Called is a brand-new resource from Midwestern Seminary and For the Church. The hope is simple: We want to provide engaging resources uniquely suited to help those who may be sensing a call from God toward gospel ministry.
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The Theology in the Everyday series seeks to introduce and explain theological concepts in 500 words or less, with a 200-word section helping explain the doctrine to kids. At For The Church, we believe that theology should not be designated to the academy alone but lived out by faith in everyday life. We hope this series will present theology in such a way as to make it enjoyable, connecting theological ideas to everyday experience and encouraging believers to study theology for the glory of God and the good of the Church.
FTC.co asks Jared C. Wilson, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Spurgeon College and Writer-in-Residence at Midwestern Seminary, what advice he would give a new pastor who already wants to quit.
FTC.co asks Jonathan Leeman, editorial director for 9Marks,”What do most Christians not know about church discipline?”
FTC.co asks Dr. Don Whitney, Professor of Biblical Spirituality at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, “How is the gospel connected to the daily effort in the spiritual disciplines?”
One of the most frequent questions we get relates to how to go about leading change in a church. In this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the potential for negative change in a church — how it happens and how to prevent it — and the process for leading positive change in a church.
On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk all things communion! What does it mean? Who is it for? How should we practice it? And how not to spill the cup on someone’s cream-colored pants.
It doesn’t matter how you start; it’s how you finish that makes the difference. In the season finale of The Heart of Pastoring Podcast, Jared and Ronnie discuss the “why” behind the qualification that pastors not be recent converts, what happens when they are recent converts, and the residual effect on ministers and their churches when there is too much rush of untested men into positions of leadership. Our hosts also take a little stock of their own lives and ministries from their mid-life vantage points and explore what it means to pursue a long track record of faithfulness, a reliable pattern of predictability in ministry, and a good ol’ “veteran-ship” in the faith.
Does anyone go into ministry for the money? Maybe. Jared and Ronnie didn’t think they’d have a lot to say about the pursuit of money — and what the apostle Peter calls “shameful gain” — but they did. And it turns out ministerial greed and shameful gain isn’t just about money. There are other things pastors often succumb to becoming greedy about. In this conversation, our hosts explore the variety of ways pastors pursue discontentment, gluttony for things and experiences, and even how congregations can help pastors avoid financial (and other kinds of) anxiety and unrest.
One of the most frequent questions we get relates to how to go about leading change in a church. In this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the potential for negative change in a church — how it happens and how to prevent it — and the process for leading positive change in a church.
Editor’s Note: This article is taken from the foreword to C. H. Spurgeon’s Sermons: Revival Years – New Park Street Pulpit 1855–1860. Used by permission of Reformation Heritage Books. This collection is now available for purchase. __________ My hope is that every gospel minister will have in his personal library his own complete set of Charles […]
On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk all things communion! What does it mean? Who is it for? How should we practice it? And how not to spill the cup on someone’s cream-colored pants.
In less than two years as a pastor’s wife, I missed one Christmas Eve service and both Easter Sundays. I didn’t volunteer for VBS, I neglected the church’s social media (which very much needed help), and I didn’t step in when the youth group needed a female leader. I had a master’s degree in theology, […]
It’s another installment in the Grab Bag feature, where Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson ask each other two surprise questions for off-the-cuff responses. Tune in and find out what we caught each other off guard about this week.
For many pastors, time spent in formal seminary training is one of the most joyful seasons of life. Most seminary students are in their twenties or early thirties, learning God’s Word and how to walk by faith in all spheres of life. Toward that end I offer here six steps for maximizing the seminary experience. […]
Are you a late to church arriver? Are you a sleep in service attender? Are you a size everybody up fellowshiper? On this episode of the FTC Pod, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the practical, dispositional, and spiritual considerations we should all make in preparing for church — everything from the logistics to getting there on time to the attitude of graciousness towards those worshiping alongside us.
God forbids pastoral domineering but commands instead “being examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:3). Therefore, pastor, whatever you are, your church will eventually become. If you are a loudmouth boaster, your church will gradually become known for loudmouth boasting. If you are a graceless idiot, your church will gradually become known for graceless idiocy. […]
You want your church to be reaching out with the gospel. Your sermons often include a call to evangelize. You’ve held evangelism training events. So . . . where are the conversions? Is your church actually reaching the lost? How do you become a genuinely soul-winning church? On today’s episode of the FTC Podcast, authors and ministers J.A. Medders and Doug Logan join Jared Wilson to talk about their new book The Soul-Winning Church and its six keys to fostering a genuine evangelistic culture in your church.
In this installment of the Mailbag, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson answer questions all submitted via email, including: recommended books for training lay elders, succession plans for senior pastorate, how to know if you’re “gospel-centered” enough, how churches should handle sex offenders who want to be members, the process of disciplining church leaders, and what compromises are appropriate in looking for a church.
