Black Church
The Survival of Your Church May Depend on Its Membership Practices
What can we learn from the excommunication of a 103-year-old saint from her church? C’mon up and join the conversation.
The Cosby Conversation We’re Still Not Having
What we are not discussing is how to prevent the many Cosbys in our homes, families, friendship networks, schools and churches from preying upon our daughters, sisters, and mothers. C’mon up and join the conversation.
Judgment and Mercy at Palm Sunday
Louis Love shares one of Dr. Gardner C. Taylor’s sermons that demonstrates the genius of the black pulpit stringing Gospel truths in and around issues in the lives of the congregation.
A Tribute to Dr. Gardner C. Taylor
Thabiti Anyabwile honors the life of Gardner C. Taylor — a dean of preaching and the black church who has influenced countless scores of pastors. C’mon up and celebrate how God used this brother.
Who Watches Your Pastor?
A pastor needs a pastor like all the other sheep. But who ought to keep watch over him — another pastor in the city, an external board? C’mon up and join the conversation.
Faithful Over Little
When the ministry gets difficult and tiring, what do you reflect on? Tony looks at pastors of his youth to remember that the Lord will reward his faithful servants for proclaiming His name, not their own, despite the size of their flock. C’mon up and join Tony!
Meet the Brothers: Vincent Bacote & Tony Carter
Dr. Vincent Bacote, director of the center for applied Christian ethics and professor of theology at Wheaton College, came through The Front Porch to share about his life and ministry, specifically how he wrestled with becoming a professor instead of a senior pastor or a para-church worker.
A Prayer of Jesus
Kevin Smith preaches on the prayer of Jesus found in John 17 and the powerful witness the united body of Christ displays to the world. In it, he references the black church and how history justifies its existence. How does the reconcile with the concept of unity in the body? C’mon up and enjoy this talk to here what Kevin suggests.
How Should Churches Respond to Fallen Pastors?
How should a church respond when there is a sinful failure on the pastor’s part? Are the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3 also disqualifications? Louis Love chops it up with pastors Keelan Atkinson, Bobby Scott, and Kevin Smith about this difficult topic. C’mon up and join the conversation. (Photograph by Stefano Corso via Flickr Creative Commons)
Shepherding Ain’t Easy
Episode (#005) | What makes shepherding such a difficult labor? What might a brother be mindful of before he picks up this heavy mantle? How might this work be rewarded and what other encouragements does Scripture hold out for shepherds? C’mon up and enjoy this last episode of the series: “You Need More Than a Church: You Need a Shepherd.”
The Essence of the Black Church
What is essential to being the Black church? It’s not the adjective, but the noun. C’mon up and see what distinguishes true churches from false ones and how this dictates our leadership, our sexuality, and our whole lives for our joy and God’s glory.
How Many Shepherds Does a Church Need?
Episode (#004) | Why does the Bible almost always refer to Shepherds in the plural? Because no one man can do it all. No one man has the gifts necessary to care for an entire congregation. Shepherds, then, are gifts from God to be received with joy who should care for each individual sheep. This is why the Bible almost always refers to elders—plural.