In Praise of Home Visitation by the Pastor and the Elders
Pastoral home visitation has moved beyond being an endangered species and now qualifies as officially extinct. It is no longer on life support; it has died.
I still reflect on the biblical wisdom of those Ruling Elders. In fact, it is not too much to say that they played an essential role in my spiritual development as a pastor. We had a relationship that molded and formed me into the type of pastor I needed to be. I remain greatly indebted... Continue Reading
The Mother of All Heresies
How pastoral shipwreck starts long before the scandal goes public.
It is not uncommon for a young man to suddenly get interested in postmillennialism and start pontificating about Christianity and politics while his own life is riddled with sin and falling apart. It’s easier to have convictions about politicians should do in Washington, DC than to fight and kill sin in your own heart. A... Continue Reading
Pray For the New PCA Stated Clerk
The PCA is called to pray for Fred Greco’s faith, family, leadership, and gospel partnership as he begins his tenure as Stated Clerk
Pray that the LORD would bless Fred Greco, his wife, Deb, and his ministry. Might the LORD continue to mature Fred in his faith, in grace, and in his walk with Christ. Pray all these for the glory of our heavenly King, the one true God, Yahweh. As Fred Greco, our new Stated Clerk,... Continue Reading
Three Gauges Every Pastor Should Watch
Burnout can be an overused word, so we should use it carefully and not confuse it with ordinary fatigue.
Many pastors can carry seasons of intense labor without burning out, as long as there’s meaning, support, recovery, and a shared load. Burnout tends to take root when the work becomes unrelenting, when our hearts begin to grow cold, and when we start to believe that our work doesn’t make a difference. So pay attention.... Continue Reading
Carl Trueman’s Royal Elegy: A Confessional Reformed Critique
Over-reliance upon description over prescription reduces scholarship to a mere diagnosis of the disease rather than a theological cure for a godless society.
Even within a deeply pluralized, multi-faith setting, historic Reformed theology does not default to the compromise King Charles has chosen. The civil ruler still bears an office of divinely ordained authority and is morally restricted from using that authority to equate the Christian faith with false religions or to relativize absolute truth claims. The transition... Continue Reading
2. Why Reformed Pastors May Be More Subject to Depression than Others
Our job is to keep fighting while engaged in the long retreat of life.
We are all in a form of retreat while we are in these earthly frames. Our bodies and minds, and sometimes our resolve, weakens. In Scripture, we see godly men like Moses or David or Peter fall into sin late in life. We should not think that our doctrine of progressive sanctification makes us immune... Continue Reading
Something Rotten in the Church?
Reflections on a revealing response.
In my church there are people who think that there should be women elders. There are also people who are not Presbyterian and haven’t a clue what an elder is. I am happy to care for and pastor those who disagree with my view on this – it is not a first order issue. As... Continue Reading
The Church as the Pillar of the Truth
"Adorn the doctrine of God our Savior”.
As to how holy lives and pure doctrine enable the church to be a pillar and buttress of the truth, consider that there simply is no true church without the faithful preaching of God’s Word. As Paul says in another place, “If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received,... Continue Reading
The Ongoing Reformation of the Christian Reformed Church
Synod 2026 met from June 12-18 and its decisions reflect a denomination that is continuing its renewal. Delegates and discussions reflected a settled stance on marriage and sexuality.
In 2021, Neland Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan ordained a deacon in a same-sex marriage. A group of unrenowned pastors and lay leaders started the Abide Project with the goal to maintain biblical sexuality in the CRC. The conflict came to a head in 2022 when the CRC’s annual synod adopted the Human Sexuality... Continue Reading
PCUSA Votes Clergy Monogamy Overture out of Order, Refers for Further Study: ‘Moral Chaos’
Part of the strategy behind the overture was to expose how radically liberal some elements within the PCUSA have become.
The overture and the pushback it received within the increasingly liberal PCUSA prompted national headlines. Three committees in the denomination—the Advocacy Committee for Women and Gender Justice, the Advocacy Committee on LGBTQIA+ Equity and the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy—appended “advice and counsel” against the overture after it was introduced. A committee of... Continue Reading
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