This year, God has used the resources of contributing scholars of the Mathena Center for Church Revitalization to train and equip pastors– both current and future – for more faithful service to Christ’s bride. Here are a few of our most popular resources from the past year.
As a bi-vocational pastor you feel the reality of your unique burdens and embrace the opportunities of your unique position. In this helpful article Spencer Harmon shares four basic, and obvious rhythms you can , and should implement as a bi-vocational pastor.
In part two of this series “When is a Church Revitalized” Pastor-Theologian P.J. Tibayan answer two pivotal questions. First, what is Church Revitalization? and secondly, when is it complete? He then unpacks the truth that a Revitalized Church is a Christ-Shaped and Christ-Centered Church.
The work of church reform can look a little like a jungle when you’re in the thick of it. Where do I go from here? Where do I even start? What do you do first? What should you ignore? What’s the goal I should be working toward?
If you keep the definitions of church, dying churches, and revitalized churches fuzzy then you may perpetuate modern day terms without knowing where you're going or when you've reached your destination. But if you faithfully define these things biblically and theologically you can move with intentionality, clarity, and wisdom.
The words peace, grace, faith, and love permeate this book and are all purposely planted in the Ephesian benediction to remind his readers of the beauty and power of the gospel. In this, Paul keeps the proclamation of the gospel primary. Faithful pastors must do the same in every facet of their ministries, whether preaching and teaching, casting vision, or providing pastoral care and counsel, the gospel must be the primary language the pastor speaks to those whom he shepherds.
Should a pastor conduct the wedding of two non-Christians? What about a Christian marrying a non-Christian? Are there any circumstances in which a pastor should not marry two Christians?
These are questions I hear all the time from other pastors. What makes it permissible to conduct a wedding in this or that situation, and when should a pastor say no?
The story of the Exodus helps us greatly in understanding the impossible task of leading, shaping, strengthening, and pastoring a church. Throughout the book of Exodus, Moses records in great detail the condition of the people. They are most assuredly a broken and exhausted people. He is the prophet who holds this great promise for them, a promise given to them by the Word of the Lord, but a promise in the face of such massive trial by a short sighted people will prove to be Moses' greatest joy and greatest place for frustration as well. In steps Jethro, the father-in-law to Moses, and he has something to offer.
