Ministry Trends

  Over the past ten years, there have been crops of ministry trends to sweep across America like wildfire.  Trend can be defined as something fashionable and current. I begin taking a look at several different ministries way of conducting marketing strategies as well as ways to pay off the enormous debt they have accumulated.  I know you have to sometimes spend money to make money.  But what has happened to the ministries of today. 

Building Sanctuaries Debt Free

Take for instance the ministry trend of paying off your church before you move into it for worship.  I understand their concept, but why break the backs of the members to immediately pay off the million dollar(s) sanctuary.  Why not have a 5 – 10 year plan to pay it off.  Furthermore, while the pastor is telling the members to enter the sanctuary debt free, have they considered trying to pay their own house off before moving into it?  Oh, I forgot, the members are footing the bill for the pastor’s home. 

One Church In Multiple Locations

Another trend is to have more than one sanctuary in multiple locations.  The theory is that instead of building this humongous sanctuary, they just build a smaller church in a different location.  So many church members leave the community they live in to travel miles away to attend the church they feel comfortable with and enjoy the minister.  Also, many of the ministries feel that they could never build a sanctuary large enough to hold everyone, unless you are Joel Olsteen who bought a sports arena.  WOW!  Many of the ministries that are following this trend are not apart of a specific organization like COGIC, The Baptist Convention, PAW, etc. but have come from Christian organizations such as these.  The leaders of these ministries left organizations as such for various reasons.  One could also argue that the ministries that engage in church planting, is in all actuality is building their own organization/denomination.  They are really becoming Bishops and overseer of several churches.  Some of them are already ordained and others are not.  Why are these ministries creating the same format that they left many years ago?

  Discussion

What is your opinion on these trends?

How has these ministry trends affected you as a church member and Christian?

I receive many prayer request to intercede for issues that others feel they cannot overcome.  Some feel as thought they don’t have power or that their faith is wavering.  They do not understand why they can’t get a breakthrough.

  When we received the Holy Ghost, God gave us all power and authority to use against any force that rises to hurt, harm, or destroy us.  Acts 1:8 states, but ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (KJV)

  The Holy Ghost impregnates Mary who gave birth to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The promise of the Holy Ghost was granted to all mankind.  What a wonderful gift God gave us.  Because of this great gift, when Jesus rose with all power in his hand.  Jesus said that we would be able to do greater works.  We would be able to tread on serpents, lay hands on the sick and they will recover, and cast out demonic spirits, and any thing that Jesus did while he was on earth.

  If this is the case, why is it that the church is having so many problems?

Why does it appear that satan is getting the upper hand?

Our topic for today is how AIDS/HIV is affecting the Christian community? 

The National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA) will host the first-ever strategic planning session dedicated to developing a five-year plan to significantly reduce cases of HIV/AIDS in the African American community.

      The meeting will be co-chaired by world-renowned pastors Bishop T.D. Jakes and Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts, III, on October 8 and 9, at the AOL Time Warner building in New York City.         The meeting will mark the first time that leaders from all sectors of the African American community, including clergy, scholars, government and health agencies, have joined forces to fight HIV/AIDS. Meeting attendees will include Congressman Charles Rangel; former mayors Willie Brown and David Dinkins; Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Dr. Garth Graham, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, Office of Minority Health; and Dr. Gail Wyatt, Associate Director of the UCLA AIDS Institute.         “While the struggle with HIV/AIDS in any community is tragic and devastating, the battle within the African American community is a unique one,” said Bishop T.D. Jakes, senior pastor of The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas. “African Americans wrestle with socioeconomic issues, a lack of education, delays in early detection, treatment and prevention, and insufficient access to affordable care and medications. These factors contribute to a rapid and startling ascent of African Americans who contract and are dying from the disease.”         The numbers facing African Americans are staggering:   - According to the 2000 U.S. Census report, Blacks make up 13% of the population; however, in 2005 Blacks accounted for 49% of the estimated new 37,331 AIDS cases. - The rate of AIDS diagnoses for Black adults and adolescents was 10 times the rate for Whites and nearly three times the rate for Hispanics. - The rate of AIDS diagnoses for Black women was nearly 23 times the rate for White women. The rate of AIDS diagnoses for Black men was 8 times the rate for White men. - Of the 68 U.S. children (younger than 13 years of age) who had a new AIDS diagnosis, 46 were Black.         “It’s a crisis,” said Rev. Dr. Butts, Chairman of the Board for the NBLCA and senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, the historic African American church in Harlem. “Once you hear the numbers, you realize the impact, the unthinkable loss of lives that we as a community are facing. You absolutely know that a lot of this could be prevented.”         Meeting attendees will spend two days creating a comprehensive, strategic and measurable plan to tackle an HIV/AIDS epidemic that is more pronounced among African Americans in this country than it is in several third-world countries.         “This meeting is not about theology, it’s not about my agenda, it’s not about anyone’s agenda,” said Bishop Jakes. “It’s about coming up with a solution to a health problem that is killing our people at rates never before seen.”

There have been many Christians striken with this deadly disease.  Many churches do not talk about it or reach out to those who are infected with the virus.

There has been an annointed singer named Dewayne Woods who has given his testimony on how he was infected with HIV since 1992.  he has since been healed of the disease. There is no trace at all in his blood stream.

There is a minister who has a book out entitled Pastor How Did You Get AIDS?  His name is Rev. Archey.  He is also one of the very few Christian believers who has decided not to live without letting others know of his HIV status.  

In their honesty and willing to help others understand how this deadly disease is affecting Christian homes, I believe Jesus is setting them free from the guilt and shame that had them bound.

Yet many still go on day to day without telling people of their HIV status.  They run to the church and marry the sweet little church lady in order to hide behind their lies.

As the BLACK CHURCH INSTITUTE FOR AIDS/HIV meet in SC, how to you feel about Christians being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS?

Listen to Dewayne Woods testimony:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AO4_vVsbqSc

Hello Everyone!

Thank you for joining us. 

We will use our podcast as an outlet for Christians to engage in conversation about issues that affect our community.  So much is going on in the world and the Christian community is under attack as never before.  We have seen over the past weeks a very public battle with one of our beloved evangelist Juanita Bynum and her spouse Bishop Thomas Weeks divorce.  Then comes along another high profile evangelist Paula White and husband Randy White marital problems being settled privately.

Clearly Christians are not immune to the growing divorce statistics in our nation.  I know that it is very hard for us to imagine that the people we count on for advice and spiritual guidance can also be touched by a very troubling issue as divorce.

I want to know how do you feel about Christians getting divorces and Christian leaders divorcing?  What are your comments on Juanita and Bishop Weeks public divorce and Paula and Randy keeping theirs private?

View video of Paula and Randy White 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-EnrSUlhcM&mode=related&search=

View video of Jaunita Bynum and Thomas Weeks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdYLCROWdI4&watch_response

Are you having a busy work day?  Are you counting down the hours when you can punch the clock and leave work?  Then you are not alone?  Millions of people each day find their jobs and work environment stressful.  So what are we to do?  How do we break the chains that have us bound?  Join the Afternoon Work Release Program!

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