New church aims to attract the 'unreachables'
BY ASHLEY BATES
For The Times
October 30, 2010
The Rev. Kenny Rice decided five years after "planting" Set Free Baptist Church in Dahlonega, it was time to create a church with the same rock ‘n' roll, biker feel in Gainesville.
With the help of the Chattahoochee Baptist Association, Good Samaritan Baptist Church was created and it had its first service last Sunday.
"I'm kind of a church starter; we were up there for five years and it was time to start another one," he said. "That was my seventh church, so that seems like what we do - start them up and then get another one going."
Set Free was known for its nontraditional meeting space in Dahlonega - an old converted chicken house.
Rice hopes that he can reach the unreachable in Gainesville.
"We had 40 people at our first service, and that was nice, so we'll just grow it from here. That was the first service, we may only have 25 or 30 this Sunday, I just don't know" Rice said. "The Chattahoochee Baptist Association has been praying for years to start a ministry like what I do, down here in Gainesville. Just reaching people that wouldn't normally go to church."
And the church won't just meet on Sundays, there are plans for Bible study in local apartment complexes along with a Wednesday morning service at the CBA headquarters.
"There are a lot of apartment complexes here in Gainesville, and we're going to be starting Bible studies in those complexes and then everyone come on Sunday together," he said. "Our mission is to mission all during the week, not just on Sunday.
"We are having a traditional Southern Baptist service at 9 a.m. on Sunday and then what we're having is the Good Samaritan Baptist Church ‘Unleashed' at 11 a.m. That will be more like I'm used to with the rock ‘n' roll music with the words changed.".
Currently Rice is looking for Christian musicians for the classic rock band during services at Good Samaritan.
Rice moved to Dahlonega with his wife, Judy, and son five years ago. Rice was born in Compton, Calif., in 1950 and saw hard times as problems began with drugs, alcohol and violence and an eventual prison sentence, he said in a 2007 interview.
In 1985, he became a Christian. He was ordained in 1992 by Set Free Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, Calif. Soon after, Rice was sent to Washington to begin new Set Free churches.
The outreach ministry to bikers and reaching the unchurched and unreachable is Rice's main emphasis as a self-proclaimed former "outlaw."
"My background is out of that environment," Rice said. "And it has always been on my heart to reach the unreachable, and outlaws are pretty much as close to unreachable that you can get."
He even has a bike shop in the works at his own home so local bikers can work on their bikes in a Christian environment.
"We are very excited (as well as) the people he is beginning to meet with," said Mike Taylor, a church start strategist with the CBA and pastor at West Side Baptist Church. "We are excited about Kenny working with a group of people that feel like they don't fit in a traditional church. He's gonna reach a group of people that aren't going to wear a coat and tie.
"They will have access to hope and coming to know the Lord."
Showing posts with label church growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church growth. Show all posts
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Cities are where churches can reach the next generation
Tim Keller: Churches Worldwide Need to Move into Cities
Thu, Oct. 21, 2010 Posted: 06:45 AM EDT
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – New York pastor Tim Keller awed the crowd Wednesday evening with his well thought-out argument on why churches around the world need to move into cities.
Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan told attendees of Lausanne III that if Christians want human life to be shaped by Jesus Christ then churches need to go into cities.
Cities are where churches can reach the next generation (young adults want to live in the city); reach more unreachable people (people are far more open to the Gospel in the cosmopolitan city than in their hometown); reach people who have a big impact on the world (filmmakers, authors and businessmen); and reach the poor (about one-third of city dwellers live in shanty towns).
“Human beings, according to Genesis 1, are made in the image of God and reflect God’s glory more than anything else in creation,” said Keller, whose Redeemer City to City has planted more than 100 churches around the world.
“In these cities you have more image of God per square inch than anywhere else in the world,” he said. “So God makes the numbers argument.”
The influential pastor known for his deep thinking shared a story about a missionary friend. Keller’s friend once quipped that the country is where there are more plants than people and the city is where there are more people than plants. And because God loves people more than plants, He has to love the city more than the country.
About 300 years ago, less than three percent of the world’s population lived in cities. Today, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in cities and the number is growing rapidly. It is estimated that eight million people, or about the population of Bangkok, move into cities every two months.
“The people are moving into the cities faster than the church is,” Keller emphasized. “If you love what God loves then you will love the cities. If you want to go where the people are you got to go into the cities.”
But churches that want to go into the cities need to be contextualized in order to be effective, he said. Just like how urban China is different than China and urban America is different than America, an urban church is different than a church in the countryside.
An urban church, which has people from many cultures, is required to be extremely patient about accusations of cultural insensitivity and should expect to be accused of such. Pastors of urban churches need to accept that they can never fully solve complaints of cultural insensitivity, but that they can learn from criticisms.
Churches in cities also need to show people how their faith relates to their work because jobs are a much bigger part of urban dwellers’ life, Keller said.
“I had only known how to disciple people by bringing them out of the work world and into my church world,” the New York pastor shared. “But if you are in an urban church you can’t do that. You have to help people apply their faith to their work.”
Urban churches also need to expect disorganization and changes; be intensely evangelistic but at the same time famous for its concern for justice; be committed to the arts; and cooperate with other denominations and faith, he said.
“Look at the cities of this world. Look at the masses of these cities, God says. Why aren’t you moved by them? Why aren’t you going there?” Keller asked. “So let’s go.”
The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, also known as Cape Town 2010, has drawn more than 4,000 Christian leaders representing over 190 nations to Cape Town, South Africa. The conference was founded by American evangelist Billy Graham in 1974 in Lausanne, Switzerland, to bring together the global body of Christ for world evangelization.
This Congress is unique in the diversity of its attendees and for discussing a wide range of global problems faced by today’s church, including secularization, Islam, HIV/AIDS, prosperity gospel, nuclear weapons, and environmental concerns. The conference program will conclude on Sunday.
Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Thu, Oct. 21, 2010 Posted: 06:45 AM EDT
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – New York pastor Tim Keller awed the crowd Wednesday evening with his well thought-out argument on why churches around the world need to move into cities.
Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan told attendees of Lausanne III that if Christians want human life to be shaped by Jesus Christ then churches need to go into cities.
Cities are where churches can reach the next generation (young adults want to live in the city); reach more unreachable people (people are far more open to the Gospel in the cosmopolitan city than in their hometown); reach people who have a big impact on the world (filmmakers, authors and businessmen); and reach the poor (about one-third of city dwellers live in shanty towns).
“Human beings, according to Genesis 1, are made in the image of God and reflect God’s glory more than anything else in creation,” said Keller, whose Redeemer City to City has planted more than 100 churches around the world.
“In these cities you have more image of God per square inch than anywhere else in the world,” he said. “So God makes the numbers argument.”
The influential pastor known for his deep thinking shared a story about a missionary friend. Keller’s friend once quipped that the country is where there are more plants than people and the city is where there are more people than plants. And because God loves people more than plants, He has to love the city more than the country.
About 300 years ago, less than three percent of the world’s population lived in cities. Today, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lives in cities and the number is growing rapidly. It is estimated that eight million people, or about the population of Bangkok, move into cities every two months.
“The people are moving into the cities faster than the church is,” Keller emphasized. “If you love what God loves then you will love the cities. If you want to go where the people are you got to go into the cities.”
But churches that want to go into the cities need to be contextualized in order to be effective, he said. Just like how urban China is different than China and urban America is different than America, an urban church is different than a church in the countryside.
An urban church, which has people from many cultures, is required to be extremely patient about accusations of cultural insensitivity and should expect to be accused of such. Pastors of urban churches need to accept that they can never fully solve complaints of cultural insensitivity, but that they can learn from criticisms.
Churches in cities also need to show people how their faith relates to their work because jobs are a much bigger part of urban dwellers’ life, Keller said.
“I had only known how to disciple people by bringing them out of the work world and into my church world,” the New York pastor shared. “But if you are in an urban church you can’t do that. You have to help people apply their faith to their work.”
Urban churches also need to expect disorganization and changes; be intensely evangelistic but at the same time famous for its concern for justice; be committed to the arts; and cooperate with other denominations and faith, he said.
“Look at the cities of this world. Look at the masses of these cities, God says. Why aren’t you moved by them? Why aren’t you going there?” Keller asked. “So let’s go.”
The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, also known as Cape Town 2010, has drawn more than 4,000 Christian leaders representing over 190 nations to Cape Town, South Africa. The conference was founded by American evangelist Billy Graham in 1974 in Lausanne, Switzerland, to bring together the global body of Christ for world evangelization.
This Congress is unique in the diversity of its attendees and for discussing a wide range of global problems faced by today’s church, including secularization, Islam, HIV/AIDS, prosperity gospel, nuclear weapons, and environmental concerns. The conference program will conclude on Sunday.
Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Saturday, September 25, 2010
More young local pastors
United Methodists Start to See Uptick in Young Clergy
Fri, Sep. 24, 2010 Posted: 07:41 AM EDT
The United Methodist Church has begun to see an increase in the number of young clergy after decades of decline, a new report reveals.
There are now more young local pastors than at any time in recent history, according to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.
Up from 3.4 percent in 1985, local pastors under the age of 35 now make up 5.8 percent of all 7,341 UMC clergy, including part-time pastors.
At the same time, however, the median age of local pastors is still 55.
Younger clergy are not necessarily better ministers than their older colleagues, but they often bring a new passion and fresh ideas to their vocation, the Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr., the project director of the study, told the United Methodist News Service.
For years, United Methodists have been making efforts to draw more young people to clergy positions after a report in 2007 found that less than 5 percent of the denomination’s leadership came from the younger generation. Twenty years earlier, 15.05 percent of the leadership were aged 35 or under.
The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry called it a leadership crisis and urged action to double the number of young people in clergy, elder and deacon positions.
Weems of the Lewis Center observed, "Our assumption is that God continues to call people of all ages, so if there is a particular group not responding to that call, then it’s probably not [because of] God. There are other reasons why younger persons might not be responding."
One of the reasons he listed is that there are fewer children.
"What under-35 clergy have most in common is that they were active in church as children," he said, according to UMNS. "They were active in church as youth. So if year after year, there are fewer children in church, then it would naturally seem that there would be fewer clergy coming in."
According to the Lewis Center report, released this week, for the first time, more than half of active elders are now between the ages of 55 and 72. Elders are responsible for preaching and teaching the Word of God, administration of the sacraments, and ordering of the ministry of the church.
What may be accounting for the high number of older clergy is the decrease in retirements, mainly due to the economic downturn.
Meanwhile, the percentage of elders in the 35-54 age range dropped dramatically over the last decade, from 65 percent in 2000 to under half in 2010.
Still, the denomination has reason to hope.
There are currently more young elders, deacons, and local pastors than ten years ago, the report shows. The number and percentage of young deacons – who are responsible for forming disciples and assisting elders in the administration of the sacraments – reached their highest levels in 2010. They now make up 9.56 percent of all deacons.
The purpose of the Lewis Center's ongoing research effort is to identify clergy age trends in The United Methodist Church so that denominational leaders have the data for planning and a baseline for monitoring future changes.
The United Methodist Church is the second largest Protestant denomination in the country with 7.9 million members.
Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter
Fri, Sep. 24, 2010 Posted: 07:41 AM EDT
The United Methodist Church has begun to see an increase in the number of young clergy after decades of decline, a new report reveals.
There are now more young local pastors than at any time in recent history, according to the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.
Up from 3.4 percent in 1985, local pastors under the age of 35 now make up 5.8 percent of all 7,341 UMC clergy, including part-time pastors.
At the same time, however, the median age of local pastors is still 55.
Younger clergy are not necessarily better ministers than their older colleagues, but they often bring a new passion and fresh ideas to their vocation, the Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr., the project director of the study, told the United Methodist News Service.
For years, United Methodists have been making efforts to draw more young people to clergy positions after a report in 2007 found that less than 5 percent of the denomination’s leadership came from the younger generation. Twenty years earlier, 15.05 percent of the leadership were aged 35 or under.
The Rev. Jerome King Del Pino of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry called it a leadership crisis and urged action to double the number of young people in clergy, elder and deacon positions.
Weems of the Lewis Center observed, "Our assumption is that God continues to call people of all ages, so if there is a particular group not responding to that call, then it’s probably not [because of] God. There are other reasons why younger persons might not be responding."
One of the reasons he listed is that there are fewer children.
"What under-35 clergy have most in common is that they were active in church as children," he said, according to UMNS. "They were active in church as youth. So if year after year, there are fewer children in church, then it would naturally seem that there would be fewer clergy coming in."
According to the Lewis Center report, released this week, for the first time, more than half of active elders are now between the ages of 55 and 72. Elders are responsible for preaching and teaching the Word of God, administration of the sacraments, and ordering of the ministry of the church.
What may be accounting for the high number of older clergy is the decrease in retirements, mainly due to the economic downturn.
Meanwhile, the percentage of elders in the 35-54 age range dropped dramatically over the last decade, from 65 percent in 2000 to under half in 2010.
Still, the denomination has reason to hope.
There are currently more young elders, deacons, and local pastors than ten years ago, the report shows. The number and percentage of young deacons – who are responsible for forming disciples and assisting elders in the administration of the sacraments – reached their highest levels in 2010. They now make up 9.56 percent of all deacons.
The purpose of the Lewis Center's ongoing research effort is to identify clergy age trends in The United Methodist Church so that denominational leaders have the data for planning and a baseline for monitoring future changes.
The United Methodist Church is the second largest Protestant denomination in the country with 7.9 million members.
Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Started off in an old, abandoned feed store
America's Largest Church to Mark 50th Anniversary
Fri, May. 08, 2009 Posted: 12:44 PM EDT
Mother’s Day this year falls on May 10 – the same date as it did in 1959.
And while few Americans may know that historical fact, members of the largest church in America are almost certain to say they knew given that it was that same day 50 years ago that its church first opened its doors.
This weekend, Lakewood Church in Houston will be marking its 50th anniversary in a place far different from the old, abandoned feed store that it started off at.
Its 38,000-large congregation will be celebrating in the arena formerly home to the Houston Rockets, where it has worshipped for the past four years.
“I can hardly believe that we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lakewood Church this coming weekend on Mother's Day,” the megachurch’s senior minister, Pastor Joel Osteen, expressed Wednesday.
“Most people know the story of how the church started off in an old, abandoned feed store with less than 100 people. But who would have ever guessed that my parent's hard work and dedication would establish a ministry that has literally affected people all over the world in every country from every race, tribe, and tongue,” he added.
Aside from the 38,000 churchgoers that Osteen draws each week to his 16,000-seat church, up to seven million Americans each week and more than 20 million each month reportedly view Osteen’s weekly sermon, which is broadcast into television markets across the United States and in over 100 nations around the world including Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, Africa and throughout Europe.
“I can't even begin to imagine how many lives have been touched over the years through the seeds they've sown,” Osteen wrote in his blog Wednesday.
Though Osteen has been praised by many for his uplifting messages and popular bestsellers, the charismatic minister has also received much criticism for his lack of formal theological training and for preaching what critics call the “prosperity gospel,” a belief that prosperity and success – particularly financial – is a sign of God’s favor.
Osteen, however, insists that his theology is not “dangerous,” as some say it is, and that God has used him to turn people’s lives around and to give them hope.
"I don’t know what can be so dangerous about giving people hope [or] causing people to have better relationships. I'm not leading them to some false God or something like that," Osteen said last year to Byron Pitts of CBS.
"You know, you get people that wanna criticize, 'You’re not doing enough of this, enough of that.' Well, we're not perfect,” he continued.
“But to have ... hundreds of people tellin’ ya 'You changed my life,’ ‘I haven't been in church in 30 years,' or 'You saved my marriage' ... you just feel very rewarded. You feel very humbled ... that you could help impact somebody’s life," Osteen said after getting emotional.
In the months leading up to this weekend’s anniversary celebration, Osteen has pushed forward with a number of new projects, including a collection of greeting cards that feature his inspirational messages and the Hope for Today Bible that features insights, notes, and encouragements from Osteen and his wife.
He also recently held the first non-baseball event in the new Yankee stadium in New York – a one-night inspirational event that drew nearly 42,000 people.
“Overall, the week was a tremendous success and the highlight ... was when over 20,000 people stood in Yankee Stadium to dedicate their lives to Christ and renew their faith in Him! We couldn't have asked for a better night,” Osteen exclaimed.
Though it was under Osteen that Lakewood grew from 8,000 attendees to 38,000, the popular preacher said Wednesday that he and his wife, Victoria, merely “picked up the baton” and continued the work that his parents had started.
“[M]y dad used to talk about how one day he was going to build a sanctuary that could hold 20,000 people. He prayed. He sacrificed. He and my mother stayed in faith year after year. When he went to be with the Lord, it looked as if the dream had died. It looked like as if it wasn't going to happen. But when you live a life of faith, when you honor God and go out each day being your best, you are storing up favor for future generations,” he stated.
Osteen succeeded the position of senior pastor from his father in 1999, more than eight months after the elder Osteen died of a heart attack. Before his father’s death, Osteen had only preached before a church once in his life – the week before his father died.
Today, aside from being the pastor of the largest church in America, Osteen is also author of two bestselling books. His first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, remained on the New York Times bestsellers list for more than two years and has sold more than 4 million copies. His second book, Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, was released in October of 2007 and was an instant New York Times bestseller, remaining on the list for more than seven months and selling more than 1.6 million copies.
Osteen is also the most watched inspirational figure in America, according to Nielsen Media Research, and was featured as one of ABC News' "10 Most Fascinating People of 2006."
According to Osteen’s ministry, more than one million people each week download audio and video podcasts of Osteen’s messages, making his podcast consistently one of the top five in the world.
Eric Young
Christian Post Reporter
Fri, May. 08, 2009 Posted: 12:44 PM EDT
Mother’s Day this year falls on May 10 – the same date as it did in 1959.
And while few Americans may know that historical fact, members of the largest church in America are almost certain to say they knew given that it was that same day 50 years ago that its church first opened its doors.
This weekend, Lakewood Church in Houston will be marking its 50th anniversary in a place far different from the old, abandoned feed store that it started off at.
Its 38,000-large congregation will be celebrating in the arena formerly home to the Houston Rockets, where it has worshipped for the past four years.
“I can hardly believe that we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lakewood Church this coming weekend on Mother's Day,” the megachurch’s senior minister, Pastor Joel Osteen, expressed Wednesday.
“Most people know the story of how the church started off in an old, abandoned feed store with less than 100 people. But who would have ever guessed that my parent's hard work and dedication would establish a ministry that has literally affected people all over the world in every country from every race, tribe, and tongue,” he added.
Aside from the 38,000 churchgoers that Osteen draws each week to his 16,000-seat church, up to seven million Americans each week and more than 20 million each month reportedly view Osteen’s weekly sermon, which is broadcast into television markets across the United States and in over 100 nations around the world including Canada, Australia, India, South Korea, Africa and throughout Europe.
“I can't even begin to imagine how many lives have been touched over the years through the seeds they've sown,” Osteen wrote in his blog Wednesday.
Though Osteen has been praised by many for his uplifting messages and popular bestsellers, the charismatic minister has also received much criticism for his lack of formal theological training and for preaching what critics call the “prosperity gospel,” a belief that prosperity and success – particularly financial – is a sign of God’s favor.
Osteen, however, insists that his theology is not “dangerous,” as some say it is, and that God has used him to turn people’s lives around and to give them hope.
"I don’t know what can be so dangerous about giving people hope [or] causing people to have better relationships. I'm not leading them to some false God or something like that," Osteen said last year to Byron Pitts of CBS.
"You know, you get people that wanna criticize, 'You’re not doing enough of this, enough of that.' Well, we're not perfect,” he continued.
“But to have ... hundreds of people tellin’ ya 'You changed my life,’ ‘I haven't been in church in 30 years,' or 'You saved my marriage' ... you just feel very rewarded. You feel very humbled ... that you could help impact somebody’s life," Osteen said after getting emotional.
In the months leading up to this weekend’s anniversary celebration, Osteen has pushed forward with a number of new projects, including a collection of greeting cards that feature his inspirational messages and the Hope for Today Bible that features insights, notes, and encouragements from Osteen and his wife.
He also recently held the first non-baseball event in the new Yankee stadium in New York – a one-night inspirational event that drew nearly 42,000 people.
“Overall, the week was a tremendous success and the highlight ... was when over 20,000 people stood in Yankee Stadium to dedicate their lives to Christ and renew their faith in Him! We couldn't have asked for a better night,” Osteen exclaimed.
Though it was under Osteen that Lakewood grew from 8,000 attendees to 38,000, the popular preacher said Wednesday that he and his wife, Victoria, merely “picked up the baton” and continued the work that his parents had started.
“[M]y dad used to talk about how one day he was going to build a sanctuary that could hold 20,000 people. He prayed. He sacrificed. He and my mother stayed in faith year after year. When he went to be with the Lord, it looked as if the dream had died. It looked like as if it wasn't going to happen. But when you live a life of faith, when you honor God and go out each day being your best, you are storing up favor for future generations,” he stated.
Osteen succeeded the position of senior pastor from his father in 1999, more than eight months after the elder Osteen died of a heart attack. Before his father’s death, Osteen had only preached before a church once in his life – the week before his father died.
Today, aside from being the pastor of the largest church in America, Osteen is also author of two bestselling books. His first book, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, remained on the New York Times bestsellers list for more than two years and has sold more than 4 million copies. His second book, Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day, was released in October of 2007 and was an instant New York Times bestseller, remaining on the list for more than seven months and selling more than 1.6 million copies.
Osteen is also the most watched inspirational figure in America, according to Nielsen Media Research, and was featured as one of ABC News' "10 Most Fascinating People of 2006."
According to Osteen’s ministry, more than one million people each week download audio and video podcasts of Osteen’s messages, making his podcast consistently one of the top five in the world.
Eric Young
Christian Post Reporter
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Power of Prayer
How important is faithfulness in prayer?
Dr. Wilbur Chapman often told of his experience when, as a young man, he went to become pastor of a church in Philadelphia.
After his first sermon, an old gentleman said to him, "You’re pretty young to be pastor of this church. But you preach the Gospel, and I’m going to help you all I can."
Dr. Chapman thought, "Here’s a crank."
But the man continued: "I’m going to pray for you that you may have the Holy Spirit’s power upon you. Two others have covenanted to join with me in prayer for you."
Dr. Chapman said, "I didn’t feel so bad when I learned he was going to pray for me. The 3 became 10, the 10 became 20, and 20 became 50, the 50 became 200 who met before every service to pray that the Holy Spirit might come upon me.
I always went into my pulpit feeling that I would have the anointing in answer to the prayers of those who had faithfully prayed for me. It was a joy to preach!
The result was that we received 1,100 into our church by conversion in three years, 600 of whom were men. It was the fruit of the Holy spirit in answer to prayer!"
Prayer makes a difference in people’s lives. We should pray for one another, and even let one another know that we’re praying.
Dr. Wilbur Chapman often told of his experience when, as a young man, he went to become pastor of a church in Philadelphia.
After his first sermon, an old gentleman said to him, "You’re pretty young to be pastor of this church. But you preach the Gospel, and I’m going to help you all I can."
Dr. Chapman thought, "Here’s a crank."
But the man continued: "I’m going to pray for you that you may have the Holy Spirit’s power upon you. Two others have covenanted to join with me in prayer for you."
Dr. Chapman said, "I didn’t feel so bad when I learned he was going to pray for me. The 3 became 10, the 10 became 20, and 20 became 50, the 50 became 200 who met before every service to pray that the Holy Spirit might come upon me.
I always went into my pulpit feeling that I would have the anointing in answer to the prayers of those who had faithfully prayed for me. It was a joy to preach!
The result was that we received 1,100 into our church by conversion in three years, 600 of whom were men. It was the fruit of the Holy spirit in answer to prayer!"
Prayer makes a difference in people’s lives. We should pray for one another, and even let one another know that we’re praying.
Monday, August 30, 2010
I can only offer Jesus to u
Arthur Fretheim, an Evangelical Covenant pastor who during his career planted six new churches in Minnesota, New Mexico, and Illinois ( the last one when he was 65 years old), said to fellow pastors,
“One thing you learn quickly in church planting is this: All you’ve really got to offer people is Jesus. You don’t have a great choir in the beginning days; you don’t have a youth group; you usually don’t even have a nice building. The only ‘draw’ you’ve got is the Savior. And guess what - that’s enough!”
“One thing you learn quickly in church planting is this: All you’ve really got to offer people is Jesus. You don’t have a great choir in the beginning days; you don’t have a youth group; you usually don’t even have a nice building. The only ‘draw’ you’ve got is the Savior. And guess what - that’s enough!”
Thursday, August 19, 2010
How do we deal with cohabitating couples?
“Facing Challenges In Pastoral Issues”
Doctor of Ministry Degree
Singapore Bible College
8 hours per day, for five days.
15 – 19 November, 2010
Facilitator: Dr Tony Chi, BTh, MA, PhD
Course Outline
Introduction:
In the ministry and enjoying it! Or are you not? Needless to say that there are many issues Pastors face at home, in the church, and in society. Pastoral ministry issues may be for some, the most critical. These can impact their church’s life as well as take a heavy toll on the Pastor’s ministry in particular. There are some pastoral issues that never seem to go away, and there are some answers that never seem to be adequate. The next five days will give you the opportunity to reflect, pray about, and interact with your peers on some of these Pastoral issues (again).
Issues on Marriage and Sexuality: (2 days)
How do we deal with cohabitating couples? How do we define and understand “cohabitation”? What is the Biblical viewpoint and how should the church respond to people in such situations? There are other complications - what if the couple has a child or children? Is there a place for these children in schools, the church’s children’s ministry etc? Will you baptise such a child? Naming ceremonies and affirming children who are born out of wedlock.
Divorced members. An exercise on an accelerated research on the Biblical injunctions regarding divorce. Are there exceptions or extenuating circumstances which must be brought into consideration? There is an urgency to involve the whole church in forming an adequate and Biblical view on whether divorcees can re-marry, take positions in church leadership, or even teach Sunday School. Where does “singlehood” fit in all this, and how does a church leader respond to a “converted divorcee” who now believes he/she is now called into fulltime church ministry?
Homosexuality. Here we will explore the contemporary and Biblical view on homosexuality. Should self-declared homosexuals be welcomed in church? What are other churches in other countries doing to minister to people who currently and openly practice homosexuality. We will also need to look into new civil laws and regulatory issues covering such matters as same sex marriages, welfare aid for such families, and same sex church memberships.
Family Wellness. What are churches doing to cater to the needs of parents, their children, teens and youth ministries, as well as those who may have older parents who may speak local dialects, other than English? What innovative programs have been developed for “families” to minister together as a unit in local church ministries?
The challenges that a double income family face, and how they balance time and energy between work and home. What advice should we give to those who depend on maids and parents, or child-minding schools to take care of children in their formative years of life? What about the problems families face due to a breakdown in communication with their teenage children? How do parents cope with the lifestyle of today’s teenagers? Identifying the numerous opportunities for couples today to enrich their marital lives through Christian conferences and church organized programs.
Issues on Interfaith Dialogue (or Diversion): (1 and ½ days)
Some experts on Interfaith issues have insisted that dialogue and planned conferences are the way to better harmony between differing faiths. Others are now looking at new and more practical methods of people from differing faiths to come together at social and religious gatherings to better relate to each other as neighbours.
Consider the following issues – and help us know what you are doing about it as a local church Pastor, and/or what your local church is doing about it.
Your neighbours or your church members’ neighbours are Buddhists or Muslims, or Hindus.
The impact of inter-religious tolerance in a multi-religious society. What do you understand by “public space” and “private space”?
What are some of the positive ways that churches today are doing to connect with people of other faiths (like in their own setting e.g. housing estate)?
What advice will you give to your church members regarding active and personal involvement/participation in Taoist or Chinese religious funeral rites and ceremonies? Can Christians eat food offered to idols? What about the practice of yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, and the frequent use of alternative medicine and Chinese traditional medicine?
Apart from the Bible, where are your spiritual resources that will enhance your Christian stance on the above issues?
Developing resource materials on appropriate ways in which Christians can approach people of other faiths - without threat, yet without compromise.
Evangelism in the Marketplace: (1 and ½ days)
Would the following statement sound “prophetic” to you if we say: “the days of doing church in church only have come to an end”? What is “marketplace” evangelism or ministry? What is the church’s current understanding of going out to the places of work and impacting lives for Christ there? How many Christian lay people do you know who are actively making their places of work a “mission field” on a daily basis?
This session will explore the implications as well as the opportunities of the role of the Christian Church today in contemporary society. What really is the church? Where are our active church members and what are they doing – the other six days of the week? Should “church” be done only on Sundays? Is “church ministry’ the prerogative of only fulltime clergy and paid Christian church workers?
Have you heard of the “Multichannel Church” or of a church ministry today called “LifeChurch.tv”? These ministries are high powered, high tech, and widely appealing to the computer generation of pre-believers. How much of such use do you think is applicable to your own church setting? Some churches today have a “virtual audience” through cyberspace and attractive websites. Comment on some Pastors today who have very successful local church ministries by being active social networkers, using blogs, twitters, and Facebook as means of connecting with people.
If time permits, we may also deal with the question: “How large should I grow my church?” How big is “big”? Should a large, growing church engage in commercial business in order to fund Christian ministries and church programs?
Doctor of Ministry Degree
Singapore Bible College
8 hours per day, for five days.
15 – 19 November, 2010
Facilitator: Dr Tony Chi, BTh, MA, PhD
Course Outline
Introduction:
In the ministry and enjoying it! Or are you not? Needless to say that there are many issues Pastors face at home, in the church, and in society. Pastoral ministry issues may be for some, the most critical. These can impact their church’s life as well as take a heavy toll on the Pastor’s ministry in particular. There are some pastoral issues that never seem to go away, and there are some answers that never seem to be adequate. The next five days will give you the opportunity to reflect, pray about, and interact with your peers on some of these Pastoral issues (again).
Issues on Marriage and Sexuality: (2 days)
How do we deal with cohabitating couples? How do we define and understand “cohabitation”? What is the Biblical viewpoint and how should the church respond to people in such situations? There are other complications - what if the couple has a child or children? Is there a place for these children in schools, the church’s children’s ministry etc? Will you baptise such a child? Naming ceremonies and affirming children who are born out of wedlock.
Divorced members. An exercise on an accelerated research on the Biblical injunctions regarding divorce. Are there exceptions or extenuating circumstances which must be brought into consideration? There is an urgency to involve the whole church in forming an adequate and Biblical view on whether divorcees can re-marry, take positions in church leadership, or even teach Sunday School. Where does “singlehood” fit in all this, and how does a church leader respond to a “converted divorcee” who now believes he/she is now called into fulltime church ministry?
Homosexuality. Here we will explore the contemporary and Biblical view on homosexuality. Should self-declared homosexuals be welcomed in church? What are other churches in other countries doing to minister to people who currently and openly practice homosexuality. We will also need to look into new civil laws and regulatory issues covering such matters as same sex marriages, welfare aid for such families, and same sex church memberships.
Family Wellness. What are churches doing to cater to the needs of parents, their children, teens and youth ministries, as well as those who may have older parents who may speak local dialects, other than English? What innovative programs have been developed for “families” to minister together as a unit in local church ministries?
The challenges that a double income family face, and how they balance time and energy between work and home. What advice should we give to those who depend on maids and parents, or child-minding schools to take care of children in their formative years of life? What about the problems families face due to a breakdown in communication with their teenage children? How do parents cope with the lifestyle of today’s teenagers? Identifying the numerous opportunities for couples today to enrich their marital lives through Christian conferences and church organized programs.
Issues on Interfaith Dialogue (or Diversion): (1 and ½ days)
Some experts on Interfaith issues have insisted that dialogue and planned conferences are the way to better harmony between differing faiths. Others are now looking at new and more practical methods of people from differing faiths to come together at social and religious gatherings to better relate to each other as neighbours.
Consider the following issues – and help us know what you are doing about it as a local church Pastor, and/or what your local church is doing about it.
Your neighbours or your church members’ neighbours are Buddhists or Muslims, or Hindus.
The impact of inter-religious tolerance in a multi-religious society. What do you understand by “public space” and “private space”?
What are some of the positive ways that churches today are doing to connect with people of other faiths (like in their own setting e.g. housing estate)?
What advice will you give to your church members regarding active and personal involvement/participation in Taoist or Chinese religious funeral rites and ceremonies? Can Christians eat food offered to idols? What about the practice of yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, and the frequent use of alternative medicine and Chinese traditional medicine?
Apart from the Bible, where are your spiritual resources that will enhance your Christian stance on the above issues?
Developing resource materials on appropriate ways in which Christians can approach people of other faiths - without threat, yet without compromise.
Evangelism in the Marketplace: (1 and ½ days)
Would the following statement sound “prophetic” to you if we say: “the days of doing church in church only have come to an end”? What is “marketplace” evangelism or ministry? What is the church’s current understanding of going out to the places of work and impacting lives for Christ there? How many Christian lay people do you know who are actively making their places of work a “mission field” on a daily basis?
This session will explore the implications as well as the opportunities of the role of the Christian Church today in contemporary society. What really is the church? Where are our active church members and what are they doing – the other six days of the week? Should “church” be done only on Sundays? Is “church ministry’ the prerogative of only fulltime clergy and paid Christian church workers?
Have you heard of the “Multichannel Church” or of a church ministry today called “LifeChurch.tv”? These ministries are high powered, high tech, and widely appealing to the computer generation of pre-believers. How much of such use do you think is applicable to your own church setting? Some churches today have a “virtual audience” through cyberspace and attractive websites. Comment on some Pastors today who have very successful local church ministries by being active social networkers, using blogs, twitters, and Facebook as means of connecting with people.
If time permits, we may also deal with the question: “How large should I grow my church?” How big is “big”? Should a large, growing church engage in commercial business in order to fund Christian ministries and church programs?
repulsed by business leaders with harsh and autocratic spirits
What Millennials Want in Leaders
Wed, Aug. 04, 2010 Posted: 12:03 PM EDT
The Millennial generation is the generation that has grabbed my heart. I know that my preference is largely related to having and loving three Millennial sons and their friends. But I know that my favoritism also stems from the attitude of hope that this generation brings.
As I have shared in other writings, my son, Jess Rainer, and I just concluded writing a book about this generation with the basic title, The Millennials. The book will be released in January 2011. Our work was based on a massive research project led by LifeWay Research, where that team asked 1,200 older Millennials dozens of questions in multiple categories. The responses were fascinating.
Who Are the Millennials?
As a reminder, the Millennials are America’s largest generation, over 78 million in number. They are slightly larger in number than the well-documented Baby Boomer generation.
The Millennials were born between 1980 and 2000, though our research included only the older portion of this generation, those born between 1980 and 1991. The study included demographic sampling that well represents the generation in total.
The Leadership Factor
Though we asked relatively few questions about leadership in our study, the intensity of their responses provided clear indication that this subject was one of great interest to many in this generation. At the conclusion of our study, we found four major leadership foci among the Millennials. We dubbed them simply “What Millennials Want in Leaders.”
1. Mentoring. This generation has great respect for those older than they are. Most of them have good relationships with their parents. They have learned from older people all their lives, and they don’t want to stop now. They want to be led and taught in their places of work, in their churches, and in their families. They particularly want to learn from couples who have had long and successful marriages. Many Millennials see such examples as heroes to emulate.
2. Gentle spirit. This category is easier to describe by what Millennials do not want in leaders. Divisive, loud, and acrimonious persons turn them off. They loathe politicians and political pundits who scream at each other. They are leaving churches to some extent because they see many Christian leaders as negative and prone to divisiveness. They are repulsed by business leaders with harsh and autocratic spirits.
3. Transparency and authenticity. I wish Jess and I had counted the number of times that Millennials used the word “real” to describe leaders they want to follow. As one Millennial told us, her generation “can smell phony and pretentiousness a mile away.” They don’t want phony; they want authentic. They don’t want pretentious; they want transparent.
4. Integrity. The Millennials are weary of politicians who don’t keep promises. They are tired of Christian leaders who fail basic moral standards. They are fed up with business leaders who are more concerned about personal gain than serving others. They want leaders with integrity.
Looking for a Few Good Leaders
The Millennial generation has much to offer. As a whole, they desire to serve others. Most of them are very family oriented. And they really want to listen and learn from others. Indeed they are looking for a few good leaders to follow. When they find them, they will follow with commitment and enthusiasm.
Our study of this generation was one of the most encouraging research projects in which I have been involved. I found great hope in the Millennials. I see great promise in many of them. And I found among them a hunger to learn from leaders they respect.
May we who have come before them be that type of leader.
The largest generation in America is watching us closely.
Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Thom S. Rainer
Christian Post Guest Columnist
Wed, Aug. 04, 2010 Posted: 12:03 PM EDT
The Millennial generation is the generation that has grabbed my heart. I know that my preference is largely related to having and loving three Millennial sons and their friends. But I know that my favoritism also stems from the attitude of hope that this generation brings.
As I have shared in other writings, my son, Jess Rainer, and I just concluded writing a book about this generation with the basic title, The Millennials. The book will be released in January 2011. Our work was based on a massive research project led by LifeWay Research, where that team asked 1,200 older Millennials dozens of questions in multiple categories. The responses were fascinating.
Who Are the Millennials?
As a reminder, the Millennials are America’s largest generation, over 78 million in number. They are slightly larger in number than the well-documented Baby Boomer generation.
The Millennials were born between 1980 and 2000, though our research included only the older portion of this generation, those born between 1980 and 1991. The study included demographic sampling that well represents the generation in total.
The Leadership Factor
Though we asked relatively few questions about leadership in our study, the intensity of their responses provided clear indication that this subject was one of great interest to many in this generation. At the conclusion of our study, we found four major leadership foci among the Millennials. We dubbed them simply “What Millennials Want in Leaders.”
1. Mentoring. This generation has great respect for those older than they are. Most of them have good relationships with their parents. They have learned from older people all their lives, and they don’t want to stop now. They want to be led and taught in their places of work, in their churches, and in their families. They particularly want to learn from couples who have had long and successful marriages. Many Millennials see such examples as heroes to emulate.
2. Gentle spirit. This category is easier to describe by what Millennials do not want in leaders. Divisive, loud, and acrimonious persons turn them off. They loathe politicians and political pundits who scream at each other. They are leaving churches to some extent because they see many Christian leaders as negative and prone to divisiveness. They are repulsed by business leaders with harsh and autocratic spirits.
3. Transparency and authenticity. I wish Jess and I had counted the number of times that Millennials used the word “real” to describe leaders they want to follow. As one Millennial told us, her generation “can smell phony and pretentiousness a mile away.” They don’t want phony; they want authentic. They don’t want pretentious; they want transparent.
4. Integrity. The Millennials are weary of politicians who don’t keep promises. They are tired of Christian leaders who fail basic moral standards. They are fed up with business leaders who are more concerned about personal gain than serving others. They want leaders with integrity.
Looking for a Few Good Leaders
The Millennial generation has much to offer. As a whole, they desire to serve others. Most of them are very family oriented. And they really want to listen and learn from others. Indeed they are looking for a few good leaders to follow. When they find them, they will follow with commitment and enthusiasm.
Our study of this generation was one of the most encouraging research projects in which I have been involved. I found great hope in the Millennials. I see great promise in many of them. And I found among them a hunger to learn from leaders they respect.
May we who have come before them be that type of leader.
The largest generation in America is watching us closely.
Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Thom S. Rainer
Christian Post Guest Columnist
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The world has never been impacted in a positive way by people that were greedy
10 Characteristics of Growing Churches
By Perry Noble|Christian Post Guest Columnist
#1 – They have leaders that lead!
“For God so loved the world that He did not send a committee!” Not sure where I heard that…but its true!
#2 – A desperation for God’s power!
Prayer isn’t a good luck charm that is attached at the beginning or at the end of something…people are legitimately desperate for the power of God. They pray Habakkuk 3:2 prayers every day and…
#3 – They believe that greater things are in store.
They don’t just pray big prayers…but they have a sense of anticipation that is contagious! They don’t read Acts 2 and think “those were the good ‘ole days” but rather they think, “that’s where God STARTED this thing…we should be WAY ahead of this!!!”
#4 – They are full of ordinary people.
God always uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. Jesus didn’t choose one scribe or Pharisee when He launched the church…and Acts 4:13 talks about how He used ordinary people to absolutely turn the world upside down. The staff LOVE the church…so much so that they would actually attend there even if they were not on staff!
#5 – They leverage technology.
They don’t view technology as of the devil but rather as a tool given by God to reach as many people as possible for Jesus. (Btw…isn’t it funny that some churches are against the use of technology yet all of them rode to their church in a car and their church building has air conditioner?)
#6 – The church is full of passion.
People in the church actually LOVE the church and do not attend because they feel like they have to! (The only reason people get angry with the fact that you love your church is probably because they have no idea what it is like to actually love their church!)
#7 – They take ownership of the great commission.
They REFUSE to be “keepers of the aquarium” and instead embrace the COMMAND of Jesus to reach the world for HIM! (BTW NewSpring Church…it has been SO encouraging to see so many of you come to our evangelism seminar this week! We have one more live one tonight at our Anderson campus – you can sign up here – and, if you cannot join us live for some reason this event will be available online just like our Sunday services…so you can join us tonight at www.newspring.cc from 7-9, can’t wait!)
#8 – There is a willingness to change and adapt, even when it means they have to go against the very “innovative” ideas that they themselves once established!
Anyone can change the traditions of the past…but true innovation occurs when we’re willing to change the ideas that we once thought were innovative and ground breaking!
#9 – Generosity is embraced.
The world has never been impacted in a positive way by people that were greedy.
#10 – The people in the church are OWNERS, not merely “members.”
Members have rights, owners have responsibilities. The people in these churches understand that it is not the pastors job to minister to the people but rather the bodies job to minister to the body! And as a result people serve Jesus by serving others instead of sitting on their “blessed assurance” and expecting to be waited on hand and foot.
Perry Noble is the founding and senior pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, Columbia, Florence and Greenville, S.C.
By Perry Noble|Christian Post Guest Columnist
#1 – They have leaders that lead!
“For God so loved the world that He did not send a committee!” Not sure where I heard that…but its true!
#2 – A desperation for God’s power!
Prayer isn’t a good luck charm that is attached at the beginning or at the end of something…people are legitimately desperate for the power of God. They pray Habakkuk 3:2 prayers every day and…
#3 – They believe that greater things are in store.
They don’t just pray big prayers…but they have a sense of anticipation that is contagious! They don’t read Acts 2 and think “those were the good ‘ole days” but rather they think, “that’s where God STARTED this thing…we should be WAY ahead of this!!!”
#4 – They are full of ordinary people.
God always uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. Jesus didn’t choose one scribe or Pharisee when He launched the church…and Acts 4:13 talks about how He used ordinary people to absolutely turn the world upside down. The staff LOVE the church…so much so that they would actually attend there even if they were not on staff!
#5 – They leverage technology.
They don’t view technology as of the devil but rather as a tool given by God to reach as many people as possible for Jesus. (Btw…isn’t it funny that some churches are against the use of technology yet all of them rode to their church in a car and their church building has air conditioner?)
#6 – The church is full of passion.
People in the church actually LOVE the church and do not attend because they feel like they have to! (The only reason people get angry with the fact that you love your church is probably because they have no idea what it is like to actually love their church!)
#7 – They take ownership of the great commission.
They REFUSE to be “keepers of the aquarium” and instead embrace the COMMAND of Jesus to reach the world for HIM! (BTW NewSpring Church…it has been SO encouraging to see so many of you come to our evangelism seminar this week! We have one more live one tonight at our Anderson campus – you can sign up here – and, if you cannot join us live for some reason this event will be available online just like our Sunday services…so you can join us tonight at www.newspring.cc from 7-9, can’t wait!)
#8 – There is a willingness to change and adapt, even when it means they have to go against the very “innovative” ideas that they themselves once established!
Anyone can change the traditions of the past…but true innovation occurs when we’re willing to change the ideas that we once thought were innovative and ground breaking!
#9 – Generosity is embraced.
The world has never been impacted in a positive way by people that were greedy.
#10 – The people in the church are OWNERS, not merely “members.”
Members have rights, owners have responsibilities. The people in these churches understand that it is not the pastors job to minister to the people but rather the bodies job to minister to the body! And as a result people serve Jesus by serving others instead of sitting on their “blessed assurance” and expecting to be waited on hand and foot.
Perry Noble is the founding and senior pastor of NewSpring Church in Anderson, Columbia, Florence and Greenville, S.C.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Severe economic downturn
$8M Revenue Drop Forces Crystal Cathedral to Make Deep Cuts
Sat, Jan. 30, 2010 Posted: 11:56 PM EDT
Southern California’s famed Crystal Cathedral is making “cuts to the heart of our ministry” following a 27 percent drop in revenue – from $30 million in 2008 to $22 million in 2009 – and with a drop in this year’s revenue anticipated.
In an announcement Friday, the Garden Grove, Calif.-based megachurch announced that its San Juan Capistrano location would shut down its operations following a decision by Crystal Cathedral Ministries’ International Board of Trustees.
That same day, the church said it was canceling its annual “Glory of Easter” pageant, the renowned live stage production that the church has presented every year for nearly three decades.
The church’s founder, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, said it was "with great sadness that the Board of Directors of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries announces that after long prayer and deliberation, the Ministry through the 2010 Glory of Easter production will not be held due to severe economic downturn.”
"We ask that the entire church be united in prayer as we, the Crystal Cathedral congregation, share the triumphant message of Easter with those who regularly come to the campus and to our worship services,” added Schuller.
"In my 2009 Christmas Eve message, I shared the sentence, ‘A Set Back is a Set Up for a Comeback’ so we anticipate a positive turnaround in our country as we look forward to the 2010 Glory of Christmas and 2011 Glory of Easter. We dedicate ourselves to making that happen.”
In addition to the setbacks announced Friday, Crystal Cathedral is also reportedly laying off 50 workers and may pull its once-popular "Hour of Power" television show in up to eight markets.
Though some speculate that the drop in revenue is connected to the family feud that ensued following Schuller’s retirement a few years ago, Crystal Cathedral spokesman John Charles told the Los Angeles Times that the dispute had no effect.
“It is the economy,” he said. “We have a lot of older, retired people."
In 2008, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, who succeeded his father the year before, stepped down as senior pastor over the “lack of shared vision and the jeopardy in which this [was] placing this entire ministry.”
“[I]t has become necessary for Robert and me to part ways in the Hour of Power television ministry to each pursue our own unique God-ordained visions,” the older Schuller reported in a statement on Oct. 28, 2008.
Since then, the megachurch founder has tapped his daughter, 58-year-old Sheila Schuller Coleman, to co-lead Crystal Cathedral with him, serving as the church’s “directing leader.”
In a prepared statement this past week, Coleman encouraged the congregation to “hang in there and be smart about surviving the downturn in the economy,” saying that “this storm will pass and we will be OK and we can begin to grow again as a ministry.”
Founded over 50 years ago, Crystal Cathedral is internationally known for its "Hour of Power" broadcast, once said to be the most-watched Christian program worldwide.
The church, which is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, is also known for the architecture of its main sanctuary building, which was constructed using over 10,000 rectangular panes of glass.
The church claims to have over 10,000 members and holds three services in its 2,900-capacity sanctuary every Sunday.
Joshua A. Goldberg
Christian Post Reporter
Sat, Jan. 30, 2010 Posted: 11:56 PM EDT
Southern California’s famed Crystal Cathedral is making “cuts to the heart of our ministry” following a 27 percent drop in revenue – from $30 million in 2008 to $22 million in 2009 – and with a drop in this year’s revenue anticipated.
In an announcement Friday, the Garden Grove, Calif.-based megachurch announced that its San Juan Capistrano location would shut down its operations following a decision by Crystal Cathedral Ministries’ International Board of Trustees.
That same day, the church said it was canceling its annual “Glory of Easter” pageant, the renowned live stage production that the church has presented every year for nearly three decades.
The church’s founder, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, said it was "with great sadness that the Board of Directors of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries announces that after long prayer and deliberation, the Ministry through the 2010 Glory of Easter production will not be held due to severe economic downturn.”
"We ask that the entire church be united in prayer as we, the Crystal Cathedral congregation, share the triumphant message of Easter with those who regularly come to the campus and to our worship services,” added Schuller.
"In my 2009 Christmas Eve message, I shared the sentence, ‘A Set Back is a Set Up for a Comeback’ so we anticipate a positive turnaround in our country as we look forward to the 2010 Glory of Christmas and 2011 Glory of Easter. We dedicate ourselves to making that happen.”
In addition to the setbacks announced Friday, Crystal Cathedral is also reportedly laying off 50 workers and may pull its once-popular "Hour of Power" television show in up to eight markets.
Though some speculate that the drop in revenue is connected to the family feud that ensued following Schuller’s retirement a few years ago, Crystal Cathedral spokesman John Charles told the Los Angeles Times that the dispute had no effect.
“It is the economy,” he said. “We have a lot of older, retired people."
In 2008, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, who succeeded his father the year before, stepped down as senior pastor over the “lack of shared vision and the jeopardy in which this [was] placing this entire ministry.”
“[I]t has become necessary for Robert and me to part ways in the Hour of Power television ministry to each pursue our own unique God-ordained visions,” the older Schuller reported in a statement on Oct. 28, 2008.
Since then, the megachurch founder has tapped his daughter, 58-year-old Sheila Schuller Coleman, to co-lead Crystal Cathedral with him, serving as the church’s “directing leader.”
In a prepared statement this past week, Coleman encouraged the congregation to “hang in there and be smart about surviving the downturn in the economy,” saying that “this storm will pass and we will be OK and we can begin to grow again as a ministry.”
Founded over 50 years ago, Crystal Cathedral is internationally known for its "Hour of Power" broadcast, once said to be the most-watched Christian program worldwide.
The church, which is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, is also known for the architecture of its main sanctuary building, which was constructed using over 10,000 rectangular panes of glass.
The church claims to have over 10,000 members and holds three services in its 2,900-capacity sanctuary every Sunday.
Joshua A. Goldberg
Christian Post Reporter
Friday, August 13, 2010
A staggering 70 percent of those describing themselves as Christian were female
Official Survey Reports 23 Million Christians in China
Thu, Aug. 12, 2010 Posted: 05:53 PM EDT
HONG KONG – Christians in China now number just over 23 million, according to the results of the Communist country’s first official faith survey.
Although that figure amounts to only 1.8 percent of the total population, it represents 73 percent of China’s religious population.
The figures were contained in the newly published Blue Book on China Religions, compiled by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, an academic unit under the control of the Chinese government, according to China Daily.
The academy looked at the responses of over 60,000 questionnaires carried out in more than 300 counties across China.
Among the Christians interviewed, 69 percent of them said that they had converted to Christianity because they or their family members had fallen ill. A staggering 70 percent of those describing themselves as Christian were female and 67 percent of all Christians surveyed said they had been baptized.
The academy attributed the growth to societal reform over the last three decades, with 73 percent of Chinese Christians having joined the church after 1993, and only 18 percent having joined the church between 1982 and 1992.
“These statistics clearly indicate that the 30-year period of reform and opening up has been a period of rapid development for both Chinese society and the Chinese church,” Fu Xianwei, who heads the body that ensures churches follow state interests, was quoted as saying by China Daily.
Researchers noted a change in church demographics, with more young people, intellectuals and professionals joining the church in recent years.
To cope with the increase in number, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of churches in China, which now number more than 55,000.
Researchers noted that although the church had grown, Christian communities are still marginalized in society.
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said on its website that Christianity mainly attracts people with low social status, including the poor, the women and older people.
It said that while half of Christians had completed their primary education, only 2.6 percent of them attained a college degree or higher.
There are different estimates on the total number of Christians in China when attendance at unregistered churches is taken into account, with figures ranging from 40 million to 130 million.
The Blue Book also touched on figures for Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam and Taoism. The number of Catholics in China, according to the book, is 5.7 million.
Aenon Shalom
Compass Direct News
Thu, Aug. 12, 2010 Posted: 05:53 PM EDT
HONG KONG – Christians in China now number just over 23 million, according to the results of the Communist country’s first official faith survey.
Although that figure amounts to only 1.8 percent of the total population, it represents 73 percent of China’s religious population.
The figures were contained in the newly published Blue Book on China Religions, compiled by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, an academic unit under the control of the Chinese government, according to China Daily.
The academy looked at the responses of over 60,000 questionnaires carried out in more than 300 counties across China.
Among the Christians interviewed, 69 percent of them said that they had converted to Christianity because they or their family members had fallen ill. A staggering 70 percent of those describing themselves as Christian were female and 67 percent of all Christians surveyed said they had been baptized.
The academy attributed the growth to societal reform over the last three decades, with 73 percent of Chinese Christians having joined the church after 1993, and only 18 percent having joined the church between 1982 and 1992.
“These statistics clearly indicate that the 30-year period of reform and opening up has been a period of rapid development for both Chinese society and the Chinese church,” Fu Xianwei, who heads the body that ensures churches follow state interests, was quoted as saying by China Daily.
Researchers noted a change in church demographics, with more young people, intellectuals and professionals joining the church in recent years.
To cope with the increase in number, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of churches in China, which now number more than 55,000.
Researchers noted that although the church had grown, Christian communities are still marginalized in society.
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said on its website that Christianity mainly attracts people with low social status, including the poor, the women and older people.
It said that while half of Christians had completed their primary education, only 2.6 percent of them attained a college degree or higher.
There are different estimates on the total number of Christians in China when attendance at unregistered churches is taken into account, with figures ranging from 40 million to 130 million.
The Blue Book also touched on figures for Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam and Taoism. The number of Catholics in China, according to the book, is 5.7 million.
Aenon Shalom
Compass Direct News
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Ranked family as the important issue in their lives
Five Major Trends for Churches in America
Discerning future trends can be difficult if not risky. If we miss a trend, we risk missing opportunities because we had our resources directed elsewhere.
Mon, May. 10, 2010 Posted: 07:35 PM EDT
Discerning future trends can be difficult if not risky. If we miss a trend, we risk missing opportunities because we had our resources directed elsewhere.
I am thus careful when I do trend projections. I am especially careful when I am projecting trends that will have a direct impact on the churches in America.
The Basis for the Trends
The trends that follow were not created in a vacuum. Most the information is based on studies we have done at LifeWay Research. But much of this research provides us information and facts about today’s realities. It does not offer certitude for future trends.
The process is analogous to weather forecasting. We can see all the ingredients that will likely cause a specific outcome. But those factors can change, so we can never say that we are 100 percent certain.
Five Major Trends
Because most of the research that is the basis for these trends was related to American demographics, we must not extend the projections beyond our nation’s borders. Nevertheless, it is possible that some of the research could have implications beyond American churches.
1. Our nation will see the emergence of the largest generational mission field in over a century. According to our current research, the Millennial generation, those born between 1980 and 2000, will have a very low Christian representation. Our estimates now are that only 15% are Christian. With a huge population of nearly 80 million, that means that nearly 70 million young people are not Christians.
2. The dominant attitude of this huge generation toward Christianity will be largely indifferent. Only 13 percent of the Millennials rank any type of spiritual matter as important to their lives. They are not angry at churches and Christians. They simply ignore us because they do not deem us as meaningful or relevant.
3. Senior adult ministries in churches will experience steep declines. As the large Baby Boomer generation moves into their older years, they will resist any suggestion that they are senior adults, no matter how senior they may be. Unfortunately, many churches are slow to adapt to new realities. If they do senior adult ministry the way they’ve always done it, it will be headed for failure.
4. The large Boomer generation will become more receptive to the gospel. Our data is anecdotal for now, but we are seeing indications that the Boomers may actually become more interested in spiritual matters in general, and Christianity specifically. If so, this trend will be counter to other trends where adults tend to become less receptive to the gospel as they age. The Baby Boomers have tried it all and found no joy. They may likely turn to the hope of the gospel.
5. Family will be a key value for both of the large generations. For the Millennials, family is their most important value. Nearly eight out of ten of the Millennials ranked family as the important issue in their lives. They told us that they had healthy relationships with their parents who, for the most part, are Baby Boomers. Some churches say they are family friendly, but few actually demonstrate that value. Churches that reach both of these generations will make significant changes to become the type of churches that foster healthy family relationships,
The Opportunity to Respond
We believe these trends may indeed become reality. They admittedly do focus only on two generations, but these two groups are the largest two generations in America’s history. They cannot be ignored.
Trend projecting is a meaningless exercise if it fails to engender action. Ultimately each local church must determine where God is leading the congregation. In the case of the five trends noted here, the opportunities seem significant. May the response of Christians and churches be nothing less than radical obedience.
Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Thom S. Rainer
Christian Post Guest Columnist
Discerning future trends can be difficult if not risky. If we miss a trend, we risk missing opportunities because we had our resources directed elsewhere.
Mon, May. 10, 2010 Posted: 07:35 PM EDT
Discerning future trends can be difficult if not risky. If we miss a trend, we risk missing opportunities because we had our resources directed elsewhere.
I am thus careful when I do trend projections. I am especially careful when I am projecting trends that will have a direct impact on the churches in America.
The Basis for the Trends
The trends that follow were not created in a vacuum. Most the information is based on studies we have done at LifeWay Research. But much of this research provides us information and facts about today’s realities. It does not offer certitude for future trends.
The process is analogous to weather forecasting. We can see all the ingredients that will likely cause a specific outcome. But those factors can change, so we can never say that we are 100 percent certain.
Five Major Trends
Because most of the research that is the basis for these trends was related to American demographics, we must not extend the projections beyond our nation’s borders. Nevertheless, it is possible that some of the research could have implications beyond American churches.
1. Our nation will see the emergence of the largest generational mission field in over a century. According to our current research, the Millennial generation, those born between 1980 and 2000, will have a very low Christian representation. Our estimates now are that only 15% are Christian. With a huge population of nearly 80 million, that means that nearly 70 million young people are not Christians.
2. The dominant attitude of this huge generation toward Christianity will be largely indifferent. Only 13 percent of the Millennials rank any type of spiritual matter as important to their lives. They are not angry at churches and Christians. They simply ignore us because they do not deem us as meaningful or relevant.
3. Senior adult ministries in churches will experience steep declines. As the large Baby Boomer generation moves into their older years, they will resist any suggestion that they are senior adults, no matter how senior they may be. Unfortunately, many churches are slow to adapt to new realities. If they do senior adult ministry the way they’ve always done it, it will be headed for failure.
4. The large Boomer generation will become more receptive to the gospel. Our data is anecdotal for now, but we are seeing indications that the Boomers may actually become more interested in spiritual matters in general, and Christianity specifically. If so, this trend will be counter to other trends where adults tend to become less receptive to the gospel as they age. The Baby Boomers have tried it all and found no joy. They may likely turn to the hope of the gospel.
5. Family will be a key value for both of the large generations. For the Millennials, family is their most important value. Nearly eight out of ten of the Millennials ranked family as the important issue in their lives. They told us that they had healthy relationships with their parents who, for the most part, are Baby Boomers. Some churches say they are family friendly, but few actually demonstrate that value. Churches that reach both of these generations will make significant changes to become the type of churches that foster healthy family relationships,
The Opportunity to Respond
We believe these trends may indeed become reality. They admittedly do focus only on two generations, but these two groups are the largest two generations in America’s history. They cannot be ignored.
Trend projecting is a meaningless exercise if it fails to engender action. Ultimately each local church must determine where God is leading the congregation. In the case of the five trends noted here, the opportunities seem significant. May the response of Christians and churches be nothing less than radical obedience.
Dr. Thom Rainer is president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Thom S. Rainer
Christian Post Guest Columnist
Sunday, February 21, 2010
The Size of God Should Determine the Size of Your Ministry Goals
The Apostle Paul didn't have a cell phone or the Internet, yet he took the Gospel into the long-reaching corners of the Roman Empire.
Sat, Feb. 20, 2010 Posted: 03:23 PM EDT
The Apostle Paul didn't have a cell phone or the Internet, yet he took the Gospel into the long-reaching corners of the Roman Empire.
Here are the reasons for his S-U-C-C-E-S-S --
* S -- Sense of direction
* U -- Understanding
* C -- Commitment
* C - Compassion
* E -- Enthusiastic faith
* S -- Service to others
* S -- Staying power
S - Sense of Direction
If you don't know where you're headed, you'll probably end up somewhere else. Paul had a crystal clear purpose. In Romans 15:20, Paul writes, "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation." (NIV) I've always loved this verse. Like Paul, I've always seen myself as a spiritual entrepreneur. Paul was a pioneer. He didn't want to lead an existing church. He wanted to start something new. But the point isn't what kind of ministry God had called him to; it's that he knew what that ministry was.
Most people don't succeed because they don't really know what they want. They do something for a few years, then switch and do something else, then switch again. Finally, they get to 40, 50, or 60 years old, and they've done 10 different things. They've never focused their lives on anything specific.
We should always be able to answer this question immediately: "What has God called you to do?"
When you figure out the "why" in life, God will show you the "how." When I started Saddleback Church, I didn't know how God was going to do it. But I knew why and I knew what. I had the message and the motive, and God came up with the method.
Ministry success starts by understanding what God wants you to do.
U - Understanding
In Philippians 4:12, Paul says, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation ...." (NIV) Contentment must be learned - and it's a tough lesson.
It might seem like a contradiction to say that you need to have a goal and you need to be content. But it's not. Contentment isn't the absence of a goal. It's being happy with where you are as you work toward your goal. If you think you won't be happy until you've reached your goal, you'll never be happy.
There's always a tension in ministry between the real and the ideal. You need to keep the ideal in your mind, but you must live with the real and not be frustrated by it. No matter how good things get in your church, it shouldn't ever be where you want it to be. We always must keep striving, keep moving, and keep progressing.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:5, Paul says, "May the Lord lead you into a greater understanding of God's love and the endurance that is given by Christ." (GNB) Endurance and understanding go together. When people quit before the job is finished, it shows a lack of understanding - or perspective. They don't have the big picture about their ministry and just get caught up in the details.
When you understand the problem, you can endure it far longer than when you don't understand it. Where do you get the kind of understanding that helps you last in ministry? You get it from God's Word (Psalm 119:105). Fill you mind with God's Word, and it'll make you wise.
C - Commitment
In Acts 20:24, The Apostle Paul says, "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." (NLT) Paul knew what he was committed to and he held nothing back.
Jesus said it like this, "Count the cost. No man can follow me unless he takes up his cross, denies himself and follows me." This is what I think that means: Don't be a wishy-washy, wimpy servant of God. Make a total commitment of your life. We should, once and for all, make a commitment to serve what really matters and be willing to pay any price in our service for Jesus.
C- Compassion: 1 Corinthians 13:2-3 says, "I may have all knowledge and the faith to move mountains. I may give away everything I have but if I have not love it does me no good." (GNB) Without love in your life, nothing else matters. In Matthew 22 Jesus says it's our first responsibility.
Ministry is simply loving others in a practical way.
We know that love is choice. It's the commitment to care for someone else. If you want to be successful in ministry, you have to commit to loving people. Paul gives us this secret to ministry success in Colossians 3:12b. He writes, "Clothe yourself with compassion." (NIV) That's Paul's method of dressing for success!
What does compassion mean? It means being sensitive to the needs of others, but it means more - much more -- than that. It means doing something about those needs you see. Sympathy is saying, "I'm sorry you hurt." Empathy is, "I hurt with you." But compassion is, "I'll do anything I can to stop your hurt." Repeatedly, the Bible says that Jesus was moved with compassion. He said, "I'll do anything to stop your hurt -- even if it means dying on the cross."
E - Enthusiastic faith: Paul says in Romans 8:31b, "If God be for us, who can be against us." (NIV) One of the reasons I love Paul so much is that he's an eternal optimist. He's getting beat up, shipwrecked, thrown in prison, stoned, and yet he stays positive. He wouldn't give up because he had an enthusiastic faith. He attempted great things for God, and he expected great things from God. If you're going to be successful in ministry, you've got to have an enthusiastic faith. You've got to have hope.
Paul believed that no situation was hopeless. Philippians 4:13 says, "I'm ready for anything." (Phillips) I don't know if I'd dare say that, but Paul did. His faith kept him going. Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm. Jesus said it like this: "Everything is possible for the person who believes." (Mark 9:23b NLT)
People used to say, "It's impossible for a church to buy 70 acres in Orange County." They laughed at me! When I said in the first service of the church, "Someday we're going to have at least 50 acres," people said, "Who do you think we are?" Wrong question! The right question is "Who do I think God is?"
Let the size of your God determine the size of your goal.
S - Service to others: If you're going to be effective in ministry, you must serve other people. 2 Corinthians 8:19 says, "We carry out the service of love for the Lord's glory and to show that we want to help." (GNB) Paul's favorite title to use for himself is "I'm a servant of the Lord."
There is absolutely no such thing, in the church or in the world, as success without service.
Success without services is a false, phony success. It's just an image. Meet the needs of other people. That's how you find success in any field - including ministry. The Apostle Paul said, "I will be glad to spend all I have, and myself as well, in order to help you." (2 Corinthians 12:15 GNB) Those words come from a servant heart.
S - Staying power: Ministry requires the refusal to give up. If you give up at the first sign of trouble, you'll never get anywhere in ministry. Trouble is always around the corner. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, "We're pressured on every side but we're not crushed. We're perplexed but we're not in despair. We're persecuted but we're not abandoned. We're stuck down but we're not destroyed." Paul never says it would be easy to serve the Lord. It's not. But he tells us not to give up.
A good example of this is Acts 14. Paul goes in and preaches in a town. They didn't like what he said, and they stoned him. Then he was left for dead outside the edge of town. But do you remember what he does then? He gets up, goes to the next town, and starts preaching again! He didn't say, "I got burned in a church. I'll never serve again. Nobody appreciates my ministry. I'll just give up." He got up, went to the next town, and did the exact same thing.
You can't change the destination of your ministry instantly. But you can change the direction instantly. You may have just gotten a little off track. That can change today. Applying the seven principles of S-U-C-C-E-S-S is a good place to start to make those changes.
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose-Driven Life and The Purpose-Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
Copyright 2005 Pastors.com, Inc.
Used with permission.
All rights reserved
Rick Warren
Christian Post Guest Columnist
The Apostle Paul didn't have a cell phone or the Internet, yet he took the Gospel into the long-reaching corners of the Roman Empire.
Sat, Feb. 20, 2010 Posted: 03:23 PM EDT
The Apostle Paul didn't have a cell phone or the Internet, yet he took the Gospel into the long-reaching corners of the Roman Empire.
Here are the reasons for his S-U-C-C-E-S-S --
* S -- Sense of direction
* U -- Understanding
* C -- Commitment
* C - Compassion
* E -- Enthusiastic faith
* S -- Service to others
* S -- Staying power
S - Sense of Direction
If you don't know where you're headed, you'll probably end up somewhere else. Paul had a crystal clear purpose. In Romans 15:20, Paul writes, "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation." (NIV) I've always loved this verse. Like Paul, I've always seen myself as a spiritual entrepreneur. Paul was a pioneer. He didn't want to lead an existing church. He wanted to start something new. But the point isn't what kind of ministry God had called him to; it's that he knew what that ministry was.
Most people don't succeed because they don't really know what they want. They do something for a few years, then switch and do something else, then switch again. Finally, they get to 40, 50, or 60 years old, and they've done 10 different things. They've never focused their lives on anything specific.
We should always be able to answer this question immediately: "What has God called you to do?"
When you figure out the "why" in life, God will show you the "how." When I started Saddleback Church, I didn't know how God was going to do it. But I knew why and I knew what. I had the message and the motive, and God came up with the method.
Ministry success starts by understanding what God wants you to do.
U - Understanding
In Philippians 4:12, Paul says, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation ...." (NIV) Contentment must be learned - and it's a tough lesson.
It might seem like a contradiction to say that you need to have a goal and you need to be content. But it's not. Contentment isn't the absence of a goal. It's being happy with where you are as you work toward your goal. If you think you won't be happy until you've reached your goal, you'll never be happy.
There's always a tension in ministry between the real and the ideal. You need to keep the ideal in your mind, but you must live with the real and not be frustrated by it. No matter how good things get in your church, it shouldn't ever be where you want it to be. We always must keep striving, keep moving, and keep progressing.
In 2 Thessalonians 3:5, Paul says, "May the Lord lead you into a greater understanding of God's love and the endurance that is given by Christ." (GNB) Endurance and understanding go together. When people quit before the job is finished, it shows a lack of understanding - or perspective. They don't have the big picture about their ministry and just get caught up in the details.
When you understand the problem, you can endure it far longer than when you don't understand it. Where do you get the kind of understanding that helps you last in ministry? You get it from God's Word (Psalm 119:105). Fill you mind with God's Word, and it'll make you wise.
C - Commitment
In Acts 20:24, The Apostle Paul says, "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." (NLT) Paul knew what he was committed to and he held nothing back.
Jesus said it like this, "Count the cost. No man can follow me unless he takes up his cross, denies himself and follows me." This is what I think that means: Don't be a wishy-washy, wimpy servant of God. Make a total commitment of your life. We should, once and for all, make a commitment to serve what really matters and be willing to pay any price in our service for Jesus.
C- Compassion: 1 Corinthians 13:2-3 says, "I may have all knowledge and the faith to move mountains. I may give away everything I have but if I have not love it does me no good." (GNB) Without love in your life, nothing else matters. In Matthew 22 Jesus says it's our first responsibility.
Ministry is simply loving others in a practical way.
We know that love is choice. It's the commitment to care for someone else. If you want to be successful in ministry, you have to commit to loving people. Paul gives us this secret to ministry success in Colossians 3:12b. He writes, "Clothe yourself with compassion." (NIV) That's Paul's method of dressing for success!
What does compassion mean? It means being sensitive to the needs of others, but it means more - much more -- than that. It means doing something about those needs you see. Sympathy is saying, "I'm sorry you hurt." Empathy is, "I hurt with you." But compassion is, "I'll do anything I can to stop your hurt." Repeatedly, the Bible says that Jesus was moved with compassion. He said, "I'll do anything to stop your hurt -- even if it means dying on the cross."
E - Enthusiastic faith: Paul says in Romans 8:31b, "If God be for us, who can be against us." (NIV) One of the reasons I love Paul so much is that he's an eternal optimist. He's getting beat up, shipwrecked, thrown in prison, stoned, and yet he stays positive. He wouldn't give up because he had an enthusiastic faith. He attempted great things for God, and he expected great things from God. If you're going to be successful in ministry, you've got to have an enthusiastic faith. You've got to have hope.
Paul believed that no situation was hopeless. Philippians 4:13 says, "I'm ready for anything." (Phillips) I don't know if I'd dare say that, but Paul did. His faith kept him going. Nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm. Jesus said it like this: "Everything is possible for the person who believes." (Mark 9:23b NLT)
People used to say, "It's impossible for a church to buy 70 acres in Orange County." They laughed at me! When I said in the first service of the church, "Someday we're going to have at least 50 acres," people said, "Who do you think we are?" Wrong question! The right question is "Who do I think God is?"
Let the size of your God determine the size of your goal.
S - Service to others: If you're going to be effective in ministry, you must serve other people. 2 Corinthians 8:19 says, "We carry out the service of love for the Lord's glory and to show that we want to help." (GNB) Paul's favorite title to use for himself is "I'm a servant of the Lord."
There is absolutely no such thing, in the church or in the world, as success without service.
Success without services is a false, phony success. It's just an image. Meet the needs of other people. That's how you find success in any field - including ministry. The Apostle Paul said, "I will be glad to spend all I have, and myself as well, in order to help you." (2 Corinthians 12:15 GNB) Those words come from a servant heart.
S - Staying power: Ministry requires the refusal to give up. If you give up at the first sign of trouble, you'll never get anywhere in ministry. Trouble is always around the corner. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, "We're pressured on every side but we're not crushed. We're perplexed but we're not in despair. We're persecuted but we're not abandoned. We're stuck down but we're not destroyed." Paul never says it would be easy to serve the Lord. It's not. But he tells us not to give up.
A good example of this is Acts 14. Paul goes in and preaches in a town. They didn't like what he said, and they stoned him. Then he was left for dead outside the edge of town. But do you remember what he does then? He gets up, goes to the next town, and starts preaching again! He didn't say, "I got burned in a church. I'll never serve again. Nobody appreciates my ministry. I'll just give up." He got up, went to the next town, and did the exact same thing.
You can't change the destination of your ministry instantly. But you can change the direction instantly. You may have just gotten a little off track. That can change today. Applying the seven principles of S-U-C-C-E-S-S is a good place to start to make those changes.
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose-Driven Life and The Purpose-Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
Copyright 2005 Pastors.com, Inc.
Used with permission.
All rights reserved
Rick Warren
Christian Post Guest Columnist
Thursday, September 17, 2009
It is the Word of God alone that can ‘change’ and ‘touch’ people
Fast-Growing Indian Church Pastor: My Secret is Prayer
Monday, Sep. 14, 2009 Posted: 4:49:41PM HKT
This Singapore pastor is never busy.
Rain or shine, he spends at least two hours with God in prayer each day. And he believes that this has been the key to the success of his ministry.
With his unhurried routine of life, Pastor Roy Daniel Mathew has raised an Indian congregation from three to nearly 100 people in less than a year.
And his plan: to make members of 10,000 Indians in his congregation within five years, a significant aspiration for the smallest of the three main ethnic groupings in Singapore.
Born to a missionary family in the state of Kerala in Southwest India, Roy, 32, says that was not how he became a pastor.
In the one-and-a-half hour session he spent with The Christian Post, he told of how from as early as ten years of age, he had pastors telling him God had called him to be a pastor.
Roy, a younger man then, did not want to live his life as a preacher, for he knew how pastors had to suffer financial hardship even in Kerala at that time.
The most that he was willing to do was to accompany his father on his ministry visits to various parts of India including Orissa where they had 20 pastors. There, in the Indian state best known to the world today for its anti-Christian persecution, Roy could not help but count his blessings for having been born in a place like Kerala. While his hometown was a ‘beautiful’ place, Orissa had practically nothing to attract anyone.
The pastor, whose name was Thomas, who he had gone to visit lived in a ‘small’, one-room house in a ‘very remote’ and ‘very dry’ village. Yet the preacher was a ‘happy’ man. The younger Roy could not help but ask the pastor what made him stay on.
He replied, simply: God called him to do this. That touched Roy deeply. He was already experiencing something of the reality of God’s call to him when the small business he started was ‘destroyed’, he believes, by God. That night, Roy got on his knees before God, and surrendered his life completely to Him, to do whatever He wanted, and to go wherever He wanted.
Since then, the young man began to prepare himself for fulltime ministry as a pastor by praying and reading and studying the Bible.
After one year, his life was changed. He began to preach alongside his father, and saw miracles take place in people’s lives through the Word of God. Roy realised that revival was not about healing, but about people realising their sin, their problems with other people. And this could only happen through the Word of God.
The Indian pastor never imagined that he would be called to preach in Singapore. But when he weathered many adverse circumstances including the diabetic condition and pregnancy of his wife, and the difficulty of staying on in Singapore being a foreigner, he realised that everything went smoothly because it was God’s plan for him to minister here.
Starting out with three people, one more person other than him and his wife, the pastor embarked on a serious effort to pray solely for his ministry, not even his personal needs. In addition to his consistent two hours of prayer daily, Roy went through 21 days of fasting going on nothing but water, twice, and held seven day fasts on numerous occasions.
Because of his strong prayer life, he experienced a strengthening of his spiritual life. It is impossible for believers who dedicate two hours of their day to prayer to sin, he said.
This was also how he met the people who eventually became members of his fast-growing congregation. Roy leads the Indian service at City Missions Church that meets in High Street Centre.
Prayer is the only thing that Jesus Christ ‘systematically’ taught His disciples even though He asked them to do many other things such as preach the Gospel and heal the sick, the pastor stressed, suggesting that those who learn to pray well learn to do all the other things well as well. He gave the example of Yonggi-Cho, who is not the best preacher, and yet he founded the largest congregation in the world. Yonggi-Cho is known for his prayer life.
How does Roy sustain two hours of prayer? By recording his prayer topics in a book and praying through them systematically, he said.
The pastor also prays in other tongues. Asked what he thought about criticism that many Christians who pray in other tongues do so artificially, the Indian preacher says he agrees with that.
Believers are called to declare the greatness of God in the heavenly language, and they cannot end at making the same utterances every time.
They need to ‘mature’, he said, much as human beings mature from being babies to children to teenagers and finally to adulthood. Roy says that whenever he prays, he prays things that he has never prayed before.
He emphasised that it is the Word of God alone that can ‘change’ and ‘touch’ people. Preaching is the essence of a pastor’s ministry, rather than the performing of signs and wonders, he said, arguing that it is wrong for entire church services to be started just for miracles.
Churches should focus on preaching the Word of God and see healings take place in addition, rather than focusing on the healings.
At the end of the session, Roy was asked for his comment on the mindset of many believers particularly in the West that as long as they have said a sinner’s prayer, they can live as they would like to.
In his reply, the pastor used the example of the civil law the leaders of India promulgated shortly after independence in 1947. Although free from the British colonisers, the Indian people were not given ‘real’ freedom; they enjoyed freedom, but only within the law. Without a law, India would disintegrate, he explained.
In the same way, Christians have salvation, freedom from the devil, but they enjoy that freedom only within the law of God.
Monday, Sep. 14, 2009 Posted: 4:49:41PM HKT
This Singapore pastor is never busy.
Rain or shine, he spends at least two hours with God in prayer each day. And he believes that this has been the key to the success of his ministry.
With his unhurried routine of life, Pastor Roy Daniel Mathew has raised an Indian congregation from three to nearly 100 people in less than a year.
And his plan: to make members of 10,000 Indians in his congregation within five years, a significant aspiration for the smallest of the three main ethnic groupings in Singapore.
Born to a missionary family in the state of Kerala in Southwest India, Roy, 32, says that was not how he became a pastor.
In the one-and-a-half hour session he spent with The Christian Post, he told of how from as early as ten years of age, he had pastors telling him God had called him to be a pastor.
Roy, a younger man then, did not want to live his life as a preacher, for he knew how pastors had to suffer financial hardship even in Kerala at that time.
The most that he was willing to do was to accompany his father on his ministry visits to various parts of India including Orissa where they had 20 pastors. There, in the Indian state best known to the world today for its anti-Christian persecution, Roy could not help but count his blessings for having been born in a place like Kerala. While his hometown was a ‘beautiful’ place, Orissa had practically nothing to attract anyone.
The pastor, whose name was Thomas, who he had gone to visit lived in a ‘small’, one-room house in a ‘very remote’ and ‘very dry’ village. Yet the preacher was a ‘happy’ man. The younger Roy could not help but ask the pastor what made him stay on.
He replied, simply: God called him to do this. That touched Roy deeply. He was already experiencing something of the reality of God’s call to him when the small business he started was ‘destroyed’, he believes, by God. That night, Roy got on his knees before God, and surrendered his life completely to Him, to do whatever He wanted, and to go wherever He wanted.
Since then, the young man began to prepare himself for fulltime ministry as a pastor by praying and reading and studying the Bible.
After one year, his life was changed. He began to preach alongside his father, and saw miracles take place in people’s lives through the Word of God. Roy realised that revival was not about healing, but about people realising their sin, their problems with other people. And this could only happen through the Word of God.
The Indian pastor never imagined that he would be called to preach in Singapore. But when he weathered many adverse circumstances including the diabetic condition and pregnancy of his wife, and the difficulty of staying on in Singapore being a foreigner, he realised that everything went smoothly because it was God’s plan for him to minister here.
Starting out with three people, one more person other than him and his wife, the pastor embarked on a serious effort to pray solely for his ministry, not even his personal needs. In addition to his consistent two hours of prayer daily, Roy went through 21 days of fasting going on nothing but water, twice, and held seven day fasts on numerous occasions.
Because of his strong prayer life, he experienced a strengthening of his spiritual life. It is impossible for believers who dedicate two hours of their day to prayer to sin, he said.
This was also how he met the people who eventually became members of his fast-growing congregation. Roy leads the Indian service at City Missions Church that meets in High Street Centre.
Prayer is the only thing that Jesus Christ ‘systematically’ taught His disciples even though He asked them to do many other things such as preach the Gospel and heal the sick, the pastor stressed, suggesting that those who learn to pray well learn to do all the other things well as well. He gave the example of Yonggi-Cho, who is not the best preacher, and yet he founded the largest congregation in the world. Yonggi-Cho is known for his prayer life.
How does Roy sustain two hours of prayer? By recording his prayer topics in a book and praying through them systematically, he said.
The pastor also prays in other tongues. Asked what he thought about criticism that many Christians who pray in other tongues do so artificially, the Indian preacher says he agrees with that.
Believers are called to declare the greatness of God in the heavenly language, and they cannot end at making the same utterances every time.
They need to ‘mature’, he said, much as human beings mature from being babies to children to teenagers and finally to adulthood. Roy says that whenever he prays, he prays things that he has never prayed before.
He emphasised that it is the Word of God alone that can ‘change’ and ‘touch’ people. Preaching is the essence of a pastor’s ministry, rather than the performing of signs and wonders, he said, arguing that it is wrong for entire church services to be started just for miracles.
Churches should focus on preaching the Word of God and see healings take place in addition, rather than focusing on the healings.
At the end of the session, Roy was asked for his comment on the mindset of many believers particularly in the West that as long as they have said a sinner’s prayer, they can live as they would like to.
In his reply, the pastor used the example of the civil law the leaders of India promulgated shortly after independence in 1947. Although free from the British colonisers, the Indian people were not given ‘real’ freedom; they enjoyed freedom, but only within the law. Without a law, India would disintegrate, he explained.
In the same way, Christians have salvation, freedom from the devil, but they enjoy that freedom only within the law of God.
Monday, September 14, 2009
We have to be loving, tolerant and accepting of people who are very different from us.
Kong Hee on Church Growth
Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2009 Posted: 1:54:46AM HKT
Source: Click here
In the comparatively short span of two decades, City Harvest Church has become the largest congregation in Singapore.
And yet, for many pastors and believers, the phenomenal growth of the church is at best a mystery or a feat of which only a few are capable.
At worst, it is a tell-tale ‘sign’ of the shallowness of faith and lack of discipleship of the members.
For The Rev Dr Kong Hee, who founded CHC, the growth was unexpected.
Two themes emerged in the course of the email interview he graciously accepted from The Christian Post.
It was primarily the clear vision of God’s passion and calling to the believers and the relentless obedience of the small group of individuals that pioneered the church that enabled CHC to succeed in its outreach.
In the following full transcript, the CHC founder explains how the church has come so far and where it is headed, and then some.
The Christian Post: Your anniversary theme is City Harvest Church Celebrates 20 Years of Growth. How did CHC grow over the past two decades?
The Rev Dr Kong Hee: When I look back at all our achievements, I must honestly say that it is all God. As we continually yield ourselves to Him, truly He has taken us from glory to glory. It has indeed been an exhilarating ride with the Holy Spirit.
CHC is built on 3 core pillars. The first is the Great Commandment: loving God wholeheartedly and loving people fervently. Our love for God must translate into loving our neighbours. So we want to find a hurt and heal it, find a need and meet it. We want take the anointing of God outside of our physical confines into a broken-down world, to build a “Church Without Walls.” To do that, we have to be loving, tolerant and accepting of people who are very different from us. We love them unconditionally and help them become happy, productive people. With this mindset, we have grown the church to the size it is today.
The second pillar is the Great Commission: preaching the gospel of the kingdom in all the nations. Jesus didn’t just die for our own countrymen, He laid down His life for the whole world. From the urban cities to the rural villages, every person should have the chance to know Jesus and hear of what He has done for him or her. The secret to successful missions is still church-planting. Our strategy in missions is to disciple locals to build relevant, contemporary, Spirit-filled churches. Today, we have 45 affiliate churches and 10 Bible schools in the region. We are growing at the rate of one church every 2-3 months.
The third pillar is the Cultural Mandate of bringing Christ into our contemporary culture. We don’t believe in isolating and sanitizing our members from the world. On the contrary, we inspire them to engage society as salt and light, to be useful citizens---to have a “holy worldliness.” We are to be the representative of Christ in the marketplace of business, education, civil service, arts and entertainment, and the mass media. We must listen to the “messages” that is coming out of popular culture and understand the needs of our generation. Only then can we effectively meet those needs in a way and language the people of the 21st century could understand.
CP: What was CHC like at the very beginning and in its early years?
Kong: Twenty years ago, when CHC first started with a group of 20 young people, we lacked both the experience and resources in starting a church. However, even though our pockets were empty, our hearts were full of passion toward God and a great desire to serve His purpose in our generation. Other churches in Singapore were skeptical of the sustainability of this church of youths, and viewed it with no small measure of suspicion. It was totally unheard of that a church could be independently started by young people, and many in the public were wondering if we were even a proper church.
At that time, CHC did not have its own physical building as well and we had to meet from place to place such as the Katong Park Hotel (Duke Hotel), NTUC Auditorium, Ministry Of Environment Building, National Productivity Board Auditorium, World Trade Centre (now HarbourFront) and Westin Stamford Hotel (now The Fairmount), just to name a few. There were even times when the members did not know where the next service was going to be held! But despite the uncertainty and resistance, we chose to obey the call of God and live a life of spiritual commitment and discipline. I continued preaching messages like faith, prayer and fasting, giving, discipleship, ministry and evangelism, and these values have become the core beliefs and foundation of our church today. By the grace of God, our perseverance paid off and we have grown to what we are today. We have never looked back since.
CP: What is your personal testimony like? How did you come to know Christ and desire to serve Him? And what inspired you to start CHC?
Kong: I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord in 1975. After my conversion, I attended a small neighborhood Anglican church for the next 13 years. In 1989, I felt the call of God to enter into full-time Christian service. By then, I had graduated with a degree in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore and was working for a publishing house. Having held several small, but successful, evangelistic campaigns in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, my original intention was to become a missionary in Southeast Asia. In April that year, I left the Anglican church that I had been attending since a child and set out to become a staff evangelist with “Christ for Asia,” a Singapore-based missions organization.
During one of my trips to the Philippines, the Holy Spirit spoke into my heart, “Kong, return to Singapore and raise up a new generation of believers that would take Asia by storm.” Truly, God’s ways are higher than our ways. At that same time, a group of young people that I had previously ministered to approached me and wanted me to be their shepherd, to pastor and lead them. With the support and encouragement of numerous senior pastors in the city, I decided to pioneer a new work, and hence, put aside my desire of becoming a church-planter in the mission fields.
CP: We know that it is God who grows the Church, but how did CHC allow Him to do that exactly? Do you have any encouragement for churches that have hit the growth ‘plateau’?
Kong: When the Lord first spoke to me about pastoring a church, I had no idea how this vision will come to pass at that time or how the church is going to be like. Since our inception, our modus operandi for winning the lost has been through the Caring System and Friendship Evangelism, where we build meaningful friendships with them and meet their needs with the love of God. At the same time, I was actively discipling the young people in the basics of Christianity: the Word of God, prayer, life in the Holy Spirit, soul-winning, church life, etc. And step by step, God brought us from a humble beginning of 20 people to what we are today, a church of 27,086 weekly attendees.
Coupled with a constant vision and love for the lost, I believe these are the factors that have propelled our church forward. Our leadership and members are always mindful that God’s desire is that everyone should be reached with the Gospel. We have a saying in CHC that “as long as there is one unsaved person out there, the church is not big enough.” We refuse to allow our present size to make us complacent and stop reaching out to the lost.
Inevitably, all churches will go through challenging times or hit a “plateau” in their growth cycle. The important thing to do apart from praying and believing is to persist and keep on keeping on. When we are determined to live out the will of God and fulfil His call upon our lives against all odds, our breakthroughs will come.
CP: With over 27,000 members, what are the main challenges of discipleship? How does CHC overcome that?
Kong: One of the things we have guarded closely over the years is the values or “DNA” of City Harvest Church which can be summed up as the church’s spirit of excellence and uncompromising attitude toward the things of God. In spite of our size, we try our best to ensure it is passed down, year after year, to the rank and file. This would not have been possible without an effective cell group system. In our church, over 1,000 cell group and ministry leaders each lead one or two cell groups, each averaging 15 people. Cell group meetings are held once a week — and in between, conduct fellowship, counseling, Bible studies, and many other activities.
As our church grows larger in numbers, "cell groups provide the optimum context for effective discipleship,” where members can still forge close relationships with fellow Christians in a much smaller setting. Smaller cell groups help foster strong bonds of friendship among church members, and particularly among the young, the positive peer pressure helps to keep values intact. Thankfully, CHC members are still very committed to prayer and fasting. Overnight prayer meetings are regular occurrences, and this year the church has embarked on “Prayer365” which ensures that at on any given day throughout the year, there are City Harvest cell groups interceding for the vision of the church and the needs of the members.
CP: What would you say is the biggest crisis in Christianity today?
Kong: One of the foremost challenges facing Christianity today is for the need for the church to stay relevant in order to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving society. For those who have been brought up in traditional, conservative, legalistic Christianity, there is always a discomfort in relating or engaging human society or its popular culture. Somehow, we have been taught that culture is worldly, carnal and demonic. But culture is simply a reflection of what people value and enjoy in life. In fact, culture is not a “secular” concept; it has its beginning in the Scripture.
In Genesis 2:15, when God told Adam to take care of the Garden of Eden, the word He used was cultura or “culture.” In its simplest sense, “culture” means taking the raw materials or resources that God has given to man and creatively nurturing them to their fullest potential. These resources may come in the form of talents, gifts and abilities. And even if they are outside the scope of direct church work, we should seek to develop them fully for the glory of God, with the confidence that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
God is the Creator and creativity is in His nature. On the other hand, Satan is never creative. Sin has no originality. The devil is not the giver of visions and dreams; the Holy Spirit is. Whenever we see something beautiful in the realm of music, art, science, or even human sexuality, it should be natural for us to show an appreciation for it, because it reflects the beauty that originates from God. Conversely, when we see something being distorted or perverted, we mustn’t condemn or curse it; instead, we should seek to redeem it back to God’s original purpose for it.
As Christians of the 21st century, we can’t withdraw into our little shell of religious correctness. More than ever before, we need to engage culture and provide the answer the world is desperately seeking for. The Bible says, “We are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20). A good ambassador must understand the habits, thinking, values and language of the people he (or she) is sent to. He may not readily accept any portion of the culture of the host country, but nonetheless must be diplomatic enough to represent his president well. Similarly, we are sent as the representatives of the King of kings and Lord of lords to a broken-down world. The Bible encourages believers to engage culture in positive ways and have the ability to “diplomatically” know what portion of culture to accept or to reject. Being a kind, polite, non-condemning and non-judgmental Christian is consistent with having the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).
Let us be relevant to the real world. “Relevance” means that we should work toward excellence, realism, and fully covering the entire scope of the human experience. Let us become relatable to a real world with real problems. Only in that process can we introduce a lost generation to a real God with real life-changing solutions.
CP: Can you name some of the ‘frontiers’ that CHC is and will be moving into in the near and distant future?
Kong: Spiritually, we want to grow CHC and raise up more disciples locally and overseas. For that, our aim is to plant more churches and start more Bible schools in the major cities in Asia. In terms of our community services, we would like to start more schools, medical centres, orphanages and rehabilitation centres in the poorer regions of Asia. We presently have about 30 such centres and would like to take it to 100 if the Lord permits. Locally in Singapore, if possible, we would love to work with the authorities to build old folks homes, elderly care centers, and maybe even a hospital someday.
In the next 20 years, it is my prayer that our members will really build happy, healthy marriages and families. They will live useful and productive lives in the marketplace of the world. The City Harvest DNA is one of love, acceptance, colour, creativity and progressiveness. We hope to positively bring these values into the societies that we are working in, and re-present a Christ who is loving, accepting, colourful, creative and progressive.
CP: As a Pentecostal raised in a mainline denomination, what would you say are the reasons for divisions between the newer, independent churches and older mainline denominations? What are some practical steps both sides could take to minimise this conflict?
Kong: In the last decade or so, the Singapore church scene has seen an increase in inter-denominational cooperation such as the LoveSingapore movement, Festival of Praise and the Global Day of Prayer event organized by the Evangelical Fellowship of Singapore, just to name a few. These have done a lot of good in uniting and creating meaningful working relationships among the different churches. A better understanding and appreciation of the different ministries carried out by the respective churches has also been fostered.
As a church, we do not see any major “divisions” or differences between the newer independent churches and the mainline traditional denominations as the basis of our faith originates from the same Source, which is the Bible. There may be some differences in our approach, methods and style of worship, but our essential beliefs and fundamental doctrines remain the same for all churches.
CP: Do you have any other comments?
Kong: I believe the finest days for the Church are ahead of us. There is no limit to what God can do through a person or a church who lives by the Word, partners with the Holy Spirit and walks in total obedience to God!
Tuesday, Sep. 8, 2009 Posted: 1:54:46AM HKT
Source: Click here
In the comparatively short span of two decades, City Harvest Church has become the largest congregation in Singapore.
And yet, for many pastors and believers, the phenomenal growth of the church is at best a mystery or a feat of which only a few are capable.
At worst, it is a tell-tale ‘sign’ of the shallowness of faith and lack of discipleship of the members.
For The Rev Dr Kong Hee, who founded CHC, the growth was unexpected.
Two themes emerged in the course of the email interview he graciously accepted from The Christian Post.
It was primarily the clear vision of God’s passion and calling to the believers and the relentless obedience of the small group of individuals that pioneered the church that enabled CHC to succeed in its outreach.
In the following full transcript, the CHC founder explains how the church has come so far and where it is headed, and then some.
The Christian Post: Your anniversary theme is City Harvest Church Celebrates 20 Years of Growth. How did CHC grow over the past two decades?
The Rev Dr Kong Hee: When I look back at all our achievements, I must honestly say that it is all God. As we continually yield ourselves to Him, truly He has taken us from glory to glory. It has indeed been an exhilarating ride with the Holy Spirit.
CHC is built on 3 core pillars. The first is the Great Commandment: loving God wholeheartedly and loving people fervently. Our love for God must translate into loving our neighbours. So we want to find a hurt and heal it, find a need and meet it. We want take the anointing of God outside of our physical confines into a broken-down world, to build a “Church Without Walls.” To do that, we have to be loving, tolerant and accepting of people who are very different from us. We love them unconditionally and help them become happy, productive people. With this mindset, we have grown the church to the size it is today.
The second pillar is the Great Commission: preaching the gospel of the kingdom in all the nations. Jesus didn’t just die for our own countrymen, He laid down His life for the whole world. From the urban cities to the rural villages, every person should have the chance to know Jesus and hear of what He has done for him or her. The secret to successful missions is still church-planting. Our strategy in missions is to disciple locals to build relevant, contemporary, Spirit-filled churches. Today, we have 45 affiliate churches and 10 Bible schools in the region. We are growing at the rate of one church every 2-3 months.
The third pillar is the Cultural Mandate of bringing Christ into our contemporary culture. We don’t believe in isolating and sanitizing our members from the world. On the contrary, we inspire them to engage society as salt and light, to be useful citizens---to have a “holy worldliness.” We are to be the representative of Christ in the marketplace of business, education, civil service, arts and entertainment, and the mass media. We must listen to the “messages” that is coming out of popular culture and understand the needs of our generation. Only then can we effectively meet those needs in a way and language the people of the 21st century could understand.
CP: What was CHC like at the very beginning and in its early years?
Kong: Twenty years ago, when CHC first started with a group of 20 young people, we lacked both the experience and resources in starting a church. However, even though our pockets were empty, our hearts were full of passion toward God and a great desire to serve His purpose in our generation. Other churches in Singapore were skeptical of the sustainability of this church of youths, and viewed it with no small measure of suspicion. It was totally unheard of that a church could be independently started by young people, and many in the public were wondering if we were even a proper church.
At that time, CHC did not have its own physical building as well and we had to meet from place to place such as the Katong Park Hotel (Duke Hotel), NTUC Auditorium, Ministry Of Environment Building, National Productivity Board Auditorium, World Trade Centre (now HarbourFront) and Westin Stamford Hotel (now The Fairmount), just to name a few. There were even times when the members did not know where the next service was going to be held! But despite the uncertainty and resistance, we chose to obey the call of God and live a life of spiritual commitment and discipline. I continued preaching messages like faith, prayer and fasting, giving, discipleship, ministry and evangelism, and these values have become the core beliefs and foundation of our church today. By the grace of God, our perseverance paid off and we have grown to what we are today. We have never looked back since.
CP: What is your personal testimony like? How did you come to know Christ and desire to serve Him? And what inspired you to start CHC?
Kong: I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord in 1975. After my conversion, I attended a small neighborhood Anglican church for the next 13 years. In 1989, I felt the call of God to enter into full-time Christian service. By then, I had graduated with a degree in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore and was working for a publishing house. Having held several small, but successful, evangelistic campaigns in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, my original intention was to become a missionary in Southeast Asia. In April that year, I left the Anglican church that I had been attending since a child and set out to become a staff evangelist with “Christ for Asia,” a Singapore-based missions organization.
During one of my trips to the Philippines, the Holy Spirit spoke into my heart, “Kong, return to Singapore and raise up a new generation of believers that would take Asia by storm.” Truly, God’s ways are higher than our ways. At that same time, a group of young people that I had previously ministered to approached me and wanted me to be their shepherd, to pastor and lead them. With the support and encouragement of numerous senior pastors in the city, I decided to pioneer a new work, and hence, put aside my desire of becoming a church-planter in the mission fields.
CP: We know that it is God who grows the Church, but how did CHC allow Him to do that exactly? Do you have any encouragement for churches that have hit the growth ‘plateau’?
Kong: When the Lord first spoke to me about pastoring a church, I had no idea how this vision will come to pass at that time or how the church is going to be like. Since our inception, our modus operandi for winning the lost has been through the Caring System and Friendship Evangelism, where we build meaningful friendships with them and meet their needs with the love of God. At the same time, I was actively discipling the young people in the basics of Christianity: the Word of God, prayer, life in the Holy Spirit, soul-winning, church life, etc. And step by step, God brought us from a humble beginning of 20 people to what we are today, a church of 27,086 weekly attendees.
Coupled with a constant vision and love for the lost, I believe these are the factors that have propelled our church forward. Our leadership and members are always mindful that God’s desire is that everyone should be reached with the Gospel. We have a saying in CHC that “as long as there is one unsaved person out there, the church is not big enough.” We refuse to allow our present size to make us complacent and stop reaching out to the lost.
Inevitably, all churches will go through challenging times or hit a “plateau” in their growth cycle. The important thing to do apart from praying and believing is to persist and keep on keeping on. When we are determined to live out the will of God and fulfil His call upon our lives against all odds, our breakthroughs will come.
CP: With over 27,000 members, what are the main challenges of discipleship? How does CHC overcome that?
Kong: One of the things we have guarded closely over the years is the values or “DNA” of City Harvest Church which can be summed up as the church’s spirit of excellence and uncompromising attitude toward the things of God. In spite of our size, we try our best to ensure it is passed down, year after year, to the rank and file. This would not have been possible without an effective cell group system. In our church, over 1,000 cell group and ministry leaders each lead one or two cell groups, each averaging 15 people. Cell group meetings are held once a week — and in between, conduct fellowship, counseling, Bible studies, and many other activities.
As our church grows larger in numbers, "cell groups provide the optimum context for effective discipleship,” where members can still forge close relationships with fellow Christians in a much smaller setting. Smaller cell groups help foster strong bonds of friendship among church members, and particularly among the young, the positive peer pressure helps to keep values intact. Thankfully, CHC members are still very committed to prayer and fasting. Overnight prayer meetings are regular occurrences, and this year the church has embarked on “Prayer365” which ensures that at on any given day throughout the year, there are City Harvest cell groups interceding for the vision of the church and the needs of the members.
CP: What would you say is the biggest crisis in Christianity today?
Kong: One of the foremost challenges facing Christianity today is for the need for the church to stay relevant in order to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving society. For those who have been brought up in traditional, conservative, legalistic Christianity, there is always a discomfort in relating or engaging human society or its popular culture. Somehow, we have been taught that culture is worldly, carnal and demonic. But culture is simply a reflection of what people value and enjoy in life. In fact, culture is not a “secular” concept; it has its beginning in the Scripture.
In Genesis 2:15, when God told Adam to take care of the Garden of Eden, the word He used was cultura or “culture.” In its simplest sense, “culture” means taking the raw materials or resources that God has given to man and creatively nurturing them to their fullest potential. These resources may come in the form of talents, gifts and abilities. And even if they are outside the scope of direct church work, we should seek to develop them fully for the glory of God, with the confidence that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
God is the Creator and creativity is in His nature. On the other hand, Satan is never creative. Sin has no originality. The devil is not the giver of visions and dreams; the Holy Spirit is. Whenever we see something beautiful in the realm of music, art, science, or even human sexuality, it should be natural for us to show an appreciation for it, because it reflects the beauty that originates from God. Conversely, when we see something being distorted or perverted, we mustn’t condemn or curse it; instead, we should seek to redeem it back to God’s original purpose for it.
As Christians of the 21st century, we can’t withdraw into our little shell of religious correctness. More than ever before, we need to engage culture and provide the answer the world is desperately seeking for. The Bible says, “We are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20). A good ambassador must understand the habits, thinking, values and language of the people he (or she) is sent to. He may not readily accept any portion of the culture of the host country, but nonetheless must be diplomatic enough to represent his president well. Similarly, we are sent as the representatives of the King of kings and Lord of lords to a broken-down world. The Bible encourages believers to engage culture in positive ways and have the ability to “diplomatically” know what portion of culture to accept or to reject. Being a kind, polite, non-condemning and non-judgmental Christian is consistent with having the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).
Let us be relevant to the real world. “Relevance” means that we should work toward excellence, realism, and fully covering the entire scope of the human experience. Let us become relatable to a real world with real problems. Only in that process can we introduce a lost generation to a real God with real life-changing solutions.
CP: Can you name some of the ‘frontiers’ that CHC is and will be moving into in the near and distant future?
Kong: Spiritually, we want to grow CHC and raise up more disciples locally and overseas. For that, our aim is to plant more churches and start more Bible schools in the major cities in Asia. In terms of our community services, we would like to start more schools, medical centres, orphanages and rehabilitation centres in the poorer regions of Asia. We presently have about 30 such centres and would like to take it to 100 if the Lord permits. Locally in Singapore, if possible, we would love to work with the authorities to build old folks homes, elderly care centers, and maybe even a hospital someday.
In the next 20 years, it is my prayer that our members will really build happy, healthy marriages and families. They will live useful and productive lives in the marketplace of the world. The City Harvest DNA is one of love, acceptance, colour, creativity and progressiveness. We hope to positively bring these values into the societies that we are working in, and re-present a Christ who is loving, accepting, colourful, creative and progressive.
CP: As a Pentecostal raised in a mainline denomination, what would you say are the reasons for divisions between the newer, independent churches and older mainline denominations? What are some practical steps both sides could take to minimise this conflict?
Kong: In the last decade or so, the Singapore church scene has seen an increase in inter-denominational cooperation such as the LoveSingapore movement, Festival of Praise and the Global Day of Prayer event organized by the Evangelical Fellowship of Singapore, just to name a few. These have done a lot of good in uniting and creating meaningful working relationships among the different churches. A better understanding and appreciation of the different ministries carried out by the respective churches has also been fostered.
As a church, we do not see any major “divisions” or differences between the newer independent churches and the mainline traditional denominations as the basis of our faith originates from the same Source, which is the Bible. There may be some differences in our approach, methods and style of worship, but our essential beliefs and fundamental doctrines remain the same for all churches.
CP: Do you have any other comments?
Kong: I believe the finest days for the Church are ahead of us. There is no limit to what God can do through a person or a church who lives by the Word, partners with the Holy Spirit and walks in total obedience to God!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
A church teamed up with satan to increase attendance
Detroit-Area Church Campaigns with 'Satan' Signs
By Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Sep. 02 2009 04:00 PM EDT
Metro South Church in Trenton, Mich., is the latest church to grab the attention of the local community and media outlets through a marketing campaign that includes signs signed by Satan.
"MetroSouthChurch.com Makes Me Sick" says one sign. "MetroSouthChurch.com Sucks," says another.
The signs are plastered throughout the Detroit metropolitan area and lead viewers and passers-by to the website SatanHatesMetro.com.
Youth Pastor Adam Dorband told Fox 2 that the signs are intended to grab people's attention.
"There's so much noise out there that if you don't do something that's a little bit more on the edge, people just ignore it," he said.
Lead Pastor Jeremy Schossau said the campaign isn't meant to offend anyone. He felt the Satan signs were clever and whimsical.
So what does Satan have against Metro South? According to the website, it might have to do with the church helping people connect with God.
"I've been trying so hard to work with you ... but you will not get rid of this Jesus thing," a man dressed as Satan says on the website. "I hate your church."
Viewers are encouraged to check out the congregation if they have questions about God, the Bible or church or just need somebody to talk to.
The non-denominational congregation describes itself as "a different kind of church" that's relevant, loud, creative and isn't about religion. Empathizing with those who feel going to church means being scolded, subjected to boring sermons and leaving with less money, Metro South Church says it doesn't blame others for not wanting to attend.
"We think one of the biggest barriers to getting to know God has been the church itself," the church website states. "It's predictable and cold at best."
Hoping to change that, the congregation touts a "laid back environment" with "real people looking for real solutions to real life problems."
It's a "no strings attached," "come as you are" church where people can come to investigate Christianity without guilt or pressure and hear the Truth without any finger pointing.
"In short, we're doing all we can to be the same kind of church described in the New Testament," the church says.
By Audrey Barrick
Christian Post Reporter
Wed, Sep. 02 2009 04:00 PM EDT
Metro South Church in Trenton, Mich., is the latest church to grab the attention of the local community and media outlets through a marketing campaign that includes signs signed by Satan.
"MetroSouthChurch.com Makes Me Sick" says one sign. "MetroSouthChurch.com Sucks," says another.
The signs are plastered throughout the Detroit metropolitan area and lead viewers and passers-by to the website SatanHatesMetro.com.
Youth Pastor Adam Dorband told Fox 2 that the signs are intended to grab people's attention.
"There's so much noise out there that if you don't do something that's a little bit more on the edge, people just ignore it," he said.
Lead Pastor Jeremy Schossau said the campaign isn't meant to offend anyone. He felt the Satan signs were clever and whimsical.
So what does Satan have against Metro South? According to the website, it might have to do with the church helping people connect with God.
"I've been trying so hard to work with you ... but you will not get rid of this Jesus thing," a man dressed as Satan says on the website. "I hate your church."
Viewers are encouraged to check out the congregation if they have questions about God, the Bible or church or just need somebody to talk to.
The non-denominational congregation describes itself as "a different kind of church" that's relevant, loud, creative and isn't about religion. Empathizing with those who feel going to church means being scolded, subjected to boring sermons and leaving with less money, Metro South Church says it doesn't blame others for not wanting to attend.
"We think one of the biggest barriers to getting to know God has been the church itself," the church website states. "It's predictable and cold at best."
Hoping to change that, the congregation touts a "laid back environment" with "real people looking for real solutions to real life problems."
It's a "no strings attached," "come as you are" church where people can come to investigate Christianity without guilt or pressure and hear the Truth without any finger pointing.
"In short, we're doing all we can to be the same kind of church described in the New Testament," the church says.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Create an environment of growth around you
A Growing Community
Source: Click here
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common . . . And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-44, 47 (NIV)
Just as the growth of tropical fish is limited by the size of the aquarium in which they live, we also are affected by our environment. If your current circumstances do nothing to help you grow, you're going to have a hard time enlarging yourself to reach your potential. That's why it's crucial that you create an environment of growth around you. That kind of place should look like this:
1. Others are ahead of you.
2. You are still challenged.
3. Your focus is forward.
4. The atmosphere is affirming.
5. You are out of your comfort zone.
6. Others are growing.
7. There is a willingness to change.
8. Growth is modeled and expected.
A life of continual growth is never easy, but a good environment makes the swim upstream a little less difficult.
Your Road Map for Success
Source: Click here
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common . . . And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-44, 47 (NIV)
Just as the growth of tropical fish is limited by the size of the aquarium in which they live, we also are affected by our environment. If your current circumstances do nothing to help you grow, you're going to have a hard time enlarging yourself to reach your potential. That's why it's crucial that you create an environment of growth around you. That kind of place should look like this:
1. Others are ahead of you.
2. You are still challenged.
3. Your focus is forward.
4. The atmosphere is affirming.
5. You are out of your comfort zone.
6. Others are growing.
7. There is a willingness to change.
8. Growth is modeled and expected.
A life of continual growth is never easy, but a good environment makes the swim upstream a little less difficult.
Your Road Map for Success
Equipping God’s people to be God’s glory
Winning People to Christ Not the End Task, Says Ministry Leader
Tue, Oct. 28, 2008 Posted: 12:55 PM EDT
Source: Click here
PATTAYA, Thailand – The end task of evangelists and mission leaders is not just winning people to Christ, contends the co-founder of a ministry that trains church leaders.
Too often Christians think that evangelism is simply going into all the world and proclaiming the Gospel and then baptizing new believers, said Bob Moffitt, co-founder and chairman of Disciple Nations Alliance (DNA), at the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) General Assembly on Monday.
But true evangelism goes beyond just teaching Scripture knowledge but combines knowledge with obedience leading to transformed lives.
“I grew up in a church where people were incredibly Bible literate,” Moffitt shared, “but you know what? We didn’t see a lot of transformed lives.”
“And that is because we assumed that the ideas we found in the Scriptures if they would be taught they will have application in terms of changing people’s lives.”
Moffitt acknowledged that ideas do have consequences, but added that change only occurs if the ideas are applied.
Evangelical leaders, he said, have successfully proclaimed the Gospel, moved people into the local church and taught them the Bible, but have made the “great omission” of biblical discipleship.
“We have not taught them to do what Jesus has said,” Moffitt commented.
“As a consequence of this great omission, we have seen incredible numbers of conversions, many churches planted, but we have seen little transformation,” he said.
Moffitt suggests that the reason why there are evidently not enough transformed lives is because Christians have missed the target.
Instead of the correct Great Commission target of teaching people to obey, people focus on a target of proclaiming and bringing people into fellowship in the church.
“The end task of the Great Commission is not winning people to Christ,” Moffitt contends. “Be careful, winning people to Christ is essential. It is part of the process but it is not the end process. It is not hitting the target.”
Likewise, planting churches and teaching people what Jesus taught are not the end task, even though both are “absolutely necessary.”
“The end task is, I submit, [is] equipping God’s people to glorify Him,” Moffitt said. “Equipping God’s people to be God’s glory by teaching them to observe all the commandments that Christ has commanded.”
The ministry leader observed that churches that are transforming are ones that express God’s love and that “live out the Gospel” that“is not just a proclamation.”
”When God’s people sacrificially are prepared by their churches to express the love of God, transformation comes,” Moffitt said.
In a discussion session after Moffitt’s presentation, experts from around the world discussed their views on what was presented. The evangelical leaders during the “Living Room” session agreed that the “secret” to transforming lives is showing love for people.
Moffitt’s presentation was part of the World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly in Pattaya, Thailand, where more than 500 evangelical Christians from over 100 nations are meeting until Thursday.
This year’s general assembly – the first in seven years – boasts a diverse array of organizations and denominational church bodies that include representatives of Pentecostal World Fellowship, the Mennonite community, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Charismatic stream, the China Christian Council, and historic mainline Churches.
Other organizations represented at the WEA General Assembly include Campus Crusade for Christ, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, and U.S. Center for World Mission, among many others.
Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Tue, Oct. 28, 2008 Posted: 12:55 PM EDT
Source: Click here
PATTAYA, Thailand – The end task of evangelists and mission leaders is not just winning people to Christ, contends the co-founder of a ministry that trains church leaders.
Too often Christians think that evangelism is simply going into all the world and proclaiming the Gospel and then baptizing new believers, said Bob Moffitt, co-founder and chairman of Disciple Nations Alliance (DNA), at the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) General Assembly on Monday.
But true evangelism goes beyond just teaching Scripture knowledge but combines knowledge with obedience leading to transformed lives.
“I grew up in a church where people were incredibly Bible literate,” Moffitt shared, “but you know what? We didn’t see a lot of transformed lives.”
“And that is because we assumed that the ideas we found in the Scriptures if they would be taught they will have application in terms of changing people’s lives.”
Moffitt acknowledged that ideas do have consequences, but added that change only occurs if the ideas are applied.
Evangelical leaders, he said, have successfully proclaimed the Gospel, moved people into the local church and taught them the Bible, but have made the “great omission” of biblical discipleship.
“We have not taught them to do what Jesus has said,” Moffitt commented.
“As a consequence of this great omission, we have seen incredible numbers of conversions, many churches planted, but we have seen little transformation,” he said.
Moffitt suggests that the reason why there are evidently not enough transformed lives is because Christians have missed the target.
Instead of the correct Great Commission target of teaching people to obey, people focus on a target of proclaiming and bringing people into fellowship in the church.
“The end task of the Great Commission is not winning people to Christ,” Moffitt contends. “Be careful, winning people to Christ is essential. It is part of the process but it is not the end process. It is not hitting the target.”
Likewise, planting churches and teaching people what Jesus taught are not the end task, even though both are “absolutely necessary.”
“The end task is, I submit, [is] equipping God’s people to glorify Him,” Moffitt said. “Equipping God’s people to be God’s glory by teaching them to observe all the commandments that Christ has commanded.”
The ministry leader observed that churches that are transforming are ones that express God’s love and that “live out the Gospel” that“is not just a proclamation.”
”When God’s people sacrificially are prepared by their churches to express the love of God, transformation comes,” Moffitt said.
In a discussion session after Moffitt’s presentation, experts from around the world discussed their views on what was presented. The evangelical leaders during the “Living Room” session agreed that the “secret” to transforming lives is showing love for people.
Moffitt’s presentation was part of the World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly in Pattaya, Thailand, where more than 500 evangelical Christians from over 100 nations are meeting until Thursday.
This year’s general assembly – the first in seven years – boasts a diverse array of organizations and denominational church bodies that include representatives of Pentecostal World Fellowship, the Mennonite community, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Charismatic stream, the China Christian Council, and historic mainline Churches.
Other organizations represented at the WEA General Assembly include Campus Crusade for Christ, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, and U.S. Center for World Mission, among many others.
Michelle A. Vu
Christian Post Reporter
Flexibility and adaptability are needed
S. Baptists Look Toward Growing Hispanic Mission Field
Source: click here
Sun, Mar. 08, 2009 Posted: 01:05 PM EDT
Southern Baptist mission leaders have taken notice of the rapidly expanding Hispanic population in North America and are addressing ways to overcome cultural barriers to reach this group.
Among the many obstacles, the most prominent are a Catholic family background and the language barrier between generations of a Hispanic family living in the United States.
Although many Hispanics are not active participants of the Roman Catholic Church, they often face pressure from their families and friends when they engage in evangelical activities, writes Bobby S. Sena, a member of the Church Planting Staff at North American Mission Board, in a feature posted on the Web site ChurchPlantingVillage.net.
Ministers need to understand the pressure that Hispanics with a Roman Catholic background face and the “doubt and confusion” they struggle with as they compare the Bible’s teaching with the religious traditions they’re accustomed to.
“Evangelical efforts to lead Hispanics to faith in Christ need to be accompanied by much prayer, love and patience,” Sena writes. “Often, even after a Hispanic has indicated a desire to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it may take months or even years for him or her to make the decision to be baptized and become a member of an evangelical church.”
A genuine friendship, therefore, should be established with Hispanics who do not have an evangelical background to offer them support as they wait for their parent or spouse to also join the evangelical church.
Some effective and no-pressure ways to reach entire Hispanic families include ministers inviting them to their homes for coffee or a meal, or inviting them to activities such as backyard Bible clubs, Vacation Bible School, Christmas or Easter programs, film festivals (related to family or marriage), or Jesus film showings.
NAMB’s Sena says home Bible studies are shown to be one of the best ways to reach Hispanics.
Another cultural issue ministers must be attentive to is that Spanish is not the primary language for all Hispanics. Rather, the preferred language depends on which generation they come from in the United States.
New immigrants and first generation Hispanics, for instance, need to be ministered to in Spanish, but the second generation is more comfortable with a bilingual approach, Sena writes. And an English approach should be taken with third and onward generations of Hispanic-Americans.
This language preference is important to keep in mind, Sena writes, because Hispanics function as a close-knit family unit and are likely to want to attend the church as a family once they accept the Protestant teachings.
The suggested solution to the language barrier during church service is to have bilingual worship services or two different services, one in English and the other in Spanish, and Sunday school classes taught in different languages.
“Flexibility and adaptability are needed if all of the segments in the Hispanic community are to be reached with the gospel and disciples in New Testament-type congregations,” Sena writes.
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there are 45.5 million Hispanics in the United States as of 2008 – an increase of 374 percent since 1970. The number is predicted to jump to 128 million by 2050 if the immigration trends continue, according to Pew Hispanic Center and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter
Source: click here
Sun, Mar. 08, 2009 Posted: 01:05 PM EDT
Southern Baptist mission leaders have taken notice of the rapidly expanding Hispanic population in North America and are addressing ways to overcome cultural barriers to reach this group.
Among the many obstacles, the most prominent are a Catholic family background and the language barrier between generations of a Hispanic family living in the United States.
Although many Hispanics are not active participants of the Roman Catholic Church, they often face pressure from their families and friends when they engage in evangelical activities, writes Bobby S. Sena, a member of the Church Planting Staff at North American Mission Board, in a feature posted on the Web site ChurchPlantingVillage.net.
Ministers need to understand the pressure that Hispanics with a Roman Catholic background face and the “doubt and confusion” they struggle with as they compare the Bible’s teaching with the religious traditions they’re accustomed to.
“Evangelical efforts to lead Hispanics to faith in Christ need to be accompanied by much prayer, love and patience,” Sena writes. “Often, even after a Hispanic has indicated a desire to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it may take months or even years for him or her to make the decision to be baptized and become a member of an evangelical church.”
A genuine friendship, therefore, should be established with Hispanics who do not have an evangelical background to offer them support as they wait for their parent or spouse to also join the evangelical church.
Some effective and no-pressure ways to reach entire Hispanic families include ministers inviting them to their homes for coffee or a meal, or inviting them to activities such as backyard Bible clubs, Vacation Bible School, Christmas or Easter programs, film festivals (related to family or marriage), or Jesus film showings.
NAMB’s Sena says home Bible studies are shown to be one of the best ways to reach Hispanics.
Another cultural issue ministers must be attentive to is that Spanish is not the primary language for all Hispanics. Rather, the preferred language depends on which generation they come from in the United States.
New immigrants and first generation Hispanics, for instance, need to be ministered to in Spanish, but the second generation is more comfortable with a bilingual approach, Sena writes. And an English approach should be taken with third and onward generations of Hispanic-Americans.
This language preference is important to keep in mind, Sena writes, because Hispanics function as a close-knit family unit and are likely to want to attend the church as a family once they accept the Protestant teachings.
The suggested solution to the language barrier during church service is to have bilingual worship services or two different services, one in English and the other in Spanish, and Sunday school classes taught in different languages.
“Flexibility and adaptability are needed if all of the segments in the Hispanic community are to be reached with the gospel and disciples in New Testament-type congregations,” Sena writes.
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there are 45.5 million Hispanics in the United States as of 2008 – an increase of 374 percent since 1970. The number is predicted to jump to 128 million by 2050 if the immigration trends continue, according to Pew Hispanic Center and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Ethan Cole
Christian Post Reporter
Monday, August 10, 2009
Get behind me satan!
VICTORY THROUGH WARFARE
by Bill Burns
Faith Tabernacle
P. O. Box 1148
Kremmling, Colorado 80459
http://ft111.com
prophecy111@qwest.net
Life without warfare is impossible in the natural world as well as in the spiritual realm. The Christian is called to a life of war, and victory will only come when one is active in the war. We are called to walk in spiritual authority and power, which is necessary to establish the kingdom of God on the earth. The Christian is called to wage war on three levels.
Face to face warfare with Satan in where we overcome temptation and the seductions of the flesh and its nature. This is the first level of spiritual warfare, but I must make this point--all spiritual warfare must be done in the power of the Spirit, and therefore, all warfare produces real authority, which produces power. Even in this first level of warfare we "by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body (flesh)" (Romans 8:13). Then, we will have overcome by resisting, and we will live in Him in victory for He always causes us to triumph.
The second level of spiritual warfare is hand to hand combat in which we enter into warfare for others by bringing truth (witnessing, preaching) to them or through intercession or by casting out demons, thus fulfilling the Great Commission in Mark 16:15-18. Please note that this type of ministry is only for those who have had victory in their own lives in face to face combat. Again, this is done by the authority of the Holy Spirit who is the finger of God. Luke 11:20 "But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." And, by His commission and authority we cast out demons. Luke 10:18-19 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
So now let's talk about the third level of spiritual warfare, and may it be so that the Spirit of the Living God open the eyes of our understanding regarding warfare in the heavenlies where the thrones of principalities and rulers of darkness are pulled down.
First, we acknowledge that principalities (Satan's princes) do exist. Daniel 10:13, 20 clearly show that there are princes in the heavenly places, and Ephesians 6;12 clearly tells us that we (the church) wrestle with (engage in warfare) the principalities, rulers of darkness. With these truths firmly established, the only question that remains is how do we wrestle? The word wrestle is pallo meaning to sway or vibrate with principalities. The vibration of prophetic proclamation comes against and causes the throne of principalities to begin to sway, until they topple over and come down. Again, this type of warfare does not take place in our own strength or power. 2 Cor 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
The weapons of our warfare (in the heavenlies--spiritual realm) are intercession by prophetic proclamation (speaking by the Holy Spirit), not bringing a railing accusation but through proclamation that declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God and commands Satan to get behind (a place of defeat) the kingdom and to get under the feet of God's rule. And, as ambassadors for Christ, we must engage the enemy.
In the Old Testament we have a shadow and type of warfare in the heavenlies called pulling down the high places, and you will notice that most did not do this, and therefore, a fullness of the kingdom was not established. In the New Testament we have an example of how this takes place. And now, we get to the heart of the matter, and when one is seeking truth we must go to the Truth, Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, the Master teacher Himself, and we must examine the example that He left us with, and it is found in Luke chapters 3 and 4. Jesus is not warring on the first two levels of warfare, which we have discussed. The object of warfare is to establish kingdom rule. Luke 4:5-6 "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.'"
Herein the divine plan of spiritual warfare (in the heavenlies--spiritual realm) is revealed.
1. First, Luke 3:22 tells us that Jesus is baptized with the Holy Spirit. I believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for those who are going to engage in spiritual warfare against Satan and his principalities (princes).
2. In Luke 4:2 Jesus is LED into spiritual warfare by the Holy Spirit. Warfare in the heavenlies is orchestrated by God who gives the gift of discerning of spirits, thereby revealing what principalities are ruling.
3. Jesus does not bring a railing accusation against Satan (neither do we), but He does speak the Word of God by the Spirit of God, and His main message is "Get Behind Me Satan!" In other words, the kingdom of God has come, and you are now behind (or under) My authority, and you must move out of the way--verse 13 says, "He (Satan) departed from Jesus."
The authority of the kingdom must first be proclaimed, this is how Jesus began His ministry. Matthew 4:17-- From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." So the question is, are we supposed to speak to Satan and his principalities? And, by whose authority are the principalities pulled down? Matthew 18:18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Mark 11:23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says."
What we bind and loose (by proclamation) on earth is done by Jesus in the heavenlies, for He is the Captain of the hosts (His angelic warriors), and it is His angels who pull down the strongholds (fortresses) that Satan establishes. The angels of God were there at the wilderness battle. Mat 4:11-- "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him."
4. Now most would say the battle is won and is over at this point, but it has actually only begun. Luke 4:13 indicates that Satan may have lost this battle, but he hasn't lost the war yet because his departure has only been for a season.
Now, we must move on to the second phase of spiritual warfare which is to establish the kingdom (dominion) of God by following Christ's example. Luke 4:14 tells us that the establishment of the kingdom will be through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The next key is found in Luke 4:18--"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed." The kingdom of God is going to be established through the anointing as the Word is preached, and by continuing to cast out demon powers wherever found (Luke 4:35, 36) and by healing the sick (Luke 4:40,41).
5. Okay, a bottom line...The principalities and powers that we wrestle with are pulled down (lose authority) by the establishment of the kingdom of God as the anointed servants of the Lord speak to (bind, rebuke and cast out) and as they continue to do the works of Jesus as He said we would in John 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."
It is the continuation of the kingdom of God that destroys the rule of Satan's powers of darkness and the thrones of his rule will diminish in exact proportion to the rule of the kingdom of God in any given geographical area.
It is the responsibility of the church to confront principalities and powers by establishing the Kingdom of God first in their own lives and then by helping others, and thus establishing a witness to the people of God's Kingdom. Ephesians 3:9-12, "And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him."
The victorious Christian life is only available to those who are willing to engage the enemy. We must exercise the authority that we have been given, and if we do, victory is assured!
by Bill Burns
Faith Tabernacle
P. O. Box 1148
Kremmling, Colorado 80459
http://ft111.com
prophecy111@qwest.net
Life without warfare is impossible in the natural world as well as in the spiritual realm. The Christian is called to a life of war, and victory will only come when one is active in the war. We are called to walk in spiritual authority and power, which is necessary to establish the kingdom of God on the earth. The Christian is called to wage war on three levels.
Face to face warfare with Satan in where we overcome temptation and the seductions of the flesh and its nature. This is the first level of spiritual warfare, but I must make this point--all spiritual warfare must be done in the power of the Spirit, and therefore, all warfare produces real authority, which produces power. Even in this first level of warfare we "by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body (flesh)" (Romans 8:13). Then, we will have overcome by resisting, and we will live in Him in victory for He always causes us to triumph.
The second level of spiritual warfare is hand to hand combat in which we enter into warfare for others by bringing truth (witnessing, preaching) to them or through intercession or by casting out demons, thus fulfilling the Great Commission in Mark 16:15-18. Please note that this type of ministry is only for those who have had victory in their own lives in face to face combat. Again, this is done by the authority of the Holy Spirit who is the finger of God. Luke 11:20 "But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you." And, by His commission and authority we cast out demons. Luke 10:18-19 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
So now let's talk about the third level of spiritual warfare, and may it be so that the Spirit of the Living God open the eyes of our understanding regarding warfare in the heavenlies where the thrones of principalities and rulers of darkness are pulled down.
First, we acknowledge that principalities (Satan's princes) do exist. Daniel 10:13, 20 clearly show that there are princes in the heavenly places, and Ephesians 6;12 clearly tells us that we (the church) wrestle with (engage in warfare) the principalities, rulers of darkness. With these truths firmly established, the only question that remains is how do we wrestle? The word wrestle is pallo meaning to sway or vibrate with principalities. The vibration of prophetic proclamation comes against and causes the throne of principalities to begin to sway, until they topple over and come down. Again, this type of warfare does not take place in our own strength or power. 2 Cor 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.
The weapons of our warfare (in the heavenlies--spiritual realm) are intercession by prophetic proclamation (speaking by the Holy Spirit), not bringing a railing accusation but through proclamation that declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God and commands Satan to get behind (a place of defeat) the kingdom and to get under the feet of God's rule. And, as ambassadors for Christ, we must engage the enemy.
In the Old Testament we have a shadow and type of warfare in the heavenlies called pulling down the high places, and you will notice that most did not do this, and therefore, a fullness of the kingdom was not established. In the New Testament we have an example of how this takes place. And now, we get to the heart of the matter, and when one is seeking truth we must go to the Truth, Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, the Master teacher Himself, and we must examine the example that He left us with, and it is found in Luke chapters 3 and 4. Jesus is not warring on the first two levels of warfare, which we have discussed. The object of warfare is to establish kingdom rule. Luke 4:5-6 "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.'"
Herein the divine plan of spiritual warfare (in the heavenlies--spiritual realm) is revealed.
1. First, Luke 3:22 tells us that Jesus is baptized with the Holy Spirit. I believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for those who are going to engage in spiritual warfare against Satan and his principalities (princes).
2. In Luke 4:2 Jesus is LED into spiritual warfare by the Holy Spirit. Warfare in the heavenlies is orchestrated by God who gives the gift of discerning of spirits, thereby revealing what principalities are ruling.
3. Jesus does not bring a railing accusation against Satan (neither do we), but He does speak the Word of God by the Spirit of God, and His main message is "Get Behind Me Satan!" In other words, the kingdom of God has come, and you are now behind (or under) My authority, and you must move out of the way--verse 13 says, "He (Satan) departed from Jesus."
The authority of the kingdom must first be proclaimed, this is how Jesus began His ministry. Matthew 4:17-- From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." So the question is, are we supposed to speak to Satan and his principalities? And, by whose authority are the principalities pulled down? Matthew 18:18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Mark 11:23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says."
What we bind and loose (by proclamation) on earth is done by Jesus in the heavenlies, for He is the Captain of the hosts (His angelic warriors), and it is His angels who pull down the strongholds (fortresses) that Satan establishes. The angels of God were there at the wilderness battle. Mat 4:11-- "Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him."
4. Now most would say the battle is won and is over at this point, but it has actually only begun. Luke 4:13 indicates that Satan may have lost this battle, but he hasn't lost the war yet because his departure has only been for a season.
Now, we must move on to the second phase of spiritual warfare which is to establish the kingdom (dominion) of God by following Christ's example. Luke 4:14 tells us that the establishment of the kingdom will be through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The next key is found in Luke 4:18--"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed." The kingdom of God is going to be established through the anointing as the Word is preached, and by continuing to cast out demon powers wherever found (Luke 4:35, 36) and by healing the sick (Luke 4:40,41).
5. Okay, a bottom line...The principalities and powers that we wrestle with are pulled down (lose authority) by the establishment of the kingdom of God as the anointed servants of the Lord speak to (bind, rebuke and cast out) and as they continue to do the works of Jesus as He said we would in John 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."
It is the continuation of the kingdom of God that destroys the rule of Satan's powers of darkness and the thrones of his rule will diminish in exact proportion to the rule of the kingdom of God in any given geographical area.
It is the responsibility of the church to confront principalities and powers by establishing the Kingdom of God first in their own lives and then by helping others, and thus establishing a witness to the people of God's Kingdom. Ephesians 3:9-12, "And to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him."
The victorious Christian life is only available to those who are willing to engage the enemy. We must exercise the authority that we have been given, and if we do, victory is assured!
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