Sentences with phrase «time as a congregation»

If our time as a congregation was almost over, I don't think we'd have much trouble getting inactive or barely active members and friends to join us.

Not exact matches

As a former Christian, I find the idea of one man standing before a congregation several times a week, explaining his beliefs (understanding of the bible?)

It had already been recognized at that time as the fastest growing church, and he wanted to leverage that growth into the largest congregation.

A better measure of the strength of a congregation as a vehicle for maturing would be the number and proportion of the adult membership that meet in groups — disciple schooling, soma, and mission - support — outside the sanctuary at other times of the week.

As for the widow's mite, we have praised her devotion a zillion times, but none of us really wants a whole congregation full of generously self - sacrificing poor people, do we?

At the same time, and without modifications of the «againstness,» a theological school's study may be «for» Christian congregations because it is the place where people can be helped to acquire the capacities for theological judgment that, as we saw, congregations inherently need in their common life.

In 2012 (the year most recently reported), the numbers continued to fall, as the ELCA lost another 105 congregations and saw a membership drop of 2.68 % over the year previous — bringing the ELCA to under 4 million members for the first time ever.

For a century the congregations of the Christian Church have moved steadily, if at times hesitantly, toward life as one...

The latter approach takes seriously the present situation of the church but also envisions a congregation as existing over the passage of time.

The congregation responded, «In this difficult time we join with you as your friends.

But, over the years, the congregation did, in fact, become more diverse, and by the time I had been there for 12 years, there were maybe 50 gay and lesbian persons, there were about 30 Hispanic individuals, there were a number of African Americans and African natives, and there was other diversity as well; and we talked a lot about how pleased we were that this was all happening.

Marcus could read and write — though he could not write well, and had no inclinations to authorship, even in that publishing center of the western Mediterranean in the days of Nero — and so, as one of the few in the local congregation of Christians who could both read and write, he was commissioned to put together in his free time — probably late evenings, after the assembly of the Christians had broken up — the fragmentary translations of narratives from the story of Jesus and his teaching which were in circulation in the Roman church.

Questions have been asked about the consistency of The Rev. Vosper in regard to her public statements as opposed to her public professions of faith and belief at the time of her ordination and every single time she was covenanted into a new pastoral relationship, including in 1997 with her current congregation.

Bloggers such as Hatmaker and Ann Voskamp — with books popular enough to land on TheNew York Times bestseller lists — have triple as many Facebook followers as the biggest congregations in the biggest denomination in the country.

It's a time when Mormons attend their local congregation - it's known as a ward, which in Catholic - speak would be comparable to a parish - and worship with their families and community.

This is why the preaching moment is a confluence of people, times and contexts and therefore requires the engagement of the congregation not only as careful, critical listeners, but as participants in preparation and follow - up (Wardlaw).

What is significant, in an educational sense, is that this is the first time congregations are recognized by the national agencies as the locale in which curriculum choice must be and in fact is made.

As the hope dimmed with the passage of time, second - and third - generation Christians became more concerned with the future of young congregations.

The congregation finds it simpler and less troublesome to believe the things God did as recorded by those few writers who survived the babel of conflicting proclamations of God's Word and achieved canonicity than to venture some faith - decision amid differing announcements of what God is doing in our time.

For a century the congregations of the Christian Church have moved steadily, if at times hesitantly, toward life as one of the «mainstream» Protestant denominations.

«As a congregation, we help each other during the preparation time, pray together a lot more, and help on relief efforts after the event,» said Ríos, lead pastor of La Iglesia del Centro, a congregation of about 350 in Arecibo.

It is an outgrowth of the continuing philosophy that church work is done not just by the minister and the official board, but by a committed congregation following a plan of «tithing of time» which can be as meaningful and productive as the tithing of money..

The congregation, as a community in crisis, gathers to decide one more time about its identity and its vocation.

Rabbi Maurice N. Eisendrath, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, also has challenged Jews to «render unto Jesus that which is Jesus»» and to acknowledge that «his influence was a beneficial one, not only to the pagans but to the Jews of his time as well.»

The school must not be undertaken, that is, as a brief experiment only; it must be a genuine part of a long - range parish program over several years, with the definite intention of continuing the school so that it will be accepted in time as a normal and expected part of the total life of the congregation.

But as time went on, I found myself increasingly at odds with my advisers on the means and methods used for ensuring the numerical and financial viability of the congregation.

What these pastors tell me is that whatever imagination and intelligence they as pastors may have, it has come to them as a gift given to them — quietly, almost unwittingly, over time — by God in and through the people of faith who make up their congregations.

As a minister, I love what you do because it shows what we are thinking at times and what others in the congregation are thinking.

Inasmuch as congregations are constituted by enactments of a more broadly practiced worship, theological schooling focused through questions about congregations must attend to their setting in time both diachronical and synchronical.

«A Christian congregation is a group of persons that gathers together to enact publicly a much more broadly practiced worship of God in Jesus» name, regularly enough over an indefinite period of time to have a common life in which develop intrinsic patterns of conduct, outlook, and story, and that holds its conduct, outlook, and story accountable as to its faithfulness to biblical stories of Jesus» mission and God's mission in Jesus.»

Any group of persons who gather to worship God regularly enough for an indefinite period of time to have developed a common life in which arise intrinsic patterns of conduct, outlook, and story and explicitly do so «in Jesus» name» as a deliberate act of self - identification should be considered a Christian congregation for our purposes.

The nativity story was read aloud by my friend with carols sung at the appropriate places, and all went like clockwork until it came time for the arrival of the angels of the heavenly host as represented by the children of the congregation, who were robed in white and scattered throughout the pews with their parents.

It is possible, therefore, that some of the paid - time religious broadcasters may show signs of becoming more «established,» consolidating basic identities and service functions in order to maintain their audiences similar to an extended congregation, withdrawing their programs from areas that are no longer profitable, and developing as extended independent church organizations in line with their particular theological emphases.

It's that whole «what will the neighbors think» mentality that results in too much time spent keeping up appearances, doing good works just so that you can be seen doing them, and worrying about how fabric choices in the new parish hall parlor will reflect on us as a congregation.

He pointed the church men and women toward the upper echelons of their denominations as places to begin their funding drive, at the same time insisting that they also set up a dues - paving system for area congregations that would cost each, depending upon size, from $ 500 to $ 3,000 a year.

Decisions had to be made from time to time as to where or when services of the church would be held; the church needed to be told of the impending visit of an apostle, or of some prophet or teacher from abroad; a question has been raised as to the good faith of one of these visitors, and there must be some discussion of the point and a decision on it; a fellow Christian from another church is on a journey and needs hospitality; a member of the local congregation planning to visit a church abroad needs a letter of introduction to that church, which someone must be authorized to provide; a serious dispute about property rights or some other legal matter has arisen between two of the brothers and the church must name someone to help them settle the issue or must in some other way deal with it; a new local magistrate has begun to prosecute Christians for violating the law against unlicensed assembly, and consideration must be given to ways and means of meeting this crisis; charges have been brought against one of the members by another member, and these must be investigated and perhaps some disciplinary action taken; one of the members has died, and the church is called on for some special action in behalf of his family in the emergency; differences of opinion exist in the church on certain questions of morals or belief (such as marriage and divorce, or the resurrection), differences which local prophets and teachers are apparently unable to compose, and a letter must be written to the apostle — who will write this letter and what exactly will it say?

When one considers the actual conditions that prevailed in the local congregations at the time of the Reformation and is mindful of the fact that the people themselves for many reasons lacked initiative so that, as objects rather than as subjects of action, they were dependent upon the leadership of the princes, magistrates, and church governments, one can understand why the actual calling of the ministers was in fact rarely the result of their decision.

As the West End morphed from a residential to commercial district in Edwardian times, its congregation died off.

Mr. Cuomo swayed and clapped as the congregation sang, he hugged and kissed members of the choir and he quoted scripture three times in his speech.

As the head honcho of a vibrant African American parish, Pastor Jones (Jean - Claude La Marre) works hard to keep his opinionated congregation happy, set aside enough quality time with his family and live the way the God wants.

But the other times, he just came off as a blue evangelical preaching to his congregation.

Does the congregation understand formation in Christ's image as one of its primary purposes and does it dedicate its time and resources accordingly - with special attention to the three ways that Coventry highlights?

If your book targets only a small portion of that audience, whether by congregation or subject matter, it will not be featured as a retailer promotion at this time.

We seek the renewal of Lutheran congregations according to Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, and we endorse the Common Confession as a summary of Lutheran convictions for our time and place.

The First Steps are intended to save you time and resources as your congregation takes steps towards launching a Marriage Ministry.

Yet, recently my wife and I listened attentively as one of our Rabbis addressed the congregation on the topic of How Do You Measure Time?