You have read the question. The answer is…
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I am going to take a different approach in responding to David E. Dean’s recent article that expresses opposition to the 2026 Declaration of Principles. I will briefly respond to some particular points at the end as a sort of appendix. More than this, I want to give you a context for thinking about these things. And eventually, I am going to invite you to step into my shoes, to look through the eyes of a 34 year old pastor, as we look to the future.
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Do recent denominational proposals betray congregationalism? Tom Loghry compares the standards and practices of the Conservative Congregationalists (CCCC) with the proposed changes for ACGC.
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Revising a beautiful lullaby to anticipate Christ’s Second Advent.
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…we need avenues for thoughtful and serious discussion on matters of theology, ministry practice, and denominational life.
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The following is insight into how to sharpen your sermonizing skills while remaining faithful to the text. This introduces and describes the Fallen Condition Focus (FCF), Main Proposition of the Sermon (MPS), and Analytical Question (AQ).
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In ancient times, when a king planned to visit his landholdings or cities, messengers were sent ahead to announce his arrival. Roads were cleared. Homes were swept. Streets were beautified. The people didn’t wait passively—they prepared actively. They made a straight and easy path for the king to arrive. This wasn’t just protocol—it was honor. It was readiness. It was a declaration: “We are not just aware of the King—we are awaiting Him.”
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We live in a world where everything is being shaken—morally, politically, spiritually. The storms are not coming—they’re already here. And the question is not whether our churches will face them, but whether we’ve built on a foundation that can withstand them.
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Although Advent Christians hold to varying beliefs regarding the ordinances, particularly the Lord’s Table, churches and pastors must understand what the Scripture teaches with clarity and conviction because it impacts the church's spiritual life.
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We were once a movement marked by both conviction and urgency—unashamed to proclaim that Jesus is coming soon. But somewhere along the way, we traded confidence for caution, clarity for complexity, and proclamation for polite silence…
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I write this not as a prophet, but as a pastor. Not as one who has mastered the message, but as one who has been convicted by it. These words were first preached to my own heart. They are not declarations from on high—they are cries from within. Cries born out of prayer, reflection, and a deep longing to see our churches awaken to the urgency of the hour.
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Catch all the sessions from the Pastors & Church Leaders Conference right here on ACV! Featuring Dr. David Santis, Rev. Harry Stoliker, Rev. Nathaniel Bickford, and the Restoration Network
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I don’t know about you, but I tend to think, like most people, that bigger is better….
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“If you don’t do anything else, spend time with people in your community. Care for them, love them, champion them, and learn about them. Find out what is important to people. What do they love and care about? What brings them joy and what are they afraid of? What do they believe? Can you articulate what they believe in a way they would affirm?“
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The dechurched are those who once attended church at least once a month and now attend church services a couple of times a year or less. Why did they leave? What will bring them back?
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f we continue to encourage covocational ministry, more Christians will see it as a viable career path. A person can love their current vocation and see God’s call on their life to serve him by serving a local church simultaneously. Essentially, we open the door to otherwise qualified people who could have a call on their lives to serve but shut out that possibility because of perceived limitations bound by a full-time vocation-only model.
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If a church isn’t trained to hire pastors, then it is likely they will lack the skills necessary for hiring them. Mistakes will be made, which can have several undesirable impacts. Consider the church that, after six months, found a candidate, but when the candidate asked how much the church could offer in compensation, they responded with, “We won’t share that information until you accept the call because we don’t want a pastor who is greedy but trusts that God will provide.”
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The Advent Christian Church is not the only network or denomination struggling with finding called and qualified pastors. I remember sitting in a Church Revitalization class at Gordon-Conwell in South Hamilton when one of our Professors would bring in the ABC equivalent to Superintendents. Each one would provide some type of insight on church leadership or revitalization but would always take 10 minutes to pitch to eager seminary students why they should consider one of their many open churches in New England.
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The last article ended with a call for us to put everything on the table. If we are going to do that, then we need to understand exactly what we are as a denomination. The purpose of this article is to help us do that, but perhaps not in the way you would expect. Generally, when the question “what are we?” is asked, the answers revolve around common beliefs or relationships. But I want us to look at our structure, and particularly how our churches relate to one another and to the levels of our denomination, orienting what we are in relation to other types of denominational structure. Let’s begin, then, with an overview of the options.
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