Baptism is the entry way into the church of Jesus Christ. It is the identifying marker that God has made good on His promises and has brought new life to someone. It is also a public statement to the world that new Christians are now "all-in" with Jesus. They left everything, picked up their crosses, and … Continue reading Church as the Body of Christ
Church
In Defense of Youth Ministry
I never wanted to do youth ministry. I never had any experience doing youth ministry. Yet, I now find myself three years in with leading my church's youth ministry. While I was in seminary, much discussion centered on the need to "rethink" youth ministry. I got the sense that there was a lot of angst surrounding youth ministry. … Continue reading In Defense of Youth Ministry
Fatherhood for Older Father’s
Two weeks ago I preached on fatherhood from Ephesians 6:4. Unfortunately, due to a congregational medical emergency, I wasn't able to conclude my message. Here is my conclusion: Some of you in here may be thinking, "What can I do? My children are all grown up and out of the house! I've blown it with my … Continue reading Fatherhood for Older Father’s
Suburban Ministry–The Challenges of Reaching Men, Pt. 2
In a previous post, I looked at some of the challenges of reaching men in suburban culture. The two issues I raised were "pragmatic" issues: busyness and scheduling. They are practical realities which affect (afflict?) men in my Northeastern suburban context, about 45 minutes outside of NYC. Today, I want to explore some further issues … Continue reading Suburban Ministry–The Challenges of Reaching Men, Pt. 2
Suburban Ministry–The Challenges of Reaching Men
The church has a manhood problem. Or most of the statistics say so. Whether or not the statistics are true, the Christian publishing industry has certainly churned out many books speaking to the issue (For example, see Why Men Hate Going to Church). I think I can say that the anecdotal evidence at LBC may point in the … Continue reading Suburban Ministry–The Challenges of Reaching Men
Suburban Ministry–The challenges
I am inspired to write about doing pastoral ministry in the suburbs from a set of tweets by author/blogger Hannah Anderson, who was encouraging her husband to blog about pastoral ministry in rural VA, I believe. I also find that it can helpful to talk out my ideas (hopefully a few successes and probably a bunch of … Continue reading Suburban Ministry–The challenges
Why Does LBC Have Multiple Pastors, Pt. 2: The Practical Benefits
This is the second installment on a two-part series on our church structure. You can find the first part here. In the first post, I looked at what the Bible has to say concerning how a local church should be structured. I believe that the consistent pattern of Scripture is that local churches are lead … Continue reading Why Does LBC Have Multiple Pastors, Pt. 2: The Practical Benefits
Why Does LBC Have Multiple Pastors?
This is Part One of a two-part series on our church structure. At Lincroft Bible Church, we have multiple pastors on staff as well as six other pastors. (The other pastors are also called "elders." The term is interchangeable in Scripture. To be an elder is to be a pastor and vice versa). Moreover, we … Continue reading Why Does LBC Have Multiple Pastors?
A Ministry Discussion with Jordan Jones, Pt. 2
This series of posts is based upon an email exchange with my friend who is also a pastor in Northern Kentucky, Jordan Jones. He oversees the youth ministry of his church, while I primarily oversee the Community Groups at mine. To see where God is at work in our churches and lives, we are discussing various … Continue reading A Ministry Discussion with Jordan Jones, Pt. 2