My purpose here is not to consider the practice of baptism in general or to define exactly what baptism is. My purpose is to consider what place baptism has in the church worship service explicitly and the biblical methodology of practicing baptism. Here are my assumptions: Baptism is not required for salvation but is an... Continue Reading →
I want to be very clear about what my goal is through this particular leadership series. This series is meant to evaluate certain practices in the local church gathering in light of biblical principles. I am not condemning any practice, nor am I elevating one practice over another. I am under the understanding that in... Continue Reading →
The church invitation was always an awkward moment for me. I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church where, after the sermon every week, a formal invitation was given for anyone to go to the front of the auditorium and talk with a pastor. I have often sat with other pastors who gauged the success... Continue Reading →
Should the local church take up offerings? The passing of the offering plate is part of the liturgy (order of service) in many local churches. Many have also done away with the offering time. Most of the reasoning behind removing the offering time seems to be that churches don’t want guests to be pressured or... Continue Reading →
We know that what we win people with is what we win them to. So, we intentionally reject any sort of attractional ministry in the expository church (the church that wishes to operate by God’s word alone and for the glory of God alone). The congregational music of the expository church follows certain biblical principles,... Continue Reading →
One of the greatest dividers in both society and in the church over the centuries has been music. Most people love music. It has become an almost essential part of our worship gatherings. It has become such an integral part of our services that when people perceive that it is not done properly it divides... Continue Reading →
There are a few different philosophies regarding the place of preaching and teaching in the church. Admittedly, I am a little biased. I am a preacher. Different churches have chosen to do things in different ways. There are churches who have much teaching and little of anything else, churches who limit the sermon time to... Continue Reading →
The church isn’t a program. We’ve heard this statement before. As a blanket statement, I would agree. The church is a family in Christ. That being said, we can’t remove ourselves from programming in an organizational sense. Without some sort of order, there is chaos, so we plan. The way we plan matters. We communicate... Continue Reading →
When I got my compound bow, I took it to the range, loaded an arrow, attached my trigger, drew back the string, looked through the fluorescent sights, and lined up the target. Moving my shoulder blade back to get the smoothest shot possible, my finger tapped the trigger without bending and the arrow flew through... Continue Reading →
andrew paul cannon 