While the majority of my radio listening time is talk radio I periodically listen to my Spotify playlists, especially when I am down by the beach because of reception issues. This isn’t all I have in my playlists but the app says this it is the top 25 most listened to songs from my personal Spotify, counting down… 25. … Continue reading →
Don’t start a house church because you want to be in charge. That’s not a good reason. Worse yet, you can not sustain a house church if you just want to be the boss. My personal opinion is that it is perhaps the one really bad reason to want to start a house church. I happen to think that starting … Continue reading →
We share the same mom, at birth anyway, but her influence was just as intentional upon my life as with yours. You experienced her influence through the awesome privilege of knowing her, loving her, holding her, building a bond with her, while I have only had gratitude for her. That gratitude is all I carried with me for 54 years … Continue reading →
There was once a time while I was serving as a hospital chaplain that my family and I attended a new and growing Baptist church. We loved the fellowship, the church, the vision for growth, but there was one thing that use to drive me nuts…the pastor would often say “Why do you get so excited about your favorite sports … Continue reading →
Francis Chan has the left the mega church world and is now focused on ministry through his We Are Church house church network. I happen to like Francis Chan and I have a greater respect for his voice when it comes to advocating for simpler and smaller church groups and communities. Here is a video clip that I like and … Continue reading →
Here are some things to consider on unclean meats, as it came up in our discussion today. One awesome thing about our fellowship is our desire to provide an environment that points to the grace of Christ, His holy word, and allow each of us to grow in convictions according to the work of the Holy Spirit without the pressure of any … Continue reading →
In the elections here in America, I hope you will give your attention to voting biblically. When you are deciding your vote in terms of voting biblically, you will relieve yourself of the stress and defense of standing by a political party. Noah Webster said this best when in 1823 he admonished students “In selecting men for office, let principle … Continue reading →
A few weeks ago I posted on 2 Corinthians & God’s Word and got into a bit of a rant on my observations on the waywardness of today’s church with a trend away from preaching from the Bible. You can read about that at https://www.crosshopechapel.org/2-corinthians-gods-word/. Sunday I shared about a comment in our pastors’ Facebook Group from a new minister who … Continue reading →
In a previous post I gave a definition for what I think when I use the term “Organic Pastor” and you can find that post here. In this post I would like to help you understand just what I mean when I use the term “Simple Church Communities.” My definition of the term “Simple Church Communities” is any gathering of people for … Continue reading →
I can remember one of my Old Testament professors discussing the difference between leaders who pull and leaders who push. He explained the difference by sharing with the class something he witnessed on a trip in the Middle East while he was traveling from a teaching assignment in Israel to a new teaching assignment in Ethiopia. He explained that when … Continue reading →
David Jones was a British teenager who wanted to make a career out of his love for music. He was playing and performing his music before he ever graduated from school. He became a leader of several bands and finally recorded his first album. The album received positive reviews by England’s harshest music critics, yet it sold little. In a … Continue reading →
There is a difference between leadership and management. You may be a workplace manager, but not necessarily a workforce leader. You may even have supervisory responsibility of employees, but that doesn’t automatically make you a leader. Leaders differ with managers in that they posses and practice qualities that allow them to succeed in motivating people. They don’t just manage projects; … Continue reading →
Last Sunday, July 15, 2018, we opened to 1 Corinthians 14 and discussed two hot potato topics: speaking in tongues and women teaching in church. Thanks Paul. I could have gone the rest of my life in ministry not having to discuss these topics in church from the pulpit, but we are committed to a verse-by-verse approach to teaching God’s … Continue reading →
I realize that some Christians don’t get very excited when it comes to sermons about the end-time events, books about tribulation timelines, or even Bible Prophecy Conferences. However, there are biblical reasons to watch and recognize the signs of our times, and I want to share with you seven of those reasons here: First, in Luke 21:25-28 Jesus makes mention … Continue reading →
Continue reading →Facing the giants in life is easy, or at least we could admit that the giants in a man’s life are plentiful. We are often forced to face our giants when we leave work on Friday wondering we’ll return to job loss on Monday, or when we walk into the kitchen and see the pile of unpaid bills on counter, … Continue reading →
God made, Adam ate, Noah arked, Egypt plaqued, Water parted, Law gave, Saul freaked, David peeked, Kingdom divided, Messiah came, Sacrifice made, Christ arose, And Jesus is on the way!
Continue reading →While working with Hurricane Katrina victims, as a hospital chaplain, I was struck by the quick turn-around one patient took, when he suddenly found something to laugh about. He lost everything he owned, including his house, his pets, and his brand new 5-day old F150 Ford pick-up truck. His adult children and his wife were safe, but like most Mississippi … Continue reading →
Pastor Steve Durkac’s Personal Testimony… I grew up as one of five adopted children and it was my story of adoption that most influenced my faith in Jesus as my personal Savior and here is how… As a teenager in the cold snowy, over-cast, small Northeast Ohio town of Rossford, during the heavy metal punk-rock era of the late 70’s, … Continue reading →
I consider myself an advocate of house churches, but I have long been perplexed by books, blog posts, and statements that claim an identifying mark of a house church is having “no pastor” or no leader. Usually the flip side of that coin is often explained as “the priesthood of all believers” and everyone in the house church is involved. … Continue reading →
I read an account from a church pastor who recently had some work done at his home by an electrician. The electrician asked him, as the homeowner, “What do you do for a living?” To which he replied, “I am a church pastor.” The electrician, while still working with the wires in the man’s ceiling said, “So you are a … Continue reading →
I am going back to using my English Standard Version. Last August I bought a Christian Standard Bible and really liked it and I still do, but in recent months my enthusiasm for this new translation has developed into reservation. An odd thing about me is that I like to have one Bible that I stick to for personal reading, … Continue reading →
When I left my pastorate with a church an Adventist church in Aiken, South Carolina in the 90’s, I was given a small gift of a marble and gold metal sailboat that read “A man that walks with God always gets to his destination.” It sat in my study on a shelf, from move to move, about 10 inches long … Continue reading →
While we were looking at the 4th chapter of 1 Corinthians, I pointed out that Paul’s understanding of a minister was very different than today’s “executive” or “celebrity” image often assigned to today’s pastors. 1 Corinthians 4:1 gives us the glimpse of ministry being likened unto a 3rd tier rower of a slave ship, something that James pointed out was … Continue reading →
Want to do some more exploring about how others are doing simple church? Let me suggest a couple online visits you can make to explore the concept of house church ministry. The sites I’ve listed below do not imply an endorsement, but they do give some clarity to today’s house church movement. • YouTube video: “What is Simple Church?” • Ed Stetzer … Continue reading →
Mega churches are great when it comes to outreach, but drawing a crowd isn’t what a pastor is called to do. Smaller gatherings is where disciples are made and souls are brought to Christ. Any executive can lead a mega church, but only a pastor can lead a small gathering of souls. Hundreds in our world are really wanting to … Continue reading →
A house church is not a one-size-fits-all or a cookie-cutter singular approach, but rather a zero-budget mission that is developed organically according to God’s leading and your calling. First, start with a call upon your heart. God uses pastors in His ministry and house churches that are led by pastoral care leaders are certainly following the biblical example that best … Continue reading →
The word church comes from the Greek word ekklesia which is defined as “an assembly” or “called-out ones” so according to the Bible, the church is the body of Christ—all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Our society has benefited from the traditional brick and mortar church building as a beacon of light in its presence and mission. However, … Continue reading →
In 1994 I had assumed the pastorate of a church where I had the opportunity to sit down with the outgoing pastor to discuss various issues of that congregation. As I was sitting with him in his office talking, he handed me his keys and said, “Oh, I almost forgot, each Wednesday at 11:00 AM you have a counseling session, … Continue reading →
Many years ago a sincere church member once asked me, Is Jesus really God? They went on to explain that they see where the Bible says Jesus prayed to God the Father, was called the Son of God, and they even pointed to the account of Jesus saying he didn’t know when he was coming back, only God knew that. Well, … Continue reading →
We commonly conclude our prayers by saying “In Jesus’ Name” and rightly so. When you say, “Lord, in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen” you are sharing in His power by claiming His character, life, atonement, and righteousness – not yours! When you say, “In Jesus’ Name,” you are saying… “Lord, I am asking you to answer and fulfill … Continue reading →
I am happy to be back in Mobile today after being in San Antonio, Texas this week. Memorial Service… The memorial service for Frank Wehrly went well and it was well attended as we celebrated and honored his life and family. Frank had fought lung cancer for 9 years until he passed last week just a week beyond his … Continue reading →
There is a lot of chaos in our society and it is an intentional strategy of Satan, because we know from John 10:10 that he “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (ESV) and Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against … Continue reading →