Tuesday's Catch: 'Virtual Mission Field' And More

Virtual Mission Field

The Church has entered a new era—a post-Christian, digital age. But simply having a website, social media, and an online campus should not be our only forays into a digital post-Christian world. We should enter the virtual mission field.

Pews, Not the Pulpit Drive Preference for In-Person Worship
For those who prefer in-person over online worship, the sense of connection to other people drives them, according to Pew Research.

Man Shall Not Live by Online Bread Alone
According to Trevin Wax, But there is a downside to toay's boom in online worship services. We become vulnerable to a cultural malady of “substitutism.”

Millennial Parents: 7 Ways To Reach Young Families Today
Lifeway Research found that many young adults leave the church because they don’t find it relevant. That trend can’t continue! The good news is that church leaders can slow this decline. Use these tips to reach millennial parents and develop them into kingdom builders.

God Is Not Limited by Our Lack
What does your church lack? How long have you felt like a failure with the fear of your church closing? Don’t give up. Keep using whatever you have while you focus on listening and following God’s lead. If you don’t know what to do next, just go where you are invited. God is going to link you to someone with a need. Let them in and listen to their heart. When you do, you just might hear God’s.

The Bible and the Civil Rights Movement
Many chapters in the story of the civil rights movement have been forgotten, modified, or intentionally misrepresented. White Americans tend to imagine the movement as less controversial than it was, white resistance as less violent than it was, and the resolution more final and satisfying than it was. Many Americans also forget—or ignore—the significant role that religion played in motivating and strengthening both the movement and its opponents. The Bible unsurprisingly played a significant role.

When my high school was desegregated, it was bombed. The faculty lounge was targeted and the vice-principal injured in the blast. The school later burned down under mysterious circumstances.

Five Common Hindrances to Bible Reading
What often keeps us from engaging with Scripture? See how many of these five hindrances apply to you.

A Simple Way for Leaders to Start the Day with God
Chuck Lawless offers a simple way we can turn to God every morning.

How Do You Prepare to Share Jesus?
...before you move from the pew to the street to share the gospel, know why you are doing it. Before you ask someone to come to your church, understand why they should and why they should stay.

Uncommitted Christians causing ‘catastrophic decline in biblical worldview in America’: Barna
Millions of uncommitted Christians are causing a "catastrophic decline in biblical worldview in America" because they have been poorly discipled in their faith and often don't know how to pass on biblical values to their children, research in a new book from veteran Christian researcher George Barna shows.

4 in 10 Evangelicals Say They’ve Been Visited by the Dead
Despite Scripture’s warning against communication from beyond the grave, most consider hearing from loved ones to be a comfort in their grief.

Renewed Fellowship, New Staff Bring Growth
When the Very Rev. Dane Boston returned to Trinity Cathedral in Columbia, South Carolina, this time as dean in January 2021, he found a very different church than the one he had previously served as canon for adult formation for five years.

Monday's Catch: 'Five New Challenges for the “Post-Post” Pandemic Church' Ad More

Five New Challenges for the “Post-Post” Pandemic Church

We are now entering a new era beyond the post-pandemic phase. We are in a “post post” pandemic era. It is significantly different than the months after churches regathered in-person. Most church leaders and members, however, have not adjusted to the rapid pace of changes accelerated by the pandemic and its aftermath. This reality can best be explained by five new challenges confronting churches today.

These obervations must be tempered by the growing awareness that COVID-19 is not seasonal like flu. It continues to mutate into new variations and surges of infections can occur at any time during the year. Churches cannot take a dismissive attitude to the virus as is sometimes taken on social media. Such a atttude is irresponsible where the health, safety, and well-being of a local church and the community or neighborhood to which it ministers is concerned.

It’s Time for a Relational Inventory
It has been said that what you will be like in five years is based on two things: The books that you read and the people you spend time with. It is difficult to underestimate the impact of the people who surround you.

A House-Going Parson Makes a Church-Going People
In all the talk about how to reverse the Church’s decline, there is rarely much about the need to revive dependable, effective, and attentive pastoral visiting among clergy. Invariably our debates center on styles of worship or models of local ministry (usually limited to structure and governance), as though what clergy do outside of Sundays or within their office is immaterial. Indeed, when pastoral visiting is mentioned it’s often as one of the more obvious jobs that can be done by the laity and so is left for them to do alone. This is fundamentally to misunderstand the purpose of pastoral visiting.

When I was a teen, two members of the clergy regularly visited my home, the priest of the local Episcopal church and the pastor of a local Baptist church.My grandparents, my mother, and I attended the Episcopal church. My older brother attended the Baptist church.

Who exactly is the pastor?
The pastor can be a friend of sorts, but not a buddy.

What belongs on the Lord's table?
What belongs on the Lord’s table? The short answer to the question is: “Whatever is needed for the celebration of the sacrament of Holy Communion, and little or nothing more.”

Whatever the denomination with which they may be associated, the communion table in too many churches is cluttered with things that are not necessary to a celebration of the sacrament of Holy Communion.

8 Elements Common to Answered Prayers
The fictitious gods of the Greek pantheon were unbelievably capricious and vindictive. The true and living God of the Bible is the exact opposite. He tells us what to ask for, and even when we ask amiss, he grants us only that which is good for us and for his glory.

Convenience or Connection: What’s Our Ministry Motivation?
Is there an alternative to the now-traditional approach to Sunday mornings and mid-week that would utilize the budget (whatever it is) in an impactful way, reduce the reliance on reluctant volunteers, and increase the significance of the ministry within the congregation?

How A Pastor Can Feed the Flock Every Day on Social Media
Pastor, what if there was a way to triple the number of people in your church who: read the Bible each morning… pray daily for the church and its mission… remember and apply what they hear during your sermons… without adding a ton of work to your already busy schedule?

Why We Should Keep Sharing Christ, Even With the Same People
Has someone you love not become a Christian despite your best evangelistic efforts? Are you feeling like a failure? Keep sharing Christ! Below are reasons why perseverance in evangelism is right.

Three dozen NC churches have agreed to leave the UMC under approved plan
After a judge dismissed their lawsuit, the 36 churches in the Western North Carolina Conference agreed to leave under the denomination's exit plan. They will formally exit in November.

Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, September 10, 2023) Is Now Online

 

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

This Sunday we have two Scripture Readings, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament. A Gospel Canticle and an Affirmation of Faith, the Apostles’ Creed, follows the readings and precedes the Prayers. An Anthem introduces this Sunday’s Message, which is followed by a Prayer of Dedication, a Benediction, a Closing Hymn, and the Exchange of the Peace.

Readings: Ezekiel 33: 7-11; Romans 13: 8-14

Message: Living the Second Great Commandment: Loving Others

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/09/sundays-at-all-hallows-sunday-september_9.html

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

If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-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.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

The Boundary Markers of Anglican Belief and Practice

By Robin G. Jordan

In ancient times boundary stones and natural features of the landscape—trees, streams, ponds, rivers, lakes, and the like, were used to mark the boundaries of land which a tribe, clan, or other kinship group claimed. Moving a boundary stone or a cairn used to mark a land boundary was considered a serious offense.

The boundary markers of the beliefs and practices of the reformed Church of England may be organized into four main categories. In the first category are documents like John Jewel’s Apology of the Church of England. They represent the earliest attempt to establish the boundaries of the Church of England during what is called the “English Reformation.” In the second category is the two Books of Homilies and the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. In the third category is the Prayer Book and the Ordinal. In the fourth category is the Canons of 1604.

During the nineteenth century the Catholic Revival not only moved a number of these boundary markers but also removed many of them. As one writer sympathetic to the Catholic Revival put it, the movement broke down the hedge between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. It not only revived a number of pre-Reformation medieval Catholic beliefs and practices in the English Church, but it also introduced many post-Tridentian continental Roman Catholic beliefs and practices into the English Church, beliefs and practices which had never been an element of pr-Reformation medieval English Catholicism. Their introduction would divide proponents of the Catholic Revival into two groups.

One group wished to restore a number of pre-Reformation medieval practices of the English Church, believing that their restoration would enrich the worship of the Church. They believed that these practices had antecedents and precedents in the practices of the early Church. The other group, however, wished to Romanize the English Church and to bring it back into the orbit of the Roman Catholic Church. They claimed that the English Church would have adopted the beliefs and practices that they were introducing if the English Reformation had not occurred.

The Catholic Revival movement quickly crossed the Atlantic to the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean islands. In the Protestant Episcopal Church its proponents made no distinction between pre-Reformation medieval English beliefs and practices and post-Tridentian continental Roman Catholic beliefs and practices. It would influence many American clergy to the point that they turned their backs on the English Reformation and the Protestant heritage of their church.

The mid-nineteenth century saw the emergence of the Broad Church movement which championed the acceptance of a wide diversity of opinion in the Church of England and its daughter churches. While this movement is generally associated with modernism and liberalism, its thinking is evident in a number of the breakaway churches, particularly the Anglican Church in North America and the Reformed Episcopal Church.

Among the most vocal of the members of these church we find a number of voices who advocate a continuing reformulation of Anglican beliefs and practices as the difficulties of the times may seem to require, even to the extent of discarding beliefs and practices which are integral to the Anglican Church’s Protestant heritage. ACNA’s first archbishop, Robert “Bob” Duncan has gone on record as saying that Anglicans should reject the English Reformation and the Elizabethan Settlement as no longer useful or desirable and return to the beliefs and practices of the pre-Reformation medieval Church.

Other voices describe the Anglican Church as an amalgam of Protestant and Catholic beliefs and practices in which elements of disparate theologies have converged to form a cohesive whole. Their thinking is reminiscent of that of Frederick Denison Maurice, a nineteenth century Anglican minister and theologian who is associated with the Broad Church movement and whose lectures, sermons, writings elicited one of two reactions. Some regarded him with “the reverence due a great spiritual teacher.” Others took a dimmer view of Maurice.

John Ruskin regarded him as “by nature puzzle-headed and indeed wrong-headed….” Aubry Thomas de Vere compared listening to Maurice to "eating pea-soup with a fork." Matthew Arnold observed that Maurice was "always beating the bush with profound emotion, but never starting the hare." M. E. Grant Duff after hearing Maurice on 30 to 40 occasions wrote in his diary, that he (Duff) had “never carried away one clear idea, or even the impression that he (Maurice) had more than the faintest conception of what he himself meant. John Stuart Mills concluded that more intellectual power had been wasted in Maurice than in any other of his contemporaries.

Maurice proposed a more dynamic theory of the supposed Anglican via media, or middle way, than John Henry Newman's. Newman would ultimately rejected his own theory as untenable. Maurice envisioned an evolutionary process in which a future Anglican Church would come to incorporate elements from the various branches of Christianity and in which all Christians would finally be united as one body. Maurice may be considered the father of the convergence view of the Anglican Church which is popular in some quarters of the Anglican Church in North America.

A number of voices in and outside the Anglican Church in North America champion what they describe as a “New Oxford movement.” The purpose of this movement is to extend the nineteenth century Catholic Revival and its beliefs and practices into the twenty-first century. This movement has its proponents in the Continuing Anglican Churches as well as in the Anglican Church in North America.

Some voices seek to move the Anglican Church closer to the Eastern Orthodox Churches while other voices seek to move the Anglican Church closer to the more conservative Lutheran Churches. A number of voices would move the Anglican Church closer to the more conservative Presbyterian and Reformed Churches.

If they have not already moved or removed the boundary markers of Anglican belief and practice, this highly vocal segment of the worldwide Anglican Church is prepared to move or remove them. They are not satisfied to leave well enough alone and leave the boundary markers where the first two centuries of the reformed Church of England placed them.

In upcoming articles I plan to look at where these boundary markers were placed and what their location means for those who identify themselves as “Anglicans” in the twenty-first century.

Saturday Lagniappe: 'Eight Ministry Staff Recruiting Flags' And More

Eight Ministry Staff Recruiting Flags

As staff recruiting in ministry world continues to evolve and become more competitive and sophisticated in recent years, churches and recruiting firms have developed a keen sense of red flags during the recruiting process that relate to whether a candidate is a good fit for your church or not. Those red flags may be a bit different from church to church but there are many red flags that are fairly consistent across the board.

Why we aren’t as bad as we could be
Why is that? It’s all a matter of perspective....

How Can I Become a Humbler Calvinist?
While we all are prone to hubris, excessive pride, Joh Piper examines why Calvinists may be more susceptibe to this sin and what they can do about it.

Make Jesus Christ, Not Pop Culture, the Heart of Sunday Worship
It looks like movie-based services are back on the church marquee—and producing new debates among Christians who feel these outreaches are either great spiritual conversation starters or else too frivolous for Sunday mornings.

I Set My Hope (Hymn for a Deconstructing Friend)
A new hymn by Keith & Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell; Matt Papa.

How To Be A Great Backup Singer
It’s one thing to have a great voice. It is quite another to possess the skills it takes to make your worship leader want to schedule you as often as possible. Here are some solid tips on how to improve as a backup singer.

Digital Resistance: Three Habits for the Internet Age
Analog resistance simply means practicing habits that accord with our fundamental needs as God-created persons.

A Simple but Radical Shift in the Purpose and Format of Small Groups
Every once in a while a new discovery comes along that changes everything. Change experts call these paradigm shifts. A paradigm shift is a fundamental change that radically changes how we approach and do things.

Friday's Catch: ' 'How the Nature of God Shapes the Organization of the Church' And More

How the Nature of God Shapes the Organization of the Church

If the church loses the personal touch of intimacy, we lose integrity. If we lose a sense of generations and eternity (infinite), we underestimate what God has in mind. 

4 Steps to Launch a New Ministry in Your Church
Launching a new ministry is often easier than we think.

‘The Great Dechurching’ explores America’s religious exodus
A new study looks at why millions of Americans left church — and what might bring them back.

The long-awaited release of 'The Great Dechurching' has arrived.

5 Ways to Serve Those Who Are Deconstructing Their Faith
When someone is deconstructing their faith, there are at least five ways your church can walk alongside them and help them.

And Can it Be?
Charles Wesley, pastor, missionary, and hymn writr, younger brother of John Wesley, came to faith in Christ while listening to the singing of a psalm. The psalm was Psalm 130, De profundis.

Pastors, There’s a Ministry in Staying Put
One of the best gifts you can give your church is not leaving too soon.

Prayers said on first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's death and King Charles' accession
Prayers are being said in churches on the first anniversary of the late Queen Elizabeth II's death, and King Charles' accession to the throne. Queen Elizabeth died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland aged 96. Charles, who was formerly the Prince of Wales, became King Charles III upon her death.

It only seems like yesterday that her Majesty the Queen departed this life and entered the nearer presence of God.

Queen was at peace and reflecting on her faith in final days
The late Queen was at peace and spent her final days reflecting on her Christian faith, according to a Church leader who was with her. Friday marks the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, September 7, 2023) Is Now Online

 

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

It is an ancient custom of the Church to light a lamp and to sing a hymn in praise of Christ as the Light as dusk settles over the community and the lights of evening begin to shine. Lighting a lamp or candle at the beginning of a time of prayer can be a symbolic act, setting apart that particular time of the day for prayer. After we have concluded our devotions, the lamp or candle can then be extinguished. Such acts help us to focus our attention on God.

Reading: Matthew 8: 23-27

Message: Jesus Calms the Storm

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/09/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows.html

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

If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-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.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Thursday's Catch: '9 Challenges to Church Planting' And More

9 Challenges to Church Planting
Like any movement, challenges exist that threaten the vitality and longevity of church planting. We must consider how to address them.

Involving Ourselves in Every Controversy?
Part of the pernicious underbelly of the internet is that many allow themselves to be drawn into controversies about which they have no need to involve themselves.

3 Essentials to Resolving Conflict Well
Nobody likes conflict. Yet, it’s inevitable in life.

Disabling Idolatry
Pandemic pressures are exposing among us an idol called ableism.

The Three Sacred Ministers: An Outmoded Concept
Ever since medieval times, a typical practice of Western Christendom has been the employment of three sacred ministers to mark the solemn celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Referred to as priest, deacon, and subdeacon, or as celebrant, gospeller, and epistoler, these three hieratic figures have long been characteristic of Western worship at its best.

Praying With Kingdom Authority
The enemy wants to make us prayerless so we never turn on the switch, even though the wiring for kingdom authority is in place.

5 Reasons Not to Follow Your Heart
The ‘freedom’ of our day is far more limiting. You have one option when it comes to your heart—follow it.

10 reasons why youth ministry matters now more than ever
Greg Stier lists 10 reasons why youth ministry is critical in our time.

Wednesday's Catch: 'Giving is up at churches and people are back....' And More

Giving is up at churches and people are back, but clergy are still thinking about quitting
While life at local congregations has returned mostly to normal, the future remains uncertain.

5 Encouraging Church Trends Right Now
A recent report presents five trends that can give church leaders and members hope that the post-pandemic reality continues to improve.

The New Golden Handcuffs for Pastors (It’s Mortgage Rates)
The real estate market is encouraging some pastors to stay put. For now.

Bad Church Stewardship Ideas: 4 Mistakes Churches Make
As we seek to cast a vision for real generosity, we need to first begin by asking ourselves if what we are doing is working. Are we treating the symptoms or addressing the heart?

4 Ways to Talk About Money in Your Church
How do you talk about money in your church? Talking about money is not always easy. This sensitive topic often gets brushed under the rug in the church. The truth is that we need to have conversations about money if we want to keep our churches running. It’s important to be willing to talk about finances openly and honestly. But how do you do it? How do you break the silence?

New Mohawk translation of the Bible published
The completion of the Bible in the Mohawk language is being celebrated in Canada this month. The Mohawk translation was carried out mostly by Harvey Satewas Gabriel, of Kanesatake, Quebec, and took over 17 years to complete.

Can It Be Forgotten?
We may well worry about decline in religious affiliation or the moral failures of our Christian communities, but what if there is an additional, more intimate problem in the life of the church — a failure in our adherence and attention to the sacred page?

Why Youth Group Involvement Is Down (and What to Do About It)
When kids don’t attend consistently, it’s hard for youth ministers to connect relationally, build community, or disciple effectively.

Bike Ministry on a roll at Sarah Jane Johnson UMC
The Bike Ministry grew from a summer youth outreach effort 16-years ago that included workshops where participants worked on their own bikes, side-by-side with volunteers from the Southern Tier Bike Club, gaining repair and regular maintenance skills. While many were reached and served that summer, church and bike club leadership saw first-hand just how many children are without bikes. In talking with folks from other outreach ministries, they learned about the benefits bikes would be for some adults too

Two Reasons Why Our Evangelism Isn’t Working
One in five Americans don’t believe in a deity. Less than half of the population attends religious services on a regular basis. Our evangelism isn’t working. People simply find our evangelism unbelievable. Why? While a person’s response to Christ is ultimately a matter that rests in God’s sovereign hands—something we have no control over—a person’s hearing of the gospel is a matter we do have control over and responsibility for.

American belief in fixed binary gender is growing
The percentage of Americans who believe only two fixed genders exist is steadily increasing, and more than a quarter claim young people are being coerced into being transgender, according to new polling data from Public Religion Research Institute.

NJ challenges Ocean Grove Christian group’s limit on private beach access on Sundays
Ocean Grove, a New Jersey community in Neptune Township founded by Methodist ministers in 1869 as a “Christian seaside resort” has been warned by state officials that their longstanding tradition of limiting access to their privately owned beach before noon on Sundays during the summer months to accommodate church services and maintain the character of their community is a violation of state law.

Tuesday's Catch: '5 Misconceptions About Dechurching in America' And More

5 Misconceptions About Dechurching in America
We’re currently living in the largest and fastest religious shift in U.S. history.

Every Culture Welcome: How Growing Churches Are Reaching Different Ethnic Groups
Churches on the Outreach 100 Fastest-Growing Churches list are unique and varied, but one characteristic they share that often goes unnoticed is that many of them are reaching different ethnic groups. While these churches’ stories are as diverse as their members, the principles they follow can help a church, no matter its size, reach its entire community.

5 Vision Killers
Casting vision is a key role every pastor must fill. Yet sometimes corporate attitudes and unhealthy cultures can get in the way.

Pastors, churches still struggling in throes of ‘uncertainty and unsettledness’ post-pandemic: study
In a time of “uncertainty and unsettledness” following the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, churches are still struggling to attract young people to the pews, address concerns about aging clergy and congregants, and commit to doing what it takes to ensure their future survival, a new study conducted by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford International University shows.

The latest research findings indicate that COVID-19 is not seasonal like influenza and RSV and outbreaks of the disease and surges in infections may occur at any time in the year, pointing to a need for the United States to change its vaccine development and vaccination strategy and churches to modify their contigency plans.

On the other side of the pandemic, the report from America’s churches is mixed
Increases in attendance, giving and participation, and a decline in internal squabbling, may signal America’s churches are emerging from the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, new research shows. But the study — “Back to Normal? The Mixed Messages of Congregational Recovery Coming Out of the Pandemic” — also found Mainline, evangelical, Black and multiracial churches in the United States are not out of the woods yet when it comes to the lingering consequences of the coronavirus outbreak.

When ‘liberal talking points’ are the gospel
When the gospel can be interpreted as “liberal talking points” there’s trouble brewing.

Standing Firm in a Culture of Gender Confusion
Our culture is confused about gender, but so are our churches... Amid such gender confusion and warfare, how should pastors respond and engage?

Want to grow your faith? Read Psalms
For thousands of years, the Psalms have provided Jews and Christians with a guide for their faith. They have been a powerful worship and prayer tool giving life direction. Here are three reasons the Psalms have been so influential and how they can be used by you to grow your faith.

5 Ways to Deepen Your Prayer Life
Prayer can be hard work. But it is also a joyful and rewarding practice. As we continue to deepen our life of prayer, we’ll find that we crave it when the busyness of life has edged it out.

A Place to Grow
The church has a unique opportunity to allocate its precious resources to teaching our children the spiritual disciplines they need to grow in faith and service. Kids’ ministry programs can provide the foundation for the teaching, mentorship and preparation kids need to stand, crawl, walk, run and finally fly from childhood, through their youth, to become spiritually mature adults. There are many ways to do this well, and one of those ways is by creating dedicated spaces to help kids truly absorb and experience God’s love.

4 Ways Missions Discipleship Shapes the Children in Your Church
Children who experience these areas of missions discipleship learn to take ownership of how they serve others in the community and world.

10 Ways to Ignite Fervent Prayer in Your Small Group
Praying in a small group can be intimidating for those who haven’t done it before. You’d be surprised how many people are not used to praying out loud with other people around them listening in. This is an essential spiritual practice for all believers to develop because agreement in prayer among two or more believers sparks the outworking of God’s will on earth as it is in heaven and strengthens the community of His Church (Matthew 18:18-20). As the small group leader, you can ignite a passion for prayer in your group by engaging in these practices....

Top Video Cameras for Broadcasting Church Services
What is the best camera to use for live streaming?

Standing by the Door
If you are a Christian, how did you become one?

SOM Begins Again
"The purpose of the School of Ordained Ministry in the Diocese of Northwest Texas (SOM) is to provide a quality theological education for the formation of priests and deacons. It focuses this education on talented students, who for various reasons cannot attend a residential seminary." After a 2-year hiatus, SOM has begun again with a new group of 5 students who gathered the last weekend in August at the Hulsey Episcopal Center in Lubbock to begin/continue their theological education.

Monday's Catch: 'Do I Really Need to Be a Member of a Church?" And More

Do I Really Need to Be a Member of a Church?

This question and its ensuing discussion continues. Do I really need to be a member of a church?

How to Be a Missional and Confessional Church That Motivates People for Faithful Ministry
In this final episode of season three of As in Heaven, hosts Jim Davis and Michael Aitcheson welcome Irwyn Ince to discuss the value of churches that seek to be both missional and confessional. When churches hold both in harmony, they become places that people won’t want to leave.

Thirteen Characteristics of the Holy Spirit
The Scripture provides a number of phrases that describe the characteristics of the Holy Spirit.

9 Things You Should Know About the Prosperity Gospel
A recent survey finds an increasing number of churchgoers in the United States subscribe to beliefs associated with the prosperity gospel. “In the last five years, far more churchgoers are reflecting prosperity gospel teachings,” says Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, “including the heretical belief that material blessings are earned from God.”

Getty’s Sing! Conference seeks to highlight role worship music plays in spiritual formation, Great Commission
Worship music plays a significant role in both personal spiritual formation and the Great Commission — and it’s key to discipling the next generation in an increasingly dark world. That’s according to modern hymn writer Keith Getty, who in an interview with The Christian Post reflected on the pivotal role of music in biblical teachings and the need for Christians to stay rooted in their faith amid societal changes.

Are You a Lover of Good?
There seems to be something embedded within our sinful human nature that makes us quicker to see evil than good. There is something that draws our attention more naturally to sin than to righteousness, more easily to what is ugly in other people than what is beautiful.

Don’t Miss Gen Z’s Missionary Potential
What if God has ordained certain Gen Z traits to be used for his redemptive purposes?

How to Rethink Your Short-Term Trips
Here are some ideas for avoiding the mistakes that are common to short-term trips and helping redeem short-term trips to be more effective.

Church of England called to be faithful after Times survey
Church of England clergy who have "lost confidence" in the Bible and biblical ethics should resign or be removed, the head of Christian Concern has said. Andrea Williams was responding to a survey of CofE priests by The Times that found over half (53%) support priests being allowed to conduct same-sex weddings if they wish. 

Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, September 3, 2023) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

Jesus told his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” Whatever our circumstances, Jesus calls us to follow him with the same words, “…give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”

In the ancient Roman world in the time of Jesus a man carrying a cross to his place of execution was considered a dead man. Whatever life that he may have had, it ceased when he hoisted that cross onto his shoulders.

Whatever life we may have had also ceases when we respond to Jesus’ call to follow him. We are dead to that life and the life which we live from that point on is the life we live in Christ.

Reading: Romans 12: 9-21

Message: Walking in Love

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/09/sundays-at-all-hallows-sunday-september.html

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

If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-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.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Saturday Lagniappe ´Songs Are Discipleship´ And More

Songs Are Discipleship
If a mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew, the same is true of the songs we choose and sing congregationally.

Sharing Jesus in a Digital World
T...e Church has entered a new era—a post-Christian, digital age. But simply having a website, social media, and an online campus should not be our only forays into a digital post-Christian world. We should enter the virtual mission field.

7 Things NOT to Say When You’re Leading People Through Change
Leading change requires a skill set. And the good news is that skill set can be learned.

3 Steps for Church Planters to Build a Healthy Team
What steps should church planters take to build an intentional culture from the ground up?

6 Ways the Team Reflects the Leader
...here are six ways the team reflects the leader....

What’s Leaving Your Wallet? Financial Changes Impacting Your Congregation
Changes in saving, spending, and giving are impacting your congregation, but do churchgoers notice the financial tradeoffs they are making?

The Hallmark of Genuine Christianity
What is the hallmark of genuine Christianity? What is the outward sign that a person is truly Christian, or that a community of Christians is the real thing? What is the inevitable fruit of obeying the gospel? There are many potential hallmarks....

Deconversion is Apostasy
Apostasy is the act of giving up your religious beliefs and leaving a religion. This is what people do when they deconvert from Christianity. They apostasize.

What Kind of Kid Disciples Are in Your Church?
When discipling young people, it is essential to understand their personalities to reach them most effectively.

‘In Old Age They Still Produce Fruit’
Yes, as a whole Church, we need to put greater effort into reaching the Next Generation; and our resources for church leaders are largely focused on that. But the population of older adults in need of discipling is nearly unlimited in the foreseeable future.

The extreme summer weather that scorched and soaked the world
Heat. Wildfires. Torrential rain. Typhoons and hurricanes. Much of the northern hemisphere has been battered by extreme weather this summer.

Texas churches pray for rain as dogged drought conditions linger
“We believe that it is the time of rain in our region, so we are asking/petitioning the Father for rain.” 

Whether they are connected to human activity or natural causes, this century's changing weather patterns and the resulting extreme weather are going to cause human suffering and local churches need to make realistic plans on how they are going to respond.

Historic Gardiner church seeks to fix tower that houses Revere bell
A historic Gardiner church with a bell crafted by Paul Revere & Sons is working to save a piece of history.

A number of Episcopal churches are historic sites and a part of the nation's history. Whatever we may think of the Episcopal Church, these buildings are worth preserving.

Friday's Catch: 'No More Generations? When Labels Limit and Differences Divide' And More

No More Generations? When Labels Limit and Differences Divide
Pew Research recently published in article in which they shared that they will be moving away from using generation-specific language in sharing their findings with the general public.

Gen Z Needs a Place at Your Kitchen Table
Perhaps the constant current of entertainment that Gen Z lives beneath has left them waterlogged, even drowning. My generation is gasping for something real.

Gen Z Will Not Save the World
Gen Z sees themselves as the generation that’s woken up to the evils of their elders.

We need encouragement in sermons, not only challenge
What do you expect from a sermon when you go to a church service? What is it that you need to hear, and what is important to be included?

What are Harvest Festivals and why do we have them?
Through September and October, British churches of most denominations have a Harvest Festival, but the modern Harvest Festival is mainly a Victorian development based on biblical themes.

One Simple Yet Crucial Decision College Freshmen Need to Make
o be a Christian is to be a part of the body of Christ, and the body of Christ is to be made visible.

Before You Share Your Faith! How to Be 'Evangelism Ready'
Are you ready to tell someone about Jesus? How can you be prepared? Matt Smethurst, author of Before You Open Your Bible and companion book Before You Share Your Faith, outlines seven tips for becoming “evangelism ready.”

3 Encouraging Trends I See in the UK’s Churches
Ed Stetzer shares 3 observations about the church in the United Kingdom.

Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, August 31, 2023) Is Now Online

Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.

This Thursday evening, we continue the message series about Jesus’ teaching. As we learned in last Thursday’s message what Jesus taught can be gleaned from conversations he had as well as instructions he gave, stories he told, and remarks he made. Disciples of Jesus show their love for the One whom they call Lord by following his teaching and example. They do not pass judgment on what he said and did but rather are guided by his words and actions.

Reading: Matthew 8: 14-22

Message: What Did Jesus Teach about Following Him?

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/08/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows_30.html

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

If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-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.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Thursday's Catch: 'Have We Lost the Thread of God’s Grace?' And More

Have We Lost the Thread of God’s Grace?
Religious traditions aren’t all bad. It’s important, even necessary, to respect our past. But religious traditions can go wrong. The biggest danger is this: Our traditions are always at risk of having lost the thread of the grace of God.

VOICES: Is Christianity really a white man's religion?
This question is imperative in a time like this. Christianity is seriously under attack from enemies within and without.

As pastors age, majority struggle to find mature young Christian successors: study
As American pastors continue to skew older, with an average age of 52, a majority now say it is becoming increasingly difficult to find mature young Christians willing to do their jobs as they prepare to retire, data from a new Barna study shows.

5 Physical Ways Pastors Prepare for Sunday
Pay attention to the physical side of preaching. If you are a church member, consider passing this along to your minister and incorporating this into your life as a worshiper. What can be said of preachers can also often be said of worshipers. If you are tired or in poor health during worship, it will impact you more than you think.

10 Tips for Preaching Students
As a new semester begins at Bible colleges and seminaries, many students look forward to taking their first preaching course. Some have no preaching experience and hold the syllabus tightly with nervous fingers. Some have experience teaching in various capacities and received glowing reviews from well-meaning church members, so they assume there is little to learn. Both should enter the upcoming semester with humility, patience, and at least eight other perspectives.

AI-Powered Preaching: How Much Should Silicon Valley Impact Sermon Prep?
With the expansion of AI, the over-reliance on technology can impact every way we communicate, including the Sunday morning sermon.

From the Archives: Worship in an Era of Permanent Change
It has been quite accurately observed that we live in a world of permanent change. Change is, in fact, the only constant factor in the history of our planet. The pre-Socratic philosophers recognized this. The little old lady who complains, “Things just aren’t the same as when I was young,” has recognized it. And it is true.

A Helpful Tool for Anglican Chant
The St. John’s Cathedral Psalter was created by Timothy Tuller, canon for music at St. John’s Cathedral, Jacksonville, Florida, and Dr. Carole Clifford. In an attractively bound spiral book, all 150 Psalms are presented and pointed for ease of use in a traditional Anglican Chant format.

Anglican chant requires strong musical leadership and the right acoustics and is best left to cathedral and large church choirs. Small churches which form the larger proportion of Anglican and Episcopal churches need a collection of metrical and responsorial settings of the psalms and canticles, which they can pull off under less than ideal conditions.

African Festival Promotes Traditional Hymns
An international festival, now in its 10th year, aims to preserve traditional Anglican hymn-singing in Central and East African nations. As with many churches throughout the world, hymns often must compete with folk and pop settings, or different worship music entirely.

Three Bad Ways We Read the Bible and Three Tips to Improve
As part of its annual State of the Bible report in 2022, the American Bible Society found that about 26 million people mostly or completely stopped reading the Bible in the last year. As Christianity Today noted in its article about the report, that's the steepest, sharpest decline on record.

5 Reasons Why Children Like Going to Church
Is your church a place where children like to be? One of our goals should be to create a place where kids love to come. We want to see kids dragging their parents to church rather than parents having to drag their kids to church.

I went to church as a child because going to church is what my family did on Sundays. It was a part of our way of life and it continues to be a part of my way of life to this day.

How to Encourage Prayer in Small Groups
What if there was a way to encourage prayer for yourself and those you lead to pray daily and encourage the ones they are praying for at the same time?

Wednesday's Catch: 'American Democracy Is in Danger, and So Is the Gospel' And More

American Democracy Is in Danger, and So Is the Gospel
In this article Bill Leonard, founding dean and the James and Marilyn Dunn professor of Baptist studies and church history emeritus at Wake Forest University School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, N.C., adds his voice to a growing number of voices drawing attention to what is happening in evangelical churches across the United States.

How to Lead Your People to Deeper Church Commitment
One way to build momentum is by aligning people to the vision. Churches that succeed in aligning people to vision teach and empower people to commit to Christ, the Word of God, a prayer life and deeper church commitment.

Feeding the Community Together
Micro-pantries are a useful adjunct to community food banks and church food pantries for times when these resources are closed and a family or individual needs emergency food assistance. However, they are not a replacement for SNAP, WIC, and other government food assistance programs or community food banks and church food pantries. Food insecuity is too greater problem in the United States.

Making the Decision to Go to Seminary: Six Considerations Before Going
Some denominations and jurisdictions require anyone who feels a call to ministry to obtain a degree from a seminary, receive training at the judicatorial level, or complete a course of independent study as a requirement for ordination.

Pastors’ Average Age Stable Over Past Decade
The average age of Protestant pastors in the U.S. has remained stable over the past 10 years, according to analysis of Lifeway Research data.

7 Principles for Preaching to the People in Your Pews
These seven preaching principles can guide us in our quest to speak to the sheep we’ve been called to shepherd.

5 Bad Ideas That Will Make Your Service Fake
We have all been there. Everything may sound fantastic, look attractive and was planned with purposeful intent. But, something just doesn’t seem right. You feel fake vibes when hoping for authentic ones. Regardless, what makes a worship service fake might be boiled down to a few things even though there may be many things we can put on a list. Here are five bad ideas that promote the “fake factor” in church worship services.

3 Simple Ways to Reach College Students
Satan knows the college campus is strategic. Will more churches wake up to this reality?

6 Ways to Protect Your Congregation from Scammers
What is your church doing to protect your church members’ personal data and the potential trauma of getting scammed?

5 Ways to Guard Against Sexual Sin
Implement these simple, yet powerful habits to stand strong against lust.

Maryland church that left UMC must raise $4 million to keep property
A Maryland congregation that voted to leave the United Methodist Church has only a few weeks remaining to raise enough money to pay $4 million to keep their property or they will lose their church building.

Oklahoma Supreme Court blocks congregation's vote to leave UMC
An Oklahoma congregation seeking to leave the United Methodist Church through a disaffiliation process is temporarily disallowed from holding another vote on the matter after earlier votes failed, the state's highest court has ruled.

Short docket brings more church-exit questions
The United Methodist Church’s top court has set its shortest fall docket in years. But the Judicial Council continues to face questions related to church exits. Also before the church court are two questions about the COVID-delayed General Conference.

1 in 6 churchgoers have had, paid for or encouraged an abortion, survey finds
One out of every six regular churchgoers in the United States has had, paid for or encouraged an abortion, while one-fifth doesn't believe the Bible identifies when life begins, a new study suggests.

Tuesday's Catch: '5 Cultural Trends Driving the Growth of Microchurches' And More

5 Cultural Trends Driving the Growth of Microchurches

Microchurches are the primary form of church in the New Testament and in most movements around the world. However, they have often struggled to be recognized as such in the Western world... Given what we see in the early church, it’s clear that “microchurch” is simply a new name for an old idea. It is a form that has existed throughout time in different movements, such as the Moravian Revival and other non-Western church-planting movements that have brought the gospel into new places.

The clericism and sacerdotalism that have become institutionalized in the Anglican and Episcopal Churches will be a significant obstacle to the development of microchurche in these church traditions.

Is your town a good place to grow old?
It's true that generally people are living longer and in better health than in generations before, but there are increasing challenges for older men and women in our communities.

Going to Church Leads to Increased Theological Understanding
The State of Theology offers a compelling case for the value of church attendance in helping people grow in their knowledge of God.

This observation is partly valid. Its validity depends upon whether sound Biblical theology is preached from the pulpit and taught in the Sunday school classroom. Regular attendees of a church may acqire more knowledge of God but will this knowldge lead to the transformation of their lives? While regular church attedance increases the likelihood that church attendees may experience life transformation, it does not guarantee it. Other factors must be considered.

10 Things that Surprise Rookie Pastors
Pastors, what most surprised you in your early years of ministry?

Serve in Children’s Ministry. It’s Bigger Than You Think.
Children’s ministry is, at its core, a ministry of hospitality.

20 Great Digital Pastoral Tools
In a world full of smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops, we have the opportunity to utilize many pastoral tools for the glory of God. In fact, there are so many great pastoral tools that it may seem a little overwhelming....

6 Ways to Improve Communication via Digital Signage
Clear messages are more important than ever. Digital signage can greatly improve your communication and help your congregation to navigate in your church. You can communicate safety expectations, guidelines, information on where things are, what’s new, what has changed.

6 Elements of a Good Icebreaker Question
If you use an icebreaker question that does these six things, your question will pave the way for a good discussion around God’s Word.

Jesus, Jason Aldean and small-town Christianity
In this article Shannon Makujina, an 18-year-old blogger in upstate South Carolina, draws our attention to what is a disturbing trend in a number of churches: politics has replaced Jesus, his message, and his teaching in the hearts of members and attendees of these churches.

White Christians think too many people see racism when it’s not there, new survey finds
A new survey from Pew Research revealed once again how deeply divided religious Americans are when it comes to matters of race.

I have lived in the South for more than six decades of my life. While racial attitudes have changed during that time, the racism that once characterized many parts of the South has not disappeared entirely. It is more pronounced in some population segments than others. I cannot speak about other regions of the United States.

Over Half of Protestants Say They Have Interacted With Dead Relatives: Report 

A new study published by Pew Research has found that moderately religious Americans, including Christians, are among the likeliest to attempt to communicate with dead relatives.

Americans have long had a fascination with mediums, seances, and spiritualism. The Bible, however, clearly prohibits communication with the dead, a practice of various ancient peoples who sought advice and guidance from the dead. King Saul defied this prohibition and sought to consult with the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel with the help of the witch of Endor who practiced necromancy. In doing so, he only added to the sins that cost him the throne of Israel.  

Monday's Catch: '10 Traits Of Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance' And More

10 Traits Of Post-Pandemic Churches With Growing In-Person Attendance

Brian Dodd's findings are based upon his conversations with a number of church leaders. They are promising observations but hard data is needed to support them.

How a Small Church Can Be a Sending Church
Small churches can care deeply about the Great Commission and be fruitful in obeying Jesus’s command to make disciples of all nations. We just need to be intentional and thoughtful in our approach. Here are four ways small churches can do their part in global missions.

The Great Leadership Shortage in Churches: Five Ways to Address It
One of the most common challenges we hear from church leaders, particularly pastors, is the need for more leaders in the church. The vacuum seems the greatest among elders, deacons, and teachers.

5 Truths to Remember About New Leaders in Your Church
As new leaders step into their ministry calling, we must prioritize discipleship and enabling them to find success in their new role.

How to Fix a Mediocre Worship Music Mix
Does your mix suffer from these four common mix maladies? If it does, that’s OK because there is a remedy for each one. The next worship service could be your best worship music mix.

Why Volunteer Burnout Is Not Their Fault
If you want to see your volunteers go the distance with you, then don't place them where you need them, place them where they need to be.

6 Traits of the Best Small Group Hosts
Who really makes the best small group hosts?

Three Questions to Ask Yourself in Seasons of Spiritual Dryness
If you are trudging through a season of spiritual dryness, you are not alone. How can we overcome the spiritual doldrums?

4 Reasons to Show Mercy to Others
God wants you to be an agent of mercy in the world. Everyone needs mercy because everyone has messed up. We’ve all hurt other people and made mistakes. We’ve all sinned and we all have hurts, habits, and hang-ups as a result of the mistakes we’ve made. Mercy changes the lives of people who have made mistakes, and we who have received mercy freely can change the world around us by showing mercy to others.

C. S. Lewis Shows Us How to Care for Doubters
There are moments of enchantment even the most ardent naturalists struggle to dismiss, times when the sacred leaves us longing for more.

Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, August 27, 2023) Is Now Online

Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.

Every believer is called to a ministry of some kind regardless of their circumstances. A homebound believer may minister to other believers and those who do not yet know Jesus by praying for them. They may call others in similar circumstances to theirs to check on how they are doing.

All believers are called to be witnesses to Jesus in both word and deed. This may prove more difficult for some than others due to their particular circumstances, but God has a way of ministering to others through us despite our limitations. God also provides us with an abundant supply of his grace to help us.

Reading: Romans 12:1–8

Message: Gifts of Grace

Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2023/08/sundays-at-all-hallows-sunday-august-27.html

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

If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:

-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.

-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.

-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.

-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.

May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.

Saturday Lagniappe: 'Why is Church Planting so Important?' And More

Why is Church Planting so Important?

"We face an interesting time in our history: Both the supply of churches and the demand for them seems to be decreasing. Never has there been a greater need for more churches than right now," writes Chris Dowd. "Considering this context, let me share with you five reasons why church planting is crucial today."

What One of the World’s Smartest Leaders Taught Me
Charles Stone shares what he learned from leadership expert Malcolm Webber.

The Preacher’s Guide to Preparing Sermons With a Team
Lane Sebring explain why he prepares sermons with a team.

Don't Begin With the Needs of Your People
Taken too far, the needs of people — not Scripture — will dictate what we preach and teach.

College Students Are Back in Town—Is Your Church Ready?
Perhaps you already have plans in place to support families in the back-to-school shuffle. But if your church is near a college or university, you also have an opportunity to support incoming students

Share Your Faith: 7 Steps for Equipping Teens for Evangelism
Do your teens know how to share their faith? And do they actually do so? Read on for insights about student evangelism and how to make that a reality.

ReAwaken America is back. So is the right wing roadshow’s antisemitic rant.
The potential for violence might be ReAwaken America’s biggest threat.

Jesus and the apostles warned about false teachers who would lead people astray. In 2 Timothy 4: 3 Paul warns, "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear."

Friday's Catch: 'The Great Dechurching' And More

The Great Dechurching: An evening with Jim Davis, Michael Graham, and Bishop Justin Holcomb
We are currently experiencing the largest and fastest shift in American religious history. It's bigger than the First Great Awakening, Second Great Awakening, and every revival our country has ever experienced combined. But this isn't a great awakening, it's a great dechurching.

3 Powerful Impacts of Group Culture on Congregations
Group culture is the “way we do things.” Churches, denominations, and even committees have a group culture. While ethnicity, region, and generation impact the way a group functions, group culture gets at something deeper. In this article, I’m going to share with you 3 powerful impacts of group culture on congregations. And how you can leverage it to maximize your influence on the communities you serve.

What's Your Congregation's Personality Type?
Which of the five congregational personality types and their core Biblical value describes your church?

3 Questions for Church Leaders to Ask NOW
According to Ron Edmondson, there are three questions for church leaders to ask NOW – and regularly.

7 Steps To Accomplish a Turnaround
Gavin Adams offers guidance for those confronted with a turnaround.

4 Dimensions of Loving God
We don’t just have a heart, soul, mind, and body. We are the sum of those things. What does loving God with each of these dimensions entail?

What Does C. S. Lewis’s ‘The Abolition of Man’ Have to Say After 80 Years?
The Abolition of Man is a powerful work for our day because, in many ways, Lewis predicted the future.

Calling vs. Career: Where Does Children’s Ministry Fit, Exactly?
Calling vs. Career. Which label would you use for children’s ministry?

A Jesus-Shaped Life
Christianity is in crisis because self-identified Christians are using their own political, social, moral, and cultural views to assess the soundness and relevance of Jesus’ teaching. Strictly speaking, for Christians it should be the other way around. We should test the validity of our thoughts and the trustworthiness of our passions by whether or not they adhere to what Jesus says.

Is Jesus’ Mission Your Mission?
Jesus is not after passive surrender. The cross was his instrument of world salvation, so to take it up means actively devoting your life to his mission. So many Christians believe you must simply obey all the Ten Commandments and then go on with life as usual, unless God appears to you in a burning bush. But following Jesus means accepting his mission as your own and pursuing it wholeheartedly.That mission is defined by two trajectories: evangelism and caring for the poor.

Prosperity gospel on the rise among US churchgoers, survey finds
An increasing share of American Protestant churchgoers believe that financial prosperity is part of God's plan for them and that giving more money to their church and charities will result in blessings from God, according to a recent study by Lifeway Research.