A lot of church growth is wrongly measured by the three B’s, according to my dear friend Nord Zootman: Bucks, Bodies, and Buildings. It is possible to grow the Kingdom without numerically or financially growing a local church, and spiritual growth can be tough to reduce to statistics.

This poll is focusing upon “bodies and bucks.” How are your church’s finances and attendance doing? We will count online attendance for those of you who meet in person but also stream online, and for those only streaming, we will use that number.

As far as I know, Psalm 8:5 is the only verse where the word “Elohim” in translated with uncertainty. Context usually makes it clear, although if you know of another instance, please let me know.

Psalm 8: 4-5 in the ESV reads:

what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings[a]
 and crowned him with glory and honor.



In the NASB, verse 5 reads,

John MacArthur surprises me, and, frankly, I was disappointed about his stance about submitting to governing authority. What is your view?

Plenty of room for discussion, I am sure!

You can read an evaluation by Tyler R here on SI: https://sharperiron.org/article/bad-argument-from-good-man

Julie Roy has an article here: https://julieroys.com/macarthur-defies-restrictions-on-worship/

Hopefully most of us understand the concept of not judging others when it comes to extra-biblical matters, and we can accommodate a variety of opinions and respect those with whom we disagree. Not everyone has those social/people skills, however.

We are blessed in our church to have a variety of opinions without put-downs or disharmony, but I hear that this is not true everywhere.

How is your church doing in this regard?

Poll Results

Has mask-wearing or conspiracy theories created fellowship issues in your church?

Masks, no masks. Don’t worry about it, just like a bad flu – or the end of the world. Opinions run a broad spectrum. So does the suggested goverment response.

Has your state (probably led by the governor) chose the best course, in your opinon?

Feel free to opine, and, if you wish, mention your state.

Mine is Indiana, and I have a pretty positive assessment.

Poll Results

Has your state been handling the COVID pandemic well?

IS YOUR CHURCH CONSIDERED DENOMINATIONAL?

Sometimes taking a break gives us a new perspective. The COVID quarantine might be such a perspective changer.

Will we want to do less church after COVID? As humorist Will Rogers put it, “The government taxes us to build roads, and the Baptists wear them out going to meetings.”

Or will we have a surge of activity as soon as possible.

Will your church become simpler or more complex? Or will it eventually return to what it was before the corona virus hit?

Our church’s mission statement is summarized in three words….. reaching, connecting, deepening. As the COVID quarantine continues, the challenge is to stay connected. We are doing this by having everyone receive a phone call every other week from an elder, emails, and our weekly e-church service.

We are considering other options, like an interactive Bible study. We may eventually use zoom in the process, though we are not right now.

Does your church use something like this now?

Poll Results

I know Romans would probably lead the pack if we included longer epistles in our choice list, but we are not.

We all have our favorites. Feel free to share WHY you made the choice you did.

Poll Results

What is your favorite SHORTER New Testament Epistle?

I know some states have not been hit much with COVID-19. So you may end up canceling your vote and changing it, who knows?

By work status, we mean, “Where do you work from…or are you working?”

Poll Results

What is your work status?