Teachings from the Vault

The High Commitment Church vs. The Low Commitment Church (2011)

Creating a committed ethos in a church involves theology, application of truth, expectation, and making judgment calls. Ultimately, the ethos is where your theology meets your value system. The elements needed for a committed ethos include: strongly held and clear convictions, clear points and counterpoints, being relational and practical, encouragement, and honesty. Against these, there are many ethos killers to look out for. Speaker: Dennis McCallum, Pat Reeder

Working Small in a Growing Ministry (2012)

In Paul's second letter to Timothy we get a glimpse into his intimate inner circle of friends and fellow co-workers for the Lord. It is there that we learn one cannot grow an enduring ministry without working in close relationships. To have advancement in ministry it is important to find people who display a desire to love God and have their character transformed. Once God has revealed these people to us, we can model and lead through friendship. Speaker: Ben Stuart

The Functional Centrality of the Gospel (2010)

The Gospel is not just the beginning of our faith, but it is the source and core of the rest of our Christian lives. There exists a biblical paradigm that illustrates the functional centrality of the Gospel. First, there is the Gospel itself, that Jesus died for our sins, which is theologically central. If we allow it, the truths of the gospel transform our thinking. Thus by believing these gospel truths, the Gospel will bear fruit in our minds. Beyond this, as our minds are transformed, our actions and behaviors flow out of these truths, and our actions become a witness to the Gospel. From this paradigm, there are both implications and opportunities that follow. Speaker: Mike Bullmore

I Am the Resurrection (2015)

Death is inevitable for all of us. We all will experience going through the grieving process of losing a loved one. Death has the ability to derail our faith or draw us closer to God. Through Jesus' resurrection of Lazarus we find God's perspective on death. God too is outraged and in anger over death. We also learn that death on this earth is not the end for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ. He has provided the resurrection of the dead giving us hope in the face of death. Speaker: Scott Risley

Cultivating a Tender Heart (2007)

In the Christian life and ministry there is a need for both toughness and tenderness, a paradox that we all face. We need toughness because Christian work is hard. We face attacks from Satan, failure, doubts, people walking away from God, criticism, and much more at times. In order to withstand this, we must learn how to draw near to God for strength. We do this so that we do not become hardened and self-protective, because Christian work involves exercising sacrificial love repeatedly and moving towards people. There are many consequences if we harden our heart in response, but also practical suggestions for how to cultivate this tender heart. Speaker: Dennis McCallum, Pat Reeder