Yes, give to missions and missionaries, give to the poor and needy overseas. But don’t just wire money to somebody. In your giving, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Go through what you know to be legitimate channels and make sure you have a way to monitor where it all goes.   Not... Continue Reading

When they are disconnected from the congregation, it should not surprise us that young adults, who have never known the church as a whole, are disinclined to embrace it when their age-graded group has run its course.  Do you want your children to participate in the church when they become adults? Then cultivate their participation... Continue Reading

Recently I received this email: “What would you say to a new pastor who is frustrated after not seeing the fruit of his work in the congregation? Most of the people do not seem passionate about their faith. The pastor’s own passion is also low right now.” Here is what I said.    When I... Continue Reading

Why is this so important? Cultures change, and worldly priorities shift to a degree, but the Word of God stands firm like an immovable stone in the stream of life. It is through unchanging Scripture that ultimate truth and wisdom are to be found in Christ. We can only be sponges, ready to absorb this... Continue Reading

Obviously, those of us who sent the letter understand that we cannot dictate employment policy to the Seminary, but we are hoping that the Board will honor the commitment not to allow the Seminary to prejudice the trial and, above all, will show some compassion to Jeff and his family, by overturning the Administration’s decision. ... Continue Reading

POJ representatives have a vision of God and humanity that is fundamentally different from the vision embraced by Crestwood’s session.  The struggle between these two visions drove Crestwood’s dismissal process, and likewise is driving the ultimate demise of the PCUSA.  Sessions contemplating dismissal or already in the dismissal process can benefit by understanding the nature... Continue Reading

Many years ago a woman challenged me saying that the reason we have so many abortions in this country is that the church did not treat the death of premature children as the loss of a child.  Her statement made me look at myself as a pastor. Early in my first pastorate, a couple’s preborn... Continue Reading

 I just wonder whether finding a Goldilocks zone is a luxury that only larger churches can afford? You may well find a middle ground in which you have some programmes (or, at least, only expect some people to do any one of them) and a free week the rest of the time, but small, struggling... Continue Reading

The book of Judges provides a very clear answer to our questions. Its answer does not say everything that might be said in general, but it does say specific, crucial things that we must ponder to understand both Israel’s situation and our vulnerability.   And there arose another generation after them who did not know the... Continue Reading

“If you find yourself frustrated that you don’t have enough of those who serve, evangelize and tithe, the root cause is a lack of disciples. If you see too much divorce, too few discipling their children, too many knuckleheads, too little passion for ministry, the underlying cause is non-discipleship. It doesn’t work—and it doesn’t make... Continue Reading