As our world responds to the COVID-19 outbreak by staying home, many churches are scrambling to keep the Body of Christ connected. At Saint James in West St Paul, thanks to some expertise among some of our staff, a passionate … Continue reading →
Church attendance is down. That’s partly due to living in a post-churched culture and partly due to more activities that compete for time. People’s schedules are jammed, and for many, church is less essential than so many other agenda items. … Continue reading →
A little background: When the church first started, it met with a lot of opposition. It was a pre-churched culture, where people didn’t know what Christianity was about and had never heard of some Hebrew preacher named Jesus of Nazareth. … Continue reading →
This summer, we ran a week-long morning camp for age 10–high school to teach kids some acting skills, discuss our hope in Christ, and give them an opportunity to express that to others. We culminated in a final performance that … Continue reading →
Here’s a quick description of Shepherd of the Ridge, North Ridgeville, OH‘s guest integration system: Integration Our guest integration process is customized based on a person’s first Point of Contact, how they first encounter us. Road Sign 2 “Reserved for First … Continue reading →
Churches don’t have to keep being ineffective in their communities and even within their walls. Pastor Dale Critchley offers a wide variety of tips to help churches of any size to fulfill the mission to which God called them.
This talk was originally shown at the Transforming Communities Worship Conference in Cleveland on May 18, 2013.
via Do’s and Dont’s of Transforming Towards Church Growth #TCWC13 – YouTube.
DiscipleQuest: a lifelong quest for spiritual growth, discovery, and action. DiscipleQuest is open to anyone in 6th grade or anytime afterward and continues for a lifetime. Participants are taught to teach, trained to train, and coached to coach. While the … Continue reading →
Term Papers and Bible Studies in Practical Theology Note: Liturgical resources have moved to the Liturgies page. Evangelism Halloween Jn 3.16 Tract: A half-page tract to be handed out with candy on halloween. Customize with your church info. New Neighbor Letter … Continue reading →
Image via Wikipedia
Last month, I challenged all of you to intentionally seek out those in your life who are not connected with a church. I’ve seen some of that happen already, which I find encouraging, and I look forward to meeting more of your friends and neighbors.
But a life of discipleship goes beyond Sunday morning (or Wednesday evening). Remembering the Sabbath means remembering Christ, our Sabbath rest, Who brings our worries and cares to an end and gives comfort and peace every day.
What does that look like? In many ways, it’s a matter of living out your vocations: doing your job to the best of your ability with the knowledge that you do that job to glorify God, loving your spouse with the same love Christ and His church share, loving and teaching your children (no matter how old) about our loving Savior by telling them about and showing forgiveness to them.
It also means being in the Word and prayer every day. Set aside time each day for prayer. For different people, that can mean different things. Maybe for you, the best time is right before bedtime or when you get up in the morning. Maybe it would work best for you to pray before supper, but instead of “Come, Lord Jesus,” take a couple minutes to give each person in the family to pray together about whatever is on the mind and end with a prayer thanking God for providing food. (Parents, this will also help you know what’s on your kids’ minds.)
I’d also like to see everyone involved in at least one group Bible study each week. If none of the studies we offer on Sunday morning or evening work for you, talk to some friends, whether from Shepherd of the Ridge or other Christians, and find a time you can get together with them each week for a round table-style Bible study, where each person reads a verse or paragraph and offers a thought about how that passage applies to your life. Another impromptu method of study is to work through a book of the Bible, asking how each passage relates to God’s plan of salvation. Think of it as a group getting together each week to solve a mystery, and work together to unlock that from the passage.
If you’ve gotten this far and said, “None of that will work for me,” then this is your chance to get creative. Don’t give up! Maybe you have coworkers who’d like to share a devotion during your lunch break. Maybe you have Facebook friends who’d like to discuss a passage on your “wall” each day. If you have friends or relatives you call regularly on the phone, suggest doing a phone study with them!
What other suggestions do you have? Leave a comment below!
