Ministry

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Deciding Where You Stand At Seminary

There is a huge range of debatable issues in theology and in the practice of ministry that a person could take sides on.  An average church member generally isn’t required to have fully developed theological opinions.  They are often asked to agree with and support the theological and philosophical stance their church, but aren’t [...]

Popularity: 45% [?]

November 3rd, 2008 | Mark | 1 comment | Continued
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When You’re Invited to Preach

When I’m invited to preach at a church I’ve never been to, I want to gather information that will guide me in the ministry of pulpit supply. Here are the questions I ask:

How did you get my name? (Probably through the seminary, but it’s good to ask.)
What time does worship begin? When does it usually [...]

Popularity: 56% [?]

October 8th, 2008 | Ed | 4 comments | Continued
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Supply Preaching during Seminary

I’ve had more than my share of preaching, teaching, and speaking opportunities since I began seminary studies. A lot of these have been repeat visits– during seminary, I preached 94 times in 23 different places. So I’ve been blessed to get some invitations to go back to places I’ve preached before. (I always appreciate the [...]

Popularity: 69% [?]

October 1st, 2008 | Ed | 3 comments | Continued
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Recycling Sermons at Seminary

“I’m preaching tomorrow. Yeah, I’ve never been to this church before, so I’ll just recycle one of my sermons from class.”
If you are, or have been, in seminary, you may have heard a classmate say this. Perhaps you have said it- or thought it- yourself.
Now, there is nothing wrong with “recycling” a sermon. [...]

Popularity: 79% [?]

September 22nd, 2008 | Ed | 2 comments | Continued
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How many times did you preach in seminary?

Grab the closest recent seminary graduate and ask him this question: how many times did he preach while in seminary? Not how many preaching classes did he take; on how many occasions did he actually preach a sermon? His answer, I suspect, may surprise you.
Depending on the seminary, the answer may start at only two [...]

Popularity: 80% [?]

September 15th, 2008 | Ed | 2 comments | Continued
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Avoid the “Seminary Church”

Particularly around larger seminaries, you’ll find what I call the “seminary church.” It’s almost always a large church. Often it’s close to the campus. Many professors and students attend it. The culture and theology of the seminary often bleeds over into the church. For seminary students, it’s a comfy place to be.
There were a few [...]

Popularity: 53% [?]

July 17th, 2008 | Mark | 5 comments | Continued