Category Archives: The Church

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Deacon Training at IDC

Training Deacons

Few things stir my creativity in and vision for ministry as seeing how other faithful churches go about the work of ministry.

One area of perennial interest to me is in the area of training elders and deacons. So much of a church’s longevity in sound doctrine, holiness, and love is wrapped up in her leaders’ growth and perseverance in those three pivot points of biblical leadership. I am always challenged by how others church go about the process.

For this reason, I have written in the past (here, here, and here) about elder training at IDC. I hope it may be of some help in honing your own church’s process.

Today, and over the next few months, I want to invite you in to our deacon training process.

BE PATIENTLY URGENT

When IDC was planted at the beginning of 2013 the one thing I was most eager to do was train and appoint elders. The Spirit, through Titus 1:5, had placed a driving ambition to see qualified men installed as shepherds at our little church. At the same time, the Spirit, through 1 Timothy 5:22, said that I ought not be too quick to ordain men to the office. So I worked within a paradox that I’ve come to love: the paradox of being patiently urgent. That’s my way of synthesizing Paul’s instruction to Titus and Timothy.

After sixteen months of urgent patience our congregation affirmed two men as elders. Right after their installation I felt another spike of eagerness pointed towards training and affirming deacons.

APPROACHING DEACON CANDIDATES

So we immediately set about the work of identifying men currently doing the work of a deacon in our church. After about six weeks of discussion and prayer we settled on a group of men we wanted to approach about going through deacon training. We found these men to not only be qualified for the office, but they also were consistently serving over and beyond normal obedience in church ministry.

The first order of business was to discuss with the respective man’s wife whether or not there was anything in his life that would give her pause in relation to him serving in the office. This step clearly isn’t mandated in Scripture, but we think it a wise initial step for a variety of different reasons. Once that conversation took place and we felt led to move on, we approached each brother in Christ with our desire to see him be a deacon candidate. We gave him about a month to pray and discuss the issue further before he had to give us the “yea” or “nay.”

By God’s grace we formally introduced four men as deacon candidates at our Family Meeting (think members’ meeting) this passed weekend. Now it’s time to train ’em and formally assess ’em.

DEACON TRAINING MATERIAL

If you’ve ever looked at resources on church officers you know that there is a ton on elders, but very little on deacons. I’m sure this probably is a reflection of Scripture, after all there is a lot more the Bible has to say about elders than it has to say about deacons. But that still means a pastor needs to be a bit more creative in the resources he uses for deacon training. Here’s what we settled on at for deacon training at IDC:

THEOLOGY

ECCLESIOLOGY

DIACONAL MINISTRY

DEACON TRAINING SCHEDULE

With these five sources as our primary resources we settled on a training schedule that would span two months and have five extended training meetings. At these meetings the candidates will discuss some portion of the training material, consider practical ministry questions, and apply Scripture to the work of a deacon. Here’s how we’ve broken up the content for these meetings:

  1. Monday, August 18th
    1. Bible and Theology Exam
    2. Theological Focus: NHCF #1-3
    3. Ecclesiology Focus: Chapters 2 & 9 in What is the Mission of the Church? and Introduction in The Deliberate Church
    4. Diaconal Ministry Focus: Chapters 1-2 in Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons
    5. Give candidates Deacon Questionnaire.
  1. Saturday, September 6th
    1. Theological Focus: NHCF #4-6
    2. Ecclesiology Focus: Chapter 1 in A Display of God’s Glory and Chapters 6-7 in The Deliberate Church
    3. Diaconal Ministry Focus: Chapter 3 in Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons
  1. Saturday, September 20th
    1. Theological Focus: NHCF #7-9
    2. Ecclesiology Focus: Chapter 2 in A Display of God’s Glory and Chapter 11 in The Deliberate Church
    3. Diaconal Ministry Focus: Chapter 4 in Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons
  1. Saturday, September 27th
    1. Theological Focus: NHCF #10-14
    2. Ecclesiology Focus: Chapter 3 in A Display of God’s Glory and Conclusion in The Deliberate Church
    3. Diaconal Ministry Focus: Chapter 5 in Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons
  1. Monday, October 6th
    1. Theological Focus: NHCF #15-18
    2. Ecclesiology Focus: Chapter 4 in A Display of God’s Glory
    3. Diaconal Ministry Focus: Chapter 6 in Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons
       * Deacon Questionnaire Due October 5

After the completion of the training and a final conversation with each candidate, Lord willing, we will formally nominate all or some subset of these brothers at our Family Meeting in October. After a two-month period of formal observation and assessment from the congregation our hope is to affirm and install those nominees in December.

I am eager to see what the Lord will do through the process and what adjustments we will make along the way.

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Helping Your Church to Pray

A Praying Church

What is the most common ministry priority that a pastor neglects? Last week wise Mr. Croft answered, “More than any other aspect of a pastor’s calling, prayer is the most difficult to maintain.”

It surely is no stretch to say the same thing is the true of most churches. The most neglected ordinary posture of Christian obedience has to be prayer, doesn’t it? Thabiti Anyabwile once wrote, “I can’t think of a single Christian I’ve met who did not believe that prayer is important, and not only important but a vital part of the Christian life. . . . But despite its universally accepted status, prayer remains for many Christians a difficult task, a duty without joy and sometimes seemingly without effect. Christians may waver between the poles of neglect and frustration when it comes to prayer.”

I want to think today about that first pole of prayer on which so many churches and their members stand: the pole of neglect.

A HOUSE OF PRAYER

We planted IDC with four distinct things we wanted to be true of our church. Things that would be palpably present in our life together, so much so a guest would quickly recognize them. One of those things is that we would be a praying church. Why? First, a rich prayer life would point towards growing dependence on and obedience to God. Additionally, it would also reflect the clear biblical distinction that God’s people are a praying people and His house is one of prayer.

Such sentiment is all fine and dandy, and even can sound compelling on a website, but if it isn’t a reality it’s all empty hope. So we had to consider what things could we do to see prayer permeate the life of our body. What things would help us veer away from neglecting prayer?

Here are nine ways we are trying to answer that question. I hope some of them will stir you up to consider the place of prayer in your church.

9 WAYS TO PROMOTE PRAYER IN A LOCAL CHURCH

Be a praying pastor.In many ways, it all starts here. Praying churches must have a praying pastor. Just as the holiness of the church will rarely exceed the holiness of their pastor, so too will the prayer life of the church have a clear link to the pastor’s prayer life.

Be praying elders.Every installed elder is called to the ministry of word and prayer, so the collective elder body ought to a be band of praying brothers. One way we try to encourage this at IDC is to have one elders’ meeting each month be largely dedicated to praying for individual church members and pressing issues. If a church member was a fly on the wall in our elders meetings I would want him or her to say, “Wow, they pray a lot.”

Teach on prayer. Christlikeness is caught and taught, and prayer seems to be a discipline most consistently caught. But we still must teach on it. We need to give our members biblical categories to understanding what they are catching with the soul’s glove. One thing I’ve done is set aside a week each year to preach on prayer. Sure, that’s not a lot, but oh how I trust it will bear fruit in the long run. Furthermore, the pulpit isn’t the only vehicle for teaching on prayer. Which leads to the fourth point.

Infuse your corporate gatherings with prayer. Do you pray, and pray often, in your church’s weekly worship gathering? Let your gatherings abound in prayer, and prayers of all kinds: praise, confession, petition, and thanksgiving. In addition to shorter times for prayers of praise, confession, and illumination we have an extended time each week for a pastoral prayer. I stand up in front of the congregation and pray for 6-7 minutes, asking the Lord to meet us in our need and send His gospel to the ends of the earth. I always preface that time of prayer by explaining (teaching) why we would do such an odd thing – odd according to our culture at least. Guests regularly say they were struck by how much we pray in our gatherings. Make no mistake, some of them don’t like it all that much. But that’s ok, we are a peculiar praying people.

Have a monthly prayer meeting. The prayer meeting has fallen on hard times, but I long to see it return to prominent place in the American church. On the third Monday night of each month our church gathers to pray for an hour and fifteen minutes, and oh how I wish you could see the Spirit breathe life into our midst through these meetings. We are careful not to let this just become yet another church gathering that occupies our people’s time. So we encourage small groups to consider taking a break from their normal meeting time to join with us for prayer night. For those families with young children who have difficulty staying up for the prayer night, we simply encourage one of the spouses to come for prayer.

Pray regularly in discipleship gatherings. In one-on-one discipling relationships, as well as in men’s and women’s gatherings, we want prayer to have a regular place. This helps us be faithful to the biblical exhortations to cultivate a ceaselessly praying spirit.

Encourage your church members to pray through a membership directory.We give our members an old-school pictorial directory and exhort them to pray through the entire directory once a month. Not only will such prayer aid the church’s unity, it will also discipline members in the work of intercessory prayer.

Have a dedicated time to pray for the preacher and the sermon.Now, this practice is brand new, only a week old in fact. Last week I was reading Spurgeon’s An All-Round Ministry where the Prince recounted a conversation with another pastor on the matter of encouraging his church in prayer. This pastor said,

I cannot get the people to pray. The bulk of them have not been in the habit of taking public part in the prayers, and it seems impossible to get them to do so. What shall I do?

Spurgeon replied,

‘It may help you if you call in your church-officers on Sunday mornings, before the service, and ask them to pray for you, as my deacons and elders do for me. My officers know what a trembling creature I am; and when I ask them to seek strength for me, they do so with loving hearts.’ Don’t you think that such exercises tend to train men in the art of public prayer? Besides, men are likely to hear better when they have prayed for the preacher. Oh, to get around us a band of men whose hearts the Lord has touched! If we have a holy people about us, we shall be the better able to preach. Tell me not of a marble pulpit; this is a golden pulpit.

I read that, emailed it to our elders, and we decided to start setting aside a fifteen-minute period before the corporate gathering to pray for the night’s preaching. I then invited a group of people we thought would be interested and able in joining the endeavor. Over fifteen people gathered (a great number for the size of our church) to pray, and how wonderful it was! I hope to see this grow and set our church aflame through the word and prayer.

ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL

We are by no means perfect in any of these areas, nor in our aim to be a praying church. But we are trying. And these eight areas have already brought tangible fruit in our church’s life of prayer. So take whatever might fit your church body, apply it with faith and love, and labor to be a praying church.

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How to Encourage Your Pastor

How to Encourage Your Pastor

What is the most powerful, yet least talked about, way every church member can encourage his or her pastor?

Faithful attendance at the church’s gathered worship.

Your consistent commitment to the corporate gathering reveals many different things:

  • Your obedience to Hebrews 10:25
  • An expectation to meet with God through worship with the body of Christ
  • A hunger to hear from God through the preaching of His word
  • A hopeful lifting of your gaze off the world and on to Christ
  • A delight in fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ
  • A cherishing of the ordinary means of grace
  • A prioritization of the things of God over the things of men
  • A treasuring of the primary way God shapes His people into Christlikeness

And all of these things encourage your pastor to faithfulness in his ministry of the word and prayer! It gives him excitement when he prepares a sermon, fervor in his prayer, joy in his shepherding, and longevity in the ministry. And the inverse is true, inconsistent attendance at gathered worship tempts pastors to despair and steals joy from shepherding.

In What is a Healthy Church Member? Thabiti Anyabwile makes a similar point,

Few things are more discouraging or dishonoring to [faithful preachers] than a congregation inattentive to the Word of God. Faithful pastors flourish at the fertile reception of the preached word. They’re made all the more bold when their people give ear to the Lord’s voice and give evidence of being shaped by it. As church members, we can care for our pastors and teachers and help prevent unnecessary discouragement and fatigue by cultivating the habit of expositional listening.

How then, dear church member, are you doing in this area? Is your pattern of attendance one that discourages or encourages your pastor? For the health of your soul and your soul, let it be the latter.

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What is Faithfulness and Fruitfulness?

Faithfulness and Fruitfulness

Yesterday, I tried to provide some clarity to the debate about how we ought to measure our ministry, by faithfulness or fruitfulness? The right answer is both.

Three foundational statements ground this idea:

  1. Faithfulness and fruitfulness both come from God.
  2. Faithfulness is fruitfulness and fruitfulness is faithfulness. They are perspectives on godliness.
  3. Fruitfulness is not defined by the size of the increase, but the reality of increase.

Now, we are talking about the measure of a ministry not just some esoteric explosion of common presuppositions of the day. No, we want some sturdy handles on which to evaluate ministry. But we want biblical handles. The best way to do that is to show what corporate faithfulness and fruitfulness is according to Scripture.

5 MARKS OF FAITHFUL & FRUITFUL CULTURE

What we want in our churches is a culture of faithfulness and fruitfulness, where Spirit-wrought faith and fruit are regular and increasing. As I look at Scripture I see five distinct, yet universal, characteristics of corporate faithfulness and fruitfulness. Let me run through each with brief biblical comment and then offer some questions intended to help measure this aspect of the church’s culture.

A culture of prayer. If we read Paul’s letters to the early churches in one sitting, I bet we’d quickly hear the metronome that keeps the rest of his instruction in time: the beat of prayer. In his letter to the Romans Paul commands, “be constant in prayer” (Rom. 12:12); to the Ephesians, “pray at all times in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18); to the Philippians, “in everything by prayer make your requests know to God” (Phil. 4:6); to the Colossians, “continue steadfastly in prayer” (Col. 4:2); to the Thessalonians, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).

To measure faithfulness and fruitfulness in this area ask questions like:

  • Is prayer a vital element in our gathered worship services?
  • Do our corporate prayers reflect the prayers of Scripture; i.e. prayers of praise, confession, thanksgiving, and petition?
  • Do we have times for the church to pray outside of the regular worship gathering? Are more and more of our members attending these meetings?
  • Are increasing numbers of members meeting during the week to pray and encourage one another in prayer?
  • Are our prayers increasingly reflecting the priorities of Scripture?
  • Are faith, hope, and love growing as a result of God’s answered prayers?

A culture of the word. One of the great themes of the Bible is the connection between God’s Word and life. When God gives life, he does so through the power of his Word (Psalm 119:37). With His word He spoke creation into existence (Gen. 1:1), a nation into existence (Ex. 20:1), a people into existence (Ezek. 37:7-10), and He upholds everything by the power of His word (Heb. 1:3). Christ is the incarnate Word (John 1:1-4) who redeems His church with His blood and calls her to be “a pillar and buttress of truth” (1 Tim. 1:15). He gave shepherds and teachers to His bride (Eph. 4:11) so that they might preaching His word (2 Tim 4:2) and so edify God’s people (Eph. 4:12; 2 Tim. 3:16).

To measure faithfulness and fruitfulness in this area ask questions like:

  • Is the word preaching with clarity and boldness?
  • Are the shepherds progressing in the skill of handling God’s word?
  • Is there growing commitment among the membership to devote themselves to hear God’s word preached each week?
  • Is there growing delight in our members’ disciplined reading of Scripture?
  • Are the songs we sing saturated with biblical truth?
  • Are we regularly partaking of that visible sermon, the Lord’s Supper?
  • Is theological growth valued and pursued with humble earnestness?
  • Are members committed to arriving early and stay late to welcome and engage guests?

A culture of love. The greatest commandments are one’s of love: love the Lord with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). How will the world know that we are faithful disciples of Christ? If we have love for one another (John 13:34-35). When all the parts of the church are working together properly, the church will build itself up in love (Eph. 4:17).

To measure faithfulness and fruitfulness in this area ask questions like:

  • Is our church maintaining the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace?
  • Are personal preferences put aside for the cherishing of corporate unity?
  • Are our members increasingly interceding for other members in times of spiritual and physical need?
  • Are members committed to serving not merely out of gifting, but loving care to meet a need?
  • Is formative and formal church discipline lovingly practiced whenever necessary?
  • Are older members gladly serving younger members?
  • Are increasing numbers of adult members joyfully serving the children and students of the church?

A culture of discipleship. This is the church’s mandate, “to make disciples” (Matt. 28:19), so disciple-making – in its full sense – must be present in a faithful and fruitful church. As a people called by Christ and possessing the Spirit of Christ, the church aims to grow into the image of Christ (Eph. 4:22-24). When the church’s conversation is fitting into its Scriptural mold, it will constantly be building up and giving grace (Eph. 4:29).

To measure faithfulness and fruitfulness in this area ask questions like:

  • Are older members increasingly delighted to disciple younger members? Are younger members eager to be discipled by older members?
  • Is there a growing sense of sin leading to repentance? And a correlating increase in forgiveness?
  • Is every one of our members in a discipling relationship?
  • Are our members sacrificing personal interests or projects to help others grow in Christ?
  • Are increasing numbers of our people hosting Bible studies in their homes for neighbors? At work for co-workers?
  • Is family worship becoming more regular in our homes?
  • Are our parents leading their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord? Are the children subsequently increasing in obeying and honoring their parents?
  • Is sacrificial giving growing in our membership?

A culture of evangelism. Jesus came to seek and save the lost and has commissioned His people to do seek and teach the lost (Matt. 18:11, 28:19). Christians are always to be ready to give an account of their faith in Christ (1 Pet. 3:15). A faithful pastor will “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5) and will equip His people to do the same.

To measure faithfulness and fruitfulness in this area ask questions like:

  • Is there an increasing compassion and concern for the plight of sinful men?
  • Are we prioritizing our week to make room for hospitality?
  • Are growing numbers of members sharing the gospel with the lost?
  • Are we finding more people stirred to take the gospel to all nations?
  • Do our members know their neighbors?
  • Are members increasingly bringing lost friends and family members to church?
  • Is there an increasing accent in our prayers for people to come to faith in Christ?
  • Are we increasingly seeing people baptized?
  • Are there groups of members banding together for the task of encouraging and challenging each other in personal evangelism?

A FAITHFULLY FRUITFUL CHURCH

These are the avenues on which a faithful and fruitful church loves to ride: prayer, the word, love, discipleship, and evangelism. We love to hear if we are to be faithful, and it is only here that we will ever be fruitful.

In sum, the question ought not to be, “Is faithfulness or fruitfulness the right metric for evaluation?” Scripture doesn’t separate the two, so let us not tear asunder what God has joined. What we long for is faithfulness in fruitfulness.

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Of Melody and Music Part 2

A Singing Church Slider

Yesterday I wrote our church’s desire to be “A Singing Church.” The desire is rooted in the truth that singing mirrors the character of God and is a mark of obedience. We sing because He first sang over us.

WHAT SINGING DOES

Another question worth pursuing on the topic is, “What singing does singing actually do?” If we long for a culture of singing in our churches, what kind of culture are we longing for? Among the myriad of things singing does, I believe there are four worth particular mention.

Singing glorifies God. Spirit-filled churches, according to Ephesians 5:19, are those that sing and make melody to the Lord with all their heart. The first function of singing is vertical, a harmonious declaration of all His wonderful works (1 Chron. 16:9).

Singing teaches. One way we teach one another is by “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Col. 3:16). Singing is biblical and systematic theology set to meter and melody. Want to help your church understand sin has the two-fold effect of curse and corruption, and that Christ justifies and sanctifies? Have them sing good Mr. Toplady’s “Rock of Ages”:

“Be of sin the double cure, save from wrath and make me pure”

Singing encourages. The horizontal dimension of singing to “one another” (Eph. 5:19) means teaching and encouraging. They are closely related and functional synonyms, but it seems wise to distinguish them. Has a church member in your congregation recently lost a child through miscarriage? Help your church encourage them by singing “How Firm a Foundation”:

“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand”

Singing humbles. I don’t have an explicit reference for this, but I am increasingly convinced few things fuel humility like faithful singing. It is so common, isn’t it, for Christians to think, “If the music is just right, or is to my particular stylistic liking, then I will be able to sing along.” But the vertical and horizontal dimensions of singing compel us to praise even when the music may not be to our personal preference. We see that glorifying God and encouraging one another is more important than my hope that the musical glory of “Enter Your Favorite Band Here” invades the congregation.

This is why, if our churches are ever to be singing churches, we pastors must give our people a grand view of our majestic God. God’s majesty, not man’s music, must ultimately compel our singing. What unites us together in life and worship is not stylistic preference, but God’s majesty as revealed in Christ. Personal preference in man’s music can never truly unite a church in the bonds of peace, but prioritization of God’s majesty will. Pursue the majesty of God more than the music of men and find your church become a singing church.

A SINGING-SHAPED CHURCH

I hope then it is clear why we pray for God to form us into “A Singing Church.”

            We want to mirror God’s character, so we sing.

            We want to be obedient to His word, so we sing.

            We want to glorify God, so we sing.

            We want to teach one another in truth, so we sing.

            We want to encourage one another in the Spirit, so we sing.

            We want to humble our hearts before God, so we sing.

By His power and for His glory, may He form all our churches into singing churches.

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Of Melody and Music

A Singing Church Slider

When I first began the journey of planting a church one common refrain of encouragement from seasoned planters was, “Identify your church’s core values. Communicate them clearly and often.”

Now, this isn’t the place to quibble with whether or not mission statements and core values ought to be a “first order of business” reality in planting a church. When used rightly, just like church confessions, core values function as faithful identifiers of what a local church understands and treasures about its faith and practice.

So we came up with what we call at Imago Dei Church, “Things We Want to Be True.” Things that we hope would permeate our church’s life together and witness to the world. One of those things is that we would be “A Singing Church.”

WHY WE SING

Why have a specific desire to be a singing church? Two things come immediately to mind.

First, singing mirrors the character of God. Zephaniah’s only recorded sermon helped bring spiritual revival to God’s people after the long and disastrous reign of Manassah. For three chapters Zephaniah has detailed the “day of the Lord,” a day when he would, according to chapter 3, “Pour out upon them [His] indignation, all [His] burning anger . . . all the earth shall be consumed.” The picture is bleak. It’s as though God announces that His storm of judgment is coming and His people stare at a sky swelling with rolling and thunderous clouds. And just before judgment bursts forth in power, a single ray of sunshine breaks through and shines down. Zephaniah says sadness and depression isn’t the order of the day for everybody. The sun of salvation is going to burst upon the earth because “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zeph. 3:17) Our God is a singing God!

Faithful singing then is little more than a mirror of the great God who sings over His people. Our singing God creates and commands His people, which leads to the second point.

Second, singing is a mark of obedience. God not only creates His people, but commands His people and one command is that we sing. As best I can tell, there are some four hundred references to singing in Scripture and over fifty commands to sing. God’s salvation compels the commands of Zephaniah 3:14, “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!” Did you notice from where our singing is to come?  “Rejoice and exult with all your heart.” What matters most in singing is the state of our hearts. God is honored when our hearts sings unto Him in joyful humility and honesty.

This is why we sing, because it mirrors God is and is a mark of obedience. Said another way, “We sing because He sang first over us.”

Tomorrow I will look at “what singing does” and how those answers ought to fuel our desire for the church to be a singing church.

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A Series Worth Serious Investment

Crossway has partnered with 9Marks for a series of books entitled “Building Healthy Churches,” they are an expansion of Dever’s incredibly useful 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. Each entry elaborates on one of the nine marks in a short and readable book.

If the first three books already published are a faithful representation of what’s to come, the Building Healthy Churches series will be one of the most useful resources available for the church – members and leaders alike. Here are the books already in print or soon to be in print.1

9MARKS: BUILDING HEALTHY CHURCHES

9781433532337Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus by Jonathan Leeman. “Church discipline is essential to building a healthy church. So how exactly do we practice church discipline? Jonathan Leeman helps us face the endless variety of circumstances and sins for which no scriptural case study exists, sins that don’t show up on any list and need a biblical framework to be corrected appropriately in love. Here is a contemporary and concise how-to guide that provides a theological framework for understanding and implementing disciplinary measures in the local church, along with several examples of real-life situations and the corresponding responses.”

9781433532375Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus by Jonathan Leeman. “Why should you join a church? Becoming a member of a church is an important, and often neglected, part of the Christian life. Yet the trend these days is one of shunning the practice of organized religion and showing a distaste or fear of commitment, especially of institutions. Jonathan Leeman addresses these issues with a straightforward explanation of what church membership is and why it’s important. Giving the local church its proper due, Leeman has built a compelling case for committing to the local body.”

9781433535895Sound Doctrine: How a Church Grows in the Love and Holiness of God by Bobby Jamieson. “How do you feel about doctrine? Whatever answer comes to mind, this book will not only convince you that sound doctrine is vital for living a godly life, it will also explain the essential role of theology in the life of a healthy church. After all, thinking rightly about God affects everything, from guiding us in practical issues to growing a church’s unity and witness. This short, readable book shows how good theology leads to transformation, life, and joy.”

9781433540875Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus by Jeramie Rennie. “What does effective church leadership look like? In this conversational book, Pastor Jeramie Rinne sets forth an easy-to-understand “job description” for elders drawn from the Bible’s teaching on church leadership. Offering practical guidance for new elders and helping church members better understand and support their spiritual leaders, this succinct volume will encourage elders to embrace their calling with grace, wisdom, and clarity of vision.”

9781433544651Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by Mack Stiles. “Evangelism is more than a program. Every few years, churches jump into the latest evangelistic fad. Leaders administrate the new program, and members go on a raid. But picture a church where evangelism is just part of the culture. Leaders share their faith consistently and openly. Members follow, encouraging one another to make evangelism an ongoing way of life. Such is the way of evangelism presented by this brief and compelling book. No program here. Instead, it just might give your church a new way to live and share the gospel together.”

9781433543135Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today by David Helm. “What makes for good preaching? In this accessible volume—written for preachers and preachers in training—pastor David Helm outlines what must be believed and accomplished to become a faithful expositor of God’s Word. In addition to offering practical, step-by-step guidance for preachers, this short book will equip all of us to recognize good preaching when we hear it.”

9781433540837The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ by Ray Ortland. “How does the church portray the beauty of Christ? The gospel is a theological message. But this message also creates human beauty—beautiful relationships in our churches, making the glory of Christ visible in the world today. In this timely book, Pastor Ray Ortlund makes the case that gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. In too many of our churches, it is the beauty of a gospel culture that is the missing piece of the puzzle. But when the gospel is allowed to exert its full power, a church becomes radiant with the glory of Christ.”

I hope these book don’t fly under the radar, but are used mightily by God to build His church.

  1. All descriptions taken from Crossway. ↩
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Your Greatest Excitement

Entrusted with the Gospel

In 1 Timothy 1:8-11 Paul says the the Law of Moses condemns and confronts sinners in their way of life that is contrary to sound doctrine, “in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God.”

This mention of the gospel now causes Paul to move from a digression on the Law’s condemnation to the Gospel’s salvation. And what a glorious digression it is! The apostolic rabbit trail unveils the cause, nature, and effect of the gospel, which are all summarized in the trustworthy saying of 1 Timothy 1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

The rabbit trail that has the ultimate, and glorious, aim to lead us to faith in Christ.  Yet, I also think Paul’s power packed statement on the gospel and subsequent doxology in 1 Timothy 1:17 should lead us to an important corporate reality:

It would lead us to excitement in the gospel.

What we see in the life and ministry of Paul is that nothing was more exciting to him than God’s glory in Christ as revealed in the gospel.  His remembrance of sin inevitable leads him to cling to the glorious mercy of God in Christ and that good news excites him more than anything else. The importance of this should not be missed and D.A. Carson, one of the greatest biblical scholars of our time, I think captures it best. He said once, “If I have learned anything in 35 or 40 years of teaching, it is that students don’t learn everything I teach them. What they learn is what I am excited about, the kinds of things I emphasize again and again and again and again. That had better be the gospel.”1 What they learn is what I am excited about. So, what excites you?

I pray I would not be known preeminently by secondary things that excite me in this life (and maybe you too): books, diet, exercise, sports, or music.  I pray that our church would be most excited by the love of God in Jesus Christ and such excitement is what we would be known for.

Just a mention of the gospel causes Paul to launch into this most incredible reflection of God’s glory and love in Jesus. A gospel message stuffed into nine words (Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners), yet if we wanted to we could stretch it into all eternity and never exhaust its unsearchable riches.

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What’s Your Vision?

Church Vision

“What’s your vision for the church?” That was a question I received, not for the first time, in a recent membership class at our church. I responded, “It’s really quite simple: preach the word and be faithful to make disciples according to the word.”

But then I said, “If you want a more detailed version of that vision, just look at our church covenant.”

I am increasingly convinced that a church covenant is not only an essential document for the health of a local church, but that it also best represents the church’s collective vision. It’s the document that details how a church commits to live together. By signing the document every church member agrees to help the church to faithfulness and fruitfulness.

Here’s our church covenant.1 Read through it and see if it doesn’t represent a clear and concise vision for the church.

CHURCH COVENANT = CHURCH VISION

Having, as we trust, been brought by divine grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to give up ourselves to him, and having been baptized upon our profession of faith, in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, we do now, relying on His gracious aid, solemnly and joyfully renew our covenant with each other.

We will work and pray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We will walk together in brotherly love, as becomes the members of a Christian Church, exercise an affectionate care and watchfulness over each other and faithfully admonish and entreat one another as occasion may require.

We will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, nor neglect to pray for ourselves and others.

We will endeavor to bring up such as may at any time be under our care, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and by a pure and loving example to seek the salvation of our family and friends.

We will rejoice at each others’ happiness and endeavor with tenderness and sympathy to bear each other’s burdens and sorrows.

We will seek, by Divine aid, to live carefully in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and remembering that, as we have been voluntarily buried by baptism and raised again from the symbolic grave, so there is on us a special obligation now to lead a new and holy life.

We will work together for the continuance of a faithful evangelical ministry in this church, as we sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines. We will contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.

We will, when we move from this place, as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.

  1. Originally written in 1878 at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. ↩
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3 Books Every Pastor Should Read: On the Church

Books are some of the best friends a pastor can have. How to know which friends to have is quite difficult, for as the inspired Preacher said, “Of making many books there is no end” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). So every couple of weeks I suggest three books a pastor should read on a given topic, hoping they will serve his ministry. Check out my past suggestions here.

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to get to the topic of ecclesiology, but rest assured, it isn’t because the matter is of little significance. In actuality, few studies in theology are as vital to a pastor’s ministry as study on the purpose, nature, and mission of Christ’s body. Here are three suggestions for reading on the church:

41qoweUfkEL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_The Church by Edmund Clowney. This is one of the finest entries in IVP’s fine “Contours of Christian Theology Series.” With biblical sensitivity and theological clarity Clowney gives the pastor a solid footing on which proper ecclesiology can stand. His characterization of the local church as “a colony of heaven” is paradigm shaping for membership, discipline, worship, and discipleship. He writes, “The church is called to serve God in three ways: to service him directly in worship; to serve the saints in nurture; and to serve the world in witness” (117). Helpful and illuminating in all the rights ways.

41M1GJY4WPL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_The Glorious Body of Christ by R.B. Kuiper. From 1933-1952 Kuiper was Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. The final five years of his labor saw him contribute monthly articles to The Presbyterian Guardian on “The Glory of the Christian Church.” The lectures were first printed as one volume by Banner of Truth in 1966 and the book has yet to go out of print; it’s already been reprinted twice in the 21st century. And for good reason. The chapters are, in my estimation, as precise and concise as you will find in any ecclesiological book. I’ve used this book with interns and pastoral candidates and their feedback has universally been, “I wish I had known about this book. It’s so helpful!”

51nxFXnHfBL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander. The Deliberate Church is, for me, one of the finest and most expansive books on practical ecclesiology available today. Divided into three parts (Gathering the Church, When the Church Gathers, and Gathering Elders), the book covers everything from faithful pastoring to membership and discipline to the regulative principle to how a healthy elder meeting is run. Dever views DC as the conclusion to an ecclesiological trilogy that began with 9 Marks of a Healthy Church and Polity. This one is a one-stop shop ot challenge, encourage, and sharpen your ecclesiological convictions.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Church of Christ: Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 by James Bannerman. Beeke says, “James Bannerman’s ‘The Church of Christ’ is the most extensive, standard, solid, Reformed treatment of the doctrine of the church that has ever been written.” I can’t say it better.

What is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission by Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert. A narrow slice of ecclesiology to be sure, but the subject matter is oh so timely.