Many Bible college and seminary towns have the same dilemma—how to get seminary students out of their peer group and into the life of the local church. Students flock to local churches, especially to those with vital preaching and evangelism ministries, yet can often be found clustered together in a circle talking about their studies […]
Continue ReadingMission
[VIDEO] Coming to the USA for Seminary and a Pastoral Internship
Hear from Confex Makhalira on what it was like leaving Malawi and coming to study in the USA at PRTS seminary and do a pastoral internship at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, MI. Confex shares… What was the hardest adjustment coming to the USA? What could a Malawian do to make the adjustment easier? […]
Continue ReadingProclaiming His Excellencies
A few days ago, one of my children found several toads in the backyard. Bursting with excitement he rushed up calling for me to come quickly to see them. In 1 Peter, the apostle Peter, full of enthusiasm and excitement for a much greater reality, calls us to see what God has made us through […]
Continue ReadingThe People God Uses in Ministry
Luke writes in the book of Acts 17:11 “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Why did Luke say the Bereans were nobler than those in Thessalonica? Because the Bereans had three noble characteristics. […]
Continue ReadingOur Three-Part Strategy
MRN is working to see the Reformed faith flourish again in Malawi, but how? What is our strategy? Specifically, we are praying for a faithful, reformed confessional church in every city and village in Malawi. Our developing strategy currently has three parts. Part one – Raising up and training men to plant churches and preach […]
Continue ReadingA Proven Paradigm
When I first heard about the Malawi Reformation Network (MRN) a few months ago, I was intrigued by its vision for promoting the growth and multiplication of solid Reformed churches in Malawi. During the past dozen years, I’d witnessed first-hand a similar ministry paradigm bear abundant fruit to the north in Uganda. The Church of […]
Continue ReadingA Few of My Most Recent Efforts
People are what matters. This is a constant refrain I repeat to myself over and over.” – Jason Helopoulos While working many years in a Fortune 500 company, one of the earliest lessons I learned in communications was to say what I wanted first. The rationale was that busy people only read the first paragraph […]
Continue ReadingTake Courage and Work
In the opening verses of Ezra 5, the returned exiles, now re-engaged in their calling to rebuild the temple, encounter opposition: “Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their colleagues came to them and spoke to them thus, “Who issued you a decree to rebuild the temple and to finish this […]
Continue ReadingGod’s Call to the Pastorate
Has God called you to pastoral ministry? Three essential elements help answer this question: Internal call Manifest approval by God’s people Confirmation of the church. 1. The Internal call Any man seeking to enter the ministry should have an internal sense that God has called him to be a pastor (Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1). One […]
Continue ReadingSkin in the Game
Supporting missionaries has been a vital ministry of the congregation of Meadowview Reformed Presbyterian Church much longer than my wife and I have been members (21+ years), and until I typed that number, I hadn’t realized how fast those years have flown by. Before coming to Meadowview, I had not thought much about missions and […]
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