Australia has more churches (13,000) than schools (9,500), and more Australians attend a church service each week (1.8 million) than there are people in South Australia (1.6 million).
And while the latest Census results show that Christianity is the religion with which most Australians identify (61.1%),… Read the rest
Whenever you are prayerfully considering giving to a project of any kind, here are a few creative ideas to consider:
1. Give of what you already have. That could be something from you personal savings and investments or even a loan redraw.… Read the rest
A lot of organisations conduct various types of fund raising today, including churches. I value the Bible as God’s Word. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit and beneficial for every aspect of personal and church life. We know the Bible has a lot to say about “giving”, but what about “fund raising”?… Read the rest
Yesterday we talked about some lessons from LEGOLAND.
LEGO is so simple yet when individual bricks are joined together with others, they can contribute to the creation of something quite amazing and complex.
Think about this:
LEGO was invented in 1947 by a carpenter from Denmark by the name of Ole Kirk Christiansen. Before this breakthrough idea for a plastic toy, he suffered many challenges and setbacks, including his wife dying, a factory fire, and navigating the depth of the Great Depression.… Read the rest
A good friend of mine sent me this earlier in the week. I thought it was quite funny but had some good points. Let's always seek to love and encourage those who lead us, in whatever capacity.
Pastors have a tough job.… Read the rest
Lost and Found
I heard an amazing story recently about a young boy in India who accidentally got separated from his brother and ended up lost. His name is Saroo Munshi Khan. He survived on the streets for weeks then was eventually taken into an orphanage where he was later adopted by an Australian family and grew up in Hobart, Tasmania.… Read the rest
Last Sunday was “Pentecost Sunday” (8th June), a significant day on the Christian annual calendar, yet one that tends to receive little attention, compared to Christmas and Easter. Pentecost Sunday occurs 50 days after Easter and is a celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church of Jesus Christ.… Read the rest
When in the USA recently, one of our church staff members visited two large, well-known churches. The facilities and church services were first class, but at both churches … no one spoke to him. Sadly, this is all to commonplace today.… Read the rest
A recent article from the Barna Group:
March 18, 2014 — He was the most talked-about person of 2013 and winner of TIME’s “Person of the Year” award. Google Translate coders have set his name to translate as “a better world.”… Read the rest
A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was too crowded. “I can't go to Sunday School”, she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class.… Read the rest
Predicting is as much of an art as it is a science. And if any prognosticator is honest, he or she will tell you that they don’t always get it right. I know. I certainly don’t always get it right.
But I don’t pull my predictions out of thin air.… Read the rest
During the month of November, many churches around the world set aside time to prayer for the persecuted church. Believers in countries such as Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nigeria, Pakistan and Vietnam face violence, imprisonment and even death because of their faith in Jesus Christ.… Read the rest
Any church with over 50 people needs some form of small group ministry so that genuine relationships are developed and discipleship occurs. Whatever form of small group ministry you may, have is a helpful article on small group leadership by Mark Howell:
Whether you use a low or high bar of small group leadership, I think all of us have hope that our leaders will do more than open their home, facilitate a discussion or convene a meeting.… Read the rest
The ministry of prophecy is to be an important part of the local church and the development of every church leader. This is a biblical concept and was used often in the appointment of leaders to various roles and ministries in the early church (see Acts 13:1-3.… Read the rest
