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The Simple Power of Focusing on One Thing in a Revitalization – Revitalize & Replant #100
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There is a great power in focusing on one thing when working to revitalize a church. Today, we cover six reasons why.
Episode Highlights:
- Church revitalization doesn’t have to be as complicated as some make it. Just start with one thing.
- Trying to do too much too quickly can kill a revitalization effort.
- Ministry complexity will drain the leadership of a church.
- When you are forced to choose one ministry to focus on in a church, you typically choose the best and most effective ministry.
The six reasons we discuss are:
- You have to begin somewhere
- Complexity leads to confusion and complacency
- Helps the heart and attitude of the leader
- The power of low-hanging fruit
- Makes you focus on what really matters
- Helps you to say no
Resources mentioned in this episode include:
Revitalize & Replant is sponsored by the North American Mission Board and ChurchReplanters.com. More than 10% of churches in North America are at risk of closing and the North American Mission Board is committed to reversing this trend by decreasing the death rate of existing churches while simultaneously increasing the birth rate of new churches. To learn more about what it means to become a replanting pastor or to explore resources for replanting and revitalization in your own church, visit ChurchReplanters.com.
Submit Your Question:
Do you have a question about church revitalization or replanting for us to use on the podcast? Visit…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.
Police Drop Manslaughter Charge against Woman Whose Unborn Baby Died after She Was Shot
Police have dropped a manslaughter charge against a woman whose unborn baby died after she was shot.
The Alabama woman, Marshae Jones, was five months pregnant when she was involved in a fight with a co-worker. The co-worker allegedly fired a gun at Jones, shooting her five times in the stomach.
The co-worker was not charged for the shooting after a grand jury in Jefferson County found she acted in self-defense. Police, however, charged Jones with manslaughter for the December 2018 fight in Pleasant Grove, Alabama.
“When a five-month-pregnant woman initiates a fight and attacks another person, I believe some responsibility lies with her as to any injury to her unborn child,” Lt. Danny Reid of the Pleasant Grove Police Department, said at the time.
“That child is dependent on its mother to try to keep it from harm, and she shouldn’t seek out unnecessary physical altercations.”
This week, District Attorney Lynneice Washington said she was dropping the case.
“I have determined that it is not in the best interest of justice to pursue prosecution of Ms. Jones on the manslaughter charge for which she was indicted by the grand jury,” she told the media.
“No further legal action will be taken against Ms. Jones in this matter.”
Abortion rights activists had rallied in Jones’ defense, saying Jones was being punished…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.
15-Year-Old Tennessee Girl Dies During Church Mission Trip to Mexico, Was Crushed When Tree Fell On Van – Urban Christian News
A sophomore student from Tennessee died on a mission trip to Mexico, when a tree reportedly fell on top of a van she was riding in.
According to Knox News, Callie Jordan, 15, a student at Sweetwater High School and a member of the Suwannee Baptist Association mission team, was hit in the head when a tree fell on top of the vehicle, which was stopped at a gas station.
The First Baptist Church of Jasper, Fla., announced the devastating development on Facebook, later providing additional information regarding her death.
“It is with heavy hearts that we have to say that Callie Jordan has passed away due to her injury…we ask that you please continue to pray for her family during this time, as well as her church, and all the missionaries who were there,” read the Friday post. “Thank you all for sharing, and praying. We have been blown away by the overwhelming response to this prayer request.”
Callie’s school posted a quote from American author Henry Van Dyke on Facebook: “Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”
A GoFundMe — which has received about $34,000 in donations for Callie’s family, who are reportedly en route to Mexico to bring the teen home — was created. On Tuesday night, Sweetwater High School held a fundraiser and a candlelit vigil for Callie, who played on the SHS Lady Cat basketball team.
Yahoo Lifestyle could not reach anyone from Sweetwater High School for…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News
The terrible price of freedom. The incredible grace of God.
On Independence Day, take a moment to remember the veterans who paid a terrible price for our freedoms.
Many of them are like I was. When I left Afghanistan and the war, I found that Afghanistan and the war hadn’t quite left me. I had PTSD-like symptoms.
There are thousands of veterans stuck in this place—on edge. They lash out at their spouses. They are ready to beat up the next guy at the bar. They break bottles, break dishes, break up their families. They look for an excuse to explode. They want to scream. The military trained them to fight, and that’s what they want to do.
They can’t just turn this off with the flip of a switch. They have the mentality of killers, but they have to act as gentle fathers and loving husbands. Upon departure from the military, they have to be amicable citizens and agreeable coworkers.
But they can’t. They bring home the fire of war with them.
This doesn’t require a “certifiable” diagnosis of PTSD. It’s my conviction that almost every combat veteran suffers from this mentality one way or another. They bring the cold and lethal mentality of a killer into their homes and communities and then do their best to pretend they are fine.
Many are not. Twenty commit suicide every day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
‘I was afraid of what I might do’
Upon returning home from war, I started experiencing what I call “black rage.” This is where you black out from anger. This is similar to blacking out on an alcohol bender, except that it is brought on by sheer uncontrolled anger.
After a black rage, I would often wake up to see everything around me destroyed. If I remembered anything, it seemed like a dream or something that had happened to someone else. Other times, I had no recollection at all. There was just a blank interval between starting to get upset and waking…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.
Government shouldn’t brush knife crime under the carpet, Church says
A debate is going to be held on Saturday at the Church of England’s General Synod.
Synod member Rev Canon Jonathan Ford told Premier the Church is on the “front-line” trying to make a difference.
“What we’re trying to do is not let the government brush it under the carpet. Action has got to be taken by a whole range of services working in concert.
“This gives us a very good platform to speak to the nation about how serious this is.”
After falling for several years, knife crime in England and Wales is rising again.
Rev Canon Dr Rosemarie Mallett, a vicar in Angell Town, Brixton, south London will submit a motion, calling on local parishes to offer themselves as sanctuaries, both for young people in need of a quiet, safe place and those urgently fleeing violent attacks.
Speaking to Premier last month, she said: “If we can work within our schools to bring exclusions down, to stop off-rolling as much as possible, and to find solutions within the school for the challenges that young people are facing, we give them a better possibility for the future.”
Theresa May has promised a cross-Government response to knife crime as she rejected claims police cuts had contributed to a series of brutal stabbings around the country.
The Prime Minister vowed to tackle the causes of knife crime by addressing the issues which led “so many…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.
10 Responses from Fired Pastors
Podcast Episode #551
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Almost every pastor has had to deal with being fired—often for little to no reason. Today, we discuss a recent post on the topic and explain it further.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Too many pastors are fired without being told why.
- Often, pastors who are forced out for little to no reason look back on the situation and wish they had fought it a bit more.
- Sometimes the way a pastor is treated can affect their spouse and kids and turn them away from the church.
- The corporate world is often more gracious with severance than the church world.
The 10 responses that we discuss are:
- “I didn’t see it coming.”
- “No one gave me a reason for my firing.”
- “No one asked for my perspective.”
- “A power group pushed me out.”
- “A staff member (or members) pushed me out.”
- “My family is devastated.”
- “The severance was small.”
- “I can never return to pastoral ministry.”
- “I should have never followed a long-term pastor.”
- “Secular employers are kinder and show more grace.”
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast
Rainer on Leadership is a member of the LifeWay Leadership Podcast Network
Episode Sponsors
The mission at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping students to serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission. The school offers more than 40 different degree programs, including…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Ohio Heartbeat Abortion Law
A federal judge has temporarily blocked a pro-life law that banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. The law was due to come into effect on July 11.
The ruling was made by U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett who openly sided with Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union in their legal challenge. He noted that they “are certain to succeed on the merits of their claim that (the bill) is unconstitutional on its face.”
The ACLU’s legal director, Freda Levenson, applauded the decision and noted that the law must uphold a woman’s “constitutional right to make this deeply personal decision about their own bodies without interference from the state.”
Pro-abortion organization NARAL also celebrated the news.
“With Gov. DeWine’s attack on abortion rights now blocked, the doctors, nurses, staff, and volunteers at nine facilities across the state can continue to assist patients in safely terminating a pregnancy,” said the organization’s Ohio Deputy Director Jaime Miracle, according to the Associated Press.
Despite being dissapointed by the setback, pro-life representatives are still encouraged that this new law will eventually usher forward a new Supreme Court consideration on Roe v. Wade.
“While it is certainly disappointing that Judge Barrett would issue a temporary restraining order, it is certainly not surprising,” said…
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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Christian Headlines.
Hong Kong Protesters Recount Decision to Assault Legislature Building – Urban Christian News
HONG KONG (AP) — It was almost noon on Monday when hundreds of protesters outside Hong Kong’s legislature voted to break in.
Watching from the side, one protester disagreed. They were too few, 19-year-old Daisy Chan worried, and the police presence was heavy.
As hours passed, thousands more trickled into the plaza and a nearby roundabout. The police retreated into the building. Angry protesters shattered windows with carts, sledgehammers and metal barricades.
Chan thought of three protesters who had died and of the Hong Kong leader’s refusal to meet the activists. Though she didn’t want to break in, she wanted to support the others.
By 9 p.m., when they finally pried open a metal security curtain that led inside, Chan believed nothing could assuage their anger.
“You’ve been standing at the entrance for eight hours!” she recalled shouting at other protesters perched on a fence by a second entrance. “The police have already retreated. If you want to get in, if you want to do what you want to do, you should get in now!”
Chan and three other protesters, including two who aided others outside the building but didn’t enter, told their story to The Associated Press this week. They said years of feeling ignored drove…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Urban Christian News
What Thomas Jefferson got wrong: The best way to serve the nation we love
It is a nondescript room in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Standing behind a plexiglass wall, I could see a table with chairs, a fireplace, and a brown wooden armoire.
Thomas Jefferson stayed at this site for about a hundred days in 1776. It was here that he wrote three drafts of the Virginia Constitution, produced committee reports, authored a position paper, and maintained personal correspondence.
And it was here that he completed the Declaration of Independence.
The house where he stayed for those fateful days was torn down in 1883 but reconstructed by the National Park Service for America’s bicentennial in 1976. As a result, I was looking at a replica of Jefferson’s actual workspace. It was deeply moving to stand at the site where a document that changed history was authored.
“When Thomas Jefferson dined alone”
Thomas Jefferson was one of the most brilliant men America has ever known. I have read four biographies of him and remain deeply impressed with his genius.
When I visited Monticello, the home in Virginia he designed, I was struck by the technological sophistication of his architectural brilliance. Jefferson served our country as the author of our Declaration of Independence and Virginia’s Statute for Religious Freedom. He was secretary of state under President Washington, vice president under John Adams, and president of the United States. He was also the father of the University of Virginia.
He could speak English, French, Italian, and Latin and could read Greek and Spanish. John F. Kennedy famously told a dinner gathering of Nobel Prize winners that the event represented “the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.”
However, he also enslaved more than six hundred people over…
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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.
