BCNE News
The latest news from our network of New England churches. Looking for our New England Perspectives Articles? Click here.
Raising tiny theologians: A matter of life and death
Christianese can really trip people up. Sometimes terminology intimidates well-intentioned Christians when these words are actually filled to the brim with rich, treasurable truths. Take the word “theology” for example. We assume theology is for the scholar, the pastor, the apologist – but never for us. Yet theology is simply the study of God, His existence and attributes and His relationship to His creation. We all have views about these things. That makes us all theologians. And if you’re a parent, then you’re raising tiny theologians.
5 ways to help small groups flourish in 2020
With September comes the beginning of small groups for many churches, and I hope that this is still the case this year! Don’t let the current state of our world distract you from being able to gather your church for small group experiences this fall. Because of the challenging times that we are facing, consider these actions as you get started.
Working through your feelings while pastoring in a pandemic
The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought to the surface many difficult emotions and feelings in people, and pastors have not been immune. Depression, anxiety, fear, frustration, anger, feelings of loss, and loneliness are just a few things that people are dealing with during these unprecedented times.
As pastors, we are often the ones that the people in our churches turn to for spiritual guidance and advice. But what do we do when we are feeling the exact same things while carrying the responsibility of our congregations on our shoulders?
How moving changed my perspective on being “called” to ministry
Before moving to Rhode Island two years ago, I lived most of my life in Florida. Jacksonville is my “hometown,” although I was born in Georgia. It was in Jacksonville that I surrendered my life to Christ and accepted His call to ministry.
Armed with a two-year Bible degree back in 1998, I set off to fulfill my calling. I spent the next 20 years serving in various roles of ministry. It seemed as though the vocational ministry possibilities were abundant while living in Jacksonville. Many of my friends served in part-time or full-time ministry roles. In fact, I was probably in a subculture of Christianity called the “ministry bubble” without even realizing it.
Seven lessons I've learned while ministering in a pandemic
COVID is an accelerant speeding change along. Online education, online platforms and multi-mode communication already existed, but now they are present everywhere. In addition, the pandemic has amplified the stresses that we faced daily and exposed fissures in our homes, relationships and ministries.
An appeal to Heaven: Christ is the only hope for our nation
If we are to truly believe God’s Word, then we must realize that God created us “for such a time as this.”
We say this often, but do we live it out? These are definitely strange times in our culture, and the opportunity to serve God has never been greater. Being a Baby Boomer, I remember well the last big period of upheaval we saw in this nation. There was so much confusion during the 1960s that both a president and a godly man who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ were assassinated in plain sight.
Eating my own crow
Most secular people don’t leave a job for a pay cut – especially a pay cut that totaled 64% of your previous total salary. But when God makes it clear that moving forward with such a large pay cut is the next step, you do it.
Delighting in Christ
Communion with Christ is the sweetest and most valuable treasure of the Christian. It is intimate fellowship with the One who created him and saved him from his sins. It is the abiding in Christ, who is the vine, so that in Him we may bear fruit and so that our desires, affections, will, mind and heart are conformed to Christ, who is the image of God.
Don’t waste this time: Helping your teen live intentionally
As we look ahead to additional time at home and the absence of some extracurricular activities in the months ahead, it’s important to make plans so that we don’t waste these days. We need intentionality to help navigate this season well and not waste these days.
Treasures in jars of clay: The secret to pastoring
Yet as beautiful as that morning was, my heart was torn in the darkness of fear over the future, self-doubt, sadness about past experiences and even grief over my own sin. It seemed these feelings had transitioned from being sporadic visitors in my heart to tenants who had unpacked and begun to pay rent.
Everybody needs somebody sometime
Back in the 90s, Western Union ran a hilarious ad to the tune “Everybody Needs Somebody Sometime.” In the commercial a sushi chef chopping up a cucumber also chops up a man’s credit card. The man calls a friend to send him money via Western Union. Though this commercial hits a comedic tone, the song is a very powerful statement of an important truth. It applies not just when you have lost your credit card but also throughout life.
Youth must be on mission, too
We had just finished roasting marshmallows over the charcoal grill—the coals still hot from the amazing Brazilian BBQ we had eaten. We were all outside, sitting spaced out in a circle, trying our best to do youth group in the “new normal.” But this week I had a challenge for the teens. I announced that we would be helping to launch a brand new youth group on the South Shore of Boston.
What to do when we don’t know what to do
Everything is changing. The ways we live, learn, work and play are all up in the air, and no one knows how things will land. Between the lockdowns, restrictions on gatherings, ongoing riots and protests in our cities, rising crime and racial tensions, it feels like we are lost in the wilderness without a guide. No one knows anything!
Happy birthday, Google: What you need to know about ministering to Gen Z
Did you know Google celebrated its 21st birthday last year? Wait, what?
The millennial generation may have grown up as technology made new strides, but Generation Z has grown up with the world being just a click away, thanks to technology. However, don’t picture today’s kids glued to their computers. Smartphones have taken over their world, and technology is mobile. They don’t follow their parents’ habits of going home and catching up on Facebook. Instead they inhabit a world of constant access to YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram. It is estimated that Gen Z teens receive an average of over 3,000 texts a month!
Our New England Baptist heritage
My 7th great-grandfather, Francis Marion Dorsett, was a Baptist pastor in England at a time when Baptists were not welcome. Baptists were considered countercultural and subversive to society in general because they did not conform to what the broader culture said was acceptable. Seeking the freedom to worship as the Lord was leading him, my forefather immigrated to America before the Revolutionary War. Though he landed in the Northeast, he quickly learned that religious freedom was not as prevalent in New England as he hoped. This led him to move to the mountains of North Carolina where he bought a farm and made a life for himself. He started a family while farming and serving as the bivocational pastor of a local Baptist church.
Healthy transfer growth
In a church revitalization, our hope is to be a disciple-making church pointing the lost to Christ. No one wants to have a church full of transfers (Christians who formerly attended other area churches).
However, sometimes transfer growth is a necessity. In sports, teams that lack key players or strength in certain positions make trades to secure and fill in the holes in their rosters. Church replants, usually with only a few core people to help the pastor, may need members from other churches to come alongside them and help them grow and thrive.
What’s the refrain of your life?
Have you ever been in front of the congregation during singing? If you have, then you know that in most songs the congregation loves to sing the refrain. In fact, very often the congregation struggles or mumbles through the verses of a song, and then, upon reaching the chorus, they wake up and sing with renewed gusto.
Sacrificial leadership gives a glimpse of Christ’s character
How much Netflix have you watched during COVID-19? Or Prime Video, Hulu, or Disney Plus? Be honest. I’m not telling you how much I’ve watched because I don’t want to cause you to stumble into judging me! But I will say that the best thing I’ve watched during this time of lockdown and social distancing, hands down, has been The English Game on Netflix. I’ve never been a big fan of soccer or Downton Abbey, and this show is basically a mash-up of those two, but for some reason, it drew me in like a neon light beckoning a moth.
Four opportunities for growth in crisis
This global pandemic we are facing has given churches a blank slate of opportunity. In conversations with pastors around New England, I have been hearing many insights on how this crisis is forcing churches to rethink and refocus priorities and processes. Here are some lessons churches are learning as they strive to establish the new normal. As obvious as they seem, it is important for us as pastors and leaders to measure how well we are leading our churches in these areas.