Recently, I led a collegiate conference at a local church. Every time I speak to college students, I’m reminded of two things: (1) they bring enthusiasm and potential to a local church, and (2) many, if not most churches—unlike the church where I did the conference—do a poor job of reaching these students. In fact, many churches lose their high school graduates when they go to college and don’t regain them (if they do) until they get married and have children.
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“Lord, teach us to pray.” That appeal, in itself, is one of the greatest prayer requests in the New Testament (Luke 11:1). The request is also a powerful reminder that prayer can be taught. Preaching on prayer, therefore, is a practice which follows in the ministerial footsteps of the Lord, who frequently preached on prayer (Matthew6:6-15;Mark 11:24-26; Luke 11:9-13; John 14:13-14; etc.).
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Lifeway Research’s State of Ministry to Women report highlights some interesting findings. The data shows more than 3 in 5 (63%) female churchgoers attend a church that has an organized women’s ministry. Lifeway Research then asked these women about the value and help that women’s ministry provides.
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Most of us have entered the twilight zone of worship announcements at some point. A person approaches you with awkward determination three minutes before the start of a worship service. A piece of paper unfolds multiple times.
A couple of years ago, I had the chance to go to Atlanta for a couple of days of baseball to watch the Braves play the Royals. On Wednesday the game was a "businessman's special," which is a noon game that many people take off work to attend or use as a way to entertain clients. Even with the thrill of being at a Major League game, I was more taken by a conversation I eavesdropped on in front of me that I will never forget.
As a pastor, it is my responsibility to guide and mentor younger individuals who are interested in pursuing ministry, especially during this time of tension within evangelicalism.
Encouraging generosity in the church is a matter I believe I can speak to because it is something I haven’t mastered, and I am working on daily. So, I write from trial and error, and a current experience of attempting to create a culture of generosity in our church for better or for worse. I want to lead a Church that is compelled by the love of Christ. As gospel believing people, we should respond to the gift of our salvation by living generous lives for God’s glory and mission.
Purity culture often talked about sex in a manner that suggested it was a bad thing and should be feared. This is a fair critique. In God’s design, nothing could be further from the truth.
