Many Christians today question whether it's necessary or even biblical to join local churches. Some think joining a church will rob them of personal freedom and independence. Others believe they may attend several different churches without ever committing to just one. Some even believe they don't need to be part of any particular local church, …
There has been a good deal said and written about expository preaching, Christ-centered preaching, redemptive-historical preaching, etc., but very little has been said about pastoral preaching. Pastoral preaching is at the heart of true pastoral ministry. It’s expository, based on biblical hermeneutics and Christ-centered, but it goes further. Pastoral preaching is directed to a particular …
John Owen (1616 – 1683) wrote a wonderful little booklet titled, Duties of Christian Fellowship: A Manual for Church Members. Our church’s pastoral intern, Andrew Graham, has been teaching it to our youth on Wednesday nights. We’ve also made it available to the whole congregation. The book is among the clearest and most concise works …
There has been a good deal of debate about whether the Second London Baptist Confession of 1677/1689 (2LCF) is a serviceable confession for Baptist churches. Some have argued it's far too detailed for a whole congregation to affirm, and they suggest that a shorter confession like the New Hampshire Confession or the Abstract of Principles …
Continue reading Can a whole church really subscribe to a detailed confession of faith?
Preachers may faithfully preach thematic and topical sermons that explain the Bible. They are certainly free to preach sermons on particular texts of Scripture without preaching through whole books of the Bible. But here are some reasons that preaching through whole books of the Bible is valuable. 1. Preaching through books of the Bible forces …
Continue reading Why preach through whole books of the Bible?
Much of what passes for pastoral ministry today is nothing other than the application of philosophies and methods of corporate America in the church. Too many pastors think of themselves as doing their jobs, and they don’t think of themselves as God’s men who are called to a whole-life pastoral ministry among God’s beloved people. …
Continue reading What are some essential aspects of pastoral ministry?
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