I respect what no one sees. I respect the fact that you were broken to pieces by God. Personal Heartbreak. Sadness. Doubt. Disappointment. Devastation. Hurt Feelings. Sleepless Nights. Unspeakable Pain. You don’t talk about this part of your journey much. But one of the main reasons God uses you so effectively is you have been broken to... Continue Reading

Note well the development.  The Reformation recovered the preaching of the Word — and with it a church architecture which made the means of grace central, especially preaching.  The heirs (and heiresses) of Anabaptism adopted a church architecture which sidelined the Word.  The stage appeared where the Word wasn’t enough.  So, especially when building churches... Continue Reading

We must preach because preaching is not simply the fuel for worship: preaching IS worship. As Piper says, “in the same way that a melody can awaken us to the true beauty of God in the lyrics of a worship song, so the spiritual music of the preacher’s soul can awaken the people to the... Continue Reading

Strangely, the one source of genuine help in such circumstances is the one that is literally in our hands as we seek to minister to others, but all too often fail to use as we seek to minister to our own souls. It is, of course, God’s word in Scripture. Indeed, we too easily forget... Continue Reading

“In trying to be helpful, many churches have failed, because they have failed to be truthful. They have failed not out of hardness of heart, or lacking of kindness, but in thinking that they are more merciful than God. I shudder to think about how much more rigorous, painful, and dangerous, and difficult my conversion... Continue Reading

Perhaps, to use Payne’s phrase, the little controversy over the Truth’s Table episode shed more heat than light. But it wasn’t random. It happened in the context of on-going, contentious, formal and informal fights over women’s roles in evangelical churches—fights that are often painful and racially inflected. The way it unfolded—online, across multiple platforms and cities, with... Continue Reading

“It’s a death spiral. Declining smaller churches decline much more rapidly than larger churches. Once the declining church goes below 100 in attendance, its days are likely numbered. Here is the sad summary statement of this portion of the research: Once a church declines below 100 in worship attendance, it is likely to die within... Continue Reading

“During the darkest days of my ministry, I struggled to see my way to the pulpit. I did not feel like studying, praying, or preaching. I believe this was the Enemy’s primary strategy. Waves rise from the pews to eject the preacher from the pulpit. The faithful preacher must hold the stern and preach through... Continue Reading

Editor’s note: When discussing evangelism, disciple-making, and church planting, the challenge of the prosperity gospel often looms large in the background, especially in the Global South. To that end, this piece examines the prosperity gospel through the lens of Job in the Old Testament.   “Snake-bit.” It’s a phrase used in west Texas. “Be careful in... Continue Reading

“People’s behavior and practice is really being unbundled from the institutions and identities that would have been homes for it,” ter Kuile says. “[For example], ‘I was raised Catholic but yoga is really the practice where I find my experience of contemplation.’ As institutional affiliation decreases, people have the same age-old desires for connection, relationships,... Continue Reading