Saturday, 4 May 2024

Month: September 2016

14 Ways Introverted Senior Pastors Can Be More Relational

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One of the most common complaints I hear from churches is how they wish their introverted Senior Pastors were friendlier and more approachable.

The good news is this can be very easily addressed, without Senior Pastors running themselves into the ground.

Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years to help introverted Senior Pastors practice being more relational:

1. Don’t focus on friendliness. Focus on displaying the fruit of the spirit.
Nowhere are we commanded to “be super friendly a..

7 Bible Verses About Social Justice

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Here are seven Bible verses that directly relate to social injustice.

Isaiah 1:17 “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

”This is one of the most powerful verses in the entire Bible about societal justice. Here, Isaiah the Prophet reminds them what it is that God seeks for the nation of Israel, and something in the latter years that was missing before they were taken into captivity and was part of the reason the nation fell. ..

5 Words of Wisdom and Caution for a Growing Church

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Five years ago, Grace Hills Church was made up of about 35 of us. Last year, our final year meeting in a movie theater, we had an average worship attendance of about 240. And since moving into our current location in January of this year, that average has been 385 with over 400 in five out of the last seven weeks. In November, we’re adding a third morning worship service to accommodate the growth.

Here’s the disclaimer you knew was coming… Numbers aren’t everything, as I’ll explain in a moment,..

Five Steps to Feel What God Feels

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How do we obey commands to feel rightly in our hearts, when so often we feel powerless to control our emotions? John Piper explains five steps from the text of 1 Peter.

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Do Bible Readings In Church Make You Nod Off? Justin Welby Has Your Number

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The Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised Anglicans who use Bible readings as a “mental snooze break” to take a quick 40 winks in church.

In what appears to be a comment on his own Church of England, Justin Welby laments the problem of “Biblical illiteracy”.

He says: “In some parts of the Anglican Communion – thankfully not all of them – we are caught out by the fact that people don't know their Bibles at all. Perhaps the only time they hear it is when they go to church and the..

The Quiet Miracle of Queen of Katwe

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It’s a miracle.

The phrase is pregnant with Christian portent. Yes, other religions have their own sets of miracles, but Christianity seems to put a special emphasis on them. Jesus performed plenty of miracles, from killing fig trees to raising the dead, each one used as one more proof of His divinity. And ever since then, miracles have always been an important part of the Christian story—and Christian stories.

Christian movies are enamored with the miraculous. Just this year, we’ve..

Small Groups Where Grace is In Place

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“It was my first time attending the group meeting, but I have to admit it, it felt more like a job interview. I was thinking, ‘Do these people like me? Do I like them? What if they really knew me? Would they invite me back? Would I trust my secrets to them — and would they be authentic and tell me their stories?’ It was awkward and I felt judged. I want to be accepted, not analyzed; loved, not labeled.” Not cool.

This time of year affords many opportunities to welcome them home. Jean Vanier in ..

Can I Cry At Church? Why We Need To Learn To Lament

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“How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations!”

As I sit and read these words on a beautiful Autumnal day in the thriving metropolis of London, they seem a world away. This ancient passage comes from the first chapter of the book of Lamentations – the collection of poetry which makes up the book is all written in the aftermath of a cataclysmic event: the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

My Cross: Is Sweden’s Church Failing To Stand Up For Persecuted Christians?

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It's harmless, surely? Three Swedish priests respond to the murder of Fr Jacques Hamel by Muslim extremists by encouraging people to share images of the cross in support of persecuted Christians everywhere. The Mitt Kors (My Cross) movement took off and has now grown to 10,500 members. Its Facebook group has countless images of crosses and expressions of support for suffering Christians.

Michael Gerard Helders posted: “My new cross came in the mail today. Thought it was t..

Obama Faith Adviser: Trump Is The ‘Most Secular, Least Prepared, Least Qualified And Most Dangerous Candidate In Modern History’

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Michael Wear, former faith adviser to President Barack Obama.

Michael Wear is a wise head on young shoulders. At just 28, he has already served on both of Barack Obama's successful presidential election campaigns, in 2008 and 2012, and as 'head of faith outreach' for the President.

Now a public speaker on faith and a campaigner on social justice, Wear has set up a new group for centrist Christians, Public Faith, and has a new book coming out: Reclaiming Hope:Lesso..

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