Intent of the Sermon
In a recent class on expository preaching, something I hadn’t considered stuck out to me. I tried to practice it this past Sunday in a sermon on Colossians 1:1-8. The truth is: Let the text drive your application. We have all probably heard that the text should drive our sermon, that we should preach the...
One Unique Challenge of Church Revitalizing
I have a great respect for church planters. It takes a lot of moxy to get that done. Not sure if I could do that. Church revitalizing, on the other hand, also offers some unique challenges. After doing this for 2 months (veteran!) there is something I’ve already noticed as a particular test for church...
Faithfulness and Ambition
“Well, I’m just being faithful.” That’s wonderful. Please, let’s do that. I want to do that too. But as J.D. Greear said at the #Advance13 conference last week, let’s not use that as an excuse to be OK with being unambitious regarding fruitfulness. The same God who said, “My Word will accomplish what I set...
Six Questions With David Potete
I asked David Potete a few questions about ministering, particularly in the urban context such as Chicago. Below are his helpful answers! David has been the pastor of Northwest Community Church in Chicago for several years. __________________________ What is the best advice you’ve been given? Strive for balance. In the early 1980’s as I...
“We don’t want sawdust in the pulpit.”
Around a year ago I likened seminary to a Dewalt drill. I’m definitely not a big tough tool kind of guy, but this past week one of my professors, @kyledunham, said something that provided some clarity in my constant search for balance between the complexity of seminary studies and practicality in the pulpit… he said,...
5 Ways For a Pastor and His Congregation to Pray
In this sermon by Mark Dever, he gives five ways for pastors and his congregation to pray: Pray Paul’s prayers from Ephesians, Colossians, etc. Pray the preaching of the gospel would be clear. Pray for increasing maturity in the congregation. Pray for sinners to be converted and for members to be built up through the...
10 Questions Every Pastoral Candidate Should Ask
September 1, 1999. That was my official start date in ministry at Porter Free Will Baptist Church. I had interviewed with Pastor Forrest Chamberlin and the deacon board for the position of associate pastor a few weeks before. Pastor Chamberlin was the chairman of the ordaining council when I was ordained seventeen years prior, and...
5 Things I am Learning About Successful Ministry by Dustin Allen
Dustin is a youth ministry major at Hillsdale FWB College in Moore, OK. He is about to enter into his Senior year and is currently a Young Adult Ministry Intern at The Donelson Fellowship. #1 Be a learner I have heard that to be a good leader you have to be a learner. Part...
Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That
I love the local church. I love and see the value in denominations. I’m not opposed to godly debates, disagreements in theology and differences in ministry strategies – I think there’s a place for all that. However, I’m constantly reminded of a danger in ministry that far too many college and seminary students, even pastors,...
Ordination Update
You all know I have been working on my ordination paper for the Cumberland Association of Free Will Baptists here in middle Tennessee. It took me over 2 months, but I finished it. The presbytery board questioned me for about 50 minutes a few Fridays ago, and recommended me for ordination to the body there....
Healthy Change
Change is a good thing. Actually I’m trying to talk myself into that as I even type it. But I know it’s true – if we don’t change, flex, shift (not doctrinally of course), it means we’re not willing to grow and learn. It means we think we’ve got it all figured out, and have...
Guest Post from John MacArthur*
A great guy who I spend a lot of time with** is John MacArthur, or as I call him, Jay Mac.*** I appreciate that he took time out of his busy schedule to provide these words of advice for us.**** Here are some of his thoughts from I Thessalonians 5:12-15. “Nothing is more devastating to...
Recent Comments