How Weekend Church Services Will Change In the Future

If you’re breathing, you know our culture is changing and that the church is undergoing a massive transition.

The question is, what do you do about that?

How do you lead in the midst of it?

And if you’re leading a church, how do you respond?

Questions like that have a lot of church leaders soul searching these days, including me. That can only be good for the mission of the church and for the future. Keep reading

10 Things about Worship on a Sunday Morning

I’m preaching on worship today at a church in Southwest Mississippi. A few weeks ago when the pastor asked for my subject, I quickly said “Worship is a verb” for a title of the message. Hardly without a thought. This is a big deal with me, I thought. God is working on this in me. I’ve preached and written on it before. I know some basic texts and have one huge burden on the subject, namely, that most Christians I know have it backward and think worship is all about “me.” Then, as often happens, when I began preparing and praying for the message, I realized just how little I actually know on the subject. God help me. Keep reading

Same-Sex Intimate Unions [PDF]

Moore Theological College Principal, Dr Mark Thompson, wrote this 18-page paper to help Christians in their thinking and conversations in the present day debate surrounding same-sex marriage.

He writes:

“… Christian teaching about homosexuality does not simply rely on five isolated, condemnatory biblical texts — ‘five uneasy pieces’ from Genesis 19, Leviticus 18–20, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1. It is anchored in a far richer biblical theology of human relationships that begins in creation and ends in the consummation of all things.”

In the paper he examines:

The critical nature of the current debate
The framework for a Christian discussion of marriage and sex
The specific references to homosexual behaviour in outline
The challenge of same-sex intimate unions
The ongoing problem of a campaign against dissent

He also includes some further reading that may be helpful to Christians.

Read the entire paper.

An Outline of a Proposal for a Second ACNA Province

By Robin G. Jordan

In this article I briefly outline a proposal for a second province within the Anglican Church in North America. This province would be more closely aligned to the teaching of the Bible and the doctrine and principles of the historic Anglican formularies than the existing province is in its governing documents and other doctrinal statements.

The new province would have its own constitution and canons that would create a provincial structure and form of governance that were recognizably different from that of the existing province in a number of ways:

1. There would be a general synod which would be the supreme authority in matters affecting the new province as a whole. The general synod would be composed of elected clergy and lay delegates. The ratio of lay delegates to clergy delegates would reflect the ratio of lay persons to clergy in the new province.

The general synod would hold regular sessions at intervals prescribed in the new province’s governing documents which would include provisions for calling special sessions of the general synod.

The general synod would elect its own prolocuter, or presiding officer, and determine its own rules of procedure, subject to the provisions of the governing documents of the new province.

The bishops of the new province would be ex officio members of the general synod. Should there be a call for a vote by orders, the bishops would vote with the presbyters. They would not vote as a separate body.

2. There would be a general executive committee appointed by the general synod and subject to its directions. The general executive committee would carry on the work of the general synod between its sessions and perform such other functions as expressly assigned to that body by the new province’s governing documents.

3. There would be a moderator who would be elected by the general synod from the bishops of the province and would preside at all meetings of the general executive committee at which he is present. He would also serve as the official spokesperson of the new province. He would have no power or prerogative except what is conveyed to him by the new province’s governing documents. His term of office would be prescribed in the same documents.

4. Mid-level judicatories would be designated regions rather than dioceses and would be composed of networks of congregations and clergy within specific geographic areas of Canada or the United States and its territories. Regions would in turn be subdivided into districts. Each district would be formed from a specific cluster of congregations and clergy within the geographic boundaries of a region. The reason for this particular organization of the new province would be to embody a major principle underpinning its structure: The province is voluntary association of congregations and clergy organized for the purposes of mission and ministry and such other purposes as specified within its governing documents. Regions and districts derive their authority from the networks and clusters of congregations and clergy forming them.

Each region would have its own governing documents. Each region would have its own annual conference consisting of the pastors of its constituent congregations and elected delegates from these congregations. Each region would have its own executive committee that would carry on the work of the annual conference between sessions, subject to the directions of the annual conference and in accordance with the provisions of the region’s governing documents.

5. Each region would have its own bishops. Bishops would have no power or prerogative except what is mutually agreed upon by the congregations and clergy comprising the region and expressly conveyed to them by the region’s governing documents.

Bishops would elected by a variety of methods. They would be elected by a board of electors or selection committee appointed by the region’s annual conference. The choice of the board or committee would require ratification by the annual conference. They would be elected directly by the region’s annual conference. Only when a region failed to elect a bishop after repeated attempts or within a specific time limit would the province itself be able to step in and elect a bishop for the region. In such cases the general executive committee would function as the region’s annual conference, following the procedure for the election of a bishop for a region delineated in the region’s governing documents.

The age requirement for bishops would be lower than that of the existing province. This would open the office to a larger group of clergy within the new province.

Bishops would hold office for a specific term which could be extended by the region’s annual conference after a review of their performance in office. In event the region’s annual conference decided not to extend their term of office, it would have authority to declare their office vacant and to proceed with the election of a successor.

Confirmation of the election of a bishop would be limited to confirmation of the suitability of the bishop elect to hold episcopal office within the new province—to whether the bishop-elect meets the necessary requirements for the office of bishop and holds convictions consistent with those of the new province as a whole. Such confirmation would be the responsibility of the general synod when the general synod is in session and the regional executive committees when the general synod is not in session. The extension of a bishop’s term of office and the declaration of a vacancy in an episcopal office would not require any action by the province.

6. The new province would have its own united plan of giving. See the united giving plan in my article, “A Blueprint for a Second ACNA Province.”

7. The new province would have its own set of standards for clergy and other ministry leaders, its own credentialing procedures for clergy and other ministry leaders, its own central registry of clergy and other ministry leaders meeting its standards, and its own set of disciplinary canons. Under the provisions of the new province’s disciplinary canons bishops would not be more difficult to discipline than presbyters. Procedural safeguards for all accused parties would be tightened to ensure that they receive a fair hearing. At the same time there would be special provisions for handling allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation

The new province would embody the fundamental belief that the safeguarding of the apostolic faith and the maintenance of Biblical orthodoxy is the responsibility of the whole Church. The developments in the Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican Church in North America, the Church of England, the Continuing Anglican Churches, the Episcopal Church, and other Anglican entities have shown that bishops are capable of falling into error and leading the Church into error.

The new province would have its own Prayer Book which would be sensitive to the needs of congregations on the North America mission field, would conform to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the doctrine and principles of the historic Anglican formularies, and, unlike the proposed service book of the existing province of the Anglican Church in North America, would be “a Book of the Church, drawn up by laity and clergy and finally approved, amended, and put into its final shape” not by bishops but by the general synod [1]. Regions would be able to compile supplemental liturgies and authorize their use provide these supplemental liturgies conformed to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the doctrine and principles of the historic Anglican formularies.

The new province would also have its own Catechism which would also be a Catechism of the Church, conforming to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the doctrine and principles of the historic Anglican formularies and prepared, revised, and adopted in a manner similar to that of the new province’s Prayer Book. It would not be a Catechism of the Bishops like that of the existing province of the Anglican Church in North America, which conflicts in a number of key areas with the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and the doctrine and principles of the historic Anglican formularies and is the result of the absence of any effective checks on what Archdeacon Cox describes as “the autocratic actions of bishops” in that province [2].

The new province would enfold congregations, clergy, and individuals in and outside the Anglican Church in North America who:

1. Hold the Christian faith as professed by the Church of Christ from earliest times and particularly as articulated in the creeds known as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed.

2. Accept the plenary authority of the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testament in all matters of faith and practice.

3. Recognize the historic threefold ministry of deacon, presbyter, and bishop as having antecedents in the primitive Church and being allowed by Scripture.

4. Subscribes to the doctrine and principles of the reformed Church of England embodied in the historic Anglican formularies, namely the two Books of Homilies, the Articles of Religion sometimes known as the Thirty-Nine Articles, and The Book of Common Prayer together with the Form and Manner of Making Ordaining and Consecrating of Deacons, Presbyters, and Bishops appended to the Prayer Book.

5. Recognize that God gave authority to the Church as a whole and the governance of the Church is a shared responsibility of all members of the Church. This includes the exercise of authority in matters of Faith and Order and worship.

Among the benefits of the new province would be:

1. The new province would extend formal recognition and official standing within the Anglican Church in North America to Biblically faithful orthodox Anglicans who share these convictions.

2. The new province would increase the Anglican Church in North America’s effectiveness in planting and growing gospel-centered churches in North America. The new province would create an environment in which Biblically faithful orthodox Anglicans who share the foregoing convictions would be able to flourish and in turn devote themselves fully to reaching and engaging the unchurched population of North America and enfolding them into gospel-centered churches.

The growth of a denomination is tied to the growth of its population base. This is one of the critical lessons that can be learned from the experience of the Continuing Anglican Churches as well as the Anglican Church of Canada, the Church of England, the Episcopal Church and other declining Anglican entities.

3. The new province would ensure that gifts given for the purpose of supporting efforts to plant gospel-centered churches are actually used for that purpose and not to support efforts to plant churches that do not share the convictions of the givers.

4. The new province would broaden the appeal of the denomination to Biblical orthodox Protestant congregations and clergy who are drawn to liturgical forms of worship and the reformed Anglican tradition but are repelled by unreformed Catholic teaching and practices of the existing province of the Anglican Church in North America and its particular structure and form of governance.

5. The new province would secure a future for confessional Anglicanism in North America.

Endnotes:
[1] W. L. Paige Cox, “Constitutional Episcopacy,” Churchman vol. 43 (July 1929), p. 196
[2] Ibid, p. 198

3 Important Church Trends in the Next Ten Years

As someone who both cares about the mission of the Church and leads a research organization, I watch the trends in the Church and the culture. Occasionally, someone asks me to share some thoughts on the big picture, in the case of the North American context, questions related to “streams” of Protestantism.

Based on research, statistics, extrapolation, and (I hope) some insight, I notice three important trends continuing in the next 10 years. Keep reading

How Pastors Can Prepare for Uncertain Financial Times

6 Steps to Consider Today

There is a sense of uncertainty about the financial future for churches. Most of the uncertainty revolves around churches’ tax-exempt status. For many pastors, the removal of this status will drastically alter their paycheck and, potentially, even their employment.

Since we are unsure of the future, it may be good for pastors to consider how to prepare for, potentially, difficult financial times. Here are six ways.... Keep reading

Viewpoint: You Aren’t as Smart as You Think You Are . . . So Don’t Manuscript Your Sermons: A Friendly Response to Jason Dees

My good friend, Jason Dees, pastor of Valleydale Baptist Church in Birmingham Alabama, wrote a short piece in an outstanding edition of the 9 Marks Journal (Expositional Preaching Spring 2015) entitled “You Aren’t as Smart as You Think You Are . . . So Manuscript Your Sermons”. I encourage you to read the entire thought provoking journal. I am responding to Jason’s piece because, after 10 years of teaching preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, I see the issue from the opposite direction of my good friend. I think the person who can preach effectively from a manuscript is the rare gifted exception. Keep reading

Also See
Expository Preaching Spring 2015

I personally believe that preachers should discover what works best for them. In my experience a preacher can preach effectively from a manuscript if he recognizes the difference between how we write and how we speak and writes a manuscript for speaking not reading and does not slavishly read his manuscript with his eyes on the page and not the congregation. 

How Often Should We Celebrate The Lord's Supper?

I had been the lead pastor of my church for about a month when I noticed that the Lord’s Supper wasn’t on the official church calendar for another couple of months. Attempting to be a good Baptist pastor, I called the chairman of deacons. “Hey, how often do we take the Lord’s Supper around here?” I asked.

He replied, “Hmm. I think we do it a couple of times a year, but check the church constitution.”

Of course! What was I thinking? The answer had to be in the church constitution, and indeed it was. It was clear as day; the church was to come to the Table quarterly. Four times a year we were to eat little wafers and drink a shot glass of grape juice.

Since then I’ve asked several church members why they think we should or should not take the Lord’s Supper more often. I’ve heard answers all over the spectrum, but most of all, I’m told that observing the Lord’s Supper “too frequently” would make it less special. Of course, the thought of only singing or preaching or taking an offering quarterly never crossed anyone’s mind. Those things don’t lose their effectiveness, but apparently eating of the bread and drinking of the cup would become nothing more than robotic repetition. Keep reading

Due to the influence of the ecumenical and liturgical movements in the United States, Anglican evangelical congregations are likely to celebrate Holy Communion more frequently than non-Anglican evangelical congregations. But how many Anglican evangelical congregations view their weekly observance of the Lord's Supper as a part of their proclamation of the gospel? How many of them have been influenced by Anglo-Catholic sacramentalism in their interpretation of this observance?

25 Quick Ideas for Your Church’s Social Media

Have you ever heard of swipe file? It’s a place where you keep ideas that you love that other people have pulled off. The concept being at some point when you need an idea, you go to your “swipe file” and see if there’s an idea that you can replicate.

I’ve got a swipe file in Evernote. Every time I see an idea love, I clip that idea to Evernote and tag it. Then when I need to come with an idea to promote something on social media, or create new content for the church or myself, I search my swipe file.

If you don’t a swipe file, then you need to start one today.

Don’t know where to start? That’s okay, I’ve got you covered. Below are twenty-five ideas for your church’s social media that you can swipe right now. Copy them somewhere, like Evernote or a word document, and use them whenever you need an idea. Here you go.... Keep reading

Young Evangelicals More Like Old Evangelicals Than Peers on Gay Marriage, Study Finds

A new survey, conducted after the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage, reveals that young "practicing" Christians have more in common with their older counterparts on the issue of same-sex marriage than they do with their peers.

Only 35 percent of "practicing" Christians under 40 favor the Court's ruling, compared to 61 percent among all adults in their age cohort – a gap of 26 percentage points, according to the survey conducted by Barna Group, a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that studies religion.

There is only a nine-point gap between younger practicing Christians and those 40 and older, adds the survey of 1,012 adults ages 18 and older conducted June 27-28. Keep reading

Also see
Exclusive: Most Catholics do not accept Church doctrine on contraception, divorce or cohabitation - study

How to Distinguish the Holy Spirit from the Serpent

How do we distinguish the promptings of the Spirit of grace in His guiding and governing of our lives from the delusions of the spirit of the world and of our own sinful heart? This is a hugely important question if we are to be calm and confident that the spirit with whom we are communing really is the Holy Spirit.

John Owen suggests four ways in which the Spirit and the serpent are to be distinguished.... Keep reading

Calling to Ministry

Regularly when I sit down with someone, they’ll use the phrase ‘called to ministry’. I don’t have a dislike of this phrase, it can be very useful—only when most people use it, it isn’t.

My first response is always to ask someone what they mean by the statement. No one has ever replied that they received a phone call from God (not that God couldn’t do that if he wanted). No, usually they mean either a conviction about the importance of Christian ministry, or a pseudo-emotional/supernatural experience where it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Of course, there is a very exclusive group who are actually called by God to ministry. He has specifically instructed this group with his own ministry of repentance and calls the world to follow him through them. They have been supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit; anointed by the word of God; gifted for the task. In fact, Jesus accompanies them while they do it. This exclusive group are known as ‘Christians’, and every one of them need to get on with ministering to other people, because the world desperately needs to have the love of Jesus shown and shared with it.

I have also experienced people I’m trying to encourage towards leadership worry that they haven’t had a supernatural experience which qualifies as a call… and then others who tell me that God has called them to a ministry when it is clear to all and sundry that he hasn’t. Keep reading

Issues in Church Leadership: Eight Articles

7 Ways to Keep a Leader on Your Team

One of the biggest challenges for any organization is to attract and retain leaders.

I previously posted reasons leaders tend to leave an organization. (Read that post HERE.) The goal then is to find ways to keep a leader energized to stay with the team — so I thought a companion post was appropriate. I’m writing from the perspective of all organizations but keeping leaders should certainly be a high priority in the church.

I never want to stop someone from pursuing a better opportunity, but I don’t want to send them away because I didn’t help them stay.

The reality is that leaders get restless if they are forced to sit still for long. Good managers are comfortable maintaining progress, but a leader needs to be leading change. In fact, leaders even like a little chaos. Show a real leader a problem ready to be solved and they are energized. Keep reading

7 Reasons Leaders Tend to Quit Your Organization

If any organization expects to grow, they need to attract, develop and retain quality leaders.

Any argument with that statement? If so, you just like to argue. And, I get that too.

But, new growth always requires new leaders. Period.

Certainly the church needs good leaders.

One of the highest costs an organization has is replacing leaders, so ideally once a leader is hired, you’ll want to keep them. So it’s equally important to know how to keep them. And, to know why leaders tend to leave an organization, apart from finding a better opportunity. I don’t want to stand in the way of a leader leaving to an opportunity I can’t match, but I don’t want to lose them because of something the organization did wrong. Keep reading

Six Places Leaders Are Developed

Where does leadership development happen? What environments are beneficial to leaders in their development? From a Christian perspective, leadership development is not constrained to one environment. Because the whole world is His, leadership development can happen in a plethora of places. Because He continually matures His people, God will use anything to conform us more to the image of His Son.

Here are six places leaders are developed.... Keep reading

Want to Expand Your Ministry? Admit Your Weaknesses

I think there are two great confessions in the Bible. One of them is Peter’s great confession in Mark 8:29: “You are the Christ.” Our faith is built on that great confession. Then there’s what I call Paul’s great confession in Acts 14:15 at Iconium: “We too are only men, human like you.” (NIV) I know a lot of pastors who are quick to agree with the first confession, but they’re more cautious to proclaim Paul’s confession. A lot of us are more interested in proclaiming our spirituality than admitting our humanity. We want to deny that we are mere mortals and appear super human.

But to deny your humanity is not only untruthful, it’s a disservice to both yourself and those you serve. The fact is that God likes to take weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

In this context, I’m not talking about sins of character – like greed, overeating, or laziness. I mean any limitation in your life or ministry that you’ve inherited and can’t change.

Maybe it’s a circumstantial limitation or a disadvantage that you’re facing in your church. It could be emotional limitations, scars we all carry from childhood. It could be personality or temperament characteristics. Or it could be physical or talent limitations that you have.

But we’re all limited by something. We all carry the Gospel in jars of clay. Yet the limitations that God allows in our lives can actually be a blessing in disguise if we’re honest about them. Here’s how.... Keep reading

Four Tips for Dealing with Church Antagonists

The most difficult realization I experienced fresh out of seminary was that not everyone in the church was as enthusiastic to live out the gospel as I thought they would be. There were in fact some opposed not to just what I was called to accomplish but what the whole of the church was trying to be accomplish. It took some time, mixed with much trial and error, to finally realize that it was not those who were in opposition to me and other leaders in the church that caused the greatest heartburn and frustration. It was the antagonists; those who at first were with us and then began to continually criticize and work against us.

For some reason it seems every ministry will have antagonists. Those who—for a variety of motivations—set themselves against you as the leader, the ministry strategy, and, in extreme instances the church, itself. Most often—at least it has been my experience—antagonists are not evil people. They are men and women who say they love Jesus and are concerned about the church. However, they become antagonistic when the pastor and other ministry staff do not conduct ministry they way they think it should be done. When decisions that are made that are not decisions they would make. Often their preferences and their issues–theological persuasion, political temperament, worship style, etc.–become elevated as dogma and those who are not full agreement with them are quickly dismissed as spiritually immature and intellectually faulty.

Those whose are in step with a particular ministry philosophy, practice, or strategy are much easier to work with. The antagonist on the other hand is a source of great heartburn. How then do you address in a healthy and biblical manner those who are being antagonistic and are disgruntled? Let me share four possible way.... Keep reading

4 Tips For Dealing With Procrastination

magine you have read Douglas Adams’ quip before: “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” It’s funny because we can all identify with it. We all know the panic of approaching deadlines, the pain of watching them fly on by, the guilt of explaining why we missed again. We all the know problem of procrastination that leads to so many of those misses.

Procrastination is a tricky little problem that can take different and even opposite forms. Procrastination can come in the form of laziness or the form of busyness. We procrastinate lazily when we neglect productivity in favor of entertainment—getting lost in a novel instead of cleaning the house, or watching Netflix instead of writing that report. We procrastinate busily when we neglect the most urgent and important tasks in favor of ones that are less important but a whole lot easier—we answer emails instead of working on the sermon, or we sweep the house when we should be painting it. Procrastination can take a million different forms.

There was a time in my life where I was awfully good at procrastination. Or awfully bad, depending on your perspective. I still can be if I don’t watch it. But along the way I learned how to (mostly) beat it (most of the time). Today I am going to offer you 2 big-picture tips and follow them with 2 very practical ones. These are the very things that I have found so helpful in my own life. Keep reading

You Can’t Avoid the Afternoon Slump, So You’d Better Learn to Work Around It

If you are often ending your days wondering why you weren't able to get more done, you might want to start paying closer attention to when you're completing your trickiest tasks. For most people, energy and the ability to focus peaks twice during the day, first in the morning and then in the late afternoon. These are your "optimal windows for doing your most creative and focused work,” Christopher Barnes, an assistant professor of management at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, told Harvard Business Review this week. Keep reading

Also see
How to Overcome the Midday Slump

On Preaching: Two Articles

Three Reasons Incarnational Preaching Is Most Effective

Preaching is the killer “app” because it is incarnational communication. The very best way to communicate a message is to do so in person. I say this because live personal communication is the way that God chose to express Himself. The God who can do anything chose to communicate incarnationally.

My response to those who question the value of incarnational communication is to ask, “Why didn’t Jesus just come to earth for a long weekend?” If the only reason for Jesus becoming human was to die on the cross, why didn’t He just come to this dusty planet for a four-day weekend? That would have been plenty of time for Jesus to die on the cross and rise on the third day. The sacrificial atonement on the cross could have been satisfied in short order.

So why did Jesus share the planet with us for 33 years? What was His purpose for staying so long? Was He bored of heaven? Did He enjoy the stresses and strains of peasant life in the first century? Hardly.

When God wanted to express Himself most clearly, He incarnated—He came in person. Jesus, the image of the invisible God, came in the flesh in order to show us the invisible God. This is why Jesus said, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.”21

When God wanted to communicate the most important message in history He used the most effective communication strategy: incarnational communication. Why is incarnational communication so effective? Keep reading

Pastor, You’ve Been Invited to Preach in an Unfamiliar Setting (and You’re Trying Not to Panic)

A preacher friend whom I know only from Facebook sent out a panicky plea. He’s been invited to preach in a church known to be rather loose regarding some basic Christian doctrines. The friend is a Bible-preaching conservative.

Uh oh.

He is anxious and eager at the same time.

He asked a number of us: “What should I preach? What text should I use? Suggest some good ones! Some of the people in that church are probably unsaved.”

The answers piled in. One minister urged him to preach the entire story of redemption beginning with Creation and the fall and going forward.

That advice strikes me as highly questionable, although I’m confident it was well-intended.

I said: “My brother, do not try to reverse the history of this church in one 25-minute sermon. Just preach a text the Holy Spirit gives you and leave the results to Him.”

Then, I sent this personal, private note. “This is no time to reinvent the wheel and attempt something you’ve never preached before. Take a lesson from grandma in the kitchen. When guests are coming, you do not test new recipes. Serve something you’ve prepared before and know your way around. Ask the Lord to lay on your heart one of the time-tested messages He has taught you in the crucible of life.”

Preach what you know. Keep reading

Does Your Church Use a Credit Card Reader?

New legal requirements for this start on October 1.

New credit cards that help prevent fraud require new devices to read them, and churches that process transactions will need to be trained on the new procedures. Instead of swiping the magnetic strip, the card will be “dipped” into the device, which can read the chip, authenticate it, and then require a PIN or signature from the card holder. Keep reading

Statement of Dissent Issued by Bishops to Gay Marriage Vote

The Bishops of Tennessee, Central Florida, Dallas suff, Northern Indiana, Albany, Springfield, North Dakota, Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Ecuador Litoral, Haiti, Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras, and the resigned bishops of Albany, Texas, South Carolina, and the Dominican Republic (asst) have presented a statement of dissent today to the vote to authorize trial rites for the same-sex marriages and amend the canons to make marriage gender neutral.

After the statement was presented, the names of the Bishop of Florida and the resigned Bishop of Western Louisiana were added. Keep reading

Also see
Communion Partners Salt Lake City Statement [PDF]
Communion across Difference statement from the Bishops of the Episcopal Church

Polygamy in the News: Three Articles

Nathan Collier: Montana man inspired by same-sex marriage ruling requests right to wed two wives

Nathan Collier said he was inspired by the recent Supreme Court decision that made marriage equal. He said he was particularly struck by the words of dissenting Chief Justice John Roberts who claimed giving gay couples the right to marry, might inspire polygamy.

And so this week, Mr Collier and his two wives, Victoria and Christine, entered a courthouse in Billings, Montana, and sought an application to legalise the trio’s polygamous union.

“Right now we're waiting for an answer," Mr Collier told The Independent. “I have two wives because I love two women and I want my second wife to have the same legal rights and protection as my first.” Keep reading

After Gay Marriage, Is Polygamy Next?

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last Friday that same-sex couples have the constitutional right to get married, Chief Justice John Roberts and many others have argued that the reasoning used by the court to justify the right to same-sex marriage gives "no reason" why plural unions should be banned.

Although the ideas of people legally marrying more than one partner and married couples adding other love interests to their state-recognized marriages might seem far-fetched, Roberts' gay marriage dissent makes the case that the majority's opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, written by Justice Anthony Kennedy, all but sets a precedent that could lead the nation down the slippery slope to the legalization of polygamy, also known as polyamory.

"Although the majority randomly inserts the adjective 'two' in various places, it offers no reason at all why the two-person element of the core definition of marriage may be preserved while the man-woman element may not," Roberts wrote. "Indeed, from the standpoint of history and tradition,a leap from opposite-sex marriage to same-sex marriage is much greater than one from a two-person union to plural unions, which have deep roots in some cultures around the world. If the majority is willing to take the big leap, it is hard to see how it can say no to the shorter one." Keep reading

Rapid rise in sharia marriages in Britain, many polygamous - lawyer

Britain has witnessed a rapid rise in sharia marriages with many of them polygamous, a leading lawyer warns today.

Aina Khan, a London solicitor who specialises in sharia, told Frances Gibb, legal editor of The Times, that there are now as many as 100,000 sharia marriages in the UK.

The problem with them is that they leave the women in particular with little protection in law, especially if they get divorced. Keep reading

Graphic: Christian Post

The Rise of a Parallel, Post-Biblical Christianity

Eighty percent of South Africa is Christian, said the 2001 census. It is, from a statistician’s vantage point, a “churched” nation. There have been missionaries for hundreds of years. My own denomination started services in Cape Town 1794.[1]

Yet numbers can be deceiving.

A churched nation is not the same thing as a “gospeled” nation, and the massive growth of the so-called prosperity gospel in South Africa suggests that my generation may be observing the rise of “parallel Christianity,” a Christianity that is effectively post-Bible.

“CHRISTIANS” WHO DON’T KNOW THE GOSPEL

This claim isn’t based on statistics. I haven’t gathered those. I have gathered people. I have human beings who have attended the well-known bigger churches for years, and then somehow found their way into the church where I serve. Then, after attending for a little while, they tell us they are surprised to regularly hear in the preaching and the liturgy that they are sinners. It’s a new thought for them.

They tell us—tragically—that in our church they feel like they are hearing the gospel for the first time. They become anxious for their friends in their former churches. Then they even get angry at those churches. I understand. Keep reading

I originally posted this article two years ago. I have noted recent interest in this article when I have checked Anglicans Ablaze's stats so I am reposting the article for Anglicans Ablaze readers. I also discovered that the link to the article was no longer working. Grant Retief is the rector of Christ Church Umhlanga just outside of Durban, South Africa. Christ Church Umhlanga is affiliated with REACH South Africa - the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa, which is the official operating name of the Church of England in South Africa, an independent denomination in Anglican tradition, formed in South Africa in the nineteenth century.

13 Truths about Spiritual Warfare for Leaders

Over the past twenty years, I have studied, written, and taught about spiritual warfare. Based on that work, here are some warfare reminders for church leaders.... Keep reading

The Future of Christianity in North America: Three Viewpoints

Farewell, Cultural Christianity

How a changing landscape can strengthen our witness.

Evangelical Christians, of almost all sorts, are a narrative-driven people. Our evangelism often includes personal stories of how we came to meet Christ. Our worship often includes personal “testimonies,” either spoken or sung. To those outside the community, these can seem cloyingly sentimental, and sometimes even manipulative. Even so, those who emphasize the personal nature of knowing Christ often define following Christ in terms of our past, what we’re leaving behind. But even without a spoken testimony, one can often read what an evangelical is walking away from based on what he’s reacting, or over-reacting, to.

Whenever I hear a Christian say that we shouldn’t emphasize the imperatives of Scripture (the commands of God), but rather the indicatives (who we are in Christ), I can predict that, almost every time, this is someone who grew up in an oppressive and rigid legalism. By contrast, when I hear an evangelical Christian wanting to build hedges of rules around the possibility of sin, I can usually guess that this someone was converted out of a morally chaotic background. The Christian who was converted out of a dead, lifeless church often dismisses liturgy as “formalism” and contrasts “religion” with “relationship.” At the same time, one who was converted despite an emotionally exuberant but theologically vacuous church will often seek out the ancient roots and structure of a more liturgically ordered church. Keep reading

The Next Culture War

Christianity is in decline in the United States. The share of Americans who describe themselves as Christians and attend church is dropping. Evangelical voters make up a smaller share of the electorate. Members of the millennial generation are detaching themselves from religious institutions in droves.

Christianity’s gravest setbacks are in the realm of values. American culture is shifting away from orthodox Christian positions on homosexuality, premarital sex, contraception, out-of-wedlock childbearing, divorce and a range of other social issues. More and more Christians feel estranged from mainstream culture. They fear they will soon be treated as social pariahs, the moral equivalent of segregationists because of their adherence to scriptural teaching on gay marriage. They fear their colleges will be decertified, their religious institutions will lose their tax-exempt status, their religious liberty will come under greater assault.

The Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision landed like some sort of culminating body blow onto this beleaguered climate. Rod Dreher, author of the truly outstanding book “How Dante Can Save Your Life,” wrote an essay in Time in which he argued that it was time for Christians to strategically retreat into their own communities, where they could keep “the light of faith burning through the surrounding cultural darkness.”

He continued: “We have to accept that we really are living in a culturally post-Christian nation. The fundamental norms Christians have long been able to depend on no longer exist.” Keep reading

How to Become Invisible

Scientists are working harder than ever to help us disappear. But maybe Christians already have. Keep reading

5 Ways Your Church Can Adapt to “Digital Natives”

In a 2001 journal article (I was 11 years old, for perspective), Marc Prensky, a thought leader in the educational technology world, coined the term “Digital Natives” to describe young people who do not know a world without video games, computers, Internet, and more. You are a Digital Native if you were born after 1980—so that would include all Millennials and every generation that follows.

For instance, I was born in 1990, and I was sitting on my dad’s lap as he worked on his computer from home for IBM by 1993.

I don’t know a world without video games. I had a cell phone by my freshman year of high school, and I even got mine later than many of my friends.

Prensky, primarily concerned with the ways in which the 21st century educational system was not equipped to educate 21st century students, wrote, “Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” Keep reading

Episcopal Church confirms change in law to allow same-sex marriages

The US Episcopal Church changed its law to allow clergy to perform same-sex marriages last night, not pulling back from the move despite the "deep concern" expressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Delegates at TEC's general convention in Salt Lake City, Utah voted overwhelmingly in favour of amending canon law so that instead of marriage being defined as between "a man and a woman" or "husband and wife", it is now gender-neutral and between a "couple".

It came days after the US Supreme Court legalised gay marriage across the nation and shortly after Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby spoke up about the "stress" such a move would exert on the worldwide Anglican Communion. Keep reading

Two other developments worth noting include the House of Bishops' rejection of a resolution calling for the creation and funding of a task force to study the issue of "open communion," the “practice of inviting all persons, baptized and unbaptized, to receive Holy Communion.” The resolution failed to pass by two votes. From the reactions of a number of bishops the issue of "open communion" will be brought up again at future meetings of the House of Bishops. It is not going away. The House of Bishops, however, did adopt a resolution directing the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music to prepare a plan for the complete revision of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer for the next General Convention in 2018. What proposals the committee comes up with should prove interesting. While the Episcopal Church's Prayer Book could benefit from sounder doctrine, greater flexibility, and the addition of alternative forms of morning and evening worship, these kinds of changes are not the kind of changes that I expect the committee to propose. Prayer Book revision also has a tendency to create division in the Episcopal Church.

After gay marriage: next steps for LGBT activists

With same-sex marriage now legal in all 50 states, pro-gay activists are shifting their focus to issues like alleged workplace, housing and public accommodations discrimination. Some have even proposed stripping churches of their tax-exempt status and legalizing polygamous marriage.

Pro-LGBT activists view the Supreme Court's legalization of gay marriage "as a means to a greater end," said Jon Akin, pastor of Fairview Church in Lebanon, Tenn. -- "a huge means, but I certainly don't think it's the end. I think many will not be happy" if the advance of gay rights "doesn't go further."

Akin, a member of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission's leadership council, has helped equip Fairview's members to share Christ with the homosexual community and respond to pro-gay activists. He told Baptist Press that in his experience, the push for expanded LGBT rights typically "doesn't come from animus of any kind. It stems from wanting cultural affirmation, seeing any form of discrimination as inequality." Keep reading

Anglicans Ablaze Midweek Special Edition: July 1, 2015

In this midweek special edition of Anglicans Ablaze:

• Two Are Better Than One: Time for a Second ACNA Province
• Seven Key Reasons Your Church Attendance May Be Declining
• Why Evaluating Your Church is Biblical
• How Church Culture Changes – Rainer on Leadership #137 [Podcast]
• 5 Common Objections to Change – And 5 Suggestions to Lead Through Them
• Why Homosexuality Is Not Like Other Sins
• 40 Questions for Christians Now Waving Rainbow Flags
• You Will Be Persecuted with Words
• 4 Perfections of God’s Transforming Word
• How Should You Talk to Your Children about Same Sex Marriage
• 5 Signs Your Small Group Ministry Is Due for a Tune Up
• 5 Tips on Engaging Your Church’s Video-Streaming Audience
• Russell Moore: Don't Fear Your Mission Field [Video]
• What Christians Should, and Should Not, Be Concerned Now That the Supreme Court Has Redefined Marriage

Two Are Better Than One: Time for a Second ACNA Province

By Robin G. Jordan

"Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts" Ecclesiastes 4:9

This past month I have posted a number of articles drawing attention to the pressing need for the formation of a second province within the Anglican Church in North America and describing what steps can be taken to lay the foundation for this province. See the links below:

The Anatomy of Marginalization in the Anglican Church in North America

A Blue Print for a Second ACNA Province

Fast Tracking the Formation of a Second ACNA Province

Taking the First Step toward the Formation of a Second ACNA Province

A Rationale for a Second ACNA Province

Looking Beyond This Week’s College of Bishops’ Meeting

TWO PROVINCES in the Anglican Church in North America

A Proposal for the Restructuring of the Anglican Church in North America – Part 2

A Proposal for the Restructuring of the Anglican Church in North America

A Breach of Faith in the Anglican Church of North America

If you have not had an opportunity to read these articles, I do recommend that you read them.

There is a clear need for the formation of an orthodox Anglican province in North America that is closely aligned in its teaching and practices with the Holy Scriptures and the Anglican formularies, including the two Books of Homilies. As evidenced by its governing documents and other doctrinal statements, the Anglican Church in North America as it is presently constituted is not such a province.

I take the position for the reasons that I give in the article, “A Rationale for a Second ACNA Province,” that this province should be formed within the Anglican Church in North America from elements of that denomination and should be recognizably different in character from the existing province in its adherence to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and to the doctrine of the Anglican formularies and its application of the principles of limited constitutional episcopacy and of synodical government. The latter would include the recognition that “all authority belongs to the Church as a whole, and the Church delegates to its officers such parts of its authority as it chooses.”

There is a real danger that congregations and clergy who are a part of the Anglican Church in North America and who view historic Anglicanism as sufficiently catholic are being lulled into a false sense of security by the seeming lack of aggressive measures to reduce or eliminate their presence in the denomination. They do not fully appreciate the predicament in which they are. As I pointed out in yesterday’s article, their convictions do not enjoy the recognition, affirmation, and protected status enjoyed by the convictions of congregations and clergy who are a part of the denomination and who desire to make the Anglican Church more fully Catholic as they understand the term “Catholic.”

The governing documents of the Anglican Church in North America clearly favor positions historically taken by Anglo-Catholics on a number of key issues. The College of Bishops has endorsed a number of doctrinal statements which clearly favor unreformed Catholic teaching and practices and display negligible sensitivity to concerns of evangelical and other Anglicans related to such teaching and practices.

Those who hold views historically associated with Anglo-Catholicism and who hold positions of leadership in the Anglican Church in North America at this stage appear to be content to reduce and eliminate the presence in the denomination of those who do not share views by the gradual process of attrition and assimilation. This has not prevented a number of them from resorting to exclusion when the opportunity presents itself. A number of cases have been drawn to my attention in which bishops affiliated with the Anglican Church in North America discriminated against individuals who were seeking to minister in the denomination and who were committed to a Biblical, Protestant, Reformed, evangelical theology.

Those who have studied the history of the twentieth century Continuing Anglican Movement know that this sort of thing happened in the first Anglican Church in North America and the splinter jurisdictions into which it fragmented. Considering the present state of these jurisdictions, it is not a healthy development.

The formation within the Anglican Church in North America of a second province of the type that I am advocating will help the second Anglican Church in North America avoid what has happened to the Continuing Anglican jurisdictions. It will enable the denomination to reach and engage a much wider segment of the North American population and give it a much broader population base. Both are necessary for its fulfillment of the Great Commission and its present and future growth. 

Seven Key Reasons Your Church Attendance May Be Declining

My five-year old grandson asked me how old I was. When I told him I would turn 60 in a few weeks, he responded: “I didn’t realize people got that old.”

Indeed, in 60 years, like any of us who have lived a few years, I have seen change, lots of change. And I am seeing change in local congregations faster than any time in my lifetime. One of the most disheartening changes I am seeing is the declining attendance in a majority of churches. I am asked repeatedly to diagnose and help with these challenges.

Though addressing the issue of declining attendance cannot be covered in a brief blog post, I hope it will be helpful to share some high-level perspectives. See if any of these seven reasons apply to your church. Keep reading

Why Evaluating Your Church is Biblical

As a pastor, I hated the idea of evaluation. It sounded too much like a way to open myself up to needless criticism. After all, who really wants to invite an outsider to tell them what they are doing wrong, add more “to do’s” to their list, or make them feel guilty for what they are not doing? Pastoring is hard enough already. Why invite more frustration?

But what if I were to tell you that evaluation can be a positive experience? Don’t misunderstand. “Positive” does not always translate into “easy.” However, evaluation can be positive in the sense that it can clarify issues, reveal potential, and renew hope. Keep reading

How Church Culture Changes – Rainer on Leadership #137 [Podcast]

Today on the podcast we discuss how church culture has changed, is changing, and will continue to change in the future. Our society is pressing in on the church and will change much of how church is done, but we must hold fast to the unchanging Word of God in the midst of any change. Keep reading

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:43 — 19.0MB)

5 Common Objections to Change – And 5 Suggestions to Lead Through Them

One of the biggest — yet seemingly smallest — changes we have made in church revitalization was switching our service times. It seemed so simple yet I was pulled aside and told several times it would be the last change I made in the church. The word was the seniors — who primarily attended the later service — had made so many changes they weren’t doing this one. And they were extremely serious about it.

(Let me give a side note here to my pastor friends. Your seniors who don’t like change are usually more supportive than you think they are or will be. Granted, there are those few who are difficult, but those people come with all age groups. Good leadership can bring your seniors along — which is the point of this post.)

But, foolish as I can be, we changed the service times.

(Another side note. To all leaders. If you aren’t occasionally doing some things others call foolish — at least initially — you may not be leading.)

Frankly, I don’t believe we would be on any “fast growing church” list had we not made the change in our service times.

But, it wasn’t easy. There was plenty of resistance. We even lost a few families. Not many, but a few.

For the most part, however, it was an enormously successful change.

Part of the reason is we were methodical about addressing objections.

I’ve learned in leading change there are a few common objections to change. If you know a change is necessary, understanding why someone is objecting may help you respond accordingly. Keep reading

Why Homosexuality Is Not Like Other Sins

Homosexuality is not the only sin mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

It’s not the only sin mentioned, but it is different from all the rest, at least right now. At this moment in history, contrary to the other sins listed here, homosexuality is celebrated by our larger society with pioneering excitement. It’s seen as a good thing, as the new hallmark of progress.

To be sure, the masses increasingly make no bones about sin in general. Innumerable people are idolaters, not to mention those who are sexually immoral, or who commit adultery, or who steal and are greedy and get wasted and revile neighbors and swindle others. It happens all the time. And each of these unrepentant sins are the same in the sense of God’s judgment. They all deserve his wrath. And we’re constantly reminded that “such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:11). You in the church. Keep reading

40 Questions for Christians Now Waving Rainbow Flags

For evangelicals who lament last Friday’s Supreme Court decision, it’s been a hard few days. We aren’t asking for emotional pity, nor do I suspect many people are eager to give us any. Our pain is not sacred. Making legal and theological decisions based on what makes people feel better is part of what got us into this mess in the first place. Nevertheless, it still hurts.

There are many reasons for our lamentation, from fear that religious liberties will be taken away to worries about social ostracism and cultural marginalization. But of all the things that grieve us, perhaps what’s been most difficult is seeing some of our friends, some of our family members, and some of the folks we’ve sat next to in church giving their hearty “Amen” to a practice we still think is a sin and a decision we think is bad for our country. It’s one thing for the whole nation to throw a party we can’t in good conscience attend. It’s quite another to look around for friendly faces to remind us we’re not alone and then find that they are out there jamming on the dance floor. We thought the rainbow was God’s sign (Gen. 9:8-17).

If you consider yourself a Bible-believing Christian, a follower of Jesus whose chief aim is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, there are important questions I hope you will consider before picking up your flag and cheering on the sexual revolution. These questions aren’t meant to be snarky or merely rhetorical. They are sincere, if pointed, questions that I hope will cause my brothers and sisters with the new rainbow themed avatars to slow down and think about the flag you’re flying. Keep reading

Also see
Our Unhealthy Preoccupation with Acceptance

You Will Be Persecuted with Words

What does it mean to be persecuted for our faith?

Quite often I hear people say that Christians aren’t being persecuted in the United States. What they mean is that we aren’t suffering physically for our faith, in contrast to so many Christians in other parts of the world. I recognize, of course, that there is a significant difference between what is happening to Christians here and to Christians elsewhere who are sacrificing their lives or being tortured for their faith.

Still, it isn’t right to say that Christians in the United States are free from persecution. We should be more precise: We are free from physical persecution. Keep reading

4 Perfections of God’s Transforming Word

What are the particular traits or characteristics of God’s Word that render it so useful a tool and so powerful a weapon in the hand of the Holy Spirit? Hebrews 4:12 and Psalm 19:7–9 address this question directly. From Hebrews 4:12, we learn that God’s Word is quick and powerful. From Psalm 19:7–9, we learn that God’s Word is perfect and sure; right, pure, and clean; true and righteous altogether. Keep reading

How Should You Talk to Your Children about Same Sex Marriage

With the Supreme Court decision last week legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States, some Christian parents wonder how they ought to explain all of this to their small children. So how does one teach about the law and the controversy, without exposing one’s children to more than they can handle?

First of all, make no mistake: you should talk to your children about this. No matter how you shelter your family, keeping your children from knowing about the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage would take a “Truman Show”-level choreography of their lives. That’s not realistic, nor is it particularly Christian.

The Bible isn’t nearly as antiseptic as Christians sometimes pretend to be, and it certainly doesn’t shirk back from addressing all the complexities of human life. If we are discipling our children, let’s apply the Scriptures to all of life. If we refuse to talk to our children about the reality of the world they live in, our children will assume we are unequipped to speak to it, and they’ll eventually search out a worldview that will. Keep reading

5 Signs Your Small Group Ministry Is Due for a Tune Up

Most of us quickly recognize the signs that there is something wrong with the way our car’s engine sounds or feels. When our car dies at the stop light or backfires as we drop off our teenage daughter at school…we get it. There’s something wrong with the engine. We may not know what it is but we know it’s time for a tune up.

But do you know the signs your small group ministry is due for a tune up? Keep reading

5 Tips on Engaging Your Church’s Video-Streaming Audience

Ways to make those watching from home know you're thinking about them.

Every week during our service, I do these five steps to bring those watching on a video stream into the worship service and encourage them to become “worshipers”.... Keep reading

Russell Moore: Don't Fear Your Mission Field [Video]

Russell Moore recently preached at the Pastor's Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting. Watch the full message, from Luke’s Gospel, in the video here.

What Christians Should, and Should Not, Be Concerned Now That the Supreme Court Has Redefined Marriage

Christians should have some concerns about Friday's U.S. Supreme Court decision redefining marriage to include same-sex couples. Some reactions, however, have been overblown. Here is what Christians should, and should not, be concerned about. Keep reading

Also see
Tennessee Lawmakers Drafting Bill to Protect Pastors Who Object to Marrying Same-Sex Couples After Supreme Court Ruling

I fully expect measures like the one Tennessee lawmakers are drafting if adopted by the state legislatures and signed into law by state governors will be tested in the courts. What the "gay rights" movement is seeking is not marriage equality but the acceptance of homosexuality and the homosexual lifestyle as normative not by one or more segment of US society but all segments of US society in their entirety with no exceptions and to silence Christians who believe that God has revealed in Scripture that homosexual practice is contrary to his will for humankind and is displeasing to him. 

Photo credit: Christian Post/Napp Nazworth