State of the Church 2011

January 9, 2011 in

The Church of God – and every local church – faces two dangers which ever threaten to consume her, two dangers which have always threatened the health of God’s people and that continue to threaten the health of the Church to this day. And it is these twin dangers which our Lord Jesus addresses immediately after delivering the Beatitudes in the Sermon on Mount. Today we explore these two dangers, the way they are impacting the broader Church, and the way in which they are threatening our local congregation.

Leadership Training 2008 – Part I: The Need for Men of Character

January 23, 2009 in

This talk was delivered on February 9, 2008 at Christ Church in Spokane at our Leadership Training Course.

Not just anyone will do as a leader of the Church of God. The New Testament and common experience dictate that leaders must meet certain parameters, parameters which both benefit and protect the Church. The current talk identifies the type of people called to serve as officers in the Church. But more than this, it sets out the necessity for all Christian men to be men of character, men who are prepared to lead. Whether this leadership is in the home, the church, business, or even so fundamental as a young man over himself; all men are called to lead.

Leadership Training 2008 – Part II: The Character Needed for Men

January 23, 2009 in

This is the second talk delivered during the Leadership Training Course at Christ Church in Spokane on March 8, 2008.

Having learned that the Church of God is in desperate need of men of character, the present talk addresses the character that is needed for these men. What does Paul reveal to us about the character that men who want to lead in the Church must manifest? Perhaps even more important, how has the Church’s response to these requirements in recent history undermined the goal of raising up leaders?