Over the years I have counselled with young men who felt the call to serve in ministry particularly as a pastor. My response has always been out of a heart of love and concern that those men follow whatever God calls them to do. In answering the question ‘do you want to be a pastor’.…
There are many things that are crucial for a pastor to do in order to have an effective ministry. One of those things is to make himself visible. Whether he likes it or not, the pastor is the face of the local church. Depending on how you look at it (rightfully or wrongfully), the local…
Generational differences and frustrations have been a part of life since the beginning of time. Every generation is different. Each generation develops their own culture and their own worldview. In the church, each generation sees things through the lenses of their specific cultural influences. For example, older generations may tend to be more…
Youth Ministry is something that is dear to my heart because I believe in the importance of helping parents raise a Godly generation. As a Lead Pastor, I believe that it is impossible to have a healthy church without engaging younger generations and developing a strong ministry to youth. Below is an article written by…
Nobody is very fond of changes. It is often said that the seven last word of a dying church are: “We’ve never done it that way before.” Personally, I am not fond of change either. I like things being a certain way and sticking with it. I do not enjoy making changes in my life…
The 2019 Southern Baptist Convention was overall a display of unity and focus. The Gospel above all was the theme and it highlighted the need to stay focused on the purpose of the SBC to bring the Gospel to all the world. There was a tremendous display of unity on the issue of sexual abuse…
Acts 2:41-47 describes the life of the local church. When you look over that passage you also see a description of First Baptist Church of Decherd. Verse 41 says that they “continued steadfastly…” The ministry of FBC Decherd has continued for over 110 years. Throughout those years there has been many ups and downs. However,…
Over the past several years I have found myself in the middle of many theological discussions. These discussions were not brought on by myself, but rather, from people that crossed my path. I firmly believe in a sovereign God who guides the steps of men. Therefore, I do not believe that the people that comes…
Our local association newsletter had a section recently that listed six secrets of a turnaround church. Thom Rainer, president of Lifeway Christian Resources, conducted a survey of churches that were in decline and experienced a great turnaround. From that survey these six things were evident in every church that made a turnaround: They became highly…
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…
Pastor Chris Noland 