Discipleship
Mailbag #83: Protecting the Sunday Gathering by Limiting Reasons to Be Out of Room . . . Caring for Over-Worked Children’s Ministry Workers
By D. Russell, J. Leeman | 05.13.2019— To what extent should the church protect the Sunday morning gathering by limiting reasons for members to be “at church” but out of the room? — What do you do to care for the spiritual health of your children’s ministry leaders?
Youth and Church Membership—Or, Stop Baptizing Children into the Ether
By Alex Duke | 9Marks Journal: Church Membership: Following the Lord Together | 05.07.2019A church should not baptize young people apart from church membership. To do so is unbiblical, unhelpful, and unloving.
Without Exception: How to Handle Exceptions to the Statement of Faith
By Michael Lawrence | 9Marks Journal: Church Membership: Following the Lord Together | 05.07.2019What do we do when someone takes exception to our church’s statement of faith?
How Long Should A Membership Process Take?
By Allen Duty | 9Marks Journal: Church Membership: Following the Lord Together | 05.07.2019Your membership process—whether shorter or longer—is a tool for discipleship, usually one of the first ones people come in contact with.
How to Conduct a Membership Interview
By PJ Tibayan | 9Marks Journal: Church Membership: Following the Lord Together | 05.07.2019The two-pronged goal of an interview is to (1) disciple the person, and (2) discern whether their profession of faith in Jesus is credible. You want to disciple and discern.
Book Review: Side by Side, by Ed Welch
Review by John Joseph | 05.02.2019Welch teaches us how to become more skillful at greeting others, at asking thoughtful questions, at drawing out people’s stories, and how to be present during suffering and prepared to talk about sin.
Book Review: God’s Country, by Brad Roth
Review by Cheston Pickard | 04.11.2019In the same way that God values the populations in cities, God values the populations in rural areas. In the same way that God calls men and women to serve in the cities, God still calls men and women to faithfully serve in rural areas. The two areas could not be more different, but Christ builds his church in cities and rural areas alike.
3 Reasons We Ought to Corporately Lament
By Mark Vroegop | 04.08.2019Corporate lament is a unique voice that empathizes, models, and unites a body, especially when tension fills the room.
The Role, Requirements, and Reward of a Deacon
By Nathan Rose | 04.05.2019Let’s consider the deacon’s role, requirements, and reward.
Mailbag #79: How Should Vocational Pastors Approach Their Own Giving to the Church? . . . How Do Deacons Relate to Elders?
By J. Dunlop, J. de Koning | 03.29.2019— Should vocational ministers tithe? Should a church then count on 10% of that staff member’s salary toward the budget? — Are deacons there just to “do what they’re told” by the elders? Should deacons be used as a means to develop future elders?
We Need to Help New Converts from Non-Christian Backgrounds Honor Their Families
By Ajith Fernando | 03.28.2019It’s vital for older Christians to talk often with new Christians, making sure that in following Christ, they haven’t unduly harmed their relationship with their family.
What Can Miserable Christians Sing?
By Carl Trueman | 03.25.2019By excluding the cries of loneliness, dispossession, and desolation from its worship, the church has effectively silenced and excluded the voices of those who are themselves lonely, dispossessed, and desolate, both inside and outside the church.
Why Charismatics and Non-Charismatics Can Get Along
By Thomas R. Schreiner | 03.15.2019If I have the right view of spiritual gifts but I don’t have love, then I am nothing.
Book Review: A Scottish Christian Heritage, by Iain Murray
Review by Caleb Greggsen | 03.14.2019This book is a wonderful devotional tool for the pastor tempted to feel discouraged at the small size of his flock or the seeming lack of fruit in his preaching.
The Tragedy of Sparing Others from Obedience
By Joey Nickerson | 03.04.2019We’re not doing anyone any favors by sparing them obedience, even when it’s hard, even when it feels “insane.” We’re only withholding from them everything on the other side.
