BCNE News
The latest news from our network of New England churches. Looking for our New England Perspectives Articles? Click here.
Winter reflections
January is a busy time of celebrations. It is the start of a new year, and the month we will hold YEC (Youth Encountering Christ), the BCNE’s winter weekend conference for teens. This month both of these things are on my mind.
Welcome, 2021!
Those dreaded New Year’s resolutions, ugh! In a normal year we might make five or six commitments to do better in various areas of our lives in the New Year, only to break most of them by the end of the month. We all know it’s true, even if we don’t want to admit it.
Three books to hack your 2021
“Auld Lang Syne” swells in the background as you sweep the last bits of Christmas into storage, making way for countdowns and confetti. It’s time to break out your fancy glasses and talk about the dreams you plan to turn into goals, pandemic or no pandemic.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a handful of resources tailored to multiply every ounce of energy you put into meeting those goals? A way to get the biggest bang for your buck?
Obstacles to engaging my community: Part 2
In Part One of this article, I identified two obstacles that impact how I am engaging my community with the Gospel. First, am I waiting/longing for things to return to “normal”? Second, am I only listening to those voices that reinforce what I already think? This article identifies three more obstacles.
Finding Christmas peace that lasts beyond Christmas
We all have our favorite movies that we have watched so many times that there are no surprises left. We know all the characters, all the plot twists and all the subtle details that make the movie so great. Because such movies are our favorites, we want to keep watching them, but because we know them so well, some of the excitement we used to feel about them has faded. Then, along comes one of those “documentaries” about how our favorite movies were made. They reveal the behind the scenes details about the movie, and we fall in love with it all over again because now we know the background of the movie as well as the movie itself.
The wonder of the incarnation
My favorite Christmas movie is Elf. It might just be my favorite movie period, the only one I can watch over and over. Something about Buddy’s “affinity for elf culture” though he is a human, as well as his innocent unawareness of the fact that he sticks out like...well, like a grown man in an elf hat and yellow tights among the working professionals of New York City, is just so endearing. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that Buddy doesn’t realize he’s a human, though nothing about the miniature elf world he’s grown up in suits him. It isn’t until falling behind in his toy production that he overhears a couple of elves whispering about him: “Well, if he hasn’t figured out he’s a human by now, I don't think he ever will.”
Obstacles to engaging my community: Part 1
In a recent email this caught my eye “your experience . . . caught our attention . . .your skill set, and background mirror our current franchise owners.” I was intrigued, so I kept reading.
What was the franchise offer that they thought would connect with my values and interests? Owning and managing a boxing for fitness franchise! This sounds like a great idea and a great platform for physical fitness, but there is nothing about me that makes one think of boxing! It was like they were speaking a foreign language to me.
Christ is nearer than you think
Christmas will be different this year.
Changes, disruptions and difficulties have marked this year, and now we turn the corner towards a Christmas season that will, for many of us, be one more cruel reminder of how trying this year has been.
A blue (collar) Christmas
It was my father who first called my attention to the visitors in the Christmas story. “Look how the wealthy and highly educated wise men had to travel hundreds of miles, guided only by a star in order to greet the Son of God. And yet, the poor shepherds just doing their jobs were visited by millions of angels and only had to walk down the street.” It was always clear to my dad that the Lord had a special affection for the working class, while he was not all that impressed with the well-spoken “elites.”
Technology is our friend
Many years ago I was at a national meeting and heard Ed Stetzer, a well-known missiologist, say “facts are our friends.” That always stuck with me, and during this pandemic, I have coined the phrase that “technology is our friend!” I know that adjusting to new technology has not been easy, but it certainly has provided a way to interact with our congregations, and I believe we need to embrace it as a “friendly” alternative.
Lessons from The Grinch
In a year of true controversy and arguing with loved ones in person and “friends” on social media about masks, politics and why the Sox traded Mookie, I’ve got one more question that could spark some controversy and heightened feelings:
Which of the Grinch movies is your favorite?
Ten shifts New England churches are making
The metrics of the church scorecard are changing at a fast and furious rate during the pandemic. In the past few months, we have seen drastic shifts in our New England churches as they adapt to their new normal of functioning. Although there are struggles, most churches are showing clear signs of perseverance, persistence, and engagement. Here are ten positive changes our BCNE Church Growth Team has seen in the last few months.
Understanding the enemies of the church
Historically, there have been two great enemies of the church: persecution and heretical teaching. Some might have guessed that one of those two enemies might be the devil. Certainly, the devil is an enemy of the church and desires nothing more than its destruction. The New Testament does not avoid his present reality (Eph 1:19-21, 6:11; 2Tim 2:26). However, when you read the New Testament, the epistles have much more to say concerning the threats of false doctrine and persecution.
Fruitful ministry hides in plain sight
It’s like searching everywhere for your glasses while wearing them on your head, or looking for your cell phone while holding it in your hand: sometimes we overlook fruitful places of ministry located right in front of us. You could say they are hidden in plain sight.
Understanding digital generations
Some experts say that we have five to six generations living on the earth right now. These generations can actually be broken into four digital categories in a technological world. During this year’s pandemic, these categories became evident and naturally shifted people’s perspectives, resulting in the tensions we feel regarding technology and over the way we communicate.
Faith and thanksgiving
Ever since I can remember, Thanksgiving has been my favorite annual holiday. We were a typical New England family that would prepare a typical New England Thanksgiving feast, and as we sat around the table everyone would express one thing they were thankful for. As a young boy I thought it was pretty cool that a federal government would set aside one day each year for its citizens to stop their busy lives and gather with family to give thanks for the blessings bestowed upon us. This led to a lifelong infatuation with Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower and these courageous folks that travelled across the Atlantic Ocean in the fall of 1620.
When everything falls apart
In 2018 my world imploded spectacularly. It was a series of events that would have made Jerry Springer proud. I’m sure it made the devil cheer. And there was absolutely no hiding it or containing it.
Don’t get me wrong – I had been through the wringer numerous times before. But for a former missionary with a Type A personality, these circumstances were almost more than I could bear. And yet, after a little bit of time and space, I can see how times of incredible suffering lead to God-sized opportunities.
Learning to practice gratitude
The year 2006 began like any other year – slow and steady. But by March, everything began to spiral out of control. My mother unexpectedly passed away while on vacation, my daughter began to have major issues at school, and I found myself the primary care-giver to an aging parent. Everything was overwhelming me, and I just couldn’t seem to get out of a very real funk.
SC Baptist meet New England needs during pandemic
It didn’t take long for New England Baptists to realize that the quarantining was going to last longer than a couple of weeks – and that the climate created by the pandemic was making people in search of hope more open to hearing the Gospel.
But with giving down in most local churches and an indefinite freeze on over $180,000 in evangelism and church planting development funds from national partner NAMB, what could be done?
Know your town: The key to starting ministry in a new location
I was coaching a church planter recently who is soon to move to the community where he is going to plant his life, his family and his sense of mission for years to come. He has sought the Lord for a long time, and is now only days until he lives in the city and plants the church for which God has been preparing him. In our conversation I asked him, “What are you going to do first when you get there and get everything unpacked?”