Category Archives: Leadership

Meandering thoughts on Nein Quarterly, hermeneutics, a little Kierkegaard, and leading change in a Church of Christ, Part 1

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Jay F Guin

Hermeneutics and change in church As you know, I’m an avid reader of Richard Beck’s blog Experimental Theology (a title I wish I’d thought of — and thought of before he did. I’m so very jealous.) And he recently posted … Continue reading →

Posted in Leading Change, Meandering thoughts on Nein Quarterly, hermeneutics, a little Kierkegaard, and leading change in a Church of Christ, Uncategorized | 18 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.20: Deacons, Part 5 (Female deacons)

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Jay F Guin

Female deacons I am not very interested in the question of whether women may wear the deacon title, because I’d rather not bother with the title. Granting “deacon” as an honorific title only gets in the way of humble, servant-hearted volunteer … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.19: Deacons, Part 4 (A better understanding)

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Jay F Guin

Defining the office: better hermeneutic I remember receiving a call from a candidate for a ministerial position at my church. He asked why we didn’t have the deacons listed on our website. I asked why he cared. He explained that … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Church 2.0: Part 10.18: Deacons, Part 3 (The traditional view of deacons)

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Jay F Guin

Later church history In the early church, we find further support for deacons being teachers. The Didache (100-125 AD) says that deacons “are to be honored, “for they too carry out the ministry of prophets and teachers” (Did. 15.1). Later … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.17: Deacons, Part 2 (Re-translating Acts 6:1-6)

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Jay F Guin

Deacon as church office/re-translating Acts 6:1-6 So what does mean with regard to the office of deacon? Well, we should not think of them so much as servants but as representatives, agents, or even attendants. That is, they serve at … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.16: Deacons, Part 1 (Redefining “Deacon”)

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Jay F Guin

John N. Collins and the meaning of diakonos A couple of years ago, in a comment, Mike Cope referred me to Diakonia: Re-Interpreting the Ancient Sources (1990) ($38.95 at Amazon) by John N. Collins. In this book, Collins comprehensively surveys secular and … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Church of Christ Doctrinal Issues, Deacons, Deacons, Ecclesiology, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.13: Selecting Elders, Part 2

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Jay F Guin

The job descriptions in the titles Next, some of the most helpful instructions for what an elder should look like are found in the titles given the position: elder, overseer, and shepherd. An “elder” was the ancient world’s equivalent of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Ecclesiology, Elders, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Church 2.0: Part 10.12: Selecting Elders, Part 1

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Jay F Guin

When I mention “elders” in a Church of Christ forum, I immediately receive a negative reaction, as though all elders in the Churches of Christ are just awful. There’s a desperate unhappiness within many of our congregations regarding whom we’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Church 2.0, Ecclesiology, Elders, Uncategorized | 30 Comments

An Idea for Teaching a Class on Grace (originally published Feb. 2007)

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Jay F Guin

When I was in college, I attended a Sunday School class for young adults, and the usual teacher was out of town. The fill-in teacher passed out a survey that asked our views on several controversial questions. We anonymously circled … Continue reading →

Posted in Adult Bible Classes, Grace, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Carey Nieuwhof: How Pastoral Care Stunts Church Growth

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Jay F Guin

I’m quickly becoming a fan of the writings of Carey Nieuwhof on church leadership. He writes very much in the manner of Thom Rainer, but he writes as the pastor of a megachurch (Connexus Church, north of Toronto Canada). He recently … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Growth, Uncategorized | 4 Comments