In my personal Bible reading, I have been reading the book of Exodus. In Exodus 25-28, we see the instructions that God gives to Moses in regards to building the tabernacle. Just a first glance of these chapters can be nonexciting to say the least. However, there are some very valuable real-life lessons that we…
Being in a position of leadership is never easy. There are always things to deal with. There are difficult decisions to make, there are distractions, there is difficulty in communication, and the list goes on and on. As a leader, I realize there are several things that I need to work that every leader should…
I answered God’s call on my life to vocational ministry when I was 18 years old. I was so certain of what God wanted me to do that I immediately went to Bible college and started serving anywhere a door was open. I went to Bible college to pursue training in Biblical Studies and Youth…
The scriptures teach us that God is sovereign and He guides the steps of His children. God has a plan for all of us. His plan may lead us down various paths throughout our lives. Unfortunately, many never experience the joy of following God’s plan due to a life of disobedience. It is my desire…
Questions abound as to why churches across America are in decline. Many have suggested that the church is not relevant enough to today’s society. As a result we do see young people leaving the traditional church and flocking to the emerging church movement. We have mistakenly attributed this to things such worship styles, attire, and…
The ongoing debate in many churches is the position and function of the church deacon. We serve a God who is a God of order. This is seen in the amazing artistic and orderly design of creation to the institutions of the home, human government, and the church. Throughout the Bible we see a principle…
In previous posts I dealt with the subject of the pastor as a shepherd and the pastor as a teacher. Now, we turn our attention to the oversight ministry of the pastor. The pastor is the bishop or ‘overseer’ of the church. He is not the head of the church, for Christ is the head.…
In a previous post we looked at the pastor as a shepherd. Part of shepherding is teaching the sheep. The scripture very plainly shows us that God gives us pastors in order to equip us for the work of the ministry. There are a lot of things that a pastor does, however, the one thing…
There are many aspects to pastoral ministry. All aspects are of equal importance. Put together and working in harmony with one another, each aspect creates a complete pastoral ministry. I’d like to take some time to examine each of the following aspects of pastoral ministry: shepherding, teaching, oversight, and evangelizing. The first aspect to consider…
There are many thoughts and ideas concerning what makes a healthy church. It is important that the church seeks sustained health rather than extreme growth spurts. Let me explain. Considering numbers is important. The main reason to consider numbers is that every number represents a soul. Therefore, it is important to work to increase the…
Pastor Chris Noland 