Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for May 10, 2026: God's Plan for Leadership of His Church I Timothy 3:1-7

A pastor approaches his responsibilities with many different experiences, abilities, and priorities. No two pastors are alike, and, at the same time, each pastor stands holding the same Bible. If you look across the churches, their commonalities exceed their differences, though they are led by different men. Each church is filled with various needs and congregations that reflect their heritage, culture, and geography. There are older congregations that require more physical c

This is a follow up to a blog entitled “Why Baptist Churches Moved Away from a Plurality of Elders.” In this blog, I would like to address reasons Baptist churches moved away from elders and their move back. First and foremost, among the ideas of why Baptist churches should move back to a plurality of elders is because the Word of God makes clear church leadership/polity. The Bible Clarifies Leadership In the middle of the qualifications for elders, you find these verses: 1 T

“Elder” is an uncommon title for those in Baptist churches who are in leadership. Why is that? What happened that caused Baptist churches to move away from the title “elder,” the plurality of the role in leadership, and why do we need to make our way back? “Elder” in the Bible “Elder” in the Bible is often interchanged with pastor/bishop/overseer. We see a number of biblical texts that use the term “elder.” Sometimes in the Old and New Testaments you will see “elder” used to

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for April 19, 2026: Elders: Their Job Description I Peter 5:1-4

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for April 19, 2026: Built Well or Swept Away Matthew 7:24-29

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for April 12, 2026: Look a Little Closer Matthew 7:15-20

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for April 5, 2026: Does He Know You? Matthew 7:21-23

Proverbs 16:16 says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” So, how does one obtain wisdom? Proverbs gives us a multitude of practical ways to be wise. In fact, it is one of three books of the Bible, along with Job and Ecclesiastes, that are categorized as “wisdom” books. Together, these books give us insight into God’s wisdom. Here are three short but very informative videos from the Bible Project on the wisdom books: Watch: Wisdom Boo

What are some sayings you grew up hearing? Benjamin Franklin, American statesman and author, coined many wise sayings through his “Poor Richard’s Proverbs,” including one my mother often used: “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” Franklin also wrote the familiar proverb: “early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” The tradition and culture of Franklin’s day dictated that people were versed in and ready to give practical wisdom f

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for March 29, 2026: Roads and Rules Matthew 7:7-14

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for March 22, 2026: Clear Vision for a Holy People Matthew 7:1-6

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for March 15, 2026: Winning Over Worry Matthew 6:25-34

Like most pastors, I was in my 20s looking for a way to pay for seminary. It was clear that additional academic training in counseling, study of the Word, and church leadership was needed. Seminary would not teach me everything I needed to be a helpful pastor but would expose me to opportunities and resources that I would not even begin to understand. One of those things would be proficiency in biblical Greek and Hebrew to better understand the Word for personal study and pre

Many days, I sit in my office chair listening to the story of another, asking questions to elicit meaning and offering strategies with deep concern for my client’s wellbeing. There’s a heaviness in the room as they express the hurt and pain this world has offered them. There’s no question that suffering exists, and we try our best to come up with effective strategies to help us cope with the continuum of mild symptoms all the way to tragedy. And yet, as I sit there, I know co

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for March 1, 2026: Pray Like It Matters Matthew 6:5-15

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for February 22, 2026: Secret Service Matthew 6:1-4

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for February 15, 2026: Retaliation to Redemption Matthew 5:38-48

This past month at Mission Station, our kids packed their (imaginary) bags, grabbed their Mission Station passports, and took a very exciting trip to Northern Africa to visit our one of mobilization partner families! No long flights. No jet lag. Just big faith and even bigger imaginations. The adventure began with students learning about the Family’s life since moving last year. We talked about what daily life looks like in Northern Africa—new language, new culture, new food

Click on the button below to access the Sermon Slides for February 8, 2026: Sin Surgery Matthew 5:27-37