Posts Tagged ‘Church Life’
Well the Pastor Gets Paid, So…
It’s a common assumption; you and I have heard it before. We get tired of the exhausting work of ministry and, understandably, we want to take a break. If the church members can’t carry the load, then there is always the pastor and his family. “I mean, he gets paid, right? It’s his job!” To…
Read MoreYou Have a New Pastor, Now What?
A friend of mine recently entered a new ministry. I don’t know the details of his move, or the history of the church, but the news sparked some thinking about churches and new pastors. My own ministry will face that prospect within the next decade, most likely. Sometimes churches and pastors struggle with the transition.…
Read MoreNeed Family Time? Church Time is Family Time
Christians have idols that we love to hate, at least superficially, like materialism or pride. For some reason these are the idols that are the ones that typically get the “amens” and “that’ll preach” comments when the pastor serves up a message about them. But for some reason, there are certain idols that we just…
Read MoreGiving Priority to Your Spiritual Family
When you choose to follow Jesus, you may find yourself in the middle of a difficult family situation. Unbelieving relatives, especially immediate family members, may place intense pressure on you to withdraw from your faith entirely or to diminish your church involvement and obedience to Christ. If you have experienced this quandary – from your…
Read MoreStrengthening Our Churches
John’s six-verse letter to the Ephesian church in Revelation 2 gave several commendations to a fifty-year old congregation. They labored diligently for the cause of Christ, willingly suffered for their faith, remained steadfast despite their trials, decisively defended the truth, and separated themselves from worldly influences. The church of Ephesus looked like many of our…
Read MoreWorship Thoughts
Worship of the true God is the most noble act that mankind can do. Worship is the specific act of a Christian bowing before God (either literally or in the heart), ascribing to our God the fact that He alone is God, and that we worship Him for the perfections of His character and for…
Read MoreWhat’s So Special about “Special Music?”
My experience within fundamentalism began about 26 years ago. This is when I first remember hearing the idea of “special music” in church services. That term was and is used by churches to refer to a vocal soloist or other vocal piece sung by someone other than the congregation. Rarely are instrumental songs referred to…
Read MoreWhy Come to Church on Wednesday Night?
With this post, we conclude a four-part series by the pastors of Life Point Baptist Church in Apple Valley, CA. The ministry at Life Point Baptist Church is typical of many independent Baptist churches, but no two churches have exactly the same format for their weekly meetings. We offer this series not as a formula…
Read MoreWhy Do We Have a Sunday Night Service?
This post is part 3 of a 4 part series on why you should consider attending more than one church service each week. Part 1 offered five foundational reasons we should be as involved in the life of the church as possible. Pastor Kris followed with part 2, which detailed why we offer Sunday school…
Read MoreTempted to Quit? Do You Know Why You Shouldn’t?
Matt Recker Church attendance is dropping nationwide. Many think they are perfectly justified. They offer many excuses, but here are some common ones: “Someone said or did something to hurt me deeply.” “I’ve got new interests.” “I don’t like how the church treats people.” “I’m not being fed” or “the church is not meeting my…
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