All Souls Episcopal Church

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Oct 19, 2005 in Church Technology, Sheep&Goats | 1 comment

“The Episcopal denomination has always been one of the most inclusive denominations. We don’t fight over doctrine. For example, in my church we have pro-life and pro-choice congregants. My preferences are for life, but the decision needs to be based on the circumstances,” said Reverend Michael Russell of All Souls. Russell declined to provide circumstances in which he would endorse abortion. “Regardless of the circumstances, we wouldn’t expel someone from our church for having an abortion. My job is to teach people how to think as Christians, not what to think.” Russell said All Souls falls on the progressive end of Protestant churches. He summarized his church’s stance on divisive issues, “In any gray area, we would rather include people than exclude them. We are not agents of God’s judgment.” Russell said that many All Souls congregants left Roman Catholic and Protestant churches where they were judged for their behavior. “People come to our church because we allow for divorce. Sometimes a marriage is causing so much damage to the people involved that it’s best to get divorced. We are very welcoming to gays and lesbians. When looking at scripture on this issue, we believe the historical circumstances have changed. Tradition, current culture, what scripture says and whether it is still applicable as it was when it was first written are elements to consider on these matters,” said Russell

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San Diego Christian Reformed Church

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Oct 12, 2005 in Church Technology, Sheep&Goats | 1 comment

“In the past, people’s mindset was, if people aren’t having kids, how is the Reformed faith going to grow?” said Rick Roeda, the director of youth ministries at San Diego Christian Reformed Church (SDCRC). “Reformed churches primarily grow through birth and through church transfer. We’re not as seeker-friendly as the Rock or happy-clappy churches.” Roeda estimated that over 85 percent of people who transfer to SDCRC do so out of a theological conviction. “People come from Shadow Mountain or the Calvary system because they want to move from some of the teachings they have received to a deeper theology.” Roeda said he did not want to be critical of these churches. “If someone was a new believer, I would recommend these churches to them. What they are doing is appealing in that they have a tremendous growth of new believers.” Roeda said SDCRC is in a transitional phase. “Right now there is a wake-up call, a realization that in order for [Reformed Churches] to survive as a group, we need to get out of our shells. The typical reformed experience is one where people come to church reverent, they don’t say much. An organ leads them through several hymns before the pastor preaches. People come with their Sunday best on for the Lord.”

Full Article: San Diego Christian Reformed Church

Secular Psychology and Christians

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Oct 6, 2005 in Church Technology, Culture, Sheep&Goats | 0 comments

WARNING: This is a topic that is very offensive to many people. Often, Christians want God for their ‘soul’ but they think psychology is really the means to ‘feel better’ in life. Previous discussions around this topic have resulted in a lot of feelings coming to the surface. I’d ask that any posts be constructive to any conversation.

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,” begins the Psalms. George C. Scipione, director of the Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship (IBCD), is an advocate for this verse. “Jesus set up the principle that a disciple will look more and more like the person who disciples him. Counseling is discipleship,” said Scipione. “A non-Christian cannot point you to Christ. By definition, it’s impossible. Non-Christians don’t understand the gospel.” Scipione believes Christians should not participate in secular psychology and psychiatry. “Psychology is dangerous. The pupil [of a secular psychologist] will become an outright pagan, a New Ager. A lot of modern science is pagan philosophy plus proof text. The medical community has allowed more and more New Age principles into their practice. If you’re going to get advice, there are things that pagans can do. These are things that are ethically acceptable and within the bounds of common grace and scripture.” Scipione mentioned car mechanics and heart surgeons as types of professions from which Christians can seek non-Christian counsel. “But even financial advisors can offer advice that contradicts Biblical writings.”

Full Reader Article: Secular Psychology and Christians

Faith Community Church by the Sea

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Sep 28, 2005 in Church Technology, Sheep&Goats | 0 comments

“‘Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers,’” said Pastor Doug Baker. Baker quoted America’s first Supreme Court justice, John Jay. Baker’s quote was in response to the nomination process of chief justice nominee John G. Roberts Jr., a Catholic. “The Ten Commandments are what our founding fathers used to build our country. Our system doesn’t work if we are a people without moral standards that God approves.” Baker said he believes our country has drifted from an adherence to God’s moral code. “Just look at the looting after Katrina. I’m not talking about the people who took for survival, but people who stole for personal gain. This speaks a lot about the heart of the people. Our nation needs to evaluate where our heart is at. If you look at the history of mankind, Rome, the Greeks, and all other empires ceased to exist when they began to fall into perversion and corruption.” Pastor Baker believes this is where America could go to, if things aren’t changed. Baker suggested people listen to a sermon he gave on July 4, where he presented quotes from America’s founding fathers and their allegiance to God. “Ultimately, though, our [church's] emphasis is on moral issues, not political influence.”

Full Article: Faith Community Church by the Sea

Sonrise Community Church

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Sep 22, 2005 in Church Technology, Sheep&Goats | 1 comment

“People thought [my becoming a pastor] was bogus,” said Pastor Stan Miller. “They said, ‘He’s lost his marbles’ and ‘He’s flipped out.’ It angered the media. They vilified me. Most of this came from my former colleagues at KUSI. It’s because I’m the only pastor and news anchor in the country,” said Miller. Pastor Miller took over Sonrise’s Unite service one-and-a-half months ago. “I was assigned this position. The guy who was doing it left for full-time mission work.” Unite is Sonrise’s “postmodern” evening service for young adults. I asked Miller what a postmodern service was. “I don’t know what the heck postmodern means. I tried to ask the old Unite pastor to explain it, but I still don’t get it completely. Your guess is as good as mine,” replied Miller. Miller concluded that it is a service geared toward younger people. “If you don’t reach kids by junior high, you’ve probably lost them by college. A lot of professors who are atheist preach a message against Christianity daily in their pulpits of the classroom. They can sway these kids and I don’t want to lose them. Kids are very much open-minded and receive [what the professors say], which is heresy.”

Three 15-foot video screens projected a timer countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. As the counter hit zero, the band emerged from backstage to lead worship. Noah Balcombe, the worship leader, yelled, “I’m excited to be here!” Balcombe bounced around and jumped as he led the worship. A pianist, drummer, bass player, two guitarists, and vocalists led the congregation in popular songs such as, “Here I Am to Worship,” “In the Secret,” and “Consuming Fire.”

Full Article: Sonrise Community Church

San Diego Bahai

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Sep 14, 2005 in Church Technology, Sheep&Goats | 3 comments

“We believe that there is only one religion. All other paths that people take are legitimate paths, which represent only one of God’s manifestations,” said Susan Collins, about Muslims, Jews, Christians, and other world religions. For 18 years, Collins has served on a spiritual assembly that leads the San Diego Bahai community. “While we encourage people to be close to their holy books and continually investigate the truth, our writings tell us it is a responsibility of ours to help [other faiths] recognize the new writings for this age.”

Bahai teaches that God sends a prophet for a specific time period to teach people. The prophet’s teachings change as humanity is ready to understand more of God’s instruction. “Abraham came while people were hunter-gatherers and unified them into a family. Jacob unified families into tribes, Moses took tribes into a nation, Jesus unified city-states, and Muhammad unified city-states into a nation. Abraham, Krishna, Buddha, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed were a few of the prophets God spoke through. They preached the same spiritual message, even if they taught a different social teaching,” said Cameron Banyan. Banyan volunteers to host introductory gatherings to teach visitors the ways of Bahai. Each Monday night, people are invited to his parents’ home in the hills of La Jolla to ask questions and learn about Bahai. Last Monday, I was the only person to attend Banyan’s introductory session.

Full Article: San Diego Bahai