Most issues that we face day to day within the church stem from a faulty understanding of who the church is and what it is called to do. When people leave the church – sometimes legitimately, often less so – their issues typically stem from a difference in ecclesiology. The people leaving may not recognise... Continue Reading

It’s not just a recent problem: In all, since 1998, roughly 380 Southern Baptist church leaders and volunteers have faced allegations of sexual misconduct, the newspaper found. That includes those who were convicted, credibly accused and successfully sued, and those who confessed or resigned. More of them worked in Texas than in any other state.... Continue Reading

Of course we sing to God, but we also sing for one another. God is the object of our worship, but our singing is also a means of mutual encouragement. In our singing, we all have equal opportunity to proclaim truth. When we open our mouths to sing, we all take on the role of teacher, of encourager. My... Continue Reading

For this high and lofty doctrine to have any life-giving impact in our daily struggles and joys, it must be transposed through the words of Christ and metabolized in the work of Christ. What, then, does this doctrine look like when condensed into a solid state? When it begins to take on a recognizable shape... Continue Reading

At this point, Hill may, must and does argue that homosexual orientation is not sin.  Perhaps the question begging to be asked is why talk about homosexual orientation as something God does not want to remove but rather to leave like a thorn in the flesh? Is sexual orientation a thorn or not? Nevertheless, what... Continue Reading

We must remember that ministry in the New Testament is life on life. For the Apostle Paul, the church was not a distant group before which he occasionally appeared.  They were his spiritual family, with whom he lived and ministered.   How does a pastor most healthily balance ministerial service with family time? This tension... Continue Reading

Many men don’t show proper honor to their wives, and they even sometimes laugh when their children speak or act dishonorably to their mothers. I am repeatedly shocked to hear children speak disrespectfully to their parents, yet the shock begins to wear off when I see their parents speak disrespectfully to others, particularly online. Similarly,... Continue Reading

Unbelievers see things more clearly than we think. They sniff out our attempts to market Jesus. They see through our sales pitches. They’re far more serious about their worldview than we give them credit for. And I think our ignorance of this fact offends them even more than the content of our worldview. Why do we... Continue Reading

People are not products, and as such no amount of time we spend working with (let’s avoid the temptation to say “working on”) people will ever complete them. Even more complicating is the fact that pastors are incomplete as well. While we might be a little further along the path than those we shepherd and... Continue Reading

Faithful local churches want to grow through the redemption of sinners. Through evangelistic efforts and the consistent administration of the ordinary means of grace, there should be a healthy expectation that there will be new believers joining the church periodically. However, the most significant growth in most local churches is Christians transferring their membership from... Continue Reading