Morning Roundup - February 1, 2012
Wednesday, 01 February 2012 04:00
Komen Drops Planned Parenthood Support -- Christianity Today
Facing criticism and boycotts from pro-life groups, breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure has dropped its partnership and financial support of Planned Parenthood and its affiliates, the Associated Press reported today.
Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun told the Associated Press that the recent controversy with LifeWay was not the reason for the break with Planned Parenthood. Instead, she said, newly organizational rules against grants to groups under governmental investigation came into play when U.S. Representative Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) launched an inquiry.
Planned Parenthood, which conducts breast exams but not mammograms, received more than $600,000 from Komen last year. (One pro-life group put the number at $629,159. Planned Parenthood told the Associated Press that the grants were about $680,000.) Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said the organization is "alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. K... omen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure."
Richards also indicated that "existing agreements or plans" between Komen and Planned Parenthood will continue, but that Komen Foundation officials have notified Planned Parenthood programs that they are ineligible for new grants.
J.D. Greear on a Gospel-Centered Church -- Timmy Brister
1. In a gospel-centered church, preaching the message of the gospel is the priority.
Greear: "The gospel is an announcement that Jesus is Lord and that He has won the battle for your salvation. We are to respond in repentance and faith (Mark 1:15 ). The gospel is not good advice about how to live; it is good news about what God has done. Jesus told His disciples to be 'His witnesses,' which meant they were to tell everyone, faithfully, the story of what He had done for the world. Their lives would certainly demonstrate the changes His power brought in their lives, but they were to constantly point to what He had done that made those changes possible (222)."
2. In a gospel-centered church, the emphasis of the message is more on what Christ has done than what we are to do.
Greear: "... the only thing that brings true spiritual growth is abiding in-dwelling in, thinking about, standing in awe of-what Christ has done for us" (223).
3. In a gospel-centered church, the members demonstrate the beauty of the gospel in community.
Greear: "... by doing what healthy local churches do (praying, sharing, constantly preaching the word, etc.), [the early church] were evangelizing the community. The presence of a healthy local church in a community is the greatest catalyst for the evangelization of that community. In a healthy church the local community should see the glory of God on display" (229).
When a Small Church Staff Is Better -- Craig Groeschel
Based on my experience, when LifeChurch (or a specific campus or team) is slightly overstaffed, forward progress generally slows. When we are slightly understaffed, we usually take more ground.
Here are my theories on why smaller is often better when it comes to staff:
- When you have more staff members, the roles are often clearly defined and can lead to "that's not my job" mindsets. Smaller staff teams are forced to work together and innovate creating unity and a spirit of collaboration.
- Bigger staffs take more time and energy to manage. Smaller staffs move quickly.
- When more money goes to pay staff, less money goes to expand the ministry.
- When more people are paid, it's easier to stop building volunteer leaders, which eventually weakens the foundation of the church.
- A larger team might unconsciously not work as hard as they would otherwise
A Good Summation of All Blog Arguing -- Zach Nielsen
