Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta will be laying his mother to rest Monday after announcing late last week that Hattie A. Long had passed away at the age of 91. She had been suffering from a "long illness," according to Long's media representatives.

Long shared the news of his mother's passing with supporters on Facebook on April 27.

"I want to personally thank everyone for all your prayers over the years for my mother, Hattie A. Long. With a heavy heart, I wanted to share with you that my mom went home to be with the Lord. Our family recognizes how truly blessed we have been to have her live such a long and full life. Although, this is a difficult time for us, we rejoice in knowing that she is 'fully' present with our Heavenly Father," read the statement from Long. His mother's death occurred at her home in Charlotte, N.C., the Friday before Long released his statement. more >>

Prominent pastors Steven Furtick and Louie Giglio recently conveyed the importance of pastors maintaining humility when communicating God's message to a congregation, rather than focusing on their personal performance.

"I struggle with whether people like me, if people like my messages," Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church in Atlanta, Ga. and founder of the anti-slavery Passion Movement, told host Jeff Henderson during The Rocket Company's "Preach Better Sermons" web seminar, which aired Wednesday.

Giglio went on to share that he believes being a pastor can prove to be a dangerous recipe for any human being, as pastors often have so much attention focused on them. more >>

Well-known Christian leaders Louie Giglio, Ed Stetzer, and Mark Driscoll all encouraged pastors that the best way to communicate God's word to a congregation is to find one's own voice and preaching style, a skill which only comes from hours of practice and preparation, they said in a recent web seminar called "Preach Better Sermons" produced by The Rocket Company.

In a brief discussion with the online conference's host, Pastor Jeff Henderson of Gwinnett Church in Duluth, Ga., Pastor Louie Giglio encouraged novice pastors to practice their preaching style until they find personal perfection.

The most dangerous thing for a pastor to become, according to Giglio, is a replica of another pastor's preaching style, which could result in an ineffective, boring gospel being communicated to the congregation. more >>

Pastors Mark Driscoll and Andy Stanley stressed the importance of preaching a sermon that carries a "sensitivity to the lost" while advising pastors on how to deliver better sermons during a web seminar hosted by The Rocket Company on Wednesday.

Mark Driscoll, founder and senior pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Wash., and author of the bestselling book Real Marriage, said that he thoroughly enjoys angling the "hard truth of the Bible" to those lost and struggling with their faith because he did not find a relationship with God until he was 19-years-old.  "I remember what it's like to be lost," Driscoll told the "Preach Better Sermons" conference's host, Jeff Henderson, lead pastor of Gwinnett Church in Duluth, Ga.

"The whole point [of Christianity] is God is making room for more," Driscoll said, adding that we as Christians are "on a mission to see more people become God's people." more >>

Evangelist Greg Laurie, who is scheduled to lead the nation in prayer at events hosted by government officials in Washington D.C. during the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, chose not to respond to gay activists who demanded that he be disinvited because he holds a biblical view that homosexuality is a sin. Instead, Laurie asked for prayer Monday in a post to his blog.

"I would appreciate your prayers as I pray for our nation. We all need to take the very real challenges facing our nation seriously," Laurie wrote. "America need God's help. We cannot back away from what He says in Scripture. The enemy will always attack when we seek to do God's work, so let's keep praying!"

He then listed the NDOP website: http://nationaldayofprayer.org. more >>

Televangelist Benny Hinn has asked supporters of his ministry for $2.5 million in donations, which he says an anonymous donor will match dollar by dollar to help him get out of debt.

"God wants your ministry to be completely out of debt, and I want to plant an anointed seed that will help you take a giant step toward becoming totally debt-free!" says the anonymous man, whom Hinn calls a "long-time and beloved" friend.

"God has laid it on my heart to plant a seed of $2.5 million into your ministry, but God only wants me to make this gift if the ministry partners match the amount within 90 days! I feel so strongly that He wants them to be part of the supernatural wealth transfer that is coming to every believer who will obey God's Word," the man reportedly adds. more >>