At my first congregation, one of the responsibilities that I was given was to create a vibrant and discipleship-oriented small group ministry. As this was not part of my seminary training, I (along with two other congregation members) went for a week long professionally led training course to become equipped in small group ministry. Small [...]
We all think of Saints as quiet and holy people – but history is full of some pretty amazing and curious people who came to be canonized. This list looks at ten of the toughest saints to have walked the earth – men and women who not only lived holy lives, but kicked some serious [...]
At this time we would like to address the topic of clergy appearance, i.e. hair and beards. Anyone looking at photographs and portraits of clergy in Greece, Russia, Rumania, and other Orthodox countries taken in the early twentieth century will notice that almost without exception both the monastic and married clergy, priests and deacons, wore [...]
by Dr. Richard P. Bucher IV – Infants Can Believe The most frequent objection to infant baptism is that babies cannot believe. They do not, says the objection, have the intellect necessary to repent and believe in Jesus. If this is your opinion, Jesus disagrees with you. Luke 18 tells us that certain parents were [...]
by Dr. Richard P. Bucher Should we baptize babies? The Christian Church continues to be sharply divided over this important question. Those who answer “yes” (Lutherans, Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists, etc.) claim Biblical support for their position. Those who answer “no” (Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, many “Bible” or “evangelical,” or “non-denominational” churches) say the Bible is [...]
by DAVID JAY WEBBER The Lutherans of the sixteenth century consistently maintained that their cultus and confession were truly catholic: “…nothing has been received among us, in doctrine or in ceremonies, that is contrary to Scripture or to the church catholic”;1 “…No novelty has been introduced which did not exist in the church from ancient [...]
Celebrate, study and discover the ministry and the legacy of the Rev. Dr. C.F.W. Walther, the first president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), during the Walther Bicentennial. Many LCMS entities and congregations will recognize the bicentennial of Walther’s birth with special events, activities and resources starting in 2011 and extending through the 125th anniversary [...]
Issues Etc. has put together an audio presentation of the work and witness of current LCMS President Matthew Harrison by gathering in one convenient place all the interviews they have done with him over the past several years. As described in the Issues Etc. newsletter: Pastor Matt Harrison is one of the most prolific Lutheran [...]
The Barna Group has just released the sixth and final installment of its “State of the Church – 2011″ report. The report assesses “how America’s faith has shifted in the past 20 years on 14 religious variables,” chronicling trends and statistics under the headings General Trends, Generational Trends, Gender Differences, Racial/Ethnic Differences, Regional Faith, and [...]
