The following articles have been selected because they are informative, instructive, entertaining, or simply interesting. Articles appearing in Your Friday Five do not represent an endorsement.
There are political landmines everywhere.
How to Shepherd Your Flock in a Politically Charged World, Trevin Wax
Everything gets politicized these days. It’s never been easier for churches to also get caught up in waves of political enthusiasm and social activism.
So, what should a pastor do when their fellow church members see needs and want to meet them, see injustice and want to stop it, or see a good cause and want to support it?
Getting and keeping listeners’ attention is crucial.
5 Strategies for Training People to Listen to Sermons, Facts & Trends
Preaching is hard work.
It’s filled with a complex array of details, plans, thoughts, and purposes. Good preaching deserves hours of preparation, constant reflection, and regular refinement.
But in all the work of sermon prep and delivery, a crucial element can be lost or neglected. Pastors sometimes forget that people need to be trained on how to listen to a sermon.
Christians in Africa face ongoing attacks.
Hope Amid Nigeria’s Violence, World Magazine
Violence has continued into the summer, even as the country locked down because of the coronavirus. In May, a series of attacks in the predominantly Christian Kajuru community in Plateau state left at least 20 people dead. The same month, Anglican Rev. Canon Bayo James Famonure and his family survived a late-night attack from suspected herdsmen at his home.
College students continue to be challenged for missions.
Early Adopters Pave the Way for GO2 Initiative, SBC Life
College students such as Smith are the target of the newly-established SBC initiative called GO2, which challenges college seniors to give their first two years after graduation to the mission field as either a Journeyman missionary with the International Mission Board or as part of a church plant in one of the North American Mission Board’s Send Cities.
He being dead still speaks.
8 Lessons from a Friend Whose Life (and Death) Preached Christ, Spencer Harmon
We all admired John. He was a confident leader and a biblical thinker. He was kind, gentle, and convictional. He loved his family. He treated us like we were men. He challenged us to be men. So, we committed. John made a syllabus and emailed it to us. He expected us to be there. We were thrilled this was really going to happen. So, week after week—on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m.—we’d show up to that garage, and John would teach us something new.