Throughout 2022, I led our church staff and elders through an intentional process of ensuring our positions on several topics and cultural issues were documented for the sake of consistency and clarity. We already had a statement of faith that captures the core doctrines of our church, a beautiful statement that originated with John Stott,…
Theology
4 Most Common Comments from “Regular People” About Studying Theology
In the summer of 2020, I led an online theology class for people in the church I pastor. I was blown away that over 1000 people engaged in the class, asked thoughtful questions, and walked through the material each week. We used a theological text book as our reading, and explored a different “ology” each…
4 Reasons to Consider Theological Education While Serving on Church Staff
When I was a college student, the Lord made it clear to me that He wanted me to serve His church for the rest of my life. In college I knew I was going to be a pastor. In fact, I became a pastor while in college and started working on staff at a church…
3 Ways Ministry Leaders Must Lead Theologically
Without the Word of God, a ministry has nothing transformational to offer because the Lord uses His truth to change hearts and sanctify people. If leaders are not consumed with the Word, ministry will be shallow and discipleship will be scarce. Ministry leaders must care deeply about what the church believes about God. They must…
Two Leadership Insights from Two Theologians
I recently was honored to facilitate a discussion on Theology and Leadership at a Southern Seminary alumni luncheon with two seminary professors and theologians: Dr. Bruce Ware and Dr. Tom Schreiner. As facilitator, I chose a few doctrines and asked Dr. Ware and Dr. Schreiner how a proper understanding of these doctrines should impact how…
Three Thoughts on Developing a Theology of Programming
Discipleship is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus. As we behold the glory of Christ, He transforms us into His image with ever-increasing glory. Of this, the apostle Paul wrote: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces,…
The Power of Asking the Right Question
The following is by Michael Kelley. Michael is director of discipleship at LifeWay Christian Resources and the author of Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal and Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School and lives with his wife and three kids in Nashville, Tenn. This…