The Bible gives us a template for church leadership that focusses mostly on character. Paul describes this quality as being “above reproach,” which is further defined by qualities like sexual fidelity, temperance, self-control, gentleness, peaceability, respectability, hospitability, righteousness, holiness, and loving what is good.   If we are to continue, and God willing expand, Christian... Continue Reading

Qualified, godly, Spirit-filled men were chosen by the people and called by the Apostles to oversee the daily distribution. In this moment we see the beginning of what would become the diaconal office: servants entrusted with the ministry of mercy, stewardship, and care.   Recently, I had the privilege of preaching at our ordination and... Continue Reading

Christian leaders do not leave their faith at the door of their respective Capitol. They not only have a right, but an obligation before God to govern by truth.  They have been given the sword and the scepter by God and will be held accountable by Him.  We help leaders understand how God speaks into... Continue Reading

Providence has served students faithfully for 20 years, educating them from a Reformed Christian, liberal arts perspective. God has used our educational program to change student lives and impact communities and the world for God’s glory. We have remained faithful to our original mission to firmly ground students in biblical truth, thoroughly educate them in... Continue Reading

Item 13 passed the overtures committee by a vote of 101-23 before being approved by the Assembly on the floor with 1,022 commissioners voting in favor and 650 against. It has been disapproved by 65% of the presbyteries that have voted on it so far.   Since June, Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) presbyteries have... Continue Reading

There is a difference between a well-instructed congregation and a well-nourished one. It is possible to instruct yet fail to nourish those to whom we preach. It is possible to address the mind, but to do so with little concern to see the conscience, the heart, and the affections reached and cleansed, the will redirected,... Continue Reading

Christ, as her King and Head, has given officers to His Church; it is not for us, therefore, to add to them. Whether we call those new church offices shepherdess, deaconess, pastoress or any other pretended title, they have no legitimacy. So indeed, the BCO doesn’t explicitly prohibit churches from electing and installing women to... Continue Reading

God hasn’t called pastors to maximize reach or maintain relevance. He’s called them to shepherd souls through the faithful ministry of His Word, and that calling doesn’t bend just because the tools have changed. Any tool that serves that calling can be used with gratitude and restraint. Any tool that begins to displace it should... Continue Reading

In an emergency, the pastor shouldn’t have operational command; that should be left to the security team. They should have the authority to decide when to evacuate, when to call law enforcement, and when to implement lockdown procedures. This distinction must be established and communicated before any incident occurs.   What Just Happened? Protesters disrupted... Continue Reading

View post-sermon discouragement as a gift, not to yourself, but to the congregation. I learned this from James Pennington at the Heritage Preaching Lectures last October. Pennington described the emotional and psychological cost of preaching as a gift the preacher gives to the congregation, one that often goes unseen and unrecognized.   A well-known preacher,... Continue Reading