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.
Mayhill Baptist adapts to its rural context, By Karen Willoughby
MAYHILL, N.M. – The distances involved in pastoring rural churches require a different paradigm from pastoring city churches, said Matt Henslee, pastor of Mayhill Baptist Church in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico.
He added that the even greater distances involved in fulfilling the Great Commission around the world require participation in the Cooperative Program, the way Southern Baptists work together to reach out with the Gospel and God’s love for all people.
NC DR team gives storm victims victory, By Will Hall
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – Alexandria, Louisiana, is 130 miles north of the shoreline where Hurricane Laura made landfall with 150 mph winds. Still, a number of residents in this crossroads city were not spared catastrophe from the fierceness of the storm and yet some received blessings despite tragic damage to their homes.
Christian Voting Myth #1: “One Vote Doesn’t Make a Difference”, By Joseph Backholm
In an age where we’re constantly told to follow “the science,” everyone wants their decisions to be data driven. We study and research to ensure that what we are doing does not simply feel helpful, but actually is helpful.
At the same time, we’re all told we should vote because every vote makes a difference. We’re often told this by the same people who tell us that our decisions should be data driven. Sometimes the idea that every vote makes a difference isn’t actually supported by the data. For example, in the 2016 election, 139 million people voted in the presidential election. That’s a lot of people.
How Mental Health Is the New Domain of Ministry to the Next Generation, By Barna Group
Well before the pandemic hit, Barna research—as well as others’—finds that young people, namely Millennials and Gen Z, are more likely than generations that came before to report battling with mental health issues. In research conducted for The Connected Generation, Barna’s largest-ever study, data show that half of U.S. 18–35-year-olds (49%) expressed anxiety over important decisions and were afraid to fail. Over three in 10 said they often felt sad or depressed (39%) or lonely and isolated from others (34%).
Arizona Missionary Overcomes Pandemic Restrictions to Reach Native Americans, By Karen L. Willoughby
Eric and Brittany Gibbs have built their ministry to Arizona’s Native American community on the theme “You are loved,” and their Live Love Ministries seeks to make as many partner individuals and churches a part of that as possible.