The Church of God Historical Commission announced the winners of the Charles W. Conn Historical Writing Award. The 2012-2014 award winners are James M. Beaty for his book, R.G. Spurling and the Early History of the Church of God (Derek Press, 2012), and Rodney Wayne Friend for his article-length publication, A Faithful Servant: Samuel Lavern Peterson (Church of God World Missions, 2012).
The 2014 Best Christian Workplaces rely on inspirational work and effective communication to create a flourishing culture that meets the needs of those they serve. Best Christian Workplaces Institute announces that 76 distinguished organizations have earned Certification as Best Christian Workplaces for 2014. Each year since 2003, BCWI has identified the list of Certified Best Christian Workplaces. This year is the largest participation level since the inception of the program.
Certified Best Christian Workplaces are global and represent all facets of ministries from churches, schools to universities, parachurch missions to product and services, book publishers to radio stations. These Certified organizations exceed the percentage of engaged employees vs. norms.
The BCWI survey, now in its twelfth year, has surveyed over 140,000 employees from 630 organizations in the US, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. In the past year, 158 organizations participated in the survey with 76 achieving Certification. Attaining BCWI certification is not easy, many organizations survey multiple times before receiving this distinction.
121 Community Church – Grapevine, TX
2|42 Community Church – Brighton, MI
American Bible Society – New York, NY
Anonymous
Antioch Community Church – Waco, TX
Apartment Life – Hurst, TX
Arizona Shine Radio Station – Prescott, AZ
Association of Christian Schools International – Colorado Springs, CO
Blue Ridge Community Church – Forest, VA
Briarcrest Christian School – Memphis, TN
Bridgeway Community Church – Forest, VA
Canadian Council of Christian Charities – Elmira, ON Canada
CapinCrouse LLP – Greenwood, IL
Care Net – Lansdowne, VA
CedarCreek Church – Perrysburg, OH
Central Christian Church – Mesa, AZ
Cherry Hills Christian School – Highlands Ranch, CO
Christ Community Church – Elgin, IL
Christ the King Community Church – Bellingham, WA
Christian Brothers Automotive – Houston, TX
Christian Care Ministry – Melbourne, FL
Christian Family Care – Phoenix, AZ
Christian Leadership Alliance – San Clemente, CA
Church of the King – Mandeville, LA
Coalition for Christian Outreach – Pittsburgh, PA
College of Biblical Studies – Houston – Houston, TX
College Wesleyan Church – Marion, IN
Compassion Canada – London, ON
Denver Rescue Mission – Denver, CO
Desert Vineyard – Lancaster, CA
English language Institute/China – Ft. Collins, CO
Evangelical Christian School – Cordova, TN
Experience Life Church – Lubbock, TX
Focus on the Family Canada – Langley, BC Canada
Frederick Christian Fellowship Church – Frederick, MD
Garland Heart –Wylie, TX
Gateway Church – Southlake, TX
Grace Brethren Christian School – Clinton, MD
Grace Chapel – Englewood, CO
Grace Community Church – Fulton, MD
Grace Family Church – Durban, South Africa
Grace Fellowship UMC – Katy, TX
Hales Corners Lutheran Schools – Hales Corners, WI
Heritage Christian Academy – Overland Park, KS
Hillcrest Baptist Church – Pensacola, FL
HOPE International – Lancaster, PA
Jill’s House – Vienna, VA
Joni and Friends – Agoura Hills, CA
Joy El – Greencastle, PA
Knox Area Rescue Ministries – Knoxville, TN
Lancaster Bible College – Lancaster, PA
Logos Bible Software – Bellingham, WA
Mission India – Grand Rapids, MI
Mountain Christian Church – Joppa, MD
Next Level Church – Ft. Myers, FL
Olivet Nazarene University – Bourbonnais, IL
Pantano Christian Church – Tucson, AZ
Phoenix Seminary – Phoenix, AZ
Real Life Christian Church – Valencia, CA
Samaritan Ministries International – Peoria, IL
Santa Fe Christian Schools – Solana Beach, CA
Southland Christian Church – Lexington, KY
Southridge Community Church – St. Catharines, ON Canada
Sparks Christian Fellowship – Sparks, NV
Sunnybrook Community Church – Sioux City, IA
Syndal Baptist Church – Glen Waverley, VIC Australia
Union Gospel Mission of Salem – Salem, OR
United Methodist Church of the Resurrection – Leawood, KS
Upward Sports – Spartanburg, SC
Vineyard Church – Kansas City, MO
Welch College – Nashville, TN
The Wesleyan Church – Fishers, IN
Wheaton Academy – West Chicago, IL
White River Christian Church – Noblesville, IN
Willow Creek Community Church – South Barrington, IL
WorldServe Ministries (Canada) – White Rock, BC
For employees in Christian organizations, working in a flourishing culture energizes their calling and passion for service to others. Employees in Christian organizations are also encouraged to see continuous improvement in engagement levels among their coworkers. Engagement levels improved to 53.7% vs. 51% a year ago, and 47% two years ago according to Al Lopus, President of Best Christian Workplaces. As a result, the gap between the engagement levels of Christian and secular workplaces continues to grow.
There is a lot of buzz about workplace culture in Christian organizations. Last August at the Global Leadership Summit, Bill Hybels boldly shared the transformational journey Willow Creek Community Church had been on during the previous five years and the impact it has had on their church. After moving from a nearly toxic culture to a flourishing culture, Hybels says the payoff is, “You will simply not believe how much better a healthy culture performs. Get ready for outcomes you never thought were possible by your organization.” To develop a flourishing culture, leaders at these organizations focus on activities such as defining values, hiring for cultural fit, holding more frequent performance discussions and integrating culture with strategy.
To earn the distinction as a Best Christian Workplace, organizations participate in the Best Christian Workplace Institute’s employee engagement survey and meet predetermined standards of excellence. The survey covers issues such as job satisfaction, commitment, Christian witness, supervisory effectiveness, work satisfaction, personal growth and development, management effectiveness, customer/supporter satisfaction, teamwork, communication and pay and benefits. Employees confidentially respond to more than 50 questions addressing these topics.
Best Christian Workplaces Institute’s purpose is to serve faith-based organizations by creating processes of discovery, facilitating leadership and organizational health and encouraging behaviors that build flourishing organizations. BCWI is a non-profit research based organizational development and human resources consulting firm based on Mercer Island, WA.
(Source:Christian Newswire)
The day after the court trial and conviction of 3 Christian sidewalk counselors in Jackson, Mississippi, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the same abortion facility may continue their murderous rampage against innocent children made in the image of God. This unjust ruling came even though the abortion facility could not meet the state’s statutory restrictions.
Selecting a Bible can be overwhelming. With hundreds of styles and versions to choose from, Bible readers can feel a bit lost in translation-s…literally.
ORLANDO, Florida, July 30, 2014-Bishop Sam N. Clements has been selected to serve as the new general overseer of the Church of God of Prophecy, a worldwide denomination of more than a million members. Bishop Clements, who previously served as general presbyter of North America, is the sixth general overseer to serve the church since it was organized in 1903 by Bishop A.J. Tomlinson.
During an international presbytery meeting earlier in the week at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, more than a hundred international overseers prayerfully considered several candidates whose names had been submitted throughout the previous year. During the opening session of the Church’s biennial International Assembly on Wednesday morning, he was presented to the larger church body and affirmed by those in attendance.
“My heart is overwhelmed,” he told the Assembly on Wednesday morning. “I am deeply honored to be chosen to lead this church in this hour.”
In April of 2013, the position of general overseer, which is considered to be the “leader of leaders” among the international presbytery, was vacated and the oversight of the denomination was held by seven general presbyters until the international meeting convened. The seven presbyters include Bishops David Browder (Asia and Oceania), Sam Clements (North America), Clayton Endecott (the C.I.S., Europe and the Middle East), Benjamin Feliz (Central America, Mexico, and Spanish-speaking Caribbean), Clayton Martin (Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean Isles), Stephen Masilela (Africa), and Gabriel Vidal (South America).
Bishop Clements, who resides in Cleveland, Tennessee, with his wife Linda, will deliver his first sermon as general overseer on Sunday morning. On Wednesday morning, when he was affirmed, he offered his initial thoughts:
“It is God’s year to act. We will return to the power that was given in the book of Acts. Get ready. It’s going to happen in this Assembly. No one is going to be able to stop the move of God. Nothing going on in this world has caught him by surprise. He is the beginning and the end and He will be victorious when everything else fades away.”
In addition to issues of church leadership and polity, the International Assembly includes nightly worship services as well as workshops and special activities targeted to children, teenagers, mission workers, pastors, and members. Special guests for the event include Dr. Mark Williams, general overseer of the Church of God; Dr. David Ferguson, executive director of the Great Commandment network; Dr. Alvin Padilla, dean of Hispanic studies at Gordon Conwell University; recording artists Seth and Nirva Ready; Tony Sutherland, worship leader at Free Chapel in Gainesville, Georgia; and leaders from the Multiplication Network.
The Assembly is being broadcast to viewers through a high definition webcast at cogop.org/assembly. A mobile app for smart phones and tablets is also available for more information.
About the Church of God of Prophecy
The Church of God of Prophecy-whose core values include prayer, the harvest (evangelism), and leadership development-is a vibrant, worldwide body of believers, united in worship, working hand-in-hand to share God’s love and a message of hope to the broken-hearted. The Church of God of Prophecy has more than a million members, worshipping in over 10,000 churches and missions in 132 nations of the world. The majority of its global membership is outside of North America. For more information, visit www.cogop.org.
MEDIA: Interviews are available with Bishop Clements, key leaders, international delegates, and special guests. Please contact DeWayne Hamby at 423-505-0041 or email him at [email protected].
(Source: Church of God of Prophecy)
Orlando,FL–Church of God General Overseer Mark Williams inducted former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft into the “Order of the Towel” at the conclusion of the Pre-International General Assembly prayer event on Monday. The servant award is given by Church of God Prayer Ministries and Project Pray.
