An Open Letter to the Pastor about Embracing Weakness
The Lord, in his love and mercy, shows us that we are weak, and he often does it through affliction. But it is a certain sign of his love.
Articles on Church Ministry
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4 Essential Ingredients of Reformed Preaching
Reformed preaching aims to take all of the Bible into account and to apply it.
Dear Pastor . . . Don’t Settle for the Status Quo in Your Preaching
We take up our call to the ministry believing the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Fatigue, fear, and even temptations to doubt the message we are preaching can cut the nerve of our zeal.
Ask for Grace and Go to Church
The reasons you don’t feel like going to church might be good, bad, or ugly. But, as a fellow sheep loved by the same Shepherd, I’m asking you to trust God, ask for grace, and go.
God’s Primary Provision for Our Spiritual Hunger
How does God intend to satisfy our spiritual hunger? He gives us his word. Matthew 4 says that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
What Do They Know? Learning From "Secular” Leaders
When God speaks through his world, we call it general revelation or common grace.
Dear Pastor . . . Home Is Where You Are Most Loved and Most Needed
I want to affirm something you already believe but might hesitate to embrace. You are not alone in your ministry.
There is no greater need for the church today than to think rightly about Jesus, biblically and theologically.
Why Listening to a Podcast Is Not a Substitute for Going to Church
Going to a church has many benefits. If you are physically able to attend a church, you should make it a priority.
What is the Goal of Community Groups?
In order to have a vision for community, we need to understand the purpose of community.
As much as a church does facilitate and organize relationships and practices, the church is more than a means to an end, a utilitarian resource for an individual Christian’s needs.
Educational methods are increasingly interactive. Learning by discovery is the watchword. Preaching seems to be just another example of the church being out of touch, out of date, and out of steam.
Paul Was a Missionary Consumed by God’s Approval
If receiving God’s affirmation is of critical concern for our mission, then isn’t the antithetical desire for others’ approval to be a potential snare for Christian ministers?
Church, State, and the Authority of Jesus
Imperium means supreme power or absolute dominion, and it gets at the idea of where the buck stops in a society.
What All Healthy Churches Have in Common
The most important things about a Christian church are always the things that make it a Christian church. The things that are unique about your church or mine can never be the most important things about it.
Pastor: Equip Your People to Counsel Each Other
The leadership of the church has been commissioned to equip the congregation in caring for each other’s souls.
When the risen Christ sought to put those in charge or in leadership in local churches, he chose—amazingly—teachers.
The Church’s Most Powerful Witness to the World
God is using the power of the church’s shared witness in remarkable ways all over the world.
Help! I’m Struggling to Connect with my Church Family During COVID
The pandemic has stripped away many of our opportunities to connect with the people in our congregations.
Impatience, tiredness, zoning out, interrupting—these are just a few of the things that can lead to poor listening.
Dear Pastor . . . You Can Serve Both Your Ministry and Your Kids
It is not easy to be fully committed to the people we minister to and to our families at the same time. But the strain of doing both (the balanced life) is our cross.
What Are the Sacraments, and Why Do They Matter?
One of the most important aspects of church life is the celebration of the sacraments—the Lord’s Supper and baptism. But despite this importance, there is much misunderstanding about them.
A Pastor’s Guide to Celebrating Christmas as a Church
Christmas sermons and services should evoke the question, “What do these things mean?” to which the pastor then heralds the eternal answers.
Pastors’ Wives: 5 Misconceptions
Misconception #1 You have it all together. You’ve worked through all your issues. Sure, you may struggle, but not with anything major (whatever that may be). Oh, sister, may I encourage you? On this side …
3 Cross-Currents of Anglican Theology
Evangelicals who prioritize true piety are as centered and focused on the church as they are on anything—because we know that the church is Christ’s focus.
Help! My Sunday Mornings Are Chaotic
You have the opportunity of passing on to your children a deep love for Sunday mornings. Children learn to love what their parents love.
What Ministry “Freshness” Means
More than anything else, we want to guard our relationship with God with a sense of urgency, and deal with anything that hinders that relationship. Our primary desire is God.
What Makes the Preaching the Word Commentary Series Unique?
The Preaching the Word commentary series is unique because I’ve asked all the contributors to have preached the content of their commentary viva voce, or live.
When the Tyranny of the Urgent Invades Missions
We're living at a time in global missions today where the gospel and faithful ministry are threatened because we often sacrifice the important for the immediate, the best for the most pressing.
10 Things You Should Know about the Church’s Historic Creeds and Confessions
The best doctrinal summaries promote church unity. They help us to identify what we have in common with other Christians.