Leadership
22 Mistakes Pastors Make in Practicing Church Discipline
By Jonathan Leeman | 09.18.2015Church discipline should be practiced, but with care and a biblical focus.
Mailbag #15: Officiating Non-Christian Weddings; Meaningful Membership before Establishing Elders; Excommunicate for Not Giving Money; Transfer Membership
By Jonathan Leeman | 09.09.2015—Are pastors free to officiate a non-Christian wedding? —What should come first: meaningful membership or a plurality of elders? —Shouldn’t a refusal to give to your church result in excommunication? —Should a church accept transfer memberships from other churches at face value?
Mailbag #14: Discipling without “Picking Favorites”; Tricky Baptism Situation; Churches and Name Changes; Numerical Growth v. Spiritual Growth
By Jonathan Leeman | 08.31.2015—How do I encourage people to not “play favorites” with their discipling relationships? —How do I think through this tricky baptism situation? —Must churches have the word “church” in their names? —Is very little numerical growth okay if spiritual growth is taking place?
Congregationalism Doesn’t Stop at 8 p.m.
By C. Greggsen, S. Emadi | 08.26.2015When you reduce congregationalism down to just members’ meetings, you deprive yourself of much of the blessing the Lord intends to grant his church through good polity.
Mailbag #13: Baptism before Communion; Moderating Members’ Meetings; Cooperating with Other Churches in Church Discipline; How to Transition to Elders and Deacons
By Jonathan Leeman | 08.24.2015—Is the Lord’s Supper only for those who have been baptized? —Who should moderate members’ meetings? —What do you do when someone wants to join your church, but they’ve been disciplined by another church? —How does a church transition to elders and deacons?
When Do You Stop Counseling?
By Deepak Reju | 08.20.2015When to end counseling is always a judgment call that requires a lot of wisdom. The decision to bring the counseling process to a close is sometimes clear, but often not.
Should Christians “Disown” Gay Sons and Daughters?
By Jonathan Leeman | 08.18.2015Christian parental love denies neither the child nor God’s law. It insists on loving both child and God’s law, which may be the hardest challenge of all.
Mailbag #12: Training Bible Teachers; Attending a Wedding Between Professing Christian and a Muslim; Thoughts on “Re-Baptisms”; My Pastor Never Reads his Sermon Text
By Jonathan Leeman | 08.17.2015—How can our church train Bible teachers? —My friend says she’s a Christian, yet is marrying a Muslim. Should I attend the wedding? —What do you think about “re-baptisms”? —My pastor never reads his sermon text. Is that problematic?
Mailbag #11—Why “Disowning” Family Members Isn’t an Option; Term Limits for Elders; Expedited Church Discipline; Can I Leave My Family’s Church?
By Jonathan Leeman | 08.07.2015—How should I treat my unrepentant father-in-law? —Should elders have term limits? —Is there ever a case where church discipline should be done immediately? —Can I leave the church I grew up in?
Book Review: The Pastor’s Wife, by Gloria Furman
Review by Kristie Anyabwile | 08.06.2015It’s clear from the first pages that the main character of this book is Christ, and the pastor, his wife, their family and church are all supporting players.
Mailbag #10—Lord’s Supper in Nursing Home; Christians Dating a Non-Christian; Role of Small Group Leaders; New Pastor in Need of Help
By Jonathan Leeman | 07.31.2015Lord’s Supper in Nursing Home » Christians Dating a Non-Christian » Role of Small Group Leaders » New Pastor in Need of Help » Mike, We get some version of … keep reading…
Book Review: The Prodigal Church, by Jared C. Wilson
Review by Alex Duke | 07.29.2015The Prodigal Church is more than just a demolition project. Atop the wreckage left by pragmatism and consumerism, Wilson attempts to rebuild scaffolding with different, yet more durable materials. In this, the book succeeds, though not perfectly.
Book Review: Passing the Leadership Baton, by Tom Mullins
Review by Walter Price | 07.27.2015This was a helpful exercise in seeing another’s perspective on all the ins and outs involved in a successful transition.
A Conversation about Church Revitalization with Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman
By J. Leeman, M. Dever | 07.23.2015The more we reduce ministry to business, the more pastors are convinced to think like CEOs and less like shepherds.
Book Review: Can These Bones Live? by Bill Henard
Review by Casey Hough | 07.22.2015f you’re is looking for a book that deals with church revitalization primarily from the perspective of dependence upon God’s work according to God’s will, this book should not be your first choice.
