Charles Stanley’s Legacy Celebration; Hundreds killed in Nigerian attacks; 8 signs of church drift

The “Legacy Celebration” service for pastor Charles Stanley featured a lineup of notable pastors and musical guests worthy of his world-famous ministry career.

The celebration for the former pastor, renowned television and radio preacher, and former Southern Baptist Convention president took place in front of a full auditorium at First Baptist Atlanta Sunday night (Apr. 23).

The audience was treated to stirring Gospel music performances from CeCe Winans, Greater Vision and The Collingsworth Family.

Guest speakers included David Jeremiah, senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, Calif., and founder of Turning Point Ministries; Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse; and Anthony George, senior pastor of First Baptist Atlanta.

Jeremiah spoke of Stanley’s monumental influence on future television and radio programs such as his but reiterated his most important ministry was the local church. 

More than 200 Christians have been killed in terrorist attacks in Benue and Kaduna states in Nigeria since the election season ended in March, according to news reports and statements from religious freedom advocates.

At least 74 people were killed in two separate attacks in Benue in April, including an attack on mourners at a Christian funeral that killed 46 individuals, Reuters reported April 8. The deaths followed attacks early March that killed 88 people, mostly women and children, in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Benue, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said.

The Nigerian government, which will change hands with the May 29 inauguration of newly elected president Bola Tinubu.

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In a piece in the Baptist Press Toolbox, Sam Rainer offers eight ways you might be able to recognize your church is drifting from the mission. Here’s a few:

1. The chatter is all about people and not Jesus. When people start talking about themselves without any mention of Christ, your church is not only drifting, the congregation is dangerously inward.
2. The percentage given to missions out of the budget is shrinking. One clear way to determine a church’s priorities is the budget. If your church is giving less and less to missions each year, then it is likely drifting.
3. Church leaders do not speak about the lostness of the nations.
4. New believers are perceived as disturbing the peace of the body. If a small group or Bible class would rather not deal with the messiness of assimilating a new believer, then it’s drifting from God’s mission. The messiness of new believers should be seen as God’s beautiful work, not as a disturbance to the status quo.
5. There is more of a focus on the older generation than the younger generation. A church drifts when the older generation is willing to sacrifice the souls of the younger generation in order to cling to their preferences.
6. Few care about the persecuted church. Your church should be acutely aware of what is currently happening to Christians all over the globe. And your people should be praying. Often.
7. It takes more to win less. It is possible for a church to grow numerically and do less kingdom work. People can gather for worship while personal evangelism is drying up in their lives. Praying for lost friends does not happen haphazardly. Sharing your faith is not accidental. When a church grows numerically while having fewer conversions, it’s potentially drifting without purpose.