The 2020 Gospel Test 

Jon Payne, Senior Pastor of Redemption Hill Church in Round Rock, TX recently posted this article which was then shared by Mickey Connolly on the Sovereign Grace Church Development blog.

2020 has provided a host of cultural and personal challenges. Churches face division over preferences and perspectives about the right way to live in a shaking culture. Political parties are simultaneously outraged and divided. The political, medical, and economic future of our country is uncertain, except in the perfect knowledge of our Lord.

Being gospel-centered means that whenever we address another topic, we discuss it in terms of its theological relationship to the gospel. We are determined to view our discussion of death, or race, or love, or politics, or economics, or government from a gospel centric perspective. In other words, we refuse to make these gospel implications the central point of our teaching, such that everything we teach begins to revolve around them.   Everything is not centered around health, or love, or race, or politics, or generosity--all of those topics are centered around Christ. 

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Jon Payne is the senior pastor at Redemption Hill Church in Round Rock, TX. (This article originally appeared on his blog, To See The Glory.)

I look forward to you reading this testimony that one of our pastors recently sent me. It represents two things that I believe are to be central to our evangelistic efforts: building relationally with unbelievers so we might be able to eventually share the gospel with them and covering all our efforts with prayer.

Mickey Connolly, a Pastor at Crossway Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina serves as the Regional Leader for the Mid-South Region and Director of Church Development on the Leadership Team of Sovereign Grace Churches.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT of The Mark Prater Podcast: Pastoring Post Election

Benjamin Kreps:

Hey everyone. And welcome to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Mark, as of recording today, this is a podcast, it's Thursday, November 5th. We are in the middle of an election here in the United States. That is as yet undecided, the podcast won't drop until next week. But it could be that it won't be decided even by then. And so there's a lot of anxiety and concern, frustration, and anger connected to this election and our people are not immune from that. What are some suggestions or some thoughts for how we care for people in our churches as we navigate through this season?

Mark Prater:

It's a great year to be a pastor because we've needed to shepherd our folks and care for them through a pandemic and through much of the civil unrest over the summer. And that even continues a bit today. And now with an election that remains undetermined here in the States. And by the way, for those listening outside of the States, thank you for listening. I know that those in other countries do watch the election in the States. So I think these truths we're about to talk about—how to care for people—apply in your nation, as well. But it really is, I think, a great time to be a pastor. And I think our primary responsibility is to point them to truth and pastor them with truth and help them soak their soul in the Word of God, because that will make just a dramatic difference in their life.

Earlier this month on the Sovereign Grace Church Development website, Mickey Connolly reminded pastors and church leaders that preaching and praying must go together for effective evangelism. In his book Prayer, John Bunyan said “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” Scripture encourages and guides us in how to pray for opportunities, specific people, boldness and courage, the power of the spirit, a greater heart for the lost, more laborers, and clarity in presenting the gospel.

Read Mickey’s Post