April 17, 2009

Editor's Note: Two Ministry Today Reports in one week?! No, we didn't forget what day it is. Since launching this e-newsletter a few years back, we've watched it continually grow and received plenty of kudos for offering busy pastors an executive summary of the latest ministry news. Our readers have loved it so much they wanted more. So beginning this week, expect a double dose of the Ministry Today Report. We promise, we won't overwhelm you with too much to read—but we will continue to equip you with byte-size nuggets that keep you up to date with today's ever-shifting ministry culture. And as always, let us know what you think by e-mailing us at [email protected].

Giving the Good and the Bad

For nonprofits trying to survive in this tough economic season, recent surveys show the good, the bad and the obvious. Overall, it comes as no surprise that most nonprofits showed a decrease in giving over the last several months. Yet the disconcerting news comes via a recent survey from GuideStar that found a full 52 percent of all nonprofit organizations' giving declined from October 2008 through February 2009. Among those charities, 21 percent said contributions dropped "greatly," while 31 percent indicated a "modest" drop in donations.

"That more than half of charitable organizations reported a drop in contributions during a period that included the last three months of the year, when giving traditionally rises, indicates the severity of the financial challenges nonprofits are facing," said Bob Ottenhoff, president and CEO of GuideStar.

Adding to the problem, 59 percent of all nonprofits indicated an increase in demand for their services, yet only one-third had cut their annual budgets in the last year. The result is that a reported 8 percent of all nonprofits so far have had to shut down.

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We've Heard of Anabaptists, But Debaptists?!

You are now officially debaptized. That sentiment was originally offered as an online tongue-in-cheek joke in 2004 by the National Secular Society (NSS). Now the London-based atheist group reports that more than 100,000 one-time believers have paid to download a "certificate of debaptism" to renounce their faith—and the numbers continue to swell by the thousands each week.

"Churches have become so reactionary, so politically active that people actually want to make a protest against them now," said NSS President Terry Sanderson. "They're not just indifferent anymore. They're actively hostile."

Proving Sanderson's point, last week 56-year-old south Londoner John Hunt succeeded in getting the Archdeacon of Croydon and the church where he was baptized as an infant to essentially strike the record of his baptism. "It's about time that some of us stood up to be counted," Hunt said. "I am hoping that others will follow my lead. It is important that we send a signal to the church and to the government that an increasing proportion of the population don't place any faith in the various churches."

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A Snapshot of Your Congregation

If you're teaching on the Holy Spirit or Satan this weekend, be forewarned: You may notice some confused looks among those listening. According to a recent Barna Research study, most American Christians do not believe that either of the two exists.

In a poll of more than 1,800 believers in this country, almost six out of 10 either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that Satan "is not a living being but is a symbol of evil," while only 26 percent strongly disagreed. Proving the inconsistency that exists among many biblically unsound Christians' theology, almost half (47 percent) of those who say Satan is merely a symbol of evil still believe a person can be influenced by spiritual forces such as demons.

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Ministry Clip of the Week	Ministry Survey
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Ministry Online - Visit us at http://www.ministrytodaymag.com/

Multimedia Got Blog? by John Brandon The how and why to ministry blogging read article	Counseling Deliver Us From Deliverance Ministry by Chris Hayward Taking deliverance from the back room freak show to Sunday morning discipleship read article
Youth Ministry Better Safe Than Sued by Jack Crabtree 12 principles of safety every youth pastor needs to know read article	Ethics Danger Ahead by William Lamb Five road signs of abusive leadership read article

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