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Today’s Buzz:  Getting to Your Church Via Helicopter; Women Pastors Make More than Men; and more!

Orginally published on Thursday, September 06, 2007 at 5:15 AM
by Todd Rhoades

In today's buzz, you'll hear about a pastor that shuttles between his churches locations on Sunday... in a helicopter. Also: Confession is getting a makeover at some Catholic Churches, Jim and Casper go to church; a new study reveals that solo female pastors make more, on average, than their male counterparts, and you'll meet a man that will do just about anything to avoid conflict...

America’s FIRST MegaChurch Celebrates 200 years?
From a press release:  On September 15, The Abyssinian Baptist Church in the City of New York, one of the oldest African-American institutions impacting America, and the nation’s first mega-church, continues its 18-month bicentennial celebration, Abyssinian 200: True to Our God, True to Our Native Land, by returning to its roots—Ethiopia. I understand that this is an african-american church, so it’s off my primary radar, but I’ve not ever heard of Abyssinian.  Could they have been the nation’s first mega-church as they claim?  Anyone else know more of the work of Abyssinian Baptist?

Confession Getting a Makeover at Some Catholic Churches...
Confession is not what it used to be in the Roman Catholic Church; cultural and theological shifts have pushed the age-old sacrament aside. In the mid-1960s, 38 percent of Catholics said they went to confession at least once a month. These days, 2 percent do. More than 40 percent never go.  Church leaders have tried to revive interest in what’s now commonly referred to as reconciliation with tactics as varied as radio ads and a strip-mall chapel dedicated solely to confessions.  The Vatican has allowed priests to do away with the traditional wooden confessional in favor of more relaxed, face-to-face encounters.  Catholics can try absolution-online.com, which invites you to fill a shopping cart with your sins (choices include calumny, vainglory and disregard for the environment). The site, which is not endorsed by the church, then calculates an appropriate penance, say, 228 Hail Marys and 43 Our Fathers… Source:  The Seattle Times

Jim and Casper Go to Church
This is an intriguing idea… Jim Henderson pays people to go to church. In fact, he made national news when he “rented” a soul for $504 on E-Bay after its owner offered an “open mind” to the highest bidder. In Jim & Casper Go to Church, Hendrson hires another atheist--Matt Casper--to visit ten leading churches with him and give the “first impression” perspective of a non-believer. What follows is a startling dialogue between an atheist and a believer seeing church anew through the eyes of a skeptic, and the development of an amazing relationship between two men with diametrically opposing views of the world who agree to respect each others’ space. Here’s a video of the two, discussing how welcomed they felt at most of the large churches they attended:

Need to Get To Your Church’s Other Site?  Use a Helicopter!
Like this guy does… Here’s an interesting story about Pastor Casey Treat and Christian Faith Center of Federal Way, WA.  They are just opening up a new $58 million facility.  But that’s not what caught my eye.  Rather, it was this sentence, buried in the middle of the article:  “Treat and his wife shuttle between their churches by helicopter. If she’s preaching in Mill Creek, he’ll fire up the Federal Way Congregation.” Hmmm… that’s a new one on me.  I know of several private jets out there, but have never heard of shuttling to and from your multi-site via whirlybird.

Stealing and Tax Evasion Pastor Gets Five Years
The Rev. John Henry Walker, accused of tax evasion and stealing from his Charlotte congregation, was sentenced Friday to more than five years in prison.  U.S. District Judge Frank Whitney also ordered the 48-year-old pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church to pay more than $277,000 in restitution to the government.  Walker pleaded guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and lying to federal agents. Though his lawyer asked that Walker remain free long enough to preach a goodbye sermon at his church, the judge ordered marshals to take him immediately into custody to begin serving his sentence.  The courtroom was packed with current and former members of the church, with the pastor’s supporters mostly sitting on one side and his critics on the other. Outside, after the sentencing, emotions flared, with the two sides scuffling and calling each other names. Some angry backers of Walker also charged TV camera crews and photographers, demanding that they stop crowding the path of Walker’s wife, Rosie, an associate minister at the church.  More here...

While We’re at It...
Cornerstone Christian Fellowship draws more than 6,000 people each Sunday.  Their former accountant, who was recently fired after working their for five years, spent the past two nights in the Fourth Avenue Jail after being charged with stealing $400,000 from the church.  Brenda Su Carroll-Nesper, 45, was booked for fraudulent schemes, felony theft, and multiple counts of forgery.  Detectives from the Chandler Police Department’s Financial Crimes and Computer Crimes Units served a search warrant at Nesper’s residence in the 6900 block of South Sharon Court in Chandler on Friday. More than $250,000 in cash, traveler’s checks, money orders, and pre-paid gift cards were recovered, along with over $150,000 in property, including cars, jewelry, and high-end electronics, police said.  SOURCE. QUESTION:  Does your church have accountability measures in place to make sure these two stories don’t happen to you?

Wow!  Solo Female Pastors Earn More than Male Pastors...
Female clergy who serve as full-time solo pastors earn more than their male counterparts, a new study of church workers shows. But women who serve as senior pastors — with other clergy serving beneath them — earn less than males in the same position.  An overwhelming majority of solo pastors responding to a survey by Your Church, a ministry of Christianity Today International, were male. But the 6 percent of respondents who were female reported a total compensation that was 10.4 percent higher than male counterparts.  Looking at salaries and housing alone, researchers found, on average, that the earnings of female solo pastors were 8.7 percent higher than those of males.  The total compensation for female solo pastors was $62,472, compared to $56,558 for their male counterparts. In comparison, the average total compensation for women serving as senior pastors was $66,218, while their male counterparts had an average of $81,432.  More here...

Only Approved Prayers Allowed in Ohio Statehouse...
I’m from Ohio, and this was news to me… haven’t heard this before:  The Ohio House Majority Leader recently said “Majority speaker notified House members of the “increasing tendency of guest invocators to use language referring to a particular deity. If a prayer is not received in writing and approved by the Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a session day, the guest invocator will be asked not to deliver the prayer.” SOURCE

Man Leaps From Car to Avoid Argument with Wife...
Don’t know why, but I found this interesting...Police say the man found injured on I-25 Friday night apparently leapt from a moving vehicle to avoid a verbal argument with his significant other.  Denver Police say the car was being driven by either the man’s wife or girlfriend. They say the woman refused to stop or pull over during the argument, so the man jumped out of the moving car. Authorities say the man suffered non-life-threatening road rash.  Source.


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  There are 11 Comments:

  • Posted by

    [Does your church have accountability measures in place to make sure these two stories don’t happen to you?] Yes. I have absolutely ZERO dollars in my budget that I don’t have to report specifically how they are used. No “discretionary” fund, no “slush” fund. I like it this way. I also have no access to any financial info except reports on the ministries I’m responsible as they are given to me.

    However, as I finalize my projected budget proposal for next year, I am putting a helicopter in there. Because I think I’m worth it.

  • Posted by Brad Raby

    I was pretty sure Ed Young Sr. went to the different @nd Baptist Houstin Campuses by Hellicopter...I’ll have to double check.

  • Posted by Leonard

    I have a guy who drives me to church in a Pinto and makes helicopter sounds when we travel to church, but that is about it.  As for accountability we have a financial oversight team and an executive team.  Pastors do not handle money except for trips and events and usually even then someone else handles it. 

    There have been several people who hired or encouraged atheists to go to a church and give feedback.  My struggle is the bible declares this person a fool. “the fool has said in is heart there is not God” and yet for some reason we have people stop and listen to them as though they are not actually denying the existence of the God I love.  Every atheist I have ever met in some recess of his or her mind thought they were smarter than me because they did not subject themselves to the silliness that is faith in God. 

    No thanks I would rather get my feedback from the Holy Spirit, the bible, my staff, our church, my new Christian buddies finding Christ and my helicopter sound making driver

  • Posted by

    I agree with Leonard.  While it is interesting to hear what the aetheist has to say, I have to scratch my head when someone outside of the church—and the influence of the Holy Spirity—offers their opinions on how we should “do church”.

  • Posted by Stewart

    I’ve worshipped at Abysinnian Baptist on a couple of occasions. It’s in the heart of Harlem. A wonderful church. I don’t know if I would describe it as a megachurch. I guess in terms of size it is and has been for a long time, but I don’t see it in the same way as I see Willow or Saddleback “mega”.

    On female solo pastor’s making more. Did the study do adjustments for urban vs. rural? I would guess that the majority of female solo pastors would be in the highest cost of living areas (northeast and northwest US) and as a result would be paid higher (on average) than male counterparts which are probably more heavily concentrated in the south.

    On approved prayers… I have turned down numerous opportunities to offer “civic” style prayers because I was given a list of prayer rules which included being nonspecific in reference to diety. My issue is that since I am a Christian - there is only one name I know of to pray in. I suppose I don’t have to say it like a magic phrase at the end of each prayer - but when I’m told explicitly not to - that makes it hard.

  • Posted by Eric Joppa

    Leonard,

    I disagree somewhat with your thoughts about having a non-beleiver/atheist give feedback. Biblically you are correct, they are fools who have said that there is no God. However, does that mean that they will be unable to reconcile those beleifs when faced with the truth og God?

    Also, how does it make their input as to their “first impression” of a church invalid or less accurate? If their comments are about theology or spiritual matters, than of course what they have to say there I think is foolishness. But if they are talking about what they gathered about said church on their first visit, and having seen the video above that was all he spoke of, than I think there was alot of very good input and interesting statements about what he expected vs. what he got.

    I think alot of churches say, and forgive me if this sounds a little jaded..."We are not interested in what the world think but only what God thinks”, and then act completely opposite when they will make decisions in order to keep people (christians) happy (i.e. music, decore, preaching a message a specific way, etc.) before they think about what God wants them to do.

    Just my thoughts,

    Eric

  • Posted by

    As an African American, I do know that Abyssinian does have a rich history with Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. being one of the pastors in the early years.  He was very socially minded which put the church in the forefront on many issues.  It would be considered an historical black church.  Check the link out and click on “About ABC” to read more of the church’s history.

  • Posted by

    I also think Abyssinian was the church that Bonhoeffer spent some time at when he was in the states and found it to be a life-changing experience.

  • Posted by reflex sights

    Some interesting facts about the Abyssinian:
    Holy Scripture and theology

    In the Bible abissintsy comprise 81 books, including here, along with the canonical, read their books and Noncanonical apocrypha (Book of Enoch and the Book of anniversaries). In doing so, they have a rare manuscript of Psalms, the Gospel, and missal not profaniruetsya contentious and sometimes explicitly blasphemous base, where the selection of senseless combinations of sounds announced the names of God with magical force, in the mouth and the Holy Mother of God vlagayutsya strange texts, and about them tell incredible stories.

    In Ethiopia, there were unusual hristologicheskie theories, including the doctrine that the United Divine and human nature in Christ occurred only after his pomazaniya with baptism. The exercise has not officially recognized, and most of them disappeared [2].

    Temples

    For a multitude of churches Abissiniya can be sravnivaema only with Russia: the church see the cross on each hill, every hill, every hill. All Abyssinian temples are built far away - far from cities or villages, which belong, a place for them is chosen will certainly sublime, figured prominently. In addition to rectangular with a flat roof and carved into the rock cave temples, the abissintsev now mostly built round, indoor trostnikovoy conical roof temples, where the altar is arranged in the middle of a square room with doors on all four corners of the earth, with the eastern always locked .

    Icon

    Icons neblagoobraznoy, naive and colorful paintings and different extreme meanness, but in general church utensils similar items Orthodox churches.

    Divine service

    Abyssinian Church recognizes seven sacraments, which ranks close to the Orthodox. The baptism of children is committed by (mostly through pouring) in connection with miropomazaniem priest in the Church: on the male sex in the 40 th over the women’s 80-day. Committed to the abissintsev and rite of circumcision, but to explain the defenders Abyssinian Church of the charges it iudeystvovanii, circumcision is taken from abissintsev not to execute the law of Moses, as Jews, but for the sake of folk custom. Apart from circumcision in the Ethiopian church, there are other religious traditions peculiar to Judaism, for example, the use of food and Saturday in observance of the Sabbath (as in Sunday’s) day. This is probably due to the fact that Christianity arrived in Ethiopia directly from Palestine through South Arabia. It is believed that Judaism was known in Ethiopia before the arrival of Christianity.

    Prichaschenie taught under the two types apart. Sacrament of Marriage deterred almost only for clergy and kings, laity, in most cases live in civil marriages who are sometimes in polygamy. The church is fighting against the exclusion from Communion, leaving for the sacrament prichascheniya begin almost only the elderly and children.

    Ordinary service, the same as that of the Orthodox.

    The Ethiopian liturgy is Alexandrian (Coptic) origin, but she has been exposed to the Syrian tradition. Until recently, the liturgy served on the ancient language of Geez. Now, in the parish are increasingly using modern Amharic language.

    The prerequisite for the commission of the liturgy is the presence on the throne of the ark, or tabota (wooden planks with the image of evangelists in the corners and crosses the middle), who also made a obernutym in silk and fees during the godfather of moves. Liturgy always serve at least three priests and two deacons. The Gospel is read by a priest, not the deacon, the last reading only apostle. After a deacon shout: “Pray for peace and kiss each other” (corresponding to our: “love one another ..."), in most churches is Abyssinian mutual kiss. All responses to the clergy vozglasy delivers all the people standing in the temple. In some liturgiynyh prayers and songs are Trisvyatoy monofizitskie appendix.

    Liturgical singing accompanied by the ringing sistrov (drevneegipetskih musical instruments), drums fight, slam’s hands, blows staff on the floor, encouraging moves in ecstasy, begin movement, born a sacred dance, which involved priests.

    On the night of Epiphany is religious procession in the water, accompanied by dancing, and committed a great vodoosvyaschenie, which cross submerged in the shooting is done. In this holiday before sunset, all go into the water and bathed in the prayers of priests.

    Before the holiday Cross Lord put on the area or on the mountain outside the city a huge sheaf of poles, perevyazannyh bright mothers; night, it goes religious procession with torches, which in the Tube sound and shot three times, bypassing the bottle, after which the last strike torches when singing religious Stichera .

    Generally, when its proximity to the Abyssinian Orthodox church along with monofizitskimi inserts obscure and also various kinds of rites taken from other religions.

    Posts

    Posts in time duration and severity of close to the Orthodox, with one difference is not put to us during our week publican and Pharisee of the total for all monofizitam and nestorianam.

    Except for all those abissintsam inherent characteristics that are alien to the true Church of Christ, in the rest of faith and worship Abyssinian or Ethiopian, the church remains close to Orthodoxy, and, according to some modern abissintsy consider themselves quite edinovernymi with Greek, Russian and other Orthodox nations Despite the fact that, as monofizity are in communion with them edinovernymi Coptic and Armenian churches.

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