Timothy Paul Jones

Leadership, Family Ministry, Apologetics

Timothy Paul Jones

Church History: The True Story of St. Patrick

imageThis week, in the year AD 461, Patrick of Ireland passed away. Ever since the early seventeenth century, churches have designated March 17 as St. Patrick’s Day. Prohibitions on feasting during the season of Lent were traditionally lifted on this day, and green had been associated with Ireland at least as early as the seventeenth century. The result has been a tradition of kisses and pinches, partying and wearing emerald hues on March 17.

But Patrick wasn’t actually Irish, and no pinches or parties or shades of green played any significant role in his story, as far as anyone knows. His story does, however, have much to do with forgiveness, faithfulness, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the words of Michael A.G. Haykin, this man’s

incredible understanding of the Great Commission and his passion for mission and evangelism [were] in western Christianity in the fifth century almost completely unique.

So who was Patrick? How and why should we celebrate his life? Or should we? Take a look at this two-minute video to find out!

Not a Saint, Not Irish, But a Faithful Proclaimer of God’s Good News

If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Christianity, consider this book and video series. To learn more about Patrick in particular, I recommend this book by Michael A.G. Haykin.

Discuss in the Comments:

Watch this video. Then, take a look at this video as well, simply because it is amazing.

What did you learn about the history of Christianity that you may not have known before? How should Patrick’s choice to return to his captors with the gospel shape your life? Think about ways that your church or community group might celebrate this day in a way that focuses on Patrick’s gospel passion.

Writing: If You Want to Remember It, Write It By Hand

Words and writing matter.

In the opening chapter of the Scriptures, God speaks, and a cosmos bursts into being (Genesis 1:3). When he constitutes Israel as his  people, God speaks and writes, and a covenant is born (Exodus 31:18). John described the incarnation of God in Christ by declaring, “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). Continue reading.

Family Ministry: When and Why Did Weekly Children’s Classes Begin in Churches? (Part Three)

This research into the history of age-organized catechetical classes in the church is based on an academic paper that I presented to the practical theology section of the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 16, 2017.

This post is the third in a three-part series.

Click here for Part One in the series.

Click here for Part Two in the series.

“The Church of God Will Never Preserve Itself Without a Catechism”: Confirmation and Catechetical Instruction in the English Reformation

Following the death of King Henry VIII in 1547, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer grew a beard that suggested solidarity with the continental Reformers—but it was not merely in his pogonotrophic proclivities that the Archbishop of Canterbury imitated what was happening on the other side of the English Channel. Cranmer—not unlike Calvin—required catechesis of children in the context of the church.

Continue reading.

Family Ministry: When and Why Did Weekly Children’s Classes Begin in Churches? (Part Two)

This research into the history of age-organized ministries in the church is based on an academic paper that I presented to the practical theology section of the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 16, 2017.

This post is the second in a three-part series.

Click here for Part One in the series.

Click here for Part Three in the series.

“At Midday, There Is to Be Catechism”: Weekly Classes for Children in Sixteenth-Century Geneva

John Calvin provided instructions for catechesis in the same section of the ecclesiastical ordinances in which he described the frequency and locations for weekly pastoral proclamations of Scripture. He directed that each Sunday “at midday, there is to be catechism, that is, instruction of little children, in all the three churches.” The individual responsible for this instruction in each congregation was to be the pastor.

These weekly catechetical classes were designed as a distinct and separate gathering for children, and children’s attendance was not optional. Continue reading.

Family Ministry: When and Why Did Weekly Children’s Classes Begin in Churches? (Part One)

This research into the history of age-organized ministries in the church is based on an academic paper that I presented to the practical theology section of the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 16, 2017. This post is the first in a three-part series.

Click here for Part Two in the series.

Click here for Part Three in the series.

In recent years, a small but vocal cluster of church leaders has contended that age-organized programs and ministries in the church should be eliminated. These proponents of “family-integrated church” have called for churches to dismantle programs that practice systematic “age-segregated discipleship.” In churches that follow this model, the congregation has no youth ministers, children’s ministers, or nursery. “We do not divide families into component parts,” writes one proponent of family-integrated churches. “We don’t even do it in Bible study.” The support claimed for family-integrated ministry is typically twofold, contending both that age-organized ministries are unwarranted by Scripture and that ministries for children and youth are a recent innovation that represents the imposition of “individualistic philosophies” in the church.

Continue reading.

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