Fostering and adoption are typically words connected to families and individuals.

But now the movements are connected to congregations as well. It is an exciting time.

Let’s get my meanings clear so we can be on the same page. Here are three definitions I often use together:

Revitalization is the process where a church seeks to get healthier using its own internal resources of people, funds, and processes.

Adoption is the process where a church seeks to get healthier by being adopted by an external organization, usually another church.

Fostering is the process where a relatively healthy church provides people and other resources for a relatively unhealthy church over a specified period of time.

Revitalization, adoption, and fostering could have different approaches, but the essence of each is consistent. “Revitalization” takes place with a church’s internal resources. “Adoption” takes place externally. I coined the word “fostering” as a natural extension of “adoption.” Both words are used of human families and congregational families.

Here are some essential principles of fostering a church:

The essence of fostering is one church caring for another. The relationship takes place when a relatively healthy church makes itself available to help a less healthy church. Both churches are typically in the same community or in nearby communities.

One common form of fostering is for the healthier church to provide specific resources the less healthy church does not have. It is not uncommon, for example, for the fostering church to provide the foster church a preacher when they have no pastor. Some churches provide musically talented people. Some help with community ministries. The possibilities are many, but this approach has specificity to it.

Another form of fostering is to provide a mass of people with no predetermined roles. One church with which I had familiarity sent twelve of its members to be a part of a dying church of ten people. The commitment was for one year. Though the twelve members from the healthier church did not have preconceived roles at the onset, they quickly began to settle into ministries where the dying church needed the most help, and where the members of the healthier church were naturally gifted. And it was a big boost to the dying church to see their attendance double in one week!

SOURCE: Christian Post, Thom S. Rainer

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Barna Group has released research for their State of the Church report, finding decreased church attendance among American adults since 1993.

In the third century, Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, said, “No one can have God for his Father, who does not have the Church for his mother.” His words are applicable today as Barna Group reports church attendance is dropping in the United States while Bible reading and prayer hold mostly steady.

Greg Yoder of Keys for Kids Ministries pinpoints a problem in Christian families in America: a lack of Christ-centered training for kids by parents in the home. Christians schools, he says, are no substitute.

Barna Group states one-third fewer Americans are attending church than in 1993, with many finding churches irrelevant. Yoder says, “My challenge to parents is not just to teach kids it’s a priority to go to church. Because I think most kids know that it’s a priority to go to church. But teaching our kids to see the church not just as a place of worship, but a place of love. A place to express love to other Christians.”

And that is what draws people to Christian churches. Not tradition, or structure, or even “love” in a general sense, but the love of Christ as reflected by His people.

Yoder talks about one church in the New Testament that had this kind of love. “You know, Paul talked about this in Second Thessalonians and he talked about it as brotherly love. Now, the Thessalonian church was great. It’s showing brotherly love. Paul, in fact, encouraged them to keep doing what they were doing, because they were really good at it. I mean, these new Christians were amazing, showing love overflowing.”

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Kevin Zeller

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As Americans nationwide self-quarantine and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, as the Trump administration has advised to combat the coronavirus pandemic, The Christian Post put together a list of new and inspiring songs to listen to that will lift your spirits. 

‘The Blessing’ by Kari Jobe and Cody Caines

People across the U.S. are turning to entertainment to keep themselves amused while in quarantine. In the midst of TicTok videos and singing or dance challenges flooding social media, Christians are enjoying Elevation Worship’s latest release “The Blessing” performed by Kari Jobe and her husband, Cody Caines.

The track was written by Jobe, Carnes, Elevation Church pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation worship leader Chris Brown.

“The Blessing” was taken “straight from Scripture and it’s the heart of the Father for His kids,” Jobe says in a video of the live performance.

‘Christ our Hope in Life and Death’ by The Gettys

Another couple known for their world-renowned worship music, The Gettys, released a new Easter hymn titled, “Christ our Hope in Life and Death.”

Keith and Kristyn Getty collaborated with Matt Boswell, Jordan Kauflin, Matt Merker and Matt Papa to compose the new hymn. The song is meant to draw on deep theological questions, “reminding Christians throughout the world of the hope that can be found in Christ’s death and resurrection,” a statement shared with The Christian Post explained.

‘Set Me Free’ by Lecrae and YK Osiris

Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae teamed up with mainstream artist YK Osiris for a song that he said will spread hope amid the global pandemic that has some people crippled by fear.

“In times like these, we need a little (or a lot) of encouragement,” Lecrae wrote on Instagram.

He added, “Let’s be free from fear, free from darkness, free from whatever shackles that bind us.”

The Grammy award-winning artist dropped the new single and then teamed up with Atlanta charity Love Beyond Walls to install portable sinks throughout Atlanta for the homeless. The reason was to help slow the spread of the coronavirus among those in his city.

“When people living on the street don’t have the means … we should step in to wash their hands.#Setmefree #corona,” he wrote on Instagram.

‘Mercy’ by Seth & Nirva 

Another husband-wife duo, Seth & Nirva, released their new single “Mercy” before the global pandemic made headlines and the song seems to be the prayer needed at this time. As well as being a personal prayer, the song is a cry of repentance on behalf of America the couple said.

Seth & Nirva’s new single, “Mercy,” models the book of Psalms from the Bible as the psalmist cries out for God to show up and have mercy on the land. The couple said God continues to remain merciful although we as a people deserve wrath.

“We have definitely crossed into the danger zone that the prophet Isaiah warned us about long ago of calling ‘evil good, and good evil,’” Seth & Nirva told The Christian Post in a recent interview.

“When you think of the 60 million plus innocent human beings we have legally killed in the womb since Roe v. Wade, and how we are indoctrinating elementary school kids with the sexual anarchy propagated by radical LGBTQ activists, it’s a wonder God hasn’t blown us off the map,” they added.

“When we wrote this song, we did get the sense that although the lyric literally refers to an individual person praying, at a deeper level it represents the land itself crying out for mercy.

“In this sense, we aren’t just asking for forgiveness, but we are asking God to come and bring correction and justice. To draw the leaders responsible for this evil to repentance, or to remove them and bring judgment upon them if they refuse.”

‘The Cry’ by William McDowell 

Billboard-topping gospel singer William McDowell released the deluxe digital version of his latest album, The Cry, this week, with live videos to go along with wash song. The music leader, who’s also a pastor, has made a career of leading people into a deeper shout of worship.

The title track of the album is a beckoning to God and a declaration of perseverance in faith. The deluxe album was released at a time where Americans were asked to take enhanced precautions and practice social distancing to help stop the spread of coronavirus. McDowell refrained from announcing the deluxe release until Friday.

“It was released during all of this news about the virus worldwide and it never felt like the right time to say anything about it,” he shared on Instagram. “The well being of everyone is far more important than trying to ‘promote’ something so I didn’t say a word. However, I want you to be able to see this worship experience.”

SOURCE: Christian Post, Jeannie Law

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The Chinese communist government continued its campaign against Christianity during the country’s coronavirus outbreak by destroying crosses and demolishing a church while people were on lockdown.

On March 13, a church in Guoyang County, Anhui Province saw its cross removed by authorities. A video shared by the Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness documented the moment when the crane removed the red cross from the church’s rooftop.

A Christian with the surname Chen told persecution watchdog group China Aid that this church usually has 40 churchgoers attending its services. Authorities used the lockdown as an opportunity to remove the church’s cross.

Bob Fu from China Aid also shared a video showing the demolished Xiangbaishu Church in Yixing city, Jiangsu province on March 11.

2020年3月13日，安徽亳州涡阳基督教堂的十字架被强拆！ pic.twitter.com/RUnrAMgrpP

— 華人基督徒公義團契 (@ccfr2017) March 13, 2020

“Religious persecution continues even in the midst of #WuhanVirus,” Fu captioned the video. “Xiangbaishu Church in Yixing city, Jiangsu province was destroyed by #CCP govt. Cross is our Glory.”

Another church in Huaishang district of the city of Bengbu, Anhui province also had its cross removed at the beginning of March, according to International Christian Concern. Ms. Yao, a local Christian, said the removal was led by the head of the local United Front Department, a Communist Party organ employed to govern religious affairs.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, most of the churches across the country, both underground or state-approved, are able to meet online as of now.

Religious persecution continues even in the midst of #WuhanVirus March 11 Xiangbaishu Church in Yixing city, Jiangsu province was destroyed by #CCP govt. Cross is our Glory大疫当前，江苏宜兴香柏树教会,于3.11日遭到强拆.举国上下深感人民的苦难，但谁知道在十字架上那位上帝之子的苦难？ pic.twitter.com/wp35ZexYIu

— Bob Fu傅希秋 (@BobFu4China) March 15, 2020

However, in China’s Shandong province, two state-run Christian organizations, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and China Christian Council released a statement ordering all online preaching be ceased and churches that gather in secret be rooted out, reports China Aid.

In addition, it posits officials should “guide” Christians “in other ways, with the caveat of not gathering together!”

For the past 20 years, China has been labeled by the U.S. State Department as a “country of particular concern” for religious freedom violations.

SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett

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Last Friday, Bethlehem Bible College’s spring semester came to a sudden stop as COVID-19 was discovered among tourists and the whole town was quarantined.

Bethlehem is often described as peaceful in Christmas songs. It is again this week, but not for a good reason.

Palestinian and Israeli officials agreed, the town should be quarantined. Mercy Aiken, a volunteer at the college, says, “Friday night, we got word that the checkpoint was going to be closed that people walk through to go to Jerusalem. And so a bunch of people left in the middle of the night.”

All churches, mosques, and gathering places were closed. The Church of the Nativity was closed and sanitized. Citizens were encouraged to stay indoors.

Aiken says that she herself only went out to get food. She felt conspicuous walking through the quiet streets, knowing that it was Americans who brought the virus in the first place. “If you are a foreigner walking around, you don’t want to add more stress, but it’s not like there’s a lot of people out on the street. You might see one or two cars going by a minute. It’s very, very, very low-key, the streets are pretty much empty.”

Aiken describes the city as more peaceful than otherwise. One street in the town, near the separation wall, often features protests and political demonstrations. During the lockdown, Aiken saw children playing in this area.

Not only that, but citizens are facing the outbreak with great solidarity. Aiken relates this story: “I just saw, about an hour ago, a car drive down the street that was praying. It was blasting prayers from its loudspeakers. And it had a big orthodox picture of Mary and Jesus. They had a big sensor and they were burning incense. They were driving around Bethlehem filling it with incense and, and singing prayers. So I think the town has come together in a really beautiful way.”

SOURCE: Mission Network News, Kevin Zeller

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Sex trafficking is on the rise, and followers of Jesus are on the frontlines of freeing its victims.

Calvin Fanning, a former church-planting missionary with the Assemblies of God, is one of those called to this critical ministry.

“The inspiration for shelter planting is borrowed from church planting,” says Fanning, director of shelter mentoring at The Samaritan Women’s Institute for Shelter Care, on the Charisma Connection podcast.

Fanning says that any Christian called to this challenging expression of ministry can “plant” a shelter. The Institute for Shelter Care, based in Baltimore, Maryland, has a three-year shelter training and mentoring program that takes mentees through the process of starting a shelter “from start to finish,” says Fanning, addressing topics such as raising funds, choosing board members, selecting your property, training staff, deciding on group activities for the residents and selecting the types of therapy the program offers victims.

“Typically there’s a turning point for shelters,” he says. “Many of them open too soon, without having a defined program in place or trained staff. Usually in the first three months, there’s a stunning realization about the depth of trauma these victims have experienced and the darkness of this evil. It can be overwhelming.”

He compares the process to parenting.

“We liken it to having your first child; every moment is a potential new experience or new challenge.”

Fanning sees the call to plant a shelter akin to the call to plant a church or to engage in foreign missions.

“I often compare it to committing your life to foreign missions,” he says. “It is such a big commitment. Believers who want to get into this ministry need discernment as they enter into this foreign mission field.

SOURCE: Charisma News, Christine D. Johnson

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This is Daniel Whyte III president of Gospel Light Society International with The Scripture & the Sense Podcast #450, where I read the Word of God and give the sense of it based on an authoritative commentary source such as the Bible Knowledge Commentary or Matthew Henry Commentary. This podcast is based upon Nehemiah 8:8 where it says Ezra and the Levites “read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” The aim of this podcast is that through the simple reading of the Word of God and the giving of the sense of it, the church would be revived and the world would be awakened.

Today we are reading Amos 5:3.

3 For thus saith the Lord God; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.

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That was Amos 5:3. Now here is the sense of it.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary reads:

Her armies had been decimated. The city or town that had detached a military unit of a thousand or a hundred saw only 10 percent return from war. An army could sustain a 50 percent loss and still fight. But if 90 percent were slain, that nation had received its death sentence. Amos lamented an Israel that would cease to exist.

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Thank you for listening to the Scripture & The Sense Podcast. Remember to read the Word of God each and every day and pray without ceasing to God for wisdom to understand it and apply it to your life. Most importantly, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Please stay tuned for a complete presentation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that you can get your soul saved from Hell to that wonderful place called Heaven when you die. May God bless you and keep you is my prayer.

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