Six Ways Churches Are Dealing with Parking Shortages

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Podcast Episode #582

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In this episode, Thom and Sam discuss a key barrier to church growth, parking. If you are leading a healthy and growing church parking will be an issue. Listen in as the discussion focuses on six ways churches are dealing with parking shortages.

The six questions from today’s podcast:

  1. Ask key church leaders to park in remote places.
  2. Some churches use shuttle parking, at least for a season.
  3. More churches are starting a non-Sunday morning service to deal with space constraints like parking shortages.
  4. When a church becomes multi-site, parking shortages are often relieved.
  5. Nearby businesses are often happy to allow church members to park on their property.
  6. Some churches reconfigure their parking for more effective use.

Other highlights:

  • Church leaders often arrive early and leave late and do not notice parking issues.
  • As culture has changed, we have fewer people coming to church per car.

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast

Episode Sponsors

Vanderbloemen has been serving churches for nine years, but did you know that Vanderbloemen also serves Christian schools, nonprofits, and Christian businesses? So if you’re listening, and you know a Christian school, nonprofit, or values-based business that is hiring, contact our friends at Vanderbloemen for your staffing needs.

For more information, visit Vanderbloemen.com.

The mission at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary…

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

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5 Reasons Evangelicals Like President Trump and 5 Reasons They Don’t

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5 Reasons Evangelicals Like President Trump and 5 Reasons They Don’t

When Donald Trump announced that he was running for President in June of 2015, it would have been hard to predict that he would become the favorite candidate of evangelical Christians. Everything about the thrice-married billionaire seemed to run afoul of what evangelicals had professed to be looking for in a presidential candidate.

However, despite some detractors, the President remains popular with a large percentage of evangelicals. An October 2019 survey found that 82 percent of white evangelicals want Trump to be the Republican Party’s candidate for President in 2020, the most of any subgroup.

Here are five reasons that evangelicals love President Trump:

Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Win McNamee/Staff

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

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The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: 4 steps to defeating ISIS

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The death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: 4 steps to defeating ISIS

NOTE: I want to thank my son, Ryan Denison, for writing The Daily Article while my wife and I were traveling last week. I am also grateful to the many readers who posted wonderful comments in response to his articles. It is a great privilege to share this ministry with my family and with each of you.

President Trump made an announcement Sunday morning that has dominated global headlines: “Last night, the United States brought the world’s No. 1 terrorist leader to justice. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. He was the founder and leader of ISIS, the most ruthless and violent terror organization anywhere in the world.” 

The president explained how al-Baghdadi was killed: “U.S. Special Operations forces executed a dangerous and daring nighttime raid in northwestern Syria and accomplished their mission in grand style.” He added: “The thug who tried so hard to intimidate others spent his last moments in utter fear, in total panic and dread.” 

Now al-Baghdadi is dead, and the world is a safer place. 

Who was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? 

Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Samarra was born and grew up in Samarra, part of the Sunni region of Iraq north of Baghdad. He received undergraduate, Masters, and PhD degrees from the Islamic University in Baghdad. He then changed his last name to al-Baghdadi and took for his first name Abu Bakr, the prophet Muhammad’s father-in-law and successor. He claimed to be a direct descendant of Muhammad. 

While a member of al Qaeda in Iraq, he was imprisoned by American forces. Observers believe he was radicalized in prison. After the group’s leader was killed in a US air strike in 2010, al-Baghdadi was elected to succeed him. He broke from al Qaeda in early 2014 and seized land later that year upon which he announced the formation of a “caliphate.” 

This was an enormously important step. After Muhammad died in AD 632, his successors (“caliphs” in Arabic) governed from a region they called the…

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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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Child sponsored through Compassion UK becomes part of board of trustees

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Child sponsored through Compassion UK becomes part of board of trustees

Richmond Wandera is the first person to be a former beneficiary of the charity and serve on the board.

Compassion UK said Wandera has an incredible testimony of transformation through his local Compassion project in Uganda.

 

“Through its local church partners, Compassion provides holistic child development programmes for children growing up in the world’s poorest countries,” Wandera said.

“This is a mission I am 100 per cent committed to and I am particularly pleased to bring contextual knowledge and different perspectives to the decision-making table.

“As a child I experienced love, hope and encouragement through Compassion, and it is a privilege to be working to give the same opportunities to thousands of others.”

Compassion UK

 

At the age of eight, Wandera learned that his father was murdered. It meant his family didn’t have an income and his mother moved them into a single room in one of Uganda’s largest slums.

Compassion UK said the family began to starve and one day his mother explained that there was no money for food, and sent her son onto the streets to fend for himself and his younger sister.

That’s when a church nearby heard about the family’s need and registered Wandera into their Compassion project.

He soon received news that he had been sponsored by 15-year-old Heather from the UK, who supported him through monthly…

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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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Eight Ways Pastors Can Cultivate Long-Term Tenures

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By Sam Rainer

Generally, long-term pastor tenures are better than short-term pastor tenures. The context where the pastor ministers can impact the tenure. The church body can impact tenure. And the pastor can impact tenure length. Here are eight ways pastors can cultivate their long-term tenures.

  1. Elevate your family above your career. You simply cannot overestimate the importance of family stability. Your family is not a quantifiable metric in the decision to transition or not. One wise mentor once told me, “If your wife ain’t called, then you ain’t called.” He’s right. Your family is the front line of your ministry. They come first. If they want to stay, then in the vast majority of cases, you should not lead them to another place of ministry.
  2. Stop basing fulfillment on the size of your church. A 2,000-attendance church is not more fulfilling than a 200-attendance church. Your worth to Christ is not dependent on the size of your church. Success is no longer about “arriving” at the large county seat churches like it was in the 1960s. Quite frankly, such ideas should not have existed back then. They certainly shouldn’t exist now.
  3. Live in the community where you pastor. I once consulted a church where the pastor left after several years because he simply did not connect with the community. He lived thirty minutes outside of the city from where his church was to get more house for his money. It’s hard to love a community if you don’t live there. Additionally, some communities…

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

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TobyMac Releases Gut Wrenching Statement Following the Death of His 21-Year-Old Son

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TobyMac Releases Gut Wrenching Statement Following the Death of His 21-Year-Old Son


TobyMac Releases Gut Wrenching Statement Following the Death of His 21-Year-Old Son


Christian rapper TobyMac released a gut-wrenching statement on Facebook Thursday evening regarding the death of his 21-year-old son, Truett McKeehan.  


“Truett Foster Mckeehan had joy that took the room when he entered. He was a magnetic son and brother and friend. If you met him, you knew him, you remembered him. His smile, his laugh, the encouragement he offered with words or even without. He had an untamable grand personality and dreams to match. And he hated being put in a box,” the 55-year-old father of five wrote.


Mac went on to talk about how Mckeehan – known online as Tru, Shiloh or truDog – was a budding rap music star who expressed himself through the music he made.


“My last moment with Truett in person was at his first show Thursday at the Factory in Franklin, Tennessee … As I stood in the audience and watched my son bring joy to a room, I was as proud as a “pop” (as tru called me) could be. It was the culminating moment of a dream that he had since he was 12. It couldn’t have been sweeter,” Mac wrote.


“Our music, and what we say lyrically couldn’t be more different, but the outcome was much the same … offering a room full of people a few minutes of joy in a crazy world,” he added.


Mac also shared McKeehan’s heart for God noting that while his son was “by no means a cookie-cutter Christian” he had a…

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

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‘More Christian than baseball player’: How Anthony Rendon balances faith and fame

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‘More Christian than baseball player’: How Anthony Rendon balances faith and fame

The Washington Nationals’ Anthony Rendon during Game 2 of the NLDS vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 4, 2019.

Note from Dr. Jim Denison: I am grateful to my son, Ryan Denison, for writing The Daily Article this week while I am traveling. Ryan is a graduate of Baylor University and Truett Seminary and is completing his doctoral dissertation in church history at BH Carroll Theological Institute. He serves as Senior Fellow for Theology with our ministry and writes often in my absence. I am certain you will find his insights to be both biblical and practical.

The 2019 World Series starts tonight, pitting the Houston Astros against the Washington Nationals. While there are many storylines worth following with the series, the play of Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon is among the most interesting. 

Rendon is coming off the best season of his career and is one of the leading candidates for MVP. Despite his play, though, his team had one of the toughest paths to get to this point. 

They began the playoffs with a one-game, winner-take-all match against the Brewers in which they were three runs behind heading into the final two innings. Rendon scored what became the deciding run. From there, they went on to beat the heavily favored Dodgers before sweeping the Cardinals to earn their ticket to play for a championship. 

Through it all, Rendon has been one of the Nationals’ best players. But, in hearing him discuss his career, you get the clear sense that what’s most important to him is that he plays in a way that glorifies the Lord. 

As he told the Washington Post, “You want to plan for the future. But I’ve come to learn your plans don’t always come to fruition. Obviously, with my faith, too, I don’t want to seem like it’s all about me, me, me. It takes away from what I do for Him, for the Lord.” 

Because of those priorities, Rendon stresses that “I want to…

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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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Discovered 1,500-year-old Byzantine church dedicated to martyr

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Discovered 1,500-year-old Byzantine church dedicated to martyr

After three years of excavations, the Israel Antiquities Authority believes that it was a site of pilgrimage until the Abbasid caliphate in the ninth century.

Historians believe the church was built in honour of an unnamed martyr, as excavations revealed a mosaic floor with Greek inscriptions explaining so.

 

 

Findings from the church were put on display at an exhibition titled “The Glorious Martyr” starting last Wednesday at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem. The site is also known as “The Church of the Glorious Martyr.”

“In the Byzantine period, locations traditionally associated with major events of the Old and New Testaments, including sites linked to saints and martyrs, were venerated as holy places. Churches containing martyrs’ relics became important destinations for Christian pilgrims,” museum noted.

The church was first uncovered by the Construction and Housing Ministry during construction work aimed at expanding the city of Bet Shemesh’s suburb Ramat Bet Shemesh, which is located about 18 miles from Jerusalem.

 

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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How to Encourage Other Revitalization Pastors without Bragging – Revitalize and Replant #116

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Today Thom and Mark answer a second round of listener-submitted questions. Answers include advice on staying humble, encouraging others, adjusting expectations, and the importance of corporate worship. This episode is helpful for any pastor trying to make Kingdom impact.

From Johnathan:
I pastor a church that is in the revitalization process. We are growing and seeing God work amongst the ministries of the church in mighty ways. Once a month I meet for breakfast with a small group of local pastors who are not all experiencing the same results as us. As a matter of fact, some of them seem downright depressed at times. It is my desire to see these other churches do well as well. My question is, how do I encourage these pastors without seeming as though I am bragging or being boisterous?

From Joe:
I’m two years into replanting a church. What do you do when members of your congregation no longer want to come to Church gatherings on Sundays.

Highlights:

– People don’t always want to know your story they just want to know you are there.
– Success isn’t measured by the masses but one changed life at a time.
– Ministry presence and a listening ear are the two greatest things you can offer people.
– God’s work and activity are not just numerical.
– It isn’t about a number but it is about being consistent to gather in corporate worship.
– In a culture that increasingly holds a secular world view,…

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

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Texas Judge Gives Dad Rights over 7-Year-Old Son’s Gender Transition

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Texas Judge Gives Dad Rights over 7-Year-Old Son’s Gender Transition


Texas Judge Gives Dad Rights over 7-Year-Old Son’s Gender Transition


A judge decided this week that the parents to 7-year-old boy James must make joint decisions about their son’s medical care, particularly regarding his gender identity.


According to Life Site News, Judge Kim Cooks of the 255th district in Texas ruled that Jeffrey Younger, the boy’s father, and Dr. Anne Georgulas, the boy’s mother, will both have a say in James’ medical decisions.


Georgulas wants to continue to transition James to a girl named “Luna” by using puberty blockers, while Younger has said he wants to take a “wait and see” approach.


The couple is divorced.


Georgulas has enrolled James in school under the name “Luna” and as a female student since kindergarten. According to reports, she started telling James that he was a girl as soon as he was 3 when she says he showed interest in a McDonald’s toy meant for girls.


Younger, however, said that James identifies as a boy when he is with his father.


James’ mother also visited a medical transition clinic in Dallas to consider “hormone suppression” therapy in the Gender Affirming Care Program for youth. The medical clinic, GENECIS, said it would not allow the boy to start puberty blockers until Younger agreed.


Previously, Georgulas had exclusive rights to make decisions for James, and his twin brother, Jude. Younger filed a counter-petition asking for sole managing…

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

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