Pastoral Resources

Answering God’s Call: Living for a Greater Cause

lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:44+00:00

By Whaid Rose LIVING IN A FALLEN WORLD The sobering reality of life in a fallen world confronts us early in Scripture. In Genesis 4 we find a homicide, and by chapter 6 we read this sad commentary: Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart (verses 5-6). At that point it would have been justifiable for God to wipe the slate clean [...]

Answering God’s Call: Living for a Greater Causelisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:44+00:00

Do You Turn Away From God When You Are Hurting?

lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:36+00:00

By Lisa Harp Hinds Have you noticed that it seems so many Christians are turning away from God and the church lately? What makes us do that? Why do we separate from the One and the ones who care about us? First, let’s think of what the church really is. I Corinthians 12: 27-28 tells us that we “are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church…..” Verse 28 goes on to list gifts such as apostles, prophets, teachers, administrators, etc. In other words, each of us has a gift and a place to serve. Plus, we need each other [...]

Do You Turn Away From God When You Are Hurting?lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:36+00:00

Compassion for the Masses: 6 Lessons Gleaned from a Busy Day of Ministry with Jesus

lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:18+00:00

By Whaid Rose Of the miracles of Jesus, the feeding of the five thousand is the only one recorded in detail in all four gospels. None was quite as public, performed in front of so many witnesses. According to Mark’s account (6:30-44), it happened serendipitously. Needing to get away from the crowd, Jesus withdrew (with His disciples) to a quiet place (verse 31). This highlights the first of several principles in this story: Solitude and rest are essential to effective ministry. But word got out; the people found them. And how did Jesus react? He welcomed them, highlighting another important principle: Ministry [...]

Compassion for the Masses: 6 Lessons Gleaned from a Busy Day of Ministry with Jesuslisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:18+00:00

Learning to Love Those You Serve

lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:55+00:00

By Josiah Robles John opens his first epistle by defending and establishing the understanding of the humanity of Christ. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life…” (1 John 1:1). 1 John is making the bold statement that Christ is, in fact, both eternal with the Father and has come to Earth as a human to unite us with the Father, “…and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3b). As described by [...]

Learning to Love Those You Servelisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:55+00:00

Why We Need Administration in Church Ministries

lisaauthor2026-08-06T20:49:04+00:00

By Kristin Gonzalez In middle school, I learned a valuable lesson about administration and leadership. I had a science teacher who engaged us in hands-on science projects and experiments. Within her classroom, I learned about the scientific method, photosynthesis, and leadership. I vividly remember her telling me she was placing two boys in a group with me for a hot air balloon project. She also informed me that I was the group leader. We were to create a hot air balloon out of tissue paper that would soar to the heights of the gym ceiling. I was very excited about another great [...]

Why We Need Administration in Church Ministrieslisaauthor2026-08-06T20:49:04+00:00

5 Reasons the Church Needs Administration

lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:55+00:00

By Loren Gjesdal We have all heard complaints about bureaucratic red tape (and maybe voiced those complaints ourselves!). Usually these complaints relate to our interactions with local government, but what about the church? Is church administration just a brake on ministry innovation? Do policies and procedures sap energy and resources better used elsewhere? There are at least 5 reasons why we need proper church administration. When done right, church administration is essential for accomplishing the heart of any effective church ministry—equipping discipleship. CHURCH ADMINISTRATION AND MISSIONAL VISION Effective ministry innovation requires well thought out and communicated missional vision. Why do we do what we do? Why [...]

5 Reasons the Church Needs Administrationlisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:55+00:00

5 Misconceptions About Christian Education

lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:18+00:00

By Brian Franks There are several misconceptions about Christian Education out there. Below are five of the most common ones. #1—CHRISTIAN EDUCATION IS JUST ABOUT MEMORIZING INFORMATION Some think Christian education is just about memorizing and repeating information about God and religion. However, this does not describe any good Christian education, whether in the local church or at a ministry training college. Good Christian education is not about stating information and students parroting it back for a grade. Rather, proper Christian Education is transformational. The goal is for the student to be transformed into a mature believer in God who understands their calling and gifts. The student should be able to [...]

5 Misconceptions About Christian Educationlisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:18+00:00

The Doctrine of the Incarnation: A Historical Exploration-Part 3

lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:41+00:00

By Israel Steinmetz The Christian orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation makes a rather stunning and unique claim. This doctrine states that the eternal Son of God became a human being, maintaining a divine nature and a human nature within one Person. He lived a physical life, died a physical death, and was resurrected. Such a claim stands out from all other religious claims. This series we have set out to thoroughly examine the doctrine of Incarnation. In part one we addressed the doctrine’s biblical basis. Part two chronicled its historic development including related heresies and controversies. Now we will explore its current standing among evangelicals. [...]

The Doctrine of the Incarnation: A Historical Exploration-Part 3lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:41+00:00

The Doctrine of the Incarnation: A Historical Exploration-Part 2

lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:41+00:00

By Israel Steinmetz The Christian orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation makes a rather stunning and unique claim. This doctrine states that the eternal Son of God became a human being, maintaining a divine nature and a human nature within one Person. He lived a physical life, died a physical death, and was resurrected. Such a claim stands out from all other religious claims. This three part series thoroughly examines the doctrine of Incarnation. In part one we investigated the doctrine’s biblical basis. Now we will chronicle its historic development including related heresies and controversies. GROWTH OF THE DOCTRINE FROM AD 30 – 451: [...]

The Doctrine of the Incarnation: A Historical Exploration-Part 2lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:41+00:00

The Doctrine of the Incarnation: A Historical Exploration-Part 1

lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:42+00:00

By Israel Steinmetz The Christian orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation makes a rather stunning and unique claim. This doctrine states that the eternal Son of God became a human being, maintaining a divine nature and a human nature within one Person. He lived a physical life, died a physical death, and was resurrected. Such a claim stands out from all other religious claims. Through nearly two thousand years of Church history much ink has been spilled over the doctrine of the Incarnation. Building on the foundation of references in the Gospels and the epistles, the early church debated for nearly five [...]

The Doctrine of the Incarnation: A Historical Exploration-Part 1lisaauthor2026-08-06T21:02:42+00:00

Pastoral Resources

Contact Info