Following Jesus, Leading His Church
On a practical level, what would it look like for our churches to embrace the responsibility of sending missionaries and missionary teams to the ends of the earth? I think a church that wants to be a “sending church” must embrace these four responsibilities.
Regular pastors are tempted to chase a number of ministry goals. These goals can include platform building, a strong social media presence, denominational recognition, publishing contracts, speaking invitations, and even quasi-celebrity status.
If you’re involved with the strange, online world of evangelical Christianity, you may have noticed a trend over the last several years. Many websites, social media platforms, blogs, and podcasts have taken a page right out of the playbook of American politics.
“I think my child is ready to be baptized.” Regular pastors hear these words regularly. Little Johnny has asked a question about heaven, angels, death, or something remotely spiritual, and now Johnny’s parents think he’s ready to be baptized. Setting all skepticism aside, this is an encouraging and exciting development in the life of any child.
Genesis 3 is a story of sin, transgression, rebellion, defiance, and treason. It’s also a story of fig leaves, hide and seek, and blame. Rather than taking the path of confession, Adam and Eve chose the path of sewing fig leaf clothing, hiding from the presence of God, and blaming others for their sin.
Human beings instinctively long for justice. Our definitions of justice may be rooted in different value systems, but we all long for justice. We want things to be set right.
The statistics about pornography consumption and production are alarming. In my role as a regular pastor, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised at the number of men who talk to me about their struggle with pornography … but I am surprised.
To close the year, I’m sharing the top blog posts and top podcasts of 2018. In 2019 I’ll continue to post a new blog or podcast each week, so check back “next year” for new content on Regular Pastor!
William Chatterton Dix’s most famous hymn is “What Child Is This,” based on the poem “The Manger Throne.” In the hymn, Dix asks the rhetorical question, “What child is this who laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping?”
