Last week I had the privilege of participating in a Week of Hope alongside a group of eighteen middle school students and two adults from my church. We were a part of a larger team of eighty-seven participants (middle school students, high school students, and adults) from five churches across the country affiliated with three different denominations. This short-term mission opportunity is open to middle and high school students across the country and is facilitated by Group Read More …
Discipleship
What is the Purpose of a Sermon? (#0010)
Scot McKnight's latest blog entry invites discussion: What is the Purpose of a Sermon? McKnight, a New Testament scholar as well as a prolific author and blogger, asks the question as he follows those who are live blogging about a preaching conference at Mars Hill with Rob Bell, Pete Rollins, and Shane Hipps. So What? Share your answer to the question: What is the purpose of a sermon? For me a part of the answer must be in the so what. If I hear what sounded like a great Read More …
To Twist or Not to Twist (#0008)
In the July/August edition of Youth Worker Journal, Patton Dodd wrote an article about twisting Scripture in Children's Ministry. He and his wife taught Sunday School for a four and five year old class and were surprised to learn that the lesson on John the Baptist instructed them to "teach the main point that John the Baptist told the crowds, 'Jesus is God's Son,' as John the Baptist did, and telling them that they, like John, are supposed to carry that message into the world." The Read More …
Obama’s New Church (#0007)
Have you ever wondered how a President selects which church to attend? Apparently many more people are concerned with what church Obama chooses than the selection or discernment process leading to that choice. Back in February, Andrew Santella wrote, "Since before Election Day, Washington pastors have been lining up to invite the first family into their flock, and outlets from PBS to the Wall Street Journal have taken their turn handicapping the many contending congregations. Read More …
The End of the Bible? (#0005)
The Digital Possibility For many years churchgoers have carried a Bible to church, but with the increasing popularity of electronic options it is no longer necessary to carry an extra item to church in order to have access to Scripture. Tim Challies has written a number of recent posts on his blog in a series titled Don't Bring Your Ipod to Church. Of greatest interest to me is his June 12 entry in which he writes about the "disturbing trend—Christians coming to church Read More …
Changing Beliefs (#0002)
Survey Says A recent study by the Barna group found that 71% of U.S. adults develop their own religious beliefs rather than accept the teachings of a particular church or denomination. That statistic goes hand in hand with 45% who are "willing to try a new church" and 64% who are "completely open to carrying out and pursuing your faith in an environment or structure that differs from that of a typical church". So What? These statistics suggest that we are living in a Read More …