April 9 – Easter
Easter is a big celebration for churches, here are some ideas you can use in your church:
Leading up to Easter, create a devotional or week of prayer beginning on Monday that discusses the meaning of Easter for adults, teens, and children.
Post pictures and videos to the church Facebook and Instagram page about Easter.
Produce a video or social post explaining the significance of Easter in the context of our Christian faith, and how to recognize and celebrate Easter at home.
Post a recipe for unleavened bread that families can make together at home.
Have a virtual communion service. Create an online, live foot washing service. Have the pastor talk about the significance of foot washing, while people watch and wash each other’s feet at home.
Email a devotional, craft idea, activity pages to your congregation and invite them to share these with friends and neighbors.
Create a reflective service by hosting a service with songs and reading devotionals on the bible verses of Jesus on the cross.
Ask people to film themselves explaining how Jesus changed their life in 1 minute, then create a testimony video using the clips.
Avoiding Consumer Debt
Adventist Pastors whose net worth is anticipated to be over one million are more likely to avoid consumer debt.
Some kinds of debt can play a role in a pastor’s finances.
Credit cards, if not paid off completely at the end of the month, prevent the buildup of net worth.
Justice and Mercy—The Culturally Intelligent Way
It’s amazing to see the change in behavior when Jesus challenged their perception of “the other”.
Extreme prejudice leads to violence.
An anger rooted in love results in acts of compassion.
The Revitalization of Springdale Adventist Fellowship
How do you re-energize a plateaued church? This story follows Benjamin Orian, Pastor of the Springdale Adventist Fellowship in Arkansas, where they revitalized and refocused their church community. He explains how the congregation rewrote its narrative, refocused its ministry, and got involved to spark church growth and energy. Watch the full video here.
Confessions of a Burned Out Pastor
But suddenly I hit a wall. I was no longer motivated, I was listless. I was missing some appointments and inadvertently double-booking others.
I was a pastor and things were coming at me all the time. I didn’t have the luxury of stopping to consider how I was feeling.
But there is something wrong with the way that we add virtue to never taking breaks.
Former Seventh-day Adventist Pastors: Qualitative Study Report (2021)
The most often cited challenges that led to a decision to seek other career options included: (1) having ongoing challenges with church members, (2) encountering difficulties with Conference leadership…
Perhaps one of the most painful challenges that former pastors recalled was the pervasive sense that their administrators and/or church members did not care about their welfare.
When these participants judged the cost of continuing in ministry on the family as too high, this served as impetus to leave pastoral work.
Deferred Gratification
Adventist Pastors whose net worth is anticipated to be over one million are more likely to practice deferred gratification.
Use an aging app to have a conversation with your future self.
If you invest $1,000 a month for 40 years your future self will be a millionaire.
After the Earthquake: Ministering to People in Crisis Cross-Culturally
Many Muslims are struggling with this earthquake not only at the human level (senseless loss of life), but at a theological level, too.
Sixth principle: a prayer that is “ours” is better than one that is “yours”.
Prayer is sweet, healing, and in his presence we were one, one community of grieving people yearning for God’s healing.
NAD Best Practices Book Club: A House on Fire with Maury Jackson and Nathan Brown
These authors draw on the Bible…as well as Adventist history, and sound the call to respond to these contemporary issues faithfully, thoughtfully, practically, pastorally, and politically.
Register here.
March 7 at 1pm on Zoom
March 8 – International Women’s Day
1. Strong Women Series - Plan a series of sermons or bible studies about strong women in the Bible. You can invite different women from your church community to lead, or you can have them give their personal testimonies on how God has helped them through a difficult situation.
2. Get Involved with good causes – Have the ladies of your church be actively involved with organizations that advocate for a social cause. Walk together or participate in 5K runs for good causes, such as 'End It Now,' or Mental Health Awareness.
3. Healthy Women Emphasis Meeting. - Invite a nurse, a nutritionist, or a doctor to an in-person or Zoom meeting for a talk on women's health. Promote the event to the community and encourage the women of your church to invite their friends to participate.
4. Self-Defense Class – Promote a Self-Defense Class for the ladies. This is an excellent opportunity to invite friends to get to know you and your church friends.
5. Adopt a Women's Shelter – Find out about shelters or organizations for women rescued from human trafficking. They always need things like toiletries, personal hygiene products, and clothing. With March being Women's Month, have your church involved in collecting items to give to them. Women in your church could also reach out to their friends and coworkers to donate and get involved.
Culture, Cultural Intelligence, and the Gospel
Part of the problem resides in many people seeing culture as being a “bad” thing.
God gave this couple a cultural mandate.
The fact is that while sin has interrupted God’s original plan, its intrusion has not canceled the cultural mandate.
Financial Mentor
Adventist Pastors whose net worth is anticipated to be over one million are more likely to have a financial mentor.
Look for pastors/mentors who have done well in their own finances.
Take advantage of the free service of a certified financial planner provided by the NAD Retirement plan.
Why Black History Matters: A Theological Perspective
From a theological perspective, I believe that there is great value in recognizing Black History Month.
We can become more well-rounded, culturally aware, and compassionate.
Since we live in a society where some seek to idealize history and America’s treatment of racial minorities…we need to recognize Black History Month now more than ever.
Epic Church in Chicago
What does art have to do with church planting? In Chicago, Epic Church has created a unique community outreach ministry called Art Space. Find out how they use art as a means to connect with their secular community and connect their community with their church. This story will inspire you to think outside the box in your ministry context.
Practicing Presence
“How can our interactions with one another in worship encourage, empower, and enable us to be more responsive and present to a gracious, ever-present God? And, in turn, how might that transform the way we are present with all those around us?”
Empowering Worship Ministry Volunteers: A Conversation with Crosswalk's Isai Moran
“Good and meaningful fellowship and community are most essential. Our team really enjoys spending time together every week and also during the week. We try our best to have team nights and vespers where people can connect outside of Saturday mornings as well. I think community is one of the main reasons why people are so committed.”
It’s Always Me
I was battling an injury that no doctor could fix.
I remember arguing with God. I was feeling so disconnected.
The couple shared things from my sermon and how impactful it was for them.
Avoid Tax by Contributing to a Church Retirement Account
Those whose net worth was anticipated to be over one million contribute more to a church sponsored retirement account than those whose net worth was less than a million.
Contributions are tax free and grow tax free.
Contributions are tax free at retirement when you take it as parsonage exclusion.