Growth Points 36: Summer Staff Challenge—Honoring the Great Commission
Not long ago, I was talking with a staff member of another church. In our conversation, he asked, “What can I, as a staff member, do to help bear the burden of my pastor?” His question was a blessing to me, and I’m sure the heart behind his question is a blessing to...
Are We Reaching the Lost? 4 Reminders for Making Soulwinning a Priority
Jerry Ferrso is an associate pastor at Lancaster Baptist Church. He and his wife, Bonnie, have been serving with me in ministry for almost twenty-five years. I appreciate their faithfulness and the opportunity to labor together with them. Jerry directs the soulwinning...
5 Ways Dads Can Redeem the Time
If you are a father with children at home, you are a blessed man. It seems just yesterday that I snapped the picture above. In reality, it was twenty years ago. When it comes to parenting, time flies. And I don’t regret a second of that fleeting time that I invested...
Rest for the Busiest People
After preaching in a foreign country, a ministry friend took my wife and me to a remote hotel “resort” in Central America for a night and day of rest before we would travel home. After a frightful journey on deteriorating roads, we arrived for our time of refreshment....Growth Points 35: Two Resources for Baptist Pastors
Striving Together has recently published quite a few new resources. But there are two in particular that I want to ask you to consider. The first is a free resource: America Tomorrow. You can hear the entire material taught and download the companion book here. The...
Quotes to Encourage
I appreciate the way a concise quote can define and relate profound truth. For a change of pace, I’m sharing twenty-five quotes on today’s blog that are among my favorites. Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.—D.L. Moody Prayer is...
Uncola Christianity: 7 Ingredients to Add to Your Faith
Several weeks ago, Dr. John Goetsch presented the information below as a devotion at a men’s prayer breakfast. It was so powerful that I asked him to write it as a guest post for this blog. Perhaps you remember the un-cola commercial of 1967 from the 7UP corporation....
When I Do X
One of the most seductive traps into fleshly ministry is the belief that we must gain God’s acceptance by our accomplishments. The accomplishments might even be spiritual goals—winning souls, building a Sunday school class, raising godly children. But if we undertake...
Keeping It Fresh: Summer Bible Study
I asked Rick Houk, chairman of the Bible department at West Coast Baptist College, to write this guest post. Rick has a genuine love for God’s Word and passion to thoroughly study and rightly divide it. Nothing is more refreshing in the summer than a dinner with...
Focus
Learn to identify distractions, realign priorities, cultivate Christ-centered habits, and press forward with joy in Christ.
Pastor Paul Chappell
Dr. Paul Chappell is the senior pastor of the Lancaster Baptist Church and president of West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California. His biblical vision has led the church to become one of the most dynamic independent Baptist churches in the nation. He has been married to his wife, Terrie, for over forty years and is the father of four married children all serving in Christian ministry.
