In 2013, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the 3,000-member Falls Church, which voted in 2006 to leave the Episcopal Church and join an Anglican diocese, did not have the right to keep the property. It also ruled that some of the church’s nearly $3 million in assets belong to the Falls Church Anglican congregation.  ... Continue Reading

Why don’t more church people question what their pastor says to see if it squares with the Bible? Why does the coloring page not shock more parents? Why are more people not asking, “Does planting people in the crowd not violate 2 Corinthians 4?” Church members need to search the Scriptures to see if, as... Continue Reading

“Speaking to the congregation following the announcement of the voting results, Senior Pastor John Ortberg said, “To everybody who voted a different way or whether the outcome of the vote is a disappointment, we — the church — want you to know we are so grateful for your participation and for your involvement.”   Members... Continue Reading

In many ways, there are no surprises. Indeed, I doubt most of you will be surprised at my findings. If nothing else, it is a good reminder of how we can help our pastors, and how we can pray for them. Of course, you will quickly see that they are not mutually exclusive. They are... Continue Reading

According to the information on the church web site the payment to the presbytery will be $8.89 million if the congregation votes to accept the terms and request dismissal. Yes, it is 1.5 orders of magnitude larger than the terms that FPC Houston got. In addition, for FPC Houston the quorum requirement was 30% of... Continue Reading

Some aspects of Afrocentricity distract, demean and even deny the gospel message. Afrocentricity in its “raw” form, as described previously, cannot tolerate the sovereignty of God. It would reel against the fact that the sovereignty of God “demands acceptance that the kidnapping and subsequent enslavement of Africans in America was according to [God’s] sovereign will.”[4] However, far... Continue Reading

“Although Furtick says this is a miracle, it’s not a miracle,” Duncan said. “It’s emotional manipulation.” The spontaneous baptism how-to guide describes its purpose as to “pull off our part in God’s miracle.” Church leaders have repeatedly referred to the mass response as a “miracle.” But the guide reveals plenty of human staging.   You... Continue Reading

Center Grove Presbyterian Church, in Greenwood, Ind., was dismissed from the PCUSA to become part of the Christian Reformed Church of North America. Community Presbyterian Church in Ventura, Calif., was dismissed to become part of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.   Center Grove Departs PCUSA for CRC After 30 years as part of... Continue Reading

Birchfield said it was too early to assess the long-term repercussions of the attempt to switch denominations, and he declined to predict whether some members will leave the church as a result. He said his immediate task is to begin smoothing over the differences for the sake of keeping the 3,100 member church intact.  ... Continue Reading

Elevation even produces coloring pages for the children which carry the caption “We Are United Under the Visionary” displayed over a depiction of Pastor Steven. The coloring page goes on to say, “Elevation is built on the vision God gave Pastor Steven. We will protect our unity by supporting his vision.” I have not read language like... Continue Reading