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 …
As a pastor, I have not always understood the dynamics of domestic abuse, and I have not always gotten things right when it comes to trying to minister to those who are oppressed by this grievous sin. Though I have seen numerous instances of domestic abuse, I am still learning more and more about the …
Continue reading How can your church serve survivors of domestic abuse?
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?
As soon as a person comes to faith in Christ, that person automatically becomes a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13), the universal Church (Eph 5:23-27). But the New Testament also teaches that all believers must be baptized and become members of particular local churches where everyone in the church agrees to …
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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