Monday's Catch: 'Flowers Springing Up in the Rain' and More

Flowers Springing Up in the Rain
If we are to be the Christians God wishes us to be, we must have sun and rain, clear days and cloudy.

Eleven Signs You Are Becoming a Church Consumer Instead of a Committed Church Member
Here are eleven signs that we are becoming a church consumer instead of a committed church member.

The One Time You Shouldn’t Talk To Your Guests
In his last post Danny Franks covered the six times in a weekend service that you should strategically plan to address your guests. But what about times when you should strategically plan not to talk to them?

What To Do When Tragedy Strikes Your Community
Here are 5 things Dale Chamberlain learned about how to respond when tragedy strikes your community.

7 Practices for Inclusion of Young Leaders
If we allow fear that a young leader might make a mistake, not do it as well as we can, or just flat drop the ball to be reasons not to include them, they’ll never learn to lead.

3 Ways to Teach a Bible Story to Children
The most natural place for children’s ministry teachers to begin is to look at a Bible story and think about what models should be followed—or avoided.

Recovering The Lost Art Of Encouragement
Somehow, in a sincere effort to “speak the truth,” we can lose our way. How easy it is to forget that truth, in order to be true in the truest sense, must be spoken in love. Jesus affirmed some and critiqued others. But it might surprise us to see who Jesus affirmed and who He critiqued.

Why Everyone (Including Us) Needs to Practice Self-Aid
To care well for others we must also care well for ourselves.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (July 24, 2022) Is Now Online

 

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

How's your prayer life? Where is your favorite spot to pray? Do stand, kneel, sit, walk? What do find is most challenging about praying?

The Scripture reading for this Sunday is Luke 11: 1-13 Teaching about Prayer.

The homily is titled “Perseverance in Prayer.”

The link to this Sunday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-sunday_23.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

3 Steps to Move Into Deeper Church Community

By Ed Stetzer

We need to continue to press in toward being churches that not only care for our members, but carry each other’s burdens.

We all want our churches to be loving environments. But what does that look like? How do we make that happen?

As I see it, some churches work to be more friendly—and that’s good. Some move beyond being friendly and move to caring—and that’s better. But, I think there is another step. That step is being a carrying church.


Let’s look at the progression. Read More

WHY You Pray is as Important as WHAT You Pray

By Rusty George

3 Ways to Pray the WHY Way

You’ve taken their advice:

“Just pray about it.”

“It’s just talking to God.”

“Just start the conversation.”

So you do… And then you wait.

Is there something you are supposed to do after you say “amen?”

The short answer is… YES. And the first answer is to “Align with the Why.” But what does that mean? Read More

Friday's Catch: 'Jesus, the Most Embarrassing Dinner Guest in the Four Gospels' and More

Jesus, the Most Embarrassing Dinner Guest in the Four Gospels

Who feels uninvited to God’s table because of you?

What Is the Purpose of Sunday School? 4 Key Program Roles What Elmer Towns describes in this article is what has historically been the purpose of adult Sunday chool. The questis "In how many churches is adult Sunday school fulfilling these purposes today?" While it was posted as a children's ministry article, it is evident from the article that Tows has adult Sunday school in mind.

Praise and Worship Leadership – 18 Traps to Avoid
Check out these things that strong praise and worship leadership doesn’t do, so you can grow and improve.

Here I Am to Sound Check
Church tech teams kept worship plugged-in and streaming during the pandemic. But when does the job become too much for volunteers?

10 Reasons Why Youth Ministry Matters Now More Than Ever
Greg Stier lists 10 reasons.

Be the Church that Embraces Children, Not Just Tolerates Them
There are two kinds of churches—those that embrace children and those that tolerate children. Most churches are not rude towards kids, and I’ve never seen a church sign stating “No Kids Allowed.” However, the families visiting your church will know whether you embrace their kids or not. The churches that welcome children have a higher likelihood of families returning—not just once but often!

How Children Can Make Your Children's Ministry Better

Did you know that children can make your children's ministry better when you include them in your planning, evaluations, brainstorming and creating? Successful toy companies and entertainment groups know this and actively pursue children to help them improve their products.

How to Know Your Purpose
Kurt Bubna takes a brief look at how to discover your God-given purpose.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (July 23, 2022) Is Now Online

 

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

There are spiritual lessons to be learned in nature, even from the humble dandelion.

The Scripture reading for this Saturday is Colossians 2:6-15 Freedom from Rules and New Life in Christ.

The homily is titled “Deep Roots.”

The link to this Saturday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-saturday_22.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

Thursday's Catch: 'Seven Common Comments Non-Christians Make about Christians' and More

Seven Common Comments Non-Christians Make about Christians

Over the past several years, Thom Rainer and his research teams have interviewed thousands of unchurched non-Christians. Among the more interesting insights I gleaned were those where the interviewees shared with me their perspectives of Christians.

Laying the Best Foundation for Starting a Special Needs Ministry
Are you ready to make a plan to include all families in your church? Here are three steps to start a special needs ministry.

The Indispensable Ministry of Disability
It is a courageous decision for parents to bring their child with special needs to church, not knowing if they will be welcomed or if people are willing to make adaptations to accommodate their needs.

6 Ways the Team Reflects the Leader
"A leader can complain about the culture of the team for only a few years because after that, the culture reflects the leader.” In a church or an organization, there are multiple teams or groups. Obviously there should be an overarching culture and mission, but it is common for those teams/groups to take on different identities. And those identities, over time, are reflections of the leadership the group receives.

Why We Shouldn’t Practice Liturgy ‘A La Carte’
Stripping historical traditions from their theological context is trendy but problematic.

Worship Leader, Use the Whole Bible
How to craft calls to worship, invocations, and benedictions from all of Scripture.

What Does the Embodied Church Mean for Kids?
This is a unique moment for you to walk alongside parents as they disciple their kids to know and love the Lord and His church.

6 Essentials for Spiritual and Emotional Health
After meeting with her pastor, Kelly Minter recognized six things that have significantly supported her spiritual and emotional health. Se has put them in the form of questions so you can think personally and critically about how well you’re covered in each area.

U.S. House Officially Abandons Support for Traditional Marriage
In what was historically signifcant vote the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA), codifying same sex marriage into federal law, moves closer to becoming the law of the land.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (July 20, 2022) Is Now Online

 

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

God does not look at our outward appearance, the act we put on for others. God sees our true selves, our real character we keep hidden from others.

The Scripture reading for this Wednesday is Matthew 23: 1-36 Jesus Criticizes the Religious Leaders.

The homily is titled “Beware the Pharisee in Us.”

The link to this Wednesday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for_20.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

Tuesday's Catch: 'The Renewed Church' and More

The Renewed Church

A look at what the church could be.

8 Tips for Pastoring in a Small Town
Tim Wilson shares what he learned pastoring a small village church in England.

Cupboards Not Quite Bare as Food Pantries Struggle Against Inflation
Record price increases put pressure on churches trying to meet rising need.

New 988 suicide, crisis lifeline active, ready to help everyone
Dialing or texting 988 automatically connects callers to the National Suicide Prevention lifeline network of services with greater ease than dialing the traditional 1-800-273-8255, which still works. Callers are connected with a Lifeline counselor at the crisis center geographically closest among a network of 200, according to 988lifeline.org.

How to Build Your Worship Experience Flow in your Presentation Software
Building church presentations is a vital part of excellent worship events. In this post, Steve Dirks shares a few key items to implement as you build your presentation. These tips can apply to any presentation software you use. Dirks recommend using either ProPresenter, MediaShout or EasyWorship.

A Simple but Radical Shift in Small Group Formats
The paradigm shift shaking the small group and church world is the “Disciple-Making Movement.” Here are some basic changes introduced by the DMM movement.

The Christian’s Confidence in Christ’s Compassion
Throughout the four Gospels, readers are flooded with examples of the compassion of Christ.In His parables, He consistently shows that God’s heart is geared toward compassion and His desire is for His followers to be similarly compassionate.

5 reasons why far too many Christians don’t share the Gospel
Over the course of the last 30 years of ministry, Greg Stier has had the privilege of training millions of believers how to share the Gospel. During that time he has also talked to countless Christians about roadblocks and reasons why so many of them struggle to evangelize. Stier has narrowed these reasons down to 5. Here they are in no particular order....

Monday's Catch: How A New Generation Is Changing What Quality Looks Like In A Thriving Small Church

How A New Generation Is Changing What Quality Looks Like In A Thriving Small Church

Millennials are not the church of tomorrow. They’re raising families in and outside of our churches right now. Mostly outside of them.

More Cremations Mean Fewer Chances to Grieve Together
With church funerals and burials no longer the norm, pastors hope to restore occasions to gather and remember.

How to Build Friendships With Other Pastors
Pastors who want thriving and strong ministries in their communities must cultivate close friendships with local pastors.

Worship Spectators or Participators
Spectators are not worshipers and a church service where the congregation is made up of spectators is not corporate worship.

How to Get More Out of Church
Erik Raymond desires to see believers, within the context of their church family, emphasize the value of the Lord’s Day and how they can be shaped by God’s grace. With this in mind, he offers a few ways to get more out of church.

UMC Conferences Diverge in Handling Church Exits
United Methodist annual conferences have a lot of leeway in administering church disaffiliations. Some conferences are looking to use their reserves to cut the exit costs. Some are adding more financial obligations. Most are hewing to the template found in church law. Even with these variations, the number of church exits is climbing.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (July 17, 2022) Is Now Online

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

God does not look at appearances. He looks at the heart, at our true self. We, on the other hand, let our biases and our feelings influence how we see people.

The Scripture reading for this Sunday is Luke 10:38-42 Jesus Visits Martha and Mary.

The homily is titled “Be Like Mary. Be Like Martha Too.”

The link to this Sunday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-sunday_17.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (July 16, 2022) Is Now Online

 

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

How much time do you devote to reading and studying the New Testament about Jesus, his person, his mission, his character, his teaching, and his life? What do you do with what you learn?

The Scripture reading for this Saturday is Amos 8: 1-12 A Vision of Ripe Fruit.

The homily is titled “A Famine in the Midst of Plenty.”

The link to this Saturday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-saturday_16.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

Saturday Lagniappe: 'How Do You Know if You Love Jesus' and More

How Do You Know if You Love Jesus

As is so often the case, J.C. Ryle in his book “Holiness” gives a clear and helpful answer on how you can know if you love Jesus or not. His words are worth your time and represent an excellent set of ways to examine yourself to determine if your love for Christ has gone cold.

Nurturing a Healthy Mindset in the Midst of Chaos
Tapping into the original “growth mindset.”

How to Make the Most of Your Time in the Word
8 keys to allowing what you read to change you.

Your Guide to Worship Transitions
An often neglected (but no less important) aspect of leading worship is how you approach transitions. In this article I want to give you an outline for how to think through your worship transitions each week. This is something you should think through and give as much attention to as the songs themselves.

Small Groups: Coaching the Call
Late Spring and early Summer are often consumed with preparations for a Fall small groups push of some sort. Maybe your church is doing a campaign, a church-wide study, a group launching event or some other community building endeavor. While we often place great amounts of time and resources into the mechanics of how this endeavor will (hopefully!) work, the way it’s communicated might simply be an afterthought.

Blessed Are the Political Peacemakers
Experts warn political violence is coming. Christians can look to Scripture, not the American Revolution, for guidance.

Friday's Catch: 'Online Church: 7 Things to Consider' and More

Online Church: 7 Things to Consider

How your church can make your attendees who watch your services online feel more welcome.

Keeping Safe Places Safe
Keeping safe places safe is of growing concern as the number of mass shootings continues to rise.

3 Reasons You Should Learn From People Different Than You
When we only learn from our own kind, we become critical more than curious.

Preach the Gospel Everywhere. When Necessary, Use Laundromats.
A different kind of “third place” ministry creates community and connections with washers and dryers.

Communion Partners Seek Clarity on Prayer Book
On a divided vote on General Convention’s final day, the House of Bishops approved an amended form of Article X, which defines the Book of Common Prayer in the Episcopal Church’s Constitution.

Thursday's Catch: '5 Questions to Discern Spiritual Character in a Leader' and More

5 Questions to Discern Spiritual Character in a Leader
Character is that inward quality in a leader that doesn’t draw attention to itself, but you know it when you encounter it. It’s not easily captured in a resume but always reveals itself over time and under pressure.

What Do Future Pastors Need From the Church Right Now?
Knowing Scripture’s emphasis on training future pastors, how should the church today invest in and train the next generation of pastors?

Three Pursuits Better Than Being Right
As the church, our aim is not to be right on all things, in all the times. Rather, the Bible calls us to three pursuits of greater value.

How Should We Apply Biblical Narratives?
Most of us aren’t that haphazard when it comes to reading Scripture, but in our desire for truth, our desperation for guidance, or our questions about why God does what he does, we may similarly mishandle God’s Word, leaving us to “go and do likewise” in ways Scripture doesn’t actually prescribe.

The Prudence Bucket: Applying the Bible to Gray Areas
The Prudence Bucket is my way of referring to the reality that many aspects of local church ministry and life are matters of biblically informed prudence.

My Kid Doesn’t “Get Anything” Out of Church
The research shows that the times of worship and learning in the midst of the larger congregation, when they were children, are one of the leading reasons for increased “stickiness” of faith in young adults.

Do Not Hinder: Welcoming Kids to Worship
What we have to wrestle with is simply this: Jesus said to welcome children, explicitly and specifically, as though He knew we would have the tendency to push them away, to need a break, to not want the distraction. So, the church, as HIS body, it can’t just be about what we want.

10 Things I’ve Learned Being a Missions Pastor
Nathan Sloan shares 10 lessons he learned along the way as he has served his church in the role of missions pastor.

Doing Missions When Nationalism Is the Local Religion
Nationalism isn’t a neutral ideology, a benign cultural stump around which the missionaries must plow. Nationalism is an idolatrous ideology presenting itself as a religious surrogate and a competitor to the Christian gospel.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (July 13, 2022) Is Now Online

 

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

Everybody has bad days. Jesus' disciples had bad days too. 
 
The Scripture reading for this Wednesday is Luke 9:37-50 A Bad Day for the Disciples.

The homily is titled “Jesus, a Little Child, and a Lesson for Us All.”

The link to this Wednesday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for_13.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

Wednesday's Catch: 'Make Church Safe Again' and More

Make Church Safe Again

The hard work is always going to be in the direction of fighting to create a safer church.

Pastors and Churches Face Historic Lack of Trust
Americans increasingly don’t trust the church or pastors, as confidence and trust levels have eroded to historic lows for both.

Belief In God Hits New Low in U.S., Now What?
New research finds a growing number of Americans no longer have a belief in God. How can churches respond to the cultural trends?

Two Cheers for Religion
What if by relentlessly denigrating “religion,” we are creating as many problems as we are trying to solve?

Leading Others When They Are Frustrated and Angry with the Church
Since these two emotions are unavoidable, how do you lead those who are frustrated and angry in your church?

An Invitation to Belong: Seeker Small Groups
Today, even seeker-friendly churches are questioning the philosophy of an outreach that expects other people to take the first step—a giant leap from postmodernity to the inside of a church. Rather than turn to an alternative program or a different evangelism methodology, many church leaders are looking to shift the model of ministry focusing on two biblical priorities: sharing Christ and creating community.

The Lasting Legacy of Ordinary Believers
The vast majority of God’s work in the world is done through ordinary Christians, people who in the eyes of the world are no-one special.

The Power of Hospitality
6 ways to make your home a blessing to others.

The Great Commission We Overlook
How Luke 24 compels the church's mission.

Americans Believe Religious Liberty Is Declining, More Believe Christians Face Intolerance
Most Americans say religious liberty is declining in the country, and more believe Christians are facing increased intolerance.

How to Make a Church Pre-Service Video That People Love to Share

By Hal Seed

Like you, I’m always looking for new ideas that will make my church better. When I got the idea from Rich Birch’s podcast 5 Elements of Effective Pre-Service Video to make a countdown pre-service video for our services that shows our church in our city, I knew we had to do it.

It’s brilliant: Give guests a two-minute story of your church as they take their seats and they will likely be more predisposed to your church. And reinforce your church values with your congregation without a word, every week—that’s brilliant, too. Then see it spread across social media to attract the community? Priceless.

Watch our pre-service video, then I’ll break down how to make one of your own. Read More

Also See
5 Elements of Effective Pre-Service Videos (Plus 3 Sample Videos)

Monday's Catch: 'Climate Changes Will Affect the Church. What if the Church Takes the Lead?' and More

Climate Changes Will Affect the Church. What if the Church Takes the Lead?

Evangelicals are less likely to believe that climate change is happening. What they don’t realize is that it will affect global missions.

5 Things Thriving Churches Do Well
Set your goals. Grow your church.

How to Find, Develop, and Keep Real Community
Review: ‘Find Your People’ by Jennie Allen

Why Everyone Needs Compassion
If the Bible was a party, Ecclesiastes would be the party pooper.

Isn’t Christianity just an oppressive set of rules?
Christians often give the impression to the watching world that the rules matter the most. We give the impression everyone else should also follow the rules we do, even though they don’t trust in Jesus. That doesn’t make sense and turns people off Christianity.

20 Keys to Keep Your Kids at Church Safe
Life can be a scary place for today's kids. They are growing up knowing they could be attacked anywhere they go.

Saturday Lagniappe: 'Know Thy Church' and More

Know Thy Church

When we see the word “data” it’s easy to think of charts, graphs and numbers on a screen, but put simply, data helps us know.

Mark Clifton Brings Vitality to Rural America Church Landscape
“Outside of the deep South, rural America is as unchurched as many of our urban core centers in our major cities... And even in the South, where we have a great number of rural churches, many of them are really struggling to connect to the culture as it changes around them.”

How to Double Your Volunteers in One Month
Dale Hudson shares some strategies churches can use to get lots of new volunteers.

Skill Training: How to Add Meaningful Prayer Together to Your Group Meeting
Whether yours is a brand new group or you’ve been meeting together for years, paying attention to these keys will shift your prayer time from dull routine to deeply personal.

Inflation Boosts Demand at Food Banks as Pandemic Anti-Hunger Measures Fall Away
While President Biden recently signed the Keep Kids Fed Act, extending free meal programs for schoolchildren, many stopgaps funded during the pandemic have ended or are only available in some states.

Bishops Grapple with Defining Book of Common Prayer
The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops spent over an hour on Friday grappling with two technical proposals for amending Article X of the church’s constitution, which defines the Book of Common Prayer, and eventually set up a task force to work out a compromise.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (July 10, 2022) Is Now Online

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

When Jesus told the Parable of the Good Samaritan, he had something more than being neighborly—friendly and helpful, especially to those who live near us—in mind.

The Scripture reading for this Sunday is Luke 10:25-37 Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The homily is titled “True Neighbors.”

The link to this Sunday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-sunday_9.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (July 9, 2022) Is Now Online

 

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

Paul’s letters are peppered with thanksgivings and prayers. They are very revealing into his concern for the congregations where he or his fellow workers had ministered.

The Scripture reading for this Saturday is Colossians 1:1-14 Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer.

The homily is titled “A Thanksgiving and a Prayer.”

The link to this Saturday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-saturday_8.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

A Christian Approach to America’s Standoff on Gun Safety Reform

Gun control legislation can’t rid society of evil. It simply acknowledges that evil exists.

By Raymond Chang

On the Fourth of July, my wife and I stood on the lawn of the White House, joining a crowd of Americans from all walks of life, celebrating a day intended to symbolize freedom and independence for U.S. citizens. Across the country, similar crowds gathered for parades, fireworks displays and family cookouts on a day filled with the joy of being with family and friends.

Seven hundred miles away, in Highland Park, Illinois — on streets I walked as a divinity student at a nearby seminary — one of those celebrations turned into a nightmare as a 21-year-old gunman killed seven people and injured dozens of others at a parade. The right to possess firearms had led to loss of life, trauma and devastation to the families and communities of the victims.

These scenes have become all too familiar. In fact, dozens of other mass shootings took place over the Fourth of July weekend throughout the country. In recent months, we’ve seen a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas; a white supremacist shooting in Buffalo, New York; a nationalist shooting at Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California; and shootings at a funeral in Racine, Wisconsin, a medical center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a church in Ames, Iowa, and at another church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Read More

To Learn Well, Leaders Need to Be Proficient at Unlearning

By James Scott, Jr.

For some people, learning comes easily.

Take, for example, Hoagy Carmichael, a popular composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader, who one day decided to take up the sport of golf. His start with his newfound interest was told in Bits & Pieces …

Lessons were arranged with an instructor. At the first session Carmichael was patiently shown the basics of the game: how to hold the club, how to stand, how to swing, etc.

Finally, after a half hour of this, the instructor felt Carmichael was ready to drive a few toward the first hole. The ball was teed up. Hoagy stepped up to it, swung, then watched the ball sail down the fairway, bound onto the green, and roll into the cup; a hole in one!

The instructor was dumbfounded. Hoagy flipped the club to a caddy with a jaunty motion, then turned to the still speechless instructor. “OK,” he said casually, “I think I’ve got the idea now.”

If learning came so easily to everyone, we would all be committed lifelong learners!

But for many it doesn’t, and so many are not.

However, the process of learning isn’t just about acquiring new knowledge, it also includes an ongoing process of “unlearning” things that may not be true anymore … or perhaps never was! Read More

How to Help People Find Your Church Online

By Kelsey Yarnell

People in your community are hungry for connection, truth, and belonging. But without having a Christian friend, or a thriving church in their neighborhood, there’s really only one way to find a community in Christ—the Internet.

In the 21st century, people use Google, social media, or even apps to find just about anything—a car mechanic, a local ice cream shop, and yes, church. If your church doesn’t have an online presence that’s easy to find, people won’t learn about your community. And they won’t have an opportunity to visit, hear truth, and meet Christ-followers.

In the following article, we’ll take a look at how you can help people in your community find your church online. Read More

3 Steps to Examining Your Faith

By D. Eaton

There are times when we falter in our faith and give into temptation, but that does not mean that Jesus Christ is not in us. Unless, of course, we examine ourselves and fail to meet the test (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Even in the Christian, there are times when quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder creep into our lives and churches. (2 Corinthians 12:20). Sometimes even impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality are added to the list (2 Corinthians 12:13). When we experience this, we should examine ourselves to see whether we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). How are we to do this? Here are three steps we should take. Read More

Thursday's Catch: '6 Ways to Effectively Care for Survivors of the Highland Park Shooting' and More

6 Ways to Effectively Care for Survivors of the Highland Park Shooting

This article contains 6 important spiritual and emotional care lessons that jamie Aten learned from the Aurora mass shooting and is sharing to help those responding to the Highland Park incident bring more effective care.

7 Things that Happen when Church Leaders Don’t Pray Much
Chuck Lawless' personal experience and anecdotal studies have shown that prayer is the most difficult spiritual discipline for many believers. It assumes dependence on God, and we simply don’t default in that direction; we default into independence and self-dependence even when we don’t want to. Here are some things that happen, though, when we church leaders don’t pray much....

20 Small Tips for Children's Ministry That Will Bring Big Results
Excellence in ministry comes from doing the small things well. It's the result of paying attention to the details. Here are some small tips that can help you build and grow your ministry to the next level.

5 Things I Used to Believe about Small Group Ministry
There are at least 5 things Mark Howell used to believe about small group ministry...that he no longer believes are true. Actually, he no longer believes How To Fight Back Against Feelings Of Spiritual Apathythey are the best way to do what needs to be done.

How To Fight Back Against Feelings Of Spiritual Apathy

The road back to spiritual vibrancy isn’t an easy one. But you’re never so far gone that you can’t come back stronger than ever. Here are 4 things you can do to fight back against spiritual apathy.

3 Ways to Help Post-Christian Friends Understand the Gospel
How can we move from felt needs to the gospel? How can we tell post-Christian friends about their ultimate need for forgiveness, reconciliation, and salvation when the terms don’t make sense? Here are just a few ways.

5 Ways Personal Hobbies Can Help Pastors Reach the Unchurched
Personal hobbies benefit pastors as individuals. But they also allow pastors to form connections with their communities and provide avenues to improve as effective communicators of biblical truth.

How to Make Evangelism Part of Your Culture
A few small changes can help you make evangelism a priority and lead to a bolder witness. Here’s how to do it.

Wednesday's Catch: "When Abuse Victims Are Adults, They’re Often Treated as ‘Sinners,’ Threats to Churches" and More

When Abuse Victims Are Adults, They’re Often Treated as ‘Sinners,’ Threats to Churches
Churches often blame adult abuse survivors for leading a ‘holy man’ astray.

Avoid Bringing This Leadership Baggage into Your Church
What are some ways we carry baggage?

The Importance of Corporate Prayer
Let us pray--both privately and together as brothers and sisters in the family of God.

7 Reasons Why Prayers Are Not Answered
God is not a cosmic genie who promises to answer every request if we just believe strongly enough in His power. There are qualifiers.

5 Things I Wish I Could Say to Your Senior Pastor
A growing number of senior pastors realize that life-change happens best in circles, not rows.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (July 6, 2022) Is Now Online

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

We are apt to forget that God’s grace is not something that we can earn nor is it something that we deserve.

The Scripture reading for this Wednesday is Romans 9: 1-18 God’s mercy.

The homily is titled “The Gift of Grace.”

The link to this Wednesday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

The Current American Tension and 4 Opportunities for the Church

By Carey Nieuwhof

You don’t need to be anything more than a casual observer of American (and Western) culture to know that something significant is happening.

In the past few years, we’ve seen North America roiled by civil rights movements, a pandemic, natural disasters, supply chain disruptions, mass shootings, and one of the politically polarizing eras in history.

The violence, destruction, and tension have become so normal that we no longer even post the “Pray For [Insert City Here]” graphics that used to earnestly spring up on social media whenever a new crisis emerged. There are just too many, and we’ve become too numb.

Add some unbelievable political tension into the mix, and most of us don’t know how to respond. Even as someone who lives north of the US border, has a great affection for the US, and has many friends in America, we all feel the tension and are living through it to one extent.

No church in Canada or anywhere in the West can pretend we’re not living in an age of heightened tension.

So how do we respond to the situation we’re in? While some in our culture believe the church is part of the problem, I believe it’s key to the solution.

Jesus is the love we keep missing as human beings. He is who we all really long for, and in Christ, we find our unity.

So how does the church better function as part of the solution rather than as part of the problem? Read More

What I Teach at Our New Member’s Class

By Sam Rainer

I taught our Discover class on Sunday. The class is designed for those who want to join or who are interested in learning more about our church.

I have a high view of church membership, and I hope to lead my church to have the same view. As we assimilate new people into the body of Christ, the goal is to maintain a culture of high expectations of every church member. I believe the best starting point for setting these expectations is a new member class. Whatever descriptor you use for the class, whatever timeslot you choose to teach the class, every new member class should communicate three key points about your church: information, doctrine, and expectations. Read More

5 Keys to Recharging This Summer

By Mark Dance

I recently read (and confirmed) that your phone will recharge twice as fast when you put it in airplane mode. Last summer I decided to experiment with this concept on myself, since I was tired and in need of a personal recharge. To be clear, I was not tired of ministry; simply tired from it. This is a common sentiment from many pastors and leaders who have served enthusiastically for the Lord (see Col. 3:23).

Last spring was the busiest season of ministry I had ever experienced. My church in Arkansas had just completed a historic relocation on Easter while simultaneously launching a ministry center on our downtown campus with several partner churches. Both projects were indescribably fulfilling, but nonetheless draining. Oh yeah – the very next Sunday after our move, an F-4 tornado waltzed through our county killing sixteen and wiping out 500 homes, thus launching the new Ministry Center early.

Ministry sprints are common and often predictably seasonal. With a busy spring behind you and a packed fall calendar ahead, summer is a great time to change the pace and recharge between sprints. Here are a few lessons I learned that helped me recharge last summer. Read More

13 Sanity Savers for VBS Directors

By Kathy Phillips

We are busy preparing for our church’s VBS (we call it Summer Bible Camp) next week. Details – big and small – must be planned out, tweaked, and re-tweaked to welcome a few hundred campers and volunteers to our program each day. If you are overseeing VBS, you know exactly what I mean!

This summer will mark my third year leading VBS at my church. Each year has brought different joys, challenges and lessons. I often give myself pep-talks throughout the weeks and days leading up to kick-off to encourage me when I start feeling overwhelmed. Can you relate?

When it’s all said and done, I rely on tried and true strategies that keep me sane before, during, and after the madness – I mean planning. Read More

Image Credit: kidmininspiration.com

The Five Stages of a Church Dropout: From Highly Committed to Goners

 

By Thom Rainer

It’s painful enough to lose any church members, but it is particularly painful when the church member was highly committed. We call these dropouts “Goners,” because they were once one of your best church members. Now they are gone.

It has been both painful and amazing to see the consistency in the patterns the Goners follow. Though Goners have been a sad phenomenon for years, the pervasiveness of Goners is a reality since the pandemic. Read More

Poll: Americans’ Belief in God Is Dropping

 

In the latest Gallup Poll, belief in God dipped to 81%, down 6 percentage points from 2017, and the lowest since Gallup first asked the question in 1944.

By Yonat Shimron

Belief in God has been one of the strongest, most reliable markers of the persistence of American religiosity over the years. But a new Gallup Poll suggests that may be changing.

In the latest Gallup Poll, belief in God dipped to 81%, down 6 percentage points from 2017, and the lowest since Gallup first asked the question in 1944. Read More

“Trend in Americans’ Belief in God” Graphic courtesy of Gallup

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (July 3, 2022) Is Now Online

 

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

What people in your community need Jesus the most? What are you doing to point them to Jesus?

The Scripture reading for this Sunday is Luke 10:1-11 Jesus Sends Out His Disciples.

The homily is titled “Time to Get Off Your Bum and Go!”

The link to this Sunday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-sunday.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (July 2, 2022) Is Now Online

 

All Hallows Evening Prayer is a service of worship in the evening for all pilgrims on the journey to the heavenly city.

The stories in the Bible are connected in ways that may surprise us. They are also connected to our own story.

The Scripture reading for this Saturday is 2 Kings 5:1-14 The Healing of Naaman.

The homily is titled “It’s About Grace.”

The link to this Saturday evening’s service is—

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2022/07/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-saturday.html

Please feel free to share the link to the service with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears. An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

Previous services are online at

https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/

May this service be a blessing to you.

Friday's Catch: 'Fewer Churches Put Patriotism on Display for July 4' and More

Fewer Churches Put Patriotism on Display for July 4
Though two-thirds are OK with flying the flag year-round, pastors have become more divided over Independence Day celebrations since 2016.

Who Pays the Price for Crisis Pregnancies?
Early pro-life advocates said “no” to abortion and “yes” to social safety nets for mothers. But most of today’s movement has lost that approach.

Pastors, Are You Prepared in Case of a Mass Shooting in Your Church?
Five preparation steps that only help if you take them now.

3 FEMA Resources for Hurricane Season — and Securing Houses of Worship
Equip your church for the next disaster and learn more about the resources available through the FEMA app.

It’s Time for a Relational Inventory
It is difficult to underestimate the impact of the people who surround you.

16 Tips for Recruiting Children’s Ministry Volunteers
Volunteers are essential for every children’s ministry program, but finding them can seem intimidating. Recruiting children’s ministry volunteers who genuinely want to serve kids and teach them about Christ’s love isn’t as difficult as it seems, though. Successful recruitment starts with the right attitude.

8 Traits of the Most Evangelistic Christians
What leads to more evangelistic Christians? Several factors can increase the likelihood believers will share their faith with others.