On the Youth and Family Ministry page of GCI’s Generations Ministries website (click here), you will find a catalog of resources related to discipling people of all ages—older adults included. On that page, under the “Older Adults” heading you’ll find linked an insightful article from Regent College professor Maxine Hancock titled, “Aging as a Stage of the Heroic Pilgrimage of Faith.” To read the article, (click here).
Many GCI congregations are learning the value of team-based ministry, including using a team of several people for both planning and delivering sermons. For a helpful video advocating a team-based approach to preaching, watch this:
Ruth Haley Barton writes about preparing for Advent in a recent eReflections post:
The seasons of the church year are meant to teach us something about the spiritual life we need to learn. Beyond mere information about the spiritual life, they offer us the opportunity to practice some of the key disciplines of the Christian life and to do it together as a community of faith.
You might find her article helpful in preparing yourself and your congregation for the Advent season. To read the article go to www.transformingcenter.org/2012/11/advent-leaders-in-waiting/.
You also might find helpful the GCI videos and articles about Advent and Christmas indexed at http://www.gci.org/category/topics/christmas.
Church leaders, denominational executives, and religion researchers gathered in Colorado recently to examine the church’s health and prognosis. The Future of the Church Summit was sponsored by Group Publishing. After evaluating current trends, Summit members predicted that churches, if they are to thrive in the years ahead, will develop the following characteristics:
Click here to read the full article.
A recent Holy Soup blog from Thom Shultz of Group Publishing notes that though “much of the contemporary church has fashioned itself to be ‘seeker sensitive,'” an increasing number of unchurched people are not “seeking” the church at all, despite having spiritual interest. Thom then gives several suggestions for reaching such folks. Read his blog by clicking here.
GCI Church Administration and Development offers training videos and other resources at FaithTalk Equipper to help churches use small groups to connect with spiritually-interested, non-churched people.
This article from GCI pastor George Hart supplements the current issue of Equipper on preaching.
No doubt many of us remember the Add Color speech from Spokesman Club. Its purpose was “to draw a word picture so clearly and colorfully that a few well-chosen phrases will engrave your key thought on the minds of your listeners. Make your subject live.”
Warren Wiersbe addresses this need in Preaching and Teaching with Imagination. When we hear the word “imagination” our thoughts may run toward the imaginary or fanciful—something that is unreal. However, that is not what Wiersbe advocates. His point is that preachers and teachers should use language that helps their listeners see (imagine) what the speaker is saying—making it come to life. For an example, read Psalm 23 where the writer uses imagery to help us see what he is saying.
Another example is found in 2 Samuel 17. There two people used two different approaches in trying to influence Absalom’s decision about his father David, who had escaped into the wilderness. Read the accounts in 2 Samuel 17:1-3 and 2 Samuel 17:7-13 and note the different approaches. The second, which incorporates the use of imagination, influenced Absalom to go against his trusted counselor, take the advice of David’s ally and spare David’s life.
C.S. Lewis said it well: “For me, reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning. Imagination, producing new metaphors or revivifying old, is not the cause of truth, but its condition.”
GCI in the United States is a member of Mission America, a coalition of Christian leaders who come together to mobilize the Church for praying, caring and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in deed and word. Here are excerpts from a recent Mission America Update newsletter.
According to Christian apparel company Kerusso, a graphic T-shirt will be read as many as 3,000 times. A survey of Christian T-shirt wearers revealed 98% wear them to share their faith, and nearly half say they’ve been able to share Christ with an unbeliever because of a shirt’s message. One in 14 reports having helped an unbeliever come to know Christ after having a conversation that began because they wore a Christian T-shirt. (Change Your Shirt Change Your World by Vic Kennet, Kerusso 2012)
American Christian women assign positive attributes to their spiritual lives. 73% say their faith is characterized by joy. 72% experience a lot of spiritual freedom in their faith, and 67% feel a lot of fulfillment in terms of their spiritual life. Only 3% of women claim to feel “a lot” of fear, doubt, or confusion in their faith. When asked what they struggle with, women most often point to disorganization (50%) and inefficiency (42%). Just 8% admit to lust, 13% to feeling envious often or sometimes, 36% to feeling anger, 25% struggle with selfishness, 19% are prone to excessive arguing, and 16% say they can be arrogant. 29% say losing someone they loved was the hardest thing they have faced. 20% say their family or children have caused the most hurt in their life, and 9% rank a divorce or a bad marriage as their biggest disappointment in life. (Barna Group 8/21/12)
56% of pastors in a recent LifeWay Research study report that the economy is impacting their churches somewhat negatively while 8% say it is very negative, 25% of the pastors surveyed report no impact, and 9% report a positive impact on their churches. However, fewer churches reported declines in giving; 23% had lower giving in 2010 than 2009 while 19% had lower giving in 2011 than in 2010. Through 5/12 giving for 15% of churches has been below 2011. Similarly, fewer churches are failing to meet budget expectations. Through 5/11, giving for 27% was below budget. At the same time in 2012, only 22% reported giving below budget—a 5% improvement from the prior year. Through 5/11, 36% saw giving the same vs. the previous year compared with 40% through 5/12/2012. A larger percentage of pastors serving in large cities and the suburbs (72% in both areas) cited a negative impact on their church from the economy in 2012 than those serving in small cities (63%) and rural areas (61%). (Charisma News 8/27/12)
People of all generations use social media to stay connected with people. Social networks are an extension of consumers’ lives. The second most common reason Millennials share on social networks is to show others what matters to them—the things going on in their lives. Two in five Millennials list it as one of the top three reasons they share on social networks, compared to one in four Baby Boomers or Gen-Xers. (Engage Gen-Y 8/3/12)
October being Pastor Appreciation Month, we offer here a short video vividly illustrating the ministry of Jesus–the great Shepherd. Thanks to all who serve with him as under-shepherds (we call them pastors!).
One of the challenges faced by pastors and other church leaders is teaching the congregation about financial stewardship (including generous giving). Here are some helpful online resources (and a couple of cartoons for a little levity about a serious topic):
Facebook is a great tool for building and maintaining relationships with people both inside your church and within your community. However, in a recent ChurchLeaders.com article, Paul Steinbrueck shares some of the risks that Facebook use presents, including the risk of hurting your own reputation.
Click here to read Steinbrueck’s article, “18 Ways to Ruin Your Reputation on Facebook.”
