November 23, 2021
by Eric Stillman
“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” This stirring quote came from the pen of Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision and one of the men responsible for Samaritan’s Purse, two of the leading Christian relief organizations in the world.
With a resume like that, you probably envision a passionate man of God, giving his all to share the love of Christ with all who came across his path. And you would be correct to a large extent. But there was much more to the story of Bob Pierce....Keep Reading
Posted in: Missions Tags: Leadership, Missions, Sin
May 2, 2017
by Eric Stillman
This past Sunday, I preached on Romans 13:8-14, and noted how in verse 12, Paul tells his listeners to get up and put on their armor. It’s a curious and striking exhortation, given that most people don’t get up in the morning and change out of their pajamas into a suit of armor! But Paul’s words reinforce what he says more directly in Ephesians 6:11-12, where he tells his listeners to “put on the full armor of God,” because our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil. The Christian life is not a walk in the park, but is rather a fight against a tenacious and terrible opposition, led by the devil himself....Keep Reading
Posted in: Leadership Tags: Leadership, Spiritual Warfare
December 22, 2015
by Eric Stillman
This past week, Ron Luce, founder of the youth ministry organization Teen Mania, announced that they would be shutting down their global youth ministry after 30 years. Teen Mania is best known for their youth conferences Acquire the Fire, but also sent thousands of teens out onto the mission field through their Global Expeditions missions trips, and trained up young men and women at their Honor Academy for a life of service to God.
As impressive a resume as that is, Teen Mania came under fire (no pun intended) and media scrutiny in recent years for the methods they used to train young men and women at their Honor Academy, methods that were seen by many “recovering alumni” as abusive in nature....Keep Reading
Posted in: Leadership Tags: Leadership, Teen Mania
August 26, 2014
by Eric Stillman
One of the most influential churches in America these days is Mars Hill Church of Seattle. Its pastor, Mark Driscoll, is one of the most influential pastors in America, having written numerous books and trained many church planters through the network he helped found, Acts 29. Over the past year, Driscoll has come under fire for a number of sinful or unwise actions, including plagiarism, mistreating staff and leadership at the church, buying his way onto the New York Times bestseller list, and other behavior that has recently caused 21 former Mars Hill pastors to file charges against him. This week, he agreed to step down as pastor for at least six weeks in order to give the elders of his church the opportunity to look into the charges.
As I‘ve followed Driscoll‘s situation, here are a few of the lessons I have learned:...Keep Reading
Posted in: Leadership Tags: Leadership, Mark Driscoll
March 12, 2013
by Eric Stillman
“Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task... The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.” (1 Timothy 3:1, 5:17)
When the Bible lays out what the leadership of the local church should look like, one of the main emphases is on a group known as elders. The elders of the church are to be men (or men and women, depending on your reading of the relevant texts) whose role is to set an example of godly
living for the church, shepherd the church (through nurturing, directing and guarding the sheep), and oversee the secular affairs of the church (see 1 Timothy 3:1-7, 5:17, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 5:1-4, and Acts 20:28-31). While some elders may be financially compensated for their service (see 1 Timothy 5:17-18), most elders serve not for financial gain but rather out of a love for God and for His church....Keep Reading
Tags: Leadership, Church
