Today we begin a new series through the Baptist Catechism. Unfortunately, when many hear (or, in this case, read) the word catechism they think of Roman Catholics. This, as I said, is unfortunate, for the Church has historically used catechisms to teach children and adults the theology of the Scriptures. (If you are interested in looking into the history of catechesis, I recommend this thesis: “A Historical Review of Catechesis: Development, Use, and Disuse” by John Kidd.) Ca

We come to our last post in this series addressing the health of the church. With that, we come to the individual members. Without healthy members, a church cannot be healthy. We are dealing with members of the church, and here we will briefly discuss the role the member plays in the church’s health. Our church, upon reception to membership, asks all members to maintain a covenant. There are four statements that provide the structure of our roles. 1. I will protect the unity

We have looked at Mark Dever’s 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. We looked at Scripture, discussed the practicality and biblical essence of each mark. Now what? We need to heed James’ advice, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22, NIV) In other words, we need to get busy! How can we do this? What practical steps can we put in place to begin this journey to a healthy church? Here are a few practical things we can do, generally s

“And he [Jesus Christ] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God…” writes Paul to the church at Ephesus (Eph. 4:11-13a, ESV). These verses offer us a wealth of information about the leadership of the church. There are a variety of views on leadership, from questioning to outri

What comes to your mind when you hear the word discipleship? I am sure that there are many different images that pop into the minds of those considering this thought. Perhaps there are some who envisage a Buddhist monk with his disciples in the mountains alone. Or, there may be some that think of a cult, where the leader is surrounded by her faithful devotees. Whatever picture comes to your mind, it is important that we consider this question in light of the church. God has c