Blog
Check out the latest articles and videos I’ve shared… but be warned, this is the acumilation of nearly a decade of work, and I’ve changed my thoughts on a lot of things, so don’t hold me to anything that I don’t agree with 🙂Â
Karl Barth Recognized Churchianity as Opposed to Community
Karl Barth writes: "When theology confronts the Word of God and its witnesses, its place is very concretely in the community, not somewhere in empty space. The word "community," rather than "Church," is used advisedly, for from a theological point of view it is best...
So You Want to Preach Like the Apostles…
Recently I had a conversation with a young and newly minted pastor who was asking me some questions about preaching. We spent some time talking about different homiletic principles and I recall that one of the last things that she said was, "I want to preach like the...
How to Develop, Foster, & Maintain a Leadership Team
Over the past eight years I've taken a number of different approaches to having a leadership/ministry/staff team. In this post I want to share a few of the things that I've learned over the years from my experience, both positive and negative, and the resources that...
Reflecting on the Midwest North Vineyard Regional Conference…
I've been in Burnsville, a suburb of Minneapolis, since late Tuesday night in order to participate in the Midwest North Region's Summer Family Fest. It's basically a way for the Vineyard family to gather together to worship, learn, experience, and serve. I've written...
Vineyard Theology Doesn’t Mix with Dispensationalism
Is the kingdom of God coming? Has it already come? Is it the church? Is it in heaven? Many questions still abound in regards to the nature of the kingdom of God and I've argued that I think it's important for those of us in the Vineyard to have a robustly informed...
“First Among Equals” in a Plurality of Pastors Model…
Jonathan Leeman has a good post over at 9Marks on "What Does "First Among Equals" Mean on an Elder Board." I've talked about this model, which I endorse as what I think is the healthiest, safest, and practical way of doing church government before (see here). Though...
“Pastor, pace yourself… or you will learn the hard way.”
Able recently wrote about 21 things people might not know about pastors and their families. Reading the list made me deeply concerned for pastors that experience many of those feelings. Unfortunately, many of the pastors I know struggle with those feelings on a...
Elders in the Life of the Church, by Phil Newton & Matt Schmucker
I think a case could be made that the Bible offers a variety of options regarding church polity. However, I personally find the plurality of pastors model the best option for the local church (see my top 5 books on the subject). In fact, if you take a look at my list...
The Whole Bible is About God Establishing His Kingdom
N. T. Wright dropping some knowledge on fools: "... the point about God’s authority is that the whole Bible is about God establishing his kingdom on earth as in heaven, completing (in other words) the project begun but aborted in Genesis 1– 3. This is the big story...
