Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

church

Five Reflections on Pastoral Disagreements

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9Marks just published my short article “Five Reflections on Pastoral Disagreements.”

I originally prepared this article as a devotional to present to my fellow pastors at the beginning of an elder meeting in which I anticipated we would be divided on a challenging pastoral issue. I had just finished reading Rhyne Putman’s When Doctrine Divides the People of God, and I riff off his five reasons we disagree about doctrine:

  1. We read imperfectly.
  2. We read differently.
  3. We reason differently.
  4. We feel differently.
  5. We have different biases.

Related: As churches consider when and how to reopen after closing for the past several months during the COVID-19 crisis, fellow pastors (not to mention fellow church members!) may disagree with each other. Should we open on this particular date or wait until later? Should we require or encourage or welcome face masks? How should we celebrate the Lord’s Supper? In light of that, Jonathan Leeman and I talked on May 22 about the crisis of Christian conscience. (When I first wrote about the conscience, I never envisioned applying it to when a church should regather in the midst of a pandemic and whether people must wear masks!)

Related (update on 6/2/2020): On April 17, 2020, I recorded a podcast with Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman for the 9Marks podcast. It released today: Episode 130: On How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics (with Andy Naselli). For more on politics, the conscience, and the church, see here.

40 Questions about Church Membership and Church Discipline

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This book releases this week:

Jeremy M. Kimble. 40 Questions about Church Membership and Church Discipline. 40 Questions. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2017.

My endorsement:

This handbook concisely explains the why and how of church membership and church discipline. Jeremy Kimble, who serves as a pastor and who wrote his PhD dissertation on church discipline, is a faithful guide.

I read this book twice—first last summer as a prepublication draft and then last month as the final version. I mostly agree with how Jeremy answers the 40 questions, and on a few minor issues where I might differ a bit (e.g., age of baptism), I appreciate his calm, generous tone.

The book’s most impressive endorsement comes from Jonathan Leeman, editorial director of 9Marks and an expert on ecclesiology:

Every pastor needs this resource, which is sound exegetically, theologically, and pastorally. The 40-question format makes it so readable and easy to use. I’ve written a few things on church membership and discipline, yet still found myself learning throughout. An excellent work.

Are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper Only for Churches?

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baptismThat’s question 4 in this book:

John S. Hammett. 40 Questions about Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. 40 Questions. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2015.

(I love the 40 Questions series. It’s clear, concise, and thoughtful.)

So it is proper to baptize a child in, say, a bathtub in a family’s private home? Or to observe the Lord’s Supper when hanging out with a few Christian friends at the beach? Or for a Christian school to practice baptism or the Lord’s Supper in chapel? Here’s how Hammett concludes his answer to the question “Are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper Only for Churches?” (p. 44, formatting added): [Read more…] about Are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper Only for Churches?

When people are skittish over complementarianism, apologizing for it, I know they are probably thinking about authority in a wrong way.

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deverBelow is an insightful excerpt from Mark Dever, Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus, 9Marks (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016), 101–3. I bolded the most punchy paragraph and underlined the sentence that made me laugh out loud. So true.

7. Encourage Godly Authority [Read more…] about When people are skittish over complementarianism, apologizing for it, I know they are probably thinking about authority in a wrong way.

Two New Handbooks for Pastors

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Two handbooks for pastors released in 2015:

Helopoulos, Jason. The New Pastor’s Handbook: Help and Encouragement for the First Years of Ministry. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2015. Fantastic: short, to the point, wise, convicting, encouraging.

Hughes, R. Kent. The Pastor’s Book: A Comprehensive and Practical Guide to Pastoral Ministry. Edited by Douglas Sean O’Donnell. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015. A massive practical reference work.

jason hughes

 

The Case for Congregationalism

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LeemanThis is the most thoughtful and persuasive case for congregationalism that I know of:

Jonathan Leeman. Don’t Fire Your Church Members: The Case for Congregationalism. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2016.

What distinguishes different views on how to govern the church is who has final authority:

  1. the bishop (Episcopalian)
  2. the presbytery (Presbyterian)
  3. the elders (elder-rule)
  4. the congregation (congregational)

While godly, mature Christians disagree on which model is most biblical, I think the most biblical polity is elder-led and congregation-ruled. That model is very different from a modern democracy in which leaders represent the people and the people make demands on the leaders with the threat that they will vote them out of office; it is more like a combination of three models: [Read more…] about The Case for Congregationalism

How Do You Know If You’re Qualified to Serve As an Elder?

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RinneMy responsibility as a professor at Bethlehem College & Seminary includes training elder-qualified men in our seminary. What does it mean to be elder-qualified?

Jeramie Rinne answers that question with six statements in Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus (9Marks; Wheaton: Crossway, 2014), 19–29.

You know you’re qualified to serve as an elder if . . . [Read more…] about How Do You Know If You’re Qualified to Serve As an Elder?

Kevin Bauder’s “Baptist Distinctives and New Testament Church Order”

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bauderThis book explains Baptist principles and some related issues:

Kevin Bauder. Baptist Distinctives and New Testament Church Order. Schaumburg, IL: Regular Baptist, 2012.

As usual, Kevin is clear, logical, and (usually) compelling.

bauderTOC

Excerpts: [Read more…] about Kevin Bauder’s “Baptist Distinctives and New Testament Church Order”