Category Archives: Ecclesiology

Why Should Missionaries Attend Seminary?

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Missionaries should attend seminary because they ought to train well for the challenges on the mission field. The apostle Paul, the greatest missionary in the history of the church, certainly was well trained. His life and accomplishments would constitute an impressive resume, which would include the following: apostle personally called by Christ, theologian par excellence, and published author whom the Holy Spirit used to pen some of the letters included in the Bible—the world’s all-time best seller, with an estimated two and a half billion copies sold since 1815.

Secondary Ecclesiastical Separation

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The Board of Directors of Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary published in both the college and seminary catalogs a document entitled Historic Position Statement. In it the reader is told, “Since mid-century, the school has taught secondary ecclesiastical separation.” It is the purpose of this article to try to explain what is meant by this term, to examine several biblical passages traditionally used to defend this view, and to provide an example of this practice in a contemporary situation.

Mission Statement: Conformity or Conviction?

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“At First Baptist Church we are committed to…” “Our mission is…” Do you have such a statement in print or posted at your church? If any organization should have a mission statement, it would be a local church. But a mission statement must be more than an implementation of a popular trend, as one book on church evaluation reminds us: “For some organizations, including congregations, vision statements are just so much window dressing. Like earlier ventures into management by objectives and strategic planning, formulating vision statements can function primarily as a ritual—a rather empty one—that a congregation engages in because other organizations and congregations are doing it, or because a denomination requires it, or because the congregation’s leaders think it might be a good idea.

Selecting a Seminary

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Are you in the process of selecting a seminary? Do you know someone who is? Do you regularly give advice to potential seminarians as they work their way through the selection process? You probably will not be surprised to learn that I recommend Faith Baptist Theological Seminary (FBTS) to potential seminarians. Very simply, all those who desire to train for ministry within Baptist fundamentalism should consider attending FBTS. I propose three reasons why you and others should consider FBTS. First, FBTS provides advanced academic training and grants degrees that are regionally accredited.

Are Separatists Divisive?

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Are separatists divisive? The answer is “yes” when they are disobedient with reference to character. The answer is “no” with reference to content. What does this mean? Romans 16:17 explains this seeming contradiction. “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” As Paul concludes the letter he wrote to the church at Rome, he grabs our attention by a dramatic change of mood. For 14 verses (Romans 16:3–16), Paul has been greeting and commending faithful believers.

The Missionary Wife

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Introduction More and more women are graduating from Faith Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of these women are going on to serve the Lord on foreign fields. Praying believers in American churches should have an accurate picture of the lives that their missionary wives are living. We often pray for the ministry needs of our missionaries in response to their regular prayer letters and e-mail updates. However, rarely do we think to pray for the missionary wives and for the personal and family challenges that they face.

Baptists and the Body of Christ

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All Baptists believe that the local church is central to God’s work in this age. This belief is based upon 1Timothy 3:1–15, where officers of the church are described as bishop (verses 1–7) and deacons (verses 8–13) and their qualifications are given. Paul writes to them, “That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (verse 15). Here the local church is described as “the house of God” and as church of the living God” because it is in and through the local church that God is actively working.

Incarnational Preaching

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Incarnation is most often discussed as a theological term describing God’s Son, Jesus Christ, clothing Himself with humanity. John’s description of the Incarnation is, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”1 Jesus was God living temporarily among men in a human body, for the purpose of revealing God and His redemption plan to mankind. Paul’s more vivid discussion of Christ’s incarnation was, “Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”2 

Doing Worship God’s Way

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Our faith is an internal faith. Contrary to our natural predispositions to focus on the external and evaluate everything by the visible, God focuses on our hearts. No wonder the supreme goal of the believer is to glorify God. This magnificent theme echoes and reechoes throughout Scripture. All other goals and aspirations, as vital as they are, simply serve God’s glory. But how does one glorify God? He created man to have fellowship with Him (Col. 1:16), and we are His purchased possession (1 Cor.

Doing Church God’s Way

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Issues of church government continue to dominate much of the thinking and practice of contemporary churches. Misconceptions concerning roles of congregations, deacons, and pastors reduce churches to confusion, conflict, and inertia. Several key questions arise that demand answers. Why do we need church leaders in the first place? Some argue that if Christ is truly Head of His Church, and if all believers are Spirit-controlled, organization is superfluous. Others believe that organization is death to a “spiritual” ministry. But a biblically-defined government is mandated for the following reasons: 1.