Practical Theology / Pastoral Ministry

  • Training Pastors in Church by Albert Mohler

    FROM TABLETALK | February 2008

    The Bible consistently affirms education as a central responsibility of God’s people. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people were reminded that the education of their own children was an essential part of their responsibility as God’s covenant …Read More

  • The Wisdom of Listening by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | December 2008

    Wise men are difficult to find. We must go to great lengths - we must search high and low in order to find a man who is truly wise. I grieve for my children and my children’s children as …Read More

  • That They May Be One by Carl Robbins

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2007

    No Christian would say he is for division in the church. Divisiveness stands condemned (1 Cor. 1:10). Even the newest believer knows that we are given warnings not to tolerate those who would cause division (Rom. 16:17–18 …Read More

  • The Ordinary Means of Growth by Ligon Duncan

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2007

      We are living in a confused and confusing time for confessional Christians (Christians who are anchored by a public and corporate theological commitment to be faithful to the Bible’s teaching on faith and practice as expounded by the great …Read More

  • God-Given Growth by Mark Dever

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2007

      Everybody wants their church to grow. When a church doesn’t grow for a while, some begin looking for those to blame. Some might say “our sign is too old.” Others might say that the church is doing evangelism all …Read More

  • Church Growth and the Sovereignty of God by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | October 2007

    It seems that every time I meet a pastor from another church, he asks me the common, unsolicited, ecclesiastical question of the twenty-first-century: “How big is your church?” Most pastors are usually a bit confounded when I respond: “I …Read More

  • The Pastor and His Pulpit by Albert Martin

    FROM TABLETALK | September 2007

    The life of a minister is the life of his ministry.” This adage is as true now as ever. In fact, ministerial integrity is an indispensable element of any sustained credibility among a discerning people with whom we have pastoral …Read More

  • The Holiness of Pastors and Patriarchs by Burk Parsons

    FROM TABLETALK | August 2007

    As I write this article I am sitting comfortably in a hotel lobby in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This morning, as I walked to the hotel in sub-zero temperatures, while massive, mid-western snowflakes kept falling on my head, during the coldest spell …Read More

  • True Shepherding by Joel Beeke

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2007

    Every morning for several months, my wife and I walked past an injured Canada goose, whose feathers stuck out in several directions. For all those months, several geese dutifully stayed with the injured bird. Likewise, caring for the wounded is …Read More

  • Building Up The Body by Ken Jones

    FROM TABLETALK | March 2007

    Make no mistake about it, ours is a culture of specialization and niche marketing. From vegetarian or vegan restaurants to the most obscure hobby, entrepreneurs have found a way to tap into every conceivable niche market. And just as the …Read More

  • Shepherding the Flock by R.C. Sproul

    FROM TABLETALK | May 2005

    When we examine life in the early Christian church, we see a remarkable phenomenon recorded for us in the book of Acts. In Acts 8:1 we read, “At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was …Read More

  • What the Needy Need by Richard Phillips

    FROM TABLETALK | April 2008

    Since we live in a fallen world, our greatest strengths have a way of giving birth to our greatest weaknesses. This is why some churches that emphasize a strong Bible-preaching pulpit are less vigorous in ministries of mercy. One inner …Read More

  • In Season and Out of Season by Douglas Wilson

    FROM TABLETALK | April 1999

    Y2K has not always been on everyone’s lips, but it will be. For years, those who had taken the responsibility of warning others were pretty lonely. Now that we have little time left, we have mounting awareness—and mounting …Read More

  • Weak Shepherds and Hirelings by Robert Norris

    FROM TABLETALK | April 1992

    The church today is confused, and that confusion is deep and profound. There may be many reasons as to why this is so, but it is true that in this generation, self-doubt, division, and weakness mark the church, even the …Read More

  • The Danger of An Unconverted Ministry by Gilbert Tennent

    FROM TABLETALK | April 1992

    And Jesus, when He came out, saw many people and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd (Mark 6:34 KJV). The ministry of natural men is for the most part unprofitable …Read More