Ministry Matters - Meeting Jesus in prison | Why worship shouldn't feel like family

What steps can you take to create a communal pastoral care strategy on the inside, which, in turn, builds a bridge to your church and community on the outside? Meeting Jesus in prison by Gregg Louis Taylor   There’s no shortage of opportunities in prison to journey alongside people, to bear witness to their stories of brokenness, and to encourage the healing and reconciliation of anything that causes fragmentation. Our primary story is that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself. As far as I can tell, that’s precisely the story pastors invite prisoners to imagine for themselves. We come without evaluating who they are or what they’ve done. When we look at them, we see the Imago Dei. We seek to rehumanize, treat them as persons, and offer restoration of human dignity. Read here

What does it mean for a church to be like a family? Why worship shouldn't feel like family by John Flowers & Karen Vannoy   Families are, by their very nature, concerned primarily about the individual family members and their unity as a family. People typically mean intimacy, affirmation, and stability. We all want to meet these needs through our communities of faith, but when that family theme is applied to the public worship experience, decline can’t be far behind. Read here

Practicing love and authentic servanthood in our sermons this Sunday Loving the Lord our God in worship connections this Sunday

Lifting up the two greatest commandments with kids in worship this Sunday