by John Avant | Jun 3, 2020 | Church Leadership, God's Kingdom First, Presidents Column, Say Yes to God, Six Responses to God
In 1996 I began to pastor New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia. The population around our church was significantly black, but our church was not. I embarked on a journey to see that change. It was not an easy task. As our church became more diverse, I...
by John Avant | Jun 1, 2020 | Church Leadership, God's Kingdom First, Presidents Column, Say Yes to God, Six Responses to God
Revival must change our hearts AND our actions. A global pandemic … racism, hatred, killing … our nation on fire … We don’t really need churches to reopen. We need them to restart—different than they used to be. Not divided and dominated by our theological wrangling...
by John Avant | May 20, 2020 | Church Leadership, God's Kingdom First, Presidents Column, Six Responses to God
Last week, I began this series of blogs by suggesting three questions for every Christian to consider as we navigate forward in reopening churches: What should never restart in your church? How important is the concept of safety in your church? When does honoring...
by John Avant | May 13, 2020 | Church Leadership, God's Kingdom First, Six Responses to God
“Let us be concerned about one another … not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do” (Hebrews 10:24-25 HCSB). This seems pretty clear, doesn’t it? There are good reasons to miss corporate worship. But we are not to miss it...
by Bill Elliff | Apr 16, 2020 | Church Leadership, Forgiveness, Personal Growth, Six Responses to God
“May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you.” (1 Samuel 24:12 NASB). Everyone gets hurt. If you haven’t been hurt yet, just keep breathing … it will happen. Once hurt, you must decide how you will...
by Steve Canfield | Mar 1, 2020 | Obedience, Revive Magazine, Six Responses to God, Yes Changes Everything
If you’ve ever watched the NBA basketball playoffs, you’ve likely been impressed by some superstar player, like Michael Jordan or LeBron James. At times you may have heard an announcer say, “Wow, he’s really in the zone!” When a player is in the zone, and that...
