News

Pastor’s Column: The True Tragedy of the Ku Klux Klan

"I have always known that Klansmen were terrorists. I could easily identify their distinctive dress (white robes) and their symbol of terror (the cross). But sometimes the things you know fail to really hit home. It was not until I was face to face with those symbols at a museum in Birmingham, AL that I saw the true tragedy and tasted the true terror," writes Pastor Jason Meyer, while reflecting on his 2019 Sankofa Journey.
Read more

Pastor’s Column: What Pastors Need to be Talking about Right Now

Sondra Samuels writes about how she believes pastors need to be sharing a more relevant message about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection that will resonate with teenagers. As teenagers in her life and work increasingly deal with anxiety and isolation, her hope is that pastors will teach how Jesus' life and message of love, power and hope can address all that is going on in their lives. Samuels is the President and CEO of the Northside Achievement Zone, working to end the achievement gap in North Minneapolis.
Read more

In-Group Bias – It’s In the Church Too

in News. Posted April 24, 2019
In-group bias in Christianity is all too normal. As sinners, Dr. Ruben Rivera teaches how Christians are often regularly, however subconsciously bias. In his second Dismantling Racism training, Dr. Ruben Rivera taught at Wooddale Church on March 21, about the dangers of making our view of Jesus captive to our in-group culture. Dr. Rivera showed how Jesus blew up in-group/out-group bias, and continues to empower His followers to take in-group love and give it to the out-group.
Read more

An 8-Point Checklist for Responding to Sexual Harassment Reports

in News. Posted April 22, 2019
On April 2, 2019 Transform Minnesota presented a ministry equip training for churches and Christian nonprofits called "Fostering Dignity in the Workplace" with Virginia Cronin, attorney at Henningson and Snoxell. When designing the policies and procedures a church or nonprofit will use to conduct intake reports of sexual harassment, this 8-point checklist is a good place to start.
Read more

Pastor’s Column: What Pastors Need to Be Talking About Right Now

In this month’s pastor’s column, Dr. Akin Adeniyi writes about what pastors need to be talking about these days. He encourages pastors to balance messages that promote salvation of souls and edification of saved souls. Dr. Adeniyi shares eight truths he believes pastors need to be reminding their congregations. And above all, that pastors should seek to talk about what Jesus would be talking about if he was physically ministering on earth right now.
Read more

Maintaining Healthy Board Relationships

in News. Posted March 28, 2019
Effective boards are the result of strong and healthy relationships between board members, senior executives, staff and members at churches and non-profits. Our March 14 Effective Board Practices trainers discussed how to navigate all of the relationships and various roles of board members in their church or ministry setting.
Read more

Encountering Sexuality as the Church

in News. Posted March 20, 2019
Does your church actively discuss the topic of sexuality? Or is it more likely to ignore the topic of sex when it comes up? Sy Rogers, world-renown Christian speaker and communicator from New Zealand brought a message of encouragement to Christian leaders on how to tackle the subject of healthy sexuality and responsible stewardship of our sexual desires in the Church. Attendees left the God, Sex and the Church leadership conference inspired by Sy’s depiction of God, and His redemptive advocacy, especially in areas of sexuality.
Read more

Inviting God into Sexual Struggles

in News. Posted March 4, 2019
On Sunday, February 24 over 450 people packed Substance Church’s downtown campus to hear world-renown Christian speaker Sy Rogers at the “God, Sex and Culture” evening forum. Sy Rogers spoke about the sexual brokenness and temptations of all humans. And offered an assuring message of the hope that God is our redemptive advocate when it comes to our struggles. The sanctuary was full of people from all ages and stages. Many youth leaders said they felt more equipped to tackle subjects of sexuality with their youth groups.
Read more