Pastor Problems During Covid

August 28, 2026 by David Cox

Pastor Problems During Covid is a pastor’s view of some of the problems and lessons learned during the Covid experience.

Old Testament Elders

Topic: Old Testament Elders
By Pastor David Cox

Taken from a white paper by David Cox written August 11, 1994

The New Testament does not lay down a whole lot of foundational teaching on elders (some, but not a lot). This is because the concept of “elders” is already defined in the Old Testament. The idea of elders comes from the tribes of Israel, where there is in this culture a profound respect for “older people”. This respect extends to giving them a place on administration and group decisions as well as weighing in on many matters.

Let me say that there is a difference between an older person and an elder. The difference is that an elder is a person who is respected because of HOW he lived his life. Basically hard work, good decisions, and faithfulness to the basic tasks of work, home, family, nation, and church is what defines a person as an elder. In the Old Testament there were not churches of course, but “the congregation” or the people of Israel in their religious capacity. Before this structure came to be though, the elders of a group of people saw to the religious affairs of that group. Job is an example that is without date, but very old. Yet without the tabernacle nor the temple, Job was worried about the religious state of his children. The is a good man being an elder. We see Cain and Able offering sacrifices for their family, and Abraham as well. This leadership in life is what makes the difference between an old man and an elder.

In time, God brought chosen leaders onto the scene, and while in a sense they replaced the elders as leaders, they really only became more focused leaders given over to the ministry of administration and leadership. They both received support the elders, and they ministered to the elders.

Few Outwardly Focused Ministries

August 7, 2026 by David Cox

Few Outwardly Focused Ministries

Few Outwardly Focused Ministries
By David Cox

Following our study of 7 Deadly sins of a dying church, the next one is that they have few outwardly focused ministries. The key here is introspection, or a selfishness of doing everything for their own selves. As a missionary, I have experienced some 50 years of watching things in local churches. At one time churches rallied around their work abroad, and today, church after church either just does not support missions at all, or their missions budget is sending their own people on joy rides around the world (mission trips) where the go to England to pass out some tracts, and mostly see sights.

Entertainment and the Sermon

July 31, 2026 by David Cox

Entertainment and the Sermon is an article by Pastor David Cox on how entertainment should not be a principal part of a biblical sermon.

Loss of Evangelistic Passion

July 24, 2026 by David Cox

In Loss of Evangelistic Passion we consider how the Loss of Evangelist Passion accompanies the death throws of a dying church.

Loss of Evangelistic Passion

Loss of Evangelistic Passion
By David Cox

In this article we consider how the Loss of Evangelist Passion accompanies the death throws of a dying church. Evangelism is a good marker of the life or death of a church. It is like the body’s pulse. When there is NO PULSE, things are morbid and dead. When there is little pulse, it is about to go into death. When it is active, regular, and constant, then things are good.

So many churches do so many things, and they see evangelism near the bottom of their list of priorities. This is so sad, because it was at the top of God’s when Jesus came to the earth to save men’s souls.