Pastors and sometimes ‘clergy’ in general

"They take the pulpit to be a stage..."

Greg Linscott
Tim Bayly with a quote from Richard Baxter on the common public perception of the pastor and his preaching.
He has some comments on the current elder plurality trend that are quite interesting as well.

Discussion

Character in Ministry

Dan Burrell

A Call to the Higher Standard

In mentoring his son in the ministry, Paul challenged young Timothy with these words, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12, ESV). Throughout his Holy Spirit-inspired counsel to this young man in the ministry, Paul stressed the need for a transparent character, an excellent reputation, a humble integrity which would allow others to see Christ in and through him.

Discussion

Preaching Truth to Today's "Whatever" Listeners, Part 2

Chris Barney

The Manner of Preaching to Today’s “Whatever” Listeners

Note: Part 1 in this series surveyed the mindset of today’s listeners as well as the pitfalls to avoid when communicating to them. Part 2 addresses the specific means by which to engage this mindset and to avoid the aforementioned dangers.

Discussion

Preaching Truth to Today's "Whatever" Listeners, Part 1

Chris Barney

Whatever. Our culture today uses this word frequently. Its breadth of meaning within its pronominal usage spans from meaning anything or everything (“Take whatever you want.”) to a statement of surprise (“Whatever made you think that?”). The word’s adjectival meaning is similar as well (“He ate whatever food he could find.”). Perhaps the semantic range of whatever shines most brightly, however, in its use as an interjection.

Discussion