Sample Letter to New Leader

Dear New Leader,

First, I want to thank you for your willingness to commit to being a leader. There are many that are too busy or too afraid to step up and lead others in the church. Your leadership is greatly appreciated and I look forward to how God will use you to positively impact your church and community.

Next, I want to give you a word of encouragement. There may be times when you doubt your ability to lead. There may also be times when you doubt that God truly called you to be a leader. Don’t let this doubt get you down - we all go through it. The important thing to remember is that God wants 2 things from you: a surrendered life and a willing heart. If you remember that, you will be able to get through the tough times that are ahead.

Finally, I want to remind you that your team will need a vision. God says that where there is no vision, the people perish. This means that your vision must carry them through the tough times and the fun times. The vision needs to be God-given and something that people will rally around. If you define your team’s vision, share the vision with the team often, and remind them of the vision during the busy times, your team will continue to grow and be effective.

That’s all for now. I’ll write more when I have time.

Your Friend

[from Agile Ministry by James Higginbotham]

Putting Others First

When you meet people, is your first thought about what they’ll think of you or how you can make them feel more comfortable? At work, do you try to make your coworkers or employees look good, or are you more concerned about making sure that you receive your share of the credit? When you interact with family members, whose best interests do you have in mind? Your answers show where your heart is. To add value to others, you need to start putting others ahead of yourself in your mind and heart. If you can do it there, you will be able to put them first in your actions.

But how can anyone add value to others if he doesn’t know what they care about? Listen to people. Ask them what matters to them. And observe them. If you can discover how people spend their time and money, you’ll know what they value.

Once you know what matters to them, do your best to meet their needs with excellence and generosity. Offer your best with no thought toward what you might receive in return. President Calvin Coolidge believed that “no enterprise can exist for itself alone. It ministers to some great need, it performs some great service, not for itself, but for others; or failing therein it ceases to be profitable and ceases to exist.”

[from Failing Forward]

Runaway Teen Convert Will Stay in FL for Now

The 17-year-old girl who ran away from her Muslim family last month can stay in Florida with a Christian foster family until her next court date, a judge decided Friday.

Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson had been told by the lawyer of Fathima Rifqa Bary that the born-again teen, who goes by Rifqa, wants to stay with her foster family in Florida until she turns 18 next year.

During the hearing Friday, Rifqa told the judge that she loves Jesus and wants to be able to worship freely without fear of physical violence. Rifqa has publicly said in the court and to the media that she fears her life is in danger for leaving Islam.

“If I had stayed in Ohio, I wouldn’t be alive,” Rifqa told Orlanda, Fla.-based WFTV, in an interview. “In 150 generations in family, no one has known Jesus. I am the first – imagine the honor in killing me.

“There is great honor in that, because if they love Allah more than me, they have to do it. It’s in the Quran,” she added.

Rifqa’s father, however, in an interview with Ohio news station WBNS-TV has denied ever threatening his daughter and claims she has been “brainwashed” by the pastor who has been sheltering her.

In court Friday, Mohamed Bary said if his daughter is returned home, she can practice whatever religion she wants, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

The Barys’ lawyers say they are even willing to allow her to stay in a foster home if she returns to Ohio.

Rifqa’s lawyer, however, said the real threat is the radical Muslims in Columbus, Ohio – said to be a center for suspected terrorists. Some, the lawyer claimed, have already made the girl their target.

Following Friday’s hearing, Judge Dawson ordered the teen girl to remain in the state while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement determines whether her home is safe as her parents claim.

In response to the judge’s decision, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist released his first statement Friday, saying: "I am grateful to Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson for his decision to grant Fathima Rifqa Bary the right to remain in Florida.”

"We will continue to fight to protect Rifqa's safety and wellbeing as we move forward," he added.

It has been about a month since Rifqa ran away from her home by boarding a bus and traveling 1,000 miles to Orlando.

Rifqa – whose case is complicated by the fact that she is a minor and not a U.S. citizen – says that while she converted years ago, her parents did not discover her new faith until friends at their mosque recently alerted her parents about her Christian postings on Facebook.

The Bary family emigrated from Sri Lanka, where the population is mainly comprised of Buddhist (69.1 percent) with small communities of Muslims (7.6 percent), Hindus (7.1 percent), and Christians (6.2 percent).

All parties are expected to return to court on Sept. 3.

The Fowlers Snare

All of my life I have been in Church and since childhood I have been aware of missions and missionaries. As it is with many people, impressions from my childhood have been lasting ones. My early impression of the mission field would always bring to mind the jungles of Africa where we sent the gospel message, food and medicine to those who were lacking in these areas. Of course, once a person is enlightened by biblical training, there is a realization that God intended missions to be to unbelievers in all nations. This I believe is confirmed by the twelfth chapter of Genesis that explains our missionary efforts or “proclaiming his plan” is the basis for receiving God’s blessings. Exodus 19 further confirms on six occasions the calling of God’s people to be missionaries as the calling to be “kingly priest” or to participate in the priesthood is made. In addition, this chapter has the element of missions which are being ambassadors and God’s portable treasure. Psalms 67 exhorts us to be a witness through our daily life style so that that earth’s harvest is reaped to the ends of the earth. The New Testament confirms the continuation of the Old Testament’s call of missions to all nations in the Great commission, Matthew 28:18-20 and Jesus’ promise of empowerment in Acts 1:8.

As the years passed I kept hearing all nations and all people, but images of the poor and indigent in far away lands seemingly stayed in my mind. Then one October day in 2007 God opened my eyes to the extent of the meaning of ALL. I am a member of the Gideons International, an international association of Christian business and professional men with one purpose, winning souls for the Lord Jesus Christ. We have two methods of accomplishing our mission, personal witnessing and placing the Word of God in different places such as hotels, motels, hospitals and several other strategic locations. In October, we generally carry out what is one of my favorite parts of the Bible distribution ministry, placing copies of The New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs into the hands of fifth grade students. It has always been rewarding as I watched young students’ eyes light up as they receive a copy of God’s word, and I have heard many testimonies throughout my thirty one years in the ministry of this being the only Bible in a home.

On this particular day in October 2007, I visited two schools in Gadsden, Alabama. The schools were Floyd Elementary and the Episcopal Day School. It had been my assignment for the past seven or eight years to distribute testaments in these schools, so this was a familiar environment. Floyd Elementary is a title one school, in the state of Alabama that is a school for children from low income families. The Episcopal Day School is quite different; it is private and has enrollments of four to seven students per grade. As you can imagine, the students from these schools are from very different socio-economic levels. I prepared myself prayerfully as always prior to a Bible distribution, thanking God for the open door to place his word and praying that his word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11).

My first stop was Floyd Elementary. When I arrived the two fifth grade classes, which totaled around fifty five to sixty students, were in the computer lab. I was led there to make the distribution. As customary, the teacher allowed me to explain who the Gideons are and our purpose. Students were then invited to come forward and take a testament from the box. As the line dwindled to the last of the students, I heard the teacher say,”I didn’t hear thank you Mr. Weaver.” The children expressed their gratitude, but a little girl named Tianna was much more expressive than the others. Tianna jumped forward and threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” When she released her embrace, she danced backwards waving her testament in front of her face as she exclaimed, “I finally got one of my own!” I left the school praising God and “floating”. After twenty-nine years and distributions in four states I had just witnessed someone receive their first Bible.

Next, I went to the Episcopal Day School, still floating. I was escorted to the fifth grade classroom, which held approximately five students and again made the presentation and distribution. As I was leaving, I passed the student closest to the door, a young boy named Jason. He said something in a low voice that I could not understand. I asked him to repeat what he had said, he replied, “This is my first Bible.” Now I was floating, two times in less than one hour.

After I was away from the school and some time had passed, the experience of the morning went through my mind again and I thought of the two very different neighborhoods, but with the exact same need. In addition, the image of Africa as “the” mission field was finally broken and the new image of ALL has since been in its place. In the absence of disease, polluted water, and hostile environment, a mission fields seems less dangerous, especially when surrounded by scapes of peaceful neighborhoods and upscale homes. But is any mission field ever void of dangers? What about the desire for upward social mobility? In consideration of this, I would like to refer to the story of Gideon in the book of Judges.

When Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, they reveled in military victories and began possessing the land of milk and honey, which God had promised them. Prior to their entry into the Promised Land, God’s instruction to the Israelites was to rid the land of the Canaanites. Scholars have developed different interpretations of the meaning of “ridding the land of the Canaanites”. Some interpret a more literal theory of exterminating all of the inhabitants while others believe only the leadership. It is not the purpose of this article to debate or take a position on this issue. The issue at hand is that many of the Canaanites remained and the Israelites did not evangelize them as the holy scriptures confirm that Abraham’s people were to do by “blessing all nations” (or people). Instead the opposite happened; the Israelite people were evangelized by the Canaanites and began worshiping Baal with them. The attraction was so strong, Gideon’s last two pleas to God for confirmation of his calling to be deliverer of Israel involved dew, Baal supposedly controlled the dew.

What caused the attraction to Baal? First, let us take a brief look at history: God sent Moses to deliver His people from Egyptian bondage and harsh slavery; provided for them throughout their forty year journey; totally destroyed what was at the time the world’s most powerful army by miraculously redirecting the forces of nature; gave them the land of Canaan and military victories to possess it; sent them deliverers every time they called up on Him to save them. However, these were still poor nomadic Jews coexisting with the Canaanite people who were wealthier. Instead of accepting their promise from God and living with faith in Him, the Hebrew people were diverted to an existing culture that was appealing to them. In short, they were victims of lust for upward social mobility.

Certainly, upward social mobility is a much more subtle danger than what is generally thought of when considering the dangers of the mission field. This danger is also hidden in comfort and beauty and viewed by most as the “good life”. My intentions here are not to criticize upper class society, but to warn that God sends us to places that may be different and appealing to us and we must take care not to be snared by lust. (After all who would seek someone else’s poverty?) In conclusion, we are all called to serve as missionaries at some level or to some degree, but we must always be aware that in some form the fowler’s snare is always there.

Jack G. Weaver, Jr.
Collinsville, Alabama
August, 2009

Today's Quote

"A TRUE man of God is known by HOW HE TREATS those who DISAGREE with him. He refuses to quarrel and is kind to EVERYONE." (2Tim.2:24) - Pastor Rick Warren

Obama Administration Claims the Defense of Marriage Act Discriminates Against Homosexuals

The Obama Justice Department today filed court papers claiming the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act discriminates against homosexuals.

Gary Bauer, president of American Values, says President Obama is committed to repealing DOMA -- but does not want to take the political flak that would come along with it.

"What the White House wants is for a court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act so that the White House and the president don't have to take the political damage for undermining a law that protects normal marriage," he explains. Bauer argues Obama is contradicting a campaign pledge. "President Obama ran promising he would be open and transparent, and no longer practice the usual politics of Washington, DC," he notes. "Millions of people voted for him because they thought he would be more honest and more open in the way he governed."

According to Bauer, that is not happening. "What we're seeing here is something more reminiscent of the way they do politics in the wards of Chicago -- saying one thing and then doing something else behind the scenes," he states. If the Defense of Marriage Act is overturned by White House maneuvering or a federal court, every state would be forced to recognize same-sex "marriages" that are now legal in states like Massachusetts.

1 in 7 Church Background Checks Uncover Criminal History

Since LifeWay Christian Resources teamed up with http://www.backgroundchecks.com/ last year to offer discounted background checks to ministries around the nation, some 450 churches have requested for more than 5,000 background checks.

While most of those searches returned clean records or minor traffic-related offenses, 80 screenings reportedly uncovered serious felony offenses, and more than 600 people had some type of criminal history that may have disqualified them from volunteering or working at a church.

That means around 13.6 percent, or roughly one in seven, of applicants were found to have a criminal history.

“Good guys don’t wear superhero capes, and bad guys don’t always have shifty eyes and devious-sounding chuckles. In real life, discerning the heroes from the villains often requires more than a visual assessment,” commented Brooklyn Noel Lowery, a spokesperson for LifeWay.

“That means you can’t know whether someone is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ by looking at them when they walk through the front door of your church and volunteer to serve,” she added. “That’s why LifeWay Christian Resources entered an agreement with Backgroundchecks.com to provide discounted screenings for churches.”

According to a 2005 study conducted by researchers at the University of New Hampshire and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one in 12 (82 of 1000) youth aged 2 to 17 nationwide experienced sexual victimization, including sexual assault (32 per 1000) and attempted or completed rape (22 per 1000).

"Of all the crimes against children in the U.S. every year, thousands will occur within the walls of churches and youth centers," commented Matthew Robbins with Backgroundchecks.com. "With crime and abuse at an all time high, churches must develop hiring programs that work to prevent dangerous situations before they occur."

When LifeWay entered into the agreement with Backgroundchecks.com, its affiliated denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, was under pressure to fight child sex abuse amid a few high-profile allegations against Baptist clergy.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) began lobbying the SBC about three years ago after having been a key advocate for victims of clergy sexual abuse in the U.S. Roman Catholic Church, which was rocked by abuse scandals starting in 2002.

Though the SBC has witnessed far fewer cases of abuse, SNAP has been calling on the nation’s largest Protestant denomination to establish an independent review board to hear molestation reports and to institute a national zero-tolerance policy.

During the SBC’s annual convention last year, however, the denomination’s executive committee opted against establishing an office to field abuse claims and against creating its own database to help churches identify predators.

While the committee decried sexual abuse as reprehensible and a sin, it said the Southern Baptist principle of local church autonomy means it's up to individual churches - and not the church body - to screen employees and take action against offenders.

The committee did, however, urge churches to vigorously conduct background checks using a U.S. Department of Justice database of sexual offenders.

In its report, "Responding to the Evil of Sexual Abuse," the committee also urged local congregations to share information when warranted with other churches.

Continue

[By Joshua A. Goldberg, Christian Post Reporter]

Earl Paulk's Former Church Sold

The 51-acre campus of an Atlanta-area megachurch that used to be home to one the nation's most influential charismatic congregations has been sold.

The Cathedral at Chapel Hill, founded by the late Earl Paulk Jr., was purchased by Greater Traveler's Rest Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga., for $17.6 million, according to CNL Specialty Real Estate in Orlando, Fla., which brokered the deal that closed on Monday.

CONTINUE READING ARTICLE

[Charisma News Online]

Cry Out America

General Overseer R.E. Howard Announces Church Seminary Affiliation

Following talks between the Tomlinson Center Board of Directors and the Church of God Theological Seminary Board of Directors, Bishop Randall E. Howard, General Overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy, has announced a formal affiliation between the Church of God and the Church of God of Prophecy making the Pentecostal Theological Seminary the graduate school of choice for the Church of God of Prophecy.

Also, with approval of the Seminary Board of Directors and the International Executive Council of the Church of God, the Church of God Theological Seminary has a new name: PENTECOSTAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY.

Seminary President Steven Jack Land said, "This re-affirms our Wesleyan-Pentecostal theology and is a strategic broadening of our ability to serve across the entire span of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. The Seminary continues to enjoy international recognition as a benchmark Pentecostal school which demonstrates breadth of understanding, spiritual-academic excellence and a passionate commitment to mission."

He concluded by saying, "We are now what we have been since 1975 -- Pentecostal to the core!"

For more information, CLICK HERE.

Today's Quote

"While pride destroys self and others, humility serves and builds."

What About The Other North Korean Prisoners?

As the nation rejoices over the release of two U.S. journalists, a ministry working with persecuted Christians reminds the world that tens of thousands – if not hundreds of thousands – of innocent people remain trapped in North Korean prisons without hope of a special pardon.

“North Korea is suspected of detaining more political and religious prisoners than any other country in the world,” wrote Jerry Dykstra, media relations director for Open Doors USA, in a column Wednesday.

His organization estimates at least 200,000 people are detained in North Korea, including 40,000 to 60,000 Christians.

In North Korea, it is illegal to criticize the government, leave the country, fail to have a picture of Kim Il-Sung in one’s house, own a Bible, or practice Christianity. Leaving the country to search for food in China will result in imprisonment if the person is caught, and owning a Bible or being found to be a practicing Christian will result in imprisonment or public execution.

Just last month, Ri Hyon-Ok, 33, was accused of distributing Bibles and “spying” for South Korea and the Untied States. She was executed by the North Korean government. Her husband, children and parents were sent to a political prison camp the day after her execution, The Associated Press reported.

The North Korean regime is known for imprisoning not only the suspected “criminal,” but also three generations of his or her family to “root out” the bad influence.

Open Doors this year ranked North Korea as the worst persecutor of Christians in the world for the seventh straight year. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department re-designated the rogue country as one of eight “Countries of Particular Concern” for systematic and egregious religious freedom violations.

For months, U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee had lived amid this lack of respect for human rights.

The two women were arrested in March while reporting on the border of China and North Korea. The North Korean government accused the women of illegally entering the country and carrying out a smear campaign.

In June, they were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for the above charges.

“We feared at any moment that we could be sent to a hard labor camp and then suddenly we were told we were going to a meeting,” recalled Ling at a news conference Wednesday morning shortly after their plane arrived at a Burbank, Calif., airport.

“We were taken to a location, and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton,” she continued. “We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end.”

Former President Bill Clinton made an unannounced visit to Pyongyang on Tuesday to discuss the journalists’ release. After several hours of discussion, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il issued a special pardon to the two Americans.

President Obama, former President Bill Clinton, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have all released statements expressing joy over the release of the American journalists.

“I think that not only is this White House … extraordinarily happy, but all Americans should be grateful to both former President Clinton and Vice President Gore for their extraordinary work,” Obama said.

Dykstra of Open Doors agrees that Americans should rejoice over the release of Ling and Lee who now have complete freedom in the United States. But he also urges people to pray and advocate “for those who have not received pardons; for those languishing in the ‘hell’ that is North Korea.”

[By Michelle A. Vu, Christian Post Reporter]

National Back to Church Sunday - September 13

Statistics show that three out of four formerly churched adults are willing to give church another try. More than a third feels a "gap" in their lives since they stopped attending. Almost half wish they could be "closer to God," and more than half would attend if they simply "felt like it was the right time" to go back.

In a new effort to reach the formerly churched, Outreach, Inc. offers a new resource series to churches specifically designed to bring people Back to Church . The program empowers current church members with the tools they need to invite neighbors, friends and loved ones who may have attended church before but have since stopped.

"People are busy. Their circumstances tend to control their schedules. Some had a bad experience in church," said Eric Abel, Vice President of Marketing Products at Outreach, Inc. "Sometimes people just can't decide which church to attend, and others are afraid there won't be anyone there like them. The Back to Church resources help churches to welcome these formerly churched folks with warmth and relevance” According to Lifeway Research, 38% of people are receptive or highly receptive to attending church. 82% say they would be open to attending church if a friend invited them. But, unfortunately only 21% of active church going Christians invited someone to church last year! The Back To Church Campaign was designed to encourage participation and empower church members to be inviters. Back to Church will include a variety of invitation styles and tools, including postcards, imagery, multimedia, sermon ideas and support, welcome signs and gifts, and other materials. All the resources focus on re-introducing people to the God who hasn't changed, even if they have, and who would meet them "just as they are" if they decided to return to Him.

More information about these resources is available at http://www.outreach.com/.

Over 30,000 Pentecostals to Assemble for 53rd General Council

Around 32,000 Pentecostals from around the world will be gathering in Orlando, Fla., this week for the 53rd Assemblies of God General Council, which officially opens Monday.

The five-day meeting of leaders from the 51-million-member body will be a time to conduct business, set policy for its ministers, elect officials, and allow the leadership to cast vision and set the course for where the largest Pentecostal movement in the world is going as a church.

“This fellowship was built with the philosophy that says collectively we really are stronger than individually. And that is so true,” says Doug Clay, general treasurer of the Assemblies of God.

“When you see how big we are globally, it’s motivational,” he adds. “So at General Council, you do get to hear reports from the world, you do get to see what God is doing in other parts – not only domestically, here in the United States, but around the world. And it sort of gives you a sense of belonging.”

In the United States, the Assemblies of God is one of a handful of denominations that has continued to grow in membership and influence in the past decade.

According to the recently released Annual Church Ministries Report, the Assemblies of God reported an increase in adherents for the 19th consecutive year and now claims more than 2.8 million followers.

Last year, the number of adherents went up by 1.3 percent – an increase that statistician Sherri Doty called a significant gain.

"The U.S. population grows by about one percent a year," she told the Assemblies of God News Service. "This is an indication that we are growing faster than the population. And in light of the steady declines in attendance by other religious organizations over the past years, this is encouraging news.”

Despite their growth, or perhaps as a result of it, Assemblies of God leaders this year will be making some adjustments to their General Council, kicking it off Monday with a first of its kind event – the Influence Leadership Seminar.

“’Influence: Leadership in High Definition’ was a desire to sort of morph General Council from just being a come-and-do-business to a come-and-learn experience,” explains Clay in a preview of the General Council.

“So we went after some of the premiere church leaders and persons that God’s using to expand His Kingdom through the local church today, and are bringing them to just equip, inspire ... to be catalysts for creating new ideas and new paradigms within our ministers,” he says.

Church leaders expected to speak during the Aug. 3-4 leadership seminar include Mark Batterson, lead pastor for National Community Church in Washington; Beth Moore, founder of Living Proof Ministries; and Ed Young Jr., founding and senior pastor of Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas.

At the conclusion of General Council, the hope of the denomination's leadership is that more will have been accomplished than simply the election of a new executive leadership team or the approval or disapproval of the some 26 resolutions that will be presented.

“Our leadership has been really praying that there would be a spiritual chemistry about Council that takes place in the hearts of our credentialed ministers,” says Clay.

“We really pray that people will leave Council motivated and inspired in terms of their calling, renewed to go back to the place where they’re expressing their calling – whether it’s in a local church or a para-church ministry or overseas ...” he adds.

The General Council concludes with the National Fine Arts Festival Celebration Service Friday night at the Orange County Convention Center, where much of activities this week will be held.

[By Joshua A. Goldberg, Christian Post Reporter]

Today's Quote

"A weakness of many leaders is not trusting their followers! Free Markets and Ministries unleash God-given creativity. Let go!" - Pastor Rick Warren