As our church grows, the number of people who have personal or family problems also grows. Some of the problems are so complex that their shepherds cannot handle them. Some have suggested that we hire a staff member who is able to provide professional counseling. I am reluctant to take this path for two reasons. First, I am not convinced that professional counseling is more helpful than what happens through small groups like our house churches. Alcoholic Anonymous is an example of a successful small group type ministry. Second, there is a strong possibility that a ...

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Our "Share Room" has been closed due to remodeling, but it's now open again. I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you what the Share Room is about. It is not like the Salvation Army or Goodwill, where you donate things you don't need anymore. The Share Room is meant to be a communal storage room where you keep things to be shared with others. In principle, you should return things to the Share Room once you've finished using them. It's like a family closet or garage where family members keep things in common. Apparently many people did not understand this ...

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I want to thank the 333 prayer partners for praying for me and our church last year. The prayer request for 2005 was: let there be many house churches settled all over the world, and grant our pastor a gentle heart. I think that the first part was answered. As I wrote in a previous Pastor's Corner, house churches are taking root all over the world and I don't need to be anxious any longer. I used to feel like a farmer who planted seeds but was not sure if they would bear fruit. Now I feel like a farmer who has just planted seeds and is expectantly waiting for the ...

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I do not consider healing to be my spiritual gift, but healing does occur frequently when I pray. It seems that God honors my little faith as I hold on the belief that we are healed because Jesus suffered (1 Peter 2:24) and pray. I feel very tired after I pray for healing. This might be because healing is not my primary spiritual gift. But there may be something about healing prayer itself that drains energy. Mark records an incident where a woman who had suffered a hemorrhage for years was instantly cured when she touched the hem of Jesus' clothes. He writes, "At once ...

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As you might know, all of our ministry staff members receive the same salary. We implemented this policy because we saw the importance of children's ministry. For an adult ministry to grow, it is essential that the senior pastor have a long tenure. It is rare to see churches grow when they change pastors every 4 or 5 years. Just like adult ministries, children's ministries also need their pastors to have long tenures in order to thrive. But in most churches, the educational staff's salaries are tiny compared to those of the senior pastors', and are not enough to support ...

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Starting next year, spouses of shepherds and deputy shepherds will be required to complete the required Life series. Currently, deputy shepherds are required to complete 2 courses and shepherds 5 courses, but there are no requirements for their spouses. Now both the husband and wife must complete the required courses before deputy shepherds are appointed and shepherds are ordained. The number of people who receive Jesus as their Lord and are baptized at our church each year is stagnant or slightly decreasing. However, the number of people on my list for whom I pray to ...

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Christians can and should live abundant lives. If they don't, it might be because they haven't set the right priorities in life. Jesus said, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33) However, even people with the right priorities can struggle financially. If you are one of these people, you may lack practical knowledge in dealing with financial matters. To help our church members learn to manage their household finances, we will offer another "Life" series, called "The Abundant Life". This course ...

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