Our Favorite Fallacy in Ministry

A fallacy is simply an error in reasoning. Fallacies come in many different forms. For churches, our favorite fallacy begins as we point out that a ministry opportunity is imperfect. Having shown that the opportunity is imperfect, we then claim that we have a good reason for not even trying to accomplish the ministry. Often […]

A Comforting Thought

As a pastor, one of the issues that I encounter frequently is people who are afraid that they’re doing the right things for the wrong reasons. For example, a person may want to read their Bible faithfully and have a healthy prayer life. Unfortunately, the person will frequently be immobilized by the fear that they’re […]

The Temptation All Churches Face

One of Israel’s kings once wrote: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”[1] This concept is simultaneously discouraging and encouraging. On the one hand, we often think that we are entirely unique. According to Solomon, we are almost never as special […]

Christmas: A Time for Evangelism

With Thanksgiving over, many of us are focusing our attention on Christmas. For many of us, Christmas is one of the most hectic times of the year. We have gifts to purchase, family events to schedule, and traditions to keep alive. Though we’re busy, Christians cannot afford to allow Christmas to pass us by. Whether […]

A Theology of Church Finance

I’ve worked at two churches and I have many friends who are pastors. Here’s one thing that nearly all of our churches have in common: Finances are sometimes a little too slim for comfort. Very few churches have way too much cash lying around. Instead, many churches have to follow a strict budget. Managing church […]

Three Things Church Membership Means

Writing to perhaps the most troubled of the New Testament churches, Paul said: “I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in […]

The Role of the Pastor’s Wife

A pastor’s wife is one of the hardest roles to occupy in a church. These ladies don’t technically have a position: There’s no job description for being the pastor’s wife, and she doesn’t directly receive a paycheck. However, make no mistakes about it, there are expectations: More than a few churches expect the pastor’s wife […]

Calvinism is Not the Gospel

A prominent trend in American evangelicalism is the rise of Calvinism. While Arminianism was the dominant theological position of American Christians throughout the end of the twentieth century, Calvinism may be the dominant position in the near future. My first seminary class was taught by a Calvinist, the popular Passion Conferences are routinely headlined by […]

What Every Pastor Wants

Recently, my wife’s flatiron unexpectedly gave up the ghost. Like the good, dutiful husband I am, or at least attempt to be on my better days, I bought her a replacement flatiron which arrived in the mail later that week. Now, this process revealed two things to me: First, flatirons are outrageously expensive! I’m currently […]

How to Judge a Sermon

Pastoring is a broad job: Pastors are counselors and confidants, teachers and trainers, supervisors and superintendents. Each pastor is uniquely gifted for and/or prefers one of these roles over the others. This is natural and is part of how the pastor is made in the image of God; differences in ministry preferences and skills are […]

Anselm and Tertullian on Christianity and Philosophy

“What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem?”[1] Tertullian, a church father and apologist who lived in the late 2nd and early 3rd century AD, wrote a scathing critique of nominal Christians who fall headlong into false doctrine and heresies. By asking what Athens has to do with Jerusalem, Tertullian meant to critique Christians who […]

3 Reasons Your Pastor Should Let You Down

Being a pastor is a difficult job. On the one hand, we want to please people; that’s just human nature! I genuinely want people to enjoy my sermons, I want programs to run efficiently, and I want every service to be flawless. On the other hand, any pastor worth having knows that personal satisfaction and […]