Digital Logos Edition
Explore modern society through the words of Seventh-day Adventist minister and social analyst Monte Sahlin. The 51 articles in this collection discuss important topics like the history and demographics of the SDA denomination, issues of marriage and parenting, SDA doctrines and their implications in the postmodern world, and helpful analyses of congregations today. Many articles were penned for the Center for Creative Ministry or the Center for Metropolitan Ministry (of which Sahlin is chairman) and focus on issues of urban life and community.
“It is a primary duty of leaders to empower others, to widen the leadership group, to grow new leaders. The ideal is for every member to grow into a fully empowered colleague in service until the church becomes the leadership community that Israel was meant to be.” (source)
“‘every man did that which was right in his own eyes’—the biblical description of autonomous man.” (source)
“Paul writes, the laity is God’s portion, God’s inheritance. The Greek word for share, portion or inheritance, is kleros from which the English word ‘clergy’ is derived. The Bible refers to God’s chosen ones, those who have accepted their portion of grace, their inheritance, as God’s kleros (1 Kings 8:53; Joel 3:2; 1 Peter 1:4, 5:3; Galatians 3:18). In fact, the terms laos and kleros are used by Scripture to denote one and the same group of people. In the Bible, the laity and clergy are not two groups or in anyway distinct from one another. The laity is the clergy!” (source)
“Strong pastors do make a difference. With the coming of the right leadership, I have seen the mood of an entire congregation lifted in a single day. This makes me believe in miracles! The pastor is the impact player on the team. Pastors make it happen.” (source)
“Leadership is needed to assist the people in thinking through and understanding their responsibility for ministry, creating ways to translate what the church is into what the church does.” (source)