How Should We Determine the Order of Worship in Our Church Services?
Our worship should be, among other things, God-fearing (Eccl. 5) and bibliocentric (Neh. 8). In other words, our worship should be God-revering and Scripture-saturated.
Articles on Church Ministry
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There is not an uninfluenced day, hour, or minute in our lives. We are constantly discipled by the cultural, relational, and spiritual forces around us. Which discipling forces influence you the most?
Feeling Alone in a Crowded Congregation
We are social beings, and human connection is essential for our brain functioning, physical health, and emotional well-being. Loneliness is the unsurprising symptom of an individualistic society.
The Church and Homosexuality: 10 Commitments
Of the many complexities involving the church and homosexuality, one of the most difficult is how the former should speak of the latter.
The Hidden Value of Pastoral Gentleness
As leaders of God’s people, we all long to make a difference for Christ. We don’t want to be unfruitful. The main reason to nurture gentleness is neither pragmatic nor historical, but biblical.
We instinctively recognize that the solution to bad authority is seldom no authority, but almost always good authority.
Dear Pastor . . . You Need to Recognize Your Limits
Our limits and weaknesses are not in the way of what God can do through us, but our denial of limits and our delusions of independent strength are.
Podcast: Rethinking Multiservice and Multisite Church (Jonathan Leeman)
Do multiservice and multisite church models run counter to the pattern for the local church we see in the New Testament?
The Importance of Preaching the Theology of Suffering
Preach to your people a theology of suffering that places all our trials in the hands and will of a loving Father.
Jesus explicitly identifies himself with the gathering because the gathering makes his kingdom visible and active through their mutual agreement and testimony.
3 Ways That Scriptural Leadership Differs from Secular Leadership
Preaching is inherently a form of leadership. But in order for our preaching to qualify as scriptural leadership, we must be careful to exercise it according to biblical standards rather than worldly principles.
Why Pastors Must Show Their Kids How to Love the Church
Perhaps the most important thing we can do to demonstrate our love for the church is to crucify any trace of careerism.
How to Prioritize Your Spouse in Ministry
She’s not been called to serve. You have been called to serve and she’s been called to serve alongside of you as your helper.
5 Hats That a Lead Pastor Must Wear
If the quality of our elder plurality determines the health of our church, then we need to know which hats will best help us to cultivate solid teams. Here are five hats senior leaders should wear.
The ministry of the deacons is an extension of the ministry of the elders to care for the flock of God.
The Internet Perpetuates Our Spiritual Dementia
Spiritual dementia is incompatible with Christian faithfulness. As both a church historian and a pastor, I’m increasingly convinced that life in the digital age compounds the potential for losing our theological and ethical memory.
An Open Letter to a Children’s Ministry Worker
The children entrusted to your care have ears, and they use them. So teach these little ones the big truths. God willing, it will yield fruit for many years to come.
7 Tips for Planning a Sermon Series
How can pastors approach teaching the whole word of God to the people of God? It can be a daunting task.
4 Reminders for When You’re Hurt by Someone at Church
We live in a fallen world. As glorious and wonderful as life in the church is, God’s people have not yet been fully delivered from the effects of sin.
A Church Is Not Just a Truth-Dispensing Center
The church is the household of God, so we can expect relationships, interaction, and shared identity to be fundamental aspects of its life.
The Necessity and Danger of Mercy Ministry
Deeds of mercy can show the power of the gospel to change us. When we help our neighbor, we give evidence that our message is true.
J. I. Packer on One of the Most Urgent Needs in the Church Today
Catechesis—from a Greek word meaning "instruction by mouth"— is a historic teaching method of giving Christians the language with which to articulate the basic tenets of faith.
5 Steps to Take within the Exegesis Process
What follows is a suggested method for preaching preparation that I have followed for many years and found to be helpful. Please know that this is just one approach.
Deaconing is not for the faint of heart. Much of it is thankless: grunt work, not stage work.
Dear Pastor . . . Let Christ Preach
If preaching isn’t simply transferring data or trying to make people feel something through our charisma, what is it?
Help for Humanly Impossible Acts
The languishing come to drink at the fountain of God’s life-giving word. That too is worship. It magnifies the necessity and desirableness of God.
Help! I Love Jesus but Not the Church
Have you given up on the church? Shift your gaze from your hurt and disappointment and behold the church through the eyes of Christ.
3 Important Questions for the Church about the Lord’s Supper
The Lord’ Supper is an ordinance of remembrance, and recipients must turn their minds to the cross as they approach the Table.
7 Checklist Items for Your Next Church Search
Consider these seven key items to look for and prioritize when you embark on your next church search.
John Calvin on the Role of the Pastor
Calvin did not imagine that the New Testament gave us a precise liturgy or church order, but he was convinced that it gives us clear guidelines.