Divine Street United Methodist Church Analysis

Within the book You Lost Me by David Kinnaman, the author discusses why young Christians are leaving the church and rethinking faith. He gives us an overview of the trends within the mosaic generation. Through this overview, we as student ministers can better understand the generation in which we are ministering to. With this understanding, we can reach these students and bring them back to their home, that is the Church. In this report, I will discuss the book by chapter and finish with my reflection.

From the Project Director’s experience, it is common to hear and feel a sense of gratitude and positive pride that Lenexa Baptist Church (LBC) is an excellent church from both leaders and the small group setting participants. Any faults found are minor and pale in comparison to many of the issues a church could face. LBC is a regional church with multiple campus locations strategically selected for maximum impact to reach Kansas City with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

While the goal of Christian education and discipleship is spiritual formation of the new believer into a true disciple who makes other true disciples, this concept has been watered down in the American church today by emphasis on programs instead of progressive spiritual growth in every member’s life. There are many

On Sunday, September 24, I visited Champion Forest Baptist Church to observe one of their classes. This class consisted of 3 to 4 year olds. Their overall goal for the program was to honor parents and respect others according to the bible in which they follow. They want children to learn manners and since they are within the church, they use the bible as a reference. I was told that the children learn best by having short lessons and interactive activities. By the end of the year, they would like for the children to apply what they have learned all together into their daily lives, for example, praying and manners. As for discipline, they have a verbal warning first. If the actions continue, they take them away from activities. Lastly, they call the parents.

Name of the person you spoke with on the pastoral staff: Pastor Dodridge and Steve Layton

The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was a popular meeting place for rights (people who use action and strong words to support or oppose something) in Birmingham, Alabama. Like many other churches during the 1960's, it gave a safe place for African Americans to crowd together and worship. That sense of safety was shattered on the morning of September 15th, 1963 when a few members of the Ku Klux Klan planted nineteen sticks of dynamite in the basement of the church, killing four innocent girls (Bracks 289). Some would argue the truly awful act directly sped up (a process) the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because it showed the world no place was safe from the tension caused by the (the right to vote, to free speech, to fair and equal

My faith and how I lived in my faith made serves as a lasting example to believers in Christ (Lindslay, 3). In life, I believed that all work that I did was spiritual work for the betterment of the Lord’s kingdom. Whether I was writing, ministering, eating out, or simply talking with friends, all work, all things, all I did was for the advancement of the Lord’s kingdom. For the work of “a Beethoven” or the work of a “charwoman” were all the same in my eyes; for both the workers, their work should be “offered to God” and done “humbly” “as to the Lord” (Eshlemen, 2). Although I struggled with cynicism, this way of living life challenged and brought new meaning to my life (Lindslay, 3). This idea on the life I lived and how I lived the life I was given serves as an example of Colossians 3:17 for Christians who wish to live and long to live in similar fashions (The Holy, 237). This way of living my faith truly required me to be quite public and open with my thoughts and beliefs. My faith was not always outright and public. When I was young, my family was my first spiritual influence (Eshlemen, 5). My faith started when I was young, but was shattered with the death of my mother when I was ten years of age (Lindslay, 1). This tragedy shook who I thought God is. The death of my mother affected me deeply. In fact, in college, I denounced the protestant

Both assessments also placed him in the Secure/ low avoidance category. Upon consideration of the participant’s answers to the assessment’s questions, he is currently in Elkind’s final stage, the search for comprehension and Fowler’s fifth stage, Conjunctive Faith. The participant in this interview has indeed reach a point in his spiritual growth where he can see the underlying meaning/reasoning of his relationships. While some times still baffled by the behavior of his father, the relationship that he has with his father, other constants in his life, have meaning can ultimately explained through scripture and personal a connection with God. According to Elkind, religion is a natural result of mental development with such complexities, that it ultimately requires our intellectual needs to be gratified by spiritual development as we progress in age, and it is evident that the interviewee has allowed spiritual development to satisfy and bring meaning to that which he could not understand on his own (Hood, Hill, &Spilka, 2009). As for Fowler’s stage of Conjunctive Faith, it is described as place in one’s development where a willingness to converse with those of other faiths in the belief that they might learn something that will allow them to correct their own truths. As minister and someone that has studied theology, the interviewee has had the opportunity to dialogue with several people different faiths and openly admitted that many of them have contributed to his spiritual growth. No longer viewing everything that is found in biblical scripture in a literal sense, he views the theological challenges that are presented to him by those of a different faith as tool to discover as

In recent days I had the opportunity to go back to North Carolina for a few short days. There, with a heavy heart from a loss in the family, I had nothing else to look towards. I’ve always heard of individuals finding peace, faith, blessings, and love of Christ from attending church. I’ve never been a person who put their faith into a higher power. As I was growing up my parents never wanted to force me into any religion without me knowing everything about it and choosing which route to take on my own. As the years treaded on, I never bothered myself to learn about the many different religions and what each stands for. So I used this opportunity as mine to attend church for the very first time. I attended the Roman Catholic services held

God loves his Church and Jesus is the one who builds the Church. Then, it goes without saying that God loves the local church and Jesus builds the local church. Unfortunately, there are many factors that come into play, causing churches to become complacent or stagnate before entering into a season of decline. Yet this can be avoided through the process of revitalization.

Richard Allen started the African Methodist-Episcopal church in a response to the treatment of black congregants in white churches (Gates, 2014). For instance, Richard Allen was invited to preach at a white church, but he noticed that the Black congregants were unable to sit in the same pews with the White congregants (Gates, 2014). As a result of this Allen with some friends staged Americas first sit in by going into a White church and sitting in the “white” congregants pews to pray (Gates, 2014). The white preachers approached Allen and his friends and told them that they could not sit and that area and that they needed to leave the church (Gates, 2014). On account of this Allen started the African American Episcopal Church in Philadelphia,

Bethany Church is the main character in my book, Hades by Alexandra Adornetto in the book series Halo. She is an angel that was sent down to Earth to keep an eye on the evil forces. She ends up falling in love with a mortal boy named Xavier Woods. The two started dating and fighting together against the dark forces. She finds it hard to stay away from him. As her friends are always complaining that they never get to hangout. Her siblings are also annoying by their

The Mount Calvary Baptist Church was birthed from a tent revival, conducted in August and September of 1906. The converts from this revival, using only their means of transportation, “the horse and buggy rather than walk the distance to the nearest churches, established the members gathered in homes and around campfires for services and walked miles to attend regular services. When the church first organized, they were without a pastor to lead the flock and a sanctuary. To start Their congregation within the community. Sharing a deep, abiding faith in God manifested through worshipful gatherings beneath the shelter of a "Bush Harbor," which they described as a clear area surrounded by brushes, prayers of thanks and songs of praise gave birth

I began my studies at Leavell College in the Spring of 2014 as a 21-year-old boy who thought he had things figured out. I complete my studies at Leavell College as a 25-year-old man who is humbler, smarter, wiser, and better equipped to make disciples. This is because of the faithful and gracious efforts of NOBTS professors, such as Dr. Stephen Hall, Dr. Jason Jarvis, Dr. John Gibson, Dr. Norris Grubbs, Dr. Rob Jackson, and many others. I cannot thank them enough for making me a more obedient Christ-follower, an equipped pastor, and a better husband to my wife. For my reflection paper, I will communicate how the professors at Leavell College equipped me according to each learning goal.

In examining my experience during the recent Cohort Intensives held at Payne Theological Seminary (PTS) in Wilberforce, Ohio; I was quite intrigued with how all of the scholars and guest speakers reinforced many of the initiatives I have already implemented in the context of my own ministry. Likewise, my time spent in class with my Cohort mentors Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Rev. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson was both scholastically and spiritually invaluable. During the week-long Intensive class sessions with my mentors, I learned a number of new things about myself that I was not previously willing to address. In short, I had a moment of self-actualization that required some personal omissions on my part regarding my faith and yes some internalized oppression as labeled by author Gayraud S. Wilmore. Opening up in class and admitting a few of my own short-comings was nothing short of liberating. Suddenly, I felt as though I had an epiphany; that has given birth to a renewed zeal, mind, and spirit. For the first time in years I am certain that I am now moving closer to the apex of excellence where God intended me to be.