Blog Archives

Review of Disability: Living into the Diversity of Christ’s Body, 2021

Brock, Brian, 2021. Disability: Living into the Diversity of Christ’s Body, Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, ISBN9781540964212 By Estera Boldut, MAMFT, RSW, PsyD After I moved to Canada, I worked as a support worker for people with developmental disabilities for … Continue reading

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Formation, Education, and the Always-On, Always-On You Smartphone

By Rob Rhea, PhD Introduction Smartphones are everywhere, can do everything, and are reshaping the ways people relate to one another. Making an actual phone call is almost passé. In Sherry Turkle, in her insightful book Reclaiming Conversation: The Power … Continue reading

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Cultivating Generosity at Home

By Ron Sing, BA Cultivating a culture of generosity radically and spiritually transforms individuals. It increases the believer’s love for God and secures treasures in heaven for all eternity. God wants only the best for his people as they handle … Continue reading

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From Us to Them to Family

By John Dyck, MA, and Ken Pudlas, EdD Introduction Earlier articles published in NIMER have dealt with the broad topic of diversity and inclusion. For the most part they discussed the church’s responsibility to be inclusive of all persons including … Continue reading

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Review of Recovering: From Brokenness and Addiction to Blessedness and Community, 2020

By Paul Beckett, MD, CCFP(AM), FASAM, Dip.ABAM Aaron White, 2020. Recovering: From Brokenness and Addiction to Blessedness and Community. Ada, Ml: Baker Academic. ISBN 9781540960825 I have worked in the ER managing overdoses, on the ICU and medical wards managing … Continue reading

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Toward Structurally Inviting and Inclusive Churches

Kenneth A. Pudlas, EdD Seminarians and others preparing for vocational ministry, whose calling is to minister to the Body of Christ on earth in some capacity, must bring into confluence their head, hand, and heart if they are to be … Continue reading

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Shrinking the Margins: The Church and Diversity

This article continues an ongoing exploration of inclusion and widens the biblical worldview lens to consider marginalization based on diversity in ethnicity, race, culture, and values. Continue reading

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Moving Beyond Inclusion: The Story of One Family

Stace-Smith, H. & Pudlas, K.A. (2020) In a previous article Pudlas (2019) provided an introduction and overview of the current pedagogic paradigm known as full inclusion and argued that the church, which is the body of Christ here on earth, … Continue reading

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Camp Youth Leadership Training: A Hidden Resource for the Church

Julie Bayley, BA Introduction Where are the future leaders of churches and ministries in Canada going to come from? Is there anything being done now that is effective in reaching these future leaders? How can churches be part of training … Continue reading

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Choosing a Children’s Curriculum

Nikki Lanigan, BAR, former Director of Children’s Ministries, Northview Church, Abbotsford, BC Baby Moses floating in a basket. A staple component in a central story of every pre-school curriculum written. But did I read that right? Do they really want … Continue reading

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Starting an Early Childhood Learning Centre in Your Church: What could possibly go wrong?

By Kathleen McMillan, BA, ECE I’m on vacation. The first substantial vacation I’ve taken in 5 years. Exhausted and discouraged, I stare; watching waves crash against the shore; feeling the waves wear down solid rock. I fret.  One day someone … Continue reading

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Suggested Readings: Special Education in the Church

[PDF] Anderson, D.W. (2012). Toward a theology of special education: Integrating faith and practice. Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press. Beates, M. (2012). Disability and the Gospel: How God uses our brokenness to display his grace. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. Brock, B., & … Continue reading

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Faithfully Inclusive Communities: How Welcoming is the Body?

By Kenneth A. Pudlas, Ed.D.  “Full inclusion” is a term that elicits visceral responses in the public education system. Within the Body of Christ, His Church, is the term even known let alone discussed? It ought to be, for a … Continue reading

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Doing Research in the Context of Ministry

By William Badke, MTh, MLS Introduction Imagine that someone in your congregation has come to you with a URL to a website that has been intriguing her.  She tells you that she is not sure the site is believable. When … Continue reading

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New Testament Greek Terms and Mark’s Gospel: Hermeneutical Inquiries

Hermeneutics is all about meaning. Bible expositors attempt to understand and explain how language works, orally and textually, and especially how it communicates meaning. Precise discernment of meaning arises from a comprehensive knowledge of a language’s[1] structures, i.e., the conventions developed to communicate meaning, as well as the cultural context within which that language functions. When texts, such as we find in the Bible written in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Hellenistic Greek, are imbued with unique religious significance, decoding and transferring their meaning across time and cultures arguably become critical competencies. Continue reading

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