What Is Communion and Why Do We Do It?

Like baptism, communion is a sacrament that Jesus instructs his followers to partake in—but the frequency and meaning of the act vary across different Christian movements and denominations.

At its more basic level, communion is the worshipful practice of taking bread and wine (or in many cases grape juice) as memorial of what Jesus endured on the cross for mankind, of our present relationship with him, and of our future shared victory over sin and death.

It was first established by Jesus during a meal with his disciples on the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread or Passover.

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”—Matthew 26:26–29

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The Master List of Online Seminary Degrees

Online Seminary degrees

If you’re looking for an online seminary degree, you have a lot of options. There are dozens of seminary degrees at the masters level alone, all with their own set of particularities that prepare you to enter ministry in the way you feel most called.

Online seminary degrees allow you to study from home, without having to move or quit your job. This can be particularly useful if you’re preparing for leadership in a particular church you’re already committed to, and it can especially help if you have a family to care for.  Most online seminary degree programs also allow students to work at their own pace depending on their work and family situation.

Some of these online seminary degree programs require a certain number of on-campus credits or a few intensive visits. However, many of them are set up to allow students to complete them from start to finish without ever needing to travel.

Here’s where you can find a list of all these online seminary degrees. If you know of one we missed, please let us know in the comments!Continue reading →

The Complete List of Online Masters of Divinity Programs

online master of divinity

You don’t need to uproot your family and move in order to get a decent seminary education. In fact, there’s a growing body of online Master of Divinity degrees available for people who want to be trained in ministry. (Looking for another ministry-oriented degree? Check out our list of online seminary degrees.)

Christian education has drastically changed over the past 20 years. Beforehand, if you wanted to become a pastor or church elder, you had to choose between commuting to the nearest divinity school or uprooting your family and heading somewhere else to study. (And then you’d likely need to move yet again to find a church to serve!)Continue reading →

3 Ways to Curb Christian Groupthink in Your Church

danger-christian-groupthink

Is your church a safe place for people to ask questions and hold opposing opinions? Before you say yes, give it a little thought. Many Christians have stories about the repercussions or alienation they’ve experienced from sharing things like:

  • Doubts
  • Alternative biblical interpretations
  • Different political opinions
  • Support for social issues

When people feel an unspoken need to keep their contrary opinions to themselves, it takes a toll on community. Not only does it make our churches feel like an unsafe places to be, but it also hampers growth in three ways:

  1. If they’re mistaken, they miss out on an opportunity for a heart-changing dialogue
  2. If they’re right and the community’s mistaken, we miss out on an opportunity for heart-changing dialogue
  3. We all miss out on an opportunity to build community around our oneness in Christ instead of our homogeneous opinions

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Free Motion Backgrounds for Church Presentations

free-church-motion-backgrounds

Motion backgrounds can help worship sessions engage the audience and add a polished, professional feel to church presentations.

And they’re not even too difficult to figure out. Adding motion backgrounds and other multimedia to your church presentations is straightforward with most modern church presentation software options.

But many churches have a limited media budget, which makes free motion backgrounds all the more appealing.

Whether you’re looking for free motion backgrounds for worship, announcements, or otherwise, you’ll want to check out these sites.

When I put together this list, I tried to find sites that didn’t require an account or a free trial to download the stock footage. Getting free motion backgrounds from most of these sites is as simple as clicking a button.

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The Best Presentation Software Options for Churches

top-church-presentation-software

It can be tough to decide which presentation software is right for your church, so I’ve put together a list of all the best options on the market today.

You’ll see what each option costs, what it does best, and what platforms it’s designed to run on. There are even two completely free church presentation software options on the list.

This guide should help you pick the presentation software that’s best-suited to meet your church’s needs.Continue reading →

100+ Free Thanksgiving Coloring Pages for Sunday school

thanksgiving-coloring-pages-sunday-school

If you’re searching for free Thanksgiving coloring pages, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re putting together a Sunday school lesson about thankfulness or just looking for an easy, quick children’s activity, these coloring pages will make your job a lot easier. All 100+ of these options are free—all you have to do is pick out your favorites.

You might also be interested in this collection of 100+ Thanksgiving crafts for Sunday school, this article on Bible verses about thankfulness, or this article that explains what thanksgiving means in the Bible.

This isn’t an exhaustive list—if I missed a good Thanksgiving coloring page, please leave a comment!

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100+ Thanksgiving Craft Ideas for Sunday School

thanksgiving-craft-ideas-sunday-school

Looking for a Thanksgiving craft you can use in Sunday school to teach kids about thankfulness? Here’s the directory for you. I’ve scoured the internet to find over 100 Thanksgiving craft ideas to help you give kids a fun time—and in many cases, a meaningful lesson, too.

If you’ve got any great Thanksgiving craft ideas to add to the list, just leave me a comment! You might also be interested to check out this list of over 100 free Thanksgiving coloring pages, see what the Bible says about thankfulness, or learn what thanksgiving means in the Bible.

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