Friday's Catch: How Much Sacrifice Is Required for Ministry and More

How Much Sacrifice Is Required for Ministry

It is one thing to read about God’s people in other times and other places who have sacrificed in obedience to God. It is another thing altogether to imagine that God would expect the same of us. But why would God exempt us from the same sacrifice that He has required from His people throughout history? Read More

Six Most Simple Adjustments to Become a Welcoming Church [Podcast]

Your church can become more welcoming regardless of how welcoming you may think it already is. In this podcast Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe cover six simple adjustments that cost little to nothing that will have exponentially great results. Listen Now

Flower Power

Liberal theology may well be rooted in highly sophisticated theories and articulated by extremely intelligent people, but it tends to result in liturgical practices that are at best banal and at worst childish. Talking to plants is a fine candidate for the latter category. Better the robust atheism of a Bertrand Russell or a Christopher Hitchens than the infantile antics of a typical liberal Christian. Read More

What struck me about this article is that what we may be witnessing at Union Seminary is a revival of pre-Christian animistic beliefs--apologizing to the spirit of a tree before cutting it down and that sort of thing. These beliefs were common in Europe in pre-Christian times, persisted well into Christian times, and may be found in Japan and elsewhere today where animistic religions are practiced. They were a part of rural folklore in England when I lived there as a boy.

12 Reasons to Commit to Expository Preaching

Consider with me these 12 reasons I’m committed to biblical exposition and why you should be too.... Read More

7 TEDTalks for Pastors That Will Make You a Better Preacher [Video]

TED has been known to provide some incredibly helpful information for leaders and innovators. In other words, their content is a gold mine for preachers. But how do you know which talks are the best TedTalks for pastors out of the thousands available? Luckily the organization has whittled down their very best talks on public speaking down to 9. Watch Now

How to Get the Most Out of Sermons

Moving from evaluating the sermon to engaging it. Read More

5 Pleas for Sung Worship

For many in my generation, worship style was war paint, a badge of one’s loyalty to the novel in public praise, or the traditional – a war of attrition which could sink whole fellowships, and could divide brothers and sisters. In such an environment, with its proliferation of false binaries and battle lines, thinking clearly about how sung worship should work was almost impossible. With the passage of time, with exposure to different styles, to worship services in different cultures, and with a growing sense of conviction about how our singing should work, I have five pleas to make to my brothers and sisters when we gather to give God glory in song. Read More

5 Landing Page Essentials for Your Church Website - MUST READ

Here are the important components to use to maximize your chances of search engines finding you. Read More

5 Ways to Ensure Our Souls Aren’t Strangled by Screens

Because we understand our worth as image-bearers and our identity as children of God, we will not look to the Internet to prove that we are important, valuable, and loved. Read More