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May 16
10

Foundational Teachings on Church Associations from the 2016 ARBCA GA

I was blessed to attend the General Assembly (GA) of the Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America (ARBCA) this year. It was hosted by Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois from May 26-28. The host church went above and beyond in showing hospitality. It was truly an excellent experience. Mike and I recorded a podcast in which I provide an overview of the GA. If you have not listened to it yet, please do.

Here I wish to set before you some of the preaching and teaching that we were blessed to receive at the GA. There were a number of devotionals, lectures, and sermons delivered. All of them were very good. They can be found at arbca.com/sermons. I have selected these particular lectures and sermons because they speak directly to the issue of church associations. What is the biblical warrant for local churches belonging to an association of churches? How should associations be formed? How ought they to be maintained? What is the purpose of forming associations? These questions are addressed in one way or another in the teachings I have selected.

Brothers and sisters, I would encourage you to listen to these if you can find the time. The leadership of Emmaus has grown convinced over the years of the importance of belonging to an association of churches that share the same view of the Bible and the same view of the mission of the church. We have been officially received into the Southern California Association of Reformed Baptist Churches (SCARBC) and we will be prayerfully considering ARBCA in the months (maybe years) to come.

Foundational Teachings on Church Associations from the 2016 ARBCA GA:

A Defense of Confessionalism  – Arden Hodgins –  4/27/2016

A Tale of Two Associations Revisited – James M. Renihan – 4/27/2016

Devotional from John 17:20-26 – John Miller – 4/28/2016

Associational Churchmanship: LBC 26:12-15 – James M. Renihan – 4/28/2016

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Nov 15
20

Associations or Denominations – Teaching from Pastor Jason Walter

Brothers and Sisters,

If you were not able to make it to Emmaus Essentials on 11/15/15 I would encourage you to listen to the audio of Pastor Jason’s teaching on church associations. This is a very important topic given the fact that we are currently pursuing membership in the Southern California Association of Reformed Baptist Churches. The audio of his teaching can be found here.

Blessings,

Joe

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Posted in Emmaus Essentials, Associations or Denominations, Jason Walter, Church Life, The Church, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. Comments Off on Associations or Denominations – Teaching from Pastor Jason Walter

Oct 12
15

Driven by a Passion for the Glory of God and Reverence for His Word

The year-and-a-half since God has called Emmaus Christian Fellowship out to start a new work has been full of study and reflection for myself and for the other leaders within the church. In that time the Lord has provided a lot of clarity concerning why we are doing what we are doing. It has taken time to sort through all of the complexities, but in the last nine months, things have become much more clear.

The thoughts posted below from Kim Riddlebarger sum things up quite well. Someday I hope to write pieces like this myself, but for now, with sermon preparation pressing in, the demands of finishing an MDiv, the responsibilities of being a pastor, a husband, and a father to four young children, I will have to be content with sharing good thoughts from others.

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Posted in Good Thoughts from Others, Kim Riddlebarger, Philosophy of Ministry, The Church, Philosophy of Ministry, The Church, Joe Anady, Posted by Joe. No Comments


"Him we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
(Colossians 1:28, ESV)

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