An encouragement to take God's stirring within you and share it with your congregation and community.

The news headlines are difficult to see. Global wars and conflict. Another school shooting and political violence. The remembrance of 9/11 today.

There is pain, grief and fear all around us. People of all ages are trying to process it and carry on with their work, go to school, and find comfort, strength and hope. 

Church leader - these are important days for ministry. People need to be seen and encouraged. They need space to grapple with what they are feeling. And they need to be reminded of the Lord - who is unchanging, always at work, so worthy of our worship, and faithful for eternity.

As you and your family, staff or leadership team carry your own emotions and pray through these difficult days, I want to encourage you: don’t stop there.

Take what God is stirring in you and share it with your congregation and community. Create opportunities for people to name their feelings, process them in healthy ways, lift them up to God in prayer and worship, and ask what He is calling them (and your church) to do next.

Here are some ways you can respond:

  • Share timely content. Speak into the moment with a social post, blog or video - sooner rather than later. Acknowledge the pain, invite people to process it (personally, with their family, in groups or with church leaders), and point them to scripture, prayer and worship.

  • Create space for prayer. Consider hosting an online gathering, an in-person prayer time, or simply opening your church for reflection and prayer.

  • Shape upcoming services and studies. Determine what should be included in upcoming worship services, prayer times, sermon series or a small group study to help people process and pray through the realities of living, raising a family, and even growing up in today's world. 

  • Connect your church's serving and generosity opportunities. As you are led, provide outlets for your congregation to serve locally, nationally and globally. Make sure your congregation understands how their serving and giving connects with the challenges in our world and the hope of the Gospel.

These are tender, weighty days. But they are also days of opportunity - opportunity for the Church to pray without ceasing, offer hope, and remind people of the God who sees, heals and redeems.