The call to shepherd a church is a call to shepherd the community. When God led me to West Bradenton, He not only gave me a responsibility for pastoring a church but also a responsibility to serve our community. Churches are not islands in the community, set up to isolate believers from the ails of society. The walls of the church are not protective barriers to community problems. Quite the opposite—the church should be the vehicle by which people are sent into the hardest, darkest parts Read more [...]

  He’s older now. Retired, but not done. He doesn’t move quickly, and his hearing is not great. For thirty years he shepherded our church. Now he leads a Life Group. We call him “Brother Bob.” All of Bradenton calls him that. He’s a passionate evangelist for evangelism. Give him a minute of your time, and you’ll hear him share the gospel. Boldly. Without apology. He was at Vacation Bible School every day last week. He brought three children. Two of them accepted Christ. In Read more [...]

  “Some churches just need to die.” I’ve heard some variation of this quote several times. It’s false. Certain congregations may indeed die but not because they need to die. If God can save any person, then He can save any church. I believe any church, no matter how far gone, has the potential to be saved. Many established churches are in need of revitalization. There are degrees of revitalization, of course. In some cases, revitalization is needed in parts of the church while Read more [...]

  For far too long, we’ve been wrong. We were wrong about slavery. We were wrong about Civil Rights. Now many of us are wrong about the #MeToo movement. The Southern Baptist Convention has been wrong about horrifying sins. Obvious sins. Massive sins affecting generations. Right now, we’re a dumpster fire, and we keep fueling it with shovels of manure. We’re full of it, and the world is watching. That’s not hyperbole. We need repentance, not excuses. God’s wrath is upon us. Our Read more [...]

    Sermon illustrations can be helpful, but many preachers feel inadequate in the area of selecting and delivering them. Sam, Micah, and Josh share a few of the best resources for finding sermon illustrations, as well as some "do nots" on the topic. This episode is brought to you by Ministry Grid and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Subscribe: iTunes ● Google Play Follow us on Twitter: @estchurch, @jowiki, @micahfries, and @samrainer.   Read more [...]