2. Another great question! The church I grew up in made ministry shares "collection only" at the time of the Calvin College evolution debate in the 80s/90s so that people didn't have to support Calvin through their ministry shares. I always wondered how many other churches did the same.
3. Yet another great question (this topic would make a great denominational survey . . . although I suppose churches are sort of surveyed out). The church I attend now has people go up and bring their own offerings as part of worship.
He is known in secular academic and scientific circles as a buffoon and a chronic liar.
[/quote]
A reminder of the comment policy:
"Address Issues, Not People -- In general, comments should focus on an issue. The Network is a place to talk with others, not about others. If you refer to a person or group, take extra care to be honest, respectful, and polite. Remember that they are your brothers and sisters in Christ, and should not have to join your discussion to defend themselves. Accusations, labeling, or name-calling directed at individuals or groups will not be tolerated."
I did not flag this comment for review but thought a reminder was in order.
I was wondering about debit cards too. I almost never carry cash unless I'm going to the farmer's market. Bills are all autopay. I don't use credit cards except for work. Seems to me that the statistic might not be a cause/effect relationship. Maybe people who use cash tend to spend less in general and wouldn't change if they switched to credit . . . or maybe people who spend more are more likely to use credit and that wouldn't change if they switched to cash.
Maybe a better question for discussion is, "What should Christians buy?"
Please clarify what you mean by conservative political and economic views. As someone who would put herself in the fiscally conservative but socially liberal camp, I have not felt excluded by the denomination but rather the two political parties that we have in the U.S.
I just spent some time with CRWM and World Renew missionaries from West Africa. I can tell you that through patience and genuine relationships, Muslims are coming to Christ. I cannot give you statistics or numbers. But for those who have been saved, I am grateful to God.
I think developing a theme is a great idea. It will help provide a mental box for people to fit things into. A brochure that provides all the ways that people can get involved would help cement the connectedness in people's minds. Some people will naturally be drawn to one aspect of it or another, and that's OK. As long as they see that it's for a broader goal within the church's vision/mission.
I go back and forth on this too. It's easy to point fingers and say "it should be done this way," "we don't want to reinforce old ideas," but the reality is that we have to meet our constituents where they are. For many, that means deacons take care of the local benevolence and the missions committee decides which missionaries to support. Others have developed a missional strategy for the whole church which incorporates local and global missions, enabling everyone in the congregation (all ages, all talents) to support the unique calling of their church. In the short time I've been doing church missions coaching, I have yet to see a church very far along in the latter.
For those of you looking to do local missions, I encourage you to check out the Deacons forum - or go directly to www.communitiesfirstassociation.org :-)
To clarify about my suggestion to go to the deacons section - I certainly didn't mean to imply that deacons are the select few to DO the work of local outreach and evangelism. Rather, they are to be the encouragers and equippers for the congregation. That's a whole other topic, though ;-)
Allen, how is all that experience and resourcing being promoted and distributed to our churches? I didn't see much info on the home missions website, but it's quite possible I'm just not looking in the right place. I think it would be great if HM could write some articles for the network.
It can be a bit difficult to navigate all the links. CRWM in Canada is working on church to church partnerships in Cuba. What kinds of resources would be helpful? I think that the cultural resources are applicable to Cuba as well.Even if you are not focusing specifically on development/diaconal work, as CRWRC emphasizes, the disproportionate amount of money between the two groups is an issue that will need to be addressed.
Hopefully Steve or Trish will chime in here as they have more experience with Cuba specifically.
It might also be good if you started a conversation in the Discussion Forum so that others in church to church partnerships can respond and share ideas.
Posted in: How many churches no longer take special offerings?
1. Yes.
2. Another great question! The church I grew up in made ministry shares "collection only" at the time of the Calvin College evolution debate in the 80s/90s so that people didn't have to support Calvin through their ministry shares. I always wondered how many other churches did the same.
3. Yet another great question (this topic would make a great denominational survey . . . although I suppose churches are sort of surveyed out). The church I attend now has people go up and bring their own offerings as part of worship.
Posted in: Creation vs Evolution: Impact on Witness and Faith
[quote=Norm Prenger]
He is known in secular academic and scientific circles as a buffoon and a chronic liar.
[/quote]
A reminder of the comment policy:
"Address Issues, Not People -- In general, comments should focus on an issue. The Network is a place to talk with others, not about others. If you refer to a person or group, take extra care to be honest, respectful, and polite. Remember that they are your brothers and sisters in Christ, and should not have to join your discussion to defend themselves. Accusations, labeling, or name-calling directed at individuals or groups will not be tolerated."
I did not flag this comment for review but thought a reminder was in order.
Posted in: When will we have an article about the tragic losses in Calgary Alberta & area because of the flooding?
World Renew is responding http://worldrenew.net/our-stories/world-renew-responds-alberta-floods
Posted in: Should Christians Use Credit Cards?
I was wondering about debit cards too. I almost never carry cash unless I'm going to the farmer's market. Bills are all autopay. I don't use credit cards except for work. Seems to me that the statistic might not be a cause/effect relationship. Maybe people who use cash tend to spend less in general and wouldn't change if they switched to credit . . . or maybe people who spend more are more likely to use credit and that wouldn't change if they switched to cash.
Maybe a better question for discussion is, "What should Christians buy?"
Posted in: Political Diversity
Please clarify what you mean by conservative political and economic views. As someone who would put herself in the fiscally conservative but socially liberal camp, I have not felt excluded by the denomination but rather the two political parties that we have in the U.S.
Posted in: What Is the Real Impact of Muslim Relations?
I just spent some time with CRWM and World Renew missionaries from West Africa. I can tell you that through patience and genuine relationships, Muslims are coming to Christ. I cannot give you statistics or numbers. But for those who have been saved, I am grateful to God.
Posted in: How Is It?
I think developing a theme is a great idea. It will help provide a mental box for people to fit things into. A brochure that provides all the ways that people can get involved would help cement the connectedness in people's minds. Some people will naturally be drawn to one aspect of it or another, and that's OK. As long as they see that it's for a broader goal within the church's vision/mission.
Posted in: Ministry Shares
also, believe it or not, there are churches that do not use email. I've found this more true in the US than in Canada.
Posted in: How Is It?
I go back and forth on this too. It's easy to point fingers and say "it should be done this way," "we don't want to reinforce old ideas," but the reality is that we have to meet our constituents where they are. For many, that means deacons take care of the local benevolence and the missions committee decides which missionaries to support. Others have developed a missional strategy for the whole church which incorporates local and global missions, enabling everyone in the congregation (all ages, all talents) to support the unique calling of their church. In the short time I've been doing church missions coaching, I have yet to see a church very far along in the latter.
For those of you looking to do local missions, I encourage you to check out the Deacons forum - or go directly to www.communitiesfirstassociation.org :-)
Posted in: How Is It?
To clarify about my suggestion to go to the deacons section - I certainly didn't mean to imply that deacons are the select few to DO the work of local outreach and evangelism. Rather, they are to be the encouragers and equippers for the congregation. That's a whole other topic, though ;-)
Allen, how is all that experience and resourcing being promoted and distributed to our churches? I didn't see much info on the home missions website, but it's quite possible I'm just not looking in the right place. I think it would be great if HM could write some articles for the network.
Posted in: How Is It?
Sorry Allen D - I was responding to Allen L's post :-)
Posted in: How Is It?
Hello aguilla1,
It can be a bit difficult to navigate all the links. CRWM in Canada is working on church to church partnerships in Cuba. What kinds of resources would be helpful? I think that the cultural resources are applicable to Cuba as well.Even if you are not focusing specifically on development/diaconal work, as CRWRC emphasizes, the disproportionate amount of money between the two groups is an issue that will need to be addressed.
Hopefully Steve or Trish will chime in here as they have more experience with Cuba specifically.
It might also be good if you started a conversation in the Discussion Forum so that others in church to church partnerships can respond and share ideas.