Ministry
As a pastor, I get all kinds of advice. There’s always someone, somewhere, who thinks it’s their job to tell me how to do mine. (I sometimes wonder if lawyers or doctors get the same kind of “help.” I know football referees do!) Over the past week, I’ve been told via e-mail, magazine columns, blog […]
Within the heart of the Christian faith is an astounding truth. God—who created and sustains the universe—became incarnate. The immortal and perfect Son of God shared our messy, sin-prone death-ridden lives of flesh and blood; he became human, walked with us, suffered with us, and subjected himself to our temptations. Ultimately, he died for us, […]
The term “incarnational ministry,” like “missional” or “Emergent Church,” is used in a wide variety of ways. Sometimes “incarnational ministry” means ministry that crosses cultural barriers to be an embodied presence to people in need. At other times, it’s used to talk about culturally relevant analogies for the gospel. In still other contexts, “incarnational ministry” […]
The word calling, or in its Latinate form vocation, had long been used in reference to the sacred ministry and the religious orders. Martin Luther was the first to use vocation to refer also to secular offices and occupations. Today, the term has become commonplace, another synonym for a profession or job, as in vocational […]
The number of young people leaving the church after high school is staggering’estimated somewhere between 60’80 percent. And yet, youth ministries across the nation continue to pack in more and more pizza parties, video games, and magicians’yes, magicians’to keep youth coming back, hoping that Jesus will somehow become the all-satisfying, all-glorious treasure of teenage hearts. […]
Remember, "distinction without separation." Although the Great Commission itself does not include social justice as part of the church's mandate, "teaching everything I have commanded" includes the New Testament's moral instruction as essential to that substance that the church communicates in making disciples. Although Scripture does not tell us which causes or political candidates to […]
By God’s grace I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ. As such, I have a share in the church’s life, work, worship, and fellowship. I am blessed by them and contribute to them. Yet I cannot put an equal sign between the church and me. The church is and does far more […]
One cannot read far into the literature on youth ministry, cross-cultural ministry, or the missional church without seeing references to “incarnational ministry.” Dozens of books, websites, and ministries have adopted incarnational ministry as their basic model for ministry: just as the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ, we should take on a second culture as […]
At a crucial point in Generous Justice, Tim Keller asks us to "imagine a sequel to the Good Samaritan parable": "The months go by and every time he makes his trip from Jerusalem to Jericho he finds another man in the road, beaten and robbed. Finally the Samaritan says, 'How do we stop the violence?' […]
"Word and Sacrament ministry realigns the church's mission and identity from program-driven pragmatism to the means of grace that Christ has ordained for the creation, sustenance, and expansion of his kingdom." It is often said today that Christ gave his church an unchanging message with ever-changing methods of delivery. This assumption, however, fails to reckon […]
Wherever tensions flare up in the world between nations, it is usually the embassies of both nations that feel the brunt. For example, the U.S. embassy in any part of the world is actually considered U.S. territory: an island in a foreign country. There citizens under threat find shelter and from it diplomats receive and […]
"Church Planting is For Wimps: How God Uses Messed-Up People to Plant Local Churches That Do Amazing Things" by Mike McKinley
Church Planting is For Wimps begins with a counterintuitive title and builds a contrarian case for church planting from there. It directly assails the conventional wisdom about who the ideal church planter might be, how to go about the task of planting a church, and how success should be measured. The book is one of […]
The term "incarnational ministry," like "missional" or "Emergent Church," is used in a wide variety of ways. Sometimes "incarnational ministry" means ministry that crosses cultural barriers to be an embodied presence to people in need. At other times, it's used to talk about culturally relevant analogies for the gospel. In still other contexts, "incarnational ministry" […]
Until a pastor has trained officers, he may entertain the assumption, like I did, that there is plenty of quality material out there to choose from, and that the real challenge will be narrowing the stack down to one or two helpful resources. When one actually begins searching for books or manuals on officer training, […]
"The Ministry of the Missional Church-A Community Led By the Spirit" by Craig Van Gelder
If you ever want to feel lost, try church-planting in an ethnic context different from your own while living in the United States. Believe me, you've never felt so stupid, no matter what your favorite professor said about you in seminary. Secondly, if you ever want to make others feel lost, try asking this question […]
