Membership
Mailbag #77: How Much Agreement with a Statement of Faith Should Be Required for Membership?
By Brad Wheeler | 03.08.2019A man who was baptized as a believer wants to join our credobaptist church, though he is paedobaptistic and cannot affirm the church’s statement of faith on believer’s baptism. Should the elders of the church recommend this man to the church for membership?
Definite Atonement and Church Membership
By Stephen J. Wellum | 9Marks Journal: Ecclesiology for Calvinists | 02.05.2019What does definite atonement have to do with church membership?
7 Ministry Consequences of Calvinism
By Jonathan Leeman | 9Marks Journal: Ecclesiology for Calvinists | 02.05.2019The goal of this piece is not to argue with or even to address the non-Calvinist pastor. It is to say to the Calvinist, “If you believe this, your ministry should look like that.”
How We Fixed Our Sleepy and Unspiritual Members’ Meetings
Review by Josh de Koning | 01.18.2019About five years ago, I realized our members’ meetings were sleepy and overly informational. So we’ve changed them.
An Open Letter to Baptist Pastors Considering Open Membership
By Sam Emadi | 01.14.2019Baptism is an authorized declaration of the credibility of someone’s confession, not just a private judgment about whether we think someone is a Christian.
Practice Charity, Pursue Credibility: How to Respond to a Child’s Profession of Faith
By C. Greggsen, S. Emadi | 01.07.2019In every case, a church ought to be careful, weeding through words to attempt to discern the motivation behind a profession of faith―in other words, its credibility.
Best Books for Pastors in 2018
By Alex Duke | 12.21.2018We asked pastors from around the world a simple question: what books did you read in 2018 that helped you be a better pastor?
Episode 62: On How to Prepare a Church to Practice Discipline
By J. Leeman, M. Dever | 10.30.2018Before a pastor leads a church to practice discipline, he must teach the church what the Bible teaches. It’s better to woo and win the church in the truth, than to wreck it in the pursuit of rightness.
What to Say When a Church Member Asks for Help
By Clint Darst | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Pornography | 10.30.2018When a church member first confesses pornography consumption, they’re usually relieved to admit their battle and get help in their fight.
Does Your Church Offer Weak Community?
By Barry Cooper | 10.10.2018If we truly care about the health of our churches, we’d do well to ask ourselves some questions.
Episode 59: On Teaching the Church about the Church
By J. Leeman, M. Dever | 10.09.2018Pastors must teach the church about what a church is. If they don’t, who will?
Episode 58: On Members Meetings
By J. Leeman, M. Dever | 10.02.2018In this episode of Pastors’ Talk, Mark and Jonathan discuss members meetings—what they are, where they are in the Bible, and how to make them of spiritual interest.
Not Satisfied with Our Shepherding Yet—But Doing Much Better than Before
By Bob Johnson | 09.11.2018Can you imagine what it’s like to go home after a leadership meeting with the knowledge that you were actually fulfilling your God-given mandate?
4 Ways to Become an Effective Role Player in Your Church
By Joseph Dicks | 08.10.2018Like a successful team, every healthy church has both leaders and role players.
Church Members Must Watch Their Elders’ Life & Doctrine
By Erik Raymond | 08.07.2018In a healthy church, the relationship between elders and church members will be characterized by trust.
