In 2013 my congregation’s leaders proposed a significant change to who could become leaders in the church. Prior to 2013, we had a system where, at our annual congregational meeting, people were voted onto our various serve teams. Then at the beginning of the year, at the first serve team meeting, the members of theContinue reading “When we can and should judge in a church family – Holding others accountable, Part 3”
Tag Archives: christianity
How judging killed a discipleship effort in the local church – Holding others accountable, Part 2
Over the years in my church family, people have raised the concern about Jesus’ teaching, “Do not judge” on more than one occasion. “Who are we to judge one another,” people say. It sounds very spiritual. But I think they are interpreting Jesus incorrectly. The first occasion people raised the concern about judging was probably 20Continue reading “How judging killed a discipleship effort in the local church – Holding others accountable, Part 2”
Do Christians need accountability? – Holding one another accountable, Preview
In my county, there’s a company with a sign advertising “Ultimate Accountability.” How does “ultimate accountability” sound to you? Harsh? Restrictive? Legalistic? Freeing? Gracious? Good? Accountability is a fraught concept. That company is an accounting firm, working with businesses to make sure their bookkeeping and taxes are legal and ethical. Very important. But accountability can be nerve-wracking,Continue reading “Do Christians need accountability? – Holding one another accountable, Preview”
Cliques in the church are good thing? – Meeting together, Part 5
Over the years people in my church have expressed concern that there are cliques in our church family. The word “clique” reminds me of my high school cafeteria. You could look across the large space full of tables and see the cliques, the small groups of people, like the football players, the cheerleaders, the academics, the bandContinue reading “Cliques in the church are good thing? – Meeting together, Part 5”
The earliest Christians were not perfect. But they do help us think about… Meeting together, Part 4
It is normal for pastors and church leaders to be idealistic about church, as we want our churches to be all that God wants us to be. In pursuit of the ideal, we often look to the early church as perfect. They were not perfect. But they definitely give us an excellent example, especially about how to meetContinue reading “The earliest Christians were not perfect. But they do help us think about… Meeting together, Part 4 “
How a hidden camera can help American Christians improve…Meeting together, Part 3
Imagine you are in a building like a hospital or office high-rise. You’ve just finished an important meeting on one of the upper floors, so you head for the bank of elevators. After pressing the down button, you wait until your elevator is ready, and the doors open. What you see inside surprises you. The elevator is nearly full,Continue reading “How a hidden camera can help American Christians improve…Meeting together, Part 3”
When I played a Beatles’ song for youth group, and it failed – Meeting together, Part 2
In the spring of 2003 I had been in my role as Faith Church’s Youth/Associate Pastor for less than 12 months when a nearby sister church approached us with an idea: could we combine youth groups? They were renting space at a local school, and not only did they not have easy access to additionalContinue reading “When I played a Beatles’ song for youth group, and it failed – Meeting together, Part 2”
An axiom to help Christians think about how to meet together – Meeting together, Part 1
As we learned in the preview post, the last 25-35 years, 40 million adult Americans in all religious traditions, left their houses of worship.[1] This does not include people who attend church infrequently. If they attend on Christmas and Easter, they are not counted in these numbers. 40 million totally gone. Of the 40 million,Continue reading “An axiom to help Christians think about how to meet together – Meeting together, Part 1”
How solo can a person’s relationship with God be and still be faithful? – Meeting together, Preview
It’s been in the news, so I suspect many of you have heard the dire reports. Christian worship service attendance across our nation is down. Way down. One report notes that in the past 30 years, 40 million people have stopped participating in the life and worship of their houses of worship. That decline isContinue reading “How solo can a person’s relationship with God be and still be faithful? – Meeting together, Preview”
Giving people another chance with gracious, truthful love – Encourage one another, Part 5
How will Paul react? Remember the situation? In the previous post, we learned that in Acts chapters 13-14, Barnabas the Encourager and Paul embark on the first missionary trip of the early church, and they take John Mark with them. But mid-trip, John leaves them to return to Jerusalem, where his mother lives. Time passes, and PaulContinue reading “Giving people another chance with gracious, truthful love – Encourage one another, Part 5”
Engaging Scripture 