The Center for Church Planting @RTSCharlotte: Some Exciting Upcoming Events
Back in Fall of 2016, RTS Charlotte launched the Center for Church Planting (CCP) and it has been exciting to see how God has blessed and grown it since. You can read original press release here.
The purpose of the CCP is to become a national and international resource for the planting of Reformed churches committed to the authority of Scripture, the centrality of preaching, and the great commission. It specializes in training future pastors for the unique challenges, complexities, and opportunities that church planters face.
The CCP offers a Master of Divinity emphasis in church planting, specialized internships, mentoring by seasoned church planters, and generous scholarship support. In … Continue reading...
Five Reasons to Include Women on Your Church Staff
A couple of weeks ago, here at the RTS Charlotte campus, my wife Melissa (see her blog here) and I gave a lunchtime presentation on the topic of “Why Churches Should Hire More Women on Staff.”
The desire to talk about this issue was motivated by several things. For one, Melissa has served in a paid staff position (part-time) in women’s ministry for about a decade. And so, part of the discussion was her reflections on serving on a church staff and how that has shaped her thinking on this issue.
The second reason for discussing this topic is because of what is happening here at the Charlotte campus. … Continue reading...
Spurgeon: Ministers, You are the Public Clock of Our World
Every couple of years, I try to re-read two books that have been very formative for my thinking on life in the ministry. One is Richard Baxters’ The Reformed Pastor, perhaps the most convicting book ever written (other than the Bible). Each year, after reading it, I am tempted to draw up my resignation, drop out of the ministry, and go sell carpet or something.
The other book, is Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students, a veritable goldmine of advice and instruction for those of us in ministry (or heading there). Spurgeon covers a wide range of issue from the call to the ministry all the way to pulpit … Continue reading...
Is It a Waste of Time for Seminary Students (and Pastors) to Learn the Biblical Languages?
Note: I post the article below every year as seminary students arrive. I hope it will prove helpful for a new group of readers (or maybe even prior ones!)
A few weeks ago, a new crop of seminary students began the grueling month-long experience of Summer Greek. And, like all seminary students before them, they will begin to ask the question of why studying these ancient languages even matters. After all, a few years after graduation all will be forgotten. In the midst of a busy pastoral life, who could possibly maintain proficiency in the languages?
As a result of these questions, some students decide (very early on) that the … Continue reading...
The Importance of Being a Pastor’s Wife
Since we live in a world that doesn’t view pastoral ministry as a high calling, it is probably no surprise that many do not view pastor’s wives as having a high calling either (including some pastor’s wives!).
I suppose there are many reasons why this is the case. Some people have an image in their head of what a pastor’s wife looks like (or should look like) and they simply don’t want that for themselves. Perhaps others think being a pastor’s wife means certain things it doesn’t necessarily mean. And others are probably wary of a life where you are often scrutinized, watched, and maybe even critiqued.
For all these … Continue reading...