The Rev. Dr. Jeremy Berg is the founding and lead pastor of MainStreet Covenant Church in Minnetonka Beach, MN, where he has served since 2010. He is an adjunct professor of Biblical and Theological Studies who has taught classes at Bethel University, University of Northwestern—St. Paul, North Central University, Crown College, and Solid Rock Discipleship School. Jeremy earned a doctorate in New Testament Context under Scot McKnight at Northern Seminary (Chicago). He and his wife, Kjerstin, have three kids, Peter, Isaak and Abigail.
Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord” (Col 4:17). We just finished a flyover sermon series through Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. We painted in big brush strokes, pulling out a few dominant themes. Occasionally we landed and surveyed the foothills in more detail. Three major … More Tell Archippus!
This Thanksgiving season we’re celebrating God’s work among us. Here’s Bonnie’s story. I cried after my first visit to MainStreet, mainly because I knew immediately that God had something special in store for me with this family of believers. My time at MainStreet has deepened my faith and taught me so much about being a … More Bonnie’s Story
This Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King, when the church celebrates Christ’s universal lordship and anticipates the coming reign of the Prince of Peace. I share the following reflection as a gentle reminder of where our ultimate citizenship lies. -JB The tread on my tires had run low, so I was sitting at … More On Thanking Vets & Martyrs
She’s always bringing sweets to share. Maybe it betrays her own sweet tooth, but I think it reveals a sweet and giving heart. Yet, the story of how Tina started coming to MainStreet is much more bittersweet. I (Jeremy) heard the sad news on a snowy February day almost 3 years ago. Tina’s son … More Tina’s Story
We’re GIVING THANKS for lives impacted at MainStreet this past year! This is Tony’s story: For a long time I was hardcore cynic who didn’t find any value in the church. I walked away from faith in college. I mainly saw hypocrisy in the church and had never encountered any depth or true discipleship. I … More Tony’s Story
Jesus’ mission prioritized the marginalized and neglected people of his day. He didn’t send out his apostles—i.e., “church planters”—saying, “Go ye therefore to the sprawling suburbs and invite the upwardly mobile dual income families with children.” He said, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” (Luke 14:21). Would you try growing a church with such folks? … More Funding the Jericho Inn: A MainStreet Update
The bleachers squeaked like crazy. It smelled like a locker room. It got hot and stuffy on Saturday nights in the summer. We were packed in like sardines as upbeat guitars and the 90s choruses of “Trading My Sorrows” and “Shout to the Lord” echoed throughout the Robbinsdale High School gymnasium. As the last song … More David Johnson: 38 Years of Divine Electricity
This is an excerpt from a much longer essay I wrote called “Royal Scribes in the King’s Court: Ancient Education & Christian Discipleship” published in a little book of essays called “Life in King Jesus’ Colony” from my doctoral studies. I hail from good Lutheran stock from the Midwest (Minnesota) where we shared … More Political Discipleship in the Christian Colony
My pastoral counselor prescribed for me the daily practice of praying the famous Serenity Prayer for the next couple weeks. While this prayer is usually associated with recovery groups, it has much broader application for many other personal afflictions. I discovered two new things as I accepted this assignment. First, I was asked to look … More The FULL Serenity Prayer
When bad things happen in this world, and unjust suffering befalls the innocent, we often jump to the ‘Why’ question first. The disciples lived in a world where it was popular to believe that disease, birth defects, and other forms of suffering were punishment for sin — either the person suffering or his parents. We … More Why, God, Why? Suffering & God’s Glory
Here’s a portion of my latest doctoral essay exploring the power of “Embodied Wisdom.” This section looks at the role of emotional vulnerability in a pastor’s leadership and example. A popular phrase I’m hearing these days is “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” I’m a guy who … More The Emotionally Real Pastor
“Being true to ourselves doesn’t make us people of integrity. Charles Manson was true to himself, and as a result, he rightly is spending the rest of his life in prison. Ultimately, being true to our Creator gives us the purest form of integrity.” -JOHN WOODEN
“Do not be conformed to the culture around you…” –Romans 12:2 In a recent sermon, we explored the way Paul’s poem in Colossians 1:15-20 served, in part at least, to subvert and reshape the imaginations of the believers in Colossae who were immersed in the cultural narrative(s) and values of the Roman Empire, i.e., the Pax Romana. … More Five Cultural Narratives
Eugene Peterson captures the thought of preachers as they look out on the congregation each Sunday: “Every Sunday I look across this congregation and wonder, prayerfully, what is going on. I know most of you pretty well. But there is a lot I don’t know. I am here every week with the conviction that this … More QUOTABLES: View From The Pulpit
How did the first Christians gather and worship? We don’t need to guess, or piece a picture together from the sparse comments in the New Testament. We have descriptions from historical sources outside the Bible such as Pliny the Younger, Justin Martyr, Tacitus and Seutonius. Before we read their firsthand accounts, John Gooch gives some … More Early Christian Worship & Persecution
My current doctoral research has me exploring the relational dynamics between ancient Greco-Roman moral philosophers and their students. I’m hoping the historical context will shine fresh light on the Apostle Paul’s interactions with those under his care and teaching. I’ve been digging into the likes of Plutarch, Seneca, Epictetus, Cicero, Lucian, Quintilian, Dio Chrysostom as … More Teachers & Role Models in Ancient Times
by Pete Scazzero Benedict (480-547 AD) lived during a time when the Roman Empire was disintegrating and eventually founded twelve monasteries near Rome. To guide these monks to live a simple, orderly life around Christ, he wrote “a little rule for beginners” now famously known as the “Rule of Benedict” (RB). This “Rule” became one of the most … More Lessons from the “Rule” of Benedict
By Hershael York By its very nature, the field of pastoral leadership is fraught with such incredible difficulties that we must say with the Apostle Paul, “Who is sufficient for these things?” Leading God’s people is unlike any other task in the world — which is why it requires a calling of the Spirit, and not … More 10 Challenges of Being a Pastor
At least 2 or 3 times in the past several years of pastoring, the following 4 lectures by Eugene Peterson have helped save me from drowning in the sea of vocational ministry. I, like countless other pastors, consider Eugene Peterson to be the Dean of Pastors and a voice of sanity in a culture of … More Jonah & Pastoral Vocation (Eugene Peterson)
“Most of the individuals in this amalgam [i.e., congregation] suppose that the goals they have for themselves and the goals God has for them are the same. It is the oldest religious mistake: refusing to countenance any real difference between God and us, imagining God to be a vague extrapolation of our own desires, and … More QUOTABLES: Subversive Pastor
Its been about 7 years since I stood on the stage of the Little Theater at my old high school, sweating bullets as I tried to rally folks around a vision of a new kind of church. The church’s name, if it ever got off the ground, would be “MainStreet” because of our desire to … More Seven Years of Light
“So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9). Always a highlight in ministry is celebrating new beginnings and renewed commitments. One prayer and desire I have for the precious folks who came to the waters this past … More A Tapestry of Love
The fog is heavy and blinding. The accusing voice is loud and convincing. The waves crash against my ramshackle frame. The wind tosses my beleaguered self to and fro. I’m driftwood, water logged yet still afloat. I need the Sun to burn away the fog. I long to hear the Good Shepherd’s Voice. I listen for … More Driftwood: A Psalm
“Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on? Walk up the street to a life with meaning.” Jesus was a wise sage, steeped in the ancient wisdom of the Jewish Scriptures, who formed a community of learners who welcomed his message. His message offered a new Way to be human, an alternative Way to … More Walk Up the Street to a New Life
Ever feel overwhelmed by the number and size of the needs around you? Ever wonder how one person can make an impact in this broken world? One side-effect of the digital age of social media is that we’re constantly made aware of all the tragedies and suffering around the globe: abducted children, famine, sex trafficking, … More The Secret to Feeding 5,000
Kingdom Harbor 