Elders are not left to figure out where to lead the church and how to get them there.  God makes his wisdom and direction available to us in his word by his Spirit.   In an antiauthoritarian age and with concerns about abuse common, and not without substance, the danger is that we rebel against... Continue Reading

While 1 Timothy 4:12-13 does acknowledge youth as being a problem for some, it does not seem to see it as an obstacle for preachers. Quite the opposite. “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers as an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I... Continue Reading

The data shows male abusers are nearly three times more likely to work in child-focused roles compared to other men. They understand that working with children provides three crucial elements: access, trust, and opportunity. To put it bluntly, the person most likely to harm your child or grandchild isn’t the stranger you’re worried about—it’s the... Continue Reading

If you are a member of a congregation that is faithful to the sound preaching of the Gospel, the right administration of the sacraments, prayer, and the faithful practice of church discipline, you have every reason to be thankful and to give yourself diligently to developing your Christian life. God has appointed the means of... Continue Reading

Many people preparing for the pastorate have preconceived notions of what it’s like to be a pastor. Many see pastors as the equivalent of local rock stars…Some want-to-be-pastors think pastors sit in their study, leave to speak to the masses, and after the applause return to their cloistered repose. Seminary often prepares pastors for the... Continue Reading

When we gather as the Church, we are not performing. We are not consuming. We are not pretending. We are declaring war on every false god, every idol, every demonic lie that says Christ is not enough. We are lifting up our voices in defiance of hell.   “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding... Continue Reading

Presbyterianism may be said to rest on a three-legged stool (thank you to T. David Gordon for this analogy). One leg is our doctrine. Another leg is our form of government. The third is our worship. Our worship is an expression of our doctrine. It arises out of our doctrine. We worship as we do... Continue Reading

Bivocational work is less common among Catholic (14%) and Mainline Protestant (11%) clergy. The study also notes that evangelical pastors are less likely to lead multiple congregations (9%) compared to Mainline Protestants (24%) and Catholics (22%). Many pastors, especially evangelicals (64%), entered ministry after prior careers in other fields.   Nearly half of all Evangelical... Continue Reading

Some may think of disability ministry as a room where people with disabilities hang out while their family members are being discipled and included. But it is so much more. Paul even says our churches are incomplete without every member present, and that “the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable”... Continue Reading

Note the important word missing here: “lust.” The term is definitely an understatement to soften biblically sinful behavior, emotions, sexual drives, and passions. This is important to understand because it hides the sin God hates and has communicated this with the harshest of terms (Leviticus 18: 22, Romans 1: 26-28).   Where will it end?  God’s... Continue Reading