In spite of itching ears (II Timothy 4:3), shrinking numbers at a Sunday evening service, preachers more interested in entertaining than proclaiming, the sermon is still important. The sermon—many human words given meaning and power by a careful, prayerful study of God’s infallibly written Word—is an exciting event. When the lawfully called, properly ordained servant of […]
During my ministry I have been keeping records of counseling interviews. The earlier records, I must confess, are sketchy and the notations in many instances lack insight and understanding. In more recent years the memoranda have been more complete and the observations have profited from reading and study as well as from the earlier mistakes and […]
Since April of 2001 I have been a minister of the gospel, and throughout my sixteen years of life as a pastor, I have collected thoughts that I would like to share with my fellow pastors and with those who desire to be pastors someday. Of course, there are more than sixteen reflections that I […]
No, the purpose of this article is not to instruct you on what refreshments to serve when your pastor or elder visits in your home; but rather, it deals with how you may prepare yourself mentally and spiritually for a pastoral visit. God has given […]
This is the second address delivered by Dr. Godfrey to a conference in Seoul, Korea. Yesterday we reflected on the subject of the Reformed life, and today we have another great, broad subject, the Reformed ministry. We saw yesterday that Hebrews 10:24,25 contains a call to every Christian to be active in Christian service: “…let […]
Do we need ministers? This somewhat strange question came to my mind after reading two quite different news reports. The first was in the December 6, 1993 issue of The Banner. This issue ran several news items on some differences within and among Christian Reformed churches in Orange City, Iowa. At the conclusion of one […]
Single people. who are they? Obviously, we must not lump singles together into anyone large mass, as they are as different and divergent as “married people” are. Some singles are just out of high school, holding their first real job with no plans for college Others are in college, feeling the social, academic and career-planning […]
Most everyone is sensitive to the power and influence of technology on our culture and particularly on our economy. As the NASDAQ rises and falls with the tech stocks, our economy is affected profoundly. As we go through our day using telephones, cell phones, computers, email, and even driving our computer-designed and supported automobiles, we […]
Long Range Planning If you’ve ever been a member of a Board of Directors for a Christian charitable organization, you know the term “Long Range Planning Committee.” It’s the one committee hardly anyone volunteers to be on. Long range planning is difficult work, requires visionary minds and a big picture perspective that few today seem […]
The CRC Synod 2001 is now history. It completed its work Thursday evening, June 14. Although it had a fairly light agenda, it was in many ways a pivotal synod – not because of significant changes in policy, but because of major changes in personnel particularly in Calvin Seminary. The effects of these changes will […]