|
Your Two Cents |
We want to know what you think — so, each week, we will open a new topic or discussion thread in our
Pastoral Family Forums — our message boards for pastors and their family members — where you can express your opinions. This week's topic:
Give us your two cents on this question right now by visiting our Pastoral Family Forums. |
|
Spread the Word |
|
Prepare for the Election
Now is the time for you and your congregation to prepare for the upcoming national election by learning as much as possible about the issues. Click on the image for more information. |
Prayer Summit
An amazing event! Don't miss it. Click on the image for more information. |
|
Just Listening In |
|
"Keeping Your Spirits Up"
—
Rev. Tommy Nelson
—
Listen to Rev. Tommy Nelson as he shares his dynamic testimony of being diagnosed with clinical depression while serving in a thriving ministry. Click on the image to "just listen in." |
|
Featured Resource
of the Month |
|
Pastoral Family Forums
The Pastoral Family Forums are the perfect place to find networking and support between and for all members of pastoral families. Here you will find others who are going through the same joys and trials that you and your family are experiencing. Click on the image above to check out this resource. |
|
Pastor's Weekly Briefing
Staff |
|
Julie Locke
Editor
Jan Bird, Roger Charman, Teresa Marshall
Staff Writers
Dan Davidson
Editorial Director
H.B. London
Vice President
Pastoral Ministries
James D. Daly
President
Focus on the Family
James C. Dobson
Chairman
Focus on the Family |
|
|
| |
|
HOW TO WATCH A DEBATE
I apologize for being a bit vague, but it is necessary because I am prohibited from using names of any political candidates due to the 501(c)3 designation at Focus on the Family.
Now, I want to write to you about debates — how you watch them; how you judge them; how you respond to them.
On Thursday evening — you may see this before that debate — the two vice-presidential candidates held a debate in St. Louis, Missouri. The next two presidential debates are scheduled for October 7 in Nashville, Tennessee, and October 15 from Hempstead, New York. Millions of us will be watching — perhaps as many as 50 million in the United States alone. Do the debates make any difference? Do they change minds? How about yours?
The other day, I read a newspaper piece by Alan Johnson, a reporter from The Columbus Dispatch. He made the following observation on debates: "Remember, it's politics, not sports."
Alfred C. Snider, a professor for 25 years at the University of Vermont on the subject of presidential campaign rhetoric, clarified the issue this way: "The race is about what masses of other people think. (The) debate should be used to try and determine what you think."
Mr. Johnson outlined the following observations that he had gleaned from experts. Some of the comments are mine.
- Listen actively. Switch from a passive mode to a learning mode. Pay attention.
- Focus on substance not style. It is not so much how they look and how they sound as it is the clarity of their plans and positions.
- Ignore subtle and disruptive behavior. You have seen candidates twist questions to the point that no answer is ever really given. You need to listen for a response that represents your questions. Discount gamesmanship.
- Keep an open mind. Sometimes I find myself wanting the debaters to say what I want them to say and discounting the other person, even if he or she makes sense. Do you? My political bias many times gets in the way.
- Turn off the TV when the debate is over. I really agree with Mr. Johnson. "The spin zone and post-debate analysis are designed to influence you. Make up your own mind." I probably will make up my own mind, but, so often, I turn to the analysis I agree with rather than taking some time to weigh the results. Take some notes.
- Give your own grade. Be objective. Weigh the significance of the issues. The polls are for the masses — the debate is for you as a God-assigned influencer.
In the Acts 26 debate, Paul was right — Agrippa was confused.
Apostle Paul: "What I am saying is true and reasonable" (Acts 26:25).
King Agrippa: "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" (Acts 26:28).
And that debate continues ...
Be blessed and be a blessing.
—HBL
|
Featured on The Heart of a Pastor podcast:
This week ...
"One World, One Dream"
Next week ...
"Golf, Like Life, Is Never Easy" |
Pastors Remain Confused About Election Activities
With so many liberal and humanist groups flooding pastors and other leaders with intentional "misinformation," it is important each election year to remind pastors of those activities they can legally undertake and those that supposedly could have an impact on their church's tax-exempt status.
Matthew Staver of Liberty Counsel and Liberty University is an expert on such issues, regularly defending churches and non-profit organizations against these kinds of charges. "Pastors can preach on biblical and moral issues — in fact, there is no prohibition from doing so," Staver said. "Pastors can encourage people to vote, register them to vote in the church, and actually talk about the views of the candidates by distributing [nonpartisan] voter guides."
"You can also be very direct with regards to endorsing state marriage amendments or other initiatives that advance pro-family, pro-life views," he continued. "Pastors should throw away the muzzle of fear and replace it with a megaphone of boldness. They can preach biblical truths and educate their congregations about the critical moral issues at stake in any election without violating any IRS rules." Staver pointed out that, since 1934, when a lobbying restriction was added to the IRS code, not one church has ever lost its tax-exempt status for engaging in too much lobbying.
Under current guidelines, the general rules for pastors and churches say that they can address any issues or ballot measures specifically, but that they should avoid openly favoring one candidate over another or endorsing one candidate over another as a representative of the church. Statements made that are clearly those of a personal citizen and not representative of a non-profit organization or church are legal.
According to The Associated Press, 33 pastors at churches nationwide were selected to preach sermons last weekend that evaluated specific political candidates in light of scripture. This was part of a plan by the Alliance Defense Fund and other groups to eventually present a case before the U.S. Supreme Court which would determine if the Internal Revenue Service actually has the legal right to threaten terminating a church's tax-exempt status because of what is said from the pulpit.
Father Frank Pavone, founder of Priests for Life, said, "This effort is not about bringing politics into the pulpit; it's about getting government out of the pulpit. ... It should be about church authority, not government authority, that determines the criteria for how pastors should address politics."
For a more complete explanation, please visit www.parsonage.org.
The Largest and Fastest-Growing Churches in America
Outreach magazine has compiled its annual report of the largest and fastest growing churches in America and, for the first time, all 100 churches were listed with 7,000 or higher weekend attendees.
Topping the fifth annual list again this year was Lakewood Church in Houston with 43,500 attendees, followed by Second Baptist Church in the same city with 23,659 and then North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga., with 22,557. Although some of the most well-known churches still rank the highest, some actually dropped in attendance: Lakewood, led by Pas. Joel Osteen, dipped from 47,000 in 2007; Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., dropped from 23,500 to 22,500; and Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., led by Pas. Rick Warren, went down from 22,000 weekend attendees to 19,414.
Among the top 100 fastest-growing churches in the country, Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Ala., was ranked No. 1 with a growth of 72 percent — or 3,418 attendees — over the last year. The church was also the youngest church to qualify in the largest churches list, standing at No. 71 with 8,168 attendees. Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C., ranked second in the fastest-growing report, with Triumph Church in Detroit, Mich., following respectively.
Outreach magazine "celebrates" and studies the country's largest and fastest-growing churches once a year. But, it also recognizes that the average church in America is home to fewer than 100 people and stresses that "a passion for outreach is not defined by numbers alone."
Ed Stetzer, who conducted the study, said, "As raw data, numbers mean little. What brings meaning to the numbers are the stories behind them — the changed lives and transformed communities." He believes that pastors can still learn from larger churches, however. "Nothing can replace the work you do in your own church, your own community, among the lost in your own neighborhood," he said. "A pastor has to have a passion and a fire to reach, teach and disciple those near. But, we can also learn from others — many of whom were small churches themselves a few years ago."
Visit outreachmagazine.com for the complete list of "The Outreach 100." [christianpost.com]
• Fireproof
The latest movie produced by Sherwood Baptist Church of Albany, Georgia, had a strong opening last weekend — Fireproof opened at No. 4. Media by Numbers adds that, on a per-screen basis, Fireproof was second only to the weekend's top film, Eagle Eye. That's because Fireproof was shown in just 839 theaters nationwide, compared to thousands of theaters showing other movies. [thecronline.com]
• National Life Chain This Weekend
Pro-life advocates will gather along streets across the nation on Sunday for an hour of silent prayer and public witness for the preborn. The annual Life Chain, which takes place the first Sunday in October, runs from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in each time zone.
• Planned Parenthood Overcharges
The nation's largest abortion business is accused — in a new ad running on Google — of purchasing contraceptives and other medicines at discounted rates and then billing the state 12 or more times their purchase rate. "Instead of billing the federal government for the invoice cost of various birth-control devices and pills, they billed at a thing called 'usual and customary,'" said Raymond Ruddy with Gerard Health Foundation, who is behind the ad. [onenewsnow.com]
• Gideons Centennial
Gideons International — known for placing Bibles in hotel rooms — on October 4, 2008, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the organization's first Bible placement. It all started in 1908 at a Gideon Convention in Louisville, Ky., when a Gideon trustee proposed they furnish a Bible for each hotel bedroom in the United States. The plan was adopted by the convention and named, "The Bible Project." Gideons International is now in more than 180 countries worldwide and has given away 1.3 billion Bibles — approximately enough Bibles to reach one in five people on the earth. [christianpost.com]
• Google Opposes Gay Marriage Ban
Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, posted a statement last week on the official Google blog explaining that, while their company does not generally take positions on issues outside the field of technology, they felt compelled for a number of reasons to take an official company position in opposition to California's Proposition 8. If approved by the voters in November, the phrase "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California," would be added to the state constitution. [googleblog.blogspot.com, thecronline.com, LC.org, worldnetdaily.com]
• Handwritten Bible to be Published
To mark the 30th anniversary of the New International Version of the Bible, which has sold 300 million copies worldwide, Zondervan has launched a cross-country bus tour with the goal of recruiting 31,173 people to each handwrite one verse of the Bible. The huge, blue RV will make 90 stops in 44 states over a five-month period. Even Billy Graham has agreed to write out one of the verses. Zondervan plans to publish the unique handwritten Bible in time for Christmas 2009. [thecronline.com, usatoday.com]
• Christian Women Pray at the Capitol for the Country
More than 2,000 evangelical women gathered last weekend outside the U.S. Capitol to pray for the nation, the upcoming election and the troubled economy. "In this pivotal election year, it is critical that the voices of evangelical women and spiritual mothers be raised," said Jane Hansen Hoyt, the president of Aglow International, one of the world's largest women's organizations. "We must pray for America's future and participate in public life." [christianpost.com, thecronline.com]
• See You at the Pole
Last week, around two million students nationwide gathered Wednesday at sunrise around their school flag poles to pray for the nation. This annual exercise of religious freedom included more politically charged prayer topics than usual. Some feel this is setting the tone for what's shaping up to be a nationwide period of prayer and fasting. [christianpost.com, frc.com]
Question of the Week:
As a young pastor of a small church, I'm considering tendering my resignation and moving on — maybe even away from ministry altogether. Ministry in the church is tough and I'm not sure this is for me anymore. Do you have any advice?
Answer:
Friend, you're not alone in your apparent pain and disillusionment. There's no doubt that everyday thousands of pastors across the land give serious consideration to quitting ministry altogether. Ministry is tough and one of the toughest arenas is in the local church.
It's during these times that one needs to be sure of his/her calling. To help in that process, it might help to "retrace" your calling. When did you first sense God stirring something in your heart about vocational ministry? Can you recall a verse or a passage of Scripture God used to lead you along? In what ways did God provide opportunities for you to exercise your gifts and calling? Who were the people who affirmed that calling in your life?
Years ago, a colleague of mine, struggling with his own calling, traveled thousands of miles overseas to the very place he believed God had called him many years before to be a pastor. That journey of retracing had a profound impact on his life. He's still serving as a senior pastor — in that same church. The challenges are still there for him, but what's different today is that he's more sure of his calling than he's ever been before. God's calling has served as a tremendous anchor for him.
We pray that whatever distance you travel, you also will rediscover your sense of calling — and, more importantly, the One who called you. I'll leave you with some words from Peter:
"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:10-11).
—WTB
|
