Do you ever feel a burning pressure inside to sing the visions in the book of Revelation? Strange question.

Every now and then events in history come together in the power of the Spirit and the apocalypse of Jesus explodes in the church with stunning power, and the expectation of Christ’s return is stoked again.

When I share with people about my new work as the EMC Director of Next Generation, many people respond with some comment that indicates they are glad someone is doing this. They often say that this generation is facing more challenges being a follower of Jesus than at any time in history. Well, maybe they don’t say it exactly like that, but I do find that often the conversation turns to the challenges young people face today that those of us who are a little older didn’t face.

On June 3, 2023, Conference Council delegates gathered at Rosenort (Man.) EMC and online on Zoom to manage the business of the EMC. This included approving the closure of Good News Community Church in Steinbach, Man. and approving amendments to the EMC Constitution.

During the June 2, 2023, Ministerial meeting, Cameron McKenzie, Board of Leadership and Outreach (BLO) chair reviewed several documents that have been in process for a few years. The Ministerial Misconduct Policy and the Ministerial Ethics Commitment were both approved by the ministerial and are offered as resources to churches and pastors.

An occupational hazard of ministry is not finishing well, and this was the topic guest speaker Lorne Meisner was asked to address at the Ministerial meeting held on June 2, 2023.

We’re only about halfway through an eight-hour journey back to our homes. We are sweaty, tired, and wouldn’t be blamed for being a little grumpy. But that’s not the current mood; youth are singing along to music behind me right now. The reason is simple: we were just at Abundant Springs.

In spring 2022, Cardus, a Canadian non-partisan think tank, gathered data from nine surveys taken between 2017–2022 in order to get a snapshot of the religious landscape in Canada. In reading the report it is obvious that the events of the past three years have negatively affected the religious landscape in Canada.

COVID is getting smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror, yet we experience its lingering effects. One effect is that some people haven’t returned to the life of the church. We may have expected a “Great Return of Exiles.” That didn’t happen. Why not?

There seems to be an increase lately of Christians who are deconstructing their faith and moving on from it. In fact, some reports say that 60 percent of people born in the church deconstruct and lose their faith after high school. But I’m not convinced deconstruction needs to end up there.

SBC Leadership Conference 2023 speakers respond to questions such as, “How do we go about determining the essentials versus the non-essentials? The gospel is to unite us, but how do we define the gospel?“

It would be a gross understatement to say we live in an age of division. One only needs to look at world events, read the national or international news, or observe the tone in their own community and networks to see that division and polarization dominate.

What makes for Christian unity? It is my contention here that it is allegiance to lesser gods—including ourselves—that is at the heart of our divisions; therefore, the remedy is being de-centered by and oriented toward Jesus. This is the message of John’s Gospel.