrease in speaking in tongues in public worship; fresh developments in Pentecostal eschatology; and a broader engagement in compassionate ministry and social concern.

All three trends deserve comment, but I want to highlight the last trend: On numerous fronts and in an increasing number of ways, Pentecostals are engaging in compassionate ministries and social change...." To read more, click here.

How to Beat Small-Group Burnout

Be sure to take this good medicine for group leaders.

"Moses worked very long, hard days mediating the disputes of God's people (Exodus 18), and then Moses got some feedback from his father-in-law, Jethro: "What you are doing is not good" (Exodus 18:17).

Moses insisted that he was the only one who could serve the people and that the people liked coming to him. Basically, Moses was co-dependent on the people of God. It made him feel good. But, one detail from this account shows why it wasn't good: Moses' wife, Zipporah and his sons were living with Jethro. Moses' busyness for God had separated him from his family. This was not good.

Elijah called down fire from Heaven (1 Kings 18), and then Elijah wanted to die. He started by doing exactly what God had directed him to do. With God's power and direction, Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal. The result was not a big celebration. The outcome was a manhunt, and Elijah was that man. Jezebel wanted his head (1 Kings 19:2). You would think that doing God's work would be rewarded in better ways. Elijah survived for another day, but he was exhausted, depressed and ready to cash it in.

In today's church, you can avoid burnout in ministry. But you need to start before the fuse has burned to the end...." To read more, click here.

Related article: Built to Last

Pastors: Alabama Immigration Law Will Crimp Outreach

Churches in states with tighter laws on immigration may see unintended consequences.

"Alabama's strict immigration law doesn't take effect until September 1, but pastor Carlos Aybar saw fear spread around suburban Huntsville as soon as Governor Robert Bentley signed it in June.

'Everyone was feeling the same thing—confusion, fear, and desperation,' said Aybar, pastor of Restoration Foursquare Church's Spanish-speaking mission in Madison. 'Everyone is affected, but mostly the teenagers and kids who were raised here and feel this is their country—their home.'

The most controversial provision prohibits knowingly offering rides to undocumented residents; others place restrictions on hiring or renting property to them...." To read more, click here.

Authorities search Celina Cass’s home

"Authorities today are searching the home of Celina Cass, the 11-year-old girl whose body was found this week in a river in northern New Hampshire.

Investigators are at the home because it was the place where she was last seen more than a week ago, said New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young.

Young noted that the investigation has changed from a missing persons case to a suspicious death investigation.

“Now because we are treating this as a suspicious death, we are going back to see if there’s any evidence that could assist in our criminal investigation,” she said in a telephone interview...." To read more, click here.

72 charged in child sexual-abuse probe

"Three indictments and a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday in the largest-ever online investigation charge 72 people in an international criminal network involving the sexual abuse of children and the creation and worldwide dissemination of graphic images and videos of child sexual abuse, federal officials said.

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said a two-year federal investigation called “Operation Delego” targeted more than 500 persons worldwide in a massive conspiracy known as “Dreamboard” — a private members-only, online bulletin board created and operated to promote pedophilia and encourage the sexual abuse of young children.

To date, 52 of the 72 charged have been arrested in the United States and abroad." To read more, click here.

The Jesus Model of Ministry: Relaxation

"Rest and relaxation are so important that God put them in the Ten Commandments. God tells us to rest every seventh day. If you’re not taking a day off every week, you’re breaking one of the Ten Commandments – and you won’t be as effective as you could be in ministry (or anything else you do).

Jesus reminds us in Mark 2:27 that the command to take a Sabbath is for our own benefit: 'Man was not given for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was given for man.' God gave us the Sabbath to help us to rest and restore. Our bodies need it.

Jesus modeled this in His own ministry, and we need to model it in our ministries...." To read more, click here.

Pornography Harms Women, Invades the Church

"Thirty percent of women are addicted to it. Sixty-seven percent of men say they look at it at least once a month.

“It” refers to pornography. The statistics above reveal how pornography is an epidemic within the church community, and these numbers mirror secular statistics. The percentages are provided by Transparent Ministries and Morality in Media, respectively.

Morality in Media (MIM), a national organization opposing pornography and indecency, is fighting to combat this growing trend. It is in its last week of the National Awareness Campaign, entitled 'Be Aware: Porn Harms.' This week, the focus is on how pornography harms women. With an increase in pornography consumption, there is an alleged link to the increase in violence against women.

Dawn Hawkins, Morality in Media’s executive director, says that the kind of videos the porn industry produces has grown more violent in recent years due to its popularity among consumers.

'Spousal violence is also one of our greatest concerns – the husband consuming violent porn and then living out the pornographic scenes in his marriage,' said Hawkins.

Patrick Trueman, president of Morality in Media, agrees with Dawkins and told Catholic News that when men view violent porn there is not only an increase in violent behavior but sex trafficking as well. Men who view pornography see sex as 'hiring prostitutes.'" To read more, click here.

Back in the 1980s Dr. Judianne Densen Gerber established a corrolation between pornography and child sexual abuse.

You Prayed. You Hoped. You Waited. Now What?

Developing extraordinary hope in difficult times

"In difficult times, many experience diminishing strength and hope especially when it seems God is taking His time in answering our prayers and/or we don’t get what we expect. In such times, we tend to feel abandoned, confused and disappointed. Deep within, a crisis of faith brews that throws up questions like, ‘Where is God?, Does He care? or Why is this happening to me?’. When care is not taken, we find ourselves stuck in one of the three phases of discouragement I highlight in my new book, Healing A Discouraged Heart: Getting Back On Track When Life Lets You Down, namely the ‘S.A.D.’, ‘Dormant’ and ‘Hopeful’ Phase. We cover up with our ‘religious’ masks; whilst the real state of our hearts betray us." To read more, click here.

First-Person: balanced evangelism in churches

"Balance. It's a hard place to arrive in ministry. I think the problem comes, at least in part, because as pastors and leaders we tend to lean toward our passions. Our default is always the easiest place from which to work.

Two defaults in evangelism are missional or attractional methods of evangelism.

The missional approach sends believers into the community to interact with people. Community projects like painting a school or repairing homes in a particular neighborhood are missional approaches. Another example is providing help for people in need through meals or yard work. These acts of kindness open the door for sharing the Gospel.

The attractional approach brings the community to interact with church members. Churches use events like musicals, fall festivals or sports camps. Others may hold revivals or revival type meetings to attract their neighbors. The event becomes a bridge for sharing the Gospel.

Jerry Pipes, an evangelist who specializes in these two areas, once said, "The question of which is better, attractional or missional, is like asking an airline pilot who is over the Pacific Ocean, 'Do you want your left wing or right wing to continue flying?'"

You need both...." To read more, click here.

What is the definition of a 'famine'?

"Famine" is a powerfully emotive word, and aid organizations do not use it lightly to describe a humanitarian crisis.

In the strict sense, it means people are starving on a massive scale. Most major aid agencies only describe a crisis as a famine when the situation on the ground meets at least three of these eight conditions:

-- At least 20 percent of the population has access to fewer than 2,000 calories of food a day.

-- Acute malnutrition in more than 30 percent of children.

-- Two deaths per 10,000 people due to starvation, or four child deaths per 10,000 children per day.

-- A pandemic illness.

-- Access to less than four liters of water a day.

-- Large-scale displacement.

-- Civil strife.

-- Complete loss of assets and source of income.

Compiled by the IMB staff.

Source: Baptist Press News

What humanitarian crisis?

"I was the guest speaker at an Anglican church recently.

It wasn’t in our diocese, but it could have been. I was completely at home with the informal, friendly tone with its strong emphasis communicating the Bible in a way that was easily accessible to people from all walks of life.

Before the meeting, the minister checked what he should ask me during the brief interview before the sermon. My usual response is, “Surprise me.” He did.

“How should we as Christians respond to the current humanitarian crisis facing the world?” he asked when the interview was in full swing.

My mind went into overdrive. Which humanitarian crisis was he referring to? I wanted to answer the question in a dozen ways. But I knew I only had a twenty-second window to nail the crisis I thought he had in mind...." To read more, click here.

Seeking true gospel growth

"It is exciting to be part of a growing church and somewhat discouraging if numbers are barely holding steady. But neither scenario tells us nearly enough about true gospel growth, which is what mission areas are all about.

It may be that the growing church is contacting unbelievers and connecting them to Jesus Christ but it may be that all of its new members are believers on the move from other churches (for both good and bad reasons). The church with little growth may be inwardly focused and not mission-minded, or it may have sent its best into Bible college and the mission field, or it may be in an area where people move out of as soon as they get their lives in order. So, one church’s loss is another’s gain (transfers).

However, mission areas step back and ask if there has been overall growth and souls being added to the kingdom. Or to put it another way, are we reaching a greater percentage of the Sydney Diocese?

The role of the senior minister is critical and so, in the past year since mission area leaders have been appointed, the priority has been building partnership and trust between rectors. This was always going to be a huge challenge because of many factors, including our system of parish rights (a very good thing but it can lead to isolationism), Western individualism and the normal human tendency towards competition." To read more, click here.

A number of the concerns expressed in this article relate to the North American mission field and other parts of the world as well as Sydney.

Preventing Multi-site Mission Drift

Boat Adrift - By Cesar Martin Tovar

"Keeping mission drift away from any organization is a challenging course to navigate. Accomplishing it within a multi-site church is possibly the most difficult task I have faced as a leader. Churches are so unique organizationally and communicably, creating some interesting opportunity. (You already knew that didn’t you?) How to you keep the team strong and the atmosphere similar? Can I begin this list with…I DO NOT HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS…we are a work in progress, but here are a few findings." To read more, click here.

Your Spiritual Legacy

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2 (NIV)

You are meant to leave a Jesus-legacy on earth.

God designed you so your life can have meaning beyond your days here on earth. God places a longing for eternal significance into each human heart, but many of us try to fill that longing by working hard to leave something of ourselves behind.

God didn’t place that longing there so we would be driven to accumulate great wealth or build great memorials; he gave it to us so we would be drawn to him, developing an intimacy with our only hope for lasting, eternal significance.

To read more, click here.

10 signs a church is in trouble

Prior to my present place of ministry, I spent more than 20 years consulting with churches across America. I have also had the wonderful opportunity to research churches primarily in the United States. Over time I began to notice certain patterns or signs that would indicate a congregation might be headed for trouble.

After reviewing my consultation notes and research, I found 10 warning signs for churches. If a church had four or more of these signs present, I would let the leadership know that remedial efforts were in order. If six or more signs were present, I was concerned that the congregation was in immediate trouble.

The warning signs below are not listed in any particular order. Nor are they the result of a scientifically accurate study. Though the information is both experiential and anecdotal, I found it immensely helpful in diagnosing the health of a church.

Church leaders should be concerned ...

To read more, click here.

Autopsy on Celina Cass inconclusive, officials say

Medical examiners who performed an autopsy today on the body of Celina Cass have yet to determine how the 11-year-old girl died, authorities said this evening.

“The cause and manner are still pending,” Jane E. Young, New Hampshire’s senior assistant Attorney General said at a news conference tonight.

Examiners are awaiting “toxicology results and further investigation,” she said.

Investigators had concluded Celina’s death was suspicious after seeing the condition of the body, which was recovered yesterday afternoon from a dam on the Connecticut River, just a quarter-mile from her family’s home.

To read more, click here.

Related article: No cause of death determined yet for Celina Cass

The only detail not mentioned in these two stories is that the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office is investigating Celina's death as suspicious based upon visual observation of her body both in and out of the water. I will post further details as soon as they are available. Please pray for Celina's family and the people of West Stewartstown in particular the children. Celina's mysterious disappearance, followed by the discovery of her dead body in the Connecticut River, has been a very traumatic experience for this small north New Hampshire community.

The Heritage Anglican Network: Ceremonies, Ornaments, and Historic Anglicanism

If we take a short trip back in time to the beginning of the twentieth century and tour the parish churches of the Church of England, the first thing that we will notice is that a number of the ceremonies and ornaments that modern-day clergy and others assure us are thoroughly “Anglican” are found only in English parish churches where the clergy are Ritualists bent on making the Church of England like the Church of Rome even in defiance of the canons of the Church and the laws of the land. If we cross the Atlantic to the United States and tour the parish churches of the Protestant Episcopal Church, we find the same thing—Ritualists bent on making the Episcopal Church like the Roman Catholic Church. The difference between the United States and the United Kingdom is that clergy in the Episcopal Church are not required to accept the authority of the Thirty-Nine Articles as clergy are in the Church of England. The Episcopal Church also has no canons regulating ceremonies and ornaments in that denomination. The Ritualists defeated a proposal in the General Convention, which would have established such regulations in the Episcopal Church in the previous century. Having left the door wide open the Episcopal Church was at the mercy of any group that could gain hegemony in the denomination and lead the denomination in whichever direction it chose. We have seen the results in the closing years of the twentieth century and the opening years of the twenty-first century.

Doctrines that are erroneous and unscriptural can ride piggyback on ceremonies and ornaments into the Anglican Church in this century as they did in the nineteenth century. They can also provide a smokescreen behind which erroneous and unscriptural doctrines can be introduced into the Anglican Church. In the nineteenth century the Ritualists frequently claimed that they were seeking to beautify the worship of the Church of England and to make it more appealing to the lower classes. Their real intention was to transform the Church of England into a facsimile of the Church of Rome and to bring the Anglican Church into the orbit of the Roman Catholic Church.

Ceremonies and ornaments make a doctrinal statement. They are not theologically-neutral. They have long-standing associations with particular doctrines and cannot be separated from these teachings.

Congregation and clergy that upholds the Thirty-Nine Articles “as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s word and as authoritative for Anglicans today,” as does the Jerusalem Declaration, will keep away from ceremonies and ornaments that are associated with doctrines and practices that the Articles reject as erroneous and unscriptural. In matters of worship the teaching of the Scriptures and the faithful testimony of the Articles to the teaching of the Scriptures will be their guide. They will adopt and apply the principle that where a ceremony or ornament in their own denomination or in another denomination is associated with such doctrines and practices, it should be avoided. They will bring how they worship into line with what they believe. There will be no discrepancies between their worship and their beliefs.

To read more, click here.

Can You Imagine?

Why imagination is crucial to the Christian life

Faith is an act of the imagination. And a healthy, vibrant imagination is crucial to the Christian life.

You will likely disagree with these statements if you associate the imagination with delusion, fancy, and/or make believe. Christian belief is quite concerned with facts. After all, we follow the One whose name is Truth, so we must be committed completely and unwaveringly to the truth, not led astray by fantasy and illusion. I couldn't agree more. The trustworthiness of the Christian message is grounded in historical fact—the very real event of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. The whole of Christianity hangs on whether or not there truly was a first Easter morning. "If Christ has not been raised," Paul explained, "… we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Cor. 15:17-19). Fortunately, we have solid historical reasons to trust the testimony of the Gospel writers that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead. That means our faith is reasonable, grounded firmly in fact and reality.

The reasonableness of our faith has been a major preoccupation for many Christians, especially in America, for the last few generations. Apologists and theologians have worked hard to amass scientific and historical evidence that supports Christian claims to truth. We've developed complex and compelling arguments in defense of the faith. This research is geared to provide intellectual support for Christian belief. And it is important work. Unfortunately, this vigilant war for the truth can have—and has had—collateral damage. Christians dedicated to shoring up the intellect often do not think too highly of the imagination. If we let the imagination run wild, they fear, we risk sacrificing the truth.

But imagination is not the opposite of reality or the enemy of truth. In fact, we do ourselves an enormous disservice when we ignore the imagination (whether intentionally or accidentally) and only develop the intellect. For the intellect is only half the equation. Imagination is the partner of the intellect. One is not more important than the other; they do different things. But because we have neglected the imagination, it deserves our special attention.

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Iraq Church Bombing Injures At Least 20

In a coordinated effort to generate fear among Iraqi Christians, the ethnically and religiously diverse city of Kirkuk witnessed another attack outside a Syrian Catholic Church on Tuesday around 6 a.m.

At least 23 people were wounded in the attack, mostly from surrounding homes. The church's parish leader, Imad Yalda, was inside the church during the bombing and was also among the wounded.

Following the attack, two other car bombs were also found outside Kirkuk's Christian Anglican Church and the Mar Gourgis church.

The bombs were defused by security forces prior to their explosion.

Kirkuk's Deputy Police Chief, Torhan Abdulrahman said of the attack, "It was a coordinated attack to target churches at the same time."

The Rev. Haithem Akram, of one of the targeted churches in today's attacks said, "The terrorists want to make us flee Iraq, but they will fail. We are staying in our country."

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What Happened to Discipleship?

There is a growing body of research demonstrating that there is a significant disconnect between professing faith in Jesus Christ and actually following Jesus.

A 2005 study by the National Study of Youth & Religion entitled, Portraits of Protestant Teens revealed a great deal about the contemporary approach to youth ministry and its shortcomings.

The study revealed that 59 percent of Protestant teens (13-17) report regular church attendance, meaning they attend church at least 1-3 times per month while 41 percent of all teens reported regular church attendance. The study participants identified affiliation with nine Protestant denominations with Southern Baptist being the largest group represented in which 65 percent of teens reported regular attendance.

Forty-seven percent of Protestant teens reported active involvement in their church’s youth group compared to 38 percent of all teens. The majority of Protestant teens also reported that they attend Sunday School “a few times a month,” participate in youth retreats, rallies, and conferences.

In all, 90 percent of Protestant teens say they believe in God compared to 85 percent of all teens; only 12 percent of all teens say they are “unsure about the existence of God.”

Clearly this generation is not irreligious, quite the contrary. However, further research begins to reveal this disconnect that I mentioned earlier. According to the study, only 55 percent of Protestant teens believe in life after death – a belief held by 50 percent of all teens including the non-religious. In a further contradiction, 69 percent of Protestant teens say they have made “a personal commitment to live for God” and yet only 32 percent read the Bible once a week or more and 19 percent report having had sexual intercourse in the last year compared to 22 percent of those who are un-churched. Additionally, 63 percent of Protestant teens report cheating in school compared to only 58 percent of all teens and 41 percent say that morals are relative – that “there are no definite rights or wrongs for everybody.” Barna Research further underscores glaring contradictions between the beliefs of most professing teens and accepted biblical doctrines.

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First-Person: 4 steps to encourage a church planter

It can be lonely out there. When a new church is begun, its pastor may sometimes feel isolated, especially during the initial months.

Planting new churches is a high priority for Southern Baptists, who are committed to planting record numbers of them, especially in highly populated, under-reached cities. Your small encouragements could make a huge difference to a church planter in North America.

As a member of a Southern Baptist Church, you are already involved in church planting. For example, your church's contributions through the Cooperative Program and Annie Armstrong offering helped support more than 750 new church plants just last year.

Would you go a step further and personally encourage one church planter? Here are a few tips....

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Anglican church planters also need encouragement.

Life for Zimbabwe Anglicans worsens with properties commandeered, priests arrested

Clergy and pilgrims hoping to visit the Arthur Shearly Cripps Shrine last week were once again frustrated by excommunicated bishop Dr Norbert Kunonga who now claims to be in charge of the shrine and 78 Anglican churches in Masvingo Diocese.

The Anglican Diocese of Masvingo said its leaders advised Anglican worshippers against taking part in this year’s Shearly Cripps celebrations, scheduled for 29 to 31 July, after a court ruled that Dr Kunonga could not be prevented from attending the shrine.

A diocesan spokesperson told ACNS, “Kunonga got wind of the Diocesan preparations for commemoration of Arthur Shearly Cripps by pilgrims at the Arthur Shearly Cripps Shrine this month end, and he began to counter these efforts.

“He had been distributing flyers, pamphlets and sticking posters in our Churches in and around Chivhu town and Daramombe Mission. The same group which was moving around Chivhu went to Daramombe Mission on Saturday 23 July and put more posters at the Mission and then made a fire next to the entrance of the church and started roasting meat. Thereafter they took one of the Priest-in-Charge’s chickens and disappeared from the Mission.”

Kunonga claims he has taken over the Shrine and not only informed the District Police Officer of this, but also appeared on national television station ZBC TV on Sunday 31 June announcing he had taken over the Shrine plus all church properties: 45 in the Chikomba District and 33 in the Buhera District.

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Muslim Extremists Torch Churches in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Worship buildings burned on east African archipelago’s Zanzibar, Pemba islands

Muslim extremists on Saturday (July 30) burned down a church building on Zanzibar island off the coast of Tanzania, church leaders said, just three days after another congregation’s facility on the island was reduced to ashes.

In Fuoni on the south coast of Zanzibar (known locally as Unguja), Islamic extremists torched the building of the Evangelical Assemblies of God-Tanzania (EAGT) at around 2 p.m., said Pastor Leonard Massasa, who oversees Zanzibar’s EAGT churches. The assailants were shouting, “Away with the church – we do not want infidels to spoil our community, especially our children,” Pastor Massasa said.

The EAGT church is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Zanzibar town.

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Small groups and grace

Some Sydney Anglican churches will measure the health of the church by the percentage of the congregation that are regularly attending bible study groups. The patterns of the groups can vary from church to church and have a range of primary purposes, though the ubiquitous title of “bible study group” indicates the intention of many. One would hope however, that the mere study of the Word is not the end game: rather that there is a goal of transformation and growth of those participating, that they are “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory”.

Yet relationships within small groups can be fraught. Only this week I was supervising a group leader whose Christian group had had a major blow up during the week and required attention. In Making Small Groups Work, Cloud and Townsend challenge the idea that simply teaching the Bible and allowing God through His word to do the work is not enough, but what is required in groups is a willingness to be open and vulnerable with each other, and to experience a grace filled community.

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Celina Cass's body found in N.H. river

The body of 11-year-old Celina Cass is being treated as suspicious after her body was found in the Connecticut River this morning.

Divers this morning found the body of girl, who has been missing since last Monday, about a quarter mile from her house in this tiny town near on the Canadian border, authorities said.

"Based on what we have seen visually, we are treating the death as suspicious," said prosecutor Jane Young at a news conference early Monday evening.

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Video: News Conference

I am planning to follow this story on Anglicans Ablaze because of our culture's increasing sexualization of children, and the dangers this cultural development and the Internet pose to children. Those who visited Celina's Face Book Page may have taken note of the "How Sexy I Am Today?" app that dominated this 11-year-old's more recent entries on her wall, as well as her favorite quotation, her favorite music and her favorite TV programs on her profile page. The picture of Celina that they provide does not fit with the picture that her family and friends provided. Two photographs of Celina show her with her mouth closed and wearing light make-up. They suggest that Celina was self-conscious about her front teeth and may have experienced self-esteem problems related to her appearance. While the cause and manner of death has not yet been established or whether Celina had been sexually assaulted before or after her death, and Celina's step-father has not been ruled out as a suspect, this evidence points to the possibility of Celina having been lured from her home by someone whom she met on the Internet. A description of the step-father's Face Book pages and the description of Celina as a shy child who would not talk to anyone when her older sister was present unless her older sister was permitted her to do so points to another possibility: Celina or her older sister or both were victims of sexual abuse at home. This might account in part for the sexual preoccupation manifest upon her Face Book pages. If it was the case, it would have made Celina more vulnerable to victimization.

Good Religion, Bad Religion

A new study reveals we're incurably religious. That's a problem.

Once in a while, we agree with the atheists. The latest occasion is the release of a new study on religion.

In 2007, the John Templeton Foundation made an award of £1.87 million to the University of Oxford for the Cognition, Religion, and Theology Project. The project sought to improve the scientific and philosophical rigor of the study of religion. As the web page announcing the study put it, "Both missions were accomplished with goals exceeded."

The study affirmed the familiar and uncovered a few surprises, such as:

"Children and adults have a tendency to see the natural world as having function or purpose—even those with advanced scientific education."

"In early childhood we have a natural tendency to attribute super properties to other humans and gods, including super knowledge, super perception, and immortality."

"Adolescents and young adults may find religious ideas easier to remember and use than older adults."

"Religious beliefs and practices might persist in part because they make us more cooperative and generous with others."

A number of media outlets trumpeted the story, many of them treating the obvious as news. The opening of CNN's story read, "Religion comes naturally, even instinctively, to human beings, a massive new study of cultures all around the world suggests."

Then again, this hasn't been obvious to some. The secularization theory—that as societies modernize and become more scientific, people will become less religious—has held sway for nearly 200 years in Western intellectual circles. Now we have another study from perhaps the most respected academic institution in the world that says religion is not only here to stay, but is built into the very fabric of human existence.

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A Small-Group Leader's Most Important Job

You can benefit from the surprising results of extensive research on small groups.

A religious expert wanting to cut through the confusion of 613 Old Testament statutes came to Jesus and asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Jesus gave his famous reply, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Mark 12:28-32).

Like the scribe who came to Jesus, I was a confused small-groups expert just a few years back. I kept hearing advice from a plethora of small-group authors and speakers, each promoting different methods and models. All of them were confident and persuasive, but their contradictory theories couldn't all be right. Someone needed to do cut through the confusion by doing serious, scientific research on what really creates healthy, growing small groups. We needed to look past the models to discover the key underlying principles.

I wanted to get to the bottom of things. I wanted an answer to the question, "What's the most important part of leading a small group?" I completed a Ph.D. degree and did extensive statistical research involving over 3,000 small-group leaders in more than 200 churches to probe that question, and the answer I found was surprisingly simple.

The most important dimension of leading a group is your prayer life—your connection to God as a leader.

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E. Africa Crisis Could Worsen Without More Aid

The drought and famine affecting some 12 million people in the Horn of Africa is being identified as the worst food security emergency in the world today. And yet agencies report that the crisis is worsening.

"The situation is getting worse," said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos in a statement Friday. "If we are to avoid this crisis becoming an even bigger catastrophe, we must act now.”

According to the United Nations, the drought is the worst in 60 years and the emergency is expected to last for at least three to four months. Each day, thousands are fleeing the region to other parts of Africa to find relief and refuge.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that famine – which was declared in two areas of southern Somalia – could spread within one or two months without more aid.

The United Nations is appealing for $2.4 billion in aid, nearly half of which has been collected.

Non-profit organizations including World Vision and Church World Service have stepped in to help families that have been left to rely on food distribution programs after their crops failed and livestock died.

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When Hubris Comes to Church

For nearly the past three decades, I have been studying the life cycle of churches. I continue to be amazed at how a certain pattern plays out repeatedly in most churches. And I continue to be challenged to discern how churches can avoid the last two stages of the life cycle: irrelevance and death.

In this brief article I won’t take the time to review all the stages of the life cycle of churches. I am working on a complete book on that topic. Instead, I will focus on one particular stage, a part of the cycle that may be the most dangerous for the health of churches. I call this stage “hubris.”

When Hubris Happens

Simple defined, hubris means pride or arrogance. It has its origins in Greek tragedy where an excess of ambition or pride ultimately causing the transgressor's ruin.

In churches hubris is an insidious enemy. It comes at a time when members are typically feeling great about the health of the church. Indeed, it often comes when the church is on its best growth trajectory, and when the congregation is receiving accolades for its ministries and programs.

The feelings of well-being and the abundance of accolades can cause church members and leaders to get comfortable and proud. If and when that happens, the church is already on a downward trek. Decline may not manifest itself right away, but it is inevitable unless serious steps are taken toward a corporate attitude change.

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Town and Country: Wellsburg church closing will break up 'close-knit family'

Harry Stewart wasn't around when Christ Episcopal Church of Wellsburg opened in 1869, but he has been a member of the venerable house of worship for nearly 60 years.

Stewart will also be on hand Sunday when the church that has been a centerpiece of the Wellsburg community holds its last service and closes its doors for good.

Christ Episcopal Church at 280 Main St. has been more than just a place to gather and worship, Stewart said. It's more like an extended family.

I had a chance to meet with some of those family members last week.

"A big part of the service is the coffee hour after worship. You get to know people instead of just going to the service and walking out the door," said Stewart, a church member since 1953.

"We had pancake breakfasts and spaghetti suppers. It's like a family. To break that up is hard," he said.

"There is a chance we won't see a lot of them again. It's going to be real hard to go to another church. Even if it's an Episcopal church, you are still an outsider."

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When the members of a church's congregation no longer live in the community in which the church is located, it is a strong indication that the church faces a bleak future.

Making Sense of the Senseless

Last weekend’s bombing and shooting in Norway is awful. The pain and suffering of the innocent citizens and their families is incalculable. The actions were more than painful, they were wicked and evil. There is no excuse.

While there is no excuse, we still search for reasons. From the outset of media commentary, people have been struggling to understand the reason. We want an understanding that somehow distances ourselves from the perpetrator – “for wewould never do such a thing”.

So the first step in analysing the reasons is to describe the perpetrator in some terms that distinguish him from us. He is insane, or a Muslim, a terrorist, a fundamentalist, a right wing extremist or a left wing radical, a Nazi or a Marxist. These are some of the lenses through which we look at the evil of the human heart and distance ourselves from it at the same time.

This time the man has published a long document detailing what he stands for and the reasons for his actions. But before it was read, media deadlines had to be met. People needed an explanation to help them process the information - to make sense of what happened. So the journalists fell back to their usual metaphors, paradigms and narratives by which they make sense of the world. Without any evidence they gave the reason for the unthinkable.

At first sight it had all the hallmarks of Islamic extremists. Norway has troops in Afghanistan and bombing has been a common method of Muslim terrorists. Here surely is the next episode. How easy it is to blame all evil on others – on Muslims. But on this occasion the criminal is not a Muslim. Just the reverse, he is anti-Islamic trying to drive Muslims out of Norway.

On Facebook he describes himself as “Christian”. But that does not make sense of his actions, for Christians do not normally bomb and shoot their opponents. So the media used a favourite story, labelling him: “a fundamentalist Christian”.

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Latest edition of 'Commentary' magazine online

Chris Green, Vice Principal of Oak Hill, has been reading two books this summer which make ideal reading for church planters: Viral Churches by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird, and Onward by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. To read Green's reviews of these two books and the other articles in the Summer 2011 edition of Commentary, click here.

Ordinariate Watch: Credo: Mark Lewis

The Rev. Mark Lewis is married. He also wants to become a Catholic priest. Lewis is the rector of St. Luke's in Bladensburg, the first Episcopalian parish in the U.S. to seek to become Catholic under Anglicanorum coetibus, a process outlined by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 that allows groups of Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church without discarding their liturgical heritage. Raised Episcopalian, the 52-year-old Lewis entered the ministry 10 years ago and has two grown children. He will become Catholic with his parish in October.

Do you consider yourself to be of a specific faith?

Obviously, I am of the Catholic faith. Even as Episcopalians, we believed we were Catholic Christians. The Episcopal Church is a very broad church. In it you can have very evangelical people, and in it you can also have very high church Anglo-Catholics, of which I was one.

Why did you and your church convert?

I teach Catholic theology to my people. Once the apostolic constitution was announced, it opened a door that had previously been closed to us. I didn't really want to sway them with my excitement, so we looked at it together: "Is this something that is really of interest to us?" We looked at the difference between being a Catholic in the Anglican tradition, and being a Catholic in the Roman tradition. And we realized as a church that we needed to be in communion with the Church of Rome. This was an opportunity we must not pass up.

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John Stott's Theology Equal to Luther, Barth

Evangelical leaders in Brazil have joined the chorus of voices around the globe mourning and commenting on the death of one of the greatest evangelical leaders the world has ever seen, John Stott.

Church leaders from Brazil have reacted to the news of his death by describing Stott as providing the world with one of the greatest commentaries on the book of Romans ever; alongside theological legends such as Martin Luther and Karl Barth.

Evangelist and Biblical scholar John Stott passed away Wednesday afternoon in England. The respected evangelical leader has left behind a host of close friends and bothers-in-Christ in Brazil, who have described Stott to The Christian Post as a “spiritual leader and friend.”

The Anglican Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti, who received Stott’s visit to Brazil in 1980, said to The Christian Post that was just thinking recently about going to England to visit him.

“It was a loss… He was one of the main evangelical thinkers of the last century,” said the bishop.

Cavalcanti said he had a close relationship with Stott through the Alliance Biblical University (ABU), and the Lausanne Movement, of which he was a member.

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Related article: ‘Significant’ figure in growth of Christianity dies