Spotlight
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EvangeLectionary
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Are you looking for some engaging data about a church like yours and the one down the street? And, are you interested in some new hope for mainline churches like yours?
Are you and others in your church in need of a personal spiritual uplift for the beginning of another year?
Are you in need of some resources that get a handle on how you can get from here to there in a world with spiritual hunger but no place to go?
If you aren’t sure there’s anything out there like that there’s some good news for you today!
First of all…the data: Unbinding the Gospel is a book about an amazing Lilly grant study of mainline churches authored by Martha Grace Reese. It is a “good read” and more than that it offers hope for mainline churches like yours, whether big, small or medium-sized.
"I would like to thank you and your church for the Christmas celebration Sunday, December 2nd. You and your organization have no idea of the miracle that took place. My son and daughter have not spoken to each other for over 18 months. They each have little girls and the two grand children have been begging to play together but because of the parents differences this was not possible. The only gift that I had wanted for Christmas was to have my children and grandchildren get together and enjoy each other’s company. My daughter and granddaughter arrived at the celebration, and I called my son, he and his daughter came and everyone put aside their differences and enjoyed the lovely celebration.
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Written by Darryl Starnes |
Twenty years ago, few if any of the major seminaries in our country had significant emphasis on spiritual formation for those persons who were being trained to give leadership to congregations. One would be hard pressed to find a course, let alone an expanded curriculum on the subject. As seminaries began to take seriously the feedback from local congregations, it became clear that faithfulness in biblical interpretation, skill in sermon preparation, and acumen in church administration were not enough to guarantee transformative leadership.
Hospitality, like any other church skill is learned. How can you teach your church leaders the basics of hospitality in the House of God? A weekend workshop of 4-6 hours can help you accomplish this important objective. Following is an example of how this can be done in your church at little or no cost at all. Your pastor, staff person, or other gifted leader can follow this basic outline and provide a valuable opportunity for your church to begin to practice hospitality to newcomers. (You are free to use and to adapt any and all of this material for your own particular use in the church setting. Simply click on the icon next to the print icon above to produce a pdf file) It is best to have participants grouped around large round tables for reaction and discussion of presentations from the front. This is important and the time spent making this possible is well worth the extra effort. Do not limit your workshop to a designated group within your congregation, but invite the entire congregation to attend and benefit from the experience. It will prove to make your whole church more “hospitality contagious." |
Written by R. Wayne Calhoun Sr |
Written by Jim Griffith |
This article orignates from The Church Toolbox and is re-printed here with their kind permission. Improving First Impressions
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Introduction
Five years ago, I accepted the call to serve as the Minister of Evangelism for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. Shortly after my arrival, I concluded that a major reason Disciple congregations find evangelism efforts less than effective is that many long established congregations continue to utilize 20th century evangelism methods in the 21st century. A new century requires new approaches. As I traveled from Disciples congregation to Disciples congregation, I quickly discovered that too many of our churches resist transitioning from the 20th to the 21st century. Attempting to do evangelism in the 21st century using a 20th century model is the equivalent of trying to maneuver a major Interstate with a horse and buggy. When you encounter a speeding eighteen wheeler—goodbye horse, buggy and its occupants.Evangelism in Images |
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