Saturday Lagniappe: Making the Best of the New Normal and More

Optimizing Online Services Without Cannibalizing In-Person Services

I keep hearing people say, “When it is back to normal …” Well, that ship has sailed. Even when it is “back to normal,” it will never be the same again. It will be a new normal. Church as we know it is over. The debate about online church is over. Online won. Read More

Supreme Court Rejects Nevada Church’s Appeal to Reopen Like Casinos

A sharply divided US Supreme Court denied a rural Nevada church’s request late Friday to strike down as unconstitutional a 50-person cap on worship services as part of the state’s ongoing response to the coronavirus. Read More

Also see, Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Coronavirus Limits on Church Services

Sex Offenders Can Find Hope in Christ But Not Necessarily a Place at Church

Churches that suspended in-person gatherings during the pandemic have pledged not to welcome their congregations back until they’re sure they can be safe. While the risk of coronavirus spread is the major concern right now, LifeWay Christian Resources is urging leaders to use their reopening plans as a chance to also revisit their policies to prevent sexual abuse. Read More

Churches do need to prepare for the possibility that a sex offender may attend the church in order to gain access to children but they also need to be aware that most incidents of child sexual abuse do not involve a stranger but someone known to the child and to learn how to recognize the signs that a child may be being sexually abused at home. The sexual abuse perpetrator may be a respected, long-time member of the church. They should develop in consultation with the local child protection agency procedures for reporting suspected child sexual abuse.

Understanding the Roman Catholic ‘State of Grace’ 

Protestants and Roman Catholics often use the same words but understand them differently. Simon van Bruchem explains the difference between how Protestants and Roman Catholics understand grace. Read More

Making the Most of Time

Tyrone Barnette offers suggestions on how church leaders might use their time more wisely. Read More

My Church Fired Me as Pastor. Now What?

While there certainly are biblical and justifiable reasons for removing a pastor, what happens to those who are forced out or feel they have no choice but to step down? How should he think? What should he do? If this is you, here are five lessons I learned from being fired for what I see as wrong reasons. Read More

5 Ways to Get People to Pay Attention to Your Sermons

One of the most disconcerting feelings we pastors experience is when we prepare a sermon and pour our heart into it, yet feel that it didn’t make a difference in people’s lives. It’s equally frustrating when we preach to see somebody tuning us out. What can we do to help people pay more attention to our sermons? For when they do, there’s a greater chance what we say will stick in their minds to give the Holy Spirit time to ultimately change their hearts. Here are some neuroscience-based tips. Read More

5 Ways God Might Be Displeased with Your Worship

Adriel Sanchez looks at 5 ways that a church's worship gatherings might be displeasing to God. Read More

The Power of Your Personal Story

One of the most effective tools in your “spiritual tool box” is your personal testimony. You are an expert on your own story. You may not be an apologist, you may not be a theologian, you may not be a Bible scholar, but you are an expert on you. Read More

Friday's Catch: Findings of LifeWay Research on Church Regathering and More

Study: Churches Gathering Again But With Precautions

Churches are gathering again, but services and programs remain drastically different from the beginning of the year. Read More

What struck me about his article is that the precautionary measures churches are implementing are woefully inadequate. They do not reflect our current knowledge of how the COVID-19 coronavirus spreads and what are the most appropriate measures to contain or slow its spread. Churches, however, have been hampered in their efforts by a lack of reliable, up-to-date information and resistance to the implementation of precautionary measures from a small but vocal segment of the population, Christian and secular.

The CDC has repeatedly bowed to pressures from the White House and released diluted, unhelpful guidance. Its most recent recommendation that schools should be opened even though new COVID-19 cases are surging across the United States and the latest research findings are that older school age children--10 years of age and older--spread the virus as much as adults and even more so in their own households. This research has not ruled out younger children as vectors of the disease.

A growing body of evidence points to the airborne transmission of the virus. Poor ventilation and singing and loud talking have been implicated in its spread. So have virus particles shed by infected individuals in their urine and feces. The mechanical ventilation used in church buildings often recirculates the air rather exhausting stale air and replacing it with fresh air. Church restrooms are ideal settings for the airborne transmission of the virus.

Governor Asks Kentucky Council of Churches Congregations to Temporarily Suspend In-Person Services

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has asked the 1,100 congregations represented by the Kentucky Council of Churches to forgo in-person services for two weekends due to the a surge in COVID-19 cases in the state, said council President Kent Gilbert. “This is not an executive order from the governor. It’s a request,” said Gilbert, who also is pastor of the historic Union Church in downtown Berea. On Friday, Gilbert said Beshear made the request Wednesday to the council’s judicatory leadership during his weekly check-in with the group. Read More

Subscription may be required. The Lexington Herald Leader has several options. I use the Facebook option.

Murray Faith Leaders Call For Unity Amid Division Over Pandemic Health Measures

Murray faith leaders are creating a video for social media calling for unity and empathy amid divisions over COVID-19 safety measures including face masks. Read More

This article was posted on the local public radio website. The idea that brought Murray's faith leaders together is a good one. Both in Kentucky and elsewhere in the United States a number of politicians and church leaders have been promoting opposition to the public health measures that state and local governments are implementing to contain or slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily motivated by a desire to draw attention to themselves and to make a name for themselves despite the religious overtones of their rhetoric. In Kentucky the State Attorney General and Agricultural Commissioner's opposition is quite clearly motivated by a desire to increases their chances of election to higher political office. It is a breath of fresh air to hear that the community's faith leaders are planning a call for unity and empathy amid the divisions over these public health measures.

Into This World, God sent a Savior

Joe McKeever helps put the incarnation of Christ into context. Read More

5 Signs Sin Has a Powerful Grip on Your Life

As believers, we struggle against sin and temptation. There will never be a time in our lives when we will not be striving against it. However, fighting against sin is one thing; sin having control is quite another. Sin can quickly gain power in our lives if we are not diligent. This is why John Owen said, ‘Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.” In his book, The Mortification of Sin, Owen does us an excellent service by providing us with five signs that sin has a stronghold on us. Take a minute to look through the following list. If you recognize any of these patterns in your life, be sure that you are in a dangerous condition of sin. Read More

Lukewarm Faith Shrinks as More Say Religion Is ‘Very Important’ or ‘Not at All’

Pew: Of 34 nationalities, Americans have declined the most in connecting belief in God to morality. Read More

What to Do with Your Choir These Days

During this season of social distancing and prohibitions on normal choir activity, worship leaders are seeking ways to keep their choirs together and involved in ministry. Technology has become a backbone of continuing many ministries in the church, and the virtual world can be a help to our choirs in these days. Here are some ways you can use technology to keep your choirs rolling.... Read More

This is a very helpful article. One of things that choir members miss is the companionship that choirs offer.

I would add the following suggestions. When using live singers, we might want to consider having them lip sync the songs to a recording that the church has made or purchased. In this way we protect not only the congregation but also the singers. If one of the vocalists is COVID-19 positive or even a super-spreader, actual singing increases transmission risks since the vocalist will be exhaling more virus particles when he or she is singing. Lip syncing is less likely to increase the exhalation of these particles.

Actual singing also requires deep breathing, increasing the risk the vocalists will inhale more virus particles. Lip syncing does not require deep breathing, thereby reducing the risk of inhalation of these particles.

We should make sure the space in which the vocalists are singing is well-ventilated to prevent the accumulation of virus particles in the air. Poor ventilation has been implicated in the spread of the virus. We might also consider separating the vocalists with Plexiglas or Perspex screens like those used to muffle the sounds of drummers. When they are not lip syncing, the vocalists should wear face masks.

I further recommend teaching the congregation how to subvocalize songs. "Subvocalization, or silent speech, is the internal speech typically made when reading; it provides the sound of the word as it is read." We can also subvocalize when we sing as well as read. Subvocalizing is a way of singing and making melody in our hearts, as the apostle Paul encourages us to do.

God does not look at our outward appearance--how well or how loudly we can sing. He looks at the heart, our inner selves, how we are oriented. Worship involves more than singing. It involves a life that is oriented to God and which honors him. If we cannot sing for a season, it does not matter to God. What matters to God is that, like the needle of a compass points to the magnetic north, our lives still point to him.

What Should Churches Do Now That COVID-19 Is Spiking Again

With COVID-19 rates spiking in communities across the country, many churches are wondering what this means for their reopening plans.

Some churches have decided not to reopen until 2021, but others have already met inside or outdoors, have a return date set in the near future, or are still in the process of determining when and how to gather in person again.

No matter where your church falls along this continuum, it’s important to continually seek out up-to-date data and research and to humbly integrate this information into an ongoing decision-making process.

Here are three ideas to consider as you and other leaders prayerfully make decisions regarding your church. Read More

I have not reviewed Guide to Reopening Church Services so I cannot comment on it favorably or unfavorably. However, I do believe that the advice offered in this article is sound. Public health emergencies like the present one require flexibility of mind, particularly when it involves a disease that is completely new to us. Viruses mutate. They can become more infectious and spread more quickly. They can become more virulent and take more lives. We should not be basing reopening decisions on out-dated information. In March it was thought that young people, if they were not immune to the COVID-19 coronavirus, suffered only mild symptoms. University students went on spring break with that idea in their heads. Now we know that the virus can make young people seriously ill and, even if they experience negligible symptoms, they can spread the disease to more vulnerable segments of the population. Poor ventilation and singing and loud talking have been implicated in the virus' spread. We have been introduced to the esoteric subject of toilet plumes and the role that they may play in COVID-19 transmission. I posted the following comment in response to article on the Church Leaders website on Summit Church's plan to split into small "house churches" for the rest of 2020:

Meeting in smaller gatherings makes sense since it would be easier to do contact tracing with small gatherings. But unless those hosting these gatherings implement necessary precautionary measures, these gathering can still become epicenters of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Splitting into smaller groups by itself will not reduce transmission risks. To reduce transmissions risks, those hosting these gatherings will need to implement several layers of intervention—face masks at all times, social distancing, no food sharing, hand washing, decontamination of frequently touched surfaces, no singing or loud talking, proper ventilation of meeting place—doors and windows open, air not recirculated in the room but replaced with fresh air from the outside, etc., ventilation and decontamination of bathrooms after each use, and instruction of attendees in the proper use of the toilet, i.e., close the toilet lid before flushing. Implementing these layers of intervention take considerable effort and overtime those hosting a small gathering and those attending the small gathering are likely to become lax in their implementation, thereby increasing the transmission risks.

The Coronavirus Information and Resources posted on the Summit Church also do not take into consideration the latest research on how COVID-19 is spread. A recent study found that older school age children—those 10 years or age and older—spread the virus as much as adults do if not more so. They are more likely to infect members of their household more than any other household member except senior adults in their 70s. The research also shows that younger children are not immune to COVID-19. At the present time their role in spread the virus is not fully understand. When they are infected with the virus, they do breathe the virus into the air. Their height may be a factor in why they do not infect more adults. However, child care attendants who squat down at a younger child’s level would be at risk of infection. Airborne particles like COVID-19 particles can remain suspended in the air for up to three hours under controlled, research conditions. Some air conditioning systems that use floor level registers can waft the particles higher up into the air and unless the stale air is exhausted and replaced with fresh air from the outside, these particles will continue to circulate in the air of the room.

Studies of COVID-19 particle concentration levels in the air of hospital rooms found that they were high in mechanically ventilated rooms and low in naturally ventilated rooms, those with doors and windows open and a breeze bringing fresh air into the room. Bathrooms had the highest virus particle concentration levels. This was attributed to what has been described as “toilet plumes,” columns of air that rise when a toilet is flushed with the toilet lid open. People infected with COVID-19 not only breathe virus particles into the air but they also shed them in their urine and feces. Hospital bathrooms are also poorly ventilated small, enclosed spaces, the kind of space that has high transmission risks.

Church restrooms are a logistical nightmare for churches seeking to reduce transmission risks. They are poorly ventilated. The toilets often do not have lids. Toilet stalls can trap COVID-19 virus particles released while an infected person occupies the stall and when the toilet is flushed so that the next person to occupy the stall sits down in a cloud of these particle lingering in the air and inhales the particles while using the toilet. By splitting into smaller “house churches” the Summit Church is passing the logistical problem on to those hosting the “house churches” in their homes.

In The Coronavirus Information and Resources posted on its website the Summit Church does not advise those hosting the “house churches” to screen those who will be attending these gatherings to ensure that they and the other members of their households are conforming to state and local government guidance and that they or other members of their households do not have a fever or other symptoms of the virus, to take contact information them for contact tracing in event a “house church” becomes the nexus of new COVID-19 cases, or to notify the hosts if they or another member of their household or someone else with whom they have close or frequent contact develops symptoms or tests positive. The Summit Church also encourages church members to invite neighbors to their homes to watch their online services but offers very little guidance on what precautionary measures that they should take to keep these informal gatherings from spreading the virus. In the Commonwealth of Kentucky backyard barbecues and similar gatherings have been implicated in the surge of new COVID-19 cases in the state.

Bible Reading Drops During Social Distancing

Daily engagement had already been declining, but worsened during the pandemic, according to the annual State of the Bible report.

The COVID-19 pandemic is shifting Americans’ Bible engagement, with many who are socially distanced from their spiritual communities turning to Scripture less and those who have lost loved ones to the virus reading it more.

Between early 2019 and 2020, the percentage of US adults who say they use the Bible daily dropped from 14 percent to 9 percent, according to the State of the Bible 2020 report released today by the Barna Group and the American Bible Society (ABS).

A decrease of 5 percentage points in a single year was unprecedented in the annual survey’s 10-year history; between 2011 and 2019, daily Bible readers had basically held steady at an average of 13.7 percent of the population.

But the decline continued during the initial months of the coronavirus pandemic, and by June, the percentage of daily Bible users had dropped to 8.5 percent. Read More

Praying the Daily Offices in the COVID-19 Era

By Robin G. Jordan

The prophet Daniel opened his window and prayed three times a day, once at dawn, once at midday, and once again at dusk. The apostle Paul urged the church at Thessalonica to pray without ceasing. In other words, to punctuate the day and the night with times of recurring prayer. The early Church, modeling its practices upon those of the synagogue adopted a daily cycle of prayer. It began the day with the service of Lauds shortly after cockcrow when the sun first peeks his face over the horizon and concluded the day with the service of Vespers when the evening shadows fell and the lamps were first lit. In this way the entire day was sanctified, set apart to the service of God.

While we may associate the offices of Lauds and Vespers with the monastic daily cycle of prayer, the dawn and the dusk offices predate the monastic round of prayer. They were originally popular services, in which the whole community participated, gathering each morning and each evening to praise God and to pray. In some communities the dawn office may have included a homily, a survival from an earlier time when the morning assembly was used for instruction.

The rise of monasticism in the late third century would lead to the disappearance of Lauds and Vespers as services of public worship. The two offices would be incorporated into the monastic cycle of prayer and would become the domain of cloistered religious. A few monasteries permitted devote laity to listen to the offices from a barn-like structure adjoining the monks’ church. This structure would evolve into what in later times was called the “nave” and the monks’ church, the “choir” and the “chancel.”

We do not see the recovery of the dawn and dusk offices as public services of worship until the sixteenth century and then by what may be described as a fortuitous accident. In England in the sixteenth century Archbishop Thomas Cranmer undertook the reform of the daily offices of the monastic cycle of prayer. He conflated them into two services—Matins and Evensong—and mandated the attendance of the laity. Clergy were enjoined to publicly read the offices and to ring the church bell to summon the parish to join him. Cranmer was a strong believer in the power of Scripture to transform the individual. He incorporated into these two services the monthly recitation of the entire psalter and the reading of the Old Testament once in year and the New Testament twice in a year. The purposes of the reformed offices would be “the setting forth of God’s glory and honor and the reducing of the people to a most perfect and godly living, without error or superstition.” They would be one of the primary means by which England would be transformed into a godly kingdom.

In more recent years a growing number of Anglican Churches have recognized the need for daily prayer services that are less didactic than the traditional Anglican services of Morning and Evening Prayer and more devotional. They have also recognized the need for more flexible daily prayer services which may be tailored to the occasion on which they are used and the size, resources, and other circumstances of the churches using them. Orders of service for Morning and Evening Prayer that reflect the growing body of scholarship into the evolution of the daily offices have been developed and published. The Daily Services and A Service of Light of the Anglican Church of Australia’s A Prayer Book for Australia (1995), The Divine Office of the Anglican Church of Canada’s The Book of Alternative Services (1985), Daily Prayer of the Church of England’s Common Worship (2000), and Daily Prayer and Psalter of the Scottish Episcopal Church are examples of these newer services.

The last century saw an explosion of paraphrases of the canticles, the psalms, and other Scriptural texts that could be sung to familiar hymn tunes. It also saw an outpouring of new tunes to which these paraphrases might be set as well as new arrangements of older tunes. A wealth of responsorial settings and choir arrangements accompanied this renewed interest in the music of the daily offices.

In Anglican Churches the English cathedral choir has dominated the music of the daily offices since the reign of Elizabeth I. Its repertoire, however, is beyond the abilities of the choirs and congregations of most Anglican parish churches, even more so the abilities of mission church congregations. The latter often lack strong musical leadership and have limited musical resources.

One might have expected that all the daily offices music produced in the last century and since then would have been a boon to parish and mission churches. But due to rigid notions of how Anglican churches should worship, few such churches have benefited from this music. They cling to the notion that cathedral music is the standard that they must attain. Being unable to attain this standard, they fall back on reciting the psalms and canticles and singing a few hymns. The result is rather dreary services that hold no appeal to anyone except who have become inured to worshiping in this depressing manner. While visitors to these services may be too polite to say that they experience the services as lifeless, it is what they are thinking when they leave and is one of the main reasons that they do not return.

As can be seen from the videos that I have been posting with the prayer services on the All Hallows Murray weblog, an abundance of music that is within even the abilities of the congregation of a small mission church is available to Anglican churches. While the COVID-19 pandemic is restricting how we can worship, it is also creating an opportunity to explore this music and to learn, practice, and master it. One of the reasons that I have been posting these videos is to show what music is available. I have been avoiding posting much cathedral music because I do not want to reinforce the notion that it is the standard for the daily offices.

I have also been using the newer orders of service for Morning and Evening Prayer to introduce readers to them. These orders of service have a greater degree of flexibility than the traditional Anglican services of Morning and Evening Prayer. This degree of flexibility makes them more adaptable to not only online use but also to the circumstances of a congregation—its size, its ministry target group, its musical leadership, its musical resources, the setting in which it gathers when it gathers, and the like.

The present order of service for Evening Prayer comes from The Book of Alternative Services. It is adaptable to a wide range of settings. In better times a small group of Christians could gather together in the living room of one of the group’s members and have a prayer service, using this order and singing the Phos hilaron, the psalms, the Magnificat, and the dismissal hymn without musical accompaniment. The group might use CDs, videos, or mp3s to accompany the singing. Such a gathering might serve as the group’s primary worship gathering for the week. Microchurches like the one which I just described may be the future of the Anglican Church in many parts of North America.

In the midst of a pandemic the praying of the daily offices is not only a good way to structure our time if we must stay at home and stay away from other people but also to draw near to God in a time of need. We can pray for others as well as ourselves. Among those who need our prayers are those who are sick, those who are dying, those who are caring for the sick and the dying, those who are mourning, and those who are out of work. Pastors and other church leaders also need our prayers as they make tough decisions—what may be life-and-death decisions.

Whether we use one or more of the daily offices or pray in silence or spontaneously, now is a time to recommit ourselves to prayer or to commit ourselves to prayer for the first time. It is the time more than ever to seek God's face.

I have always found it helpful to think of formal prayer as the prayer of the throne room and less formal prayer, extemporaneous prayer, as the prayer of the audience chamber in which we converse more freely with God. We approach God upon his throne with formal prayers, seeking a private audience with him. He graciously invites us into his audience chamber and to unburden our hearts to him. The One who greets us in the audience chamber is Jesus himself. In the privacy of that chamber we can share with him our joys and sorrows and plead for ourselves and others. When we stumble for lack of words, God who is the God of all grace provides us with the needed words for God himself in the person of the Holy Spirit indwells us.

We should not fear seeking God in prayer. If unrepented sin has become an obstacle to our prayer, he will provide a remedy. God desires to hear the prayers of his children and to answer them.

Wednesday's Catch: 'Covid, Christians, & the Civil Magistrate' and More

Covid, Christians, & the Civil Magistrate

Keith Mathison shares his thoughts on one of the more pressing issues of the day for Christians in the United States. Read More

Church Attendance Is Dying. What's Next?

At the time when the world needs the Gospel the most, it appears to be the least interested. Read More

The 3 Big Benefits of Online Church VS Attending Church in Person

Here are three Big Benefits of attending church online.... Read More

Ministry Pivot: Worship Experience

As this season of COVID-19 has extended, most states here in the U.S. are doing some level of reopening. Most countries in the world are beginning to reopen as well. The question is how does reopening impact churches and their ministries? Read More

J.I. Packer Was the Robin Hood of Evangelicalism

The prominent theologian ‘stole’ riches from church history and gave them to the spiritually impoverished. Read More

The Last Puritan

James Packer has had a considerable influence in America because he has written and said what evangelicals have most needed to hear. Read More

J.I. Packer (1926–2020): The Holy Spirit and Salvation

The Holy Spirit is truly ‘God the Evangelist,’ drawing sinners into fellowship with Christ. Here is how he works. Read More

9 Reasons Scripture Memorization Matters

Chuck Lawless explains why Bible memorization matters. Read More

See also "8 Reasons Your Church Should Memorize Scripture Together."

What Do Our Words Say to a Watching World?

In the midst of all of the turmoil, do followers of Christ appear any different than our unbelieving neighbors? Have we considered how our responses affect those watching and listening to us? Read More

The Evangelistic Power of Listening and Asking

Rebecca Manley Pippert’s new book, Stay Salt: Stay Salt: The World Has Changed: Our Message Must Not, shows how those two things—listening and speaking—don’t have to be in conflict. For Pippert, both are necessary for sharing the gospel. This insightful synthesis of sharing and hearing is perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the book, making it uniquely suited for our moment. Read More

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (July 22, 2020)

I just posted All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (July 22, 2020).

The service begins with an instrumental prelude – an arrangement of the native Dakota hymn tune LAC QUI PARLE for violin, cello, harp, and flute. Lac qui Parle is French for the “lake that speaks.” It is a lake in Minnesota so named after the cries of the ducks, geese, and other waterfowl that visit the lake each year.

The Phos hilaron is David von Kampen’s a cappella choral arrangement of the Lutheran Book of Worship’s translation of the ancient lamp-lighting hymn, “Joyous Light of Glory.”

The penitential evening Psalm is Tony Alonso’s responsorial setting of Psalm 141, “Like Burning Incense, O Lord.”

The psalm prayer is taken from the Lutheran Book of Worship Ministers Desk Edition.

The variable psalm is William Ferris’ responsorial setting of Psalm 8, “O Lord, Our God, How Wonderful Your Name in All the Earth!”

The psalm prayer is taken from the Church of England’s Common Worship.

The reading is Amos 5:8.

The homily is titled “Star Gazing” and is a reflection on how the stars in the heavens are a witness to God’s love for us.

The gospel canticle is Sr. Anne Carter’s paraphrase of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Lord My God,” sung to the American folk hymn tune NEW BRITAIN.

The intercessions are taken from Praise God in Song: Ecumenical Daily Prayer.

The dismissal hymn is the Dakota hymn, “Many and Great, O God, Are Thy Things,” sung to the native Dakota melody, LAC QUI PARLE.

The link to the service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for_21.html#more

Please feel free to share the link with anyone who may be interested.

I hope that this service will be a blessing to you and will enrich your daily prayer.

A Review Of The New Anglican Catechism And What It Says About The State Of Anglicanism

As I emerged out of Southern Baptist evangelicalism in 1980–81 John Stott and J. I. Packer were two of the most influential writers in my journey out of Baptist evangelicalism. Hitherto my theological staples had been things on the order of Navigators Bible study materials and Rosalind Rinker’s book on hearing voices from God. I am not entirely sure how I found Stott’s Basic Christianity and Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Back then we had a Christian bookstore downtown, where I mostly bought contemporary Christian records (e.g., Larry Norman and Barry McGuire). Perhaps the manager directed me to them? Those books were a Godsend. They were thoughtful, intelligent, gracious and thoroughly evangelical in the best sense of the word. They were gospel books. They pointed me away from myself and my experience and toward Christ. In the summer of 1981 Packer’s Knowing God was a major influence in my embrace of Reformed theology, piety, and practice....

As a young college professor at Wheaton, struggling to keep up with my course load, a young family, and to finish my DPhil thesis, I turned again to the (1662) Book of Common Prayer, which I had picked up in the UK, mainly out of historical curiosity and found it to be a valuable resource for opening classes in prayer. It was a wonderful alternative to vain repetition in prayer. There I found, in the confession of sin and in the prayer for illumination (in the second Sunday in Advent), a marvel of liturgical writing.

From P. E. Hughes and others I learned to appreciate the Reformation-era Anglicans, whose works I have continued to appreciate throughout my adult Christian life. I have written in appreciation of the Oxford Martyrs, Cranmer, Latimer, and Ridley. William Perkins (1558–1602) and Richard Sibbes (1577–1635) are just two of the great conforming Reformed Anglican theologians and pastors who have influenced my own theology, piety, and practice. Sibbes was a model of gracious gospel ministry and Perkins a brilliant exponent of the heart of the Reformation, salvation sola gratia, sola fide, whose theology, piety, and practice inspired many, including the Congregationalist William Ames (1576–1633), who would become one of the fathers of the Dutch Second Reformation.

I say all this to illustrate just some of the reasons why I appreciate historic Anglicanism and why I appreciate those modern evangelical Anglicans who have helped to keep alive that tradition. This is worth bearing in mind since my purpose in writing is to evaluate a new catechism produced by a relatively new Anglican communion, the Anglican Church in North America, the ACNA, but I want to assure the reader that though I am unreservedly presbyterial (note the lower case p) in my polity and Reformed in my confession I have a soft spot in my heart for evangelical Anglicanism. Read More

Based upon the comment thread, I gather that this article was posted earlier this year in March. I ran across it while I was searching for James Packer's Churchman article, "The Revised Catechism." I am posting links to Packer's earlier articles to give readers a taste of Packer before Evangelicals and Catholics Together and the Anglican Church in North America. I do not know how much Evangelicals and Catholics Together would influence Packer's thinking and  whether it played a role in his apparent reluctance to criticize the ACNA's muddled theological thinking that glossed over significant differences between Protestant Reformed evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Roman Catholicism and strayed far from Anglicanism's central theological tradition and historic formularies to which Packer was committed in his early career. Having migrated to the Anglican Network in Canada after he took a principled stand and  left the Anglican Church of Canada, Packer may be been insulated from the drift away from historic Anglicanism south of the border. Dogged by failing eye sight and ill health, Packer may have not played as an active a role in the preparation of two ACNA formularies which are now linked with his name, not only by ACNA leaders but also book publishers. They are To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism and The Book of Common Prayer (2019). Neither ACNA formulary embodies the central Anglican theological tradition and the historic Anglican formularies to which he was devoted for the better part of his life. Indeed the two ACNA formularies represent a major departure from doctrinal and worship principles of authentic historic Anglicanism. 

Tuesday's Catch: Remembering James Packer and More

From little acorns great oaks grow.

6 Reasons Christians Worldwide Thank God for J. I. Packer

As an evangelical leader in the Global South, I see how Packer brought credibility and renewal to churches in Sri Lanka and other nations. Read More

Fundamentalism: The British Scene

In this classic 1958 article, J. I. Packer lays out his vision for evangelical Christianity. Read More

The Revised Catechism

A study of the Revised Catechism serves only to confirm what should have been clear in 1956, when the Archbishops were asked to set up the Commission-namely, that it is not possible to revise the Catechism satisfactorily with the Church of England in her present state. Read More

At the End, A Garden

Environmentalism is a redemptive issue. Read More

5 Posts on Dealing with Temptation

Yesterday’s post dealt with ways the enemy seeks to lure us into sin. Perhaps one of these posts will help you if you find yourself in the enemy’s trap today.... Read More

The Ultimate Sermon Outline That Lets You Speak on a Moment’s Notice

There are two types of sermons—prewritten and extemporaneous. There is no particular value in one type or the other, but there are occasions when it is handy to be able to preach a well-organized sermon off the cuff. So if you write your sermons in advance but you want to learn to speak extemporaneously, here’s a sermon outline that will help you get started. Read More

Monday's Catch: Pointers on Online Engagement and More

3 Great Approaches for Engaging Your Church Online

This is such a challenging time as we navigate engaging with our communities online. Below are some pointers to attain consistent and relevant online engagement as you create the best experience for your church and the community you serve. Read More

Moving to "We Can"

As church leaders, we must keep our teams optimistic, flexible, and focused on essential ministry. We must emphasize a “make it work” approach rather than derailing ministry by why it can’t work. About one third of your people are likely still responding to this season with a “We can’t do this essential ministry because …” reason. This is why we must help our teams shift to a “We can if ...” approach. Read More

How to Lead When Nothing is Normal

Dan Reiland offers five ways to help you lead when nothing is normal. Read More

10 Ways the Enemy Lures Us into Sin

All Christ-followers wrestle against principalities and powers (Eph 6:12), and we don’t always win those battles. Knowing how the enemy works, however, can aid us in living in victory. Here are some ways the enemy seeks to lure us into sin.... Read More

As the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion, Anglicanism's confession of faith, reminds us, even those whom are regenerate do not lose their inclination to sin. The enemy studies our weaknesses and exploits them to our detriment. He cannot deprive us of salvation but he can deny us the joy of a sanctified life.

3 Things the Church Should Understand about Trauma Survivors

I write for two reasons. The first is to explain to church leaders they should extend grace when there are excessive questions about a ministry; you don’t know what they’ve endured, whether inside or outside the church. The second reason is provide some suggestions for ministering to someone you learn is a trauma survivor. Read More

4 Things the Church Needs to Understand about Blended Families

The chasm between what is true about blended families and what may be perceived about them was never more apparent than it was in the local church. Blended families need intentionality from the church, and here are four things I can share from my personal experience to help inform more effective ministry. Read More

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (July 19, 2020)

I just posted All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (July 19, 2020).

The reading is John 13:34-35.

The homily is “A New Commandment.”

The dismissal hymn is the Shaker song, “Love Is Little.”

The link to the service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-sunday_19.html#more

I hope that this service will be a blessing to you and will round out your observance of the Lord’s Day.

Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Friday Evening (July 17, 2020) and Saturday Evening (July 18, 2020)

I have just posted All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (July 18, 2020). I had originally planned to post a service on Wednesday evening but did not post it until Friday evening and then did not post a link to it on Anglicans Ablaze. I plan to post All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (July 19, 2020) on Sunday. The other services are essentially the same service as this one except for the Scripture reading, the homily, and the dismissal hymn.

The Phos Hilaron is Roger Petrich’s setting of “Joyous Light of Glory” from Evening Prayer 2, the Lutheran Book of Worship: Music for Daily Prayer Services.

The penitential psalm is Tony Alonoso’s responsorial setting of Psalm 141, “Like Burning Incense, O Lord.”

The psalm prayer is from the Lutheran Book of Worship.

The variable psalm is Crown and Covenant’s choral arrangement of the Hallel Psalm 117, “Praise the Lord.” Jesus and his disciples sung a Hallel Psalm at the conclusion of the Last Supper on the night of his betrayal and arrest.

The psalm prayer is from the Church of England’s Common Worship.

Friday’s Scripture reading is Matthew 22: 35-40. Saturday’s is Matthew 7:12.

Friday’s homily is “Love Is from God.” Saturday’s is “A Template for God’s Grace.”

The Gospel Canticle is Sr. Anne Carter’s paraphrase of the Magnificat, “My Soul Proclaims the Lord My God,” sung to the American folk hymn tune NEW BRITAIN. This song may also be sung to ST. PETER (Reinagle) and ST. COLUMBA.

The intercessions are new. They are taken from Praise God in Song: Ecumenical Daily Prayer (1979).

Friday’s dismissal hymn is Fred Pratt Green’s “Light of the Evening.” The setting is David Haas’ EVENING HYMN.

Saturday’s dismissal hymn is a Shaker song, “Gentle Words.” The songwriter and composer were Sister Polly M. Rupe who lived in the Shaker settlement in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky around 1867. The Shakers entertained a number of unorthodox beliefs but their songs often had strong Biblical Christian motifs and themes as does this particular song.

The benediction is from the Church of Ireland’s Alternative Prayer Book (1985).

The link to Friday’s service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-friday.html#more

The link to Saturday’s service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/07/evening-prayer-service-of-light-jesus.html#more

I hope that these services will be a blessing to you and will enrich your daily prayer. Please feel free to share the links with anyone whom you think might be interested.

Saturday Lagniappe: Evangelical Anglicanism Loses One of Its Premier Theologians and More

J. I. Packer, ‘Knowing God’ Author, Dies at 93

The influential evangelical theologian leaves a final lesson for the church: Glorify Christ every way. Read More

J.I. Packer described himself as a "heritage Anglican." In his early years he ably defended the central Anglican theological tradition against those who would have moved the Anglican Church and Anglicanism in a different direction. He rightly deserves the tributes offered on Christianity Today and other evangelical websites: "J. I. Packer (1926–2020)", "Theologian and churchman J.I. Packer dies at age 93", "Don Carson Pays Tribute to J. I. Packer", and "Reformation Theology in the Hands of a Servant." After he left the Anglican Church of Canada and joined the Anglican Church in North America, he was cynically exploited by its leaders. While he served for a time on its prayer book and liturgy task force, his presence on the task force was a ruse, intended to deceive evangelicals in the Reformed tradition that they had a voice on the task force. His recommendations were ignored. The task force produced a prayer book and liturgy that was far from the central Anglican theological tradition that he had championed. He was persuaded to write the introduction to the ACNA's catechism in which he asserted that it would be acceptable to all legitimate theological schools in the Anglican Church. However, a close examination of the catechism clearly shows that what he had written was not the case. The catechism broke with the central Anglican theological tradition or misrepresented it in number of  places. Packer's failing eyesight and health may account for why the ACNA leadership was able to exploit him as they did. I cannot speculate on the extent to which he was aware that he was being exploited and why he went along with those who were exploiting him. But I do believe that he deserves the tributes being paid him and more. We have lost one of evangelical Anglicanism's premier theologians with his death.

10 Things You Should Know about J. I. Packer

Leland Ryken, the author of J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life, remembers Packer. Read More

J. I. Packer’s Final Words to the Church

A self-described Puritan, theological exegete, and latter-day catechist, J. I. Packer for more than half a century of public ministry was a great popularizer of reformational theology through his writing and teaching ministry. He died at age 93. Read More

40 Quotes from J. I. Packer (1926–2020)

Matt Smethurst shares 40 of his favorites J. I. Packer quotes. Read More 

Four Barriers We Create That Keep People From Jesus

Our calling is to labor, in every possible way, to mirror Jesus' ministry and message in our own. Read More

Do Pastors Have Blind Spots?

Pastors don’t do so well with self-awareness and awareness of others. Read More

Music and Singing in Church: Recommendations According to Phased Reopenings

Overview

Music is a gift from God, given to all creation. It is a means of connecting with God and with one another by unifying not only our thoughts and understanding, but also our heartbeat and breath.

Worship of the Triune God involves our whole being.

Music is fundamental and integral to Christians’ worship experience. Worshipers are actively involved in the musical expression in worship, whether it is by singing, playing, dancing/moving, or listening.

Rationale

Praising the Lord is a scriptural mandate (see Psalm 150, among many other scriptural references), and a primary way in which most Christians have “praised the Lord” is to sing together. When singing becomes a public danger, most of us immediately jump to questions such as, “How else can/should we praise God?” However, during this “singing quarantine,” it is important to think about and remind ourselves why we sing. Below are some key questions we should all be asking before moving on to the “how” or “what” questions.... Read More

Realizing the Psalms: Options for Singing or Speaking

Throughout Christian history, Psalms have been presented or “performed” in liturgy in many ways, both spoken (solo voice, choral reading, or congregational responsive reading) and sung (in one of several forms of chant, in responsorial settings, metrical settings, solo or choral anthems), though the vast majority of practices in history push beyond speaking to some form of song. In recent years, the Psalms have also been sung to new settings in popular, folk, or contemporary styles of music, and depicted visually. The following paragraphs briefly describe this range of options, offer brief commentary on their strengths and weaknesses, and provide an annotated guide to publications and recordings of each mode of presentation. Read More

This article's discussion of various modes of presentation of the Psalms may prove helpful in exploring ways that Psalms might be use in services of public worship when singing or chanting the Psalms may be restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Psalm may be read by a single reader or lector or sung by a soloist and followed by a period of silence in which the congregation reflects upon the Psalm and if so moved by the Holy Spirit members of the congregation pray in silence or spontaneously in a low voice. The COVID-19 pandemic may lead to the emergence of more contemplative forms of worship.

The extremely loud worship music heard in contemporary worship services and the concert-like atmosphere of these services reflects the influence of secular music and secular concerts upon the contemporary style of worship. To attract the younger generations to churches, it was concluded that they needed to be offered music like that with which they were acquainted outside the church. The unfamiliarity of traditional church music would be off-putting for them.

The praise and worship movement which originated in Pentecostal churches would also influence the type of music used in these services. The praise and worship movement introduced the use of worship sets; praise bands, modeled on the rock band: and drum kits into worship services.

The music groups that became a part of Christian worship due to the influence of the charismatic movement were based upon a folk group model and used a variety of forms of percussion--djembe, box drums, stacked bells, claves, and xylophone, typically associated with global forms of music. The music, while it was exuberant, was not as loud as the music heard in contemporary style worship services. A number of leaders of the charismatic movement would eventually migrate to traditions that had more contemplative forms of spirituality.

We may be seeing another such shift in focus. I wouldn't rule it out.

Friday's Catch: The Spiritual Danger of Nostalgia and More

Our Nostalgia Is Spiritually Dangerous

Why we shouldn’t worship the golden calf of the ‘pre-COVID’ days. Read More

Church Planters: How Do You Find The First 50?

Experienced pastors share the key insights into gathering a core group and launching a new church. Read More

Ministering to Wounded and Straying Sheep in a Pandemic

As COVID-19 has caused many churches to temporarily worship virtually, our gauges for the spiritual health of congregants have become muddled. Recent data also shows a decrease in online church attendance. How can church leaders—pastors, deacons, and Bible study leaders—wisely minister to straying and wounded believers in these socially distanced times? Read More

For People with Special Needs, Every Church Is ‘Accessible’ Now

The modifications we’ve made for this crisis could continue to serve people who need them long after the pandemic has passed. Read More

Dealing with the Glitch

Every plan has a glitch! Read More

This article reminded me of one of the "outlandish sayings" that the seventeenth century Anglican poet-priest George Herbert collected: "Every path has a puddle." For adults puddles are inconveniences. For kids, however, they are tons of fun. You can splash in the edges of them, ride your bike through them , look for tadpoles in them, and float little boats made from chips of wood on them. If the puddle was a small one, I would jump over it. If it was a large one, I would put on my rubber boots and wade across the puddle. Yes, puddles are tons of fun.

Four Immediate Effects of COVID-19 on Your Church’s Communication

In this post, we’re going to look at four immediate effects of COVID-19 on your church’s communication and how you can retool your communications to adapt. Read More

12 Things COVID Has Taught the Analog Church about Digital Church

Covid has been like a mission trip for the analog church.

We thought we were going on a short-term trip to a place that felt foreign.

We got there, and had to immediately learn some new languages and methods.

Turns out, this is becoming more like a long-term mission assignment. And since arriving in this digital Babylon (credit to David Kinnaman), we have been reaching people we never thought possible. It has actually led us to a stronger, more relevant and durable way of doing ministry with analog tools, digital tools, and everything in between. As Nicky Gumbel recently summed it up on Carey’s podcast, “we have tasted something better.”

For many leaders, the conversation around technology in ministry is relatively new. And not always welcome. Consider three postures that a leader might take when facing the possibility of innovation in the local church:

• Some leaders get excited at the thought of trying something new.
• Some leaders will try something new if they must (a good pandemic always helps).
• Some leaders will refuse to adjust methods no matter the circumstance.

Each leader has followers who take a similar posture, which usually enhances the confirmation bias of the leader. This makes it difficult to form a measured, objective opinion about how and whether to adopt the new method. All three postures can produce benefit or harm if taken to an extreme. Read More

12 Questions To See If Your Church Is a Prayer Church

Chuck Lawless has posted on his blog "12 Questions To See If Your Church Is a Prayer Church," an excellent set of questions for evaluating a church's commitment to prayer. Crossway has also posted an article, "10 Things You Should Know about Prayer," in which Donald S. Whitney explores the basics of prayer and which I also recommend to readers.

In Anglican and Episcopal churches one of the versions of The Book of Common Prayer or the alternative service books and set prayers are used in services of public worship. The prayers in these liturgical books are often beautifully crafted. Anglicans and Episcopalians are apt to use them in their private devotions instead of their own prayers. They are also apt to negatively compare their own stumbling efforts to pray to these prayers.

Several things enabled me to move beyond this rather limited way of praying. One was an essay by the 19th century Bishop of Liverpool J. C. Ryle in which he pointed out that you cannot have a relationship with someone with whom you do not have any conversations, including God.

Another was Rosalind Rinker's books Prayer: Conversing with God and Conversational Prayer: Handbook for Groups.

A third was a workshop on breath prayer, an ancient Christian form of prayer, hosted by my church at the time.

A fourth was two ladies who invited me to join their prayer group. Our group was a small one--three ladies and myself. Two members of the group have entered the nearer presence of God. One of those dear ladies sponsored my niece Kelly at her confirmation and prepared her for her confirmation.

We do need to instruct new believers and long-time believers in how to pray. Every church and every small group definitely needs a prayer champion, someone who will champion prayer in the church or the small group.

However, I offer this one caveat: the role of a prayer champion is to encourage others to pray and instruct them in the different forms of prayer. He or she should not become the church or small group's sole pray-er. This unfortunately often happens. The other members of the church or small group leave the praying to the prayer champion.

In the small groups in which I have participate or which I have co-led, prayer time too frequently consists of different people sharing their prayer requests and then the group leader or a volunteer weaving this requests into a prayer. What I do when I lead the prayer time is to invite those present to take a moment to place themselves in God's presence, in other words, to focus their attention on God who has been present with all of the time. I then invited them to pray aloud or silently for what prayer concerns come to mind. I also encourage them to pray aloud or silently whenever a new concern comes to mind even though they have already prayed. After everyone has had an opportunity to pray, I conclude the prayer time with a brief prayer, the original purpose of the "collects" found in liturgical books. I encourage everyone to pray and not to rely on one person to pray for the group. I also encourage those present to add brief ejaculatory prayers of their own in agreement with whoever is praying at the time. In this way the prayer time is like a concert rather than a solo.

A form of prayer that I recommend for churches and small groups is tongsung kido, a Korean style of prayer which is also used in Africa as well as other parts of Asia. It is is "practice of praying one’s own prayers aloud at the same time as others." In tongsung kido large or small groups of people pray out loud simultaneously along a unified theme. The pastor or small group leader announces a prayer need or concern and the whole gathering prays, everybody at the same time. The pastor or small group leader announces another prayer need or concern and the whole gathering prays, everybody at the same time. And so on. Members of the congregation or the small group may be invited to share a prayer need or concern and the whole gathering prays, everybody at the same time.

I read about this style of prayer a number of years ago and experienced it for the first time at a cell group leadership training workshop in Jackson, Mississippi.

The one drawback of its use during the COVID-19 pandemic is that it is a very exuberant form of prayer in which those praying talk loudly and loud talking has been implicated in the transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus along with singing. Loud talking and singing also involve deep breathing which increases an individual's risk of inhaling any virus particles floating in the air. If a small group meets in a poorly-ventilated, enclosed space, there will be much higher risk of transmission than if it meets outdoors, in a breezy area, the participants standing or sitting six or more feet apart and wearing face masks. Tongsung kido, however, is a style of prayer that can be used in virtual gatherings like a Zoom small group meeting as well as in-person gatherings. A participant shares a prayer need or concern and everyone participating in the Zoom meeting prays aloud for that need or concern. Hearing everyone praying can be very encouraging to the participant who shared the prayer concern or need.

During the COVID-19 pandemic is good time to stream prayer workshops, using Zoom or another video conferencing platform or Facebook Live. It is one way we can build people where God has planted them. As Dave Gibbons wrote in his article, "Dave Gibbons: The Shift Already Happened—Before COVID-19," we need to be equipping people "to honestly and purely love those around them—and the vulnerable—loving them and walking with them and giving them the best resources to achieve God’s design for their lives."

Thursday Catch: The Seismic Shift Affecting Today's Church and More

Dave Gibbons: The Shift Already Happened—Before COVID-19

Are you seeing that a seismic shift took place? The pandemic is just giving us clarity about what has been growing underground for some time. We have entered a season of renaissance for the church. And it’s only now becoming evident to many. Read More

More Pastors Agree With Andy Stanley: No Worship Services Until 2021

Now 5 percent of church leaders say they don’t expect to reopen for the rest of the year. Read More

Protestant Churches Targeted in Korean Gathering Ban

In South Korea, where COVID-19 clusters keep emerging despite aggressive measures, Protestant churches say they’re being singled out with “repressive” governmental measures. Starting July 10, any type of small group gatherings held inside Protestant church buildings—except for Sunday worship services—are banned. If needed, officials say, the ban also will be extended to Catholic churches and Buddhist temples. Read More

I am adding this commentary due to the tendency of some Americans to exploit an article like this one to bolster their claim that state and local governments are using unnecessary public health measures to persecute Christians in the United States. Based upon what Ms. Martin wrote in her article the South Korean government may not have handled this matter very well, imposing the ban without first consulting the churches that would be affected by the ban.

At the same time there are two sides to every story and sometimes more than two sides. Large church gatherings in South Korea have been implicated in the spread of COVID-19 in that country. The extent churches have cooperated with the South Korean health authorities has not been uniform.

South Korean churches have prayer practices that can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in poorly-ventilated, enclosed space like the rooms used by small groups in a church. One of these practices is is tongsung kido, a Korean style of prayer which is also used in Africa as well as other parts of Asia (and which I commend to readers elsewhere on my blog.) It is the "practice of praying one’s own prayers aloud at the same time as others." It involves loud talking and deep breathing, both of which increase the COVID-19 transmission risks in such a setting.

It only takes one person to infect a large number of people in a poorly-ventilated, enclosed space. Super-spreaders, also known as "silent spreaders," have been compared to the chimney, or smoke stack, of a virus factor. For reasons that we do not yet fully understand the bodies of these people produced tremendous amounts of COVID-19 coronavirus particles. They themselves may be experiencing only mild symptoms or may be in the pre-symptomatic stage. They also may not feel sick.

The article also points to what can happen when one group of Christians do not comply with public health measures. If this one group’s lack of compliance has a negative outcome, all Christians may be blamed for what happened and may become the object of public hostility.

Can We Sin in Our Sleep? What to Do with Troubling Dreams

If you or someone you’re ministering to has a sinful dream, what should you do? Read More

North Point Church ‘Cannot Guarantee’ Safety, Won’t Reopen This Year

Alpharetta City Hall

Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley announced today that the church he leads, North Point Community Church in Atlanta, Georgia, will be suspending in-person services through the end of the year. The original plan when the church moved to online-only services was to reopen in August. Now, however, Stanley says the bottom line to church members is the simple fact that “we cannot guarantee your safety.”

This was “not a casual decision,” Stanley explained after giving the news that the North Point churches in Atlanta would stay closed through the end of the year. Stanley said the decision was made based on the uptick of COVID-19 cases in the area, the results of attendee surveys, and the experiences of similar-sized churches that have already reopened across the country in the last few weeks. Read More

Also See:
Andy Stanley Explains Why His Megachurch Won’t Gather on Sundays Until 2021
Heartbroken Pastor Regrets Not Encouraging Masks

I must applaud Andy Stanley for acknowledging that his church cannot guarantee the safety of church members if its Alpharetta campus and its other sites resumed in-person worship gatherings as it had originally planned. Despite the rosy picture that White House paints, the pandemic is growing worse. It is wishful thinking to believe that it is going to get better anytime soon. Most recently the Trump administration has directed that hospital data on COVID-19 patients should be routed first to the White House instead of the Centers of Disease Control. It is no longer satisfied to modify and dilute CDC recommendations but is seeking to control what information is released to the public and to manipulate the data to support its narrative.

Wednesday's Catch: Church Planting in Japan

Churches in the Graveyard: 10 Plants in 10 Years in Tokyo

If the parable of the sower were set in East Asia, South Korea’s soil would be rich and lush. China’s would be weedy but productive. And Japan’s would be blood-red and rock-hard. Read More

When the ground is rock-hard, those wishing to plant seed must look for those patches of ground where the wind and the rain have turned the rock into soil and plant there. The first crop may die and the second crop too. But when they decompose, they will produce humus that will fertilize the soil.

3-Point Evaluation for the Strength of Your Leadership

If you lead with your heart, people can connect with you. If people connect with you, they will trust you, and if they trust you, they will follow you. Read More

3 Ways to Use Zoom Breakout Rooms in Your Bible Study

Now that groups have discovered the ease of using an online meeting tool such as Zoom, it may be time to take advantage of a neat feature: breakout rooms. Read More

3 Topics Students Desperately Want to Discuss--But Churches Avoid

In the church—and in student ministry specifically—we absolutely must address topics our teenagers want to discuss in order to teach them how Scripture comes to bear on the issues closest to them. Read More