Bullying in the Adventist Church 
Editor's Note: Please review Bullying in the Adventist Church before you move on.
 
The last place you would expect to experience bullying behavior is in the church. There is so much in the Bible about how we are to treat one another that you would think a church would be the kindest, most loving, accepting, emotionally safe place you could ever imagine. In reality many of our churches are anything but safe. Yes, we have good intentions. Yes, we have read the texts about kindness, love, caring, and compassion. Yet it seems like we are unable to connect our heads with our hearts, or our behavior with our beliefs, thus slipping into the "knowing to do good but not doing it" syndrome and our disconnection becomes sin. James 4:17 NLT

So what help can pastors offer themselves and each other when they are bullied? Seven things:  Read More 
Discipleshift
A Book Review by Ron Aguilera
The church in North America is in trouble. There is a decline is attendance, interest, passion, giving, spiritual maturity, outreach, evangelism...You've seen it. Church leaders are constantly looking for and trying new models for reaching the people "who God misses the most" AND growing them in Jesus.
 
The authors of this book start by describing some of the models used today to draw and grow people - attractional, missional, or educational models - and argue that in spite of trying different models, there is still something missing in the church: Discipleship.  Read More  
Ministry Hacks
Involve Kids
By Garrison Chaffee
Recently I found myself at our local church school leading morning devotions with students from a number of classes. Right in the middle of our worship time, my cell phone beeped to remind me of the day's to-do list. The first thing on the list was to call the oldest member of our church and wish him a happy 90th birthday.

Suddenly I got an idea. I paused the morning devotions and asked the kids if they would be willing to join me in calling Fred to wish him a very happy birthday. They immediately agreed.

So we called Fred and sang Happy Birthday to him. Fred was quite surprised to hear the kids sing and later wrote to thank us for the birthday greetings. It was a great opportunity to involve kids in blessing a church member on the other end of the age spectrum.

Garrison Chaffee is pastor for youth and young adult ministries in Paradise, California
An Interview with David Jamieson
By John Masigan
Editor's Note: David Jamieson (DJ) has been senior pastor at Church of the Valley for fifteen years. In this interview he sits down with Pastor John Masigan (JM), pastor of the Kamloops, Barriere and Clearwater district, to understand how leadership works in a church that is known for its Acts of Kindness. This is a transcript of that interview. Read More
Restore A Child 
By Norma Nashed 
Restore a Child is an Adventist humanitarian organization that focuses on orphan children, but also helps the poor children. Their mission is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the children and young people with the purpose of introducing them to the truth of the Adventist message.  Restore a Child distributes Bibles and conducts Bible studies and have baptized 280 young people so far into the Adventist church.
Watch Video Here

Events, Resources, Announcements

30 Things Your Church Can Do to Affect Change - This has been a really long week. For many of us it's been hard to think about much else other than the tragedies in Louisiana, Minnesota, and most recently Dallas. We need new systems of support to rally around our communities, to make them safer and to better serve the people and families who live in the. So here's an actionable list of 30 items designed to help you and your church make change in your community.

The newest issue of AU Doctor of Ministry newsletter features articles about two new cohorts in the fields of organizational leadership and leading for growth and church multiplication.

8 Signs You are a Discipleship Bully - Bullying is not only something that can take place between students on school campuses, sometimes it can happen when pastors disciple their members.

10 Mobile Apps That Will Change Your Life - Here are some powerful apps that will help you save time and money, and bring better focus to your life and ministry.
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 2016 North American Division Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists. 
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