Alumni Publications – August 2016
Bullying. It’s an issue that has taken on renewed emphasis in our electronically connected, social media world. We’re more aware than ever that bullying happens in many places: in the work-place, on professional sports teams, in schools, and on social media. Everyone from supermodels to students and CEOs to celebrities is taking a stand against bullying in all its forms. Finding solutions to the problem has become an important part of our cultural conversation. However, there’s one place in society where bullying continues unchecked, where it is rarely confronted and often covertly rewarded.
The church. Pastors, staff and church members experience bullying with alarming regularity. It does as much damage as bullying anywhere else. It’s a prime reason why many churches remain ineffective, in decline or dying. Using the letter of 1st Corinthians as a guide and the church in Corinth as an example, Bullied! takes a blunt, unflinching look at six internal reasons why our churches are in trouble, and offers avenues of renewal and hope. With this resource you can help your church address what’s holding it back and be part of a solution that brings new life and vitality.
Bullied! Confronting and Overcoming Six Major Obstacles to Church Effectiveness is available directly from eLectio Publishing (http://www.electiopublishing.com) for $16.99, and can be ordered from any book seller. A digital edition is also available.
Author J. Todd Kingrea (M.Div., 2000) is currently serving his third year as the pastor of Soddy United Methodist Church in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, in the Cleveland District of the Holston Conference. He has also served as pastor of Unicoi UMC in Unicoi, Tennessee; Wesley Memorial UMC in Etowah, Tennessee; and as youth pastor and associate pastor at Wesley Memorial UMC in Cleveland, Tennessee. Todd has successfully helped two churches transition into stronger, better-focused congregations. He is available to speak to groups about the dynamics of such transitions, as well as on the subjects of the early church and leadership.
Stephen D. Elliott’s (D. Min., 2007) By Signs and Wonders challenges the evangelistic effectiveness of the Western Church’s utilized techniques of life-style and friendship evangelism. Contending that these strategies produce meager results, Elliott calls for the church to place a far higher emphasis on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Drawing upon Scripture and the ministries of famous revivalist preachers such as John Wesley, Elliott concludes that when God reveals Himself by signs and wonders, the consequence is an explosive influx of new believers into Christ’s church.
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