Originally posted by JB DoulosChristou
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Apologetics in sermons?
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Originally posted by Cow Poke View PostQuite possibly, JB, and I apologize to TM...
I had just spent 3 hours at St. Luke's Hospital with one of our young couples, as the doctor explained to the young mother that she has breast cancer, and it is pretty "advanced". When I read TM's post, I couldn't help thinking "how do you get that off my plate"? The answer, of course, is that I wouldn't even try.
Apology accepted CP."For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." Hosea 6:6
"Theology can be an intellectual entertainment." Metropolitan Anthony Bloom
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Originally posted by RBerman View PostWe have been working on this at my church for a few years now. The first step has been training the leadership to see themselves as shepherds rather than executives. The first step was to get us out meeting regularly with the people during the week. Then we found that our leadership meetings were getting really long as we shared what we were learning about the people. So the next step was to start making email reports on our shepherding encounters so that we didn't have to consume that time in our leadership meeting. It also helped to keep each other accountable to the metrics we set, that every week we would have at least one substantive interaction with one of the families in our assigned "shepherding group." Not that the ultimate goal is making reports and checking off boxes, but dividing a large task into smaller units is usually a good idea.
How does it handle the necessary admin stuff like pay the utilities, etc?"For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." Hosea 6:6
"Theology can be an intellectual entertainment." Metropolitan Anthony Bloom
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Originally posted by Thoughtful Monk View PostI like what your church is doing! How does it handle the necessary admin stuff like pay the utilities, etc?
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Originally posted by RBerman View PostIn our church polity, "elders" are responsible for the spiritual welfare of the congregation, and "deacons" are responsible for the practical issues of the church, based on the division seen in Acts 6. One of the deacons is the church treasurer, for instance, who pays the bills. Other duties of the deacons include upkeep of church property, and making sure the physical needs of the congregation are met-- home repair for widows, gas money for the poor, etc."I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill
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Originally posted by KingsGambit View PostA bit of a side track, but while I think everybody agrees that churches should take care of their own needy congregants, in my town (100,000-ish suburb), most of the Catholic and Protestant churches have joined up to cover various aspects of physical needs for people who walk in needing help. For example, my church helps with gas money, and I think the Presbyterian church handles either coats or has a food pantry. I'm curious if this is a widespread approach.The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.
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Originally posted by KingsGambit View PostA bit of a side track, but while I think everybody agrees that churches should take care of their own needy congregants, in my town (100,000-ish suburb), most of the Catholic and Protestant churches have joined up to cover various aspects of physical needs for people who walk in needing help. For example, my church helps with gas money, and I think the Presbyterian church handles either coats or has a food pantry. I'm curious if this is a widespread approach.
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Originally posted by RBerman View PostMy community has a central registry to which multiple churches contribute. When people come to us and tell us that the central group "won't help them," it's a red flag that there's something wrong with the situation, probably that they've been helped several times before and kept coming back under less and less credible circumstances.
As I have said before, I think we need to be good stewards with all our resources -- in my experience, most people who are truly in need don't ask, and many people who do ask are not truly in need. HOWEVER, I would rather err in giving to somebody who is not truly in need than withholding from somebody who is.
*widows, orphans, and the truly needy not withstandingThe first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.
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