Young people don't need leaders who are adults, but act like teens or college students. They need leaders who act like adults, but care about teenagers and college students.
“The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.” Psalm 37:21
Why isn’t the contrast: “The righteous borrows and pays back”?
Or: “The righteous has no need to borrow”?
It is God’s way: start with giving and see what happens with borrowing.
If a student ministry is ran like a “church within a church”. Then, when a teen graduates out of that student ministry, it feels like they’re having to go join a different church. That’s why many leave.
It’s ONE church. multi-generations.
Find ways to be on mission together.
You led in a different way. You spoke truth with presence and love. You were ridiculed by those who only know worldly power, many of them Christians. Your life has left a mark that far supersedes what the US government could ever do. Well done thou good and faithful servant.
Christian philanthropy accounted for 70% of all American philanthropy in 2022 at $300 billion total. Christians also out-gave the U.S. Government in addressing global poverty.
- Barna
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Whatever folks might say or think, the church remains a seismic value-add to the world.
There's no 'evidence' for God as powerful as deep communion with him through his Word and Jesus, clothed in his gospel--an unmistakeable, jaw-dropping sense of his love and reality on your heart over the years--not just in one or two 'experiences'. Not the only evidence, tho.
Pastor: if you preach the Bible the way it’s meant to be preached, you’re going to be too doctrinal for the hyper-charismatics and far too charismatic for the grumpy fundamentalists. Don’t build a church around your critics; do what God has anointed you to do.
This is what happens when people attempt Hebrew without adult supervision and basically have no idea how languages work. Also Perrystone in Hebrew means “Alas, conspiracy theory.”
@CarlosHappyNPO Christian leaders who spiritualized their support for any political leader must deal with the fallout whether they be conservative or progressive. We can’t be blind to our own flavor of nationalism even if it’s popular
The Christian left’s sudden inability to “prophetically critique” government and sudden push for patriotism is incredible. How does one learn this skill?
@DerekVreeland Agreed, I’ve seen some large churches do a great job at discipleship. On the flip side, and per my experience in business, when one begins to live beyond their means and grow for the sake of footprint size, the quality of discipleship usually decreases
By my observation there are many many Evangelical Christian folks who have zero social media influence (who literally know nothing of the Twitter and IG world) who are quietly living their lives working and raising families and trying their best to make the world a better place.