Tag Archives: ministry

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…)

The strategy of God

Pastoral Ministry

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Just what should we be doing in Christian ministry? Do our churches need a vision document, a mission statement or a strategic plan? Phillip Jensen says that strategy is important, but our job is not to work it out; God has already done that.

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Ministry mind shifts

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If we are going to develop people-focused ministries, certain shifts in our thinking must occur. The fundamental shift consists of moving away from an institutional view of gospel ministry towards a personal view of gospel ministry. We need to stop thinking how to build ministry around structures and start thinking about how to build ministry around people. (more…)

Blast from the only slightly recent past

Resource Talk, Sola Panel

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Have you ever had the experience of reading something you’d written a long time ago and being surprised to meet yourself again? It might be a letter you wrote to your grandmother that she kept and then returned to you (grandmothers do these things), or a diary you scribbled in as a teenager that your mother dragged out of the shoebox in the storeroom, or an impassioned essay you wrote at Uni which you discover as you’re cleaning out the filing cabinet.

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The dangers of valuing preaching

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Can a commitment to expository preaching cause us to deviate from biblical ministry? William Philip draws our attention to three areas where we are likely to shift.

At a preaching conference I attended, there was a bookstall run by some-one from the local Bible college. As I browsed, it struck me that here was a plethora of books on every aspect of what might be called the art or science of biblical preaching: there were books on effective preaching, power preaching, arresting preaching, anointed preaching, Christ-focused preaching, and every other aspect of preaching you could imagine. Many of them—if not all of them—were sound, orthodox, biblical and evangelical, and most of them were probably very helpful books. Nevertheless, as I looked at them, I could not help but feel some disquiet. (more…)

The same thing or the new thing

Up front, Sola Panel

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I once was sitting with the inestimable David Jackman in an airport, which is where we often seem to meet, and I asked him what the big challenges were, looking ahead for The Proclamation Trust. He paused a moment and then said in his characteristically gentle and mellifluous tone, “You know, I think it’s to keep on doing the same thing we’ve been doing for the past 15 years”. (more…)

One-to-one ministry

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It is probably fair to say that most modern Christians would regard the small group and the large public church meeting as the two key activities in their Christian lives. The Sunday church meeting is the public rallying point—the front door of the congregational life—in which newcomers can be welcomed, the word of God preached, the sacraments duly administered, and so on. The small group is the power-house of mutual encouragement and Christian nurture where relationships are formed, where the Word is applied to each person’s life, and where prayer can focus on the particular needs of individuals.

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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…)

Nine reasons to work at one-to-one ministry

Couldn't Help Noticing

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With the help of The Reformed Pastor (written by Richard Baxter) and the Bible (written by God), and in no particular order, I have thought of nine good reasons why Christian leaders and preachers should work hard at one-to-one ministry.
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