By “traditions,” I am referring to those extra-biblical customs that become a way of life for many congregations. A tradition is neither inherently good nor bad. Its value or its distraction in a given church really depends on how members treat the traditions.   I recently embarked on a major research project for a new... Continue Reading

My United Methodist friend remarked upon hearing this story that in general we know what will grow a church. It’s not a mystery. The real question is, do we want the biblical message and ministry that will attract new people, or do we prefer less challenging alternatives, with predictable outcomes. Church vitality or decline to... Continue Reading

In the early 1970s, the elders of First Church were meeting together at a retreat at Twin Lakes Camp and Conference Center, and, addressing this issue they said: “We were wrong.” “The church, this church, is for all God’s people, red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.” From that day,... Continue Reading

Tragically then, because JW doctrine derives from a devious Bible translation, denies the God of the Bible, the deity of Christ, and the biblical resurrection of Christ, it denies any possibility of salvation through Christ. It is a false gospel and damnable system through which no one can be forgiven of sin, right before God,... Continue Reading

“These three ghosts glide into staff meetings where key decisions are made. They hover in classrooms where theology is taught. They linger in prayer rooms where the weakest among us give voice to hurt. They strike fear into the hearts of both men and women, and worse, they breathe fear into the interactions between them.”... Continue Reading

“When these younger southern Presbyterian conservatives met to form the Presbyterian Churchmen United (PCU) in 1969, they included in their seven-point “Declaration of Commitment” a statement that emphasized a spirit of “love, concern, and neighborliness toward all races of men without partiality and without prejudice.”   [For the explanation of this series and the first... Continue Reading

“As a new elder you will likely feel the pressure to “prove yourself.” Don’t fall into this trap. Jesus has called you to serve, and the church has recognized this calling. Listen to the other elders, especially those who have served for a long time. During meetings, listen to how the conversations progress and keep... Continue Reading

This month five congregations from the Illiana-Florida Classis of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) are transferring to the Chicago Metro Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America.  Rev. Ben Kappers is the pastor at First Church (PCA) in Lansing, IL (formerly First Reformed Church), and writes of his reflections on the upcoming transfer.  ... Continue Reading

“Efficacious grace is misunderstood if it is perceived as duress brutally exerted upon the soul. Grace is irresistible in the sense that it operates with the compulsion of overwhelming love. It so inclines the enslaved will that it abandons base affections and desires the good and holy that is supremely manifested in Christ.”   There... Continue Reading

“Church members in Germany are required by law to pay tax to fund church activities, which is collected by the government. Under German law, anyone who was baptized as a child is automatically a member of the church and obliged to pay the tax, charged as a percentage of their income, regardless of their beliefs... Continue Reading