Making Decisions and the Will of God (Part I)
A few years ago I asked a friend about his plans after graduating from seminary. He responded, “I’m still waiting on God to reveal His will in this area.” His response surprised me. My friend was ready to graduate with a master’s degree and had spent four years poring through books, papers, and syllabi. Yet by this time he was still unable to discern God’s will. My intent in using this particular experience is not to attack this...
Lessons from a Pastoral Succession
by Josh Baer Pastoral transitions are inevitable. All pastors leave at some point, whether through resignation, retirement, or even death. While this has always been the case, we are facing a potential crisis. Our churches will likely undergo a massive transfer of pastoral leadership in the next decade as more pastors than ever reach retirement age.[1] This potential crisis is too important to ignore or avoid. The transfer of...
Practicing Theology in Youth Ministry
Every other year I have the opportunity to teach our introductory course on youth ministry at Welch College, entitled Philosophy of Youth and Family Ministry. The course is always a wonderful experience, and central to its purposes are laying a theological foundation and developing biblical practice for practical ministry. The summative project in the course is students developing their own philosophies of youth and family ministry....
“Translating God’s Word”
Translation it is that openeth the window, to let in the light; that breaketh the shell, that we may eat the kernel; that putteth aside the curtaine, that we may looke into the most Holy place; that remooveth the cover of the well, that wee may come by the water, even as Jacob rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well, by which meanes the flockes of Laban were watered. Indeede without translation into the vulgar tongue, the...
Assimilating People into an Effective Discipleship Process
by Tommy Swindol Among the many elements of a healthy church, three are particularly important concerning the assimilation of newcomers: maintaining an effective discipleship process, ensuring the right people are leading each ministry, and creating the right church culture. By effective discipleship process, I mean that we want to create a scope of spiritual development into which we can assimilate people. Once we align our...
Recommended Books (Spring 2018)
The information revolution has cheapened words. We are awash in a sea of verbs and nouns hastily typed into digital existence. To avoid drowning under the crashing waves, we have learned to scan documents for keywords or, worse still, hashtags. Even in the world of print, we can find thousands of books in community libraries anywhere in the nation. Such a wealth of material was unimaginable to the vast majority of premodern men. But,...
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