BCNE News
The latest news from our network of New England churches. Looking for our New England Perspectives Articles? Click here.
What do you believe about stewardship? Part 2
In Part One of “What Do You Believe About Stewardship” we considered stewardship in light of the ownership of God—I am the creation of God and I am made in the image of God. Now let’s look closer at what it means to be a steward or manager. As Genesis 1:26 makes clear those who are made “in the image of God” are to “subdue and rule” over the rest of creation of God. We are given the task of managing the creation of God. That management was done in the context of relationship with God—as created to Creator and as image of God to God.
Stewarding the senses: Redeeming sensuality
I’m making tacos tonight: pork shoulder slow cooked until it’s falling off the bone, fresh lime and cilantro, a bit of arugula, some fried plantains and homemade guacamole on the side. The many flavors give me a window into the vibrancy of God the Creator. Yes, tacos can be an entry way into worship. And they should be. The senses – hearing, sight, smell, taste, touch – are incredible gifts from God, given to His beloved creation as avenues by which to know Him better, by which we know His love, and through which we learn to long for Him more and more. They are designed to point us to a Creator who is even bigger than what we can know, taste, or touch.
Peace of God
I remember hearing the phrase “guard your heart” many times as a kid. As a young girl this was often said to me about dating, which I did not find too applicable for myself as a 13-year-old uninterested in dating (the only prospects for me at the time were smelly middle school boys). As I got older, I was told to “guard my heart” against false idols, temptations, and fears. I did find this applicable as a 20-something-year-old… until I realized how difficult it is to guard my own heart out of my own strength. The more people told me to “guard my heart” with no explanation, the more confused I was on what it even meant.
Virtual gatherings in the "new normal"
As COVID-19 concerns and precautions begin to fade, many of us are anxiously looking forward to getting back to the active life and ministry we once knew. A big temptation in this moment can be to jump right back into the routines and patterns we had pre-pandemic and try to pretend the last year and a half never happened. As difficult as the pandemic has been for all of us, we need to stop to consider the blessings that have come out of this season and the things that we can carry with us moving forward to strengthen our ministry. I believe one of the blessings the Church has been given during the pandemic is the widespread adoption of virtual meetings.
Are they with us?
Waging war against our cultural and theological enemies is not what Christ taught us. Jesus taught his disciples principles of Christian nonaggression.
Is your church really welcoming to visitors?
I know I have talked about this subject a couple years ago, but with so many churches seeing a lot of first-time visitors enter through their doors I felt it was important to revisit this subject. I have pastored and visited churches where the statement was made (usually by regular attenders) about how friendly their church was. But when one drills down below the spoken statements, you find your church may not be as friendly and welcoming as you might think. Most churches are friendly to people they see on a weekly basis. If you want to find out how friendly and welcoming you are, ask a couple of people to visit anonymously and then bring you a report on their experience. You may be surprised.
Praying for the most strategic mission field
This fall students will attend college on the campuses of New England: students from the region, the Northeast, every state in the country, nearly every protectorate of the country, and nations spanning the globe. As students live, study, recreate, and make friendships on a localized campus community, they crystalize the worldview, habits, and relationships that will propel them for life. On campuses all across our New England region, nearly one million students will be making decisions that will guide their lives — and eternities — in real time.
The power of persistence
I recently came across an interesting survey about prayer done during the pandemic. It was conducted by the Cultural Resource Center at Arizona Christian University on behalf of the Presidential Prayer Team. They discovered that 66% American adults pray at least once a week and another 10% reported they pray at least once a month. According to this survey, prayer is the most widely practiced religious activity today. Even with these impressive stats, people still report struggling with their prayer life. In this same survey, only 2% said they were satisfied with their prayer life.
Three tactical strategies for church revitalization
Revitalization takes an engagement process of continual thinking and planning for renewal and how it will impact your life as a pastor. Most scenarios of church revitalization are not as extreme as mine; however, all church revitalizations bring unique situations, obstacles, and challenges. Regardless of your situation, there are practical insights and strategies you can use as you enlist in this vital work.
Senior adult, you are loved and needed
In our world that so often prizes and idolizes youth, it can be hard to sense that “Gray hair is a crown of glory” (Prov. 16:31). As I’ve talked over the years with those who are retired and beyond, I’ve noticed that many think they’ve lost their place in society and the church.
When spiritual leaders hurt others
Looking at humanity, I tend to expect bad news. I know I’m a mess; I’m capable of absolute darkness. But when I look at the church I expect unity, humility, righteousness. In light of the #metoo movement, the #churchtoo movement, and recent allegations of hidden sexual abuse and scandal from large Christian organizations and respected leaders, it is clear that the church is not above the same corrupting evil that is in the world. Power and money talk, and out of fear or disbelief people listen.
SBC 2021: This year’s family reunion
Some of my favorite childhood memories involve attending family reunions. It was always fun to visit with cousins and other kin we hadn’t seen in a long time and catch up on what was happening in their lives. There was always lots of good food. We never failed to have a little business session where we elected a secretary who kept everyone’s address current and a president who was responsible for making arrangements for the location and date of the next reunion. There was usually at least one moment during the reunion that involved a little drama about something. We learned to take it in stride because it was just part of being in a family.
The cocoon or the cross
“We cultivate indifference as a cocoon.” These words from James K.A. Smiths’ book “On the Road with St Augustine” leapt off the page and landed so viscerally that I let out a gasp, closing both the book and my eyes under the piercing accuracy of this one weighty sentence. Regardless of the rest of Smith’s book, this sentence had my attention. My pastor often says that “the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.” I wholeheartedly agree. I see this insidiousness go undetected within myself, and I see it applauded in the world around me, masquerading synonymously as the secular virtue of tolerance.
Innkeepers see Luther Rice homesite as regional center for hospitality and networking
If somehow a science-fiction time machine deposited Luther Rice on his boyhood farm in Northborough, the famed Baptist missions pioneer would be surprised by its astounding development as a center for missions and ministry throughout the six-state New England region, but not by the hospitality with which Donna and Roy Carlin, the latest in a line of Rice Lodge innkeepers, welcomed him back home.
Church Connections initiative forges missionary relationships
My family’s involvement in Church Connections has provided opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships to be formed between our family and Southern Baptist churches. Through these new relationships, we have been encouraged, prayed over and sent out as we walked through a difficult season of transition to a new field of service in northwest London. As we’ve connected, churches have heard our gratitude for their giving as well as stories of how their generosity has made an impact across the globe.
Read carefully, you might hear yourself singing
Years ago I enjoyed the television show, “Storage Wars”. If you are unfamiliar with the show, people would bid on unclaimed storage units (and all of the contents that these unclaimed units held). Normally these storage units were unclaimed for a reason—they didn’t have anything of particular value in them. But there would be times where unexpected treasures would be uncovered in these long-forgotten storage units and the participants on the show would find that a storage unit they spent $200 to purchase actually contained $30,000 worth of goods.
Effective leadership in an ineffective culture
“Every time our church starts moving forward, something happens that sets us back. Our leadership just doesn’t seem to know how to get us over the hump to the next level,” lamented a key lay leader in one of our BCNE churches. I wish this was an isolated incident, but sadly, I have some version of this conversation often.
The Old Testament as Christian Scripture
Why would a Christian spend time trying to understand the Old Testament? Surely, we’re no longer under the old covenant, but the new covenant. Shouldn’t we, as New Testament Christians, simply pay attention to the latter part of our Bible? Paul gives us an answer in Romans 15, verse 4. It reads, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.”
Give them good songs
I can’t help but chuckle as my small family sings to the Lord during family worship. We rarely sing in the right pitch, we fumble over lyrics, and our ability to keep the correct tune is inconsistent. We don’t play any instruments, which would help guide us or at least drown us out a bit. It’s truly a sound only the Lord and a mother could love. One might wonder, if our talents are so pitiful and possibly even painful to the ear, why sing to the Lord during family worship? Why not just read the Scriptures and pray?
Strange baggage but confident hope
My wife and I often joke about how different we are when it comes to packing for a trip. Days before we leave she meticulously makes a list of everything that will be needed on the trip, while I start to pack an hour or so before we are supposed to depart. Neither of us understands how the other one operates, but it works for us.
Yet, for as strange as we both think the other one is when it comes to packing, there’s something nestled at the very end of Genesis that would strike both of us (and probably you!) as very odd about what the people of Israel would need to pack and take with them when they leave Egypt in the exodus.