Some people think that the idea of church membership is outdated, too rigid or constraining, optional, or totally unnecessary. Yet David Platt says, “You cannot be a disciple of Christ and you cannot fully make disciples of Christ apart from total commitment to a local church.” And Matt Chandler explains that, “local church membership is a…
The shepherding motif is a powerful biblical theme and provides many implications for church leaders. Why discuss shepherding with church leadership? First, it is a prominent Old Testament theme attached to leadership as God is the shepherd and leaders are to be his representative undershepherds (Ps 23, Ezk 34). Second, Jesus is the good shepherd…
Empirical research on leadership reveals that ministers place great significance on calling. This brief review will organize thoughts from ministry leaders about the importance of calling into three categories 1) calling in general, 2) the internal call to ministry, and 3) external calling. The Importance of Ministry Calling Recent research on pastoral development demonstrates the…
Scholars have defined and categorized the call to ministry in various ways. Jeff Iorg defines calling as a “profound impression from God that establishes parameters for your life.”[1] Iorg explains three types of call experiences as 1) the universal call to Christian service and growth, 2) the general call to ministry leadership, and 3) the…
I am currently reading an excellent book by Dann Spader called 4 Chair Discipling. In this book, Spader takes a look at Jesus’ life and ministry and pulls out principles for us to strive for as we seek to make disciples. Each chair represents a stage in the growth process in the Christian life. Spader…
In his book, One to One Bible Reading, David Helm goes through a very helpful acronym called “COMA” It is a meditation type of technique to help you slow down and write out the things you are learning as you read the Bible. It stands for Context, Observation, Meaning, and Application. This is a very…
This past weekend we went through our mission, heart, and vision of Grad Group, our group of twentysomethings at Parkview Church. We talked about our core values and what we want to accomplish. We talked about how we see our group fitting into the overall mission of Parkview. We are asking God to to big…
