“Give yourselves the opportunity to get it wrong,” Blackmon said. “Give yourselves the forgiveness to say out loud what you’re thinking so we can get through what they’re thinking. We major in grace. We preach grace. We teach grace. We give grace to the stranger. Can we give a little grace to one another?”  ... Continue Reading

“It’s not to the government, nor to any king or pope or any other ruler, but rather to the church — to this ragtag bunch of argumentative, self-centered, struggling-for-holiness but gloriously forgiven sinners — that the keys of the kingdom of God are given.”   The Kingdom of God Is Manifested in This Present Age... Continue Reading

I love the desire that many people have to worship in a more trinitarian sense—meaning preaching, singing, and praying that demonstrates our belief in a God who is “one in essence and three in person.” We must remember though, that just because a song is popular does not mean that it is Biblical. We must... Continue Reading

I could dissociate myself from people with whom I disagree on tribal theological points, but then I’m compromising church unity just like they do. It’s taken me some time, but I’m beginning to understand that Christ’s church is a mess because Christ’s church has always been a mess. It’s supposed to be a mess. And if the gospel is... Continue Reading

Many churches are pursuing a bit more “simple church.” We aren’t trying to keep the doors open eight days a week and have our schedules filled with church activities. We’ve gotten the memo that activity does not equal godliness.   How busy is the most spiritual person you know? Honestly, when I think of people I... Continue Reading

It is no respecter of theological position, afflicting the left just as much as the right. It is no respecter of intellectual ability, as the psychology of leader-follower is predicated more on personality and relational qualities than brainpower. And it is no respecter of souls; nothing so destroys a Christian leader, or his followers, than... Continue Reading

When ethical and moral imperatives are proclaimed as sufficient, even abstracted from Jesus, the result is a crossless Christianity in which the central message becomes an exhortation to live according to God’s rules. Hearers who possess a seared conscience may develop an attitude of self-righteousness: according to their judgment they are adequately living by God’s... Continue Reading

First, we can attend presbytery regularly (along with the allowed number of ruling elders [REs]). Then we give our congregation a report on the actions of presbytery. Did the presbytery take candidates under care? Did the presbytery license or ordain a man to ministry? Is the presbytery planting a church? Were decisions made at presbytery... Continue Reading

Rachael Denhollander, the courageous attorney who invoked her faith in her statement during the trial of her abuser Larry Nassar, warns, “It defies the gospel of Christ when we do not call out abuse and enable abuse in our own church.” Shortly before Nassar’s trial, she lost her church because of her advocacy for other victims... Continue Reading

When these sacred cows have been in place at your church longer than you have, it’s tempting to enter a season of ministry with guns blazing, eager to make changes. Some changes need to be made definitively and swiftly. Others require more care.   As a young pastor, I was eager to take on my... Continue Reading