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Archive for the ‘Holy Hip-Hop’ Category
Only 20% of the church is active but why???!!!
June 28, 2011
Churches’ Dilemma: 80 Percent of Flock Is Inactive
Source: bible.com
There is a secret inside many churches. According to researchers Scott Thumma and Warren Bird, most churches – mega-sized and small, black and white – are actually run by 20 percent of the congregation. The other 80 percent, they say, tend to act like spectators: they are minimally involved and attend infrequently or not at all.
A National Congregation Survey shows the Southern Baptist Convention had a membership of 16,160,088 people in 2008, but a yearly attendance rate of 38 percent. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America had a membership of 4,542,868 in 2009, but the yearly attendance rated rested at 28 percent.
Though many churches are struggling to boost attendance and participation, Thumma states, pastorsand church leaders rarely address the issue.
“So many pastors that I’ve talked to recognize the problem, don’t know what to do about it and then instead of trying to tackle it, they kind of put it aside,” described Thumma.
He and Bird traveled to 12 different churches, interviewing congregants to learn why some are involved in church ministry and others are not. Thumma said they found that “almost all congregations were operating below their potential because they (the churches) weren’t finding ways to invigorate and keep their own membership interested, involved and committed.”
In the book The Other 80 Percent, the researchers use their findings to help church leaders find the root of the problem.
Pastors, Thumma says, put too much of their ministries’ focus on bringing new people in to the church.
According to a 2010 Barna survey, 46 percent of 600 senior pastors reported that outreach/evangelism is the area their church or ministry would like to develop in 2011. The poll also showed that outreach/evangelism ranked higher in priority than any of the other nine areas.
Those churches that focus primarily on the new people walking through the front door may be leaving the back door wide open, Thumma cautions.
“If you’re not thinking about hospitality at the front door as well as at the back door, they (members) will all just flow through, and that’s not what God is calling the church to do,” he states.
The authors refer to the parable of the good shepherd as an ideal example. The good shepherd is troubled by one stray sheep and pursues that sheep until he is able to bring it back to the 99 members in his fold.
However, the book portrays most pastors as shepherds who dismiss the lost sheep because they think “Not to worry … I still have ninety-nine.” As the number of sheep decreases, the pastors of today try to entice sheep from their neighbor’s flock or search after wild rams to enter into their folds rather pursuing their lost lambs.
The book calls on pastors to pay greater attention to the 80 percent of the congregation who are lost and uninvolved. To do that, Thumma recommends pastors refocus their church to offer continued spiritual growth through greater engagement.
Only 28 percent of pastors reported that spiritual growth was an important area of development in 2011 in the Barna poll. Even fewer pastors –19 percent – reported that engagement was an important area for development.
Spiritual engagement, however, becomes more important the longer a congregant remains in the church, Thumma stresses. The top reason given for decreased participation in the last two years is faith has gotten weaker, according to a cited Parish Inventory Survey. Yet very few churches have programs for long-standing members, he says.
“Once you’ve been at the church for five years, 10 years, 20 years, 40 years, there’s hardly any programs aimed at those groups to continually keep them engaged,” laments Thumma.
The book recommends churches first correct this error by forming a listening team. The goal of the team is to conduct individual interviews with members to find out how they want and need to be nurtured spiritually.
When authors Thumma and Bird employed this approach to write The Other 80 Percent, inactive congregants shared that issues such as no close friendship, and a lack of adult classes led to their decreased role in the church.
Second, churches are urged to create a learning team to uncover the external social and cultural dynamics in their communities hampering members’ church involvement. The team may learn that a Sunday morning sports league is keeping church youth and their parents from service. The learning team can also discover new areas for ministry such as a food assistance program to reach a low-income community.
Once both groups have finished collecting information, Thumma says, “Each church needs to contemplate their own context and come up with their own strategy based on what God wants for their congregation.”
Thumma says that pastors will not be able to get 100 percent of their congregation involved all the time, but pastors are called to care for every member of their flock, not just the active 20 percent.
Oh My: Pastor Ed Young’s plan to reach the youth
March 6, 2011Oxymoron 101: Christian Clubs?!
March 5, 2011
This has got to be one of the most ignorant things that I have ever seen. We actually dealt with Christian clubs in TTBHH3. So what kind of drinks are they serving here? Virgin Marys?! I guess no Jezebell drinks are allowed but the women can get in for free with a two drink “Noah and the Ark” minimum. lol. What is the theme song for this event? “The Glow” form the Last Dragon soundtrack?! One Last thing: Christian clubs never stay open long anyway. Rest assurred this club will be shutting down in 5, 4, 3, 2…
Spirit of D-U-M-B!
Organized Confusion: The Profits of Baal assemble together to destroy the foundation of the church?!
February 14, 2011
Dancing with Wolves
Source: EX Times
by Bobby Carter
It amazes me how little feedback we receive when we post articles that deal with abortion, teen suicide, sex trafficking, Pre-marital sex, pornography, AIDS/HIV, drugs, family issues, etc.
It is only when we deal with someone’s favorite artist or superstar preacher that people begin to comment that do not even visit our site on a regular basis. Now all of sudden folks find this site and feel it necessary to weigh in on the issue at hand of which gives us the opportunity to exercise the delete button.
This is truly a sad day for the church because we have many of those that do not want to deal with what lies in plain site. You have church folks that come on here that could care less about a pastor sleeping with boys, teen sex, abortion, teen suicide, sex trafficking, divorce, and anything else else that hinders our progress as a church, but the minute we begin to deal with corrupt leadership that has been proven countless times by those such as Bishop Jakes (The father of the fallen ones) Bishop Blake (The Inclusionist) people cuss us out.
Forget the fact that African Americans lead the country in HIV cases and abortion. Who cares as long as it doesn’t affect Bishop Jakes, Joel Osteen, or our favorite artist?!
Forget the fact that since the Diddy’s visit to the Potters House when Bishop T.D. Jakes allegedly “prayed” for him, he steps on the stage of the Grammys and channels the thug demon through the gold grillz in his mouth (TTBHH3).
The group performed 'Natural Woman,' and individual renditions of "Ain't No Way" 'Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)' 'Freedom' 'Respect' 'Spirit In The Dark' and 'Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves.'
Ok so forget the fact that Yolanda Adams agrees to do a collaboration at the Grammys with some of the most sinful, gay affirming artists of our time. After all, she at least provided the gospel portion that caused many that were there and around the country watching from television to come to Christ. Right? Wrong!!! As soon as Yolanda walks off the stage, Lady Gaga walks on to perform a satanic ordinance which was ALSO viewed by millions of people.
The reason why we are receiving all of this opposition is because people have allowed themselves to sit under satanic leadership. They have become desensitized to truth by having their flesh constantly affirmed. They do not care about family structure or what it takes to maintain it and as long as they can receive their season, miracle breakthrough, harvest, favor, purpose, and destiny then they will be ok. Right? Wrong! Come on people of God. Nothing changes if nothing changes. God did not save many of you to sit back in the lazy boy chair of life just to receive your breakthrough and harvest. We have a devil to fight and a flesh to crucify. Now either we begin to deal with issues or issues will continue to deal with us. Either way we @ EX Ministries/EX Times will continue to hold up the standard of God by sounding the alarm through prayer and informing God’s people about the issues that threaten to plague the church.
Proverbs 14:6
6A scoffer seeks Wisdom in vain [for his very attitude blinds and deafens him to it], but knowledge is easy to him who [being teachable] understands.
Ephesians 4:14
14So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of [a]unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead.
Jeremiah 23:32
32Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, says the Lord, and tell them and cause My people to err and go astray by their lies and by their vain boasting and recklessness–when I did not send them or command them; nor do they profit these people at all, says the Lord.
Hebrews 5:11-14
11Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your [spiritual] hearing and sluggish [even [a]slothful in achieving spiritual insight].
12For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you actually need someone to teach you over again the very first principles of God’s Word. You have come to need milk, not solid food.
13For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action), for he is a mere infant [not able to talk yet]!
14But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.
Updated: Celebration of Gospel: For the fame of it?!
January 31, 2011What happens when the pink elephant in the room is not dealt with? For years we have been fought by the church for addressing the homosexuality in Gospel Music. And because it has not been addressed by mainstream pastors, this is what it has come to. God has left it and the people are still with it! And now, what will be said when these types of artists want a piece of the action? Miss Lawrence is one of many transitioning drag queen singers that want a piece of the action and I assure you, it will not be denied him. Folks, it time to pray, for the sake of our children and future church, let’s pray that the enemy does not have his way with this. God, why won’t your people hear us?
This is a partial interview of an openly gay artist’s take on gospel music.
Miss Lawrence was NOT @ the Celebration of Gospel. Below he explains how he feels about gospel music.
On singing Gospel music as an openly gay artist: I think message music and Gospel music touches home for everybody. It’s about what you feel on the inside. I still am very close to Gospel music. I sing a Gospel song pretty much every morning when I wake up. Me singing Gospel music, or any artist singing Gospel music that is gay, I would hope that no one would worry about what the world thinks about them. That’s something that’s personal, for me anyway. -Bossip.com
In other news
The Grammy-winning singer says she belongs to “the religion of the Church of Chaka Khan,” but also takes courses in Scientology for self-help. Here is a partial interview:
Ms. Khan, 54, takes over the role as the veteran gospel star BeBe Winans joins the production as Sofia’s husband, Harpo, and newcomer Zonya Love starts as Celie. Between rehearsing her numbers at the Broadway Theater, Ms. Khan spoke to Celia McGee. These are excerpts from their conversation.
Q. That’s quite a charm bracelet. What’s on there?
A. This charm, here, represents the three ARCs of Scientology.
Q. Religion is important in “The Color Purple.” Are you a Scientologist?
A. I’m not, never was, never will be. I belong to the religion of the Church of Chaka Khan, and I practice it every day. I live my religion, I consider it a personal thing. But I’ve taken some courses in Scientology, and they’ve been very, very helpful through life’s ups and downs.
Q. With the exception of a few small screen roles and the musical “Mama, I Want to Sing” in London in 1995, which you said you hated, you haven’t acted before. How will you become Sofia?
A. I don’t have to. I am Sofia. We’re so much alike. We’re both nuts. Her fundamental application to life is the same emotionally. She’s one of the forefronters of women’s liberation and the first nonslave black woman who wasn’t a slave to anybody. I’m like that. I’d rather be dead. They might as well hang me. And like me Sofia comes from a matriarchal family. My mother’s side migrated up from Georgia. I had a lot of help from my ancestors with this. I saw such a kinship with the character. Still, I did everything I could to avoid [taking the role].
Q. How so?
A. I met with “The Color Purple” people at some ungodly hour of the morning. Probably around noon. I was a complete bitch at the interview, and it only made them want me more. They said, “You’re perfect!”
Q. Aren’t you more of a Shug Avery, the nightclub singer in the story?
A. Not at all. Though I did know girls like that, who lost count of who they’d been with. I was raised Catholic, and I was very Catholicized sexually. I had more hangups. I could never love like that.
Q. And Steven Spielberg approached you for the Shug role in the movie?
A. He chased me down. But I never considered myself an actress. I would make a good cinematographer, though. I have a great eye, and I can tell how good an actor is.
Q. Judging from the cover art on some of your albums, your official Web site (chakakhan.com) and the Chaka Khan Foundation’s (chakakhanfoundation.org), and some of your old photos, the color purple is significant to you.
A. I’ve done some reading, in anthropology and other places, on what the color can mean. It’s a color of royalty, and of mourning. The Aztecs considered it a mixture of blood and the sky. I’ve just always been attracted to it. Like everyone has a note on the piano that their body resonates to. It’s also the freak color, it’s associated with hippiedom, the free-spirited kind of thing.
Q. Which has always been one of your things. What about the African dance number in the show — does it take you back to your teenage days with the Afro-Arts Theater?
A. It gives me sort of flashbacks.
Q. And there was the period of drugs and alcohol.
A. I led a risky life. It was my youth, that invincibility thing. Then my Pisces side kicked in, and it told me exactly when to stop. Without that, I’d be dead.
Q. Sofia almost dies because of racism. What about racism today?
A. Racism is still very much alive, but it’s become intellectual. It’s practiced in a very high-minded way. It’s all smoke and mirrors. It’s not blatant outright whupping and lynching like in the past. It’s more psychological, and spiritual.
Q. You wrote an autobiography a few years ago. Would you write another book?
A. I may have to. So much of my life has become so much more interesting.
Q. What about those Chakalates chocolates you were involved with? Are you still?
A. Oh yes. We’re looking for a new deal so we can make them with that really dark chocolate that’s good for you.
Q. Do you have a favorite song in the show?
A. I do. But I’m not singing it, Celie sings it. It’s “Lily of the Field,” with those lines, “So many winters grey and summers blue/She must be dead/What kind of God are you?” I also love the one Shug sings to Celie, “Too Beautiful for Words.”
Chaka is NOT a Christian so why is the church trying to make her one?!?!?!?!
Folks please add cereal to the milk at least.
Glorying in their Shame: Tye Tribbet starts FRESH by signing off on Inclusion
January 28, 2011
Glorying in their Shame: Tye Tribbet starts FRESH by signing off on Inclusion
by Bobby Carter
Source: EX Times
Apparently Tye Tribbet and Carlton Pearson shared the platform of Monique on yesterday evening to discuss faith. To those who may not be familiar with the Monique Show here is a brief summary:
The Monique Show for the most part is a talk show that was created
for D List entertainers in hopes to resurrect their careers.
Last night Tye Tribbet and Carlton Pearson were guests on the Monique Show. Apparently Tye has been promoting his new album “Fresh” by marketing his public shame to sell records. The show had an inclusionistic undertone while simultaneously interpreting the ways of the devil as being mere “character flaws.”
During the interview, Tye Tribbet began to explain the concept for his new album by turning himself into the victim. He kept referencing the shame and the pain that he had went through as if there were no other parties hurt by this situation but himself. He
began to tell the story about the Hebrew boys being placed in the fire and how God kept them. It was disturbing to hear him take that scripture out of context and make it applicable to his past situation. The Hebrew boys did not get placed into the fire because of infidelity, or just plain sin for that matter. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were placed in fire because they refused to bow down to false gods. They refused to participate in BAAL worship. They were
persecuted for righteousness sake and due to their obedience in Christ, God favored them. The apostles never did any of this. The Apostle Paul never revealed the thorn that was in his flesh.
Carlton Pearson was the next guest to be interviewed. He began to push the doctrine of Inclusion on Monique. As she was buying into it, she stopped to thank Carlton for embracing Bishop Eddie Long through his scandal and alleged homosexual antics. As the crowd began to clap, I could not believe that people were actually making Bishop Eddie Long the victim.
As the interview continued Carlton found laughter in how he uses profanity everyday?! The real kicker was when he began talking about how he believes in pre-incarnation and using scripture to support it , Tye Tribbet sat right beside him and said N-O-T-H-I-N-G! What Tye said to Monique during his segment of the interview meant nothing after Carlton Pearson’s portion because SILENCE IS CONSENT! If you claim to be a minister of the gospel and don’t deal with heresy, false teachers, homosexuality, etc. then what are you doing?!
There are pastors on EX Times daily who will tell you that this job is not easy. We have to stand for Christ and minister the Gospel whether it’s welcome or unwelcome, whether it’s favorable or unfavorable (2Tim 4:2). That is our job and it is not comfortable all of the time but if we are going to be a light for God we have to learn to count up the cost and walk in obedience.
(HERE IS THE “REVISED” VERSION OF VICTORY)
So in essence, all the guests were doing nothing more than using Monique as a sympathy card by stepping in her neck and using her show as a platform to promote themselves.
So now Monique was left going back home in silent torment AGAIN with her issues left undealt with because of so called “ministers of gospel” such as Tye Tribbet, Marvin Sapp, Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, Karen Clark-Sheard, etc. refusing to be concerned about the condition of Monique’s soul after the cameras go off.
Philippians 3:18-23 (Amplified Bible)
18For there are many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, who walk (live) as enemies of the cross of Christ (the Anointed One).
19They are doomed and their [a]fate is eternal misery (perdition); their god is their stomach (their appetites, their sensuality) and they glory in their shame, [b]siding with earthly things and being of their party.
20But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we [c]earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior,
21Who will [d]transform and fashion anew the body of our humiliation to conform to and be like the body of His glory and majesty, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself.
