Following Jesus, Leading His Church
If you attend church long enough, odds are you will have to “shop” for a church at some point in your life. When you find yourself looking for a new church, these are a few things you ought to look for.
My question is simple: Why in the world are we so eager to take sides, especially when the sides center around evangelical celebrities that most of us do not know and will never know on a personal level?
I don’t have a one-sized-fits-all answer for what you do at church the Sunday after a mass shooting. I do know what happened at Immanuel.
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.
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.
Recently I’ve read through The Pastor, Peterson’s memoir. Towards the end of this self-reflective work, Peterson gives a remarkable description of church in America. I’m not championing everything Peterson wrote, said, preached, or stood for. However, his writing has struck a chord with me – a regular pastor.
Landon talks to the Bishop of Greenwood, aka Zach Crook, pastor of Greenwood Baptist Church. Together they kick around advice for a first time pastor.
Last night my church (Immanuel) had a joint worship night with another local church (Redemption). We gathered together to read Scripture and respond in worship. As we sang praises to God, I was reminded of the value of congregational singing.
