This is a public forum to share ideas, ask questions, and reflect on being a pastor in the CRC.
Phillip 
Pastor Church 
Vibrant
Staci
Sam
This book is a great resource for preachers who want to preach on the women found in the Gospels.
This fall we are following the WE Covenant teaching series produced by Faith Alive Christian Resources. Accordingly, I'd like to preach on biblical covenants while we explore them through the WE program.
If there’s one disadvantage to knowing Bible stories, it’s that they don’t always surprise us anymore. Take the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. That Jesus’ clothes become dazzling white and that Moses and Elijah show up...
As a pastor, I don’t like anonymous notes. I wished you had signed your name. Here’s why.
Preaching should mostly be about saying something nice, but not at the cost of saying nothing at all in case the soundness of the faith is threatened.
The Center for Excellence in Preaching provides many helpful resources for preaching.
I confess--when I had to write down in my sermon log book what I had preached the day or two previous--sometimes it happened I'd find myself with my pen poised over the log book page and I could not recall the sermon...
Preachers help us cross that hermeneutical bridge between the text, and what it means for us today.
It's the same for all ages: we want to be liked. We are not proud of trying to look good. Still, the approval of people around us has its lure.
As you visualize in your mind the scene in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth, what picture comes immediately to mind?
We have had a non-CRC pastor (fully ordained with masters of divinity, cleared by classis, and submitting to our classically appointed councilor) helping us out. A member suggested that it is improper for this pastor to raise his hands during blessings or benedictions...
In Scripture, we see YHWH triumphing over pagan gods. Are there any books or articles that compare/contrast the various Greco-Roman gods with the ministry of Jesus?
As a pastor, one of the greatest joys I’ve had in the pulpit has been precisely in uncovering the real stories of Scripture, especially the ones that got sanitized in Sunday School or Christian dayschools.
“...the use of themes and sermon series is the new wave in 21st century congregational worship." But then I wondered. Are all series or themes equal? What makes for a good series?
Have you ever talked about immigration from the pulpit? The Office of Social Justice invites you to participate in the Immigration Preaching Challenge as a way to respond to God's call to be truth tellers.
Few, if any, students arrive at Calvin Seminary thinking they already know theology very well. But some do arrive at seminary convinced they already know how to preach...
There are many different scenarios in which the name or title is important. We might base decisions on which books to read or movies to see based upon a name. But what about sermons, how important is the name?
I’m a huge fan of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Lately I've seen a trend where sermons focus on the older brother instead of on the grace and forgiveness shown to the younger brother.
The CRC is blessed with immigrant pastors and members who stand strong and speak up for more welcoming attitudes. Read sermons from the finalists of the Immigration Preaching Challenge!
This text was rather difficult to preach in the wake of a week of violence. Yet as it turns out, this very text was precisely what a broken, hurting world and church just might need to hear.
Back in the late 1990s shortly after I published a little book called Remember Creation, I was invited to give five morning lectures on creation stewardship at a Christian Bible camp north of Seattle.
Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Seminary recently published his book The Miracles of Jesus: How the Savior's Mighty Acts Serve as Signs of Redemption.
Talk to anyone from the world of seminary admissions/recruitment today and you will hear the same story: enrollment numbers for seminaries are down across the board.