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Church Boxing: Saturday Night Slam Service!
A special thanks to Alex Klimchuk for sending me this link. Alex is the pastor of a Sioux Falls, SD church that was recently featured in USA Today. Here's part of the article:
Jerry James took a right to the chops for Jesus the other night. Clad in sweats, boxing gloves and headgear, the former standout amateur boxer stood inside the ropes during the homily Saturday night at New Life Church in Sioux Falls. The church bulletin referred to it as "Saturday Night Slam." But Pastor Alex Klimchuk's intent in turning his altar into a boxing ring was more enticement than entertainment. "We try to reach out to those who aren't already going, who think church is boring," says Klimchuk, 30. "The truth is, the church is having problems getting young men inside them. So we ask, 'What will reach the guys?' This seems like a perfect answer."
For three weeks last month, the church used a fight ring as a parable for the spiritual battles of mankind. New Life staged a tae kwon do bout and submission matches. James and four other pugilists went through a half-dozen two-minute rounds of sparring in front of 75 to 100 mostly young males. It is putting on a self-defense program.
Each round was followed by a message from Pastor Alex...
Chris Elrod writes, "This is Pete. Pete has smoked since he was teenager. Pete struggled most of his life with alcohol. Pete used to shoot people when he’d get angry. Pete spent 15 years behind bars. Pete has cancer…a bunch of cancer. Pete has been given only a few months to live. Pete has a tattoo on his leg that says “Hell Bound”. Pete won’t be going there. Pete came to know Jesus two weeks ago. Pete was baptized today." But there's a story behind how this happened...
Evangelism: The Power of “THE ASK”
Mark Beeson: Leverage Your Evangelism Moments
Mark Beeson is the Senior Pastor of Granger Community Church, and has recently started blogging! (No, that's not a picture of him!) Today, Mark has a great post on evangelism moments that I think you'll enjoy. It has to do with a gorilla, and opportunities to share Christ...
Today’s Marching Orders: Go Make Disciples
Go make disciples… These are the marching orders of our friend, Jesus. On the surface it seems simple and sometimes when we read the accounts in the book of Acts the details of how disciples were made gets lost in the fact that people were converted. Of course Jesus makes it easy to understand, travel with 12 guys for three plus years and “viola’” you have disciples. I have been in ministry over 25 years and still struggle to make disciples, but here are a few of my random thoughts that I am trying to flesh out as I endeavor to carry out the marching orders of my friend, Jesus.
Do We Need to Get Permission to Give Away Water?
Here's an interesting tongue-in-cheek answer to this question: "I am trying to start the new servant evangelism ministry in our church and am having some trouble. We would like to start with something simple, like handing out water. We are looking at places that will not effect their sales, but reach a decent amount of people. Most companies have turned us down when we ask for permission to hand out water one Saturday. Do you have any advice on getting past this? Thanks, Larry"
The State of Church Planting USA
I'm very proud of my affiliation with Leadership Network. This week, they have just released a major study on Church Planting that you need to know about. As my boss and friend Dave Travis (the Managing Director at LN) said, "Most church-planting studies tend to look at either a very narrow slice of church planting or developments on a global scale. In commissioning this study, our goal was to review the current state of U.S. church-planting efforts -- and begin to assess what today's reality means for the next generation of planters." Here are the major findings from the survey:
Jesus Loves You Britney - Church Reaches Out to Britney Spears
One day soon, a package will arrive in pop star Britney Spears’ mailbox, postmarked Lexington, Ky., and filled with letters bearing this general message: Britney, Jesus loves you. The congregation of Southland Christian Church loves you as Jesus loves you. We are praying for you. The idea for the package came to Southland senior pastor Jon Weece, as week after week, he saw news of Spears’ downward spiral.
Mariner’s Canine Ministry Helps Break the Ice
The dogs were decked out in sweaters and birthday hats. They had cold snouts, soft coats and the dispositions of Job. For more than an hour on a recent Saturday, they sat beneficently as dozens of children petted them. According to an article in the LA Times, they are members of the canine ministry at Irvine's Mariners Church, which organizers say may be one of a kind. Its mission: to put people at ease and begin a process that could lead them to God. "They are able to break down walls that we often can't," said Sheree King, a Mariners outreach director. "The dogs facilitate relationships. They start a conversation" ultimately enabling church members to make their pitch.
Why do pastors leave the ministry? Several common issues emerge from the research of Dean Hoge and Jacqueline Wenger: preference for another form of ministry, the need to care for children or family, conflict in the congregation, conflict with denominational leaders, burnout or discouragement, sexual misconduct, and divorce or marital problems. Of these factors, which form the basis for the central chapters of Pastors in Transition, two are especially important: conflict and a preference for specialized ministry. A close third is the experience of burnout, discouragement, stress and overwork. As the authors explore these factors, they provide significant insights into what can be done to help people stay in ministry. The bestselling author of "The Message" challenges believers to read the Scriptures on their own terms, as God's revelation, and to live them as they read them. Based on his extensive experience as coach and mentor to many thousands of Christian leaders across a broad spectrum of ministry settings, Reggie McNeal helps spiritual leaders understand that they will self-select into or out of greatness.
Pastors In Transition: Why Clergy Leave Local Church Ministry
Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading
Practicing Greatness: 7 Disciplines of Extraordinary Spiritual Leaders
Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.
- on Jim Tomberlin: Multi-Site Church Trends for 2009
- on 15 Innovations the Church Should Embrace Now...
- Top Law on Bill Hybels: The Goal of the Church is to Make Believers Independent
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