Membership
Missionaries Need to Know What a Church Is: A Lesson from Adoniram Judson
By Geoff Chang | 01.17.2020The goal of missions is not merely individual conversions. Rather, it’s to see indigenous, gospel-preaching churches planted.
Nominal Christianity—Not Complementarianism—Leads to Abuse
By Caleb Morell | 9Marks Journal: Complementarianism: A Moment of Reckoning | 11.22.2019Conservative views on marriage and family are not sufficient in and of themselves to create healthy families and marriages. Church participation and membership make a huge difference.
4 Reasons You Should Preach through 1 Corinthians
By J. Mack Stiles | 11.18.2019Let me give you four reasons why it’s worth it to preach through 1 Corinthians.
Some Counsel for Christians Leaving Toxic Church Environments
By Lucas O'Neill | 11.15.2019Recovery for genuine believers who have been damaged by failed churches is a grueling process.
4 Members Who Tear Down the Church
By Chopo Mwanza | 11.08.2019All these members have a common thread: self-centeredness. They’ve missed the very essence of salvation; they’ve failed to love God and love people with every ounce of their being.
6 Members Who Build Up the Church
By Chopo Mwanza | 11.04.2019Dear church member, pursue these qualities in your own life and encourage them in others.
9 Suggestions for Better Members’ Meetings
By Brad Wheeler | 10.28.2019Do member’s meetings always have to end in bitterness and bickering? I don’t think so. Here are nine suggestions to help set members’ meetings on the right track.
A Tale of Two Baptist Associations
By Geoff Chang | 09.23.2019Let me tell you the tale of two Baptist associations.
Book Review: Orthodox Radicals, by Matthew Bingham
Review by Bobby Jamieson | 08.29.2019It is logically easier to be baptistic without being congregational than to be congregational without being baptistic. Yet the two convictions fit together snugly. Maybe our earliest English ecclesiological ancestors were on to something.
Mailbag #88: Must Elders Agree on Tongues & Prophecy? . . . How Can We Wisely Hire a Pastor from Outside the Church?
By D. Russell, J. Rinne | 08.09.2019— How much agreement must elders have on the issue of tongues and prophecy? — In a congregational church, how should we hire a new pastor from the outside? How can we give enough time for the church to properly vet the candidate?
Confessing Sin Is Always Awkward, Sometimes Costly, and Absolutely Worth It
By John Lee | 07.22.2019It’s true. Confession could cost your reputation. It could result in an awkward conversation. But freedom in the gracious, holy light of God is priceless.
7 Well-Meaning Objections to Church Discipline — And How Pastors Ought to Respond to Them
By C. Greggsen, S. Emadi | 07.05.2019Let’s briefly consider some of the “good-faith” objections to discipline we’ve encountered and how we try to help church members understand the theological principles undergirding discipline.
Two Reasons a Church Shouldn’t Have Multiple Gatherings
By Kyle Schwahn | 07.01.2019I’ve pastored my church for over twelve years. We’ve always had two morning services, and I never gave them much thought. Until . . .
Mailbag #84: I Live too Far from A Healthy Church. What Should I Do? . . . Among Baptists, What’s the History of a Plurality of Elders?
By S. Emadi, S. DeMars | 05.31.2019— I live in an extremely rural area where we have many churches but none that are healthy. What should I do? — Many Baptist churches now have multiple elders. I understand the biblical case for this, but what’s the history of a plurality of elders among Baptists?
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?
