Tag: Ecclesiology
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Center Church
I picked up Tim Keller‘s newest book, Center Church. It hit the bookstore shelves this morning. I have as yet read only a few chapters. But as expected it is an excellent expression of holistic gospel-centered ministry. In short it is a book about forming a Theological Vision for ministry, and living out that vision…
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Screwtape Meets the “Me Church” Generation
Among C.S. Lewis‘ masterful works is the Screwtape Letters. For those unfamiliar with this book, Screwtape is a fictional senior devil mentoring his nephew, Wormwood, a junior devil, in undermining his “patients” new found spiritual journey. When reading Screwtape Letters it is important to remind yourself that everything is presented from a backward perspective –…
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Mistaken Identity
Like many churches throughout the land, our church is entering into a season of officer nominations. As a presbyterian congregation, specifically, we are inviting the members of our congregation to submit the names of fellow church members who they believe fit the Biblical requirements, found in Titus & 1 Timothy 3, for the offices of Elder…
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Love: The Sixth Mark of the Church
by James M. Boice What is the greatest mark of the Church? I do not mean by this: What is the first mark of the Church, or even, What is the mark that we perhaps most lack? I mean: What is the greatest mark, the one that holds the others together? What is the one…
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Unity: The Fifth Mark of the Church
by James M. Boice The divisions that exist today are too obvious to need comment. They lie both on the surface and within. Battles rage. Even highly praised church mergers not only fail to heal these divisions but also usually lead to further breakups involving those who do not like the new union. So far…
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Mission: The Fourth Mark of the Church
A number of years ago, when the well-known conference speaker Ralph L. Keiper was preaching at a missions conference in Deerfield Street, New Jersey, he told about a little girl who had come to see him early in his ministry. She was about eight years old. She had been to the church’s daily vacation Bible…
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Joy: The First Mark of the Church
by James M. Boice That most of us do not think of joy as a primary characteristic of the Church probably indicates both how little we regard it and how far we have moved from the spirit of the early Church. For if anything characterizes the early Church it is that it was a joyous assembly. …
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Marks of a Healthy Church
Over the next several weeks the leaders of Walnut Hill Church will engage in a number of discussions concerning the health and direction of our church. These discussions will cover a wide range of considerations. Walnut Hill, though a smaller church is in many respects already a healthy congregation. I believe that if we were to…
