Are you a pastor? Church leader? Employee for a Christian non-profit? Every Monday, this is your hot spot for ministry news and resources. Enjoy! And know that we pray for you!
By our attitude to prayer we tell God that what was begun in the Spirit we can finish in the flesh. What church ever asks its candidating ministers what time they spend in prayer? Yet ministers who do not spend (time) in prayer are not worth a dime a dozen, degrees or no degrees.
—Leonard Ravenhill, When Revivial Tarries
Blog post: Listening to and Questioning the Seeker Church
Orange County used to be the land of the megachurches. For this reason, Kevin DeYoung’s article is an especially helpful read:
I’m not sure how to move forward with the impasse between the YRR world and the church growth world. No doubt, there are unfortunate stereotypes on both sides. For our part, we could learn from our seeker church brethren when it comes to administration, strategy, being honest about stagnation and lack of evangelism, and being sensitive to the way we are perceived by outsiders. We can be intellectually snobbish and blissfully unconcerned about whether the church grows, reproduces, or multiplies.
As for those on the seeker church side: I encourage you to read ten theological books for every business book. I encourage you trust in the word of God to do the work of God. I encourage you to listen not just to this culture of Christians, but to the centuries of Christians that have come before. I encourage you to explicitly, unapologetically love theology and teach your people to do the same. I encourage you to worship in such a way that it won’t be out of date in five years. I encourage you to use the language of Zion instead of the language of Collins. I encourage you to proclaim, not just to communicate.
Interview: Tullian Tchividjian (with Christianity Today)
An interview with Tullian Tchividjian on how he survived a tumultuous church merger by finding rest in the liberating power of the gospel.
Preaching: Top 10 Preaching Mistakes
David Murray (PRTS) offers 10 common preaching mistakes, especially for new preachers:
- Cramming
- Skimming
- Floating
- Proof-texting
- Quoting
- Lecturing
- Assuming
- Confusing
- Spraying
- Complicating
Click through to see each an explanation for each.
Video: Quantity of Disciples or Quality of Discipleship?
Great discussion between Matt Chandler, James MacDonald. and Mark Dever:
One Comment on "Resources for Ministry (10/24)"
Thanks for sharing these. These weekly posts are always helpful.