New England Perspectives
A regularly updated collection of articles written by New England leaders and thinkers. Looking for news articles? Click here.
Gaining Altitude: WMU Celebrates 135 Years of SBC Missions
According to an insect identification database, 647 types of bugs and insects are found in Alabama. Some downright scare me. I looked at images of each until I located the entry most resembling the flying insect I watched from a chair on my back deck. I believe it was a common whitetail skimmer dragonfly that captured my attention. I can’t be totally sure since there are 5,000 species of dragonflies. I’m comfortable with that guess since the common whitetail is prevalent in North America.
How to Preach About Giving
Throughout Greater Boston, and across New England, I've had the opportunity to meet many pastors and visit their churches. And I've noticed what I consider to be a detrimental trend: quite a few pastors in New England are very reluctant to preach about giving.
Balancing Your Local and International Missions Efforts
I was asked to consult with a historically strong congregation that once had a fully funded ministry and a full-time, salaried pastor. Their perpetually shrinking budget and unbalanced missions strategy required that a new pastor serve bivocationally, which proved to be a wake-up call for the church members. The church’s commitment to international missions came at the expense of its ministry to internationals now living in their own communities.