A week ago I finished a sermon series called “Church As…” The series explored four metaphors that the book of Ephesians uses for church: Bride, temple, family, and body. While all of these metaphors have profound implications, I want to further share my thoughts on church as family. While Christians sometimes speak of the “church family,” the significance of this metaphor is rarely experienced within local congregations. The familial language of church has lost its value in the midst of familiarity. In the earliest days of Christianity this does not seem to be the case. People used the terms “brother” … Read More

One of the primary concerns I hear when discussing the proposition of keeping children in church is that it “won’t work.” The reasons for this seem to be many. Here are three that have been directly said to me: 1) It will be distracting for others in the congregation 2) Kids won’t understand or learn anything in the service. 3) It will prevent the church from growing since their is an expectation for children’s church. These concerns are important and must be carefully considered. In this post I want to respond to each of them. “People will be distracted.“ I agree … Read More

In this post I want to continue to the exploration of children in church. In my last post I offered quotes from an article on the practice paedocommunion (communion administered to babies) in the early church to 1500 that demonstrated children’s presence in the worship service. The practice of keeping children in the worship service is continued by most Catholics in mass to this day. However, in 1517 a new era in church history began through the Protestant Reformation. I, and my church, cling tightly to much of what the reformers  believed and taught and so it seems good to understand … Read More

When it comes to the question of whether or not to keep children in the church service, it is valuable to examine the historical practices of the church. Surprisingly, information on this issue is not as easy to find as one might expect. I must admit upfront that my research, to this point, has only taken me as far as Google searching will go. From this limited exploration I have gathered that no book has been written that provides a comprehensive overview of the historical practices of children’s ministry (I would love to be corrected on this if I am … Read More

Note: I consistently read books about church. I do this primarily because God has given me the great responsibility of pastoring a church and I believe that the way in which I do this job should be well informed. However, I find that many of these books not only inspire how I pastor Creekside Bible Church, but also the way in which I approach church on a personal level. I realize that many who read my blog are not in leadership positions in a church. However, I think that those who fall into this category would benefit greatly from reading … Read More

This month is the two year anniversary of my start as the pastor of Creekside Bible Church. As I reflect on the last two years, I want to use this blog post to tell you about how much I appreciate the people in my church and their attitudes towards me through the years. In this regard there is so much to say, but let me begin by saying that I recently I had two interactions that

In “How to Go to Church (part 1)” I presented the idea that it is possible to go to church poorly. I also offered three tips on how to go to well. In this post I want to offer three more. Go to church… unified with others. Near the beginning of Jesus’ longest recorded sermon, he says in Matthew 5:23, 24, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then … Read More

Going to church is great. Going to church excellently is better. Perhaps you have never considered the idea that there are better and worse ways to go to church – most haven’t. I have been going to church my whole life, but it wasn’t until recently that I recognized that I can go to church poorly. I am writing my next two posts to help you attend church in a more productive, important, and God-honoring way. In other words, I am writing my next two posts as a guide to help you know how to go to church.

Donkey Sermon Before becoming the lead pastor of Creekside Bible Church I was in charge of our ministry to high school students for six years.  This week I remembered a sermon on donkeys in the Bible that I once delivered to the students…Yes, the donkeys of the Bible. Since Palm Sunday is here, and the event it celebrates includes a donkey, I figured it might be fun to share the sermon here. Before posting it, I figured it was smart to listen to it. Two things are important to share with you before you give it a listen. First, please … Read More