Jumat, 31 Juli 2015

How to Keep Young People in Church After Graduation

By Josh Evans

The facts are there: Many young people leave church after graduation. Here are four ways to keep them in your community.

Although there are many blog posts and books written on the subject of keeping young adults in church after they graduate high school, I want to narrow the solution down to four practical solutions for churches to adapt in order to keep young adults in church when they graduate.

Biblical Depth

Sam Rainer, who has been heavily involved in the study of the millennials with Lifeway, records that students who hear sound sermons each week, are involved in a small group Bible study and those that study the Bible on their own are the ones who rarely drop out.[1] I feel that church leaders for years have felt that the solution to keeping young adults in church is through really cool technology, relevancy, a casual environment and contemporary music. I am not against any of these things. In fact, all of the things listed are good things—but they cannot be the most important thing. Millennials do like these things, but according to the research done by the Barna Group as well as Lifeway Research, we find that millennials value biblical depth much more. Rainer’s challenge to church leaders: go deeper![2]

Mentorship

The second way to keep young people in church is through a mentorship program. It has been proven that teenagers who are being mentored and discipled by an adult are less likely to leave the church when they graduate high school. But, I believe that churches have gone away from a mentorship program in most cases. The best example that we find of a good mentorship program is in Scripture through the relationship of the Apostle Paul and young Timothy. The Baker Encyclopedia on the Bible described their relationship this way:
“The apostle Paul, undoubtedly Timothy’s spiritual father, refers to him as “my true child in the faith” (1 Tm 1:2); he perhaps converted Timothy on his first or second missionary journey. The son of a Greek (or gentile) father, Timothy was yet uncircumcised; however, when Paul decided to take Timothy with him on the second journey, he had him circumcised, so as not to hinder their missionary endeavors among the Jews. Timothy, who was “well-spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium” (Acts 16:2), became Paul’s companion and assistant on his second missionary journey at Lystra.^{^[3]}
Here we see the Apostle Paul investing in the life of a young adult, Timothy. From this description of their relationship we find that Paul discipled Timothy, he challenged Timothy with practical ministry application, he ministered with Timothy, he did life with Timothy and he gave leadership away to Timothy. That is a good mentorship program, and if this was done more frequently, I believe that it would reduce the rate of young adults leaving the church.

Connecting Earlier to the Local Church

In youth ministry, teenagers are usually involved in a heavy program. In fact, most youth ministries are programmatic in nature, almost to a fault. They can be so programmatic that they pull teenagers out of “big church” (what it is referred to by teenagers) and into the youth program. Then when students graduate out of the youth ministry, they do not know how to handle adult church, because they have not been exposed to the adult side of church. According to Lifeway’s Research, 20 percent of young adults left because they did not feel connected to the people in the church. Brad Waggoner, vice president of research and ministry development for Lifeway said this after they uncovered their research on the epidemic of young adults leaving the church: “Relationships are often the glue that keeps people in church or serves as the attraction to begin attending again following a period of absenteeism. Many people are deeply influenced by friends and loved ones. Church leaders should passionately and consistently challenge church members to maximize their influence with youth and young adults. Frequent and intentional contact can either prevent or counteract the tendency of some to drop out of church.”[4] I think it is crucial to have teenagers in adult services regularly. Teenagers should be involved in serving in the local church. Teenagers should be allowed to usher, sing in the choir or through special music, play in the worship band, volunteer, etc. In other words, students should be involved. It is proven through Lifeway’s study that students who are involved and connected are much more likely to stay when they graduate high school.

Have a Singles Ministry

Many churches have absolutely nothing more than a Sunday school class for young adults. Some churches do not even have a class for that age; they just send the college students into classes with all of the adults. Now one could argue that placing them in adult classes can be healthy, and I tend to agree to a certain extent, but you have to have something that brings that group together. Sam Rainer lists several aspects of a good singles ministry that will keep young adults. First, the singles ministry must have biblical depth. We are not going to spend much time here, because this was one of the overall themes of the entire church that needs to happen to retain young adults. Secondly, set high expectations. Ninety-six percent of millennials say that they believe that they can do something great. Seventy-seven percent said that they are motivated to make a difference by serving others in society. [5] This is great news for the rest of the world, because it is clear that the majority of the millennial generation wants to make a meaningful contribution to society. Therefore the singles ministry must set a high expectation to do something great if they want to keep young adults. Third, Rainer suggests keeping them with multiplication (evangelism). Rainer states that “every church we have studied that is effectively reaching and retaining young adults is highly intentional about evangelism.”[6] Lastly, Rainer suggests keeping them through simplicity, namely discipleship. He challenges churches to possess a strategic discipleship structure.
Although these suggestions may seem simple, they can go a long way. The church must address the epidemic plaguing most churches. When churches address the epidemic, they will find that things must change, or the millennials will not attend their church. When young adults feel that the church is interested in making a difference, they will come.

[1]           Sam Rainer, “Four Keys to Keeping Young Adults in Church.” Lifeway.com. http://www.lifeway.com/Article/four-keys-to-keeping-young-adults (Accessed June 12, 2015).
[2]           Ibid.
^{^[3]}           Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 2069.
[4]           Lifeway.com
[5]           Thom Rainer and Jess Rainer, The Millennials: Connecting to America’s Largest Generation (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2011), 116.
[6]           Lifeway.com.

Josh Evans is the family pastor of the Oakleaf campus of Trinity Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL. He has served in this position since June of 2014. Before that, Josh had been a mentor and pastor to students since 2006. Josh is passionate about seeing life change in families and teaching them the truths of the Word of God. Josh is a blogger, speaker, family pastor, and die-hard Duke Blue Devils fan! Josh and his wife Abby were married in February of 2008, and those years have been the happiest years of his life. Josh and Abby have two kids. Lynlee and Cameron. Josh and his family live in the Jacksonville, FL area. You can connect further with Josh on this blog or send him a direct email at joshhevans@gmail.com. More from Josh Evans or visit Josh at http://joshhevans.com

5 Overly Honest Confessions of a Youth Leader

By Mark Cox

The unvarnished, true admissions of a youth pastor.

I’m gonna break some rules today.
If you know anything about ministry, you know that transparency isn’t a strong suit of most Christians; especially Christian leaders. I’m no different.
But sometimes, it helps if we know that other leaders are dealing with the same issues we deal with. That’s the intention for this post. If it’s a success, it might be the beginning of a series. Here goes nothin’!
1. Often, I try to do ministry in my own strength. I feel like I can push things through. This is nothing short of sin. It’s what Craig Groeschel calls “practical atheism.” It’s when you believe God exists, but you do ministry as if it’s all up to you. It’s funny how our actions expose our true beliefs. We’d never say it out loud, but our beliefs are manifested in our actions.
2. Sometimes, I want to hide in a corner. I’m not a natural leader by any stretch of the imagination. Every single piece of leadership ability in me is learned. That means that I can easily crumble in uncertain times. My default is fear. I have to find strength in God every day. I’m not naturally fearless. I have to talk myself into following God most times.
3. I’m an introverted leader. Most days, I feel like that’s a weakness, even though studies are showing that introverts can lead just as well as extroverts. It doesn’t matter. I still question my leadership ability in the shadow of extroverted leaders who thrive in a crowd. That’s something I battle often.
4. The most painful moment in my day is when a student goes out of their way to avoid me. It doesn’t matter why. Most times, it happens because the student hasn’t been in church in a long time. Sometimes, it’s because the student has been into stuff they shouldn’t be. I’m sure there are a lot of times that students don’t like something I said or did. Whatever the case: I hate it. I wish I could somehow explain that I’d LOVE for them talk to me through their struggles rather than run in the fear that I’ll be upset.
5. I hate teenage relationships. Yeah, I was in them, and no, I don’t expect my students to be perfect. But I can’t help but hate to see when a bad breakup happens. It’s especially bad when two students in the same student ministry date, break up and then engage in the awkward “who stays and who goes” thing. I don’t have a solution for this yet.
So, join me. Should we keep this up? What are your confessions? `

Mark is the Student Pastor at Indian Springs Baptist Church just outside Little Rock, Arkansas. He has a passion to help students realize their potential in God’s Kingdom. More from Mark Cox or visit Mark at http://www.thinknextnow.com

Minggu, 26 Juli 2015

Has a Relationship With Jesus Changed You?

Has a Relationship With Jesus Changed You? (Writer's Opinion)
By Carol Round, Special to ASSIST News Service
CLAREMORE, OK (ANS – July 26, 2015) -- “But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ”— Philippians 3:7-8 (CEV).
“While world changes, who will change me?” This headline on a recent opinion piece by an area pastor grabbed my attention. Opening his article, the pastor said, “I am a public follower of Jesus. I am only being honest when I admit my growing unease and sense of helplessness as cultural norms drift away from Christian standards.”
With hot-button issues like same-sex marriage and transgender celebrities, many Christians fear where our country is headed. As the author of the article says, “I find myself struggling for some meaningful way to respond to these changes in a manner that best honors the person I profess to serve. How can I, as a Christ-follower, respond like Christ when I disagree with the direction of our culture?”
As followers of Jesus Christ, we should be concerned about our country’s direction. However, if we are to respond as Jesus would, we must know Him intimately.
Practicing the Presence of God book cover

Practicing the Presence of God book cover

Citing a passage from Brother Lawrence’s book, “The Practice of the Presence of God,” the pastor said, “Lawrence lived in an obscure 17th century European monastery, but his reflections on God have captured the attention of many since, including me. Lawrence’s biographer Joseph de Beaufort used 10 words to describe his friend Lawrence: ‘His love for Jesus Christ changed him into another man.’”
What the pastor said next in his opinion piece should make all Christians reconsider what our cultural changes mean in light of Jesus’ teachings. He said, “If my love for Jesus Christ changed me into another person
• I believe I would be bold enough to disagree with people without the need to dislike them.
• I would find myself more inclined to have compassion on individuals rather than to condemn them over an issue.
• My fear of change would be arrested by my faith that God has all things well in hand.”
While admitting he hasn’t completely been transformed by Christ, the pastor said he is moving in that direction—albeit slowly. When the Apostle Paul referred to this process, he said in Ephesians 4:13 (CEV), “This will continue until we are ... mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him.”
Commenting on the end of his life, the pastor added, “One day I will choose the inscription for my tombstone. I think it wise to wait until later in life to make a final decision. But if I were to make the call today, one line serves as a summation for what I want my life to look like once all is said and done. But more than wishing for these words to be inscribed on granite, I want them to be engraved on my character: ‘His love for Jesus Christ changed him into another man.’”
Has your relationship with Christ changed you? Has it prepared you to deal with the changes in today’s culture?
Photo captions: 1) Book cover. 2) Carol Round.
I always love hearing from my readers. Please feel free to visit my blog at www.carolaround.com or email me at carol@carolaround.com.
** You may republish this or any of ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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Jumat, 24 Juli 2015

Pain, the Big Prioritizer: 4 Elements to Think About

By Kile Baker

I’ve gone through a fair amount of physical pain lately, which made me realize something: pain is one of the biggest prioritizers in my life. Physical pain will cause us to stop whatever we’re doing and go to the hospital. Traumatic emotional pain will shut off our mind almost completely as we attempt to deal with the onslaught of feelings or numbness. And as scripture tells us, the pain of being distant from God or being disobedient to Him can have drastic consequences both immediately and eternally.
One of my favorite quotes from my wife is about pain, and what it’s purpose is: “Pain is your body’s way of telling you to pay attention to it.” It’s a very simple, but very applicable lesson to most things in life. Pain = attention. When something goes wrong long enough to grow into a big problem, or when an intense event happens that immediately stops the normal function of something, some sort of pain is usually the result. It’s a big neon arrow that say’s “YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION RIGHT HERE”.
So what should we pay attention to exactly?
I believe there are four elements that we need to pay specific attention to when it comes to pain in our life, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. Here I focus mainly on the spiritual side as I feel its the most important:
1) What causes the pain
2) The long term effects if the cause continues
3) How to stop the pain
4) The Long term effects if the pain stays away
These can apply to all areas of our life where we experience pain, but is specifically important to our spiritual life. For example if we fail to be in God’s presence through prayer, reading of scripture, and gathering together for worship, we may experience the pain of feeling like God is far from us. If it continues on, the long term effects could be a loss of faith or connection with the body of Christ. On the other hand, if the initial pain causes us to give it the focused attention it needs and we prioritize it, we can correct it or seek help in order to stop the pain fairly quickly. Additionally the long term effects mean that we’ll not only prevent the pain from coming back, but that we’ll grow resilient to it by strengthening our priority to put God first.
Example: Most people (including myself) have some sort of habitual or pesky behavior they do on a regular basis that puts some sort of wedge between them and God. This wedge is spiritually painful. We feel like God is not there, is deliberately far from us, or just doesn’t care. If we use a common example – like busyness – with these four elements above, we can see the consequences:
1) Being busy causes : stress, distraction, loss of effectiveness, fatigue, guilt, stretched too thin, etc.
2) Long term, it means we say yes to too many things and don’t priortize family, church, serving others, quiet time, and eventually a close relationship with God because we don’t make enough time for Him.
3) How to stop being busy would be to selectively say yes to the right things, and create more margin in our lives.
4) Long term, it means we get to devote more energy and time into the right things and still have enough margin for God, which leads to a healthy faith life.
If you’re going through some Spiritual pain right now, take a step back and work through those four elements above. Often times we already know what we’re doing wrong, and probably even the long term effects if we continue. Focus on how to stop it, and the long term good effects.
Is there a pain in your life recently that you’ve been ignoring and need to prioritize?

Planned Parenthood at the Cross

By Russell Moore

Many of us were horrified and repulsed as we saw Planned Parenthood Federation leaders in undercover videos negotiating the sale of body parts from aborted children. The cavalier conversations, over lunch, about such things ought to shock every conscience. For Christians, this atrocity ought to drive us to reflect on the literal crux of our faith, the cross of Jesus Christ.
The most ghoulish aspect of these videos is, after all, not simply that children are losing their lives. We knew that already. Beyond that is the way these children’s bodies are being used, divided up for parts, in order to enable clinics to “do a little better than break even.” And, of course, there is the callousness of the consciences involved. How could one talk about where to “crush” a baby or how “crunchy” the tearing mechanism ought to be in such breezy casual terms?
Every human person naturally ought to recoil from such language. But for a Christian, especially, such language ought to trigger in us thoughts of Jesus of Nazareth, who identified himself with human nature, taking on flesh and dwelling among us (Jn. 1:14). Jesus is human—not “was,” mind you, “is”—meaning everything it means to be human. Jesus demonstrated his solidarity with the human race by sharing with us every stage of development.
He was an “embryo.” He was a “fetus.” He was a nursing infant. He was a child. He is an adult. An attack on vulnerable humanity is an attack on the image of God. And that image is not abstract. The image of God has a name and a blood type. The image of God is Christ Jesus himself (Col. 1:15). Every human image-bearer is patterned after the Alpha and Omega image of the invisible God.
And at the Cross, Jesus stood with and for humanity in suffering. We are often told that abortion is ethical because the “products of conception” aren’t “viable,” that is, they cannot live outside the womb. This suggests that the value of a human life consists in its autonomous power. But Jesus was conceived in the most vulnerable situation possible in the ancient world—as a fatherless orphan. He lived as a migrant refugee outrunning with his family the Planned Parenthood of his day, the King Herod, into a land hostile to his own. He died helplessly convulsing on a cross, dependent on others even for hydration. Even in death, Jesus counted himself with thieves and was buried in a borrowed grave. In his humanity, Jesus wasn’t “viable” either.
Moreover, like the dead orphans of Planned Parenthood, Jesus was seen as valuable only in terms of his “parts.” The soldiers cast lots for his clothing (Mk. 15:23). With the very King of Israel standing before them, the Roman soldiers could see his value only in terms of how much money they could fetch from his garments. That should shock the conscience.
And yet, at the Cross, we do not simply see Jesus standing in solidarity with those suffering. He stands also in the place of sinners. He is counted with thieves, one executed on his left, and one on his right. One thief reflected the culture of death. He saw Jesus only in terms of what Jesus can do for him, temporally: “Save yourself and us!” (Lk. 23:39.
But there were two thieves, remember. The other saw his own desperation, crying out for mercy. Who knows what this man had done? The word “thief” in this context doesn’t connote a petty pickpocket. This mean was more akin to a murderer, a pirate, or a terrorist, to use contemporary language. Jesus forgave him, not because his actions were excusable but because he was hidden by faith in the punishment Jesus bore for him.
The cross should remind us that Jesus hears the cries of the suffering, even those whose cries are unable to be heard. But the cross should also remind us that Jesus saves sinners. The actions of Planned Parenthood are horrendous, both in terms of social injustice and in terms of personal sin against God. What can wash away such sin? Nothing. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
We should work for justice for the unborn, and for their victimized mothers. And, at the same time, we should speak to the consciences of those who see them as little more than pieces to be bartered. What Planned Parenthood is doing, let’s be clear, is violent and murderous. But the gospel can convict consciences, even consciences darkened by violence. And, when God saves such sinners, he often uses these trophies of grace to speak up for justice for those persecuted and mercy for their persecutors, through faith in Christ and newness of life in him.
Planned Parenthood is a killing field. We should groan inwardly, and work outwardly, against such evil. But, as we do so, let’s remember another killing field, a Place of the Skull, where peace came to the violent, through a cross of both justice and justification.
—–
Please join us July 21-22, 2016 in Washington, DC for Evangelicals for Life. You can find more information here.

The Missing Link to Solving the Porn Epidemic: Enlist the Support of Women

By Guest Contributor

Twenty years ago, people in the church didn’t talk about porn, or visual temptations in general. Today, churches across America have Celebrate Recovery groups, men’s small groups that study Every Man’s Battle, and experienced counselors with specialized training. You as pastors talk to men during Sunday morning worship services about the importance of discipline and purity in their thought lives, and every man intimately understands the challenge being laid before him.
The problem is: most of the women don’t. And that is one reason why all our effort in the church – as great as it is — hasn’t yet made a systemic difference to eradicating the problem of porn in the church. A difference to individuals, yes; A sea change for the Body of Christ as a whole, no.
We need to enlist the understanding of women, if we are going to support men.
In extensive research over the last thirteen years, I’ve seen that there is literally no other single topic that so deeply affects many millions of men, that so many millions of women are completely blind to. Yes, we women know that “men are visual”… but we don’t understand what that truly means. More importantly: we don’t know what it means every single day for the man we love, or the son we are trying to raise in a sexualized culture.
So by default, a man usually knows other guys will understand what he’s dealing with… but that his wife probably won’t. Some men will, thankfully, talk to other men about it. But many men only open up about very personal things with their wives.
Which means that by default, many men never talk about this particular challenge with anyone. It stays hidden. And if any challenge has become an actual struggle, or a struggle has become a habit, or a habit has become an addiction… if it stays hidden, that almost ensures it isn’t going to be healed. Which almost ensures we won’t make huge inroads into solving this, even in the church.
But there is a way to make huge inroads. There is a way to solve the problem of pornography, visual temptations and the sexualized-culture minefield that undermines way too many men and boys in our churches today: open the eyes of women and help them understand how the male brain is wired, that even the most honorable man or boy can still be tempted, how to talk with a husband or son about this in a way he feels safe to open up, how to be empathetic without endorsing poor choices, and how to be on their husband’s or son’s team in the battle.
A wife can never be her husband’s accountability partner; that would make the wife the police. Yet without her full understanding and support, many men never even get an accountability partner!
I speak at a lot of churches, and pastors often have me come in to do a pastoral interview on my findings as the sermon time on Sunday morning. One week, a pastor and I had just briefly touched on the fact that men are visual, and afterward a man came up to talk to me. He said he had struggled with internet porn on and off for years, and that he wanted to attend the church’s Saturday morning men’s group to get help and accountability, and finally get free of it. But when he told his wife he’d like to join the group, she got alarmed, like, “What are you saying?! Are you saying you’re attracted to other women?! What are you saying?!” All he could do was play it off and say, “No, no, never mind, it’s fine.” He wanted help, but he didn’t want to upset or hurt his wife.
I was so sad for this guy. He wasn’t trying to hide it, he wanted to address it, but he didn’t know how to help his wife understand. So he was still feeling trapped. That was when I started to realize the need for this effort. That is when I started studying it much more in-depth. And those findings are why Craig Gross, the founder of xxxchurch.com, and I have teamed up to research and write Through A Man’s Eyes to equip women with this knowledge.
Just to be clear, it is never a woman’s fault that the man is trapped. Whether or not she understands, he is the one who is solely responsible for his choices. But as you know, there are many men who hate this struggle and hate that they make the wrong choices. And if a man wants to install filtering software on the household computers, for example, how is he supposed to do that if his wife is appalled and upset that he’d even be tempted? Or if a mom finds her 12-year-old son Googling “big boobs” and flips out, will that young man feel able to open up about his very real visual temptations?
The understanding and support of women is not a panacea. Men will always continue to have a choice, and some will make the wrong choices. Many men will not want their wife to know anything about their visual nature because they want to continue to make the wrong choices!
But from the research I’ve done with tens of thousands of men and women over the years, I’m convinced that most men in the church do hate this temptation and want to be free of it. Although many men have told me they would never want to talk about this with their wives, it was only because “she would never understand” and “I know it would hurt her.” When I have asked “What if you were sure your wife could completely understand you, without any condemnation, and be firmly on your team?” I haven’t found a single man who wouldn’t want that.
Imagine what would happen if every mom knew how to help prevent porn from ensnaring her son. Imagine what would happen if every beautiful young woman knew how to avoid putting a stumbling block in the way of a man who didn’t want that temptation. Imagine what would happen if every wife knew how to be on her husband’s side in the battle. I think that then, we could see a sea change on this issue in the Body of Christ.

Shaunti Feldhahn is a well-known social researcher and the best-selling author of For Women Only and For Men Only. Craig Gross is a pastor, thought leader and the founder of xxxchurch.com. With the release of Through A Man’s Eyes, they are passionate about helping women understand men on this topic, and helping leaders serve those in their churches. Learn more about them and the book at www.menarevisual.com.

Kamis, 23 Juli 2015

WOW! The Results of the Survey for 20s & 30s Are In!

FrankViolaBlog - WOW! The Results of the Survey for 20s & 30s Are In!

WOW! The Results of the Survey for 20s & 30s Are In!

Posted: 21 Jul 2015 04:01 AM PDT

We’ve spent several weeks compiling the results of our two surveys in June.

Today, I’m featuring the one-question survey results for Christians in their 20s and 30s.

The 17-question 2015 Blog Reader Survey will be posted next week.

Here are the results of the survey for Christians in their 20s & 30s (the age group which makes up a large portion of this blog audience.)

The question was — “What is the greatest struggle that Christians in their 20s and 30s face today?”

Here were the top 10 answers that were repeated the most:

We lack mentors and being mentored in the deeper things of God.
We lack being connected with others who are serious about growing in Christ.
We struggle with spiritual loneliness and lack of community. We long for connection and deep relationships with serious Christians.
We lack understanding of the Bible and knowing how to read it with profit.
We struggle with distractions and being free from the influences of the world.
We struggle with compromising with the world’s false narratives because of fear of persecution, being labeled haters, bigots, intolerant, closed-minded, idiots, and losing friends.

Btw/ I wrote directly to this problem recently in How to Respond to the World’s Narrative.

We struggle to find authentic friendships based on knowing Jesus, loving Him and serving Him.
We struggle with finding our purpose in the world.
We lack inspiration and motivation and get distracted and discouraged by the cares of this life.
We really don’t Jesus that well, so we need true discipleship.

After going through the hundreds of responses one-by-one, I was monumentally impressed with the brightness and depth of this audience.

I’ve gone on record saying that the people who subscribe to this blog (the majority audience is 21 to 49) are some of the sharpest Christians on the planet. The survey responses confirmed that.

Now . . . I have great news for all of you.

The new mentoring project I will be unveiling in the Fall directly addresses all of these 10 struggles and meets the needs that stand at the root of them.

The project will also provide a cure for spiritual loneliness by creating connections with other believers of like mind and heart.

I believe this project will end up becoming my most valuable contribution to the body of Christ.

To be alerted when the project goes live and join it early (which has some big advantages), FILL OUT THIS FORM and be sure (1) to type your email address in correctly and (2) confirm that you signed up when you get the confirmation email.

If you have friends who struggle with any of these 10 issues from the survey, send them the link to this post. They won’t want to miss out on the new Mentoring Project when it launches.

His church was burned down, but he still serves


“Prasad Bandi” knew that his church in Tamil Nadu, India, could be attacked at any time, but he faithfully continued serving as its pastor. Then, during evening services on Feb. 22, someone on a motorcycle threw a Molotov cocktail at the church. Within minutes, the roof of the building — constructed of palm leaves and sheets of plastic — was consumed by flames. With assistance from The Voice of the Martyrs, Prasad is preaching in his church again, knowing that it is still a potential target. Prasad is one of the more than 30,000 front-line workers supported by The Voice of the Martyrs. These workers share the gospel at great risk in hostile and restricted nations. As they minister in these difficult places, they need our prayers. Will you commit to pray for them as they share Christ?

4 Myths About Youth Ministry

By Josh Evans

It’s OK to admit these things aren’t true!

There are so many myths regarding student ministry and student pastors. I wrote a post about the five myths of youth pastors. You can view the post here. This post is about the myths of student ministry.
Student ministry has a stigma about it. I can remember when I first went into student ministry seven years ago:

Student Ministry is 100 percent FUN—Most people only notice the fun in youth ministry. They notice the amusement parks, the mission trips, the camps, the games, the activities and the overnighters. One thing that rarely gets portrayed in student ministry is the difficult side of it. Teens are going through the most awkward time of their lives. They also are facing some of the most rebellious challenges from peers that they will face in their lives. Youth pastors have to discipline teens. Youth pastors have to counsel kids going through horrible and undeserved circumstances. Some of these reasons are likely the reason that the average youth pastor stays at a church only two years. Instead of always noticing the fun youth pastors can have with their students, thank them for the rough times in student ministry as well.
The Student Ministry cannot impact the church—Many view the student ministry as a ministry that cannot impact the entire church. The student ministry can impact the church as a whole. Students can serve the church. Students can be involved in leadership within the church. Ultimately, students can impact the health and direction of the local church.
All problems within the church start in the Student Ministry—When things in the church go missing, most blame the student ministry. When a church van is dirty or broken, most blame the student ministry. When things get out of control and rowdy, many blame the student ministry. Look, I have been in student ministry for a long time, and not all problems originate in the student ministry. What I have found is that some adults can be just as messy as our students. Students cannot stand being considered the originator of all of the church problems.
The Student Ministry is not important—Ultimately, it is the myths above that lead some to come to the conclusion that student ministry is not important. Student ministry is important. In fact, student ministry is partially responsible for shaping the direction of the next generation (obviously the parents are the primary responsibility for this). In many ways, you could argue that student ministry and kids ministry are the two most important ministries in the local church.

So let’s stop viewing the student ministry from these myths, and start viewing it as a valuable, important and integral piece in the health of the local church.

How to Establish Spiritual Goals for Teens

By Jen Bradbury

Equip your students to deepen their faith.

One of the leadership axioms I adhere to is that leaders cannot take people further than they are themselves. In order for teens to consistently grow in their faith, student leaders must do so too.
To challenge student leaders to grow, ask them to establish spiritual goals. As part of this, talk about how good goals are tangible and measurable so as to allow teens to determine whether or not they’ve successfully reached them.
After establishing these goal-setting basics, challenge student leaders to set two or three spiritual goals for themselves—things they want to do outside of your youth ministry in order to grow in their faith. Give student leaders a definitive time limit in which to reach their goals. In my ministry, we typically do this twice a year: Once over the summer, when we set goals for September through December and again at the start of the new year, when we set new goals for January through May.
Because the broadness of this task can sometimes be daunting for teens, if you see teens struggling to come up with their spiritual goals, give them additional guidelines. For example: Ask student leaders to make one of their spiritual goals about reading scripture, one about praying and one about serving.
After giving teens time to think and pray about their spiritual goals, ask them to write them on an index card along with their name. Then invite them to share their goals with one another. As they do, ask student leaders to explain why they chose their goals and how their faith might change if they successfully reach them. Doing so helps leaders articulate why their goals are important and how meeting them will help them grow in their faith.
As teens share their goals with one another, offer gentle feedback where appropriate. In particular, be on the lookout for unrealistic goals. While it’s good (and even healthy) for goals to push student leaders, you want leaders to have a shot at realistically completing them in order to ward off perpetual frustration. For example: If a teen says their spiritual goal is to read the entire Bible, encourage them to break it into smaller chunks. Since most teens won’t actually be able to read the entire Bible in four to five months, encourage them to instead establish a goal of first reading the New Testament.
Once all your leaders have shared their spiritual goals with one another, copy their index cards. Give them their card to take home and put in a place where they can see it frequently as a reminder of their spiritual goals. Then keep a copy for yourself. At least monthly, revisit your team’s spiritual goals—on your blog, in your meetings, or both. Ask teens to share an honest assessment of how well they’re doing with meeting their goals. As teens share failure stories, offer grace. Ask them to consider why they haven’t been able to fulfill their goal and what they’ve learned in the process. Give them an opportunity to revise their goal if need be. As teens share success stories, celebrate with them and process. Again, ask them to consider what they’ve learned, how their faith has grown, and why continuing such a habit might be important to their spiritual growth in the future.
Over time, what you’ll find is that the simple act of setting goals, writing them down and frequently revisiting them will prompts spiritual growth in your leaders. When leaders are growing themselves, they’ll be able to authentically challenge and encourage other teens to do the same. What’s more, by working toward their spiritual goals, leaders will begin establishing spiritual habits that will help them sustain and strengthen their faith long after their specific goals are met.

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Jen Bradbury has been in youth ministry for 11 years. She's the youth director at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn, IL. Her writing has appeared in YouthWorker Journal, The Christian Century, and Immerse. She also blogs regularly at ymJen.com More from Jen Bradbury or visit Jen at http://ymJen.com

After a vow of purity, she stayed a virgin until she married at 37, but her husband had a past

By Mark Ellis, Special to ASSIST News Service

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS - July 21, 2015) -- When she speaks in front of high school audiences and tells students she was 37 and a virgin when she married, eyes widen and jaws drop in a mix of shock and disbelief.

“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done – but it is possible!” exclaims Diane Hunter. She and her husband Roger are co-founders of Epic Life Ministries, and authored together “Purity by Design: the true benefits of sexual purity.”

In maintaining her vow of purity, she had to battle cultural influences. “It’s stunning to stop and consider how sexualized our culture has become,” Diane notes in the book. “There is a sexual undertone to nearly all commercials, advertisements, and the story line of movies. The climate of television has become one of flippant and degrading sexual humor, especially in sitcoms.”

In high school, Diane was a cheerleader. “Most Friday nights after the football game I walked home by myself while others on the squad went out to parties. I knew that if I was going to uphold my commitment to God and purity, I didn’t have the liberty to do the things that I saw drag other people down.”

Diane has never met a “partier” who maintained their sexual purity.

After she graduated from a Christian college, she taught elementary school for a few years before she joined Youth With A Mission. Then she enrolled in a graduate program to earn a degree in marriage and family ministries. “I knew I’d meet my husband there; the odds were high. There were five men for every woman enrolled at the seminary.”

But she didn’t. “People were marrying all around me. Why couldn’t I find my man?” she wondered.

Turning 30 was a difficult milestone. “I was a bridesmaid seven times before I got married. Do you know how many bridal showers I attended, dreaming of my own wedding day?”

Sadness threatened to engulf her at times. “Sometimes I really struggled. Sometimes I ate too much. Sometimes I watched too much TV. Sometimes I cried myself to sleep. Sometimes I dreaded going to church alone…sometimes it hurt just to be single,” she notes.

About the writer: Mark Ellis is a senior correspondent for the ASSIST News Service and also the founder of www.Godreports.com, a website that shares stories, testimonies and videos from the church around the world to build interest and involvement in world missions.

** You may republish this and any of our ANS stories wtih attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)

Former Sandinista now part of God’s army

Former Sandinista now part of God’s army
Hasil gambar untuk Former Sandinista now part of God’s army

By Mark Ellis & Michael Ashcraft, Special to ASSIST News Service

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS - July 21, 2015) -- The Contras slipped in during the wee hours of the morning and slit the throats of sleeping Sandinistas, sometimes 30, sometimes 50, sometimes the whole battalion of 350 before they disappeared undetected into the forbidding jungle.

Not so with Alex Delgado’s battalion. His lieutenant had received training from the strictest military specialists in communist bloc East Germany, and Tito Castillo never let a guard fall asleep.

Alex didn’t join the Sandinistas, the former Marxist government of Nicaragua that the Contras sought to topple, because of ideology. As a matter of fact, Alex really had no idea about the meaning of communism and capitalism.

He was just an 18-year-old, the seventh child in his family, ignored among the many mouths to feed. With no one pushing him to study, with no future in sight, Alex got swept up in the euphoria at the beginnings of the Sandinista government with hopes of eradicating the corruption of the former regime.

But the decision to join what seemed like a winning cause turned into two years of sheer misery. He trudged 10 hours a day, in danger of ambush, in danger of trip wires, gathering energy from inadequate food (they once made soup with roots and tree limbs).

His commander voiced vivid dreams of finding the enemy and decimating them in combat. Inside, Alex prayed to a God he didn’t yet know to never find the enemy – and God granted his wish. The only deaths in his battalion were from an ambush on a supply pickup and a friend while fording a river.

Body bags from other battalions flooded homes; sometimes they were left on the doorstep to be found by parents after soldiers rang the doorbell and fled at midnight.

It was an unwinnable proxy war that killed tens of thousands of youth in the ’80s, almost none of whom really understood the values of the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union who financed opposing sides.

“Many never got out of the army,” Alex said. “A friend whose time of service was coming to an end deserted. The enemy found him and killed him.”

Once out of the Sandinista army, Alex practiced baseball. He threw a treacherous curve ball that won the championship of Leon twice and competed against other departments. Two years passed.

About the writer: Mark Ellis is a senior correspondent for the ASSIST News Service and also the founder of www.Godreports.com, a website that shares stories, testimonies and videos from the church around the world to build interest and involvement in world missions.

** You may republish this and any of our AMS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).

14 States, Thousands of Miles and countless Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

14 States, Thousands of Miles and countless Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches.....

The Stand True Pro-life Missionaries have had a whirlwind summer, and it's not over yet. They have driven thousands of miles, and some of them even flew across the country to spread the pro-life message. We have been at conferences, pro-life training camps, abortion clinic outreaches and so much more. We had a major role in exposing Planned Parenthood for selling baby parts, as we helped lead the social media blitz. After several weeks of ministry on the road, we are back in the office for two days before we hit the road again for the next 3 weeks.

Before we leave for the National Sidewalk Counseling Symposium in Chicago on Friday, we have a lot of restocking to do. The gas tank is empty, the cupboards are going bare, the printer is out of ink, and we need your help. We have $258 left in the bank and that won't get us very far. You can help keep these amazing pro-life missionaries on road with a donation today.

Please help us fill up the gas tank, the literature tubs, and feed the missionaries on the road. Your donation today will save lives. Please donate $25, $50, $100, $500 and help Stand True continue to educate, activate and equip this generation. If you can donate please do so at https://give.cornerstone.cc/Stand+True.

I wish you could have seen the missionaries at work. They are an amazing and dedicated team. When I had to stay up into the morning hours to prepare for the release of the undercover Planned Parenthood videos, they were right there with me working hard. After driving long hours through the night, they still hopped right out of the van and got to work, setting up our booth or whatever else needed to be done.

Last week we organized what we call a "hash tag takeover" when Planned Parenthood had an event planned on Twitter. The event was designed to have women tell positive stories about Planned Parenthood using #PPShoutYourStory. Not only did we completely dominate the event with pro-life messages, we shut it down.

At Night Vision music festival in Colorado, a young man approached me to tell me that he was solidly pro-choice, but after he had heard my talk he changed his mind. We talked for awhile, and I gave him a copy of my book, and he bought two of our t-shirts. The next day he came back to the booth to ask me how to answer hard questions as he had already started talking to people about pro-life.

I could tell you story after story about how God is using this team by saving babies and changing hearts and minds. I can't wait to see what God will do with them for the remainder of the summer as we hit the road again in two days. Please consider making a generous donation today and spend some time praying for our team.

Please help us fill up the gas tank, the literature tubs and feed the missionaries on the road. Your donation today will save lives. Please donate $25, $50, $100, $500 and help Stand True continue to educate, activate and equip this generation. If you can donate please do so at https://give.cornerstone.cc/Stand+True.

Donations can also be mailed to Stand True – PO Box 890 – Troy, OH 45373 or call 937-570-0671 to donate by phone.

For the voiceless,
Bryan Kemper

bkemper@standtrue.com
http://www.facebook.com/iambryankemper
http://www.facebook.com/standtrueforlife
http://www.standtrue.com