Do you think traditional hymns are making or will make a comeback?
We are talking about Bible-believing fundamental and evangelical churches in this question.
Some churches have never stopped singing hymns (and we can sloppily include Gospel songs within in the word “hymns” in this broad discussion). Some have continued to sing hymns exclusively, others (like ours) have taken a blended approach. Some churches have Totally forsaken the congregational singing of hymns or have almost totally forsaken them.
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'We Are Not Dying, We Are Reforming,' Says PCUSA Leader Amid Report on Declining Membership
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“While still the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country, in 2016 PCUSA saw a loss of nearly 90,000 members, slipping below the 1.5 million-member mark. This is nearly 300,000 fewer members than in 2013.”
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The Sickness in Discernment Ministries
Reposted with permission from Randy White Ministries.
In the past few years, a new form of ministry has emerged called discernment ministry. Make no mistake, it has become a big business, providing the livelihood for many men and women who are making their living as the world’s theological police.
Discernment is sorely needed.
We are in an era in the church in which discernment is utterly lacking. The church has a generation or two of Christians who have had a steady diet of felt need sermons filled with life-application. These Christians have little to no understanding of the content of Scripture itself. Their “Bible studies” are really book studies, and their sermons are self-help pop-psychology that is not fundamentally different from what you find in the self-help section of any secular bookstore.
I can only think of a few things that the church needs more today than discernment. But I am completely convinced that discernment ministry is not the way the church is going to gain this discernment.
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Which time of year SEEMS busiest at your church, typically?
Some folks might well say, “all the time,” or “whatever seasons we are in.”
And, of course, the comment “it depends” is always understood. Business can vary year by year. For example, we once had three people move on to glory in one day, an hour and a half a part. Between funerals and funeral dinners, that was a busy couple of weeks!
So we are asking for the typical. This cannot be very scientific, for perception and reality (we know) do not always match. So if you are mistaken, that is okay!
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Communicating Biblical Worldview to Millennials & iGens (Part 3)
Conclusion: The Taste and See Apologetic
Psalm 34:8 invites the reader (or listener) to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” In the context David recounts how God had delivered him from something he deeply feared, and he calls upon those who know God to exalt Him. The Psalm is a rich testimony of the faithfulness of God in the lives of those who depend on Him.
While it addresses “saints” (34:9), and is thus not inherently evangelistic, the theme, content, and delivery fits well Peter’s apologetic paradigm from 1 Peter 3:15. It certainly offers an account of the hope that was within the Psalmist. Again, even though David addresses saints in the near context, his invitation to “taste” in verse 8 implies that his intended audience in the immediate context had not yet tasted.
It is fitting, I think, to draw a secondary application of Psalm 34:8, suggesting that such an invitation would be fitting for an apologetic/evangelistic encounter – especially in engaging the common sentiments of Millennials and iGens.
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Biblical Literacy, Part 3
Read the entire series.
The Individual
The church alone cannot develop disciples. Individual believers must take responsibility for their own spiritual growth. We can and should provide as many “nets” as possible to aid in our people’s maturity, but the believer must step up and take advantage of these nets, as well as develop and work a plan for personal Bible reading and study. I have found over the years that most people who really know Christ want to spend time in the Word, but many lack a structure to adequately help them be successful.
Nagging and making people feel guilty are not good motivators, so we seek to be more constructive in helping them desire to be students of the Scriptures.
Toward that end we …
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