I have been the pastor of the Lebanon Christian Reformed Church for 5.5 years. Now I'm serving as the pastor of the Forest Grove CRC in rural Hudsonville, MI. I am married with two children. We have an outdoor dog and a rabbit.
Exercise, reading, foosball, strategy games. Also, history, politics, some popular science is always fun.
Bible studies and discussion groups have their place, but in the context of the worship service, the authoritative Word of God (yes, from a pulpit) cannot be replaced by a discussion, however insightful. I would like a discussion on this topic. Maybe there is something I have overlooked.
Thanks for posting, Chelsey! I agree with you that Synod would be well served by including some times of silence. The Bible has a few things to say about speaking too quickly and too often...
I like the idea in many ways. Ecclesiastical piracy is a problem in the United States (Canada too?). However, I suppose that every pastor that splits a congregation in order to plant a "better"...
Lived through it. Have the T-shirt. It seems to me like there is an absence of the Spirit. I don't know how else to explain why it is that the local congregation most often acts like a service...
When I entered Calvin Seminary, the great majority of candidates accepted calls by August (many had multiple calls).
After I graduated Calvin Seminary four years later (2005), the...
We struggle in this area too. It's hard to get "no"s. One thing that might help, indeed is helping, is improving the meetings so that word gets out that they are much better than they perhaps...
Going back to the top, about pastors' reports to elders, I'll just share what I do for comparison. I give a one-page bullet-point outlined report. I fill in the points by going through my "brain...
Amen Paul!
We all seem to be blessedly in agreement that our mission is to see Christ formed in people and the question is how that is best done today or any day. I would think that the...
I like your idea, Gary,
We have dabbled in the Sunday afternoon service a time or two as we are a rural congregation and folks drive a ways to come, but we have stuck with evening service...
I loved the video too! As a traditional kind of guy, it scratched a particular itch that I have. Something has always bugged me about contemporary worship but I have been hard-pressed to put it...
That's a very good question, Mike.
I tend to agree with the Crown folks. However, I have no idea how I will be able to stick to 10% of my take-home pay for tithe and still send my kids...