Although the Synod affirmed five points of doctrine as opposed to the five points of remonstrance, it never intended that anyone would limit Reformed theology or Calvinism to these five points. That would be like taking one court case and regarding it as definitive of the entire American justice system.   Fascinating Fact #1: The five... Continue Reading

“First, there is little agreement on how to evaluate the current situation in the Anglican Communion. Second, given the lack of details in the announcements regarding what the Archbishop of Canterbury actually has in mind, many commentators are assuming the worst.”   With some leaders of the Anglican Communion accusing others of not being “Christian,”... Continue Reading

Most Protestant denominations have a website that includes a function to help users find a local church.  But denominations provide accurate links to the websites of only 32% of all local churches, even though three out of four churches have their own website.  Much of the information on denominational websites about member churches is simply... Continue Reading

Our church family has been at the center of the storm, with approximately a hundred homes having sustained damage of some kind, and half of these sustaining such serious damage that they may end up losing their homes entirely. There are families who have lost everything, leaving their homes in the darkness of a Sunday morning, in... Continue Reading

Churches largely catered to the needs of church members in the 1980s. We thus created a culture of membership that is me-driven. Many church members do not want to make the sacrifices necessary to reach our communities and culture today. They are demanding their own needs and preferences to be the priority of their churches.  ... Continue Reading

Never simply give in to contentious or complaining congregants for the sake of peace. One of the biggest mistakes that pastors make is to give in to the demands of discontent or contentious congregants simply to keep them happy. By doing so, they inadvertently empower sinful congregants. If pastors give in on one thing for which... Continue Reading

“Some millennials do stay with the church, however, and they will inevitably change the church because they don’t behave like the rest of us do. For example, older adults in congregations all over the country have been waiting for years for the younger generation to “step up” and take their turn running the committees that... Continue Reading

The truth is that prospective visitors want to know what you believe. Now there’s a balance to be preserved here. If a church website details their beliefs with a host of positional papers, I get a slightly uneasy feeling. Sometimes the militant do that. But not always. My preference is to see a tight mission... Continue Reading

In fact, it is a return to normal. Of course, I don’t mean normal in the history of America.  In the American experience, the pundits are right: this is an unprecedented cultural shift.  But, in the history of God’s people, this present situation is not at all unusual.  Indeed it has often been the norm;... Continue Reading

The Bible Says that Christ Died Once and For all (1 Peter 3:18). He does not need to continue dying like the animals in the Old Testament sacrificial system. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The only reason he would need to continue dying would be if we... Continue Reading