Michael Kruger has written a gem of a book, addressing one of the most prominent issues troubling the church today. Increasingly, we are faced with stories about pastors who misuse their position of authority to achieve their own selfish ends to the . . . Continue reading →
Ministry
Reformation Day Lecture 2022: Why The Reformation Matters For Ministry
©R. Scott Clark. All Rights Reserved. RESOURCES How To Subscribe To Heidelmedia The Heidelblog Resource Page Heidelmedia Resources The Ecumenical Creeds The Reformed Confessions The Heidelberg Catechism Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008) Why I Am A Christian Support Heidelmedia: . . . Continue reading →
Denunciation, Declaration, And Doxology (1 Tim 1:12–17)
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen Continue reading →
Machen: A Word To MDiv Students On Standing For Christ
You will have a battle, too, when you go forth as ministers into the church. The church is now in a period of deadly conflict. The redemptive religion known as Christianity is contending, in our own Presbyterian Church and in all the . . . Continue reading →
Para Means “Alongside” Not “Is”
Is the Family Research Council a church? What about Cru, the Gideons International, Voice of the Martyrs, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), Liberty Counsel, the American Family Association, Navigators, and World Vision? The Controversy According to a recent story by Daniel Silliman, . . . Continue reading →
Paul Was A Gospel-Man
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart unto the Good News of God (Rom 1:1)* Paul Was A Gospel Man Gospel means good news and Paul was a “gospel man.” I am uncertain where I first . . . Continue reading →
A Pastor’s Public Persona
In many ways, the pastor lives his life in front of his people. Apart from mega-church pastors who might choose to isolate themselves from the people they shepherd (which notably does not apply across the board to every pastor of a large . . . Continue reading →
New: Resources On Preaching
In a sense everything on this site is intended to help pastors, elders, deacons, and laity better serve Christ but some of the resources are specifically focused on the nature and act of preaching because, in distinction from some traditions, in the . . . Continue reading →
Trueman: It Was Not Chrysostom’s Administration Of The Sacraments That Led To HIs Death
Years ago, when teaching at a seminary, I was responsible for the course on the ancient church. In every class I have ever taught, I have regarded it as my chief task to introduce students to the great primary texts on the . . . Continue reading →
On “Meta” Ministry, Docetism, VR Church, And The Communion Of The Saints
Already in the apostolic period of the church there were heretics, John calls them “antichrists” (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:2–3; 2 John 1:7) who taught that Jesus only appeared to be human but that he did not have a true human body. . . . Continue reading →
The Next Church-Growth Fad: Big Data
One of the several quiet revolutions introduced into American life by the two Obama Administrations was the use of “Big Data” to target voters. To that point no campaign had harnessed the power of the internet the way the Obama campaign had. . . . Continue reading →
A Small Thing That Is Really A Big Thing
Getting caught up this morning with some of my favorite resources. Matt Mullininx, a friend and former student has a brief note at Beautiful Christian Life about the importance of greeting people, especially guests, at church. Continue reading
Ministry Is Not Mastery
For all that I learned and tried one aspect of the church-growth movement, perhaps the most fundamental aspect, always made me uneasy and makes me uneasy to this day: the church-growth model was a theology of glory and it turned ministers, who should be theologians of the cross, into theologians of glory. The selling point of the various methods and mentalities was numerical success: look at this congregation. Their pastor and leadership adopted this model and look how many people came. Congregation after congregation was shown to be growing and exciting and influential. Why could we not do the same thing? The possibility was very attractive and it was easily clothed in the pious language of “reaching the lost.” I did want to reach the lost but I also wanted to be “successful.” Continue reading →
It Is Baked Into The Cake
This morning I read an account of a NAPARC pastor who confessed to violating his vows, of abusing his congregation, of violating the sixth and ninth commandments. Continue reading
Trueman: The Danger Of A Carefully Curated Silence
When I was preaching week by week to the same congregation, one of my fundamental convictions was that I needed to keep politics out of the pulpit. Perhaps I should express that more precisely: I needed to keep party politics out of . . . Continue reading →
What Reformed Churches Can Learn From Mark Driscoll
…A new megachurch in Lynden was drawing out the boomers from classic Reformed churches by the thousands. This church purchased the local shopping mall and created the closest thing as they could achieve, in appearance and message, to Rick Warren’s Saddleback church, . . . Continue reading →
Heidelcast 180: As It Was In The Days Of Noah (23): Serving Under The Chief Shepherd
This is episode 23 in the series, As It Was in the days of Noah. We have two items of business before we turn to our passage for the episode (1 Peter 5:1–5): (1) To say thanks to Jack Miller, sometime HB . . . Continue reading →
Ministry Is Not Business
If you must apologize to retain market share, Continue reading
Office Hours: On The Spiritual Care Of Seminary Students With Chuck Tedrick
Chuck Tedrick is no stranger to Office Hours. He first appeared on Office Hours in 2009, season 1, episode 3, as a student at Westminster. Then he appeared in season 8, episode 22. Before coming to Westminster he studied at BIOLA University . . . Continue reading →
Office Hours: From The Pasture To The Pastorate
Office Hours kicks off its 11th season (247 episodes so far) with an interview with our newest faculty member, Dr Craig Troxel. Craig comes to Escondido from Bethel Presbyterian Church (OPC), Wheaton, IL. Prior to that he was pastor Glenside OPC, in . . . Continue reading →