Our case studies of niche churches have been of specific generational (e.g. boomers), affinity (e.g. Cowboy), and ethnically based congregations (e.g. African-American), but our conclusions can be generalized. Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, author of Brand Jesus: Christianity in a Consumerist Age, ...
Handel's "Hallalujah Chorus" sung by the choir and members of congregation with organ and string ensemble. This recording is from the morning worship service of Easter 2010. You may download it here, or listen to it directly in the browser ...
There would seem to be many who think that the only “authentic” black worship is of the Pentecostal variety. The DNA of African Americans, so the theory goes, requires “emotionally expressive” music, preaching and congregational interaction. Thomas Sowell, scholar at ...
Let us review what we’ve been saying over these months about catholicity and the communion of the saints. First, if catholicity is to be preserved, the church must recognize its own ecclesiastical culture of order, format, music, and language which transcends individual and group cultural ...
Diverse cultural forms in worship and ministry are thought to honor ethnic and social diversity. Church leaders are eager to demonstrate sensitivity to the cultural preferences of each identifiable demographic group within society. Accommodating those preferences with worship services featuring ...
In our semester study of Exodus, I am constantly reminded of my daily need for the grace of our Lord Jesus and to “forget not all His benefits.” (Psalm 103:2) One of the great benefits our Lord has given to us is the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the day we gather with the ...
The date for IPC’s World Missions Conference has been set for March 11 - 14, 2010. Even though the date may seem distant, it is never too early mark your calendars. In anticipation of the conference, we will feature one of our speakers each month. This month begins with the ...
We were made to be drawn to beauty as we are drawn to the sun on a cool morning. Almost instinctively, we look for it everywhere and don’t seem to be satisfied without it. Beauty is a woman’s standard, and we work hard trying to make ourselves, our homes and the lives of those we love ...
Those who want to market the church to one sort of person and bypass the rest may argue that most churches primarily reach a certain type of person, whether black or white, whether affluent or middle class. However, there is a difference between recognizing a fact (some churches will have ...
Christianity is not faithfully attending church, singing hymns or Psalms, paticipating in women’s Bible studies or doing nice things for other people. Surely, in the truest sense, Christianity is Christ. It is about one Person and for one Person. He stands front and center of all that is. He ...
For several weeks on Sunday nights we looked at the “communion of the saints.” In light of what we’ve seen, what are we to think of the claim of the leadership of the normally staid Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (with apologies to Buick): “This is not your ...
To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung andpossibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to noone, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid ...
Somehow it all came together. Scholars arrived from around the world to present papers. Ministers arrived from throughout the English-speaking world to preach sermons. Calvinistic conference-goers eagerly joined them for the opening worship service of the Calvin 500 celebration in Geneva, ...
President Barack Obama recently signed a proclamation designating the month of June as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, 2009.” This follows the precedent set by President Clinton, who with a similar executive order declared June of 2000 “Gay & Lesbian ...
The practical benefit of historic catholicity in our ministry is two-fold. First, by honoring universal practice we can join hands in worship with the church of the past, the church triumphant, using the forms that they used before us: singing their hymns and psalms, praying their ...
Our sermons are updated weekly on our iTunes podcast. Click here for a direct link to it. This will only work if you already have iTunes installed on your computer. You may also search for the podcast by typing "Independent Presbyterian Church" in the search bar within iTunes Music Store. ...
Terry Johnson gave the presentation "Calvin the Liturgist" at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary for their conference entitled "John Calvin 500 years in Retrospect: a 21st Century ...
This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, ...
I sincerely hope you were one of the more than 220 that attended the Egg Hunt and Breakfast that was at Point Pleasant on Easter weekend. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and wonderful fellowship on a glorious spring day. Thank you to the Daniells for helping set the event in motion. Judy and ...
Where motherhood is concerned, many of our concerns seem to be about how our children appear or appear to be. As Christian mothers we sometimes forget about the truths that we cannot see and follow where the world leads. We freely talk about diaper bags, outfits, car seats, activities, ...
September 11-19, we will be working with Peru Mission (and our supported missionaries WesBaker and Alonzo Ramirez) in Trujillo and Cajamarca, Peru. We have the opportunity formedical, construction, and other community service work. Please consider how you can be apart of this effort. If you have ...
Thankfully, the Reformers understood the importance of the catholic tradition. They maintained continuity with the past, sought uniformity in the present, and instituted reforms that they hoped would endure, which future generations could embrace. So should we. They were not revolutionaries, as ...
Given that many Reformed churches typically make liturgical use of the Apostles' Creed, expressing as they do their belief in the "Holy catholic church," its is surprising how little attention is given today to catholicity, to the historic beliefs and practices of the "universal" (the meaning ...
Our annual Missions Conference is just a week or so away. As in past years, your Session's Church Extension Committee, chaired by Elder DennisBoatright, has been hard at work preparing for this extremely important event in the ongoing lifeof our church. It is the committee's sincere hopeand ...
Each presentation from our recent conference on The Architectural Setting of Christian Worship: Exploring the Intersection of Architecture, Theology, and Worship is now online. These messages are offered for free ...
"Yo, God is so ill," shouted Adam Durso, youth pastor at Christ Tabernacle Church in Glendale, Queens, New York, using a hip-hop term of praise. Hip-hop worship for the hip-hop generation? "The only way to make the gospel relevant to them is through hip-hop," reports a Chicago youth pastor to the ...
Did you know that Dr. Colin Dow is writing a series on the Shorter Catechism? You can find his writings at http://dowboy.wordpress.com/.
Someone once told me, "God will NEVER give you anything that YOU can't handle." I know their motivation was from a sincere heart to love and encourage me, but in my mind, I had to disagree. As I look at the men and women in the Bible, I can't find any of them who were given something they COULD ...
What do firemen, teachers, court recorders, missionaries, doctors, accountants, engineers, soldiers, homemakers, attorneys, pastors, musicians, and bakers have in common? They all receive the newsletter of the Independent Presbyterian Church!
Over the past two years we've been working on a master plan for the Point Pleasant property. It has been a long (but interesting) process and I'm happy to report that the Session has approved the plan submitted in October.
This is the final year in which we will follow the "Learn the Psalms" format. As was the case in 2008, we will sing the 52 best known and most beloved Psalms in the morning services. On Sunday nights we will add our final selection of 26 Psalms (list "D") to add to the 26 learned in 2008, ...
We have just recently added Terry Johnson's sermons on Matthew 1-4 from the late 1990s. This succinct and well-applied series can be used as a daily reading during the Christmas season for both families and individuals. Download it ...
As we've just finished our Stewardship Sunday, I thought I would discuss how Stewardship relates to our Time, Talents and Material Giving. But then, I thought, we already know this. We already know that all we haveis a gift from God. We already know that if each of us gave sacrificially of our ...
When I was growing up in Los Angeles in the 1960's and 70's, there was one college football game broadcast on television each week-"the game of the week." It might be a Big Ten game, a Notre Dame game, or an SEC game, but there was just one. That was it. On Sunday, two NFL games were broadcast, an ...
They said it would be easier with the second child. They lied. Our weepy good-byes to Sam prove that we're still no good at this. Life can be seen as a progression through a series of stages, from childhood to adolescence, to early adulthood, to mature adulthood. I have enjoyed every phase ...
On Friday, September 5, a team of seven from IPC departed Savannah airportfor Trujillo, Peru. The team was made up of Paul Carpenter, Frankie Daniell,James Huffman, Doug, Andrew, and Catherine Mullins, and Peter Schenk.During our long layover in Miami, James was able to get us all into ...
It is almost inescapable. News, news, news...and none of it too good. Fears on Wall Street, fears on Main Street , there are fears about the election, Iran, fires in California, etc. Couple this with the fast pace of our world today and it's easy to feel like we're spinning out of control. Our ...
As Christians we know that God created the heavens and the earth. He gave man dominion over the earth and all that is contained therein. As Christians, we should be good stewards of this gift and do all we can to protect and help sustain a healthy environment. Thinking along those lines, I made a ...
The energy and enthusiasm in our growing congregation is wonderful to behold. I speak from the perspective of 21 years of pastoring this church. It is exciting to see the crowds attending our Sunday services. The blessing of God is evident. We have had our clean-up day and could stand to have a ...
When we look into the faces of the young women in our church, we see beautiful possibilities. We see longing eyes, bright smiles, hopeful anticipation and sometimes-deep insecurities. Will we, who have been in their place before, pass by them not recognizing who they are, what they mean to us or ...
It's been a great start to our fall youth program. We are running out of room everywhere at IPC. God is blessing us with so many new faces. It's exciting to deepen old friendships and develop new ones. What a great blessing to be able to be in relationship with God and each other in the Body of ...
I have used this quote before and thought it was worth repeating: Dr. Paul S. Jones, in his book Singing and Making Music, quotes Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ...
Handel's Messiah is one of the chief accomplishments in all of Musical History. It's an astounding...
When I first began my ministry with the Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah in January of 1987, there was one baby in the nursery and one couple under 40 years old active in the church. The nursery was last painted and decorated in the 1970's, and looked it. It was worn, tattered, stained, ...
It is a challenge to raise teenagers today. (As it has been in every generation.) Nevertheless, it is such a joy, privilege and responsibility as well. I love my job, and I love it because God allows me to have a front row seat to see Him grow and sanctify students into godly young men and ...
A couple of weeks ago, I was thrilled to watch one of my former students qualify for two events in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her name is Elaine Breeden and she will be swimming in the 100m and 200m butterfly. I remember her coming to youth group on Wednesday nights with her hair still wet ...
We live in the era of the "gimmick-driven church." On a nearly weekly basis mailers cross the desks of ministers promising the silver bullet which will slay the dragons of non-growth and invigorate a season of super-growth. We can recall the yellow Sunday School bus ministry, "Here's Life ...
When the woman with a bleeding disease touched the hem of His garment, our Lord Jesus called her out from the crowd. She had come to embrace Him by faith, now He wanted her to be sure of who she had become. Jesus called her "daughter." No longer alone, she belonged to Him and could begin to ...
Beach Trip to Treasure Island, Florida – August 4-8: This summer marks the addition of many new traditions to our calendar...the mission trip to Allendale and our first annual Beach Trip. We will be spending a week on the beach soaking in God's Word in evening sessions and soaking in the ...
Over 15 years ago Dr. David Wells, of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, contributed an article to No God But God: Breaking with the Idols of Our Age (Moody, 1992) entitled "The D-Min-Ization of the Ministry." His essay burst like a bomb-shell on the playground of the Seminaries. He argued that ...
Mission Trip to Allendale, SC – July 10-13: In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples, "...You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The disciples were in Jerusalem and their ...
When I was in college our Bible study pastor would occasionally bring along a colleague whom we today would call a "worship leader." He was talented with a guitar. He would play softly and lead us from one song to another over a period of 15 to 20 minutes. "Oh how he loves you and me.(repeat)He ...
If you begin to wade through Charles Hodge's massive 3 volume Systematic Theology (1878), it won't be long before you encounter an extended Latin quote that may go on for several paragraphs. He cites the Latin Fathers, Medieval theologians, Reformation and post-Reformation theologians in their ...