42 articles from 34 issues, 1996 to 2026 · Page 3 of 4
What does it mean to be an elder? Laverentz argues that for most of Presbyterian history, an elder was a shepherd of souls, deeply enmeshed in people's lives. Part one of his series looks at how that understanding has nearly disappeared in a single generation.
Death blows the empty clichés out of pastoral ministry like an umbrella in a hurricane. McSween focuses on the funeral service and sermon as the place where a Reformed pastor has a unique Word to proclaim, and where the gospel is most acutely needed and most easily mishandled.
Gibbons grew up Catholic in Scotland, considered the priesthood as a teenager, and never imagined he would one day preach at the Augustinian cloister in Erfurt where Luther had taken his vows. The piece is a personal Reformation memoir written from inside the surprise.
Hylton encouraged his congregation to mark the Reformation's 500th anniversary, then noticed that the popular media coverage focused mostly on Luther's failings. He pulls three pastoral insights from Luther's example, the kind that hold up regardless of what we think of his weaker moments.
Forty years into preaching, Johnson offers ten convictions about what it actually takes to do the work well. Romans 10 frames the piece: how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed, and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard?
How can a church hold to its teaching on sexuality and still show real love to gay and lesbian people? W. P. Campbell calls conservatives and liberals to keep truth and compassion together, then answers the common arguments for changing the church’s position.
How does a pastor stay faithful both to the people he knows and to the gospel? Thomas Gillespie reads 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and answers that the gospel’s power to wash, sanctify and justify is the pastoral word for every kind of sinner.
Where does healing from unwanted same-sex attraction come from? Kristin Johnson, writing from her own experience, traces it to wounded family relationships and argues that the church, as the family of God, is where those wounds are mended.
How can a church hold to the Bible’s verdict on homosexual practice without looking down on the people who struggle with it? David Swanson preaches on Romans 1 and argues that all of us stand in the same boat, and that truth and love must be held together as Jesus held them.
What if ministry is not something we do for Jesus but something Jesus is already doing? Andrew Purves argues that the guilt and burnout of pastors come from treating Christ as a cheerleader, and that our ministries must be crucified so that his can take their place.
When will pastoral ministry ever be easy? Preaching on 2 Corinthians 4, Mary Holder Naegeli says it never will be, and finds in Paul’s hardships three reasons for hope: this is not heaven, glory is coming, and God is strengthening us.
What are couples really promising when they say “I do”? David Blankenhorn argues that self-written vows without a pledge of permanence have emptied marriage of its meaning, and that pastors must take back the wedding.
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