Pastoring
How “Belonging Before Believing” Redefines the Church
By Michael Lawrence | 9Marks Journal: The Underestimated Doctrine of Conversion | 02.29.2012When we begin to deliberately blur the line, we confuse Christians about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the first place.
The Underestimated Pastoral Power of a Proper Doctrine of Conversion
By Jonathan Leeman | 9Marks Journal: The Underestimated Doctrine of Conversion | 02.29.2012What is your task? It’s reminding them that they are Christians.
Book Review: Being Conformed to Christ in Community, by Jim Samra
Review by Bobby Jamieson | 9Marks Journal: Don't Be Too Cool for Sunday School | 12.19.2011For the pastor who’s kept up his Greek and is up for a workout, Conformed to Christ in Community could be worth a read, especially if you skim strategically.
How to Reform a Sunday School Program
By Juan Sanchez | 9Marks Journal: Don't Be Too Cool for Sunday School | 12.19.2011For many Christians, Sunday school is a staple of church life. But what do you do when that staple isn’t as healthy as it should be?
How Sunday School Can Change Your Church’s Culture
By Jamie Dunlop | 9Marks Journal: Don't Be Too Cool for Sunday School | 12.19.2011Over the last decade our church has discovered an unexpected tool for changing a culture: adult Sunday School.
Why You Want Sunday School
By B. Jamieson, J. Pennington | 9Marks Journal: Don't Be Too Cool for Sunday School | 12.19.2011The bottom line here is, if not Sunday School, then where? If you don’t have Sunday school, where are you going to teach people how to study the Bible?
Church Planting and Pastoral Ministry
By D. Patrick, M. Dever | 11.29.2011Darrin Patrick shares about the struggles of planting a church, leading his family, engaging culture, and more in this personal and wide-ranging interview.
Book Review: Renovation of the Church, by Kent Carlson and Mike Luken
Review by Bobby Jamieson | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.28.2011This book tells the story of how and why the authors turned a seemingly thriving seeker church into a church in which forming mature disciples of Jesus is the central concern.
Book Review: The U-Turn Church, by Kevin Harney and Bob Bouwer
Review by Brian Croft | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.28.2011Here are a few ways this book can help pastors who are reforming churches, as well as cautions you will want to consider as you read.
Pastors’ Forum: Do’s and Don’ts of Church Reform
By B. Johnson, G. Kell, M. Dever, M. Lawrence, M. McKinley, T. Anyabwile | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.28.2011What to do—and what not to do—in the midst of church reform.
Five Unexpected Lessons in Church Revitalization
By Brian Croft | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.28.2011The gospel can not only build a local church, but rebuild it also—sometimes in surprising, unexpected ways.
Five Factors that Brought Life to a Dying Church
By J. D. Greear | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.27.2011Only God brings life to dead things. But here are some lessons I learned that I believe contributed to our church’s revitalization.
Be a Tortoise, not a Hare
By Jeramie Rinne | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.27.2011Perhaps seminaries should offer a class in the exegesis of Aesop. Too often, pastors come to a new congregation and shoot off at a hare’s pace to turn the church around.
Why Revitalize?
By Matt Schmucker | 9Marks Journal: Revitalize: Why We Must Reclaim Dying Churches—and How | 10.27.2011If you don’t want to be a reformer, you don’t want to be a pastor.
Book Review: Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs, by Bill Hybels
Review by Bobby Jamieson | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and his Staff, Part 2 | 08.29.2011Along with much biblical wisdom and good sense, there are a number of assumptions and values in this book that don’t square very well with Scripture.