Leading the Church
How is your seasoning? One of the key objectives of Francis Schaeffer's work was to help Christians think and process who they are in Christ. In so doing, one would look at God's precepts and then work them out so he could better be salt and light in the world in which we live. Schaeffer found, both as a pastor and in his early personal practice of Christianity, too much shallowness, preoccupation with trivialities, and what he saw as "irrationality."
Spiritual Gifts is one of the principle calls of the believer. It is also one of two areas of ministry in the church.
The Reformation and the Protestant church were founded on grace, and a lot of Christians think the law has been voided. However this is not the teaching of Scripture...
Does Jesus call the church to speak in tongues to be saved? Has anyone ever approached you and asked if you have received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Or, perhaps they challenged you further by saying that unless you have spoken in tongues, you are not a real Christian.
One of the foundational qualities of the Bible is its clarity (sometimes called perspicuity). That means Scripture's main teachings are plain enough to be understood without the need of special expertise or church-sanctioned interpretations.
Shortly after the Reformation began, in the first few years after Martin Luther posted the Ninety-Five Theses on the church door at Wittenburg, he issued some short booklets on a variety of subjects. One of the most provocative was titled The Babylonian Captivity of the Church. In this book Luther was looking back to that period of Old Testament history when Jerusalem was destroyed by the invading armies of Babylon and the elite of the people were carried off into captivity.
How to rebuild after a pastor leaves, even in a fall from grace.
To rebuild any church, whether it is from the retirement of a great pastor, the fall of another, a history of spiritual neglect from its leaders, or the slow backslide of apathy or liberalism, we have to be willing to reset. If there is no reset, the congregation will die off. A reset is relatively simple, though. It is a call to us found in the midst of Hebrews 13.
To rebuild any church, whether it is from the retirement of a great pastor, the fall of another, a history of spiritual neglect from its leaders, or the slow backslide of apathy or liberalism, we have to be willing to reset. If there is no reset, the congregation will die off. A reset is relatively simple, though. It is a call to us found in the midst of Hebrews 13.
How to recover your church after a pastor leaves, even in a fall
The statistics for pastors who fall is about 20%. Nearly 50% of pastors starting out will not last beyond five years in ministry for reasons of burnout and frustration. Just 1 out of every 10 pastors will actually retire as a minister in some form. Now, compare that to that 4,000 new churches beginning each year, while 7,000 churches close. We have some rebooting and rebuilding to do!
The statistics for pastors who fall is about 20%. Nearly 50% of pastors starting out will not last beyond five years in ministry for reasons of burnout and frustration. Just 1 out of every 10 pastors will actually retire as a minister in some form. Now, compare that to that 4,000 new churches beginning each year, while 7,000 churches close. We have some rebooting and rebuilding to do!
Is Calvinism Biblical or just crazy man made doctrine? What most people and pastors do not realize is this is plainly taught in Scripture and even Arminius taught this. The Catholic Church and all Christian denominations have this as their core theology, because this is what Scripture clearly teaches.
This is the cornerstone of protestant theology that Christ through His work gave us a 'pardon'. And the rallying cry of the Reformation. The main point that caused Luther and Calvin to challenge the Catholic Church and it's teachings.
