Category Archives: church life

Review: “Pastoral Ministry according to Paul: A Biblical Vision” by James Thompson

Posted on December 12, 2012 by

Many will pick up this volume expecting an entirely different book. Despite the title, there is nothing here regarding church elders, the appointment of leaders, church planting strategies, the role of the congregation in making decisions, etc. Any discussion of … Continue reading →

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Guest post: Taking back Christmas

Posted on December 12, 2012 by

[This is a guest post from my good friend Peter Boehmer. He wrote this in response to an email decrying how the real meaning of Christmas is being lost to overly sensitive political correctness and commercialism.] While I concur with … Continue reading →

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Review: “Elders in Congregational Life: Rediscovering the Biblical Model for Church Leadership” by Phil Newton

Posted on June 20, 2012 by

This book on church eldership is fairly brief (154 pages), but contains quite a few helpful insights. It will be particularly beneficial to anyone from a Baptist church tradition. The author effectively demonstrates that not only is church leadership by a … Continue reading →

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Me and Jesus: Must Christians “go to church”?

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

I want you to meet Sally. Sally is a Christian. She’s placed her faith in Jesus Christ. She prays regularly and reads her Bible. But Sally doesn’t go to church. She interacts with other Christians on Facebook, and occasionally she’ll … Continue reading →

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Do we have to be baptized to be saved?

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

Let’s start this week with a couple of questions: When Jesus taught the importance of putting new wine into new wineskins [Matthew 9:17], was he mostly concerned with preserving literal wine? When Jesus told Peter and Andrew, “Come, follow me, … Continue reading →

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Who should be baptized?

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

There’s an ancient saying you may have heard, and it expresses an important principle we seek to emphasize in our church: In essentials—unity In non-essentials—liberty In all things—love This is a healthy principle for any church to follow, but it’s … Continue reading →

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What is baptism?

Posted on March 29, 2012 by

Easter Sunday is not far off, and our church typically has a baptism during our annual Easter festivities. This day when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ is a wonderful time for a person to be baptized. ‘Why is that?’ … Continue reading →

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