The post Andrew Wommack Devotional 9 July 2019 – Be Filled appeared first on Flatimes.
Why Smaller Churches Are Making a Comeback
Smaller churches are poised to make a comeback.
I’m serious. I see too many signs and indicators to believe otherwise.
For certain, I know the bad news. The median size of a church has declined from around 100 to 70 in worship attendance in a decade. That means one-half of all American congregations have fewer than 70 in worship attendance.
And I am aware that more people are attending larger churches today than they were 20, 15, 10, and 5 years ago. To be clear, I am aware that around 8,000 churches close every year.
Yes, I know those facts. But I feel the winds of change. Before we look at those change factors, let’s look at the size of churches in America. I cannot be absolutely certain about these numbers, but there are a lot of good bodies of research by some good organizations (National Congregations Study, Faith Communities Today 2015, 2014 Religious Landscape Study 2014 by Pew Research, and others).
| Smaller Standard | 0 to 49 worship attendance | 40% of churches in America |
| Larger Standard | 50 to 124 worship attendance | 27% of churches in America |
| Mid | 125 to 249 worship attendance | 18% of churches in America |
| Large | 250 to 499 worship attendance | 8% of churches in America |
| Very Large | 500 to 999 worship attendance | 4% of churches in America |
| Mid Mega | 1,000 to 1,999 in worship attendance | 2% of churches in America |
| Mega | 2,000+ in worship attendance | Less than ½ of 1% |
Two-thirds of churches have an attendance under 125. The smaller church is the norm, not the exception. And though the news has not…
… Read More
—
Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.
Ninth Circuit Blocks Trump Rule Defunding Planned Parenthood
On Wednesday, a federal appeals court overturned a major pro-life legal victory by once again blocking a Trump administration that could lead to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from losing much of their federal funding.
At issue is a new rule by the Department of Health and Human Services that prohibits Title X family-planning funds from being used to “perform, promote, refer for, or support abortion as a method of family planning.” It also requires Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers to financially and physically separate their abortion facilities from their non-abortion services. Critics, like Planned Parenthood, call it the “gag rule.”
Planned Parenthood and its allies filed suit against the department. They were joined by the attorneys general of 20-plus states.
Although a three-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had allowed the rule to go into effect, a larger or “en banc” panel of the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday blocked the rule and said it would hear the case. The decision will be made by 11 judges, according to Courthouse News.
A two-paragraph order from the court said a “majority of non-recused active judges” had ordered that the case be heard by the larger panel. The earlier decision by the three judges “shall not be cited as precedent by or to any court of the Ninth Circuit,” the order…
… Read More
Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.
Wisdom Gateways to Financial Fortune! By David Oyedepo
The post Wisdom Gateways to Financial Fortune! By David Oyedepo appeared first on Flatimes.
Ex-IKEA employee sues company for firing over posting Bible verses on homosexuality
Tomasz K – who worked at an IEKA store in Poland, told state broadcaster TVP Info that he was fired after he refused to delete a comment on the retailer’s intranet.
The company celebrated International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) in May and put up a post asking employees to attend a pro-LGBT event.
“I was shaken up, I’ve been hired to sell furniture but I’m a Catholic and these aren’t my values,” Tomasz explained.
He replied to the post expressing his traditional biblical views on sexuality and was fired as a result.
In a statement released by IKEA, the company said: “One of our employees published a comment under the article, expressing his opinion in a way that could affect the rights and dignity of LGBT + persons.
“In addition, the employee actually used quotes from the Old Testament about death, blood in the context of what fate should meet homosexual people.”
They added that many fellow employees contacted IKEA human resources about Tomasz’s post.
Tomasz is being helped by lawyers from the conservative legal organization Ordo Iuris Institute. They are argue that his right to express his beliefs in an open forum has been violated.
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.
… Read More
—
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
