Discipleship

We Need to Help New Converts from Non-Christian Backgrounds Honor Their Families

By Ajith Fernando | 03.28.2019

It’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 do miserable Christians sing

What Can Miserable Christians Sing?

By Carl Trueman | 03.25.2019

By 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 | 03.15.2019

If 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 | 03.14.2019

This 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 | 03.04.2019

We’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.

On Living Close to Your Church Pastors Talk

Episode 77: On Living Close to your Church

By J. Leeman, M. Dever | 02.26.2019

Mark and Jonathan discuss why Christians should consider proximity to their church when they’re deciding where to live.

4 Ways Martin Luther Encourages Pastors to Pray

By Mark Rogers | 02.25.2019

As a fellow pastor, Martin Luther provides a treasure of wisdom and insight on prayer.

Mailbag #74: The Wisdom of Confronting an Older Pastor . . . Is It Biblical to Call Women “Ministers”? . . . How a Pastor Should Schedule His Week

By C. Humfrey, J. Leeman, P. Newton | 02.15.2019

— One of our elders, a man far older in the faith than us, has begun to regularly preach poor sermons. How should we respond? — I’ve noticed some SBC churches give women on staff the title of “minister” in deliberate distinction from “pastor” or “elder.” Is this practice wise? — What are some principles for how a pastor should schedule his week?

Teach, Wait, Repeat: How Calvinism Fuels My Commitment to Congregationalism

Teach, Wait, Repeat: How Calvinism Fuels My Commitment to Congregationalism

By Sam Emadi | 9Marks Journal: Ecclesiology for Calvinists | 02.05.2019

We’ll consider how our theology shapes our polity, how polity shapes ministry, and how ministry is fueled by our conception of God.

Real Calvinists Pray

By J.A. Medders | 9Marks Journal: Ecclesiology for Calvinists | 02.05.2019

Calvinism doesn’t render our prayers meaningless. On the contrary, it ought to revive and even sustain our prayer life.

Calvinism & Counseling

By Patti Withers | 9Marks Journal: Ecclesiology for Calvinists | 02.05.2019

I rely heavily on the truth of God’s sovereignty in counseling, particularly on those aspects of his sovereignty that intersect with the doctrine of sanctification.

Episode 73 Lord's Supper

Episode 73: On The Lord’s Supper (with Bobby Jamieson)

By B. Jamieson, J. Leeman, M. Dever | 01.29.2019

In this episode of Pastors’ Talk, Jonathan asks Mark and Bobby a bunch of questions about the Lord’s Supper.

How We Fixed Our Sleepy and Unspiritual Members’ Meetings

Review by Josh de Koning | 01.18.2019

About five years ago, I realized our members’ meetings were sleepy and overly informational. So we’ve changed them.

A Pastor, His Dying Wife, and Their Church—A Group Text

By Jonathan Leeman | 01.04.2019

Even in life’s most tragic moments, Christians can be thankful for the local church.

Book Review: Seven Practices for the Church on Mission, by David Fitch

Review by Brad Morello | 12.27.2018

Fitch’s emphasis on the presence of God as part of our conception of the nature of the church and a philosophy of ministry does have some benefit. But his development of these ideas lacks Scriptural substance.