ministry – Grace Evangelical Society

Elton Trueblood on the Ministry of the Pastor

April 6, 2022 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Elton Trueblood, ministry, pastor, Quaker

What does it mean to be a pastor? The popular conception is that the pastor is the man who gets paid to do all the ministry—at least, all the important “religious” stuff. He wears special clothes such as a robe and collar. He has the unique authority to marry, bury, and preach. And he is

We Want to Be Read

November 3, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - ministry, peer-review, priorities

One of the hardest things about ministry is getting your priorities straight. It’s so easy to become focused on the wrong things, for the wrong reasons, at the expense of doing the work that needs to be done. For example, I recently read two criticisms of our ministry—one from a Lordship professor, the other from

A Modern George Muller? Charles and Esther Mully

July 1, 2021 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - ministry, service, spirituality

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world (James 1:27). What does Jesus want you to focus on in your service to Him? We have enormous Christian liberty to serve God. But Jesus has also given

Start with the Cheese (1 Samuel 17:17-20)

September 25, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Free Grace, ministry, service

People often ask me, “How can I get started in ministry?” The answer is pretty simple. You start with the cheese. I’ll explain. Do you remember when God raised up David to defeat Goliath? That was certainly one of history’s most impressive examples of being used by God in ministry, right? But do you know

Paul Had Nothing

February 5, 2020 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - ministry

Those of us in the Free Grace movement tend to come from small churches and work in little ministries, with few resources, and even less (worldly) prestige. And that can be discouraging, especially when we look at the big ministries churches and their cool, cutting edge, and expensive buildings and activities and programs (as recommended

Why Not Start a Church Bookstore?

November 13, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - ministry, mission, vocation

“Churches need to operate their own bookstores to provide sound material to the people,” David Cloud, a Fundamentalist Baptist, argued. “The typical Christian bookstores are not going to carry the type of information that God’s people need today, because they are in the business of making money and do not want to offend potential customers”

Is Anyone Unreachable?

April 3, 2019 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Grace, ministry, vocation

We all have a ministry from God. In fact, you’re in full-time ministry right now. So…how are you doing? What are you doing? Who are you reaching? One of the things I try to emphasize at church is that everyone should be self-consciously serving God in their lives. Not everyone has a visible ministry on

Grace in Ministry (Galatians 6:13-14)

December 19, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - Galatians, Grace, ministry

Paul’s letter to the Galatians contrasts law-religion and grace-religion. The contrast applies not only to how you are justified before God, but also to how you live the Christian life. One of the differences between law-religion and grace-religion shows itself in the pressures to have a “successful” ministry. What usually counts as a successful ministry?

Where Are the Workers?

October 19, 2018 by Shawn Lazar in Blog - boot camp, ministry, seminary, training

Every week a church calls up, looking to hire a Free Grace pastor or minister. And there aren’t any. Well, they are few and far between. There are positions around the country, but few men to fill them. And do you know what happens, next? The church hires someone they hope is at least Free