The authors present their work of Churches as the way to help congregations live out their understanding of the gospel and their call to ministry by “reaching your community with the whole gospel for the whole person through whole churches” (59). By helping church leaders develop a vision of how the church should exist as the agent that drives transforming change within society, Churches succeeds as a practical guide for laity and clergy alike. One of the greatest strengths of this work is how the authors present 15 examples of real-life U.S. churches that they studied, all of which adapted holistic approaches and witnessed transformational results within their uniquely diverse communities.…
American culture seems to be enraptured with immigration and the value of the immigrant in the life of society. Immigrants have, since the beginning of our nation, the power to transform the face of our society. In the same way, the church when it radically lives out the Gospel as embodied in the life of Jesus can not only transform American culture, but change the whole world. This potential impact of a faithful church in the world is why Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon write Resident Aliens as a critique of modern culture and ministry while providing a call the church to live as an alternative community. Hauerwas and Willimon provide a vision for the restoration of the church as a vibrant community standing firmly in the faith through…
There are many well-meaning, devout, knowledgeable Christians who well never intentionally build even one world-impacting, world visionary, reproducing disciple. This is because they will never seriously pursue a systematic curriculum designed for the purpose of discipling another to his ultimate destination (Hodges, p117). This need is not reserved for pastors, as evidenced by the writings of Luke. Luke was a layman, a busy doctor with his hectic schedule. Yet, he made time to develop much of our new testament for the purpose of winning Theophilus to a personal faith in Christ (Hodges, p119). We likewise are to be about making disciples.…
Jesus said Luke 4:18–19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord (NASB).” Because of our love, a healthy church will minister to those who cannot repay.…
Answers: “The standard scholarly dating is that Acts was written by Luke in A.D. 61-63, because Paul was still living and under house arrest in Rome. Since Acts is the 2nd of a two-part work, we know the 1st part - the gospel of Luke – must have been written earlier than that. And since Luke incorporates parts of the gospel of Mark, that means Mark is even earlier. So if you allow one year for each writing, you end up with Mark written no later than about A.D. 60, a maximum gap of 30…
The conditions that slaves experienced on the plantations is very harsh. The slaves were overworked, with mild nutrition. Just enough to get them by so they can have enough strenght to work. Thy also had rags a clothes which I thought was very harsh, especially during the cold weather. Their owners practally looked at them as animals and not actual human beings. White men could kill a slave and not have a legal troubles, but not until 1774, the white men would go to jail for 12 months. Christanity shaped the lives of slaves because it gave them "hope" for freedom and it also gave them a break from all of their hard…
church, as a separated community, is meant to be God’s example in and to the…
There are many non-believers that are discouraged by its local churches. Many members of a church act one way when inside of the church building and another as soon as they walk out of the door. For a non-believer, this is just confirmation that they do not want any part of a religion that is hypocritical. Also, many leaders of the church live a lavish lifestyle while citizens of its community struggles to provide food for their families. Why would I want to join an organization that takes my money every week so that they can drive nice cars and live in big houses while I can’t even pay my rent? These are common circumstances that we see and as Christians, it’s our job to eliminate this type of view of our faith.…
If we truly want our children to accept the gospel, then our commitment to Christ must spill over to those around us who do not know Christ. As families, we must make it a priority to share the good news”5. I know that there are some within my family who are in need of a revival in their Christian walk. Coming together in the name of fellowship could be a good way to break down the barriers that prevent us from functioning as a family. In 2015, I plan to actual put my thoughts in motion and plan a family dinner somewhere in the county. I am hoping that if I step out on faith and organize something with the right intentions, that it will be a success. It would be nice for my family to not only live in the same area, but to actually function as a healthy family who enjoys serving each other and service others. I don’t recall anyone else in my family actually ever attempting to do anything like this for. Hopefully, it will be successful and spark some good conversations that will stick with my family members for years to…
Robert M. Franklin in his adoring and avid book Crisis in the Village presents in first-person advice and constructive criticism as he identifies issues within the African-American church. Black churches face a "mission crisis" as they struggle to serve their upwardly mobile and/or established middle class "paying customers" alongside the poorest of the poor. Dr. Franklin wrote this controversial book with great scholarship as a means to awakening the state of Black American; however the question of the missions of the black church have been discussed, debated, and denied by theologians for years.…
The role of the church is to be present. It requires the church to take an active and immediate response to crisis. According to Straub (n.d) the church must establish support and peer accountability. In order to truly assist those in need, the church must be equipped with individual from a diverse background, so they are able to relate and understand an individual how is living a similar situation to their past. Straub (n.d) gave the example of veterans. If an individual who has suffered a major trauma seeks for help they may feel like the counselor is unable to understand or related to their struggles. It is very important that the church is diverse enough that they are able to speak the language of those in need.…
The Black Church is an adapting institution and a source of courage and vitality for resisting dehumanizing conditions. It was the primary and only institution black people had to deepen and to strength their spiritual life and to nurture and to practice Christian ethical value, to reconcile and liberate themselves. The days of coming to church for personal salvation alone are over. Now we are looking not only for personal salvation but for social salvation. If we do not change, the community will not change.…
According to Morrill, in the Christian tradition, assembly is one of the most important ways that we can connect with Christ. In his Encountering Christ in the Eucharist, he argues that “ The community of faith can only exist through the sharing of that faith, which is focused in its ritual form of worship” (Morrill 21). As a young child I would grow impatient when my mother spent time after Church, with what I viewed as nonsense prattling. Now that I am older, I can see the importance that community is to the Church. Church communities are not only formed when the assembly is participating in the liturgy or service. Additionally, the ways that a Church community fellowships with each other outside of service also builds a sense of community…
Begin by praying for them (1 Thessalonians 1:2,3). Remember that God is sovereign, which means that He has total authority in the making of His disciples (followers of Christ).…
The people in the churches enjoy serving God, but lack discipline in the church. The lack of discipline causes the Haitian community church to be unbalanced and quite fluid. As I continued to grow in the church I found myself constantly asking my questions that my parents often times could not answer like, “why did the person in the pastor on the pulpit that is preaching a sermon? Why is it that people sit wherever they want instead of where the usher suggested? And why is it that the music director is the only one who attends scheduled rehearsals, but everyone in the music department is in full function on Sunday mornings? Now as an adult the same issues are ever present in the Haitian churches and then some. I have been privileged to serve as a church secretary, music director, Sunday school teacher, and youth director or president and have experience the lack of courtesy, respect, and knowledge of the position held to serve the people. So now as an adult my question or main concern is how to restore and raise awareness for discipline in the Haitian community churches. I have invested my personal time and efforts to assist and strengthen the leadership body in the Haitian community by reminding the leaders to incorporate the church by-laws, church rules, and establish policies that will create order and respect for leadership…