written by Nathan Lenstra, M.Div., pastor at Connexion Church in Danville, Urbana Theological Seminary Alumnus My name is Nathan Lenstra and I’m a 2009 M.Div. graduate from Urbana Seminary. My education at Urbana Seminary helped me develop a solid biblical framework and foundation for thinking about ministry, especially God’s mission in the world and how I could be a part of it. In what follows, I describe how my church and…
written by Andrew Kamm & John Elliott Foundation Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he left his followers with a very clear mission: make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). And his means for accomplishing that mission is equally clear: the church, which the gates of hell will not prevail against (Matt. 16:18). We are now two thousand years removed from Jesus’ words, operating in a cultural milieu that is quite…
written by Dr. Jeffrey Hallett A few weeks ago, after returning from my second short term mission trip to Kenya, I asked my Sunday class of 8th grade boys what was hard about evangelism. The answers came. “Well, I’ve got to know my stuff…I’ve got to talk the talk and walk the walk …I’ve got to find someone who’s interested…I’ve got to get to know them, wait for the right…
written by Gary Wackerlin, Celebrate Recovery local chapter head The back of our favorite Celebrate Recovery tee shirt simply says “God Never Wastes A Hurt.” Celebrate Recovery is a ministry that brings hurting people together to guide us through a scripturally based road to recovery process, so that we can live the lives that God intended for us. I was led to Celebrate Recovery through my own battle with alcoholism…
written by Pastor Randy Boltinghouse I love to preach. For over twenty-two years I have had the privilege of standing before the saints who gather at the Windsor Road Christian Church and proclaiming the Gospel on Sunday mornings. Preaching takes a considerable portion of the weekly worship experience and this is no accident. It is intentional. I believe that the Sunday morning preaching event is in direct obedience to God’s…
by Aaron Meeks, MAR student Hi–my name is Aaron and I don’t always fit in well within church culture. You might think this odd coming from someone who has been in the pastoral ministry for over 12 years, but it is true. You see, I am either too conservative or too liberal depending on who you talk to. I guess you can label me how you want once you’ve read…
by Kelly Oyer, Visiting Student When you encounter a difficult question in life, how do you handle it? Do you quickly attack it, holding it down until you’re sure you’ve figured it out? Do you close your eyes and avoid it? Maybe you’re like me and you ask everyone you know what he or she thinks you should do/think/say/feel/wear? These approaches may work for a dilemma at the office or…
by Jenny Klouse, Visiting Student Spiderman has been wary about entering into a romantic relationship. If Peter Parker declares his love for Mary Jane, will she be in danger from Spiderman’s enemies? Would being in a relationship distract him from protecting New York City from bad guys? Some scholars propose similarly for why Jesus didn’t marry. He knew the life he was to lead receiving ridicule from those around him…
By Dr. Kenneth Cuffey, President and Professor of Biblical Studies The blogs this month will be dedicated to the issue of women in the Biblical world and today. What does the Bible teach about women’s identity and roles, and what would this imply for the debates that have gone on in the church? For the first blog let’s post an overview of the terrain. The issues are varied, and derived…
Ministry text
