In this blog, clergy and lay leaders share helpful resources, ideas, and reflections. The topics range from soul care, to effectiveness, to practical solutions for common issues we are facing. If you have something you would like to submit to be included, please email it to Jessica Jones. We hope these articles are a blessing to you in your ministry.
This year is the centenary of the birth of John Stott whose books continue to influence thousands of Christians throughout the world. While several biographies have been written about him no one has undertaken to compile a balanced exposition of his thought and teaching. Since I retired from public ministry I decided to read all his published work and organize it into subjects to make it accessible for the benefit of those who labor in congregational ministry and others who wish to deepen their understanding of the Gospel. The result John Stott: A Summary of his Teaching......
I met C at a cafe in town. He played for Tormenta, the local USL2 Professional Soccer team, and happened to be roommates with another contact of mine. He had begun dating a Christian girl and was full of questions, so when I invited him to join our discussion group, he jumped in....
The song, "Burning Hearts" was written by five artists at the United Adoration songwriting retreat held at Trinity Anglican Church in Thomasville Ga. Within the group there were experienced songwriters paired with budding songwriters. At Synod, we talked about the importance of discipleship and raising up others. This songwriting group is a great example of that principle. With encouragement and critique, these artists created the beautiful song in this video....
Editor's note: Funmi Ojetayo is currently serving at Incarnation Tallahassee as a part of the diocesan Antioch Residency program. He is the first such resident in our diocese. Funmi OjetayoMy participation in the Antioch Residency is primarily a work of God’s providential guidance, and the magnanimity of the Rector at Incarnation Tallahassee, the Rev. Canon Taylor Bodoh. I initially did a pastoral summer internship at Incarnation in 2019, after which I went back to my home Baptist church. I was privileged to have gotten to know Taylor and Jon and be mentored by them over the summer, and to serve the church through teaching and preaching. Yet, I was still finishing up my seminary degree, working full-time as an attorney, and serving my wife and children and my local church. An Antioch Residency or Fellowship was not on my radar......
The Table Mesa is a bilingual ACNA congregation based in Jacksonville, FL that meets on Zoom with additional members joining from across states and continents. They live out their mission to disciple others by offering places for people to grow in their gifts, namely songwriting and teaching. This is their story of adapting to the restraints of COVID-19 and how God has grown them as they have extended hospitality across language barriers....
Why plant new churches? Because our King commissioned us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Mt 28:19-20). Studies have shown that new churches reach unbelievers and unchurched people at a rate of 6-8 times that of established churches of the same size. While we believe it's important for every Christian to practice evangelism, we also believe a vibrant church planting culture is essential to faithfully fulfilling Jesus’ commission!...
The first poem I ever wrote didn’t rhyme. In fact, I didn’t even write it down. One day, when I was about three years old, my mom was pushing me on a swing and I said to her: When I swing, my shadow plays tag with me. Apparently she thought that was a very profound thing for me to say at that age, because she has told me that story several times since I became an adult. I’m looking back at that scene now and thinking to myself, That makes perfect sense; that’s absolutely something I would say....
The world says that success is found in writing chart-topping songs, selling paintings for tens of thousands of dollars, working for large churches, achieving a generous salary, or directing a large choir. The life of Christ says something different. Jesus lived in the wilderness with a small group of close friends. He didn’t raise up an army like many thought he would. He spent time with his Father and this union directed his path....
My church hired me as a "worship leader / artist-in-residence" in 2014. The artist-in-residence part of my job was very loosely defined, and we were basically making it up as we went along. But one of the first ideas that stuck was when my pastor asked me to write some form of psalm refrain every week, following the lectionary...I had a previous interest in writing psalm settings, so I took my pastor's request as an opportunity to begin composing short choruses that summarized what I thought was the core idea, response, or emotion of the psalm....
My years in ocean freight transportation were an exciting time in an expanding industry that produced many “firsts.” The concept of just-in-time logistics, or “J.I.T.” as it came to be known, was one of them. It was all about having a better plan for bringing the right thing to the right place at the right time. “J.I.T.” is a good characterization for my late-in-life introduction to painting. Painting certainly was the right thing at the right time as I adapted to retirement, but it also came with a still-unfolding array of new connections and interactions that have since crossed borders and oceans, figuratively and literally. All of that from someone with no prior art training or experience. Who would have thought?...
How does it feel to be a deaf in a hearing world? Helen Keller, both blind and deaf, compares her experience of each, "Blindness separates me from things; but deafness separates me from people." Deafness is not the actual problem; deaf people can do anything hearing people can do, except hear. Communication barriers create the primary issues, with relational isolation bein...
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Phased re-entry has begun by now and many churches are already rolling out phase 1 and perhaps even phase 2. According to most guidelines, children's Sunday school is feasible for phase 3 and beyond. If you have read the most recent CDC guidelines for schools, however, you will quickly realize the implications for children's Sunday school programs are significant. Re-entry...
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Those of you considering hybrid ministry following re-entry, consider how your plans might help to build an online community, rather than just offer online programming. For more about this distinction, read here. 10 IDEAS FOR HYBRID MINISTRY Here are 10 specific programming ideas for hybrid ministry, aimed at building an online community: Regarding live-streamed event...
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We've already outlined the need for each ministry to have its own online ministry coordinator in and the importance tobuilding online communities, andnot just entertaining kids. Specific to family ministry, it is the church's role to come alongside parents as they are uniquely called to disciple their children. 15 IDEAS FOR HYBRID FAMILY MINISTRY Here are 15 ways to move...
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One of the concerns many churches faced mid-March when the global pandemic shut our doors, was how to keep connected to those who do not utilize technology on a regular basis. This concern continued as families sought to be discipled without their children being exposed to unprotected technology, as well. As a result, here are a few ideas to help keep your households conne...
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by Rev. John Wallace, Apostles By-the-Sea, Rosemary Beach, FL When Apostles By-the-Sea was a new church plant, we knew we wanted to serve our community in ways that were bold, but never self-promoting; ways that focused on God's Kingdom, not our own; and ways that cared more for our community than for credit. We have held to those values these last eight years. During th...
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by The Rev. Craig Brown, LMHC, LMFT Fear. In all its forms from slight concern to sheer terror fear is perhaps the most potent emotional force in the world. Certainly, with the onset of the Coronapocalypse, fear itself has become, dare I say, a pandemic. Fear is the body's gift to us in times of crisis. It is there to help us flee a deadly threat. Faced with danger, ou...
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by Rebecca McCallister These are dark times, aren't they? Most of us haven't experienced anything like this coronavirus and the complete upheaval it's causing in our lifetimes. And beyond the inconveniences of sheltering in place or not finding toilet paper, there is serious fear and uncertainty, real suffering, devastation, loss, and death. There are many things we coul...
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by Lenny Konschewitz, Church Planter, Grace Anglican Church My family and I moved from Europe to Fleming Island, Florida, this past January to help Grace Anglican plant a church in St. Johns County. Just like the rest of the world we have been caught up in this Covid-19 storm. Our church planting efforts have moved online and we are finding ourselves in uncharted waters. ...
Keep ReadingVery few people adapt to change easily. For most of us, change is uncomfortable and "doing things the way we've always done them" is easier. This pandemic has caused all of us to change and it hasn't been easy. But with change, comes the opportunity for innovation and improvement. Sometimes change brings surprising blessings, as well. We wanted to encourage you by sharing ...
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