To get to church, our people have gone through trials. They need the strongest gospel invitation we can muster.
October 9, 2026
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Welcome to our weekly roundup of articles, podcasts, videos, and links curated by pastors, for pastors—to equip and encourage you in your ministry. You don’t have to shepherd alone. Let’s go.
WORD OF THE WEEK

Written by T. J. Tims, lead pastor of Immanuel Nashville and a TGC Council member

Dear brother,

Like you, I want everyone who comes into my church on Sunday to float out unburdened of their sins, feeling afresh the freeing benefits of union with Christ. I don’t assume anyone walks into church feeling that way. As William Gurnall reminds us, “The devil is aware that the preaching of the Word is that battering ram which beats down his strongholds; therefore he stirs up all his forces and uses all his engines to obstruct the hearing of it.”

Given the Devil’s special spite, I assume people have gone through hell to get to church. I’m certain they’ve experienced marital strife, inexplicable coffee spills, and unusual tiredness. I’m sure they’re in need of the strongest gospel invitation we can muster. They need to know they’ve not “ruined it” by arriving to church in a flurry of failure, because there’s no wrong way to arrive at the feet of Christ. Their heavenly Father delights to welcome them by grace, whether for the first time or the gazillionth time.

For this reason, we open our church services with an invitation rather than exhortation. Practically, it can be hard to tell the difference. That’s why I was delighted to see an article from my friend Sam Allberry where he appeals to Romans 15:7 and makes a gospelogical case for opening our worship services with Christ’s welcome. Who doesn’t need a welcome like Christ’s, especially today?

The world is increasingly demanding and exhausting. But our churches don’t have to be. We can become fluent in gospel welcome.

Yours in Christ’s love,

—T. J.

By the way, it was a joy to be at the TGC Nashville chapter meeting recently at Edgefield Church and hear Bobby Jamieson teach on Ecclesiastes. Here’s a photo of the gathering.

Resource Roundup

Recovering Richard Lovelace: Why His Vision of Spiritual Renewal Still Matters

Pastor Jeremy Linneman explores how recovering Lovelace’s theology could help revive spiritual theology, church life, and ministry practice in the gospel-centered movement.
Why You Need Good Deacons

In this episode of The Everyday Pastor, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan revisit the Bible’s job description for deacons, highlighting what these servants are (and aren’t) meant to do.
Interested in Spiritual Formation? Look to the Reformed Tradition.

Nicholas J. Weyrens reviews Matthew Bingham’s new book A Heart Aflame for God, which argues we don’t need to look outside the Protestant tradition for the robust devotional tools many of us long for.

Around the Web

Here are links to other great resources worth your time:

  • David Mathis encourages young men who doubt their preaching abilities. He explains that effective preachers aren’t born with innate preaching gifts but that God instead faithfully and patiently develops their craft over a lifetime of ministry.

  • In “Preaching Leviticus,” Des Smith offers pastors a practical roadmap for tackling one of the Bible’s most challenging books. He breaks down the book’s structure and shows how each section points to Christ. His approach shows that this often skipped book can be a source of powerful sermons that illuminate the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system in Jesus.

  • In “What Is Biblical Productivity?” Reagan Rose provides pastors with a fresh perspective on effectiveness that replaces secular self-improvement with God-centered stewardship built on five biblical pillars.

Find more resources for pastors at tgc.org/pastors.