April 21, 2009
You Might Be Green If ...
Amid the environmentally friendly celebrations of Earth Day tomorrow (April 22), you're likely to read and hear plenty about the latest news on global warming. Yet among pastors in this country, the jury is still out on whether what’s been dubbed a global crisis even exists.
A recent study from LifeWay Research of more than 1,000 Protestant pastors found that 47 percent agreed strongly or somewhat that global warming was real and man-made. The exact same percentage of pastors disagreed strongly or somewhat, while another 6 percent were unsure. Interestingly enough, the division becomes more apparent when pastors are categorized by denomination, location and political ideology.
Among mainline denominations, three-quarters of all pastors believe in global warming and chalk it up to human actions. Within evangelical circles, however, that number drops to a mere 32 percent. In larger cities, the majority (55 percent) of pastors agree that global warming is real, whereas 43 percent of rural pastors adhere to this belief. And not surprisingly, pastors who consider themselves liberal in their political theology were almost three times as likely as conservative pastors to think global warming is both a real and man-made problem.
The Church Sex Fad
QUOTE: "Apparently the shortest route to relevance in church ministry right now is for the pastor to talk about sex in garishly explicit terms during the Sunday morning service. If he can shock parishioners with crude words and sophomoric humor, so much the better. The defenders of this trend solemnly inform us that without such a strategy it is well-nigh impossible to connect with today's 'culture.' Sermons about sex have suddenly become a bigger fad in the evangelical world than the prayer of Jabez ever was. Everywhere, it seems, churches are featuring special series on the subject. … I would be the last to suggest that preachers should totally avoid the topic of sex. … But the language Scripture employs when dealing with the physical relationship between husband and wife is always careful—often plain, sometimes poetic, usually delicate, frequently muted by euphemisms, and never fully ...
A Growing Assembly, But It's Not All Good News
Note to Assemblies of God churches: Apparently, with all the talk of Christianity in decline in this country, you’re not supposed to be growing.
According to a massive survey of more than 2,600 Assemblies of God (AG) churches, the majority are bucking the national trend and experiencing growth. A study conducted for the denomination’s General Council found that 56 percent of AG churches grew by at least 10 percent over the last five years. On the flip side, 29 percent experienced a decline in church attendance by at least 10 percent.
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Children's Ministry
Care to Lend a Hand? by Kim Vaught How to recruit, equip and retain volunteers |
Church Growth
Are You Convinced?by Jim Graff Significant churches believe their message is worth hearing. |
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Marriage Ministry
Strengthening Marriages in Your Churchby Ted Bichsel An alarming number of Christian marriages end in divorce. What can the church do to reverse this trend? |
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Break Down the Walls by Tyrone Sweeney We all want unity. But are we willing to lay down our own agendas to see it happen? |
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