The Ministry & Marks of the Church

Do today’s Christians focus a little too much on the family? According to Jesus, natural family relationships can actually get in the way of true discipleship, teaching that whoever loves father or mother, son or daughter, more than me is not worthy of me (Mt 10:37). On this program Michael Horton, Jeff Mallinson, and Sam […]

According to Scot McKnight, there is a great deal of emphasis today on social activism, outreach to the poor, and various kinds of programs which people refer to as “kingdom work.” But if you try to get support for evangelism or the ordinary work of the local church, there doesn’t appear to be a lot […]

Should the church attempt to engage the culture in relevant ways, or does this strategy end up continuing to divide us by worldly preferences and priorities that are opposed to the gospel? What does it mean to be a member of a healthy church and, additionally, what does it mean to be a healthy church […]

Many churches in our day attempt to make their services relevant and entertaining in order to attract people in the marketplace of competing options. The focus often centers on practical lessons designed to help us cope with life’s problems. But what are the historic roots of this particular approach to ministry? Michael Horton discusses these […]

What is the primary role of the church? Some today argue that its primary task is to participate with God in the redemption and reconciliation of the world through the means of either right wing or left wing social activism. But in 2 Cor 5:19-20, Paul teaches that God has reconciled us to himself by […]

Scott Keith from ‪1517.org‬ joins Michael Horton, Bob Hiller, Walter Strickland, and Justin Holcomb to discuss how churches can recover high views of preaching and the sacraments, as well as robust views and practices around vocation.

Is it wrong for a church to be seeker sensitive? Pastor Adriel Sanchez expounds on the differences between seeker-sensitive and seeker-driven churches, and why ordering our services to be palatable for certain demographics is a way of domesticating the worship of God.

Episode 1582 | According to Pew Research, only 51% of self-identified Christians attend church regularly. Pastor Adriel Sanchez is joined by Caleb Keith from ‪1517 where they both argue that this crisis is not primarily cultural, but theological. Most Christians are simply unaware what the church actually is, what happens there, and why nothing else can replace it.

I’ve rolled into church many a Mother’s Day morning with a heavy heart and deflated expectations. There were years of singleness, and then miscarriage, when I felt invisible in the pew, wondering if I would ever wear the title of “mother” myself. Then came holidays where I felt steamrolled by the demands of raising babies […]