With Paul, I can honestly say that I am “confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God doesn’t leave projects half-finished or people on their own. Since he called you into pastoral ministry, he will see you through to the end.

This final post from November 27, 2017 tells you what I truly believe about you. Be encouraged! May God bless you!

The post Supporting You Going Forward appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

1. You represent what the church is all about, its ethos and its activities. Your congregation needs to see you modeling how they can live the mission.
2. You are the chief advocate for the church’s mission, making the mission foundational to everything the church does. Show the congregation how the mission drives decisions at the church.
3. You are the primary evangelist for your mission. When you talk up the mission, people will see that the mission excites you and then it will excite them too. Your passion for the mission will become their passion for the mission as well.

To help you fulfill your figurehead role, this post from March 27, 2010 gives ways to boost your passion for the church’s mission, so you can be its best representative, advocate, and evangelist.

The post Come Back to Your Mission appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

It falls to the role of the pastor to bring the congregation back to the main thing: Jesus Christ and his mission for the church. In this post from January 6, 2021, I suggest some ways you can restore peace to your church.

The post The Main Thing appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

But this isn’t the way it is. The church is full of imperfect people who, like me and like you, are on a journey toward perfection. So pastors have to learn to manage the inevitable conflicts that arise while we are on our journey. We can’t just avoid the conflict and pretend it isn’t there. That would be like ignoring a cancer symptom and pretending it’s not real. The problem will only fester and grow over time.

One of the reasons why we should not abandon gathering together as a church is that conflicts, or at least different perspectives and priorities, are bound to arise when we gather, and the resulting conflicts give everyone the chance to practise Christlike attitudes and behaviour! What an opportunity for you, their pastor, to teach people how to grow!

This post, published on March 10, 2012, provides a productive way to use conflict to bring people together.

The post Facing the Opposition appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

On Tuesday, December 7, Bill C-4, which criminalizes conversion therapy, passed the Senate in a single motion. It had already passed the House in a single motion on December 1.

What is Bill C-4?

Bill C-4 adds a new offence to the Criminal Code that prohibits conversion therapy. What is conversion therapy? Bill C-4 defines conversion therapy as a “practice, treatment or service designed to”

• Change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual;
• Change a person’s gender identity to cisgender;
• Change a person’s gender expression so that it conforms to the sex assigned to the person at birth;
• Repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour;
• Repress a person’s non-cisgender gender identity; or
• Repress or reduce a person’s gender expression that does not conform to the sex assigned to the person at birth

When is it effective?

Now that Bill C-4 has passed both the House and the Senate, it needs Royal Assent. Royal Assent is approval by the Governor General.

It will be effective 30 days after it receives Royal Assent.

Why does it matter?

Any time the government introduces a new crime, it is important for Canadians to be aware of what behaviour or conduct is prohibited.

In this case, insofar as Bill C-4 eliminates abusive, involuntary or coercive practices from our communities, that is a good thing.

The concern – raised by CCCC and many others – has been that the definition of conversion therapy was too broad, and that clarifying amendments were needed in order to avoid capturing legitimate expression and activities. Neither the House nor the Senate amended the Bill.

Through the course of debate and committee hearings on Bill C-6 (Bill C-4’s predecessor), Ministers and Members of Parliament gave repeated assurances that the bill’s aim was coercive and systematic efforts as well as forced and coordinated efforts, not conversations about sexuality. The Minister also noted that practices, treatments and services designed to achieve objectives such as abstinence or to address sexual addictions are clearly not captured by the definition.

While clarifying amendments would have been our preferred path forward, we trust that these statements will guide and appropriately restrain the scope of the prohibition.

What’s next?

We recognize that there remains a lot of uncertainty in this bill. We’re interested in your concerns or questions to help shape resources and guidance as we move forward. We invite members to share here in The Green, or you can send us an email.

To get timely updates, subscribe to Noteworthy.

The post Bill C4, Conversion Therapy Ban Passes the Senate appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

What is Bill C-4?

Bill C-4 adds a new offence to the Criminal Code that prohibits conversion therapy. What is conversion therapy? Bill C-4 defines conversion therapy as a “practice, treatment or service designed to”

• Change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual;
• Change a person’s gender identity to cisgender;
• Change a person’s gender expression so that it conforms to the sex assigned to the person at birth;
• Repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour;
• Repress a person’s non-cisgender gender identity; or
• Repress or reduce a person’s gender expression that does not conform to the sex assigned to the person at birth

Why does it matter?

Any time the government introduces a new crime, it is important for Canadians to be aware of what behaviour or conduct is prohibited.

In this case, insofar as Bill C-4 eliminates abusive, involuntary or coercive practices from our communities, that is a good thing.

However, in its current form there is a real concern about the broad definition of conversion therapy. The concern is that, without clarifying amendments, the definition could readily criminalize legitimate expression and activities.

What is the status of Bill C-4 now?

As of Friday, December 3, Bill C-4 is at the Senate. It has passed first reading, and will be dealt with “two days hence”… That means next week, Tuesday, December 7.

When the Senate looks at the bill, it will be at second reading. Second reading is usually when there is debate about the bill and when the bill is referred to a committee for further study, to hear from witnesses, and to receive public input. It is possible that the Senate will follow the House’s lead and pass the bill in a single sitting.

What’s happening?

CCCC and many others raised similar concerns in the last Parliamentary Session when a conversion therapy ban was also introduced (Bill C-6). CCCC made submissions to the House Justice Committee and is actively working to make our concerns known to Senators.

The Senate will need to consider whether the definition of conversion therapy in the Bill is sufficiently clear as to what conduct will be criminalized. The concern is that the definition in its current form isn’t clear, and could be interpreted to include religious instruction concerning human sexuality, parental guidance, and support for people who wish to order their sexual lives in accordance with their religious conscience.

If you’re looking for ways to express concern, you can check out some of these resources:

• CCCC submissions to the House Justice Committee on Bill C-6, as mentioned above
• CCCC, Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF) and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) document Church Guidance: Conversion Therapy which sets out both areas of agreement with conversion therapy bans and areas of concern
• EFC’s Sample Letter for Concerned Citizens in pdf or docx format
• You can visit the Senate site to find a Senator from your region

Most importantly, please pray for wisdom for our political leaders, for wisdom and grace for our religious leaders, and for the love and hope of Christ to be known in our communities.

What’s next?

We will follow the development of the bill along with any amendments. If the bill is referred to a committee, there will be opportunity for public input and we’ll be sure to update you.

We recognize that there is a lot of uncertainty in this bill. We’re committed to supporting you with resources, a space to ask questions, and guidance for moving forward and are actively working on these initiatives.

To get timely updates, we invite you to subscribe to Noteworthy. You can sign up with one click on the right side of this page!

The post Conversion Therapy Ban Passes the House, Now at Senate appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

May we all be able to sing this song after our time in vocational ministry has concluded.

Enjoy the video by following the link below.

The post A Life of Ministry with No Regrets appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

Pastors, it’s December 1, 2021 and there are reports that a significant percentage of you are at least thinking of leaving the ministry. How many will actually do that is anybody’s guess, but the fact that so many are even thinking about it is a concern.

After 18 months of the pandemic, gathering restrictions, and debates over vaccines and masks, you need some encouragement!

So, for 24 days, I will publish a brief post linked to an older post that addresses a topic that will benefit you. My goal is to help you get through these times and redeem their troubles for the good of your ministry and your church.

Be encouraged by these three verses that relate to God bringing good out of bad circumstances.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Genesis 50:20 (NIV)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose…. In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Romans 8:20, 37 (NIV)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Here is today’s helpful post from July 5, 2021. It contains links to some posts that you will see again in this series, but it serves as a quick start to reclaiming the initiative over your ministry and proactively adapting it to produce great fruitfulness. May God inspire you today!

The post Pastors, You Have a Hope and a Future appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

Saskatchewan joins Alberta in lifting public health orders, with BC very close behind. As of July 1 and its Step 3, BC has no capacity limits on indoor or outdoor religious gatherings, no provincial masking order, and no restrictions on personal gatherings. As of August 2, New Brunswick will move to Phase 3 and lift all of its restrictions as well.

Meanwhile, Ontario will move into its Step 3 of its 3-step plan on July 16, five days ahead of schedule. Step 3 revises, but does not remove, public health orders and restrictions.

There are some important, significant, and welcome changes in Step 3:

• Indoor and outdoor religious gatherings are limited only by physical distancing constraints – this is great news for churches!!
• Indoor social gatherings have increased to 25; outdoor to 100.
• Day camps and overnight camps can operate if they follow the safety guidelines produced by the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Step 3 is a step forward, but it is not the end for Ontario. New thresholds have been set: Step 3 rules remain in place until 21 days have passed, 80% of eligible Ontarians 12+ have received one dose, 75% are fully vaccinated, and other key public health and health care indicators remain stable. Upon meeting these new thresholds, “the vast majority” of public health measures will be lifted, except that “face coverings will also continue to be required for indoor public settings” on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Ontario’s plan remains a “three step” plan, but it’s not clear what to call the “post-Step 3” period, or when the remaining restrictions will actually be lifted.

The new rules have been incorporated into Ontario Regulation 364/20 which has the full list of provincial regulations for Step 3. You can read a partial summary of the new rules in Ontario’s July 9 press release.

What are the other provincial opening plans? See this summary chart. It has links to plans, thresholds, dates and a summary of key changes for camps, churches and personal gatherings.

The post Saskatchewan Removes All Public Health Orders, Ontario Revises appeared first on CCCC Blogs.

Restoring religious gatherings is part of Step 3 in BC’s Restart Plan.

Step 3 begins July 1, and with it brings a host of changes that signify a return to a normal, pre-COVID life:

• Personal gatherings “return to normal for indoor and outdoor” gatherings
• Masks are not required in public indoor settings (but are recommended for 12+ and who aren’t fully vaccinated)
• Group limits for indoor and outdoor dining are eliminated
• All indoor fitness classes are allowed
• Gyms and recreation facilities have normal capacity

Offices and business will continue returning to the workplace. During this transition back to work, employers are to move away from COVID-19 Safety Plans to develop communicable disease plans. WorkSafeBC released guidelines for the new communicable disease plans. The plans will not require capacity limits, formal health screening, directional arrows and other physical distancing measures (though they may be used during the transition period).

BC also announced that it its health officials will end routine COVID-19 news briefings. It will also lift the provincial state of emergency June 30 at 11:59 pm. It is the longest state of emergency in provincial history.

Although the provincial state of emergency will be lifted, the public health emergency will remain in effect during Step 3. This will allow the ongoing, but amended, public health orders to be enforced. BC has reached almost 70% adult “Dose 1” vaccine coverage and has declining case counts.

BC joins Alberta in leading the way toward removing restrictions on religious gatherings.

The post BC Eliminates Restrictions on Religious Gatherings appeared first on CCCC Blogs.