Anglicans Ablaze Weekend Edition: October 4, 2014

In this weekend's edition of Anglicans Ablaze:

• Does Our Church Planting Strategy Include Dying?
• 15 Church Facility Issues – Rainer on Leadership ##074 [Podcast]
• The Antichrist and the Muslim Mahdi (Part 2)
• 5 Ways Your Emotions Help and Hurt Your Leadership
• Seven Ways the Pastor’s Family Comes Under Attack
• How to Avoid a Moral Failure In Ministry and Leadership
• If you’re not living the life, do not tell people you are a Christian
• 5 Reasons as Christians We Need To Pray!
• The Best Things About the Boring Parts of the Bible
• Worshiping Through a Crisis
• You are not a Rock Star: 4 Guidelines for Worship Leaders
• Good Theology, Good Lyrics, Good Melody: An Interview with Selah [Audio]
• The Green Grass Session Keith & Kristyn Getty (2014) [Audio]
• Avoiding Campus Rape
• 5 of the Biggest Mistakes (Some) Youth Leaders Make When It Comes to Outreach
• 7 Tips for Community Accountability
• Canterbury buries the instruments of unity [Audio]
• Soon to become a minority in the US, whites express declining support for diversity, psychology study finds
• New modern Persian Bible launched in UK and Turkey
• Amidst political turmoil, continuing blasphemy charges for Pakistani Christians

Does Our Church Planting Strategy Include Dying?

Andy Prime is one of our new men in training to plant a church in Gracemount, a scheme in Edinburgh. From time to time he (and others) will be writing on the blog about their struggles and joys as they seek to establish a ministry in the schemes. We hope the perspective of a cultural outsider (somebody not from a scheme) will encourage those who are thinking about this kind of ministry (but wonder if it is for them). Read more

The early Celtic monks spoke of what they called their "place of resurrection," the place to which the Holy Spirit would lead them--to spread the gospel, to start a new Christian community, to live out their days in self-imposed exile from kin, tribe, and homeland, and perhaps even to die a martyr's death, all for the glory of God.

15 Church Facility Issues – Rainer on Leadership #074 [Podcast]

This week’s episode is more lighthearted in tone, but still serious in subject matter. We tackle a post by Dr. Chuck Lawless on church facility issues. In doing so, we cover everything from upright pianos to dirty diapers. Read more

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:30 — 22.4MB)

The Antichrist and the Muslim Mahdi (Part 2)

In my last article, I explained the Judeo-Christian understanding of the Antichrist, and that he will somehow be intertwined with Israel, and more specifically, Jerusalem.

Because Islam borrowed a great deal from Judaism and Christianity, it is not surprising that they too have a figure with a messianic complex—the Mahdi, or the Guided One.

Muslims see the Mahdi as a savior who will lead a global revolution and establish a worldwide Islamic empire. The Mahdi will rule the earth as the final Caliph of Islam (a caliph is both a political ruler and a spiritual representative of Allah on earth). Read more

5 Ways Your Emotions Help and Hurt Your Leadership

There are at least five ways emotions can help you or hurt you in leadership.

Understanding how emotions can work for you or against you is key to becoming a healthy leader and cultivating a healthy culture on your team. Read more

Seven Ways the Pastor’s Family Comes Under Attack

If I were to devise a scheme to destroy churches, I would find ways to attack the pastor. And as I found ways to attack the pastor, I would see his family as the area of greatest vulnerability.

Attack the church by attacking the pastor. Attack the pastor by attacking his family.

Perhaps the “attack” metaphor makes you feel uncomfortable. The Bible, however, clearly uses the imagery of battle to describe the challenges and issues we face due to the presence of Satan and his evil hoards: “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12, HCSB).

Families are under attack. Pastors’ families, in particular, are under attack. Here are seven ways I see this battle unfolding. Read more

How to Avoid a Moral Failure In Ministry and Leadership

One of my gravest concerns about the witness of the church to our current culture is the threat to our evangelistic integrity caused by moral failures among ministry leaders. Every time a leader falls, we all suffer with that leader and his family and friends. And our collective witness to God’s truth suffers as well. For Jesus’ sake, for the gospel’s sake, for your sake and your family’s sake, decide daily that you’re going to live with integrity by God’s grace.

I Corinthians 10:13 in the Living Bible says, “The wrong desires that come into your life aren’t anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistible. God will show you how to escape.” I find this verse incredibly reassuring. First, it says everybody faces temptation. It’s man’s oldest problem, since Adam and Eve. We’ve all had problems with temptation. I’m tempted, you’re tempted. It’s not a sin to be tempted. It is a sin to give in to temptation. And God will provide a way out, a way of escape.

Here are six ways to take that escape, to avoid fatal attractions.... Read more

If you’re not living the life, do not tell people you are a Christian

“If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).

The politician convicted of racketeering tells the press that since Jesus is his Savior, he will be all right.

The businessman who taught a Sunday School class and gave millions to the Lord’s work is convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and swindling millions from people who trusted him.

The preacher found guilty as a child molester insists that his faith in Jesus will see him through this crisis.

God’s people trying to get this right want to say to them, “Would you just shut up about being a Christian! This is a time to keep it to yourself. You have not earned the right to go public with your testimony.”

Those who bring shame upon the Lord have no right to a public declaration of faith. Let them repent and “bring forth fruits meet for repentance.”

Are these people Christians? It’s possible. God’s people are certainly capable of messing up big time. When that happens, we need to “go back to Bethel” in repentance and then withdraw for a time of spiritual rehabilitation.

. Are such people effective witnesses for Jesus? Anything but. They have brought great shame on the Name above all names. The louder they proclaim their Christianity, the more the world scoffs at their hypocrisy. Read more

5 Reasons as Christians We Need To Pray!

Here are my 5 reasons that we as Christians must get back to an serious prayer life.... Read more

The Best Things About the Boring Parts of the Bible

Let’s admit it, there are certain parts of the Bible we skim because . . . well . . . because we think they’re boring. They’re repetitive, overly detailed, full of names and places we can’t pronounce. So why bother with them? There are many reasons — not the least of which is that even the parts of the Bible we deem to be boring are significant because they are God’s word to us. Here’s my top ten list of the best things about the boring parts of the Bible. Read more

Worshiping Through a Crisis

It was five years ago, on a hot August night in Orlando, Florida that I unintentionally entered into one of the deepest valleys of my life. I had been fighting a summer cold, but throughout the weekend had been singing through it…as always. However, on this night, as I was singing along, I went up to hit a high note, and suddenly there was no voice…no sound. I came back down and then tried it again, and nothing…not a peep. So for the rest of the night, whenever I had to sing a high note, I would choose a lower note instead and tried to simply survive the rest of the concert.

A few days later, after I had rested my voice, I tried to sing again…and still nothing. It slowly went from bad to worse. So after about a month, I finally went to the doctor where he discovered a polyp on my left vocal fold. He then said these words. “Outside of a miracle, unless you get this surgically removed, you will not be able to sing.”

Suddenly I was faced with a crisis. I had never even considered what life would be like without a voice. Singing and leading worship was the only thing I knew. It’s the only job I’d ever had. And now, I was faced with surgery, and if something went wrong in that surgery, perhaps never singing again! I honestly did not know what to do. I had always stated that a mantra of my ministry is to “worship God as a lifestyle.” But that is easy to say when life is good. Now, my faith was shaken and I was faced with a dilemma I never asked for and never saw coming. But then again, all crisis is like that. None of us ever ask for a crisis to visit us. We don’t go seeking out life-altering problems…they come find us! Read more

You are not a Rock Star: 4 Guidelines for Worship Leaders

I use “worship leader” in the vernacular sense of the guy who leads the music. Of course, musical worship is only a smidgen of the worship that happens on Sunday. It’s one candle in the worship array of preaching, fellowship, serving, giving, and parking far away so that the elderly can park closer.

But when people talk about liking/hating “the worship” they generally mean “the band.” One congregant who should avoid this is the worship leader.

Here are four guidelines for the leader of a worship band.... Read more

See also
3 Guidelines for the Congregation in Worship

Good Theology, Good Lyrics, Good Melody: An Interview with Selah [Audio]

Since 1997, Selah has been a mainstay in Christian music. The original trio was comprised of brother and sister Todd and Nicol Smith, and their friend Allan Hall. Nicol married and left the group in 2004, and Amy Perry joined a few years later.

The trio has sold more than 4 million albums and singles, and garnered seven Dove Awards. Despite their previous accomplishments, their most recent album, You Amaze Us, has achieved unprecedented success.

Recently, I sat down with Todd, Allan and Amy to ask them about their history, their songs, and why theology is such an important aspect of music. Read more

Listen to MP3 Samples
Order the New Album: You Amaze Us

Great music. Usable with both traditional and contemporary worship

The Green Grass Session Keith & Kristyn Getty (2014) [Audio]

Brand new, limited edition EP from Keith and Kristyn Getty featuring

My Worth Is Not in What I Own – the new hymn written by Keith and Kristyn and Graham Kendrick

Good Shepherd of My Soul – a warm and moving a’capella rendition of one of Keith and Kristyn’s newer songs

Come Ye Sinners – a musical journey from Ireland to Appalachia envelopes the traditional hymn

Plus 3 more brand new recordings!

BONUS! Lobby Jam – a toe-tappin’, foot-stompin’, hand-clappin’ instrumental featuring the Getty’s band of Irish and bluegrass virtuosos

This limited edition EP is only available from Getty Music. Learn more

More great music. Usable with both traditional and contemporary worship.

Avoiding Campus Rape

I remember flying across the country and depositing my almost eighteen-year-old daughter on a small college campus in upstate New York.

Besides setting up a local bank account, campus meal service, and an Ethernet connection, I gave her absolutely no life-saving information should she truly need it.

What was I thinking? Did I imagine that the small community she’d live in would be as safe as my own? Did I expect that ALL her new friends would consider her as special and worthy as I did?

As I flew home, I never imagined she could be raped in a dorm room, or be abducted as she walked home from the library in the dark. Thank God she wasn’t. But many young women have. Read more

If you are involved in campus ministry to young women; have college students in your congregation, ministry team, or small group; have a daughter, niece, or granddaughter in college or know someone who does, or have friends in college, share this article with them. If you are in college yourself, share it with your friends, roommates, and sorority sisters. I live on the outskirts of a college town and frequently have college students living as my neighbors. Young women often take risks that they should not take, particularly when they are intoxicated, such as going to the apartments of people that they do not know. Every college town has its share of predatory males who will take advantage of an intoxicated young woman and will not take "no" for an answer.

5 of the Biggest Mistakes (Some) Youth Leaders Make When It Comes to Outreach

Over the last two plus decades I've had the privilege of engaging thousands of youth leaders in conversations about the subject of outreach and evangelism. During that time I've gathered a ton of great thoughts and ideas from youth leaders in the trenches when it comes to reaching out to the next generation with the good news. Some youth leaders are killing it when it comes to advancing the good news among teenagers in their communities.

Sadly, I've also witnessed a pattern of mistakes and missteps in the youth ministry world when it comes to outreach. I've boiled them down to 5.... Read more

7 Tips for Community Accountability

We are commanded to grow in our faith and to look more Christlike as time goes on. However, this command was never meant to be something we just did by ourselves. The Bible constantly expects that we will be a part of a local community and that there will be people who know us and walk with us in our Christian life. In fact, churches where people merely attend and do not belong, where they sit in a big service, but nobody knows their struggles and issues is not really doing what the church was made to do. Discipleship is a community event. Each person is one part of the body—not the whole thing.

Leaders, it starts with your direction. Here are some helpful tips on how to encourage accountability and confession within a Bible study, home group, or other Christian community. Read more

Canterbury buries the instruments of unity [Audio]

The Archbishop of Canterbury has claimed the authority to determine who is Anglican. In a wide ranging conversation with the Church of Ireland Gazette, the archbishop offered his appreciation of the ecclesiology of the Anglican Communion, placing his office in the center of the church's polity.

He further stated he saw the Anglican Church in North America as an ecumenical partner, not a member church of the Anglican Communion.

While Archbishop Justin Welby’s comments about the ecclesial relationship between the Church of England and the ACNA break no new ground, his defense of his appointment of an ACNA priest to an honorary post in the Church of England by asserting the priest’s orders were valid as they were conveyed by the Episcopal Church of the USA raises the question of the validity of the ministerial orders conveyed by ACNA's bishops. The archbishop's comments also appear put paid to the notion of four instruments of unity within the Communion, down grading the Anglican Consultative Council in setting the parameters of the Anglican world, placing the primates in a consultative role, while elevating his office as the arbiter of Anglicanism. Read more

See also
Church of Ireland Gazette Audio Section: Interview 53: Archbishop Justin Welby

Soon to become a minority in the US, whites express declining support for diversity, psychology study finds

White Americans may view diversity and multiculturalism more negatively as the U.S. moves toward becoming a minority-majority nation, UCLA psychologists report.

As part of their study, the researchers divided 98 white Americans from all regions of the country—half male, half female, with an average age of 37—randomly into two groups. One group was told that whites will no longer be the majority in the U.S. by 2050; in fact, this is likely to be true as soon as 2043, according to some projections. The second group was told that whites would retain their majority status in the U.S. through at least 2050. All participants were then asked a series of questions about their views on diversity.

"Whites feel lukewarm about diversity when they are told that they are about to lose their majority status in the United States for the first time," said Yuen Huo, UCLA professor of psychology and the study's senior author. Read more

New modern Persian Bible launched in UK and Turkey

'It’s been 18 years of hard work but worth it for such an exciting day’

A major new translation of the whole Bible into modern Persian was launched in London and Istanbul last week (September 22-24). The project was especially significant as some of its earliest contributors were martyred for their faith.

Its publishers are Elam Ministries and Wycliffe Bible Translators. Elam was founded in 1990 by senior Iranian church leaders with a vision to serve the growing church in the Iran. Read more

Amidst political turmoil, continuing blasphemy charges for Pakistani Christians

Christians have continued to be accused of blasphemy against Islam, in three separate recent cases in Pakistan. In one, a group of 35 was briefly accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammed before the charge was quickly changed from one of blasphemy. From evidence, all the cases appear to be either lodged to seek personal revenge, or solely to target Christians because of their faith.

All three cases have emerged in the Punjab, the largest province of Pakistan, which is home to dozens of extremist Islamist organizations. This is where most of the blasphemy cases against Christians have been lodged since the early 1980s, when these controversial laws were introduced by President Zia ul-Haq.

The courts have granted bail to the suspects in all three, which is rare in blasphemy cases, giving rise to the belief that the charges are not well-founded. Read more

Photo: The Voice Society

Sola Gratia: Christians Are Saved by the Grace of God Alone

“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!” “Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt.” “Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin; how shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin?”

Christians love to sing of the saving grace of God—and rightly so. John tells us that out of Jesus’ “fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Many of the New Testament letters begin and end with the writers expressing their desire that the grace of Jesus would be with His people. The very last words of the Bible read: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Rev. 22:21).

The Reformers understood the importance of the grace of God to the Bible’s teaching on salvation. In fact, one of the slogans that came to define Reformation teaching was sola gratia, which is Latin for “by grace alone.” Christians are saved by the grace of God alone. Read more

Faith on Earth — The Urgent Mission of Theological Education

He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. This is very helpful. We are told why Jesus told this parable to his disciples and we are told its intended effect – that Christ’s faithful followers should pray always, and never lose heart.

There is always the temptation to lose heart, and we should be thankful that Jesus names it as such. He truly was tempted in every way as are we, yet without sin. He who never lost heart knows that his disciples are prone to lose theirs. It is good that we know that losing heart is not a new problem, but in our own day we can easily find new reasons to lose heart Read more

8 Things Every Leader Needs To Know About Trust

Trust is the foundation of every relationship. No leader can fully advance mission and vision without the trust of their followers. Paul Sohn is one of my favorite Christian leadership bloggers. He was kind enough to share the following thoughts of the vital topic of trust. Please read the following and apply these principles. Also, make sure you check out his incredible blog by clicking HERE. Now onto his insightful thoughts on trust.... Read more

Lessons from Netflix: Church Leaders Who Can See the Future Can Seize the Future

Netflix and other on-demand video providers, have already changed the culture more than you think.

And they’ve probably changed you more than you think.

Remember the good old days, back in say, 2007, when people would gather around a set together to watch a TV show live when it was first broadcast?

Barely, right?

Whenever culture shifts, church leaders should pay attention.

Prudent leaders are taking notes now, because while the change will come later in the church (it always does), change is inevitable and it will be unkind to the unprepared. Read more

You Have a Sword, Don't Be Caught Off Guard!

The Value of Memorizing Scripture by John Piper

• Memorizing Scripture makes meditation possible at times when you can’t be reading the Bible, and meditation is the pathway to deeper understanding. If you’re going to meditate on the Law of the Lord day and night, you need to have some of it in your head.


• Memorizing Scripture strengthens my faith, because faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, and that happens when I am hearing the Word in my head.


• Memorizing Scripture shapes the way I view the world by conforming my mind to God’s viewpoint on everything.

Read more

Churches Partnering Together

Most churches in America have fewer than 75 members. My guess is that most churches in Canada are even smaller. Small churches are necessarily limited in much of what they can do and what they can offer in local and international missions. Is there a solution? Is there a way that small churches can have a big impact? Chris Bruno and Matt Dirks think there is and their new book Churches Partnering Together offers their solution.

Bruno and Dirks pastor in Hawaii and there they face unique challenges, and challenges that sound quite similar to the ones we face here in Canada. People leave Hawaii to pursue theological education in the continental U.S., but then never come back, and the same thing happens here. The churches in Hawaii (or the solid ones, at least) tend to be fairly small, just like in Canada. And so these pastors and others like them have had to come up with creative solutions, and, even better Bible-based solutions. Read more

Survey: Prayer often 'red phone for help'

Many Americans pray for divine help, their friends, families, and sometimes their enemies. But few of them offer praises to God or pray for politicians and nonbelievers, according to a new LifeWay Research survey.

"Most people pray when they need the red phone for help," said Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research, adding that many of them may not have a prayer life "rooted in a relationship with God."

The online survey, conducted Aug.7, 2014, asked 1,137 Americans about the frequency and content of their prayers.

Among the findings.... Read more

Ukraine: Christians threatened with firing squads and pastors held hostage

Reports of rebels threatening churches with firing squards, storming church services and holding pastors hostage are just some of the stories that have emerged from rebel-held regions of eastern Ukraine in recent months.

The threat to Ukraine's evangelical churches is a lesser-knwon aspect of the ongoing political struggle between the pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government in Kiev. A fragile ceasefire was agreed on September 5, though this week the rebels have resumed attacks on Donetsk airport, a key site in the conflict, and yesterday a Red Cross aid worker was killed by shelling in Donetsk.

On Saturday, Seventh Day Adventist minister Sergei Litovchenko was abducted by pro-Russian gunmen during a church service in Horlivka, in the Donetsk region. This is just one of many reports of infringements on religious practice within the rebel-controlled eastern regions – areas now known as the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR).

The Institute for Religious Freedom (IRF), based in Kiev, has recorded numerous incidents of religious persecution that took place in June and July. In August, Human Rights Watch reported several cases of arbitrary detention and torture, which had been largely overlooked by the media. Read more

See also
Chronicle of terror: Religious persecution by pro-Russian militants in east Ukraine

Twenty-Two Problems with Multi-site Churches

I love my gospel-loving friends in multi-site churches—both leaders and members! But as Christians we work continually to reform our churches in light of Scripture. So I trust a little push back on the multi-site structure serves everyone, assuming my concerns turn out to be valid. Below are 22 misgivings I have about the multi-site model. All of these apply to churches that use a video preacher. Over half apply to churches who employ a preacher on every campus.* Some of these are grounded in biblical or theological principles; some are matters of prudence. Read more

Loving Your Neighbors by Praying for Their Churches

“What’s wrong with that church?” she asked me in a hushed voice as she leaned in close. There I stood in the lobby of our church in 2008 with one of the members looking for insider information. “Which church are you talking about?” I responded, genuinely confused.

“The one you prayed for this morning during worship,” she said.

Then it clicked. She was so taken back by the fact that I had prayed for another church in our city that she assumed, based on practices many Christians learn in “prayer meetings,” my prayer was my way of saying: “Something is wrong. I can’t really tell you about it but I can alert you by ‘praying’ for them.”

Most evangelical churches that are faithful to preach the gospel are eager to do God’s work. While they represent this in a variety of ways, it usually includes baseline expectations of evangelism and discipleship. They organize their meetings, hire their staff, train their volunteers, structure their programs, and build their buildings with these intentions in mind. If they have been at it for any length of time and God has blessed their labor, they have seen fruit. Lives have been impacted. Homes have been changed. Relationships have been deepened.

Yet many local churches are tempted to conduct themselves as if they didn’t know any other local evangelical churches existed around them. Or, if they acknowledge them, they are chasing “end-of-the-year bonuses” by competing with and beating out other churches in ministry. Add to this the fact that many pastors struggle with finding their identity in the size of their church, and it is no wonder that many forget the kingdom for which we are laboring. Read more

12 Principles for Change in the Established Church

Change efforts are never unanimous. Change efforts are too often reactive instead of proactive. Resistance to change is high. Ministry leaders can push too hard for change among the wrong people, at the wrong times, and in wrong ways.

I might be understating the quandary of change in established churches.

If we believe in the body of Christ, then ministry leaders must be change agents. Leaders quickly understand what needs to change, but the how of change is just as important. I’ve been guilty of rushing the what of change without taking time to consider how change should happen. Below are twelve principles to help ministry leaders understand how change needs to occur. Read more

5 Ways To Lose the Battle Against Sin

The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. One of the ways such deceit manifests itself is through convincing us that we have battled a sin and put that sin to death when really we have done nothing of the sort. John Owen is a steady guide in the battle against sin, and in chapter 5 of his great work Overcoming Sin and Temptation he deals with misconceptions about what it means to put sin to death.

Here are 5 ways to lose the battle against sin. Read more

The Difference Between Preserving the Gospel and Advancing the Gospel

2 Thoughts on Circumcision, Church Identity, and Mission

We must understand the difference between preserving the gospel and advancing the gospel. A preserved gospel always advances, as people in awe of the gospel always want to advance it. But it is possible to advance a pseudo-gospel, another message in place of the real thing.

Just as there is a distinction between the gospel and the implications of the gospel, there is a distinction between preserving and advancing. And I am concerned that we confuse the two frequently in our churches. The distinction is biblically illustrated with circumcision and Titus and Timothy. Titus was not circumcised so the truth of the gospel would be preserved. Timothy was so that the gospel would be advanced. Read more

On not doing nothing

A friend of mine is visiting nursing homes and telling the gospel. It made me think of the variety of ways people tell God’s good news to humanity: Scripture in schools, English classes at churches, and visiting nursing homes!

God loves variety – he didn’t just create one type of flower, but thousands; not one type of bird, but thousands! Each of us is different because God loves variety, and each of us will tell God’s news to different people. Read more

Every Jot and Tittle

Although we don’t like to admit it, the reason many of us don’t read the Bible regularly is because we are afraid of it. We are afraid of the Bible because we are ignorant of the Bible. Many of the theological words and concepts we come across in the Bible are foreign to us and, therefore, frighten us. When we come across such words, we often don’t know what to make of them. So, we just move on to the next word and, to our own detriment, fail to grasp the full meaning and beauty of the passage we’re reading. This isn’t just the case with big theological words we run into from time to time, but with common words we’re familiar with that appear on every page of the Bible. Part of the reason we move on is because we are often trying to read the Bible simply to get through a particular chapter or book rather than digging into it to study it in its fullness. In fact, the Bible doesn’t ever call us just to read it. Rather, the Bible calls us to study it, to examine it, to devour it, to meditate on it, to let it dwell within our hearts richly, and to hide it in our hearts that we might not sin against the Lord. Read more

Anglicans Ablaze Midweek Special Edition: October 1, 2014

In this midweek special edition of Anglicans Ablaze:

• When a Church Stops Reaching Its Community
• Fourteen Symptoms of Toxic Church Leaders
• 3 truths about spiritual gfits
• How To Get Things Done: Define Your Areas of Responsibility
• What It Takes to Survive and Thrive in Ministry
• Worship At A Crossroads: Congregationalism Versus Performancism
• 3 Ways to Avoid the "Children's Church" Ditch
• 5 Ingredients that Build Pervasive Community in Your Church
• The Rise of “Emerging Adulthood”
• Lambeth Conference in jeopardy over homosexuality row
• Atheist Church Sunday Assembly Opens in 35 More Towns
• Turkey closes down Protestant church
• Updated: Texas patient confirmed as first Ebola case diagnosed in U.S.

When a Church Stops Reaching Its Community

What imagery comes to your mind when you hear the word “fortress”? A medieval castle? Fort Knox? Huge buildings with gates and locks and moats? Something that is almost impossible for the outside world to enter?

Any of those word pictures will work. The key is to keep people and possessions on the inside safe, and to keep people on the other side out.

If you talk to members in a dying church, most will deny that their church is a fortress. But in our [research of dying churches], we found that is exactly what was taking place. People in the community did not feel welcome in the church. Those in the church were more concerned about protecting the way they did church than reaching residents of the community. Read more

Fourteen Symptoms of Toxic Church Leaders

Most church leaders are godly and healthy. A toxic church leader, one that is figuratively poisonous to the organization, is rare. But it is that church leader who brings great harm to churches and other Christian organizations. And it is that leader that hurts the entire cause of Christ when word travels about such toxicity.

In my Monday post, I noted the traits of long-term, healthy pastors. I now travel to the opposite extreme and provide symptoms of the worst kind of church leaders, toxic church leaders. Read more

See also
12 Indicators You’re NOT an Empowering Leader

3 truths about spiritual gfits

Tragically—and ironically—one of the casualties of the modern charismatic movement is a biblical understanding of what spiritual gifts actually are. By emphasizing only a handful of gifts (the sign gifts) many Christians have lost sight of the less glamorous yet more common spiritual gifts.

With a focus on tongues, signs, miracles, healings and the like, it is easy to be confused about how God through the Holy Spirit has actually equipped the church. That confusion isn’t limited to charismatic churches–in fact because of an avoidance of the sign gifts, that confusion is often seen even inside of cessationist and continuationist churches too. People think “those sign gifts are not what we do…” and the question of gifts never really gets around to “so what do we do?”

With that in mind, here are three truths about spiritual gifts. Understanding these truths will not only help you serve in your church, but will restore the wonder that God uses us to do his will.... Read more

How To Get Things Done: Define Your Areas of Responsibility

Today I am continuing this series on getting things done. Yesterday we saw that we exist to bring glory to God, and that, as Christians, we bring glory to God when we do good works for other people. Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14) and now calls upon each one of us to “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Therefore, “productivity is effectively stewarding your gifts, talents, time, energy, and enthusiasm for the good of others and the glory of God.”

This definition of productivity calls us to action: We need to structure and organize our lives so that we can do the maximum good for others and thus bring the maximum glory to God.

I mean to get very practical as we move forward today, but first I want to address one misconception about productivity and lay down one challenge. Read more

What It Takes to Survive and Thrive in Ministry

What does it take for pastors to survive and thrive in ministry?

This was the key question asked in an eight-year study funded by the Lilly Endowment that I had the privilege to coordinate through Covenant, Reformed, and Westminster Seminaries.

Why is this question important? Because many indicators—from personal stories quietly shared between friends to sophisticated research projects—all point to the fact that staying in pastoral ministry for the long haul can be tough sledding. Read more

Worship At A Crossroads: Congregationalism Versus Performancism

The worship wars are over.

The worship wars were a battle between organs and guitars. Choirs and praise bands. Robes and blue jeans. Hymnal versus projector. Traditional versus contemporary. Old versus new.

They were mainly about style. The genre of the music, the instrumentation, the attire of the pastors, the vehicle for musical notation (or lack thereof), the authorship date of the songs.

And now, by and large, those wars have subsided and a delicate peace has settled in. Churches either went full throttle in one direction, and left any detractors in the smoke (and those detractors found a different church), or they went the “blended” route and offer multiple service styles in multiple venues in order to appease the factions and prevent them from killing each other. A small amount of churches survived the worship wars with their worship ethos in tact. Good for them.

Now we are at a worship crossroads. Read more

3 Ways to Avoid the "Children's Church" Ditch

The closest I've ever come to breaking a bone was when I was in 9th grade, and it happened, of all places, at church! Some friends and I were in the back parking lot of the church building. We were walking along the fence railing atop the retaining wall. On one side of this railing was a short 4 foot drop to the parking lot; on the other side was a 30 foot plunge to the bottom of a ravine. As my friends and I were walking along the top of this railing, I lost my balance, and couldn't regain control. I realized that I was going to fall into the ravine, and so to control the fall, I jumped with all my might towards a pine tree growing from the ravine. That skinny pine tree didn't keep me from falling, but I was able to control and slow my fall. When I hit the ground far below I had not broken anything, but it sure did hurt!

I share this story because as I think about my time in pastoral ministry, I realize more and more that ministry is very often a balancing act between the ideal and the real. For so many aspects of ministry there is a tension between the ideal that we are taught in seminary and at conferences and then the real-world experience of dealing with contemporary congregations and unchurched neighbors. As far as my recent experience in ministry is concerned, the area in which this balancing act has been most felt is in the area of our ministry to children in the church; namely, what should we do with young children during times of public worship? Read more

5 Ingredients that Build Pervasive Community in Your Church

If you believe that unconnected people are always one tough thing away from never being at your church again...you have all the motivation you need to invest in building a pervasive sense of community in your church. See also, What’s Your Urgency Level for Connecting Unconnected People? and This Is Why We Need Community.

There are 5 essential ingredients that build a pervasive sense of community in your church.... Read more

The Rise of “Emerging Adulthood”

Emerging adulthood is now viewed by many as a distinct stage of life in America, one that covers the period between high school and “real” adulthood. And according to Christian Smith, Professor of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame, it’s a stage of life that is powerfully shaping the way people in their 20s view the world, how they understand the church, and how they approach their own formation.

At a faculty workshop at Wheaton College earlier this semester, Smith gave a fascinating summary of recent research on emerging adulthood and its significance for understanding and ministering to young adults today. Here are some of the highlights. (Keep in mind that these are all sweeping generalizations. Smith was quite clear that none of this will apply across the board to any particular young adult or even to distinct sub-groups of young adults. But these are pretty clear characteristics of the life stage as a whole.) Read more

Lambeth Conference in jeopardy over homosexuality row

The next Lambeth Conference, the ten-yearly gathering of more than 600 Anglican bishops from around the world, is in jeopardy because of the row over homosexuality that is dividing the Church.

The Anglican Communion, the body that represents the episcopal leadership of millions of Anglicans worldwide led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, is split by the battle between its conservative and liberal wings over gay relationships and gay ordination.

The last meeting in Canterbury in 2008 was marred by boycotts by African and other Global South bishops who objected to the consecration of the openly gay bishop Gene Robinson in the United States. Other bishops and archbishops who did attend however were incensed that Bishop Gene was not himself invited out of an attempt to appease the conservative wing.

The news was revealed by George Conger, the leading conservative commentator, after it was disclosed by a leading liberal, Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church in the US and former marine biologist, who at the recent meeting of the US House of Bishops in Taiwan announced she will not seek to stand for a second nine-year term.

It was immediately denied by Lambeth Palace, London HQ of Archbishop Justin Welby. Read more

Atheist Church Sunday Assembly Opens in 35 More Towns

Nearly three dozen towns around the world, including in the U.S. and France, launched their first "Sunday Assembly," also known as the atheist church, on Sunday.

According to the Sunday Assembly website, 35 towns launched new Sunday Assemblies, adding to the more than two dozen Sunday Assemblies that were already established. The group says its mission is to tackle loneliness and social isolation.

"And the world certainly needs more community: social isolation and loneliness are on the rise with 40% of US adults say they are lonely compared to 20% in the 80s and 1 in 10 UK adults say they have no close friends," the website states. "This has massive effects on society, and on the health of society with studies showing that loneliness has comparable impacts on your health as smoking and obesity, it impairs immune function and boosts inflammation and can contribute to arthritis, type II diabetes and heart disease." Read more

Turkey closes down Protestant church

Turkish authorities have sealed a Protestant church in Southeast Turkey and ordered its American pastor fined and deported on charges of "working illegally."

Lawyers filed a court appeal Sept. 26 to postpone the deportation, protesting what Turkey’s Association of Protestant Churches called an "absolutely arbitrary" ruling against the Gaziantep congregation and its foreign pastor.

Local police officials sealed the premises of the New Life Church on Aug. 28. Just over two weeks later, on Sept. 14, they detained its pastor, Patrick Jensen, with order from Turkey’s Interior Ministry to deport him immediately. Read more

Photo: World Watch Monitor

Updated: Texas patient confirmed as first Ebola case diagnosed in U.S.

CDC: "Not impossible that there could be additional cases associated with this patient"

A man who recently arrived in Texas from Liberia has been confirmed as having the first case of Ebola to be diagnosed in the U.S.

Authorities with the Centers for Disease Control revealed the finding late on Tuesday, two days after the unidentified patient was admitted to a Dallas hospital with suspicious symptoms.

Officials at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas put the man into “strict isolation” and sent a blood specimen to state and federal labs for testing.

Both came back positive for the deadly disease, which has killed more than 3,000 people in Africa this year. According to the World Health Organization, there have been more than 6,500 Ebola cases confirmed in Africa, with Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone among the hardest hit. Read more

See also
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease)
CDC Confirms First Case of Ebola in US as Patient Is Diagnosed With Deadly Virus in Texas Hospital
New: Ebola patient told hospital he had been to Liberia
New: US hospital bungled report of Africa travel in Ebola case
New: Patient told Dallas hospital he was from Liberia
New: US Ebola Patient May Have Exposed School Age Children, Governor Said
The US Ebola case: 5 things to know
We have Ebola in the US but Africa remains most at risk