Insights from in and around the association
UBA Voices
Renew: A Citywide Celebration of God's Faithfulness
It's been a year. But Sunday, October 24, is an opportunity for you and everyone from your church to join us in a demonstration of unity and a moment of praise for God's faithfulness.
2020's Most Surprisingly Relevant Worship Song
Most of what we experienced this year echos a sense of loss—the fading music and the constant erosion of things we took for granted. I know I'm not alone in feeling the strain. Fortunately for me, however, God's grace in 2020 has reminded me of the things that are most important—and all the things that are not.
A Theological Framework for Adjusting Church Practice
The following article is part of a collective resource for considering your church’s current practices in light of COVID-19. This collection of articles is designed to help pastors, church leaders, and church members as they forge a path forward. In this article, we consider the question: How do we think about this matter theologically?
Consumer Christianity and Sunday Morning Products
This come-and-see model of ministry we’ve developed over the past 100 years has produced several generations of Christians who assume church is about them, for them, and because of them. So they shop around.
But what if we pastors are only sleeping in the bed we’ve made for ourselves? What if we have a consumer-driven Christian culture because we’ve been selling a product instead of embodying a mission?
The Creative('s) Way to Do Outreach
Have you ever thought of art as a form of outreach? If we do it right, art can bring glory to God and display his greatness to mankind in a way that causes people to follow him. That sounds a lot like outreach to me! I recently wrote an article encouraging leaders to value art in ministry, but what about the creatives in our midst?
Artists can serve to aid in evangelism, discipleship, and the edification of others in the church, as well. So, how can we get started? Here are a few suggestions for the artists (and wannabes) among us.
What Your Worship May Lack
What if we did away with harmony in musical worship? Is it, or any other artistic expression, really necessary to the way we function as a church? Probably not, but most note beauty definitely adds something to the experience. Good art can help better articulate the gospel and move our affections towards God.
In the same vein, I wonder what other expressions of worship we may be missing. Are there some art forms we could use to help us better feel the depth of God's story or understand His person? How might leaders use those mediums to teach, to disciple, and to better explain the faith?
Christmas Already?!
The stores and online catalogs seem to think that October is the time to prepare for Christmas. Soon, shelves will be crowded with wreaths and glitzy tree ornaments. This used to annoy me quite a bit, but after a while, I finally realized that the stores are right—to some extent. October really is the time to begin getting ready for Christmas! In order to celebrate the Advent Season, church leadership must prepare even earlier. So, bring on the Christmas spirit! It's time to celebrate.
The Other Blessing of Family Worship
I read a recent article that said, “A quarter of all parents admit they spend just 34 minutes a day with their children undistracted.” Another article reminded me, “There are only 940 Saturdays between a child's birth and them leaving for college.” This got my attention.
The Privilege of Persecution by Moeller & Hegg
What is persecution? How does it effect the global church, and what should we be learning from them? Sally Hinzie answers these questions and more as she outlines Dr. Carl A. Moeller & David W. Hegg’s book: The Privilege of Persecution (And Other Things the Global Church Knows That We Don’t).
5 Families That May Not Need to Pray
We value family prayer, and we champion prayer in the home. Before we assume that all families must pray, though, let us consider 5 families that do not need to bother praying.