Last month, my church hosted an event called “Together for the Nations” put on by the International Mission Board (IMB). The purpose of this event was to introduce churches to the work of the IMB and encourage them to consider ways to join these mission efforts around the world. Several topics were addressed at this event, but the one from which I gleaned the most was about mobilizing God’s people for mission work.
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I want church leaders to think about times when church really is fun – and to long for that to happen in their own congregations.
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I’m not what you would consider a man of the outdoors, but I did my fair share of fishing during my teen years.
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The 20th century political anarchist Edward Abbey loved the desert and once observed, “What draws us into the desert is the search for something intimate in the remote.” Abbey was not the only person who discovered intimacy in the solitude of the desert. The same could be said for some of the most influential people of prayer mentioned in Scripture. God originally created man in a garden, but He frequently recreates them in a desert.
Let’s face it: studying the Bible can be intimidating, especially if you aren’t very familiar with the Bible or you haven’t read it much. But studying the Bible is a worthwhile effort, even if you need to spend some time reflecting on why you’re studying the Bible to begin with! Christians find plenty of reasons to not study their Bibles, but if you take some intentional steps, you can make the most of your Bible study.
Friendship for the Christian is about far more than just enjoying shared experiences with peers who share similar interests. Community is—or at least should be—central in the life of the Christian. A life devoted to a relentless pursuit of Christlikeness and service to others should not be lived in isolation from like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ.
More than anywhere else, pastors and church leaders feel the pressure to entertain in the pulpit, which is, ironically, often atop a stage.
Do you remember what it felt like to walk the hallways of high school between classes or sit at the lunch table?
Cancel culture bears the fruit of vengeance more than it bears the fruit of justice. Why? Because in order for justice to be achieved by rallying a mob of angry onlookers on the internet, the “cancelee,” if you will, has to have actually committed an act of injustice that needs to be reconciled.
A major consequence of the fact that the majority of us live on the internet is ever-increasing polarization. All kinds of ingredients have melded together to create the white-hot polarization so many of us feel, and one of the most prominent of those ingredients is the evaporation of empathy.
It is safe to say pastors and churches are more grateful for social media than they have ever been, Chris Martin says. Martin helps church leaders know how to measure their social media audience accurately.
Since more people than ever are relying on social media to connect with each other, Chris Martin says now is the time for churches try something new and "see what sticks."
Social media manager Chris Martin outlines three ways churches can use Facebook to extend the ministry it is already doing in its community.
Churches should use social media to add an online extension of their in-person, incarnational ministry -- never as a substitute for it, says LifeWay social media manager Chris Martin.
