MondayMorningInsight - Leadership & Encouragement for Church Leaders

Today’s Buzz: New Life Votes on New Pastor; Free iTunes, the SBC President on Blogs, and

Posted by: Todd
Posted on: Tue, August 28, 2007
Viewed 39
(6) comments so far

It’s Official… Brady Boyd to Head New Life Church
The Rev. Brady Boyd, an associate senior pastor at Southlake’s Gateway Church, was overwhelmingly approved Monday night as senior pastor of the 10,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., replacing the Rev. Ted Haggard. Brady received more than 95 percent approval from church members. Boyd, 40, was selected from dozens of candidates by a search committee at the nondenominational Colorado church. He preached three Sundays at New Life to give congregation members a chance to evaluate him before the vote. Boyd, a former radio broadcaster and pastor in Hereford, helped train leaders at the 12,000-member Gateway church near Dallas Source.

Church Offers Free iTunes to Visitors
Church by the Glades is hoping to bribe - its word - new people into attending. Anyone who comes to its iThemed services for the first time during the next three weekends can get a $15 iTunes gift card by filling out a “connection card.” Today, one new visitor will win an iPhone. The series of sermons is called “i: Successful Living in a Self-Absorbed World.” The iDea came from David Hughes, the Baptist church’s breezy pastor. “I’m an iPod guy,” he said. American preachers have always employed creative methods, including rousing music, tent revivals and wagon rides to church, said Southern Baptist Convention spokesman Roger S. “Sing” Oldham. “The method is fair game as long as it’s not illegal, immoral or against scripture,” Oldham said. “The message must never be compromised.” In January, Church by the Glades put a head-snapping message on a billboard in Broward County: “The Bare Naked Truth on Sex,” drawing 50,000 hits on its Web site, http://www.cbglades.com. In Hughes’ eight-year tenure, weekend attendance has grown from 500 to 2,500. “I can’t reach them if they don’t come in the door,” he said. SOURCE

Craig Groeschel on Time Management
Craig has a great post here on how he helps manage his time. Here are some tidbits: He’s forcing himself to limit his use of technology. (He’s set up strict guidelines for how much he checks email; and uses others to help him screen out the unimportant ones); He takes regular blogging breaks (You know, I just took my first blogging break in three years, and I realize I need to do that more often); He disconnects from ministry better while he’s home (that means less phone calls, less computer, less TV, and paying more attention to his family); He’s taking more time off (He’s taking ALL of his allotted time off, and even considering taking a month-long sabbatical); and, get this… it sounds so simple: He’s spending more time alone with God. (That’s probably the best time management thing anyone could do!)

SBC President Frank Page Chimes in On Using Blogs During Church Conflict...
“It just presents a very poor and very public airing of the dirty laundry in church business,” he said. “I’m trying to tell churches, please, let’s deal with our problems in a more civil and, yes, more private fashion.” (I couldn’t agree more, Frank!) Source.

Free Conference Downloads on Worship, Life, God
Sovereign Grace Ministries is making a tremendous number of MP3 teaching sessions available for free download--no registration required. This is a tremendous opportunity to pick up some great teaching on worship, God and the Christian life. Source.

Michael Vick Finds Jesus?
Let’s hope he’s for real… more here.

Christianity Today Piece on Watchdog Christianity
Great quote: “No attribute of civilized life seems more under attack than civility. If Christians blast each other from here to eternity with characterizations that differ little from the coarse vulgarity of cable TV, where on earth is the witness that brings grace and savor to our crumbling civilization? Where is the gentleness, modesty, and wisdom with which we are supposed to shame those who mock and accuse the Body of Christ from outside? Christians should set an example. By all means criticize fellow Christians if necessary, but do so with grace.” More here.

Iran Cuts Down on Haircuts
Iran has shut down barber shops offering unconventional Western hair styles amid a police crackdown on dress deemed un-Islamic, reports said. “Over the past 15 days, 13 barbers’ shops that had not respected the union’s directives have been closed down,” police commander Mohammad Ali Najafi said. He told the Etemad daily that the barbers’ union had banned eyebrow-plucking for men as well as “deviant Western styles”. “Eleven women’s beauty saloons were also shut down for not having a licence or for violations such as tattooing, which is banned by a health ministry directive,” he added. Tehran’s barbers’ union said in April that police had issued a directive forbidding its members from giving men offbeat hairstyles. The directive also banned the use of cosmetics in male salons. Shoulder-length, spiky or heavily gelled styles for men have long angered Iran’s religious conservatives. Police also launched a renewed crackdown last month against women whose skimpy headscarves or figure-hugging clothing violate the dress code in force in Iran. SOURCE

A whole bunch of stuff in today's buzz: New Life get's a new post-Haggard pastor (you know, I'm wondering if Ted's letter asking for support was released last week just to get some attention away from this announcement... cynical, I know... but could it be?); a church is offering free iTunes to visitors; Craig Groeschel with some great time management ideas; The SBC President chimes in on blogging; some great free conference downloads, Michael Vick finds Jesus; Christianity Today on "Watchdog Christianity"; and Iran is now cutting down on haircuts! Whew... that's a lot for one day! Here we go...

Comments

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Wendi on Tue, August 28, 2007

Regarding Vick’s conversion . . .

Let’s give some time to see if there is fruit before we speculate about his genuineness. For one thing, it is unheard of for a guilty person to actually plead guilty in our court system. I’ve heard numerous critics blast him for his plea, without comment about his crime. I appreciate his public vulnerability, and it seems to me the kind of thing a contrite and broken person does.

As for his use of the phrase “I must redeem myself,” I won’t lose much sleep on the bad theology. If he’s new to Christianity he probably doesn’t fully understand what he just jumped into. The HS will unfold it as time goes by. In the quote, I hear; “I need to change my behavior for a long enough time that my public reputation becomes redeemed.” Good point Michael, and I’ll be praying for you.

I really appreciate the CT article on attack dogs, but I think that these graceless dogs are unlikely to equally appreciate these words, nor respond to them. What’s the solution? I fear the damage to our corporate reputation is irreparable. And where is the biblical example for Christians to sent blasting e-mails to an atheist for writing an atheist book? Come on . . .

Wendi
Brad Raby on Tue, August 28, 2007

Phil Johnson over at Pyro responded to the CT article with a pretty legitamate rebutal.

His point not all Criticisms are equal. The real issue is probably how, and not why.
Eric Joppa on Tue, August 28, 2007

Regarding Mike Vick,

The quote was interesting to me,

“...through this situation I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God. And I think that’s the right thing to do as of right now.”

...As of right now? Since when is “finding Jesus” a right now thing? I think Vick is using it as a way to find himself in America’s good graces again and not about God at all. I just hope that he comes to understand that God loves him and wants his heart, not a moment in a statement of apology.
Leonard on Tue, August 28, 2007

I am relatively sure Vicks comment about redeeming himself was not theological nor should it be considered such. I remember a guy who murdered Christians coming to Christ and making a huge difference later… Saul…Paul… It is funny angels rejoice and Christians scrutinize. I guess we are all watchdogs in some way or another.
Peter Hamm on Tue, August 28, 2007

I LOVED the CT article. I used to go to church with the guy who wrote it, David Aikman.

My big beef with many of the “watch-dogs” is that they suffer from the same “pick and choose” Christianity that I often find them accusing others of. Whatever happened, for instance, to “Do you best to live at peace with everybody.”
DanielR (a different Daniel) on Wed, August 29, 2007

I think the CT article is spot on. Criticism is fine if you feel the need, but don’t claim to be a Christian and send people death threats. Even atheists. What does it say when the more hostile, vitriolic messages came from Christians, not Muslims? It seems that many Christians have lost all sense of civility and grace.

I like this quote regarding critics; “It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly…who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best know in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat.” Theodore Roosevelt

“We’d like to be humble…but what if no one notices.” John Ortberg