Category Archives: Church

The church on the move: An interview with David Cook

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David Cook, Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College (SMBC) in Croydon, NSW, Australia, recently authored an excellent guide for those wanting to preach through the book of Acts: Teaching Acts (Christian Focus, 2007). Peter Hastie speaks to him about preaching, mission and what the book of Acts has to say about church growth.

Peter Hastie: The book of Acts is said to be a ‘tonic for the soul’. What are some of the things that Luke says are crucial for our spiritual strength and vitality? (more…)

Anglican family

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You can’t split a marshmallow. You can melt it—you can even cut it—but marshmallows are too malleable to be split. Something has to be brittle to split. (more…)

iPod, iSermon, iRighteous?

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“I was listening to a talk by Mark Driscoll the other day, and he said…” In my last two years of working with a congregation of mostly university students and young workers, I have lost count of the number of times I have heard this kind of statement. It represents an increasing trend among Christians — a trend that will only grow as our use of technology continues to expand. Whereas once I had to wait several years for a noted overseas Bible teacher to come to town and preach the word (say at a Katoomba convention), now the wonders of technology mean that, with a few clicks of the mouse, I can have a daily diet of sermons by about anyone from just about anywhere in the world: Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Mark Dever, John Stott, Don Carson, and so on. And I can listen to them not just while I’m sitting at my computer, but while I’m running, driving or sitting on the train. (more…)

Starting with God: The Bible’s guide to ministry training

Everyday Ministry

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There are a range of different opinions on how people should be trained for gospel ministry. But, as Gordon Cheng reveals, the right starting point for ministry training is God and his gospel.

How should Christians be trained in gospel ministry? Some churches are happy to leave the details of this and all related questions to their denominational authorities. As long as their minister is duly appointed, the manner of his training is of secondary interest. Whether it has involved Bible college, some other theological training, or just a lot of practical experience, the question of how they are trained is not an issue that raises a lot of concern. As for going further and training the non-ordained church members, the very suggestion seems alien and out of place. On this view, the job of church members is not so much to be trained as to turn up at church, receive ministry and contribute money. (more…)