pastorjeremynorton

[pastorjeremynorton]

Stop Going to Church is Now Available on Kindle

Official Book Launch After years of prayer, wrestling, and real-life ministry experience, and a project being on the back-burner for far too long, it’s finally here. Stop Going to Church: Start Being the Church is now live on Amazon Kindle. This short book was born out of a burden I’ve carried for a long time. I’ve been watching local churches slowly drift from Jesus’ original intent. Too…

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How God Provides the Way, the Wisdom, and the Words

Feeling called to speak up but afraid of what to say? God provides the way, wisdom, and words to speak. #TrustGod #SpeakUp #FaithJourney

When God Provides Courage to Speak Up Have you ever been in a situation where you knew you needed to speak up, but fear held you back? Maybe you were worried about saying the wrong thing or the emotional weight made you hesitate. It’s a moment we all face at some point, and it’s hard to know what to do. That’s the moment when God provides. This feeling isn’t new. It’s exactly what Moses…

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How to Build a Christ-Centered Church With (or Without) a Building

Looking to build a Christ-centered church that goes beyond Sunday? Learn how to focus on authentic faith and reclaim the mission of the church. #ChristCentered #FaithInAction #ChurchCommunity #Ekklesia

What is a Christ-Centered Church? If you grew up going to church, you’ve heard the familiar rhyme: “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the doors, and see all the people.” While it’s a nostalgic image, it misrepresents what a Christ-centered church truly is. The church isn’t the building or the steeple—it’s the people who gathered as followers of Christ. In Matthew’s Gospel account,…

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Becoming a Beacon for Christ

We are called to be a beacon for Christ, spreading His love in our community by reflecting His light through our actions and service. How can you shine His light today? #BeaconForChrist #ShareHisLove #ServeOthers #FaithInAction

Loved by Christ to Love Our Community We are called to be a beacon for Christ in all we do, spreading His love and light throughout our communities. This means going beyond simply attending church and engaging in spiritual activities. Instead, it’s about actively becoming the light Jesus has called us to be. The Foundation of Being a Beacon for Christ in the Community Almost every church has a…

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The Ability to Start Builds Your Faith

Struggling to start a new faith journey? Learn how Peter’s story shows that the ability to start leads to restoration and transformation. #faithjourney #trustGod #TheAbilityToStart

The Ability to Start and Build Momentum in Faith Have you ever struggled to start a new spiritual commitment? I know I have. Whether it’s a New Year’s resolution, a promise to a friend, or a renewed faith journey, starting can feel overwhelming. But over the years, I’ve learned that the ability to start is where real growth happens in our walk with God. Every step forward in faith builds the…

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Embracing the Ability to Shift for Spiritual Growth

Are you ready to embrace the ability to shift in your spiritual journey? Sometimes, the solutions we need come from unexpected places. Be open to change, listen to new ideas, and grow in faith. #spiritualgrowth #faith #adaptability #embracingchange

The Ability to Shift Isn’t Easy Although challenging, the ability to shift is an essential component of spiritual growth. It’s about being open to God’s guidance, even when it means changing direction in life. We can all relate to this idea of spiritual flexibility, whether through personal experiences or biblical examples. Problems Lead to Shifts in Perspective A few years ago, while in…

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How to Find Sabbath Rest in a Busy World

In a world obsessed with busyness, Sabbath rest is a gift we can't afford to miss. Discover how it can transform your life and deepen your connection with God. #SabbathRest #Faith #SpiritualRenewal #ChristianLiving

Discovering the Power of Slowing Down In our fast-paced world, finding time to rest often feels like a luxury we can’t afford. We’re constantly bombarded with tasks, responsibilities, and endless to-do lists that never seem to get any shorter. Clear evidence that we need a time of sabbath rest. What if taking a day off each week could not only enhance your spiritual well-being but also add…

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Bridging the Gap Between Discipleship and Leadership Development

Is something missing in your church’s leadership? Discipleship alone isn’t enough. Discover how bridging the gap with mentorship and practical leadership training can transform your church’s future. #ChurchLeadership #Discipleship #Mentorship #Faith

Discovering the Missing Piece in Church Leadership Have you ever felt like something was missing in your church’s approach to leadership? If you were raised in an evangelical church, there was likely Biblical teaching, programs for all ages, and a strong focus on the Gospel—a standard discipleship model in Western Christianity. However, a crucial difference has emerged between discipleship and…

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Discipleship and Discovering Your Calling

Discover your calling and transform your discipleship journey! Explore how mentorship, apprenticeship, and spiritual gifts can guide your path in ministry. #Discipleship #Ministry #SpiritualGifts #Calling #ChurchLeadership

What’s Your Calling? Typically, this question is asked of those looking to enter full-time ministry. Yet, it’s my conviction that this is an unhelpful thought process rooted in Western Christianity. I’d like to propose the idea that discovering your calling and living it out is a foundational step for discipleship. What if every follower of Christ, after receiving the Gospel, then understands…

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How Empowerment in Mentorship Means Listening Before Empowering

Empowerment in mentorship means listening first. Discover the importance of this step in coaching and mentorship. #Mentorship #Coaching #Leadership #ListeningSkills

The Essential First Step in Effective Coaching and Mentorship My natural response is often, “Let’s skip to empowerment in mentorship and listen later!” As an extrovert and an 8 on the Enneagram (the Challenger), listening has never been my strong suit. Truth be told, every disciplinary moment and performance review throughout my entire life and leadership journey has always included some form of…

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How Digital Natives Can Transform Church Ministry

Hiring digital natives can revolutionize church ministry! Read about Emma's inspiring journey from tech team volunteer to digital ministry leader. #ChurchMinistry #YouthEmpowerment #DigitalNatives

Empowering Youth by Hiring a Teenager During the pandemic, many churches wrestled with technology as they were thrust into online ministry, ready or not. Because of this struggle, I started noticing a common phrase appearing in blogs and podcasts from well-known church leaders: “Hire a teenager!” Start placing these digital natives in church ministry. Digital Native: “a person born or brought…

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Fasting and Allowing the Holy Spirit to Cultivate

Discover the power of fasting and spiritual disciplines in deepening your faith journey. Join us in embracing these transformative practices! #FaithJourney #SpiritualDisciplines

The Impact of Spiritual Disciplines This past year, our church worked through a teaching series on the Spiritual Disciplines, titled “Cultivate: Character with Spiritual Evidence.” The goal was to show the congregation that spiritual disciplines are not just another self-help program but a process inviting the Holy Spirit to till the soil of our hearts. We wanted the congregation to understand…

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Understanding Church Size and Ministry Strategy

Discover the theological assessment of church growth strategies, balancing spiritual and numerical growth in church communities. #ChurchGrowth #Theology #Faith

Assessing the Balance Between Spiritual and Numerical Growth Consider this scenario: “A large church in your area is growing numerically and has been asked to take over a couple of smaller, struggling churches, and the leadership of the larger church believes that its numerical growth warrants recreating its ministry structures in other locations. The plan is to renovate the smaller churches…

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The Impact of LGBTQ+ Inclusion on Faith, Mental Health, and Identity

Let's explore how faith and mental health intersect with LGBTQ+ inclusion. Learn how we can navigate these complex issues with grace and truth. #Faith #MentalHealth #LGBTQInclusion

Why Feelings and Emotions Aren’t Enough Last week, I wrote a post titled “Navigating LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Church” which sparked a lot of discussions. The reality is that Christians (and churches) strive to find the best path forward but struggle. This should serve as a follow-up post since similar questions kept coming up in the conversations following the post. If you missed the first post…

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Praying for Healing or Ending the Suffering?

Navigating prayer for healing and trusting God's will can be challenging. Discover how to balance faith, compassion, and understanding in these difficult times. #faith #prayer #healing #Christianity

How to Find Peace in Prayer While Trusting in God’s Will I was taking a course a couple of months ago, and our class was given a case study with two subsequent questions to discuss. These questions highlighted the intersection of Christianity and culture; praying for healing or ending the suffering? Here’s the first question: Your beloved uncle has been ill for years and now faces a new and…

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Why You Should Reconnect with Your Faith Community THIS Sunday

Reconnect with your faith community! Discover the benefits of church attendance and overcome post-pandemic challenges. Where are you going to church this Sunday? #Faith #Community #ChurchReconnect

Where Are You Going to Church? On May 5, 2023, more than three years after COVID-19 was designated a pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the global Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19. It’s now May 2024, a year out of the pandemic…where are you going to church? Have you returned to regular church attendance? If you have, well done and thank you! If not,…

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Interpreting Scripture with Context and Clarity

Reflect on how we interpret Scripture within its original context and avoid cultural distortions. Let's keep the faith clear and true! #BibleStudy #FaithJourney #ChurchLeadership

Without Getting Caught Up in Culture Remember the pandemic? I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’m doing it. I’m going to talk about the pandemic. Specifically, the most popular Bible verse of the pandemic, which for the rest of my life (and maybe yours too) will trigger memories of COVID, lockdowns, anger, and discord. This verse, previously somewhat obscure in church life, became the go-to…