church

Surprising Results About Youth Evangelism

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A report from Faithwire suggests churches may have their youth strategies all wrong. I might need to go and buy an old building! I am not sure about the methods used to get to this result or how they transfer across cultures.

 

A newly released study from research consultancy ComRes has found that many young people are exploring the Christian faith as a direct result of visiting beautiful religious buildings. In a  2016 survey, nearly 13 percent of teen converts cited “visiting a church building” as playing a vital role.

Photo Credit: Flickr/Andrew Gustar

The report indicates that the experience of beautiful religious architecture is more effective in evangelizing the younger generation than attending a youth group (11 percent) or a church service (12 percent), according to a write-up of the report by U Catholic.

ComRes interviewed 2,000 people aged 11-18 in December 2016, but the results of the online survey were not released until last summer. This was as a result of analysts finding it hard to believe that the figures were true.

Read the full article here

Church is Framily

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Photo by Larm Rmah on Unsplash

At the start of each year various groups propose the “Word of the Year”. The winner in Australia was a bit of an abstruse term, “milkshake duck”, which you will have to look up for yourself if you are interested.

A word that was mentioned a bit also was framily. Framily is a group of friends who become close and know each other like a family- or at least a more ideal version of family than is the reality for many people.

What a great word to describe the church! Most of us are not related biologically but we choose to do life together.

Churches have common goals and a central focus- that’s a framily.

We care for one another and help each other- that’s a framily

We like to hang out together- that’s a framily.

Maybe the idea of family carried too much baggage for some people to relate to. But we can all be framily together.

And that other church across town, maybe we can be framily with them too.

And those people who are a bit weird and live in that part of town might like to be framily with us and Jesus. Maybe we could invite them to join the party.

Framily- what a great word!

Always Looking Out.

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I have had some thoughts today about what the church should be. It was sparked by some friends saying of other members of their church that they just want it to be a safe and comfortable place for their children and now their grandchildren.

The church is meant to be a place of equipping, training and maturing so that those who are christians are able to go out and share the Good News of Jesus with their neighbours. Church, in that sense, isn’t only a place to be comfortable. Sometimes we need to offer healing and emotional care, but that is a part of a much larger process of equipping people to know the love of God in order to share that love with others.

This afternoon I saw a police car, two ambulances, a fire truck and the Volunteer Rescue Association truck all flying out of town with sirens blaring. Clearly some kind of terrible incident has occurred that has summoned these people out of the comfort of their buildings at the peak of a hot and dry day.

They would be no use to anyone if these people stayed in their facilities, training and practising for an incident but never attended the real accidents taking place around them.

Imagine a hospital operating at peak efficiency but never admitting patients.

The church can be like this- is often like this. We choose a congregation on the basis of the nice preaching, the children’s ministry, the music. We listen to endless exhortations on sharing our faith, attend workshops on healing or supernatural ministry. But we never put those things into practice in our daily life.

It’s not the beauty of our worship services or the authenticity of our cell groups that matters.

It’s about taking the Christ we worship on Sunday and letting Him into our lives on Monday to allow Him to heal and redeem the broken people in our neighbourhood.

Here is a question for you (well, two questions really). What was last Sunday’s sermon about? What are you going to do this week to put it into practice?

If we just did that each week the world would be a much better place for having experienced God’s people doing God’s work in the power of God’s Spirit.

 

Rude Mother Fails To Put Baby On Silent Mode Before Church Service

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From “Babylon Bee”

Rude Mother Fails To Put Baby On Silent Mode Before Church Service

 

WILMAR, MN—New mother Tatiana Olson is being called rude and obnoxious for failing to put her baby on silent mode before entering the church service at Generations Church during Sunday’s service.

The woman’s infant cried several times during the service, interrupting the proceedings and demonstrating the reason for the church’s strict rules on using a newborn’s silent mode before coming into the church.

“It’s just inconsiderate. We even post notices in the foyer asking mothers to be sure to put their babies on silent mode before being seated,” head deacon Lucas Carlisle said Wednesday. “We’re here to be the body of Christ to one another, and we can’t do that when your baby interrupts our carefully crafted show.”

The mother was finally asked to leave and find “one of those weird churches that welcomes children,” according to sources.

The Royal Commission Into Child Sexual Abuse

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Julia Gillard’s greatest triumph (her only one), The Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse published its 17-volume report today. As is usual with such reports there are a million recommendations written in the turgid style expected of such institutions.

The report will be noted, implemented and ignored as usual and the recommendations likewise.

One of the things I noted in the process was the arrogance and the contempt of the commissioners towards religious leaders from all denominations. Naturally this attitude comes out in the recommendations. Yes I read them all- I have no intention of reading the 17 volumes of the report, though.

So here are the notable recommendations relating to religious institutions:

Recommendation 7.3
State and territory governments should amend laws concerning mandatory reporting to child protection authorities to achieve national consistency in reporter groups. At a minimum, state and territory governments should also include the following groups of individuals as mandatory
reporters in every jurisdiction:
a. out-of-home care workers (excluding foster and kinship/relative carers)
b. youth justice workers
c. early childhood workers
d. registered psychologists and school counsellors
e. people in religious ministry.
Recommendation 7.4
Laws concerning mandatory reporting to child protection authorities should not exempt persons in religious ministry from being required to report knowledge or suspicions formed, in whole or in part, on the basis of information disclosed in or in connection with a religious confession.

Recommendation 16.9
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference should request the Holy See to amend the 1983 Code of Canon Law to create a new canon or series of canons specifically relating to child sexual abuse, as follows:
a. All delicts relating to child sexual abuse should be articulated as canonical crimes
against the child, not as moral failings or as breaches of the ‘special obligation’ of
clerics and religious to observe celibacy.
b. All delicts relating to child sexual abuse should apply to any person holding a ‘dignity, office or responsibility in the Church’ regardless of whether they are ordained or not ordained.
c. In relation to the acquisition, possession, or distribution of pornographic images, the delict (currently contained in Article 6 §2 1° of the revised 2010 norms attached to the motu proprio Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela) should be amended to refer to minors under the age of 18, not minors under the age of 14.

Recommendation 16.18
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference should request the Holy See to consider introducing voluntary celibacy for diocesan clergy

Recommendation 16.44
Consistent with Child Safe Standard 5, each religious institution should ensure that all people in religious or pastoral ministry, including religious leaders, are subject to effective management and oversight and undertake annual performance appraisals.

Recommendation 16.48
Religious institutions which have a rite of religious confession for children should implement a policy that requires the rite only be conducted in an open space within the clear line of sight of another adult. The policy should specify that, if another adult is not available, the rite of religious confession for the child should not be performed.

In a democracy, the State is required to be separate from the Church (and other religious institutions). The State does not have the ability to tell religious groups what to do, or believe.

The Royal Commission thinks that it can tell the Conference of Bishops to tell the Vatican to change Canon Law. The Royal Commission thinks that it should tell churches how to conduct confessions. The Royal Commission thinks that it has the right to overturn centuries of Catholic practice to require priests to reveal what they are told in confidence in the confessional, despite the history of priests going to prison or even death rather than reveal a confession.

The Royal Commission thinks that it has the right to tell the Vatican that celibacy is a bad thing, despite the evidence that sexual violence is about abuse of power not about sexual frustration, and that the primary indicator of potential for abuse is unsupervised access to children.

The Royal Commission thinks lots of people should be “mandatory reporters”, including clergy, but not the one group which has the most access to children and often the most trust of children, teachers.

All these recommendations are all very well but in the end they won’t do much for the protection of children. You can have all the rules in the world and the truly evil person will get around them. You can tell priests that they can only hold confessions in the sight of another person, but the priest who is determined will make sure that the supervising adult is someone who supports his evil ways.

The best thing to come from the Royal Commission is the realisation that churches and other institutions that relate to children cannot cover up abuse or ignore it. Everything else is likely going to be just the usual bureaucratic bulldust requiring people to have policies and procedures documented.

Messy Church

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An awesome time at New Life this morning as we ran our first- ever Messy Church service.

The service was based on The Parable of the Wedding Feast, or in my version, Wedding Guests Behaving Badly. See Matthew 22:1-14. We had activities for all ages including craft, colouring, drama, food preparation, a wedding quiz and a reflection station.

Everyone had a great time and experienced the power of this parable in a different way than just the normal worship format.

You can find more pictures at Google Photos

Few Christians Have A Biblical World-View

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I’ve been seeing a few different reports on this survey today. Although based in the U.S., I suspect that results would be similar in Australia. I’m not sure whether to throw up my hands in despair or just try harder and make sure my own flock know who the Shepherd is.

 

From Relevant Magazine:

Research: Only 17% of Christians Actually Have a Biblical Worldview

BY RELEVANT GOD MAY 11, 2017

A new joint study by Barna and Summit Ministries looks at the worldviews of practicing Christians. The results aren’t flattering. Among other things, it found that only 17 percent of Christians have what the researchers consider a biblical worldview. For that definition, Barna these markers: “believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.”

Among other things, it found that only 17 percent of Christians have what the researchers consider a biblical worldview. For that definition, Barna these markers: “believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.”

The full article is here

Jodie Hughes: “God is releasing guardians of the Bride.”

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God is releasing GUARDIANS OF THE BRIDE

God is releasing GUARDIANS OF THE BRIDE

There is a cry coming from the heart of the Father…. “Where are the guardians of My bride?”
Jesus has seen and He has heard, and He is releasing those marked by FIRECE LOVE AND HONOUR to turn the tide of this wave of dishonour seeking to divide & destroy His bride.

New love and honour is arising for the bride and a new breed of worship warriors who will guard the heart of the new wine skin is emerging. The church is being transformed but not to demise, but upgrade. She will birth unprecedented revival and receive and steward the end time harvest, but the bride herself is in need of guardians in this hour. Honour is being restored.

Intercessors are being called in now to pray for the bride that she may not just survive but thrive. There has been much onslaught of dishonour and attack, and Gods heart is for his bride and to heal her heart. Those marked by Honour for the King & His bride are arising.

God is calling in His intercessors to not just pray for the Harvest but pray for the Harvesters. Many of the harvesters hearts are tired and weary from the constant battle, not just from the enemy but from within its own borders. There is a call to cease the civil war within the borders of the church itself……. a new sound of honour is arising…. a new love of the church is being restored…. a new grace to serve is being released.

God is pouring out new wine that will bring hope & childlike joy. It will heal the disappointments and the hurts, the offence and the bitterness, but this must be actively received. Many desire an end time harvest… few will love the Harvester as much as the Harvest. The bride needs your prayers and honour in this hour. Her greatest days are upon her….. Jesus loves her and he is calling in those who will pray for her & love her & guard her.

She is not perfect and nor will she ever be. Her imperfections are what make her authentic. She will carry a new grace in this season for restoration as she is a reflection of every heart and every person who desires more and yet discovers an authentic hunger after more finds us each in need of grace. As honour arises, so will grace.

The bride is NOT the enemy, or where the shots should be directed. The enemy of our soul and the harvest is Satan, and always has been. The many misdirected shots are about to be highlighted and redirected to the source of the attack which will bring GREAT VICTORIES AND NEW STRENGTH. Intercessors, this is awakening hour! Arise!

HONOUR IS ARISING. GUARDIANS OF THE BRIDE ARE ARISING who BURN with love for Jesus & His people. This new move is precious and it must be guarded and life spoken over it. Dishonour will be seen for where it comes from, the heart of the enemy, and not the heart of the Father.

Pray for the harvest as it is Harvest Time. But pray for the harvesters too. Release words of life over the bride. The church is arising into her greatest hour. Speak life and honour over the bride as Jesus’ heart is to see her thrive and flourish. Jesus loves His bride and guardians who carry this love and honour as a weapon of breakthrough are arising as Jesus asks, “Where are the guardians of My bride”?

Arise and shine. We, the bride, are entering our greatest days. Let’s walk in greatness and honour that is befitting of our royalty.

Jodie Hughes
Pour It Out Ministries

 

Full article here

A Different Social Narrative

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Reflecting on rum and beer ads, Stephen McAlpine writes:

Our role is to build such thick communities in the power of God’s Spirit that people steeped in the secular social imaginary look on wistfully and say “Those Christians  know how to have a good time.”

Our role is to build such attractive narratives of meaning that Christians not only know that God’s community is where they should be, but they want to be there too.

And in the midst of what appears to be rapid and dislocating decline in the Western narrative (and for those who pooh-pooh the idea of narratives of decline, my response is “show me the money!”), we have the option of creating counter narratives that locate people in places they’d rather be. Places of safety and refuge.

Places of forgiveness and possibility.  Places where the God who upholds the cause of the weak is honoured, in the face of the cultural gods who oppress the weak and silence the marginalised.

Read the rest here

Apostolic- Belonging and Sending

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One of the results of being in a truly apostolic church is that the New Testament experience of community is being restored. One of the main anointings of an apostle is that of fathering; an establishment of authority based in relationships rather than legalism, position or denominationalism.

As denominations slowly (or in some cases, rapidly) crumble, the growth of true apostolic networks is becoming more real and more important. In the “good old days” when someone moved away, whether to go into some kind of ministry or just for employment or family reasons, they could be released knowing that the denominational covering would look after them.

Because of the deep relationships being developed within congregations that have discovered apostolic grace, it is vital that people enter into the community of faith correctly and that they leave correctly. If this is ignored there will be a tearing of relationships, a breaking of hearts, and a rupture of community.

There are four words that help describe the dynamic of apostolic community, none of them popular in our self-centred individualistic culture.

Surrender

In order to enter into the Kingdom of God, and hence into community, we have to surrender everything to Christ. In some ways this is a life-long process; as we grow closer to the Lord we discover more and more parts of our lives that have to be handed over or surrendered to Christ. The Bible calls this process sanctification.

Sins have to be repented of and stopped. Relationships have to be healed. And the thousand and one idols we carry in our hearts that we secretly depend on to give us strength have to be handed over to Him.

People who have an attitude that they are OK with God on their terms rather than His terms will never fit into the community of faith. That’s not because you have to be perfect to be acceptable. No, not at all! It’s quite the opposite really; the people who fit most into the rag-tag army that is the church are those who recognise that they will never in this life be perfect or good enough, except by the grace of God.

Surrender to God is a process of constantly letting go until the only thing we cling to is Christ.

 

Submit

In Ephesians 5:21 Paul exhorts us to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

The soul infected with the virus of rebellion or self-empowerment will shrink from these words. But those whose hearts are alive with the concept of community will embrace it.

The apostolic revelation is that everyone needs to be a spiritual son (or daughter) to a spiritual father (not a gender-specific term).  I’ve written at length about this, as have many others, so I won’t labour the point here.

Community happens when we submit our own personal preferences and desires to the direction of the community. We willingly allow others to speak into our hearts for encouragement and correction with the desire that together we grow closer to Christ.

To submit means that we allow our hearts to be knitted with others. It means we give up our own rights to self-determination, but we gain the love, support and grace of a true body of Christ.

Again this is a gradual process as we take baby steps of trust.

 

Belong

Somewhere along the path of surrender and submission we discover that we belong. This is my community, these are my people.

Belonging is a two way street. In a sense the congregation “owns” me, but equally I “own” the congregation.

Our hearts have become united in the love of Christ.

Our focus no longer is on what I get out of church, but on the mission and ministry of us, the people of God.

One of the ways you know that you belong is that other places, conferences and events no longer hold the same appeal as they might have once. Margaret and I rarely go to other churches when we are away because we know that no matter how good the church, no matter how great their community is, it’s not where we belong. That’s not a judgement that other places are inferior; we just do not belong there so our experience is not what we expect.

One of the dangers of “belonging” is that we can become a closed community that implicitly excludes the outsider. The true community of faith is constantly reaching out and inviting others to join in and journey to belonging.

 

Sent

The word apostle comes from the Greek word apostello which means to send. Apostles are people who have been sent on a mission and have the grace to send others on their behalf. This flows from their fathering anointing.

When a person has been in an apostolic faith community, the time may come when it is right for them to leave. It is important that the community then exercises its apostolic grace to send them.

We have seen that people often decide to go somewhere without reference to what the community, pastors or group leaders think. They determine “This is what I am doing,” and off they go.

Two things happen when this occurs.

  1. The person or family leaving struggle either in their work or ministry, or else in finding  a church where they belong. The problem is that they have left without being sent and have gone without a blessing that might have helped them to flourish. Rather than being under authority, they leave on their own authority.
  2. The faith community is hurt, and continues to experience hurt,  because a part of the fabric of the community has been ripped away. It goes through a grief process because it has not had the chance to let go properly. Because an apostolic community is a “sending” community its identity is violated when members leave without being sent.

What is the difference between leaving and being sent? The heart of community is submission one to another, that is of open hearts. If someone is a part of a community, the issues need to be discussed openly in the community, before the decision is made. Pastors and cell leaders should be aware of and invited into the decision. This could be as simple as asking a cell group to pray with a family as they consider a job offer that would take them away; but it must have the option of the group saying “We think this is a bad direction.”

Being sent means that we give the community a chance to pray and to bless us as we go. That simple step means that we go with blessing and favour and have God’s grace with us rather than having to go in our own strength.

 

Surrender, submit, belong, sent. These four words are the cornerstones on which apostolic community is built.