SPECIAL NEEDS MINISTRY | FAITH + WORK | REACHING IMMIGRANTS FMARCH/APRILacts 2015 • FACTSANDTRENDS.NET&Trends DWELL Devotion as a Way of Life BEYOND WALKING WITH GOD HEARING GOD THE QUIET TIME BETWEEN SUNDAYS THROUGH SCRIPTURE Mira Sean Alexa Ted Andrea Cybill Sorvino Astin PenaVega McGinley Logan White with Shepherd From The Creators Of “God’s Not Dead” PURE FLIX PRESENTS DO YOU BELIEVE? PURE FLIX PRESENTS A PURE FLIX PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH10 WEST STUDIOS AND BELIEVE ENTERTAINMENT “DO YOU BELIEVE?” MIRA SORVINO SEAN ASTIN ALEXA PENAVEGA DELROY LINDO TED MCGINLEY ANDREA LOGAN WHITE MADISON PETTIS BRIAN BOSWORTH LIAM MATTHEWS WITH CYBILL SHEPHERD AND LEE MAJORS CASTING BY BILLY DAMOTA, CSA AND DEA VISE, CSA PRODUCTION DESIGNER DALLAS MONTGOMERY DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN SHANLEY EDITED BY VANCE NULL MUSIC BY WILL MUSSER PRODUCED BY MICHAEL SCOTT DAVID A.R. WHITE RUSSELL WOLFE ELIZABETH TRAVIS HAROLD CRONK CO-PRODUCED BY CHUCK KONZELMAN CARY SOLOMON MONA NAHM SCREENPLAY BY CHUCK KONZELMAN & CARY SOLOMON DIRECTED BY JONATHAN M. GUNN THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED www.DoYouBelieve.com In Theaters Spring 2015 2 • Facts & Trends March/April 2015 Contents COVER SECTION FEATURES IN EVERY ISSUE 12 Beyond the quiet time 22 Strangers next door 4 Inside F&T Having a devotional time is great, How the church can respond in the age Recognizing the Shepherd’s voice. but it’s not an end in itself. of migration. By J.D. Payne By Carol Pipes It’s meant to be a spring- board to an all-day, every day relationship with God. 26 Wealth, poverty, and 5 From My Perspective By Jared C. Wilson human flourishing: how How to get unstuck when your spiritual do we really help? life is stalled. By Thom S. Rainer 16 Walking with God A conversation with Jeff Palmer and between Sundays Jerry Daniel. By Mark Kelly 6 Insights Beliefs, issues, and trends impact- Here are six ways pastors and church ing the church and our world. leaders can keep their hearts in tune 30 It’s OK to with God throughout the week. be ordinary By Mark Dance 10 ordinary ways to make 25 Calibrate an extraordinary impact. How to embrace families of kids 18 Can we talk? By Tony Merida with special needs. By Joy Fisher Try this simple and effective approach for hearing God speak through Scrip- 34 Stuck like glue 38 Groups Matter ture. By Priscilla Shirer Protecting your closest relationships. The Word in community. By Matt Capps By Philip W. Nation 21 The power of prayer 41 Technology An interview with author 36 Drop the juggling act Social media: hashtag do’s and don’ts and pastor H.B. Charles Coping with busyness without By Chris Martin and on how and why we burning out. By Sean Fowlds Marty Duren should pray. By Matt Erickson 42 All of life 46 On Our Radar Equipping Christians for 9 to 5. By Relevant and practical Darryl Ford resources for you and your church. 50 The Exchange A path to spiritual growth. By Ed Stetzer FactsAndTrends.net Facts & Trends • 3 Facts&Trends Volume 61 • Number 2 • March/April 2015 Facts & Trends is designed to help pastors, church staff, INSIDE F&T and denominational leaders navigate the issues and trends impacting the church by providing information, Recognizing the insights, and resources for effective ministry. Production Team Shepherd’s voice Editor | Carol Pipes Managing Editor | Matt Erickson Senior Writer and Content Editor | Bob Smietana hen I was a little girl, I loved running errands with my Online Editor | Aaron Earls dad. Whether we were headed to the grocery store, Graphic Designer | Katie Shull the library, or Hawk’s Hardware, I was happy to be in Wtow. Occasionally, we would get separated in a store LifeWay Leadership and a moment of panic seized me. I quickly learned that all I had President and Publisher | Thom S. Rainer to do was be still, and I would hear his voice or the funny way he Executive Editor | Ed Stetzer cleared his throat. I followed my ears straight to him every time. Senior Editor | Marty King In John 10, Jesus says He is the Good Shepherd. He knows Contributors His sheep, and they know Him. They hear His voice and follow Matt Capps, Mark Dance, Marty Duren, Joy Fisher, Darryl Ford, Him. Just as I always recognized my earthly father’s voice, Sean Fowlds, Mark Kelly, Chris Martin, Tony Merida, Philip followers of Jesus know Him and recognize His voice. For this Nation, J.D. Payne, Priscilla Shirer, and Jared C. Wilson issue of Facts & Trends, we chose the cover image of a sheep with his shepherd to illustrate a life spent with God. Advertising The more time we spend with the Shepherd, the more inti- Rhonda Edge Buescher, director, Media Business Development mately we will know Him. The intentional practices of prayer, Scott Hancock, advertising production Bible study, personal worship, and Scripture memorization (to Send advertising questions/comments to: name a few) transform us to be more Christlike and draw us One LifeWay Plaza, MSN 136, into God’s presence. Nashville, TN 37234 Whether you call them spiritual practices, habits, or disci- Email: [email protected] plines, they help us focus on God, discern His leading, and Media kits: LifeWay.com/mediaoptions respond to His Spirit. This magazine includes paid advertisements for some products In the cover story “Beyond the Quiet Time,” Jared Wilson and services not affiliated with LifeWay. The inclusion of the says we often let spiritual practices—like spending time in paid advertisements does not constitute an endorsement by God’s Word—become something to check-off on our daily to- LifeWay Christian Resources of the products or services. do list. Instead, he explains, they should be part of the natural Subscriptions rhythms of everyday life with Christ. For a free print subscription to Facts & Trends, send your name, Additionally, Mark Dance offers six ways church leaders can address, and phone number to [email protected]. stay in tune with God between Sundays. Priscilla Shirer shares her own personal approach to reading Scripture. And pastor Permissions H.B. Charles talks about how and why we should pray. Facts & Trends grants permission for any original article (not a And in their columns, Thom Rainer shares the five barriers to reprint) to be photocopied for use in a local church or classroom, spiritual growth common among church leaders, while Ed Stetzer provided copies are distributed free and indicate Facts & Trends unpacks three marks along the path of spiritual formation. as the source. In this issue, we’ve provided articles that will refresh you spiritually while providing practical ways to dwell all day, every Contact Us: Facts & Trends, One LifeWay Plaza, day in God’s presence. Nashville, TN 37234-0192 [email protected] | FactsAndTrends.net Facts & Trends is published quarterly by LifeWay Christian Resources. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, copyright 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Carol Pipes, Editor @CarolPipes | [email protected] @FactsAndTrends FactsAndTrends 4 • Facts & Trends March/April 2015 FROM MY PERSPECTIVE Regaining your spiritual momentum aising boys has given me a when in great need, or in trouble? Pray regularly and fervently. The great appreciation for the Have you stopped praying privately? health of your personal walk with concept of transformation. Do you only spend time in the Bible God and your ministry are directly RMy wife, Nellie Jo, and I raised preparing for sermons? related to your prayer life. Unselfish three sons. They are all followers of praying releases fresh power that will Spiritual warfare. Satan would love to Christ. They have all married godly energize and revolutionize your life keep pastors from practicing spiritual women and are raising their own and ministry. Pray daily, consistently, disciplines. Be careful in discerning families. We watched them move from and honestly. Go to God not only Satan’s lying voice from God’s truth. toddler to preschooler to adolescent to with petitions for others and for teenager and then to adulthood. External focus. Pastors have a ten- guidance for the challenges you face, There are times when boys stall out dency to focus more on leading an but to confess sin, to thank Him for in their maturing from one stage of organization (the church) than on answered prayers, and to praise Him life to another. Content with the level their own spiritual vitality. for who He is. of care they receive in one stage, they Fast. Fasting is a spiritual discipline have a hard time seeing the need to that calls us to slow down, seek God, mature. In reality, it’s not just little “THE HEALTH OF YOUR confess sin, deny self, and allow God boys who get stuck in one stage of PERSONAL WALK WITH GOD to work through our weaknesses. It life—we all do. is an act of obedience that turns our Spiritual transformation occurs in AND YOUR MINISTRY ARE focus to Christ. every believer. But there are seasons DIRECTLY RELATED TO when transformation stalls. Many Share the gospel. Evangelism has the things can contribute to a stalled YOUR PRAYER LIFE.” side effect of reinforcing our confi- spiritual life, but here are five barriers dence in the faith we’re sharing. — THOM S. RAINER to spiritual growth common among As physical exercise is a discipline, church leaders. Each of these factors can lead to a so is spiritual exercise. The natural Busyness. Ministers often are so stalled spiritual life. Here are some order of things is for energy to wane, caught up in doing the work of God ways to experience spiritual renewal and things come to a grinding halt.