The truth is that elder visits can too often be like a home visit from a dentist. We all dread the dentist because we know that he is a bearer of bad news, not good news. Continue reading →
Making Elder Visits Good News Instead Of Bad News
Church Discipline
Harrison Perkins—The Non-Insistent Pastor: Conscience And Submission In History, Theology, And Churchmanship (2)
This talk is part two of Westminster Seminary California’s Student Association 2025 Spring Convocation. RESOURCES Subscribe To The Heidelblog! Download the HeidelApp on Apple App Store or Google Play Browse the Heidelshop! The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical Creeds The . . . Continue reading →
Harrison Perkins—The Non-Insistent Pastor: Conscience And Submission In History, Theology, And Churchmanship (1)
This talk is part one of Westminster Seminary California’s Student Association 2025 Spring Convocation. RESOURCES Subscribe To The Heidelblog! Download the HeidelApp on Apple App Store or Google Play Browse the Heidelshop! The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical Creeds The . . . Continue reading →
New: Resources On The Doctrine Of The Church (Ecclesiology)
When one talks about the church what is at stake is the way in which the Christian life is organized. I believe that the Bible teaches us that believers should be united to the visible community of the redeemed meeting for worship, . . . Continue reading →
Fencing The Table Or The Scandal Of The Church
Perhaps nothing so scandalizes the contemporary (i.e., modern) church as the attempt by the visible church to obey the teaching of Jesus and the teaching of the Apostles concerning the Lord’s Table. I say this for three reasons: 1) recently I have . . . Continue reading →
Are Church Members Free Agents?
One of the biggest developments of the modern era of sports is the rise of the “free agent.” Under “free agency” an athlete is bound to a team only for a short period of time, at the end of which he becomes . . . Continue reading →
When Is a Church Not a Church?
I was searching for something the other day and ran across chapter 18 of the Scots Confession (1560) which speaks to the “Notes” (from the Latin, nota or “mark” or “indicator”) of the True Kirk (church). Ordinarily, when I think of the . . . Continue reading →
With Presbygirls On Abuse In The Church
Dr Clark joined the Presbygirls podcast (part of the Presbycast media empire) with Sarah Morris, Sean Morris, and Josh Squires this week to discuss how the church should and should not address abuse. Here is the video version: RESOURCES Subscribe To The . . . Continue reading →
Polity Matters: How Reformed Churches Might Have Handled The Chandler Situation
Matt Chandler is the lead pastor of The Village Church, a megachurch of about 14,000 members in Flower Mound, TX, which is a northern suburb in the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex (it is the top of the triangle of the three). After the . . . Continue reading →
A Word To The PCA: Fathers, Do Not Exasperate Your Brothers (2)
We may not bludgeon sincere men with cries of “Peace! Peace!” where there is no peace. We may not neglect the reasonable concerns of our brethren by naïvely asserting that everyone is trustworthy and in one accord merely by virtue of their ordination. Continue reading →
To Those Who Left
The obvious effects of Covid are easy to spot. Not only have millions died, but also many have long-term illness from the virus, and an unknown number of people are suffering from the various treatments. There are small children who do not . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 208—Taking Calls On Church Discipline For Doctrinal Error, Final Salvation Through Works, Divinization, Justice, Ecstatic Worship, And Providence
This episode might be what some would call a “humdinger” if only because we were able to fit in all six calls and give some answer to each. Daniel called to ask how the church should respond when a lay member adopts . . . Continue reading →
Johnson To The PCA: “Merry Christmas. Here Is A Lump Of Coal For Your Stocking”
For several years now, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has been roiled by controversy over whether to admit to her ministry men who are same-sex attracted but celibate (i.e., the so-called “Side B” approach). The debate has centered around a the . . . Continue reading →
Good News For The Reformed Churches: Small Is In Again
“According to the recently released Faith Communities Today study, half of the congregations in the United States have 65 people or fewer, while two-thirds of congregations have fewer than 100.” Continue reading →
How To Handle A Divisive Person In The Church
As society is presently ripped apart with divisions on every issue, the church is likewise bombarded with divisive people who are using the current cultural divide to mimic the culture and tear apart the body of Christ. Christians have to be acutely . . . Continue reading →
“A Very Well-Organized Clandestine Political Wing Of Our Denomination”
The recent e-mail dump containing nine years’ worth of confidential National Partnership business has been dubbed #PresbyLeaks, which hilariously sounds like a terrible geriatric condition. A very well-organized clandestine political wing of our denomination has been exposed for being exactly what it . . . Continue reading →
Are P&R Churches “Wholly Inadequate” To Investigate Abuse?
Julie Roys reports that, on May 14, 2021, the Central Indiana Presbytery (PCA) approved a committee report recommending that the Presbytery bring charges against a pastor (Teaching Elder).
A Follow Up Regarding Abuse In The Church: We Are Talking About Practice
Last week I wrote an introduction to spiritual abuse and how laity and officers should respond. A correspondent writes to ask what the laity are to do when when ruling elders and ministers refuse to address a situation. May a lay member . . . Continue reading →
It Happens In The Church
I grew up in the church. Some of my favorite memories come from the time I spent there — Sunday school, AWANA, VBS, youth group, and fellowship meals. For hours we would play hide-and-seek, run up and down hallways, and occasionally sneak . . . Continue reading →
A Beginner’s Guide To Addressing Spiritual Abuse In The Church
Recently I had an interesting exchange on social media regarding the extent of spiritual abuse by leaders in confessional Presbyterian and Reformed Churches. The charge is that spiritual abuse is a widespread problem in the confessional Presbyterian and Reformed world. I am . . . Continue reading →