1. Introduction – Facing the Issues (continued) 1.3       Questionable Sources It is my contention that much of the confusion about causes of youth problems stems from the use of doubtful methods.  Many today who sincerely long to see youth helped often draw water from polluted wells.  Rather than appealing to an...

*In this article the author offers a unique, powerful, and appealing solution to the malaise in our society over youth-related problems.  All who seek to help today’s hurting youth need to be equipped with an essential tool – what the author calls a “biblical cardiology”.  This refers to a Scriptural...

III. Our Strategy The key to developing this urgently needed church-strengthening movement in the BUSA (or anywhere) is to equip churches and church planters to pursue a more biblical pattern of church planting and to not depart until the job is done. This equipping strategy could unfold in three phases:...

II. Our Responsibility Biblical principles In conjunction with my field research, I did in-depth exegetical research in Acts and Paul’s epistles to determine the biblical keys to building mature churches. It was a rich and rewarding study, and much was gleaned!5 What I repeatedly found was that strengthening churches was...

I. Our Need (Continued)   Solutions offered One major solution to the instability of African churches is to develop trained pastors, since the majority of churches are still without one (both in Africa and worldwide) (Buys, 2002a)4. But training such pastors becomes difficult when there are few local churches mature enough...

*This article was written in 2004 It has been called the “surprise story” of modern missions–the emergence of ‘Christian Africa’ (Bediako, 2000:3-4). In the last century, Christianity in Africa has seen the fastest numerical growth of any continent ever in church history. Down in South Africa, we in the Baptist...

Have you ever heard a church leader say, ‘Beloved, let us aim to be as irrelevant as possible?’ Of course not. Everyone agrees that relevance is important. Like King David, we must “serve the purpose of God” in our “own generation” (Acts 13:36). Like the sons of Issachar, we want...

 Biblical Instructions about a Quiet Time We are helped both by biblical models as well as biblical principles. Christian, how could you ever enjoy the “day and night” meditation on Scripture that Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2 speak about without some kind of daily habit? And who would not want...

Here is one of those balloon-popping questions that tend to reduce swelling in the head: “So, how are your quiet times going lately? How has your private prayer and meditation on Scripture been?” Among many Christians it seems that what was once assumed has now become optional. In the name...

6. Catechise to keep core doctrines central. Catechisms are not only a hedge against heresy; they are also a wedge that opens the mind to truth, the great truths, the main truths of the Bible.  What God has made most central and repeated in His Word is what we want...