Megachurch

A candidate to succeed influential pastor John Piper at Bethlehem Baptist Church was announced by the church's elders Tuesday. Piper said he is "overjoyed" at the selection while he continues to be a part of the succession process.

The leaders of the church, based in the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota, nominated Jason Meyer, who is currently assistant professor of New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary.

The congregation will first vote on May 20 in order to approve Meyer as an associate pastor for the church. His starting date to fall under Piper's pastoral mentorship and an "overlap" period between the two would be Aug. 1 if the church votes in favor of the decision. more >>

With the celebration of Easter less than two weeks away, megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll outlined what he called the eight truths about the reason for Jesus' death on the cross in a recent blog post.

Driscoll, who leads the Seattle-based Mars Hill Church, points out that while it's uncommon for someone to sacrifice his or her life for a friend, "it would be nearly impossible to find examples of people sacrificing their life for an enemy."

Yet, Jesus made such a sacrifice nearly 2,000 years ago when he died "for the ungodly," as the apostle Paul wrote in Romans, Driscoll explained in his post, "Why Jesus Died on the Cross." more >>

Christians have a Gospel that is profoundly influential, transformative, and significant in the way we think about race, said author and pastor John Piper.

Piper, of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minn., is set to join Pastor Tim Keller, of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and King's College Professor of Theology Anthony Bradley in a conversation on the Gospel and race this week in New York City.

As a preview to the talk, Piper explores how Christians should approach race issues in a March 22 blog entry amid the uproar over the death of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old African-American teen killed in February by a 28-year-old man named George Zimmerman. There have been rallies and petitions signed across the U.S., and thousands are calling for Zimmerman's arrest, saying the shooting was racially motivated. more >>

Contrary to popular opinion, forgiveness is innate and unforgiveness is learned from our environment, says T.D. Jakes, pastor of the 30,000-member The Potter's House in Dallas and New York Times bestselling author.

"We develop our propensity to forgive or not to forgive by what we see illustrated at the early ages of our development. We don't come here unforgiving. Children are not unforgiving. You can punish them and they will hug you in a few minutes," said Jakes to The Christian Post in an interview. "They can have an altercation with another child and want to go outside and play by lunch time.

"We don't come here pre-wired to bear this kind of acrimonious type of lifestyle. We don't come here like that. We come here with a certain propensity to be open, loving, accepting, and trusting. We learn to be unforgiving, doubtful, suspicious, guilt-ridden, and anxious." more >>

Sheila Schuller Coleman, the former senior pastor of Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., has announced that services for her new breakaway church, the Hope Center of Christ, will be taking place at a local hotel as opposed to the movie theater that was the setting for the congregation's first service.

Hope Center OC's worship service is scheduled to take place this Sunday at the Anaheim Marriott Suites at 10 a.m. in Garden Grove, the ministry announced on its Facebook page. Media reports indicate that Sunday services will be held at the Marriott Suites for the next month.

Pastor Harold Shaw will be leading the service and Grammy Award-winning producer Scott Smith will be on hand for the service along with his wife, gospel singer Debbie McClendon-Smith. A children's program will also be provided at the service, according to the Hope Center of Christ Facebook page. more >>

Evangelist Greg Laurie met with more than 200 Southern California pastors and ministry leaders Tuesday to outline plans for one of his Harvest Ministry's outreach events this year to be simulcast live at host churches and other venues throughout the nation for the first time in its 22-year history.

The meeting held at Angels Stadium in Anaheim was about taking the Harvest Crusades to the next level and explaining how "Harvest America" will do just that.

Founded by Laurie, the Harvest events are large-scale evangelistic outreaches primarily held at stadiums and arenas in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. more >>