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Equip The Called
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Why Your Ministry Needs a Friendsgiving

My family and I arrived in the US from South Africa in January 1996. We were pursuing studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary on our way to the mission field.

Author: Dean Sieberhagen
What Baptist History Taught Me About Life & Ministry

I grew up in Southern Baptist churches. Each one offered unique experiences, and my heart was always drawn to the local church. As a small-town girl who attended Sunbeams and

Author: Andrea Lennon
How Friendship Made Me a Better Preacher

“You will never arrive as a preacher” are words that will stay with me forever. To stand before God’s people week after week and proclaim his Word is a profoundly

Author: Conrad Mills
How to Appreciate Your Pastor (A Pastor’s Wife’s Testimony)

We have all heard the story of the young boy who, when asked by his parents what he wanted to be when he grew up, said, “I want to be

Author: Peggy Osborne
Fall Fest or Trick-or-Treat? What My Church Chose and Why

The decision to host a Halloween event of some nature has been a long-debated topic among churches for as long as I have been associated with churches. Should churches be

Author: Casey Williams
From the Deans: In Honor of Our Pastors

In honor of Pastor Appreciation Month, the deans of Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College have a few words of gratitude and appreciation for the pastors serving in their own

Author: W. Madison Grace II | Joseph Crider | Dean Sieberhagen | Chris Shirley | Terri Stovall | Carl Bradford
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Artistic Theologian
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Five Reasons We Worship Corporately

From time to time, I like to ask my fellow worship ministers: Why do people come to church? Why do your church members gather for worship each week? I get

Author: Joshua A. Waggener
Are the categories of transcendence and immanence important considerations for worship planning and design?

Originally published January 10, 2020. Are the categories of transcendence and immanence important considerations for worship planning and design?  The answer is a resounding yes.  Not only are they important,

Author: Charles T. Lewis
Gospel Renewal in Corporate Worship

What are we really doing when we gather for corporate worship each week? For some today, the main purpose for which we gather is evangelism; every service is designed to

Author: Scott Aniol
Hope

Luke beautifully weaves four hope-filled canticles (songs) into his first two chapters: Mary’s praise (Magnificat 1:46-55), Zechariah’s Prophecy (Benedictus 1:67-79), the Angels’ song (Gloria in Excelsis Deo 2:14), and Simeon’s

Author: Joseph Crider
The Biblical Mandate to Sing

Why do we sing hymns in Christian worship? Is the singing of hymns optional? Is it something churches do simply because it is an enjoyable to affirm biblical truth that

Author: Scott Aniol
Including Disabled in the Church: More Than a Ramp

Automatic doors, elevators, ramps, and even hearing loops have become common in public buildings in the United States. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has created and is still creating

Author: C. Trent Broussard
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Southwestern Journal of Theology
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Creed, Confession, and Cooperation

This second issue of the 67th volume of the Southwestern Journal of Theology, published in 2025, is entitled “Creed, Confession, and Cooperation” as a way of honoring several significant centennials

Author: David S. Dockery | Malcolm B. Yarnell III | Robert Caldwell | Andrew Streett
Leviticus: A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching

By Michael A. Harbin and Mark C. Biehl. Grand Rapids: Kregel Ministry, 2024, 464 pp., $24.99. Part of the Kerux Old Testament commentary series, this volume on Leviticus reflects a

Author: Matthew McKellar
Galatians and Ephesians through Old Testament Eyes: A Background and Application Commentary

By Gary M. Burge. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2025, 320 pp., Paperback, $28.99. In this commentary, Gary Burge takes the reader on a journey through Galatians and Ephesians with constant reference

Author: Joshua Williams
Galatians: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary

By Michael H. Burer. Bellingham, Washington: Lexham Academic, 2024, 575pp., $69.99. Michael H. Burer is the Dean of Faculty Development and Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Author: David Wallace
Biblical Typology: How the Old Testament Points to Christ, His Church, and the Consummation

By Vern S. Poythress. Wheaton: Crossway, 2024, 294 pp., $24.99. Having taught forty-four years at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Vern S. Poythress is Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Biblical

Author: Jim Wicker
Creed, Confession, and Cooperation: Editorial

2025 is a most significant year of anniversaries both for Christians more broadly, for Baptists generally, and for Southern Baptists in particular. In 325, the universal faith of all true

Author: David S. Dockery | Malcolm B. Yarnell III
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Preaching Source
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Effective Preaching Workshop 2025: Session Notes & Recordings

Session notes and recordings for the 2025 Effective Preaching Workshop are available here:

Author:
Effective Preaching Workshop 2025: Habakkuk

This is a prophetic book that does not actually contain a prophecy that God has given to be revealed to his people. It is instead a personal dialogue between Yahweh

Author: Chris Osborne
Effective Preaching Workshop 2025: Malachi

Introduction    1:1 Superscription    1:2-5 reaffirmation/proclamation of divine love for Israel    1:6-2:9 denunciation of priestly laxity    2:10-16 mixed marriage and divorce    2:17-3:6 prophecy of God coming in judgment    3:7-12 indifference/distress traced

Author: Matthew McKellar
Effective Preaching Workshop 2025: Haggai

Background and Historical Context 18 Years since Ezra 1:1 and Cyrus’ decree in 538BC.  2 Chron 26:22-23 16 years since Ezra 3:8 and the laying of the foundation Ezra 5:1 Haggai

Author: Matt Beasley
Effective Preaching Workshop 2025: Joel

Preaching Joel: The Day of the LORD and the God Who Restores Introduction Joel is often a neglected book, but I am convinced that this should not be. Most scholars

Author: Todd Gray
Effective Preaching Workshop 2025: Jonah

The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the Bible not only to communicate to us through what they said but also through how they said it. So, when you are

Author: Aaron Kahler
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