Thank You and Goodbye
Last week, Gateway Seminary honored us with a Celebration of Service event. It was a humbling moment for us, commemorating twenty years of meaningful service with the Gateway family. The kind words, personal tributes, and unexpected gifts created precious memories to cherish as we move into our next demanding ministry role. Thank you to everyone […]
D. James Kennedy Training the Laity in Personal Evangelism – An Excerpt
When Jim arrived at Ingleside Presbyterian Church, Smartt let him know that not only would he be preaching each evening but that he would be sharing the gospel every day, morning, and afternoon, in homes and door-to-door in the community. He was fully aware of his lack of knowledge as to how to witness to […]
Paying your Pastor
A recent study by Lifeway Research produced some helpful information about pastoral compensation in North America. Among other findings, the study showed pastors are being paid about the same as in 2018—with few increases in either salary or benefits. Since the Consumer Price Index has increased 17.6 percent over the past four years, the purchasing […]
Laundry of Love
A woman drives to the laundromat with a car full of clothes and a pocket full of coins, but she does not know if she has enough quarters to wash all her laundry. “Lord,” she prays, “please let there be enough quarters to fully wash and dry my clothes.” What she finds when she arrives […]
Followers of Jesus, Ohana in Practice
We are Hāmama Community Church, “Followers of Jesus, Ohana in Practice.” Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus and mentor believers towards maturity. Like other church plants, we joyfully serve our community and leverage our denominational resources. But what makes this mission unique is our strategy of perpetuating the Hawaiian culture appropriately. The vision […]
Defining a Caring Community
Baylor University recently chartered Prism, its first LGBTQ+ campus organization. As reported in a university publication, Matt Burchett, assistant dean of philanthropic engagement and senior director of student activities, indicated Prism fulfills part of Baylor’s mission to create a “caring community grounded on its Christian commitment, leading toward the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community on […]
Community Dispersed
In the initial days and weeks of shutdowns across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, churches, ministry leaders, and organizations grappled with how to be the church dispersed. Instantly, ministry leaders had to learn not only how to deliver a sermon digitally but wrestled with how to build needed community when God’s people could […]
Providence
A newer book on the development of the early church, The Global Church, by Donald Fairbairn has captivated my recent attention. In the first section of the book, Dr. Fairbairn traces the development of the church from Pentecost until about 300 AD. His book focuses on the developing church in Asia and Africa, not just […]
Racism, Rioting & Community Leadership
In May, Dr. Iorg invited his pastor, Dr. Brian Kennedy, onto his podcast to discuss racial tensions in America. Dr. Kennedy is senior pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Ontario, California, and Gateway alumni. He previously served for eleven years as Los Angeles area director of Prison Fellowship, a ministry dedicated to bringing the […]
Changing Your Image of Evangelism
Evangelism has an image problem. Many believers envision evangelism in negative ways. According to a recent Barna study, Reviving Evangelism, almost half of millennial Christians believe sharing the gospel and asking someone to change their religious beliefs is wrong. About one-fifth of boomers agree with this conclusion, with each intervening generation stair-stepped in the percentage which […]