Redeeming Authority for Those Who’ve Only Known Its Abuse
By Mez McConnell | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016As a pastor who has also suffered abuse, how do I respond to the abused sufferers and anti-authoritarian people in my care in a way that’s biblical, loving, and true to God’s revealed Word?
The Sword and the Shepherd’s Staff: Reporting Sexual Abuse to the Authorities
By Travis Wussow | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016It is not a pastor’s job to adjudicate the dispute; instead, the pastor’s job is to walk with his people through the implications created by the state’s justice system.
A Healthy Church Member Is a Humble Follower
By Thabiti Anyabwile | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016Leadership in the local church is established by God for the blessing of his people. However, for leadership to be effective, it needs to be encouraged and supported by the members of the church.
Church Membership: A Single Woman’s Perspective
By Chelsea Patterson | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016When I first began attending my church, I’d never given much thought to church membership. And if I’m honest, it all sounded a bit dull to me.
How New Elders Earn Authority
By Clint Humfrey | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016How does a new elder earn that informal authority or trust that is crucial to leading a congregation?
On the Authority of a Sending Church
By Ken Caruthers | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016Let’s ensure that missionaries who leave quickly fall under the authority of a Christ-governed healthy church wherever they are.
The Nature of Church Authority
By Jonathan Leeman | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.30.2016Church authority is how a group of individual Christians speaks in unison to the nations, “Here we are, a new nation and race. We represent Jesus and we have good news for you!”
How Scripture’s Authority Shapes What We Do On Sunday Morning
By Brian Davis | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.28.2016How do we decide what to do when we gather together on Sundays? Well, quite simply, we don’t decide. God does—and God has.
What is the Nature of Pastoral Authority? — Perspectives from a Methodist, a Presbyterian, and a Baptist
By B. Merkle, K. DeYoung, M. O'Reilly | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.26.2016We asked three pastors from three different traditions to answer the question: What is the nature of a pastor’s authority?
Week 5—What Christians Should Do For Government: Engage with “Convictional Kindness”
By J. Leeman, N. Rodriguez | 09.26.2016The truce between evangelical and Enlightenment thinking seems to be coming to an end. What does that mean for how a Christian engages in the public square?
Four Ways Pastors Can Better Help the Hurting in the Church
By Dave Furman | 09.22.2016Point people to Christ, and let their weary souls be nurtured and find their rest in him.
The Abuse of Authority in Prosperity Gospel Churches
By D. A. Horton | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.21.2016Prosperity gospel churches are seedbeds for abusive authority.
Week 4—What Christians Should Do For Government: Be the Church Apart
By Jonathan Leeman | 09.20.2016How should we as individual Christians and church members relate to the public square?
Don’t Be a 9Marxist!
By Jonathan Leeman | 9Marks Journal: Authority: God's Good and Dangerous Gift | 09.16.2016Here are fifteen marks that will keep you from being a “9Marxist,” that is, a church leader who abuses their authority.
Pastoring the Persecuted
By Colin Clark | 09.15.2016What do you tell a persecuted Christian who has been beaten for their faith and they’re liable to be beaten again?