A blog designed to develop missional leaders
Through living and ministering in a variety of different cultures and contexts, I have seen the Lord’s Supper (or “Communion”) celebrated in many different ways. One of the most perplexing things for me through the years is seeing how ministers and certain churches decide who to include and exclude in this Sacrament. Some only allow... Continue Reading →
By: Derwin L. Gray You can read the original article in Christianity Today – April 20, 2015 There’s a massive difference between being a great communicator and being a great communicator of the gospel. This article is for fellow preachers because I care about Jesus, his church, reaching the lost, and discipleship. I want to... Continue Reading →
The following article was written by our General Superintendents and first appeared on the denominational website: http://www.nazarene.org The Glory Barn is the original Church of the Nazarene in Los Angeles, California Wilderness seasons like COVID-19 are opportunities for reviewing our core identity as a church – our denominational DNA, as it were. Getting back to... Continue Reading →
By: Ingrid Jocholá Who likes to wait? Waiting is the worst. We want everything to be instantaneous. We often pray for years for people to know the Lord, but in the end we give them up as lost causes because we believe that the response has dragged on longer than we can wait. We must... Continue Reading →
*This article was originally published in Christianity Today. Our church is located in the second-most affluent county in the state of Tennessee. As a new pastor in the area, I struggled to discern the most helpful ways our church could serve our city. We aren’t a megachurch, so our resources are limited. Random acts of... Continue Reading →
By: Rev. Craig Shepperd In the 2000 comedy hit, Meet the Parents, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller’s character) meets his future in-laws for the first time. Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) wants to make sure Greg is worthy of his daughter. Jack lays out several tests for Greg to pass to insure he is capable of... Continue Reading →
By: Rev. Craig Shepperd In my previous post I presented the church-going habits of multiple generations. I also proposed the possibility that, for some, perhaps their lack of attendance is less a statement of their faith, and more of a statement about an overall discontentment of “doing church.” As suggested before, these days of the... Continue Reading →
By: Rev. Craig Shepperd The current younger generations take a lot of flack concerning their lack of church attendance. I would agree to some degree it is concerning, but I think it is also a bit unfair. Here are two reasons why: Church attendance or even a lack thereof, does not ensure spiritual health. Diana... Continue Reading →
By: Rev. Craig Shepperd In my previous article, I reflected on the church being minimized to our own individualistic pursuits. This “Church of Claus” approach interferes with the hope that worship becomes an audience of one (God), thus ultimately stunting our spiritual growth. Today, I want to continue down this same path. There is quite... Continue Reading →
By: Rev. Craig Shepperd Often the Christian life is approached as if it is an individual pursuit. There is very little thought given as to how the body of believers might enhance one’s spiritual well-being. Furthermore, the Church (like God) has been demoted in the life of the Christian, functioning as some institutional Santa Claus.... Continue Reading →
