Church sexual abuse prevention tools nearly done; OBU students return after tornado recovery; 15 reasons for less church evangelism today.

The Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force had already been working toward producing a tool box for churches prior to its March 28 meeting. But feedback from that gathering has been “extremely helpful” to the process, Chairman Marshall Blalock told Baptist Press.

An ARITF subcommittee meeting Monday focused on such a toolbox “to help every church of every size take vital steps toward sexual abuse prevention and protection,” Blalock said. 

“The mandate of the ARITF is to provide help for local churches to be as safe as possible for children, teens and vulnerable adults,” Blalock said. “In light of that goal, the toolbox will put the essentials for prevention and protection into the hands of every church and association.”

Workgroups among ARITF members have been assigned to focus “on different portions of our assignment,” Blalock said. “We hope to have the entire Task Force meet together as soon as these groups complete their work.”

When Oklahoma Baptist University students returned to in-person classes this week, the stress of final exams couldn’t compare with the joy of simply being back on their campus, which was wrecked by a tornado in mid-April.

OBU President Heath Thomas said campus leadership has been focused on returning to in-person education as soon as possible for the sake of the senior class, whose college experience has been bookended by challenges.

Multiple tornadoes touched down throughout Oklahoma the evening of Wednesday, April 19, one of which directly hit OBU’s campus.

Thomas noted this year’s senior class started in the fall of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic was still at its height.

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What keeps believers from sharing their faith? Researcher and author Thom Rainer recently conducted a poll of believers.

Rainer says he “conducted an unscientific Twitter poll recently to see what church leaders and church members thought of this trend, My specific question was: “Why do you think many churches aren’t as evangelistic as they once were?”

In the Baptist Press Toolbox he lists the top 15. Here are five:

1. Christians have no sense of urgency to reach lost people.
2. Many Christians and church members do not befriend and spend time with lost persons.
3. Many Christians and church members are lazy and apathetic.
4. We are more known for what we are against than what we are for.
5. Our churches have an ineffective evangelistic strategy of “you come” rather than “we go.”