What is the Role of the Deacon?

Deacons serve different purposes in different churches. Some churches have deacons which act as an authority over the Pastor. The deacons are the final decision makers and nothing significant may be done in the church without their approval. In other churches, the Deaconship is more of a title. The men who hold the office are relatively uninvolved in the happenings of the church, other than attending an occasional meeting. They may function only as the rule of advisor to the Pastor. The passage from which we gain insight into the role and responsibilities of a Deacon is I Timothy 3:8-13. … Continue reading →

What About the Pastor’s Wife?

People vary in their opinions of what a Pastor’s wife should and should not do in the church. Many people feel that she should be heavily involved in the women’s ministries in the church. Some go so far as to expect her to coordinate the nursery, the kitchen and the mission’s closet. I, however, have a different view of the role of the Pastor’s wife. I believe it is unfair for church members to have their own job description for the Pastor’s wife for several reasons: 1. The Pastor’s wife is not an employee of the church. Though she may … Continue reading →

A Flock’s Responsibility to Their Shepherd

Scripture gives us a clear picture of the duties of the Shepherd, or, Pastor of a church. His responsibilities are outlined for us in Ezekiel 34:2-6. However, the Pastor, simply because he is an “employee” of the church, is not the only one who bears any responsibility. There are two primary verses in scripture which refer to our duty, as laymen and women, to our Pastor. “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.” Hebrews 13:7 The world is full of authority … Continue reading →

A Pastor’s Responsibility to His Flock

Ezekiel 34:2-6 gives us a picture of a Pastor’s responsibility to his congregation. The passage gives us both the “do’s” and the “don’ts” of a Pastor’s ministry. “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?…but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again … Continue reading →

10 Advantages to Being Part of a Small Church

Here are ten great advantages to being a part of a small church: 1. Personal relationship with the Pastor. Many times in very large churches you don’t have the opportunity to get to know your pastor or pastors as individuals. They often appear on the platform and perhaps at the door on your way out. Conversely, in a small church you have the opportunity to get to know your pastor. You can get together for meals and share your burdens one on one with the Shepherd of your church. 2. More opportunities for service. In a small church, there are … Continue reading →

10 Advantages to Being Part of a Large Church

There are many wonderful advantages to being part of a large church, here are ten: 1. Programs for all ages. A wonderful advantage to a large church is that there are programs for every age group. From the nursery to the youth group to the senior saints, every person has a class that fits them individually. 2. Others with like interests. In a larger church you can find families that are in your situation. Whether you are adoptive parents, childless or a single parent, finding people with which you can relate comes easier than in a smaller church. 3. High … Continue reading →

A Child’s Prayer Blooper

Wednesday night at our church is a time of Bible study and prayer. After we spend about twenty minutes in Bible study, the service is opened up to the congregation. People who have needs for prayer will share them with the rest of the church during this time. If someone has a need, but does not want to specify the nature of it, they will say only that they have an “unspoken” prayer request. After we get all of the prayer requests, we pray together either as a church, as families, or with prayer partners. On one such evening my … Continue reading →

How to Keep Your Kids Quiet in Church

When our oldest child was just over two years old, we decided to try to keep him in the church service, rather than sending him to the nursery. At first, two seems like a pretty young age to get a child to sit still for forty-five minutes at a time, but we had seen other children who were younger than him do it, so we decided, “Why not give it a try?” To some, it may sound cruel that we would make our budding toddler sit through a service, but we felt that it was an excellent time to teach … Continue reading →

How Does an Independent Church Find a New Pastor?

At the beginning of this year, the Pastor of our church resigned. Many of the church members felt that his resignation had been coming for a long time. The church has been in a “slump” lately. It was pretty obvious that people in the church were getting discouraged with the lack of growth in numbers and, perhaps, spiritually. Our Pastor has been in our church for thirteen years, so he has had a strong influence on the style and tone of the service, as well as the attitudes of people in the church. Since it is an Independent Baptist Church, … Continue reading →

The Words

The words. The words of the songs I sing each Sunday in my worship of the Lord, the Creator of the universe. The words. Do the words I sing matter? Do I know what words I am singing? Do I really need to understand the meaning of all those words? Do I really need to understand the meaning of what I am singing? Does it really matter if I am paying attention to the words that are coming off my lips? I strongly believe that the words of the songs I sing in worship matter. It is important that the … Continue reading →