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With planning for Christmas just around the corner, a growing movement of churches is combating the consumerism of the season and reaching around the globe in the process.
"For years, we had been consumed with shopping and gifts instead of focusing on the real meaning of Christmas," said one church member involved in the efforts of an organization called The Advent Conspiracy. "But this year, our church encouraged us to turn Christmas upside down--or actually, right-side up.
"We've recaptured the true meaning of giving, love, and of Christmas itself."
The Advent Conspiracy, a group formed in 2006 by three next-generation church leaders, recommends that churches spend less, give more, love all, and worship fully the ultimate gift of Christ.
Chris Seay of Ecclesia Church (Houston, TX), Greg Holder of Windsor Crossing Community Church (Chesterfield, MO) and Rick McKinley of Imago Dei Community (Portland, OR) were looking for a tangible way to shift the focus of Christmas from receiving to giving when they launched The Advent Conspiracy.
The group's primary focus is to equip churches to provide clean water in Third World countries, and it has clearly captured the synergy of desire and opportunity in the church. In only its second year, the movement mushroomed to 700 churches in 17 countries.
"We have been amazed, encouraged, humbled and incredibly overwhelmed to read through these beautiful stories of how you learned to worship more, spend less, give more and love all this Advent season," wrote Jan Carson in a report on the scope of 2007 efforts.
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"To see how these humble efforts have been blessed beyond our wildest expectations is a beautiful reminder of how God desires to give us a new, bigger Kingdom vision for the world He has placed us in. This vision does not stop with Christmas but infiltrates our lives . . . |
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The average American household is now buried under mortgage debt of $84,911, car and tuition loans of $14,414, home equity loans of $10,062 and credit card debt of $8,565--in sum, outstanding debt totaling $117,952. Federal Reserve data says the average household savings this year are a mere $392.
| Doctors Show a "Faith Gap" |
According to a new study, 57% of randomly surveyed adults said God's intervention could save a deathly ill family member even if physicians said treatment would be futile.
However, just under 20% of doctors and other medical workers said God could reverse a helpless outcome.
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| Unmarried Population Gaining Steam |
The U.S. Census Bureau recently issued information on unmarried Americans 18 or older that might help churches more effectively reach these groups. The statistics include those never married, widowed, or divorced . . .
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| Forum on Multiple Merger Churches |
This one-day gathering is for churches with experience and commitment to merging, restarting, consolidating, or enfolding other churches, often ones in decline. It is limited to churches that have completed at least 3 mergers in recent years or are on a purposeful pathway to do so.
| Custom-Fit Information For You |
As a subscriber to Leadership Network Advance, you know this newsletter provides a broad look at the latest in church innovation. But did you know you can also obtain news and updates tailored to your precise interests?
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The 2008 update of our every-other-year salary survey. New this time around:
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Findings clustered by four sizes of megachurches |
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Special commentary on tough economic times |
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Expanded list of additional salary survey resources |
Also available:
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| You can peruse more than two years' worth of Leadership Network Advance feature articles, and get valuable information on a variety of ministry topics at the newsletter's Archives. Select VIEW ARCHIVES LIST for the full list of Advance archives. |
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