Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Scott Hildreth
You Can’t Have Discipleship Without Evangelism
Jon Tyson photo | Unsplash The call to discipleship must always begin with evangelism: telling the lost about the life-changing gospel. By D. Scott Hildreth Jesus commanded His followers to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19, CSB). This makes up the primary marching order for all who call Jesus Lord. Now, for far too many of us, disciple making consists of Bible studies, workbooks, or accountability groups.
State of the Bible survey provides insight for outreach and ministry
Most people in the U.S. have a high regard for the Bible and consider it a spiritually important book. According to a recent State of the Biblesurvey, more than a third of respondents affirm the Bible is God’s Word, with 14% saying it’s the actual Word of God and should be taken literally and 23% saying it’s the inspired Word of God and is without error.
What the State of the Bible Means for Evangelism in America
Because most people around us claim to believe in the Bible, we must equip our people to use the Scripture effectively for evangelism. By Scott Hildreth Most people in the U.S. have a high regard for the Bible and consider it a spiritually important book.
Help for Engaging Your Catholic Friend With the Gospel
How can you equip someone in your congregation to engage their Catholic friend with the truth of the gospel in love and confidence? By D. Scott Hildreth One of the main reasons many Christians hesitate to share their faith is fear. We’re afraid of rejection, of not having an answer to difficult questions, or of leaving out some essential aspect of our presentation. Perhaps the most intimidating scenario is engaging someone from another faith tradition.
Mobilize Your Church for Evangelism and Missions
You may be the key to your church members embracing God’s mission. How can you mobilize your people to engage in missions and evangelism? By D. Scott Hildreth Everything rises and falls on leadership! — John Maxwell Most of us wish our church members would be more personally engaged in missions and evangelism. We know it’s part of their sanctification, and we also know their witness may be the missing step in someone else coming to saving faith in Jesus.
Praying for Missionaries With Confidence
Praying for missionaries is an important missionary tool, and we make a grave mistake when we neglect it. Here are some ways to begin praying. By D. Scott Hildreth This time of year Southern Baptists focus attention on the international mission field. We do this through an emphasis on the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and as we engage in a Week of Prayer for International Missions. It’s tempting to elevate the financial gifts of our Christmas offering above prayer.
Teach Your Kids God is Good All the Time
As parents (or grandparents), we must teach our children the fundamental truths about God for two overarching reasons. By D. Scott Hildreth The Bible tells us after He created everything, God declared this world “very good” (Genesis 1:31). However, we know this is no longer true. Sin and its accompanying consequences have corrupted every aspect of our lives. But there’s still hope. God has not left us to ourselves forever.
Avoiding the Cringe: Making Your Church Invite-Worthy
Our members will only invite others to church when they’re confident the experience will enhance, not hinder their evangelistic goals. By D. Scott Hildreth When asked why they started attending a church, many churchgoers simply point to the reality that someone invited them. This personal invite is the make-or-break element for reaching our communities for Christ. Now, some may use this to downplay the importance of good preaching, strong doctrine, healthy worship, or deep discipleship.
Effective Evangelism Requires Ongoing Discipleship
To lead the church to embrace evangelism, determine to take the long view of discipleship that aims at the heart, mind, and hands. By D. Scott Hildreth The Lausanne Movement’s recent State of the Great Commission report has highlighted a significant decline in the North American church’s commitment to the Great Commission. Though the statistics are difficult to read, they should come as no surprise to anyone who’s in touch with the local church.
Making the Most of Your Summer Missions Experience
By Scott Hildreth Summer is here. The weather is heating up. Our church ministry schedules take on a new pace and emphasis. Short-term mission trips are one summer ministry that are becoming more of a standard in many churches. Even though these trips have become more mainstream, it’s important to remember they are relatively new in missionary history. When we first went to the mission field in the late 1990s, most people we were with hadn’t been overseas before.
Maintaining Purity for Long, Healthy Ministry
Let’s determine to handle our desires with Christlike purity. Let holiness and our sanctification be the benchmarks in our lives. By D. Scott Hildreth OK, lean in close. Let’s talk about an area of ministry few of us take seriously enough—personal purity. Pornography and sexual immorality have derailed far more ministries than any of us care to reflect on.
Making the Most of Your Summer Mission Experience
Summer mission trips have become one of the primary platforms God uses to call out and prepare people for longer-term missionary careers. By D. Scott Hildreth Summer is finally here. The weather is heating up. The school year is coming to an end. Our church ministry schedules take on a new pace and emphasis. Short-term mission trips are one summer ministry that are becoming more of a standard in many churches.
Love the Neighbors You’re Reaching
As we seek to reach our neighbors with the gospel, one way we love them is by honoring their language, traditions, and customs. By Scott Hildreth How important is it to honor our neighbors’ backgrounds as we share the gospel with them in love? According to recent research done by Pew Research Center, people from other countries hold their cultural identities (think: language, customs, holidays, dress) as deeply important.
Remember the Missionaries: Caring for Those We Send
How can your church remember its missionaries and continue to care for them as they serve? What’s the church’s role after launching them? By D. Scott Hildreth What happens to missionaries once they leave our churches? We should all be asking this question when we launch missionaries from our congregations. However, for too many churches, the old adage “out of sight, out of mind” rules the day. We still care about those we send.
3 Truths for Ministering After the Chaos
Research shows some of the cultural chaos seems to be settling. We are in a new world, which calls for new skills and a new mindset. By D. Scott Hildreth A couple of months ago, I went to a local shopping mall to have my computer repaired. It had been years since I’d walked through a mall. I was shocked by how dead things were. I grew up in the ’80s when “The Mall” was the place to be on weekends. It was full of life … and probably a little bit of trouble.
Is Your Church Ready for the New World?
How can we encourage church members to be evangelistic in this new world as they interact with people from different faiths and cultures? By D. Scott Hildreth The events of the world make us aware we are surrounded by people with different beliefs, backgrounds, worldviews, and worship practices. The crisis in the Middle East, the war in Europe, and migration issues at our southern border, all remind us we share the planet with different people.
Telling the Story that Changed the World
Let this Christmas season be one of telling the story of our Savior as we equip our people to tell others the reason for this season. By D. Scott Hildreth There are 5.7 billion people in the world—nearly 80% of the global population—who are considered oral learners. This short descriptive phrase simply means these individuals do not learn by reading or by more literate teaching modes—lists, detailed instructions, simplified propositions or other communication techniques that rely on reading.
Syncretism: Don’t Mix Prosperity Heresy with Evangelism
Poor contextualization results in syncretism—the blending of ideas to the extent that the core meaning is changed beyond recognition. By D. Scott Hildreth Some of the most controversial conversations among missiologists revolve around the topic of contextualization. This idea touches on a variety of practices.
Fulfilling the Great Commission With Less Geographical Mobility
As geographical mobility in our society continues to decline, perhaps it’s time to ask a new question about missions. By D. Scott Hildreth Americans are mobile people. At least that is the impression many have of society in the United States. Neighborhoods and apartment complexes pop up almost overnight. TV commercials advertise companies that aid in the process of buying and selling homes and promote lenders who are ready to help navigate complex interest rates and other costs.
3 Steps to Leverage a Mission Trip for Discipleship Growth
These simple steps can help maximize the summer mission trip experience for discipleship. But intentionality is key. By D. Scott Hildreth As summer winds down, so does the season many churches use for short-term mission trips. Whether the trip was overseas or somewhere within the United States, many of us took advantage of the summer to join a missionary team and work alongside them in ministry. We all know the issues associated with poorly planned or executed mission trips.
How to Help Churchgoers Serve the Lord by Serving Others
Church leaders can move the needle and see more people from their congregations serving in the community. By D. Scott Hildreth Each community is different; however, each of us is surrounded by needs “someone needs to do something about.” They may be issues related to poverty, orphan care, crisis pregnancy, drug abuse, pollution, education, spiritual darkness—or any number of crises. Those of us who follow Jesus are often sensitive to the pain around us and are compelled to act.
Why the Great Commission Should Compel Pastors to Preach on Money
When pastors teach people how to obey the biblical commands about money, they are not self-serving; they are mission-serving. By Scott Hildreth According to a 2022 study from Lifeway Research, a majority of those who regularly attend church believe tithing is biblical. Although statistics show a decline in the past five years (77% in 2022 compared to 83% in 2018), an overwhelming number of men and women sitting in our churches each week know the Bible teaches generosity.
Making Short-Term Mission Trips Count
Short-term mission trips have encountered criticism, but they have the potential to positively impact both the mission and the participant. By D. Scott Hildreth Summer is coming, and for most churches, this season brings youth camps, Vacation Bible School, and lower Sunday attendance. Increasingly, summer is also the season for mission trips. The last couple of years have severely affected our ability to travel, which has led to a decline in these trips.
Dan Darling: The Characters of Easter
In the Christ and Culture podcast with Ken Keathley and Benjamin Quinn, we explore how the Christian faith intersects all avenues of today’s culture through conversations with leading thinkers. Today’s Episode: Each Easter, we tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. But who were the major players in these events? Who were the key “characters of Easter”? Dan Darling joins us to talk about Judas, Peter, Barabbas, Pilate, the women at the tomb, and more.
What Binge-Watching Stranger Things Taught Me About Storytelling
As fans eagerly await Season 3 of Netflix hit series Stranger Things, author Scott Hildreth offers three storytelling lessons and editing goals writers can glean from the show. Sunday night at about 11:45 p.m., I turned off the TV. My wife was stacking dishes, cups and a popcorn bowl into the dishwasher. “I think this is what the kids call binge watching.” We had spent the better part of two weekends watching the Netflix show Stranger Things. It was a fantastic experience.
What Binge-Watching Stranger Things Taught Me About Storytelling
As fans eagerly await Season 3 of Netflix hit series Stranger Things, Scott Hildreth offers three storytelling lessons and editing goals writers can glean from the show. Sunday night at about 11:45 p.m., I turned off the TV. My wife was stacking dishes, cups and a popcorn bowl into the dishwasher. “I think this is what the kids call binge watching.” We had spent the better part of two weekends watching the Netflix show Stranger Things. It was a fantastic experience.
John Chau and the dangers of missionary work
(RNS) — Last week we were reminded of a harsh lesson: The Christian missionary mandate, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” is a dangerous endeavor. Throughout our history, missionaries have been misunderstood, maligned, mocked and even martyred as a result of their obedience to this command. Recently, the world has been made aware of this painful truth through the story of John Allen Chau.
What Hath Business to Do with Missions?
The missionary task, as commonly understood by Evangelicals, involves the communication of the Christian message to the unbelieving nations, intentionally crossing cultural, linguistic, social and/or geographic barriers. The hope is that the gospel will be received and that new believers will become obedient followers of Jesus. Missionary anthropologist Paul Hiebert has described this spiritual transformation as “people . . .
Fighting the Fallen Leader Epidemic: A Better Way to Find Leaders
Fighting the Fallen Leader Epidemic: A Better Way to Find Leaders Pastors falling into sin is nothing new. And yet it seems to be an ever-increasing problem. The fall of celebrity pastors has almost become commonplace in the church, leaving many of us wondering what’s happening. How is it that these men can build something so significant for the kingdom of God yet fall into adultery, alcoholism, or narcissism?
FIRST-PERSON: Calling out the called
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) -- About 30 years ago, a wise pastor and a group of church leaders made a decision that quite literally changed my life and the lives of tens of thousands of others. As I understand it (I wasn't there), the pastor believed that internal and external forces limited the church's growth potential. The church was not small but it would probably never become a mega-church.
Kindle edition by Scott Hildreth, SD Hildreth. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
"Time passes at a constant rate. It never changes. A second is always a second. Sixty of them make a minute, and sixty minutes make one hour.Always.Our perception of the passage of time, however, changes. I believe when I am anxious of the arrival of a particular event, time seems to pass very slowly.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Scott
Contact Scott, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack