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The question of how often communion “should” be taken is often discussed. Here my point is not to attempt to answer this question, but instead my goal is to explain some of the reasons we, the leadership of Creekside Bible Church, have decided to have weekly communion in our gatherings. Biblical Evidence The first reason that we have decided to celebrate communion weekly is that the New Testament seems to show that the early church partook of this sacred meal every time they gathered. The first reference to this is just after we read of the beginning of the church in Acts 2…

This week we have the opportunity to hear from a visiting pastor – Bryan Bernard. Having the sermon preached by a guest offers the advantage of our church family hearing from a fresh voice and new perspective. His subject matter this week is one that every church music leader wishes the congregation they serve would more fully grasp, the immeasurable bigness of God. While the hugeness of God is something that is often talked about, it is also something that people are often numb too. Many find themselves saying the right words about this subject, but never truly finding themselves

Keep your eyes on the crucifix, for Jesus without the cross is a man without a mission, and the cross without Jesus is a burden without a reliever. —Fulton J. Sheen I think it only prudent to begin this series by talking about some of the Church’s most central doctrine. There is no person more central to Christianity than Christ, so it seems judicious enough to start there. And like any adventure into theology, it is best begun with story. I was on the edge of my seat—as were the other students present—while my professor recounted the ordeal of his

I walked on the empty beach in Lincoln City, Oregon, hand-in-hand with my then high school sweetheart. She was very pretty, blunt (if not a little shy on wits) and Mormon. There is something odd about how proximity to the vastness of the sea can bring about some of our most contemplative moments. Finally, in that time of serenity with only the sound of the lapping ocean on distance rocks and the steady rumble of waves breaking on the sandy shore, we spoke truly about God. I remember saying, in the sort of bluntness that she was so fond of,

“When you want to change culture, remember, slow is fast.” – Joey Bonifaco Creekside Bible Church has, for as long as I can remember, desired to do God’s will and has been good at uplifting one another in the midst of difficulty. The pastors who have gone before me have laid this fondation. But two years ago, when I took over as pastor, there was still much that needed to change. And to be honest, to say all was not going well would be a significant understatement. We were shrinking numerically, struggling financially, and lacked biblical unity. We were in desperate

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”

This week we begin a new sermon series, but my mind is still pondering the topic of church as it has been covered over the last five weeks. When you truly stop to process church as bride, temple, family, and body, it reminds us of what a wonderful gift God has given us (In 2 John, the passage Chad is preaching on this week, the importance of church comes forth once again). With this in mind, I felt that it was appropriate for us to continue our celebration of God for this gift. For this reason I picked songs in

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

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

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