One of the qualifications for a man to serve as an elder or pastor in Christ's church is that he must not be an angry man. If a man in the church has a hot temper or is known to explode in rage he is not elder material. If a hot-headed man wishes to become …
Troublers in the Church (Bridges)
It's not a new occurrence when someone purposely tries to disrupt the unity and peace of a local Christian church. Paul had to deal with the Judaizers (cf. Gal; Phil. 3:2, etc.). John had to warn the church of antichrists and false prophets (1 John). The list goes on. Thankfully I'm not dealing with any …
Pastors and Elders: For You
The biblical work of a Christian pastor is sometimes quite difficult. I'm just noting this in general. I don't have a specific personal situation in mind. Generally speaking, being a pastor isn't cool and it's not an easy, comfortable calling. Not only do pastors sometimes have to shepherd difficult people in difficult circumstances, they also …
Arguments Against Term Eldership
In confessional Reformed and Presbyterian circles, elders are typically elected by the congregation based on the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Although it differs a bit in various Reformed and Presbyterian churches, typically men who are elected to the office of elder serve for several years (i.e. 3), then take several years …
Godly Practices and Pastoral Theology
I love these paragraphs from Martin Bucer's Concerning the True Care of Souls. It starts with a general maxim Bucer sets forth. When people are lax about church practices there is to be found weakness in their Christian lives. This is the principle and general way of strengthening the weak and foolish sheep of Christ. …
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