Ellen White: Supporting, Seldom Seen

By Dan Martella

Dan Martella
My first year college Greek class was filled with young ministerial students who were eager to step into their pulpits and wow folks with their command of the biblical languages. Knowing that real-life people in our churches are far more interested in the practical encouragement found in Scripture, our professor wisely brought our "heads in the clouds" class back down to earth when he said, "When you preach, use the Greek like a good pair of underwear - Supporting, but not seen."  Read More     

Making Ellen White Teen-Friendly

By Cindy Tutsch

"I asked my Bible class how they felt about Ellen White, and all I heard were groans and arghhhhhs!"

 

An academy Bible teacher was describing the reaction of the teens at his school to the name Ellen White. "So," the teacher continued, "I asked my students to unpack their response. 'Why do you feel this way about Ellen White? What Ellen White books have you read? What experience have you had with her writings that have given you these negative feelings?"   Read More   

Child Dedication: A Legacy of Hope

By Ivan L. Williams, Sr.

I still remember it like it was yesterday.   I was serving as a pastor right out of college in my first church as a single twenty-one year old.   I had never conducted a child dedication before.   I was nervous and anxious about the service, but particularly about holding the baby girl up before the family and praying over her.   I had never experienced a parent extending their arms to give me their child to hold in front of a congregation, and my knowledge from book reading couldn't fully prepare me for this real life, real ministry experience.    Read More 

Stories We Tell: Terrorists in Churches

By Dan Jarrard

Latest news reports are that five terrorist cell groups have been operating in many of our churches. They have been identified as: Bin Sleepin, Bin Arguin, Bin Fightin, Bin Complainin, and Bin Missin. Their leader, Lucifer Bin Workin, trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ. The plan is to work within the church to discourage, disrupt, and destroy.   Read More 

450 NAD Pastors Eligible for Retirement

A diverse group of thought leaders from the NAD were assembled September 6-8 to address the need for a comprehensive plan for the development of pastors. They were reminded of the imperative of this task when they looked at the demographic data revealing that 450 Adventist clergy in the NAD are already eligible for retirement and for the next several years over a hundred more will be added to their ranks every year.   Read More 
Let's Talk About Prop-Enhanced Preaching

Last Sabbath one of our local church elders participated in the message delivery by assuming the character of Dr. Otto V. Grunkenkleiner, complete with white lab coat, marking pens in his pocket, and a thick German accent. He shared with us how the Holy Spirit is like the wind - we cannot see Him, but we can see the evidence of His work. To help us catch the drift, Grunkenkleiner pulled out an electric leaf blower. Duct taped to the end of the leaf blower was a paint roller handle with a roll of toilet paper on it. When he turned on the leaf blower, ribbons of toilet paper went flying out over the congregation. The kids loved it. So did the adults. And the lesson hit home.

 

In a future issue of Best Practices we would like to feature your best ideas for prop-enhanced preaching. Write us your favorite prop-enhanced preaching idea in 100 - 300 words, and send with it your picture and title. Deadline: October 15. 
Ideas, Events, Resources, Announcements

I Believe Study Guides - Second-hand faith and hand-me-down morals can only take us so far. At some point we either abandon that which was passed down to us, or we re-examine it, study the evidence for ourselves, adjust our thinking, and make it our own. It's painful to watch grown adults try to squeeze their lives into someone else's beliefs and attempt to defend something they don't really believe. Eventually we must each face the questions: "Who am I?" and, "What do I believe?"

I Believe features articles and stories by Christian author, David B. Smith, for you to ponder and explore. These are excellent study guides that can be used individually, or in small groups, Sabbath School classes and other discussion-oriented settings (PDF study sheets are available to print out). Each study covers one of the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Adventist church, but does so in a fresh new way.

 

inSpire 2014 Writing Contest - You are invited to participate in the inSpire 2014 Writing Contest. We want to shine the light on creative writing that has inspirational value and can turn readers' hearts to God. We know there are a lot of great writers out there and we're eager to read what you've written. This event is sponsored by Pacific Union Conference Church Support Services, but is open to Seventh-day Adventist church members throughout the North American Division. Submissions will be accepted from September 16 - October 27, 2014.

   

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Best Practices for Adventist Ministry is published by NAD Ministerial. Opinions expressed belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of NAD Ministerial. Publisher: Ivan Williams;  Managing Editor: Dan Martella. Copyright 2014 North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. 
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