One doesn’t have to look far to stumble across ministers who make offhanded comments in sermons about how so many other preachers are unwilling to boldly speak “the hard truths.” And though it is regretfully true that many ministers are unwilling to speak the hard parts of Scripture, these comments are often attended with a... Continue Reading

A believer struggling with pornography demonstrates that he or she can’t handle open access. The desires of their flesh are too strong and their self-control too weak. We take away their freedom to open access to protect them from themselves.   A young man or woman comes to you, admitting their struggle with pornography. Let’s say... Continue Reading

In the past few years, much of our work has gone digital. We plan events with digital registration forms; we send emails about ministry news, etc. I’ve been around offices where if their computer stops working or the internet is out, someone will comment: “I can’t do my work now.” If your ministry work is... Continue Reading

There are so many theologically rich hymns about both the Church universal and the local church that we can be teaching our children. Though each of these are uniquely suited to reflect the biblical teaching about the glory of Christ among His people, my wife and I specifically chose to sing Timothy Dwight’s “I Love Thy... Continue Reading

A striking example of God using a life-threatening epidemic to play a key role in a person coming to spiritual faith and life is found in the conversion testimony of Fanny Crosby. She went on to become the world’s premiere Christian hymnwriter of the nineteenth century.    The present COVID-19 pandemic has a lot of... Continue Reading

The highest privilege and greatest honor in pastoring is not standing in the church pulpit but praying by the hospital bed. It’s not being accorded the highest place but carrying out the least-seen service. It’s not broadcasting the truth to thousands, but whispering it to one. The holiest moments of pastoring are the ones that... Continue Reading

From Dr. Miles Gresham, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Covenant Theological Seminary: Dr. Mark Dalbey has been a faithful example of wise and godly leadership as President of Covenant Seminary the past eight years. His calm and humble demeanor paired with an unwavering trust in the Lord have been a source of steady... Continue Reading

Church growth experts have long warned that church sanctuaries that are 80% full are for all practical purposes maxed out and, and churches that reach that level of saturation will begin to decline. Will churches need to rethink that percentage to a lower number in the future. Will seating need to be altered to allow... Continue Reading

The center of this concrete reality is the local church. The universal church is present within each local expression of the church. There is no universal church without the concrete local church. The local church embodies the universal, and not the other way around. This is evident by the fact that there is no universal... Continue Reading

I’d rather see the performance of Sibelius’s violin concerto in person than listen to a recording. When face-to-face experiences are impossible, I am thankful for the technology that bridges the gap–whether correspondence or phone calls or video calls. But life is better in person. This fact should not surprise us, for the Word of God... Continue Reading