Have you noticed that the more your church grows, the harder your leadership task becomes? In fact, your leader challenges are much bigger than sheer numbers. Here’s the ministry background. Communication channels—the connective tissue for groups—keep leaders connected to others….
Orthodox Jews mark end of 7-year Talmud study, 2,711 pages later
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (RNS) — Some have called their efforts a spiritual calling, a labor of love, a rich opportunity to connect with thousands of years of Jewish history and religion. Others have viewed them as a relentless endeavor and…
LEADERSHIP LINK: No pews, no suits, no problem
Ron Williams is the pastor of Church at the GYM in Sanford, Fla. As the Baptist church’s name implies, Williams’s congregation meets, well, in a gym. Williams said the goal is to remove the “stained-glass barriers” for people who might…
FaithVillage.com — Real community in online reality
LANO, Texas—The future of electronic communication for evangelical Christians appears crystal clear to Brad Russell. “Picture a vibrant community of Christians, including leaders, artists, thought-shapers and culture-makers,” Russell describes. “They’re online together—expanding their faith, deepening their relationships and fulfilling their…
Tebow’s gridiron faith: A Q&A with sports observer Michael Butterworth
(RNS) Can Tim Tebow do no wrong? Michael Butterworth of Bowling Green State University has turned his attention to sports media coverage of Tebow, an evangelical Christian and New York Jets quarterback. The author of a forthcoming article in the…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Who is to judge?
As the wicked queen gazed into the magic mirror she repeated the familiar couplet: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” The mirror, having only the face of the queen as a reference, told her exactly…
Drowning in debt: Scripture offers warnings about potential perils of debt
The Federal Reserve reported American consumer debt reached $2.5 trillion last December, and there’s no indication it has dropped significantly since then — or that Christians are immune. Stewardship sermons aside, many American Christians find themselves drowning in debt. Some…
GuideStone hopes to expand coverage to church members
GuideStone Financial Resources president O.S. Hawkins told members of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee that changing the entity’s ministry assignment to make its investment and insurance products available to church members would benefit Southern Baptists, the denomination’s news service…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Congregational Models: Channeling anger for good
ST. LOUIS (RNS) — As members of The Gathering in St. Louis began to hear of the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments after Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols had signed a $245 million contract with the Los Angeles…
Biblical teaching goes deeper than fund-raising appeals, consultant says
People perish without vision, and so do congregations. But churches may suffer when doctrine-deprived members only hear about vision within the context of fund-raising appeals, said Jeff Anderson, founder of Acceptable Gift and author of Plastic Donuts: A Fresh Perspective…
Averett sees record number of new students, increase in total enrollment
DANVILLE, Va. — For the third consecutive year, Averett University has broken records in new student enrollment — bringing the school’s total enrollment to its highest level since 2000. The Baptist-affiliated school in Danville, Va., added 360 new students this fall,…
OPINION: What about the poor?
Jesus said the poor “always” will be with us. Was he talking about all the people who don’t have much money, or just the ones we call the “deserving poor” or the “poor in spirit”? How should Christians treat this…