Where Are the Young Men? Ministry and the Crisis of Formation

young men

This year, at assemblies and synods across the country, we are hearing a similar concern: There is a shortage of pastors. Churches need men. Presbyteries need men. Mission works need men. Pulpits are opening, congregations are waiting, and the question keeps coming . . . Continue reading →

Waters On Ordination

Many in the church know that ordination is important, but they may struggle to articulate why that is the case. Ordination is one of the hidden gems of the Bible’s teaching on the church and church office. To appreciate its significance, we . . . Continue reading →

Enthusiasm Is Not A Means Of Grace

Last Sunday, the church celebrated Pentecost—the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church. And yet one of the great errors of contemporary Evangelicalism is the return of Enthusiasm. Not “enthusiasm” in the modern sense of excitement, but Enthusiasm in the historic . . . Continue reading →

These Are Not Illinois Nazis

At Synod Calgary, held June 8–11 by the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA),1 as delegates debated whether or how to adopt a statement that had been adopted by several other sister churches, one pastor rose to say that three families . . . Continue reading →

The Mirage of the Influencer–Pastor: Why “Gig Eva” and Its Churches Fail

shepherd tending his flock jean françois millet

In recent years, the evangelical landscape has undergone a seismic shift no longer confined to North America. We have moved from an era of large, stable institutions toward a decentralized, digital-first world of individual content creators. Although this phenomenon is often discussed . . . Continue reading →