Baptists are more liturgical than we claim to be. Just change the order of worship in a church and the complaint level will reveal how committed we are to doing things the “right” way—week in, week out. Our liturgy appears informal, but only because we base it more on tradition and feel than on prescribed church order. This neglect of outside structures in developing liturgy means many Baptist churches (and families) do not necessarily celebrate Advent.

Advent is a seasonal celebration designed to heighten anticipation for Christmas as the culmination of a month-long recognition of the importance of Jesus’ birth. Celebrating Advent is usually a simple service of lighting a candle (frequently one of four in an Advent wreath), reading Scripture from the Christmas story, praying, and singing familiar Christmas carols. Doing this as church is meaningful, but it can also be an enriching experience in family devotions. In fact, it would be a good way to start having family devotions if that is not currently part of your religious practice.

To help you do this, Dr. John Taylor of Gateway’s faculty, has prepared a four-part series of devotional activities to celebrate advent. You can access this free material here at www.thegateway.press—the new faculty-content driven website created by Gateway Seminary. In these devotional activities, you will find introductory comments, Scripture to read, prayer prompts, and a suggested carol to sing. These can be used in family gatherings as a simple worship experience, or expanded to provide the framework for a church worship service.

While considering these resources, spend some additional time browsing through the growing library of podcasts and materials on theology, leadership, ministry and more. This new web portal contains a vast amount of biblical, theological, and practical information to improve the effectiveness of ministry leaders. We envision it as an important resource on meeting the challenges of ministry today—as well as a stimulating site designed to help you think more deeply about the Christian faith and practice of ministry in that context.

And, its all free! Our faculty are constantly producing lectures, articles, messages, devotionals, and other resources—all now collected and offered as a resource for you. Check it out and give us feedback on issues or topics you would like us to address by emailing communications@gs.edu.


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Kindness

Dr. Iorg expresses gratitude for the kindness showed to him over the past week.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

Trained for Transition

Dr. Iorg discusses Gateway Seminary’s unique time of transition.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

Listen

10 Questions with 10 Pastors
March 25, 2024

Jason Dees

In this podcast episode, Jason Dees, the pastor and church planter of Christ Covenant Church in Atlanta, Georgia, covers various topics including his dissertation on Baptist spirituality, focusing on figures like Andrew Fuller, William Carey, and John Riley, and their

Lead On Podcast
March 24, 2024

Pastor Visits

Why is pastoral presence so important? Dr. Iorg discusses the importance of being with people and offers fresh ways to engage with and effectively be with the people you are leading.


Watch

Jonathan Edwards and the Asbury Revival

Chris Chun and Chris Woznicki discuss the signs of true revival, signs of the work of the Holy Spirit, and why it is important to critically assess the characteristics of revival in a spirit of charity.

Chris Chun
Professor of Church History | Director, Jonathan Edwards Center
Dr. Chris Chun is the professor of Church History and the director of Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary. Chris’ doctoral research at St. Andrews University was focused on the eighteenth-century Edwardsean Baptists in Britain. He also has served as president of The Evangelical Theological Society (Far West Region).

Jonathan Edwards and the Baptists | Douglas Sweeney, Nathan Finn and Chris Chun

Dr. Douglas Sweeney and Dr. Nathan Finn joined Dr. Chris Chun for a panel discussion on Jonathan Edwards, recorded live at the SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim.

Chris Chun
Professor of Church History | Director, Jonathan Edwards Center
Dr. Chris Chun is the professor of Church History and the director of Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary. Chris’ doctoral research at St. Andrews University was focused on the eighteenth-century Edwardsean Baptists in Britain. He also has served as president of The Evangelical Theological Society (Far West Region).

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