“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

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

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

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

What Is Expositional Preaching? What is expositional preaching? To define the process, let me start with something familiar. Many in the church grew up hearing topical sermons. Topical sermons are when a pastor selects a topic (ie missions, love, family, etc.) and selects a few passages of Scripture to clearly exemplify the topic. Expositional preaching doesn’t start with the topic and select Scripture. Instead the pastor moves verse by verse through a book of the bible. The

Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. We have heard them all or at least most of them, but few know what they mean or the promises they proclaim to us and others. The Beatitudes-- or simply “blessed”-- are conditions in which people are considered blessed. “Blessed” in the New Testament never refers to finances or material possessions. In other words, the Lord does not prom

This is the longest section of teaching from Jesus that is recorded in the Bible. John concludes that the works of Jesus could fill all the world’s volumes and yet here we have just a small glimpse into the preaching/teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Why would it be helpful to take a deep dive into Matthew 5–7? We could go on and on, but let me narrow it down to four reasons. The Teaching Is Astonishingly Authoritative At the conclusion of Jesus’ sermon in Matthew

Hopefully you have been able to read the previous blog here: ( found here ). But if not, each December I enjoy doing something that causes me to slow down…reading. In an attempt to read 12 books throughout the Christmas season, I’ve really enjoyed some of the titles listed below. Maybe my short write up will cause you to pick up a copy or reach out for a copy. Third Corporate Worship by Matt Merker Corporate Worship is a wonderful book that explores the gathered church and

Our family has lots of Christmas Traditions. I’m sure yours does too. We go to the parades, have parties with friends, go to Christmas productions, do the advent calendars, eat lots of food, and watch all the Christmas movies. We enjoy so many Christmas movies that, on any free night, it inevitably led to a debate over which one to watch. Being a youth pastor at the time, I had a fun digital prize wheel that I added all our favorite Christmas movies to. So, whenever we were f

After grumbling in my spirit over our ridiculously full social schedule for this first week of December, I felt like a total hypocrite. I had just done a podcast with a friend the day before, encouraging families in our church to keep their celebrations Christ-focused and to streamline their calendars and plans when necessary in order to honor Christ in every detail of this busy season. To be honest, it’s a fight. No matter what season of life we are in, keeping our celebrati

What a gift for a pastor--12 books. Well, I’m certain some pastors would prefer gift cards or free babysitters, but I would always take the books. Now, like every book lover, I have more books than I have time to read. Additionally, that fact will not stop me from buying more books in the days ahead. Reading is a great way to see how others have worshiped God and put their ideas out to encourage people to worship with them. Every December I feel the reflection of “I wish I ha

As a worship pastor, it is a great desire for me to see our congregation grow and flourish as Christ leads His church. If we want to see passionate worship in the hearts and lives of our people, we must first be growing daily in our walk with the Lord. “Spiritual growth” is a phrase that can be used a lot and, to be honest, is very vague. I would guess that it is something we all would want but might not know how to do. I hope to give and explain three things needed for every

Our Mission Station students recently had an incredible experience on their trip to Slovakia! This special journey was made even more...

Following my recent post on speaking boldly, Pastor John asked if I could extend the conversation into a two-part series, this time...

I’ve heard a lot of people over the years use the terms “discipleship” and “mentorship” interchangeably. I’ve experienced both, as well...

When you hear the phrase “godly example,” someone’s name probably comes to mind. Maybe it’s a mentor, a pastor, a parent, or a faithful...

How does one really get to the point where they see death as gain as Paul did? Much of our culture works hard at delaying death or even...

The Good News Club is prepared for Easter by using their 5 senses, while also having a great time! Here's what they did last session:...