Six Important Church Metrics We Often Ignore

Six Important Church Metrics We Often Ignore

  1. Conversion trends
  2. Ministry involvement trends
  3. Small group attendance trends
  4. Total giving trends
  5. Budget giving trends
  6. Weekly per capita giving

Some highlights from today’s Rainer Report:

  • The higher % of members you get involved in ministry, the smaller the backdoor of the church will get.
  • Small group attendance trends will likely tell you more about other areas of the church—giving, involvement, worship attendance, etc.
  • Total giving isn’t the only giving trend you need to be watching in your church.
  • Giving trends are often early indicators for other church health trends.

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.

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Supreme Court ruling is great news for free speech and for life

The Supreme Court continued its busy week yesterday. One of its rulings related to a California law requiring pro-life clinics to inform clients about state-funded abortions. Imagine a law requiring a Christian pastor to instruct the congregation about Islam or a Jewish rabbi to inform synagogue attenders about Buddhism.

The law violated the free speech of those who staff pro-life clinics, forcing them to deliver a message with which they personally disagreed. And, as best I can tell, it applied only to pro-life clinics. Abortion clinics were not required to notify patients of pro-life options.

I’m grateful to report that the US Supreme Court struck down this onerous law.

Making abortion unthinkable

The ruling highlights two facts.

One: It’s always too soon to stop fighting for life. Even though abortion has been legal in the US since 1973, pro-life supporters continue to make legal and cultural progress.

Abortion rates have fallen to their lowest rate since Roe v. Wade, and significant legal victories continue to be won. However, there is much more to do. More than 926,000 lives were lost to abortion in 2014, the last year for which data is available.

So long as abortion is legal, we must continue to pray and work to make it unthinkable.

Two: The courts are critical to our society. Just this month, the Supreme Court issued rulings on issues ranging from religious liberty to voter registration to redistricting to the president’s travel ban. As we pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2), it is vital that we regularly intercede for those who lead and serve in our judicial system.

While yesterday’s ruling is enormously significant for free speech and for life, it points to a reality that is even more transcendent.

“This world is not our permanent home”

Paul taught us that “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). “Citizenship” (politeuma) is derived from polis, the Greek…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

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Salvation Army backs tax proposals to fund social care

In a joint report on social care funding by the Health and Social Care and Housing, Communities and Local Government Committees, MPs say the cash raised from a premium in England would be held in a dedicated and audited fund.

Under the current system, most people fund social care through personal assets, leaving many unable to afford it.

The Salvation Army has highlighted the current difficulty for old people who don’t own their own homes.

Speaking to Premier, Jonathan Graham, policy adviser for the Salvation Army said: “There are obviously some very clear problems in how the system current functions and I think a lot of those are to do with how the system is funded and in particular how that system disadvantages people who, in later life, don’t necessarily own their own home so aren’t allowed to put the value of those homes up as collateral against the costs of their care.

“There’s a very clear sense that we need to have funding options that both in the short, the medium and the long term ensure that people can receive good quality care both when and where they need it.”

Graham said the Salvation Army support the recommendations of the report to have some sort of tax-based or insurance funding: “Provided that people are clear where their money is going and what it’s being used for, then often they’re much happier to contribute.”

The report based their recommendations…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Reality star Gemma Collins says her new book will be ‘bigger than the Bible’

The reality star – who is also known as the GC, will be releasing “The GC: How To Be A Diva” on Thursday.

Speaking to Heat Magazine, the 37-year-old drew comparisons between her book and the Holy Christian text.

“I think this book is bigger than the Bible and do you know why? Because this is going to spread cheer like the Bible.

“You know how that touches our hearts and everything? My book does the same. It spreads happiness and it’s not the sort of book you’ll read once either – you’ll go back to it and back to it. I cannot stop reading it.”

 

In another interview about her book, Collins shared where the inspiration for the text came from.

Speaking to CelebsNow she said: “Basically, I read Pocket Kim Wisdom [a book of quotes from Kim Kardashian]. My mum bought it for me, and it was absolutely hilarious, so I thought, ‘you know what? I need to do my version of it’ and that’s literally what I’ve done.”

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Supreme Court victory for heterosexual couple in civil partnership fight

Five Supreme Court justices unanimously allowed an appeal by Rebecca Steinfeld, 37, and Charles Keidan, 41.

They are currently prevented from having a legal union through the route of civil partnership because the Civil Partnership Act 2004 says only same-sex couples are eligible.

The academics, who live in Hammersmith, west London, suffered defeat at the Court of Appeal in February last year, but were given the go-ahead in August for a Supreme Court hearing.

The panel of Supreme Court justices, including the court’s president, Lady Hale, heard the couple’s case in May and announced their decision on Wednesday.

The judges granted a declaration that the 2004 Act was “incompatible” with human rights laws on discrimination and right to a private and family life.

Lord Kerr, announcing the court’s decision, said the Government “does not seek to justify the difference in treatment between same-sex and different sex couples”.

He added:”To the contrary, it accepts that the difference cannot be justified.”

What the Government sought was “tolerance of the discrimination while it sorts out how to deal with it”.

He concluded: “That cannot be characterised as a legitimate aim.”

Lord Kerr said it was “salutary to recall that a declaration of incompatibility does not oblige the Government or Parliament to do anything”.

The couple, who have two daughters aged nine months and two, claimed…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Archbishop ‘ashamed’ after claims of abuse at children’s homes run by nuns

Archbishop Mario Conti said he had been “blindly satisfied” in the past that youngsters were being properly cared for at Nazareth House in Aberdeen, the city where he became a bishop in 1977.

The 84-year-old clergyman expressed his “pain and sorrow” to those who have suffered mistreatment and later issued a statement saying he stands with “all those who have been abused”.

 

And the former church leader – who has faced criticism from some survivors for past comments about the allegations – asked for their forgiveness “if they feel I was insensitive to their pain”.

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry was also told he believes allegations of a cover-up by the Catholic Church are unfair.

Over the last eight weeks, the probe has been looking specifically at the now-defunct children’s homes run by the Catholic congregation the Sisters of Nazareth in Scotland, including one in Aberdeen.

The inquiry has been told of a string of alleged abuses by nuns at those institutions decades ago.

On Tuesday, the probe was shown a BBC documentary from 1998 on the allegations of Nazareth House survivors.

Archbishop Conti said he was “horrified” by some of the claims.

He told the inquiry: “I am deeply ashamed of what has been revealed and I express my pain and sorrow to those who were abused.

“Clearly all we are doing (in the inquiry) is an attempt to get to the truth and provide an opportunity…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Joyce Meyer’s Daily 27 June 2018 Devotional — Lord, Teach Me to Pray

Topic: Lord, Teach Me to Pray [Joyce Meyer’s Devotional Wednesday June 27, 2018]

Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish. — Proverbs 29:18 (AMPC)

One of the most important, life-changing prayers a person can ever utter is: “Lord, teach me to pray.” It’s not simply, “Lord, teach me to pray,” but “Lord, teach me to pray.” You see, simply knowing about prayer is not enough; we have to know how to pray—to talk and listen to God—as individuals who are in an intimate, dynamic personal relationship with the God to Whom we pray. Although there are principles of prayer that apply to everyone, we are individuals and God will lead each of us to pray and communicate with Him in uniquely personal ways.

There was a time when I attended many “prayer seminars,” and then attempted to duplicate in my prayer experience what I heard others say about the way they prayed. Eventually, though, I realized God had a personalized prayer plan for me—a way for me to talk to Him and listen to Him most effectively—and I needed to find out what that was. I started by saying, “Lord, teach me to pray.” God answered me in a powerful way and brought wonderful improvements to my prayer life.

If you want to enjoy a deeper, intimate, powerful relationship with God through prayer, I encourage you to say, “Lord, teach me to pray.” He’ll do it, and you’ll soon find greater freedom and effectiveness in your prayer life. God will lead you in a unique, fresh plan that works wonderfully for you.

Prayer Starter: Father, thank You that I can freely and confidently come to You and pray about anything. Teach me to pray. Help me to learn and enjoy the unique, personalized prayer plan You have for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional HERE’’

From Joyce Meyer’s Ministries.

The post Joyce Meyer’s Daily 27 June 2018 Devotional — Lord, Teach Me to Pray appeared first on Flatimes.

Missing Thai Soccer Team Known for Adventures Together – Urban Christian News

The members of the Wild Boars are a team on and off the soccer field, traveling to competitions, cycling mountain roads and swimming in waterfalls together. Now, 12 of the boys and their coach are lost, together, in a flooded cave in northern Thailand.

The boys, ranging in age from 11 to 16 and hailing from schools across Chiang Rai province’s northern reaches, have been missing since they entered the sprawling Tham Luang Nang Non cave on Saturday afternoon, after a morning intrasquad match on a nearby field.

Leading the way as always was Ekapol “Aek” Chanthawong, their 25-year-old coach.

“Coach Aek is very dedicated to the team,” said Noppadon Kanthawong, whose 13-year-old son plays on the Wild Boars but decided to skip Saturday’s cave trip. “He would be there at the field waiting for kids to show up after school. It is a great way to keep healthy, away from screens and have friends. I can tell that they are very close to each other.”

Noppadon and his son were huddled Tuesday with other teammates and anguished relatives at the entrance to the cave awaiting any word from the navy SEAL divers and other rescuers working inside. Divers have been seeking a way forward through the cave complex’s chambers, but flooding and low visibility has hindered their progress.

Relatives performed a morning ritual in which they called out for the missing. They played drums and gongs and two relatives held fishing nets as a symbolic way to fish out lost spirits from the cave.

The cave complex extends several kilometers (miles) and has wide chambers and narrow passageways with rocky…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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Teens Open Heavens 27 June 2018 – Tasting The Word

Topic: Tasting The Word [Teens Open Heavens 27, June 2018]

Memorise: How sweet are thy words unto my table! Yeah, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

Read: Psalm 119:103-104 (KJV)

103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

Bible In One Year: Job 10-12, Acts 8:1-25

MESSAGE:

Your spiritual level of placement determines how you taste God’s Word. For instance, if you hunger and taste after God’s Word so much, even the unpleasant aspects will taste sweet to you. You need to spend more time with it. Leave other things and just be alone with your Bible.

Study the Word of God regularly, over a period of time, your bitter taste buds will release a deep sweetness. When you get to the level when the Word of God is sweeter than honey to you, the Word will become your greatest companion. You will then find that grace is available to obey the Word no matter how difficult, even when everyone else is complaining. How does the Word taste to you today?

Prayer Point: Father, give me the grace to study Your Word regularly.

If you missed yesterday devotional, please click to read “Teen Open Heavens Daily Devotional by Pastor Adeboye’’ 

Hymn 9
1. I am so glad that our Father in heaven
Tells of His love in the book He has given;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see;
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.

Chorus
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus love me;
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.

2. Though I forget Him and wander away,
Still He doth love me whenever I stray;
Back to His dear loving arms would I flee,
When I remember that Jesus loves me.

3. Oh, if there’s only one song I can sing,
When in His beauty I see the great King,
This shall my song in eternity be,
“Oh, what a wonder that Jesus Loves me!”

Daily Devotional for Teen’s guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.

The post Teens Open Heavens 27 June 2018 – Tasting The Word appeared first on Flatimes.

Migrants Meet Hostile Reception on Both Sides of Atlantic – Urban Christian News

On both sides of the Atlantic, migrants flooding across borders by the hundreds each day have met a hostile reception and governments unable to agree on how to cope with the arrivals. In Europe, where far-right parties have joined the governments in Italy and Austria and made gains elsewhere, even the most basic decision of which port would accept a ship filled with migrants has been fraught.

On Tuesday, yet another rescue boat loaded with migrants struggled to find safe harbor in the Mediterranean, while in Austria police cadets playing the role of desperate refugees rattled a chain-link fence demanding to be let in as part of a high-profile training exercise to test the mettle of a new border force charged with preventing an influx of migrants.

“We have had migratory crises in the past, but that is not what we are going through now. What we are living through now is a European political crisis,” French President Emmanuel Macron said after a daylong meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican during which they discussed the issue.

The European crisis mirrors the one in the United States, where a broad-ranging Republican immigration bill was set for a vote Wednesday, with little certainty that it would survive. With legislation in disarray and a global uproar over the separation of more than 2,300 migrant children from their parents, the Trump administration abruptly reversed a key element of its zero-tolerance immigration policy last week, halting the practice of separating immigrant families caught illegally crossing the border, but leaving more than 2,000 separated children in…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News

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