ministry

183: The Church of God & Church of God Affirm

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On May 26th, The Church of God (Anderson, IN) put out a post detailing that all official COG correspondence will come from official emails and social media sites and to not be swayed by any other groups claiming to be the Church of God. This vague post leads to speculation and the publicity of Church of God Affirm – people who are/were associated with The Church of God (Anderson, IN), calling on the leadership to affirm LGBTQIA Christians.

In this episode, Scott, Micah, and guest Jordan Halstead discuss who COG Affirm is, did the weak communication from The Church of God, gives more publicity to this group (and others), and what COG does now moving forward (if anything).

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Episode 182: The Rising Cost of Ministry

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Today, prices from food to housing have continued to rise. The same can be said about ministry with program and operational costs continuing to climb and yet, what most people do not realize is that ministers and the churches they minister to have annual costs to support the national organizations they are a part of. In this episode, Scott and Micah discuss the rising cost of ministerial license as well as church affiliation with the Church of God with will increase three times in the next few years. We discuss these climbing costs from the lack of communication on the reason for these costs, the suspected reason for the price hike, and how this will greatly affect ministers and churches that are medium-sized to small.

Episode 180: Jim Lyons Retirement and the Future of the Church of God

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In this episode, Scott and Micah discuss the retirement of the General Director of the Church of God, Jim Lyons, and what that means for the future of the Church of God Movement.  We discuss all the great things Jim has done, and some of the hopes and concerns for the next director to tackle.

Episode 178: CopyCat Revival

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In Episode 169, Scott and Micah reflected on the Asbury Revival and begin to wonder how many groups will try to capitalize on the revival.  In today’s episode, we look at the various organizations that plan conventions, retreats, camp meetings, and conferences that have suddenly changed their event by calling it a revival.  We debate if this is a real revival that people are preparing for, are trying to catch lightning in a bottle, and maybe revival will happen if we tend to get out of the way of what God is doing, instead of forcing it.

Episode 174: Rick Warren speaks on the Saddleback “disfellowship”

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On this episode, Scott and Micah discuss the recent interview in Christianity Today From Rick Warren on the SBC disfellowshiping the church over the ordination of women and how reading the Scriptures changed his stance on women in ministry.

For the full article, click on the link below:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/march-web-only/rick-warren-russell-moore-saddleback-church-women-preaching.html

Episode 172: Fundraising

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In this episode, Scott and Micah discuss the topic of fundraising in ministry.  We look at our own experiences with fundraising, and some of the integrity when it comes to transparency and trust.  In stories gone wild, Scott talks about poodle skirts in the 90s, while Micah has a friend who took a “secondary role” in ministry.

Episode 170: Saddleback Church, The SBC, and Women being Ordained

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A few weeks back, the SBC disfellowship Saddleback Church, one of the SBC’s largest churches, due to Rick Warren ordaining three women in the church.  Scott and Micah discuss this topic and look at some of the hypocrisy in the SBC, in regards to who can be pastors, and get theological about women in ministry.

Episode 165: Church Friendships

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In this episode, Scott and Micah discuss the Carey Nieuwhof article, “Why they’re not actually your friends (a hard truth for pastors and leaders), and if this is a common issue in ministry or a reflection of a small church community.  We talk at length about the article and reflect on other leaders’ stories(as well as our own)as to the sticky dynamics of church friendships.  Plus driving tanks and food poisoning in our “Stories Gone Wild” segment

The link to the Carey Nieuwhof article is listed below: https://careynieuwhof.com/why-theyre-not-actually-your-friends-a-hard-truth-for-pastors-and-leaders/?el=linkedin&fbclid=IwAR29bC4SKTJp6vukPqKRIbE2u-Hi3J28ID5oUXs067D2wmiobWFp6fyND7k