A faithful HB reader wrote to ask about a good problem. His confessional Reformed congregation is growing. The question is how to proceed? Should the congregation expand the building or seek to establish new daughter congregations? Below is my reply. § It . . . Continue reading →
The uniqueness and centrality of the official preaching of the Word is diminished when we equivocate between the official, public, ordained administration of the Word and the unofficial witness to the gospel by the laity. The tendency among evangelical is to describe all . . . Continue reading →
The church always exists in some culture, somewhere. Prior to the new heavens and the new earth, the church will never be free of the influence of the prevailing culture where it finds itself. Because we’re in the culture, because we are . . . Continue reading →
The post, “What Pastors Shouldn’t Tell Their Wives” is now available for Czech readers.
There has been a difficult and painful case in an URC congregation in Iowa. Recently, things have become even more complicated due to new legal action by members against some of the officers in the church. Mikel at Presbyterian Blues has been . . . Continue reading →
The last thing we need is a church that keeps us sealed up in our own compartment with others of similar experiences in life. We need to be integrated into the body of Christ. Younger believers don’t need another speaker to come . . . Continue reading →
Modern aircraft have collision avoidance systems that alert pilots when another aircraft gets too close. Some modern cars have similar technology. In my experience, it’s not just cars and aircraft that avoid collisions. Churches and Christian leaders also have a tendency to . . . Continue reading →
More than a couple observers of the Reformed and evangelical worlds have noted the rise and danger of the superstar pastor. Yesterday, however, in conversation with a colleague another came to mind: implicit faith. Implicit faith (fides implicita) is the medieval (and . . . Continue reading →
[This post was first published on the HB in 2009] One link led to another and I happened recently upon the website of a large NAPARC congregation. As I often do I looked to see who the pastor was. That link led me . . . Continue reading →
How to Fence the Lord’s Table (Part 1) There is irony in fencing the Lord’s Table. What should be a joyous celebration, after due preparation of course, and a communion of believers with their risen Lord and with one another, is for . . . Continue reading →
After the Central Valley Conference last month I promised to answer some of the questions submitted for the Q/A for which we didn’t have time. One of them asked essentially: whom should Reformed Churches admit to the Lord’s Table? There are three . . . Continue reading →
I was driving through town and I noticed the logo on a Ford truck and I was impressed by how well the artwork has held up since the 1920s. That made me think of companies that have tried to change their “brand” . . . Continue reading →
UPDATE 27 MAY 2010 David W. Hall, pastor of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA), Powder Springs, GA offers some “Answers to Questions” about the overture. The overture is now online (PDF). ORIGINAL POST 24 MAY 2010 On April 30, 2010 the Rev Dr . . . Continue reading →
Great stuff from Kim in TableTalk
“Nowhere has the disagreements between the “sectarians” and the “relevants” been more evident than in the discussions regarding the Regulative Principle of Worship, women in diaconal ministry, and the cultural mandate of the Church. The Metro New York Presbytery of the PCA, . . . Continue reading →
“There are some attributes of a thing that can be altered without compromising its basic character. You could remove the stone cladding of Buckingham Palace to reveal the red brick underneath and it would still be Buckingham Palace. Yet if you painted the White . . . Continue reading →
Martin Hedman is a graduate of Westminster Seminary California and he’s a PCA church planter in the LA metro. He’s also had significant training as an “industrial engineer.” These, he says, are the “efficiency experts.” As a pastor, church planter, and a . . . Continue reading →
“The church let me down.” That’s probably true. Now what? Kevin DeYoung is addressing this question.
I’ve been thinking more lately about the scandal of fencing the table. I should have thought to do this earlier. Researching an answer to another question I ran across some interesting Dutch Reformed (in this case, Christian Reformed) sources on this question. . . . Continue reading →
Re-Posted from Sept 9, 2009. The HB has addressed the problem of “churchless evangelicals” before. This question is a little different. How should consistories/sessions address the problem of members of a congregation who simply seem to disappear as if they’ve fallen off . . . Continue reading →