Tag Archives: Leadership

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.

The Destiny of Those Who Die in Infancy

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Introduction In this paper an attempt will be made to show what the Bible teaches about the destiny of those who die in infancy. In order to accomplish this purpose, the major views on this subject will be presented followed by an examination of the biblical material. The Major Views Infants who die in infancy unbaptized do not go to heaven: In Roman Catholic theology there is no official dogma on the destiny of dead unbaptized infants. Nevertheless, the weight of tradition teaches that they go to a place called limbo, which is neither heaven nor hell, a place of natural happiness but without full communion with God.

Waving the Flag, Part II

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What is happening today is not new, and it is not isolated to only a few rare incidents. Let us note and learn from some examples from the past. Andover Seminary. Andover was started in 1807–1808 because a Unitarian had been appointed as professor of theology at Harvard. Every attempt was made to safeguard the new school’s orthodoxy. Yet within 75 years, the school’s faculty was promoting views way out of line with traditional orthodoxy, and during its 100th anniversary year—1908—it became identified with and moved back to the Harvard campus!

Third Generation Christians

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“And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers; and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel” Joshua 2:10. Regarding those who may be described as third generation Christians, they appear that way not so much by numerical succession as by attitude. A fifth generation believer may maintain the freshness of his salvation and discovery. A second generation believer may leave the convictions of his parents, take everything for granted, and thereby compress decades of Christian experience into a fraction of a lifetime.

Helping Your Local Church to Prosper

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Often when church growth issues are discussed, they are looked at from the perspective of the pastor. The responsibility for a church’s prosperity, however, rests with each church member as well, and we want to look at ways that all of us can be of help to our local churches. Actually, church growth is not the ultimate goal—having a spiritually healthy church should be our focus. Growth is often the result of a church being in good spiritual condition so that God can bless it.

The Doctrine of the Church and Its Identifying Marks

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There is much confusion these days over what the Bible teaches about the church. Here at Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary we are often asked what we believe in this area, and we are glad for the opportunity to set forth our convictions. There is much more that could be said about the church but these comments reflect our basic understanding of what the Scriptures teach. Significance We believe that the doctrine of the church is just as significant as any of the other grand teachings of Scripture.

Biblical Unity

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The local church is not a building made of mortar, nor a human society, nor an informal gathering of believers, nor a club. Rather, it is a group of professing baptized believers in Christ who have organized themselves for the purpose of doing God’s will. In effect, the local church is the sum total of all the believers in the assembly, not just the leaders or the uniquely gifted. The actual work of the church is not to be conducted by the “clergy,” some paid professionals, or by a select few.

The Danger of Drifting

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I. The Principle of Drifting Every organization sooner or later faces the danger of losing its founding focus and of moving away from the distinctive characteristics, priorities, and convictions which brought it into existence. Some of the factors which help to bring this about are Time, Size, and Affluence. The longer an organization is in existence and the larger and more prosperous it becomes, the greater the tendency to shift the organizational emphasis and one’s loyalty from the original distinctive convictions to support for and loyalty to the organization itself.

Pastoral Direction and Congregational Motivation

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One of the factors that contributes to spiritual and numerical growth in a congregation is that of the direction given by the pastor. Perhaps we need a new pastoral determinism in our churches today. There appears to be a great deal of wishing and hoping, but little wise planning. I’ve heard some of the expressions (and I have used some myself) such as, “We need new blood in this church. We need more motivation. We need new programs. We need a shot in the arm.

Followers of Faithful Men

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Two verses of scripture from Hebrews have been used and perhaps sometimes misused in the context of spiritual followership. Hebrews 13:7 reads, “Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” An understanding of this verse is vital to our appreciation of leadership and followership. We are reminded that a leader has the responsibility of providing direction. He is told that he is to rule.