“I have found it helpful to describe a dynamic equilibrium for this congregation and other small to mid-sized congregations I have served, and then to hold that condition before them as a measure of vitality. Dynamic equilibrium suggests that the congregation is a complex organism with staying power, but an organism with certain key indicators... Continue Reading

“Understand that I’m not opposed to change. I’m honestly not. I may not like change, but it’s more because everything seems to be changing than it is my opposition to church change. Help me understand the change, and I’ll be with you. What I’m opposed to is change that’s not well thought out.”   I’m... Continue Reading

According to Wolf, there were roughly 150,000 Iraqi Jews in 1950. Today there are fewer than ten—a shocking statistic in its own right, but also an ominous sign in light of an old regional saying: “as go the Jews, so go the Christians.”   In September of this year, Baylor University sponsored two lectures on... Continue Reading

Christ will do everything, or He will do nothing. Why? Because if salvation “is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Rom 11:6). To introduce works as any part of the ground of our righteousness is to corrupt the Gospel of grace, which is the only Gospel... Continue Reading

The whole situation is so depressing that, like Luther, I cry:  “I had utterly despaired had not Christ been head of the church” And there is the solution. I believe in Jesus. I believe he is the Saviour who died for the sins of the world. And I also believe that he is the Head of the... Continue Reading

The Episcopal Church is affiliated with the larger worldwide Anglican Communion, the world’s third-largest Christian denomination, which is discussing whether it can remain unified amid divisions over sexuality and other issues. A large percentage of Anglicanism is thriving in the developing world, where more-conservative leaders have been unhappy with the Episcopal Church.   Bishop Michael... Continue Reading

“The PCA affirms the inerrancy of Scripture and places a high value on biblical preaching and worship. This is because we believe the Bible is our only infallible rule of faith and practice. By the design of the Holy Spirit, all that is necessary for a life of godliness are within its pages.”   This... Continue Reading

“The congregation’s vote was accepted by the church’s governing body of elders, and now must be approved by the presbytery’s regional governance group, the Presbytery of the Peaks, which meets Thursday in Lynchburg to consider First Presbyterian Church’s request. If the Presbytery of the Peaks approves, both groups will begin the church’s “gracious dismissal” process,... Continue Reading

How did you discover our church? On a basic level, this will tell you what types of outreach are successful. And, you will find out what the visitor already knows, e.g., from looking at the church’s website. In addition, some visitors are comfortable with sharing more without being asked. You might learn that they are dissatisfied... Continue Reading

In the end, we actually have very good historical reasons to accept Origen’s list as genuine.  And if it is, then we have evidence that (a) Christians were making lists much earlier than we supposed (and thus cared about which books were “in” and which were “out”); and (b) that the boundaries of the New... Continue Reading