Holy Week, Ceremonies, Rituals, and Reformed Churches (Miller)

This time of year it's hard to miss the emphasis on Lent, Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, and so on. Many churches celebrate these rituals and ceremonies - even churches that are not in the Roman Catholic family. Speaking of, for Rome, this time of year means a full assortment of rituals, ceremonies, feasts, fasts, vigils, …

Seminary and Pastoral Character Formation (Miller)

 I'm convinced that face-to-face seminary training is a highly valuable part of the path to gospel ministry.  And of course rigorous studies are a very important part of seminary training.  Future pastors need to know the languages, systematic theology, church history, homiletics, and so forth.  But there is more to seminary than just increasing head …

How Should a Pastor Treat His Wife? (Miller)

A pastor's marriage is a very important part of his life and ministry.  A pastor should be an excellent Christian example of what it means for a husband to serve, cherish, nourish, and love his wife in a humble, Christ-like way.  Samuel Miller (d. 1850) gave some outstanding advice along these lines: As a clergyman …

Pastors Staying Put (Miller)

I've come to appreciate this wise advice Samuel Miller gave to a young pastor laboring in a town called Frederick in 1854.  I've taken the word "Frederick" out of the quote and left it blank so fellow pastors can apply it to their own location: I was especially gratified with the evidence that you begin …