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.
Here are some foundational leadership principles passed on to me related to ongoing congregational health and mission. How have these manifested themselves in your personal ministry? In your lay leaders? In your congregation? Leadership definition: “Leadership is the process by which a man or a woman, guided by the Holy Spirit, influences a group of … More Leadership Axioms for Healthy Congregations
Suicide is an all too common thing these days — especially among adolescents and younger adults. I thought I’d repost an older piece from around 2009 for a Christian perspective on such tragedies. Some of these words also give perspective on the evil of recent events. -JB The forces of darkness are always around us. Most of the time, if … More When Darkness Wins a Battle, We Still Win the War
A repost from 2014. I completely broke down during worship recently. I was overcome with emotion — kind of out of the blue. I was speaking and just lost it and could not compose myself. If you were there, you know how long I wept up front… (Aaaaaawkward.) When I finally pulled myself together I … More Just 33 Years
“Don’t Be So Heavenly Minded That You’re of no Earthly Good.” Has this ever been said of you? What do people usually mean by such a statement? Can someone ever become too heavenly minded? I would submit that such a statement is based upon an inaccurate understanding of “heavenly” and “earthly”. This old, platonic dualistic view … More So Heavenly-minded, No Earthly Good?
The greatest tragedy is not to die but to have lived a long life with no real sense of purpose. Twenty-first century life in the West boasts of more freedoms, opportunities, modern comforts, and vocational choices than ever before. Yet, we are also more depressed than ever before. We go-go-go nonstop, working longer hours and involving … More Are We Running in Vain?
Theology matters. And we all “do theology” — whether we’re aware of it or not. Theology is “thinking about God.” The question is not whether we do theology but whether we do good or bad theology. This is why my one of my biggest passions as a pastor is trying to help people begin to think critically … More Faith Over Feelings
I pulled the little chain and nothing. My little green lamp didn’t turn on. I checked the bulb to see if it was dead or not screwed in tight. The bulb was fine. Pull the chain—nothing. Hmmm? My favorite green lamp simply wouldn’t work. Just as I was beginning to grow frustrated and ready to … More “Behold, Electricity is at Hand!”
The moon is made of green cheese. At least this was the silly myth began some 500 years ago. Nobody really expected to find Swiss or Cheddar when we began sending rockets to the moon in the 1960s, but I bet many were at least hoping to discover something, well, quite extraordinary—something “out of this … More Down-to-Earth Spirituality
I remember it was early spring and unseasonably warm. It was just after Passover. I can still smell the warm, salted breeze coming off the Aegean sea, and hear the squalk of seagulls circling above. We stood on the hill overlooking the harbor and waited for the ship to appear on the horizon. The ship … More The Lucky Tale of Eutychus
PSALM 23 REWRITTEN (WORRY) Worry is my shepherd, I can’t turn it off. Worry never lets me lie down and rest, It leads me beside waterfalls of “what ifs.” Worry torments my soul. Worry guides me down safe paths only, I’m afraid to step out, embrace change, really live! Worry makes even minor trials seem … More Who’s Your Shepherd? (5)
PSALM 23 REWRITTEN (DEPRESSION) Depression is my shepherd. I deserve nothing. I have no right to lie down; even the weather conspires to make my life miserable. My soul is beaten down. I have no one to follow and lack the energy to make my own way. My mind is filled with dark thoughts. I … More Who’s Your Shepherd? (4)
I want you to imagine two scenes. First, picture a peaceful tropical beach resort, yourself lying in a hammock with a cold drink and good book. Can you hear the seagulls squawking as the sounds of the surf provide a relaxing soundtrack? Feel the sun warming your neck, and the gentle breeze keeping you cool? Peace … More SERMON: Navigating Life’s Storms
Let me share about a fun side-project I’ve been working on. I’ve spent the past few months compiling the past 10 or so years of Daily Illumination writings into a collection of self-published books for my personal library and to share with family and friends. The original intent was to collect all my best blog pieces into physical books for my own shelf — solely … More My Book Project
When Sarah was a little girl, she loved to dance and twirl barefooted across the soft green grass of her childhood home and feel the soft blades in between her toes. One day she noticed a small solitary yellow dandelion growing up amidst all the green and thought, “How beautiful!” And she danced and twirled … More Dandelions: A Modernized Parable
During Advent in 2013 we examined Psalm 23 in a sermon series entitled Who’s Your Shepherd? It remains one of my favorite series we’ve done to date. I contended that when we let God be the guide, or shepherd, directing our lives and influencing our decisions, He leads us to green pastures of the “abundant […]
This academic essay explores the character of Christ’s Second Coming in light of the Jesus-shaped theology of Jurgen Moltmann. Introduction For most of Christian history, the doctrine of the parousia of Christ (his “coming” or “effective presence”, i.e., Second Coming) in glory and judgment has been neglected and pushed to the margins of Christian theology and … More Moltmann & the Parousia: Who Exactly is Coming Again?
PSALM 23 REWRITTEN (FINANCIAL DEBT) Financial stress is my shepherd, there’s never enough to pay the bills. It keeps me awake at night. It leaves me paralyzed with fear. I’m worn out just thinking about it. It drives me to do things that don’t honor God. We’re so far in the hole, we’ll never dig … More Who’s Your Shepherd? (2)
“But don’t take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God’s ways had no idea of any of this, didn’t know the first thing about the way God works, hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God’s covenants and promises in Israel, … More EPHESIANS 15: In On Everything (2:11-13)
During Advent in 2013 we examined Psalm 23 in a sermon series entitled Who’s Your Shepherd? It remains one of my favorite series we’ve done to date. I contended that when we let God be the guide, or shepherd, directing our lives and influencing our decisions, He leads us to green pastures of the “abundant … More Who’s Your Shepherd? (1)
I preached this sermon in the summer of 2012 to rally the congregation of to make a deeper commitment to MainStreet and invest financially in our building campaign to move into our own space at Stonegate Plaza. A ROAD TRIP TO REMEMBER It was spring break of 1998—my senior year of high school. Several of my … More SERMON: Church Road Trip
“Make no mistake: if He rose at all it was as His body; if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit, the amino acids rekindle, the church will fall…. Let us not mock God with metaphor, Analogy, sidestepping transcendence; Making of the even a parable, a sign painted in the faded credulity of … More Seven Stanzas at Easter (J. Updike)
“The body of Benjamin Franklin, printer, like the cover an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here, food for the worms. But the work shall not be lost; for it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and more elegant edition, revised and corrected by … More QUOTABLES: Ben Franklin’s Epitaph
On January 15, 2017, MainStreet Covenant celebrated our 5th anniversary. Exactly five years ago, I preached an inaugural sermon telling the story of Erik August Skogsbergh, a renowned Swedish preacher and one of the founders of the Covenant, and of his dynamic ministry in Mound in the 1890s. In those days crowds took the … More Aboard the MainStreet Boat – 5th Anniversary Reflection
Our friend Danny Evans is writing poems each week for a series of sermons on the seven days of creation based on Steve Wiens’ book Beginnings: The First Seven Days of the Rest of Your Life (2016). Enjoy! EXPAND by Danny Evans Now is your chance for expanse. It’s time to broaden where you are going to the God who … More POEM: “Expand” by Danny Evans
Our friend Danny Evans is writing poems each week for a series of sermons on the seven days of creation based on Steve Wiens’ book Beginnings: The First Seven Days of the Rest of Your Life (2016). Enjoy! DAY ONE: LIGHT by Danny Evans The dark made all afraid, But a spark came to its aid. Before … More POEM: “Light” by Danny Evans
Kingdom Harbor 