A Prayer for Lent, by Henri Nouwen

"How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death?

Yes, Lord, I have to die — with you, through you, and in you — and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess.... I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it.

O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again.

Amen."

How Are Denominations Doing?

The 77th annual edition of the Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches, long a highly regarded chronicler of growth and financial trends of religious institutions, records a slight but startling decline in membership of the nation's largest Christian communions.

Membership in the Roman Catholic Church declined 0.59 percent and the Southern Baptist Convention declined 0.24 percent, according to the 2009 edition of the Yearbook, edited by the National Council of Churches and published by Abingdon. The figures indicate that the Catholic church lost 398,000 members since the appearance of the 2008 Yearbook. Southern Baptists lost nearly 40,000 members. Both membership figures were compiled by the churches in 2007 and reported to the Yearbook in 2008. The 2009 Yearbook also includes an essay by the editor, the Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner, on the various ways churches count their members. Neither figure is earth-shattering given the size of the churches. Roman Catholics comprise the nation's largest church with a membership of 67,117,016, and Southern Baptists rank second in the nation at 16,266,920. But this year's reported decline raises eyebrows because Catholic and Southern Baptist membership has grown dependably over the years. Now they join virtually every mainline church in reporting a membership decline...

Here is the breakdown of the largest 25 church groups in the US: (You can read more here)

- The Roman Catholic Church, 67,117,06 members, down 0.59 percent. (Ranked 1)
- The Southern Baptist Convention, 16,266,920 members, down 0.24 percent. (Ranked 2)
- The United Methodist Church, 7,931,733 members, down 0.80 percent. (Ranked 3)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5,873,408 members, up 1.63 percent .(Ranked 4)
- The Church of God in Christ, 5,499,875 members, no change reported. (Ranked 5)
- National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc., 5,000,000 members, no change reported. (Ranked 6)
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 4,709,956 members, down 1.35 percent. (Ranked 7)
- National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., 3,500,000 members, no change reported. (Ranked 8)
- Presbyterian Church (USA), 2,941,412 members, down 2.79 percent (Ranked 9)
- Assemblies of God, 2,863,265 members, up 0.96 percent. (Ranked 10)
- African Methodist Episcopal Church, 2,500,000 members, no change reported. (Ranked 11)
- National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, 2,500,000 members, no change reported. (Ranked 11)
- Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc., 2,500,000 members, no change reported. (Ranked 11)
- The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), 2,383,084 members, down 1.44 percent. (Ranked 14)
- The Episcopal Church, 2,116,749 members, down 1.76 percent. (Ranked 15)
- Churches of Christ, 1,639,495 members, no change reported. (Ranked 16)
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, 1,500,000 members, no change reported. (Ranked 17)
- Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc., 1,500,000 members, no change reported. (Ranked 17)
- The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, 1,400,000 members, down 3.01 percent. (Ranked 19)
- American Baptist Churches in the USA, 1,358,351, down 0.94 percent. (Ranked 20)
- Baptist Bible Fellowship International, 1,200,000, no change reported. (Ranked 21)
- United Church of Christ, 1,145,281 members, down 6.01 percent. (Ranked 22)
- Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1,092,169 members, up 2.12 percent (Ranked 23)
- Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, 1,071,616 members, no change reported. (Ranked 24)
- Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.), 1,053,642 members, up 2.04 percent. (Ranked 25)

[from MMI Weblog by Todd Rhoades]

Beware of Deception

Galatians 6:7-8: "Don't be misled -- you can not mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from their sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit." (NLT)

The first few words of this passage brought a challenge to my heart. I must be alert to the tactics of the enemy and not allow him to mislead me. The Bible declares that he is a predator (walking about as a roaring lion) and he is always seeking to lead me away from my walk with Christ.

Satan will use any and all means to mislead my heart so that I will have a broken relationship with God rather than a healthy and maturing relationship. I must be alert and awake to the tricks of the enemy and not allow the flesh to be in charge of my life.

We open ourself to deception if we think that we can disobey God and not suffer the consequences or that we can ignore God and still receive His blessings. We are opening the door to deception when we live with only this present world and what it has to offer as our major desire and priority. The Bible declares that this world will pass away but he that does the will of the Father will abide forever. I want to walk with eternity in my view and realize that only what I do for Christ will last.

Make sure that you are investing in eternal things that will produce a harvest of eternal blessings and rewards. The best way to defeat deception is to keep your heart open to God. An open heart toward God allows His Spirit the freedom to minister direction and correction to our lives. Ask Him to help you develop an open heart which lead you down the path of spiritual maturity which will ultimately place you in His presence for all of eternity.

[from Heart for America by michael]

Grand Bahamas Centennial Crusade

This year the Church of God of Prophecy celebrates their 100th year of existence in the Bahamas. Recently, they hosted their Grand Bahamas Centennial Crusade which was held at the Community at Heart Tabernacle on Coral Road, Freeport.

The week long crusade was held under the theme "We've Come This Far by Faith" with much anticipation people from everywhere flocked the church house nightly and the excitement grew as the nights went on.

The special guest speaker for the week was Dr. Bishop Robert Jones of Kingston Jamaica, who is also a pastor of the Church of God of Prophecy. Each night Bishop Jones encouraged those in attendance with a quick and powerful word with precision and clarity. With topics such as "In My Time," "Engaging God;" "Closure-Guilt and For-giveness" There was no doubt that this man was hearing from God during the week.

Many accepted the Lord, received the Holy Spirit and brought closure to personal situations in their lives. No one left the church house disappointed as the Lord showed up nightly pouring out of His Spirit and meeting the needs of crowds of hungry and thirsty souls.

The National Overseers of the Church of God Of Prophecy, Bahamas Bishop Dr. Elgarnet. B. Rahming was also at this great Crusade nightly and welcomed those visiting. Also on hand were Bishop Cleophas Capron, District Overseer, Bishop Rudolph Arthur, National Field Director, Rev. Steve Dean Administrative Assistant to Bishop Arthur Knowles, District Overseer of Church of God.

The Word for the week was accompanied by great musical renditions by, The Remnant, Glenda Stubbs, Charo Charles, Peter Gray, Hattie Williams, Annamae Delva. the Church of God District Choir and Praise Team, the Centennial Praise Team. The Boyz and special guest the Interdenominational Mass Choir.

Coordinators of the Crusade were: Pastor Steven Cefort, Minister Cecil Bethel and Minister Barbara Gray.

[from The Freeport News]

WALL-E: Best Animated Feature and Best Spiritual Film of 2008

Disney’s "WALL-E" has been recognized as last year’s best movie for families, the best spiritual movie, and now the best feature-length animation.

The robot romance blockbuster won the Academy Award for animated feature on Sunday, beating out doggy hero flick “Bolt” and martial arts tale “Kung Fu Panda.” It had also been nominated for five other Academy Awards, including original screenplay, original score, original song, sound editing, and sound mixing.
"Creative seeds are sown in the oddest of places,” said director Andrew Stanton upon receiving the Oscar.

”WALL-E” tells the story of a garbage collecting robot who has been left on an abandoned earth to clean up the mess in a “distant, but not so unrealistic future” where the planet has become covered with trash from products sold by the powerful multi-national Buy N Large corporation. Though very much alone, WALL-E eventually falls in love with an advanced, feminine probe robot named EVE who lands on the planet, and follows her into outer space on an adventure.

“WALL-E not only does what Andrew Stanton says is the essence of the movie, directly quoting Jesus in John 15:13 of the New Testament, ‘No greater love hath a man than that he lay down his life for his friends,’” stated a review by faith-based media ministry Movieguide, which earlier this month selected “WALL-E” as the best movie for families in 2008. “It also clearly manifests Christian acts of compassion, kindness, respect, and all the other cardinal virtues throughout the story.”

In addition to Movieguide, multi-faith site http://www.beliefnet.com/ also declared “WALL-E” at the top of its annual list, recently dubbing it the “Best Spiritual Film of 2008” out of a pool of films that “are bound to touch your soul in some way.”

Film judge Sr. Rose Pacatte called the movie "Disney's best film ever in terms of its themes of the consequences of soulless consumerism and the need – the hunger for truth, beauty, and goodness that we all share.”

“Spirituality is living our beliefs in relationship with God and others,” Pacatte added. “The word God was not present, but the reality was in WALL-E."

Walt Disney Pictures released “WALL-E” in the United States and Canada on June 27, 2008. After a $63 million opening weekend, the movie went on to gross $533 million worldwide. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on Nov. 18, 2008.

[By Josh Kimball - Christian Post Reporter]

True Team Leadership

There are a few leaders out there today who have jumped on the plurality of leadership bandwagon just because they think it to be in vogue. They tout themselves as leading with a team, but they continue to revert back to old habits of leading from authority. When challenged, they may even resort to using fear and intimidation. They publish a list of team members, but the team is never given vision, purpose, nor structure (because the leader really doesn't intend to use them fully).

If you are serious about using team leadership, if you fully intend to use them, the team will need structure. Your ministry will not effectively meet the needs of others without it. Selecting the wrong structure will not only impact how you execute as a ministry, it often leads to dysfunction across the church.

Here are some measurements:

- Does your team have a well-defined structure (peer-based, team-based, or depth-based)?Without structure, your volunteers will not know where and when to go when they need help. They’ll feel helpless and give up.

- Is your team structure documented (organizational chart or outline)? Your team needs to know where to go when they need help, so make it easy on them by keeping a chart available and up-to-date.

- Does your team have job descriptions for each job role your team performs, including the duration required for new signups? How can your team do their job if they don’t know what their job is? Make short, easy to understand job descriptions that help everyone stay focused.

- Do you have a process for locating new managers and leaders to grow your team? Developing structure helps you to see where future managers and leaders are needed. Develop a simple process for locating these future team members.

[from Agile Ministry by James Higginbotham]

FREE Leadership E-Book

Exponential Network just gave the church world a huge gift. They sifted through thousands of blog posts from some great church leaders and compiled an e-book of the best of the best.

You can get your free PDF copy here ... click Leadership Learnings From Bloggers.

[from LeadingSmart by Tim Stevens]

Wall Street Worries About Nationalization

U.S. stock futures pointed to a strong opening Monday as a report the U.S. government would increase its stake but not fully take over Citigroup eased some of the nationalization fears rampant in the market.

U.S. stocks slumped on Friday on concerns that Citi and Bank of America would have to be taken over by the government -- stoked by an interview Sen. Christopher Dodd gave to Bloomberg Television in which he suggested as much. The Dow industrials fell 100 points, the S&P 500 lost 8 points, while the Nasdaq Composite fell a point.

However, The Wall Street Journal reported that Citigroup is in talks with the government on Uncle Sam converting its preference shares into common equity. The U.S. government may hold between 25% and 40% of Citi, according to the report.

[By Steve Goldstein, MarketWatch]

Today's Word

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." — Philippians 2:3

Technology Drives The Generation Gap

Young people have always been at the forefront of adopting new technologies. The latest Barna research shows just how significant this “generation gap” is today.

Find out about the types of technologies used by every generation and those that are becoming the domain of the young.

Click here

New Pastor Appointed to Peerless Road Church

Pastor Steve Wilson has been appointed as the new pastor at Peerless Road Church of God of Prophecy in Cleveland, Tennessee.

Pastor Steve began preaching and evangelizing at age 18. In 1993 he married his beautiful wife Lee and they began their team ministry together. Their gifted ministry of singing and preaching has allowed them to serve as the key note speakers and singers for many regional, state, and international youth conferences for the kingdom of God.

For many years they served as youth pastors and music directors at the local level before accepting the call to pastoral ministry. They are noted for their innovative approach to ministry.

Pastor Wilson is recognized for his unique ability to bring the Bible to life in memorable ways using vivid illustrations mixed with humor and practical life application. His down to earth approach, relevance, genuine love for others, and passion to see them experience a growing relationship with God appeals to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Lee's anointed and gifted ministry in the creative arts and music ministry brings a fresh and life changing experience that enhances the whole body of Christ. Her Love for all people is felt by everyone and her leadership is undeniable.

Pastor Wilson is a graduate of Beacon Seminary with a bachelor's degree in Biblical Theology. He was also recently honored to become an ordained Bishop in the Church of God of Prophecy. He has been married to the love of his life, Lee, for more than 13 years and enjoys spending time with their two children Zack and Greg.

Pastor Wilson most recently served the RTP Church of God of Prophecy located in Research Triangle Park, NC.

This new appointment was announced this morning by Pastor Wilson at his local church, and by State Overseer E. C. McKinley at the Peerless Road Church.

So You Are A Leader?

Here are seven diagnostic questions you need to keep asking yourself as a leader, to determine if you are fulfilling God's Call with your personal life, and staying holy and healthy.

DO I REALLY KNOW GOD? If ministry activity were taken away from me, would I still have a personal, growing relationship with Jesus?

DO I TRULY PURSUE INTEGRITY? Are there areas of ongoing secrecy in my life that I am intentionally hiding from those closest to me?

AM I BEING MYSELF? Am I living under the self-imposed pressure of always having to prove something to somebody?

DO I OWN RESPONSIBILITY? Do I acknowledge my mistakes or do I project blame and use my influence to vent unresolved anger?

DO I EMBRACE CHANGE? Is my attitude faith-filled and future-focused or am I overly nostalgic of the past and fearful of taking risks in the present?

DO I LOVE LEARNING? Am I coasting intellectually or am I applying myself to the disciplines of personal study and reflection?

DO I LIVE JOYFULLY? Do I love what I am doing or have I taken the pressures of ministry onto myself?

[by Pastor Jim Bradford]

Three Local Churches Split From Denomination

Citing concerns over the Presbyterian Church's (U.S.A.) liberal direction, three local churches will be leaving to join the smaller and more conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

For Covenant Presbyterian Church in West Lafayette, Ind., their dismissal was granted on Tuesday by the Wabash Valley Presbytery – a regional governing body in the PC (USA). The presbytery voted 115 to 2 in favor of dismissal.

The West Lafayette congregation, which has over 1,000 members, had been trying to leave the PC (USA) for more than a year but the presbytery had placed an administrative commission in charge of the church to prevent a split.

Similar events took place for First Presbyterian Church of Frankfort and First Presbyterian Church of Nappanee, which were both also granted dismissal this week.

David Henderson, pastor of Covenant and also part of the leadership for New Wineskins Association of Churches – a network of churches discontent with the PC (USA) – explained that there was concern the denomination was accepting a wider range of theological positions that local leadership didn't agree with, as reported by the Journal and Courier.

"There was also disagreement over what it meant to be faithful to Jesus' teaching in certain areas of ethics, such as in the area of sexuality," Henderson explained, according to the local newspaper.

The dismissal agreement with the Presbytery of Wabash Valley includes a payment of $975,000 by the three churches and a transfer of ownership by the presbytery of each church's property, the Journal and Courier reports.

"We were determined to let love have the last word, not disagreement or frustration or hurt. And I think it has," Henderson commented to the local newspaper.

The three churches will officially split on April 15, according to the local publication, and a joint closing worship service with the Wabash Valley Presbytery will be held around that time.

In recent years, a growing number of congregations have voted to leave the PC (USA) – the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country – and join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Some date the beginning of the exodus to 2001 when the General Assembly – the highest governing – would not affirm the singular saving Lordship of Jesus Christ. Also, a 2006 decision by the General Assembly that some believe allowed leeway for the ordination of partnered homosexuals led to more splits.

This year, the denomination's 173 presbyteries are voting on a proposal to delete language in the constitution that requires clergy to live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between and a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness." Approval by a majority of the presbyteries would allow for the ordination of non-celibate gays and lesbians.

[By Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter]

Some Things I've Noticed About Pastoring

- It is a very rewarding position
- It is a very painful position
- It cost you your life
- One mistake can cancel a thousand rights
- There is no time clock it is 24 hrs a day 7 days a week and 52 weeks a year...
- Your mind is always on the church.
- It requires nerves of steel and guts to stand up to people who oppose the Vision
- Good people will become casualties of the Vision ... If they can't see it by now they never will
- You have to learn to say good bye
- Decisions are made not based on one person or one group of people but they are made by what is best for the Body(Congregation) as a whole. (This perhaps is one of the most difficult)
- Sometimes the right decisions are the most painful
- Somebody in the church always knows better

[from The daily story of a growing church by David Boggs]

Pastor Jim Bradford Is Selected To Lead The Assemblies of God

With An Emphasis on Church Planting

Less than a week after Assemblies of God announced John Palmer’s resignation as General Secretary, his replacement is named, Dr. James Bradford, who says he’s looking forward to the new challenge.

“The Assemblies of God is at a wonderful moment right now, nationally. We’re seeing the emergence of a lot of young leaders, very creative leaders. A whole new emphasis on planting new churches, revitalizing existing churches and I hope to especially be a part of fueling that process and encouraging young leaders.” says Dr. Bradford.

Dr. Bradford is currently the pastor of Central Assembly of God. To read Pastor Jim's blog, click on the list of pastor blogs in the right column of this Blog.

The Executive Presbytery unanimously appointed him and he’ll assume the duties of the General Secretary’s office immediately. Those duties include keeping records of the minutes, official documents and issuing the credentials for the 35,000 AG pastors and ministers. Bradford will continue as pastor of Central Assembly through Easter.

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