There are certain conditions in the church that increase the likelihood of a pastor’s departure well before it takes place….When a pastor leaves a church, whether through firing or voluntary departure for negative reasons, it is rarely a single immediate factor that led to the exit. There are typically negative conditions that created the environment... Continue Reading

The confessing church alters their methods of preaching. The compromising church alters the message they preach. While it is wise and biblical for the body of Christ to be relevant to culture regarding the preaching of the gospel, it should never put being relevant above being faithful. The compromising church puts being relevant before biblical faithfulness. Hence, they not only... Continue Reading

There are hard feelings on both sides. Some who are moving to the new congregation say PCUSA is trying to “change” the Bible. Some on the other side disagree with the church’s growing fundamentalist tilt and say the schism began with the hiring of an assistant pastor who disagrees with the direction PCUSA has taken.... Continue Reading

Reading these words from Billings also reminded me of a sermon Paul Wolfe preached. Pastor Wolfe urged us saying, “The gospel makes us recognize the size of the gulf between the way things are and the way they are supposed to be.” He defined groaning as “the sound at the intersection between pain and hope.”... Continue Reading

The proposal – which has been rejected by 10 presbyteries so far – is aimed at ensuring both sides of the debate are accommodated within the legal framework of the Kirk. The unofficial figures have been collated by observers within the church, and the Press and Journal… A Church of Scotland spokesman said presbyteries had... Continue Reading

The congregation is the only place… in Western culture where we develop relationships, celebrate our faith and life together, and also extend those same relationships all the way through death and dying. A place of employment, a hospice—they have indispensable roles, but in neither is a community life that celebrates the birth of babies and... Continue Reading

Lifers have the ability to see a long-term view of the ministry. They are not enamored with the short term. When struggles arise, they remain calm. They have been there before. When you face difficulties, have a conversation with a lifer. They may impart a perspective that will get you through the struggle. One of... Continue Reading

“Worshippers are increasingly turning their backs on the centuries-old practice of attending worship on Sundays because of other leisure and social ‘commitments’, it said. The admission came alongside new figures showing that attendances at midweek services in cathedrals have doubled in a decade while numbers in the pews in parishes on Sundays continue to fall.”... Continue Reading

“You are well aware of the actions of the Episcopal Church that have led to “tearing the fabric of the Anglican Communion.” In that respect, it will not come as a complete surprise that the National Cathedral has conducted both same-sex blessings of relationships, and, more recently in 2013 began conducting same-sex marriage ceremonies. I... Continue Reading

“It seems in our self-intoxicated, consumer-driven evangelical culture, what is often referred to as “church hopping” seems to have reached a virtual epidemic. There are a number of reasons for this reality with biblical illiteracy, a loss of a robust ecclesiology, a distaste for authority, the disappearance of church discipline and the decay of meaningful... Continue Reading