I have a friend who refuses to make a will or a trust for fear that these documents will actually hasten his death. Talk about denial! If the world lasts long enough, we are all going to die.

 

Believe it or not, churches can also die. Like all living organisms, local congregations go through a life cycle - they are born, grow, mature, begin to decline, and may ultimately die - some faster than others. While it is easy to observe this life cycle among human beings, it is much harder to see it in the life of the local church.

 

Dying Churches

A recent study by LifeWay Research discovered that approximately 22 percent of the more than 1,000 pastors they surveyed strongly or somewhat agree that their congregations are dying. Some experts estimate that one in four American churches - around 100,000 - fit the description of a "dying church." But what exactly is a dying church?  Read More.  

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Marc Woodson is executive secretary for the Northern California Conference  

   

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, the ears of the wise seek it out.     Proverbs 18:15

In the last issue of Best Practices for Adventist Ministry, I wrote about the importance of reading in the pastor's life. Reading is fuel for the road of life and ministry. In order to expedite our journey, we need effective ways to get that gas in the tank. We need to not only internalize what we read, but place it in a ministry-ready retrieval system.

The first step in this journey is to remember that we read not only for entertainment, but for future application. Therefore we need to encode our reading - we need to intelligently digest and internalize what we read. This requires us to tag, then cliff what we read.

I tag things by using a pen and highlighter as I read. My children always joke that they have never seen me without a pen and a highlighter. Whether I am at home, the office, in my car, or even on vacation, I've got my books, a pen, and a highlighter.  Read More. 

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Ron Aguilera is vice president of administration for the Illinois Conference

   

In the chaotic days following the Second World War, an immigrant family living in New York began to write letters to their surviving relatives back in Hungary. After what seemed like an eternity, they received a reply from Uncle Lazlo who lived just outside Budapest. He told them about the devastation and deprivation the family had suffered.

The family in New York made up their minds to send care packages to the family in Hungary - Meat and vegetables and chocolates. Toilet paper and band aids. And into all the empty spaces of the box they packed candies and handkerchiefs, writing paper and bandages. They shipped the boxes off one-by-one and waited to hear back from their loved ones in the mother land.

The day came when they finally got a letter from Uncle Lazlo: My Dearest Cousin, We are in receipt of three packages. We are forever in your debt for these good things. You cannot know how timely was their arrival. Food is so scarce here and Anna was sick all the time with fevers. This food has meant everything to us. I must confess that we sold some of the things you sent us on the black market in order to get money for our rent.

The letter went on to talk about almost every item in the boxes and what they had done with them -

We also cannot ever thank you enough for the medicine you sent. It is so difficult to get any medicine at all and often it is of poor potency and doesn't work at all. Cousin Gesher has been in continuous pain for several years and your medicine has miraculously cured him! He was walking only with the help of a cane. His knees were so swollen. These medicines make him almost normal again. My back pain is completely gone as are Lizabeta's headaches. America is great and science is great. You must send more of that medicine as it is nearly used up. Again, thank you. We love you all and pray for when we might see you once more.

The letter drove the family in New York crazy - What was the medicine they had sent their loved ones in Hungary? They just had to know so they could send more.

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If you hitch your wagon to a star, be sure it's the Star of Bethlehem. - Unknown

The hinge of history is on the door of a Bethlehem stable. - Ralph W. Sockman

The best Christmas gift of all is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up with one another. - Unknown

Let's approach Christmas with an expectant hush, rather than a last-minute rush. - Unknown

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white'. - Bing Crosby

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? - Gilbert K. Chesterton  

When the wrappings and ribbons are in the trash, the manger scene is back in the attic, the friends and family have said good-bye, and the house feels empty and so do you - there is One who waits to fill your heart and renew your hope. - Charles R. Swindoll

God always wanted to get the attention of human beings. He wanted to matter to us because we matter to Him. He wants to be family. God had a difficult time getting our attention. Thunderstorms, wind, floods and fire worked temporarily. Dramatic events soon faded from the memory of God's people. So Jesus was born. God became helpless, dependent, little and weak. He grew up to serve and suffer and save. He still wants to be a family. - Unknown

If you could sit down with a seasoned pastor and get advice on your one burning issue in ministry right now, what would it be? Tell us about it at Best Practices for Adventist Ministry. Then look for our answer in an upcoming issue.