Some years ago, I conducted a study and wrote a book on membership classes in local churches. Many of those churches included teaching church covenants in their membership class, but they talked very little about church discipline. That is, they established expectations but did not always talk about accountability. Since then, I’ve conducted an ongoing... Continue Reading

Let us realize our Great High Priest has done all that is required for us to enjoy God’s eternal blessings. There is nothing left for us to do but to bask in the glory of God. So, as we look at ourselves today and find within a willingness to trust and obey, let us see these as marks... Continue Reading

Another challenge for Dr. Butler is tackling the church’s complex administrative needs. She is hiring ministers to assist in leading the church and managing its $14 million budget. Some 30 programs—from prison ministry to a popular preschool to a lesbian and gay ministry—are being re-evaluated. The one thing that does run on autopilot, said Dr.... Continue Reading

Monday’s decision, issued without comment, was the third time that the high court rejected an appeal by the Bronx Household of Faith, which for years held Sunday services at a local public school. The church last year finished work on its own building near P.S. 15, but said it still needs extra space for events... Continue Reading

“Certainly, we need to proclaim the Gospel to everyone, and I don’t want to downplay the importance of evangelizing millennials, urbanites, college students, and everyone else.  But doesn’t the church need to give some attention to the main demographic where the unchurched are?”   Most evangelism programs, church growth tactics, and other attempts to reach... Continue Reading

“The Presbyterian General Assembly, the top legislative body of the PSUSA, voted last June to revise the constitutional language defining marriage.  This arbitrary change of Holy Scripture is a flagrantly pretentious and illegitimate maneuver by a body that has no authority whatsoever to alter holy text.”   The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based... Continue Reading

“Even if someone’s criticism is completely off, there’s almost always something we can learn. James tells us to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Often when someone brings us negative criticism, our first reaction can be to defend ourselves or write them off. Someone’s critique may not be 100% correct, but I’ve found... Continue Reading

“The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) points out a viable option for churches affected by the rule, which is to increase employees’ overall taxable compensation without requiring that the additional income be used to purchase health coverage.”   A new tax rule in conjunction with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may affect... Continue Reading

What is the right thing to do when a church learns that one of its own has been accused of victimizing a child? First and foremost, it must immediately turn its focus and care away from institutional reputation and towards the victimized and the vulnerable.   Though there are multitudes of ways this can be... Continue Reading

Last week it became our Presbytery’s time to vote, not that our vote would matter, the manipulators and schemers had, during the General Assembly Meeting last July, already put into effect the Authoritative Interpretation that negated any real power to divert or correct the plunge of the Presbyterian Church USA into apostasy. However, it was... Continue Reading