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- Saturday, January 13, 2024
Saturday, January 13, 2024
7 Church Trends, and the Presumption of Innocence
It's Saturday, January 13, 2024.
Today’s edition covers seven church trends moving into the new year and beyond, Ohio Republicans’ back-and-forth over a transgender bill, the biblical foundation of “innocent until proven guilty,” and more.
“There is gold and abundance of costly stones, but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.” (Proverbs 20:15)
Here, Lord willing, is a bit more knowledge for your lips.
Of Christian Concern
7 CHURCH LEADERSHIP TRENDS FOR 2024
Photo: Nikko Tan
Lewis Center for Church Leadership identifies seven trends expected to impact church leadership this year. The center, based within Wesley Theological Seminary, suggests the American church is in transition, as “many of our institutional structures and standard paradigms of ministry are showing themselves to be inadequate to the challenges of the day.”
Decline in mainline attendance. Declining attendance is “most acute in mainline denominations,” as “their ‘brand’ holds considerably less sway among religious seekers and in the public square.”
Financial stability. For a number of possible reasons, “evidence suggests the financial condition of most congregations remains surprisingly strong.”
Rising small churches. While large churches remain the norm, less traditional “smaller faith communities” seem to be growing in popularity. Examples: “Fresh Expressions, micro churches, house churches, and small online communities.”
More lay leadership. For churches unable to support “a full-time, fully credentialed clergyperson,” laypeople are “taking up the slack,” either as volunteers or as paid staff. In some case, “there are more laypersons serving as pastors” despite not having an accredited theological education.
A “dechurched generation.” Around “30 percent of adult American[s] say they have no religious affiliation,” and many children “are being raised with little to no connection to church,” suggesting the need for new evangelistic approaches.
Sunday School losing relevance. With less young families and “more sporadic attendance patterns,” the “Sunday school model of Christian education” is becoming less tenable, driving some churches to explore new methods.
“Faith formation” changing. The traditional expectation that people’s faith would be formed through Sunday service worship elements, especially preaching, is challenged by less consistent church attendance (“many churches report that even their most faithful attendees are often in church only one or two Sundays a month”). Less traditional models, like “the Messy Church movement” are likely to continue emerging.
Also Noteworthy
→ Ohio governor Mike DeWine (a Republican) vetoed HB 68, a bill that would ban sex change surgeries and cross-sex hormones for children, but then signed an order prohibiting “gender-transition surgeries for anyone under 18 at state hospitals or ambulatory clinics.” Critics argue the order didn’t go far enough, and the Republican-led House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to override the governor’s veto of the house bill.
→ T.D. Jakes responded to recent sexual allegations in part by saying “if everything was true, all I got to do is repent sincerely, from my heart...but I ain’t got to repent about this.” In a recent post, Christian sports analyst Chris Broussard weighs in: “No…if it’s true, you should repent and step down.”
→ Acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who directed the controversial 1988 film “The Last Temptation of Christ,” plans to make another film about Jesus.
→ Half of the abortion clinics in Pennsylvania, which collectively performed the majority of the abortions in the state, failed at least one health inspection in 2023.
→ Actor Shia LaBeouf has been confirmed into the Catholic Church.
→ U.S. Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a Hindu, responds to an atheist’s question about Christian nationalism, saying it’s not “a major threat,” and articulates his own view of religious liberty.
Are you following Project 18:15 on social media?
Content Catch-Up
Recent, notable content by Christian creators, or of Christian interest.*
→ Newsboys Frontman’s Testimony: In an interview with CBN, Newsboys frontman Michael Tait tells how he came to Christ after hearing a sermon on hell, and reveals the biggest lesson of his musical career. (Video)
→ Ten 2024 Predictions: Evangelist Ray Comfort of Living Waters makes ten predictions about 2024. (Video)
→ Near Death Experiences Investigated: Christian apologist Sean McDowell interviews Dr. Michael Sabom, the cardiologist who designed and implemented “the first scientific study of NDE’s in the 1970’s,” about why he changed his mind regarding the legitimacy of near death experiences. (Video)
*Not necessarily an endorsement
The Bible, Briefly
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
Examination of a Witch, Tompkins Matteson, 1853. (Public Domain)
The concept of being “innocent until proven guilty” is a well-known one. Less often acknowledged is the fact that it’s biblical.
As Dr. Dave Miller writes for Apologetics Press, “the Bible speaks definitively regarding presumption of innocence.” Here are a few points he offers as evidence.
Multiple witnesses required. “The bedrock truth that undergirded God’s law for Israel regarding criminal behavior,” Miller says, “centered on the presence of multiple witnesses…” This is seen in passages like Numbers 35:30 and Deuteronomy 17:6, which declare that the death penalty cannot be administered on the basis of one witness. This principle of requiring multiple witnesses for a charge reappears in the New Testament church: Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19; Hebrews 10:28; Revelation 11:3; Cf. Matthew 26:60; John 5:31; 10:37.
False witnesses punished. Deuteronomy 19:15-20 says if a person was found, after “careful inquiry,” to have testified falsely against someone, he would receive the same punishment that the accused would have received if convicted. This implies that a mere accusation is not enough to punish someone. The possibility that the accusation is false is taken into account.
Cities of refuge established. Also in the law of Moses, certain cities were designated as “cities of refuge”—places where someone could flee if he accidentally killed someone else. There, “he would be protected until guilt or innocence could be established. Hence, he was innocent until proven guilty.”
So, when it comes to unverified allegations, presuming the innocence of the accused is not merely a social or legal convention, but a godly obligation.
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Why "18:15"? The name Project 18:15 is based on Proverbs 18:15: “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” The aim is for this weekly email—a Christian news briefing, a Bible study, and a Church history lesson rolled into one—to be one way you keep abreast of current events and acquire knowledge you might not acquire elsewhere.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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