If you’ve spent any time in church (or connected to church), you’ve probably heard mention of two groups: the Pharisees and Sadducees. There are three distinct things we know about them from casual observation: They opposed the ministry of Jesus Both were representative of Jewish sects in the first century They seem to appear out of nowhere in the Bible These three points are enough to make us wonder more about who these people were. Where did they come from?... Read more
At this point in history, Christians and church are front and center. The world is noticing lack of church attendance, stories of cults and deconstruction, and a general sense of “where do we go from here?” That’s both a fair and honest question, one the church needs to answer from a practical perspective. Both congregations and the world as a whole are changing. As in past generations, the church must confront itself; where it is going as well as where... Read more
If you haven’t yet read the first part of this series, 20 Things Your Leader Looks for if You Seek Promotion, now is a great time to catch up! This post is the second and final installment in that series, written for those who seek elevation or ordination in church. Sometimes we think we’re ready to move up and we are met with unspecific reasons why a leader doesn’t agree. What do we do in these instances? More importantly, how... Read more
Psst….you…hey, yeah you! If you seek to be ordained or elevated in church position, I have a message for you! There are many times we think we are ready to do something or to step out into something and our leader, for some reason, doesn’t agree with us. Why does this happen? Sometimes leaders do reference specific things, but a lot of times, leaders don’t give much explanation. The general summation is often, it isn’t the “right time.” This might... Read more
I had only been a Christian for a few months when our church experienced something amazing. A woman came to the church elders, asked for prayer, and stood on her extremely strong faith. The pastor and elders directly laid hands on her while the entire church extended their hands in agreement. Together, we prayed and agreed for her healing from cancer. This was her second or third experience with a serious ailment…and she was thoroughly convinced she’d be healed. The... Read more
When I decided to do this column, I didn’t think I’d use a public media frenzy for a Bible lesson. Hoping to be more instructional – words for leaders, aspiring leaders, those who want to learn about leadership, and help members understand leadership better – it wasn’t my posture to jump on media bandwagon and write about another church disaster witnessed this year. Yet I felt for this one, maybe more than all the others. I felt for it as... Read more
Trying to understand the Bible can seem intimidating. This is true even for those who spend their lives teaching Scripture. We all come across passages that don’t make sense to us, and in the process, require us to do some in-depth research. Sometimes, even that can leave us uncertain. Research often leads to more questions, and somewhere in here, we step back, pray, and ask God to show us what we might be missing. All the New Testament women named... Read more
It’s not uncommon to hear the term “cult” frequently thrown around today. The term is often used casually to identify a group that one dislikes for various reasons. Whether it is unconventional doctrine, the way members seem to follow a leader no matter what they do, or aggressive evangelism techniques, people often think a group is a cult based on personal criteria rather than actual standards. Standards for cult criteria do exist; it’s not all a matter of opinion. In... Read more
When I first went into ministry (twenty-plus years ago), we weren’t met with the same response that many leaders are today. We were not put in the pulpit right away. (If we saw a pulpit within a year, we were lucky.) Instead, we saw bathroom stalls that needed cleaning, church closets full of cleaning supplies, and a nursery or Sunday school class full of children who needed monitoring and education. We were part of altar work, childcare, and maintenance of... Read more
A quick run through social media will show a number of different angles on Christian ministers. An overwhelming majority of these are negative. Many sites portray Christian ministers as spiteful, manipulative individuals who are out for power and control, deliberately trying to harm people. As a Christian minister myself, I can say this is both an exaggeration and a falsehood. While I do not question there are leaders who abuse their positions, that is not the standard “norm” among Christian... Read more
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