#church ministry

[biblebloodhound]

Accept One Another (Romans 15:7-13)

It is very difficult to have hope, peace, and spiritual power, whenever there is disunity.

Christian Unity, by Gisele Bauche Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the…

[uncannyforest]

On a more serious note, somehow this summer I suddenly found myself close to two people with significant mental illness (one bipolar disorder, the other schizophrenia*) — one a dear friend of mine for whom this just manifested, and the other a college student who's had the issue for years before we met him. Both are in denial about it; in both cases this has significantly impacted their relationships and been a big strain on their lives. I've been involved in church ministry for years and never had this sort of situation before.

While I'm the one main person who happens to be very close with both of them, I am grateful that there are many other people in my church who are also working to care for and love well either one or the other of them — I'm not alone. It hurts a little that both people feel hurt by the fact that we don't believe their experiences of reality, given that we really do care about them a lot.

A friend of mine from another church criticized my church for not immediately taking church funds to hire a professional to engage with one of them regularly. But we're trying, both people are resistant to engaging with any professional, we're a small church, and we're putting a lot of energy into both people and doing our best.

One of them very reluctantly agreed to see a therapist for diagnosis this week, so that's good, and I'm praying that this would go somewhere good for him.

*I understand I am not professionally qualified to diagnose people, but I've described their behavior to a psychiatrist friend of mine who confirmed that my descriptions matched these conditions — their symptoms are pretty textbook and there's not really uncertainty here, as far as I understand.

[mylifeintomymessage]

"God is not biblical"

The other day, I shared the post below from an account I follow on Facebook. I thought a blog post, where I could go more in depth about it, would be appropriate (1) because of the volume of comments I received on it and (2) because of how the topic has been stirring within me recently. I feel I need to preface two things: first, I am always aware that whenever I post or write something, it…

[readersmagnet]

Servant's Heart by Jamie Pulos-Fry

One of the inspiring books from Jamie’s Book Shelf Collection is “Servant’s Heart” by Jamie Pulos-Fry herself. To help readers become closer to God through volunteer work, Pulos-Fry offers practical advice and inspiring stories in her book. Anyone who seeks to cultivate a servant’s heart and make a difference in the lives of others needs to read this book.

Volunteer and deepen your relationship with God today. Grab a copy at www.two4avalon.com.

[corneliusbella]

Empowering Faith Outreach: Embracing Chat GPT for Church Ministry and Soul Winning

Disclaimer: This blog aims to provide an introductory understanding of using Chat GPT for church and soul-winning purposes. Always prioritise human connection and pastoral care alongside AI interactions. Ensure that the use of AI in ministry aligns with the church’s values and remains consistent with biblical principles. 1. Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) – The Great Commission “Go ye therefore, and…

[pastorjeremynorton]

How Digital Natives Can Transform Church Ministry

Hiring digital natives can revolutionize church ministry! Read about Emma's inspiring journey from tech team volunteer to digital ministry leader. #ChurchMinistry #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalNatives

Empowering Youth by Hiring a Teenager During the pandemic, many churches wrestled with technology as they were thrust into online ministry, ready or not. Because of this struggle, I started noticing a common phrase appearing in blogs and podcasts from well-known church leaders: “Hire a teenager!” Start placing these digital natives in church ministry. Digital Native: “a person born or brought…

[brianchilton]

S7Q1 The Question Zone with Curtis Evelo (Episode 1)

By: Curtis Evelo and Brian Chilton, Ph.D. | September 28, 2023 The dynamic duo are back with a fresh new segment on the Bellator Christi Podcast. The “Cowboy Apologist” Curtis Evelo leads his brand-new show called the Question Zone. He is joined by Dr. Brian Chilton as they discuss cultural issues and topics related to the articles and podcasts of Bellator Christi Ministries. On this episode,…

[sjmattson]

There’s a subtle but significant trend where many churches, seminaries, and religious institutions have started promoting the Bible instead of Jesus.

Their messaging, marketing, and rhetoric has shifted away from the person of Christ. The focus on Jesus has been replaced with an emphasis on “being Biblical” and “Bible-based.”

Usually, this is done by those who want to align with and/or cater to partisan platforms. In this way, they can pick and choose scripture to reinforce their beliefs and politics while avoiding the essence of Jesus.

The danger is that instead of ultimately choosing to follow Jesus, one can use verses—or parts of the Bible—to convince themselves to be un-Christlike.

Just like Satan used the Bible in an effort to tempt Jesus, so too can we use the Bible to hate others and avoid Jesus. God help us.

[catholike]

[theragamuffininitiative]

Ok so growing up as a PK and knowing Many Things about Pretty Much Everyone and then hiding in big churches during my deconstruction era might be skewing my perception of things so I wanna hear from the church on tumblr:

Edit: y'all. 400 is a big number, yes. That isn't the point. This poll applies to congregations of 50 or less too, it's ok. XD

[somescenecatholic]

AMAZING NEWS FOR ALL!!!

IM SO SO HAPPY YOU DONT UNDERSTAND!! AAAAA IM SO EXCITED IM EXPLODING AND AASHDBJDCNJDND THIS MEANS SM TO ME!!!!

AAAA there r sparkles and stars inside of me rn IM SO SO OVERJOYED THIS IS HISTORIC THIS IS A PART OF HISTORY!!!!! >w<

YAAAAAAAY YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA

but this isnt the end yet

[biblebloodhound]

Caring For the Aged (1 Timothy 5:1-8)

“It is easier for one poor father to bring up ten children, than it is for ten rich children to provide for one poor father.” Dutch proverb

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity. Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and…

[uncannyforest]

I'm at a point in church leadership where much of what I do is delegating and coaching. That is, as of this year, often church meetings happen where I coached those running the meeting, for example. Back when I wasn't in leadership it never really would have crossed my mind that there comes a point in (good) leadership where your role is quite in-the-background.

That feels all the more powerful, which could be a temptation, but much less in the spotlight, which would be my greatest temptation.

This is most interesting because I had no idea this is what leadership often looks like. I imagine I might reach a similar point in my job someday, but I haven't yet.

[eddis-not-eeddis]

I keep seeing this thing where guys swear up and down that they want a good Christian girl, but then balk if that means she wants to be anything more than a wife and mother. Like, my guy, you do realize that there's a lot more to Christian women than being married or having babies? Yeah? What about a woman who works among the homeless, or runs a bible study, or volunteers to teach refugees a new language, or who takes part in the prison ministry, or who spends a lot of her spare time in another city street preaching? I see a lot of guys who claim they want "a girl who loves Jesus" but don't want anything to do with a woman who does more than just go to church and lives a life of active ministry outside of her home.

[readersmagnet]

Servant's Heart by Jamie Pulos-Fry

Seeking to deepen your relationship with God through volunteer work? “Servant’s Heart” by Jamie Pulos-Fry emphasizes the importance of being a good and faithful servant and cultivating a strong relationship with those you serve. Whether you’re in church ministry or volunteering, Pulos-Fry’s ideas can help you become the servant God wants.

Make a difference in the world by serving others with love and compassion. Grab a copy at www.two4avalon.com.

[jittyjames]

🫵🏻 yall christians/ex-christians this is for you.

how much does you/your family tithe bc i just found out my parents give SIX HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS TO THEIR CHURCH EVERY TWO WEEKS. TF