“If the church is not ensuring Jesus is explicitly and persistently the point, it is not fruitful. And conversely, if a church is ensuring Jesus is explicitly and persistently the point, it is being fruitful, since ongoing worship of Jesus is a fruit of the new birth.”   I follow the ongoing pastoral and missiological... Continue Reading

“There you have the basics of hospitality, of Christian ministry: Share the Gospel. Share yourself. Treat people with tender affection. Get these fundamentals right, and you are well on your way to showing hospitality to your church and community.”   “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” — Romans 12:13 “Show... Continue Reading

“Change can be hard for the church. If the new Lead Pastor was hired to be a change agent, was the church ready for the change? If a church has been without its Senior Leader, it may not initially respond well to someone being back in the role, especially someone different then what they were used to.”... Continue Reading

So we have the ancient hymns, the proven and tested songs of previous decades, and the new songs being written by the Church today. By focusing first on the biblical faithfulness of the lyrics, second on the congregational accessibility of the music, and third on the particular and pastoral usefulness in your own context, you... Continue Reading

There is nothing wrong with wanting one’s church to grow. A community of faith where the gospel is taught and discipleship pursued is essential for our development as children of God and co-laborers in his global renewal project. The desire for people to be drawn into that life is both noble and godly. That said,... Continue Reading

“The overture also calls the PCA to lament the decades it took to address the issue and its failure to preach and embody the full truth of Scripture on race-related matters. It calls on church courts to include questions about how the Gospel addresses issues of race and integration in the examination of candidates for... Continue Reading

His nomination will come before the 2016 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), which has to formally elect him to this position.  Hahn is presently serving as pastor for church planting and renewal for Tennessee Valley Presbytery. He will replace the present MNA Coordinator, the Rev. Jim Bland, who will retire in... Continue Reading

The irony which seems lost on Andy is that the charge of selfishness may easily be leveled against those who attend Northpoint. After all it is easy to attend a mega-church. The seats are generally more comfortable. They have a coffee shop. Attendees don’t have to be bothered by annoying kids. The lights and videos... Continue Reading

After talking with hundreds of these college students who grew up in the Church going to youth group on a weekly basis, I can’t help but realize that the Church has failed. These students have never sat through a sermon longer than 20 minutes. They believe that the Bible teaches that human beings are inherently... Continue Reading

To summarize, Rome has anathematized (accursed) any average Christian who believes that he or she will undoubtedly persevere in the Christian faith.  Reformed theology teaches that true Christians will persevere in the faith – and can be assured of that perseverance by God’s Word and Spirit.  This is one of many reasons why I am... Continue Reading