Do you remember flying paper airplanes as a kid? Maybe you and your friends found a balcony or an upper-story window. The breeze beckoned–Every fold carefully creased, sometimes made tighter with a lick. Very aerodynamic. Half the fun was comparing and testing designs until one made that magical endless flight. As Christian leaders, we still love to see how others fold and unfold their ministries. We all want to reach more, rest more and fret less. In this issue of Dedicated, we look at different folds in ministry, hoping to encourage you with some helpful approaches to ministry.
In our first feature, Paul Johnson reflects on the central mission of the Church. With so much focus at present on social justice and societal reform, the priority of making disciples can fade. Paul calls us to come back to the foundational biblical texts to anchor our ministries. In our second feature article, I look at application approaches to social ethical issues. When we leave our sanctuaries on Sundays, what do we do with controversial subjects on Mondays? How far do I have to go to be obedient to what the Scriptures teach on topics like abortion, human trafficking, and euthanasia?
In book reviews, Mark Jacobson suggests a lesson from Aristotle’s Children to answer how a believer might stay true to the Scripture and still engage our culture’s intellectuals. Do the Bible and reason correlate or compete? For those who believe the two stand in opposition to each other, a look back may surprise you. Russ Glessner reviews Clint Arnold’s commentary on Ephesians. If you are looking to teach or preach from this epistle soon, you’ll want to see this review. For those seeking rest in the midst of stressful ministry, you’ll be blessed by Lee Ann Zanon’s review of Eugene Peterson’s The Pastor: A Memoir. We hope as we all fold and fly together that something we share will help you fly a little smoother and a little farther.
