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.
More reflections on Willimon’s book called “Pastor.” Today some insights on preaching: “Whereas classical rhetoricians such as Aristotle spent much of their energies concerned with the limitations and desires of the listeners, urging speakers to take care to tailer their speeches to the disposition of their listeners, Christian speaking is first concerned with the disposition … More Pastor 8 – Pastors as Preachers
Honestly, this is one of the best sections of any book I have ever read. I have rarely been this excited and passionate about anything I’ve read related to the power of Scripture. In the reading of these words, my reason for being a pastor was reaffirmed. I have experienced firsthand the world altering power … More Pastor 7 – “Obedient Playfulness” with the Text
More insights from Willimon’s book “Pastor”: “One of the challenges of biblical interpretation is that the Bible contains a wide array of genre. We contemporary preachers of the Word marvel at the resourcefulness of these early communicators of the faith. They use poetry, myth, parable, genealogy, invective, hyperbole, and a host of other literary devices … More Pastor 6 – More on the Scriptures
More highlights from my reading of Willimon’s book on pastoral ministry: “Reading Scripture in the context of modernity has proved to be particularly challenging for us pastors. The Bible is old; the newest parts of it were written about nineteen hundred years ago. Because modernity believes in the notion of progress, it tends to be … More Pastor 5 – Scripture & Modernity
Oh, how I love grasping the main plot of the entire Bible, how all 66 books tell one coherent story of redemption and grace! While Carson is extraordinarily articulate, I believe all Christians should be able to share this basic storyline of Creation-Fall-Covenant-Christ-New Creation in their own words. Sadly, many Christians can’t yet see the … More A Summary of the Bible (D.A. Carson)
There’s a sermon illustration in this video. What is it?
From Jesus Creed: CT has a new interview with Billy Graham, and I clip only one question and answer: If you could, would you go back and do anything differently? Yes, of course. I’d spend more time at home with my family, and I’d study more and preach less. I wouldn’t have taken so many … More Billy Graham Interview at CT
“If a man looks at eggs with hunger, he has already committed breakfast with it in his heart.” – C.S. Lewis
“We come to the Bible, raising questions about its relevance to our present daily lives, only to find that the Bible questions us about our relevance to the way of Christ.” -Will Willimon, Pastor, p. 131
Have you ever heard Brennan Manning speak live? What did you think?
More from Bishop Willimon’s book on vocational ministry called “Pastor.” “The priest is the one who keeps pointing the congregation to the presence of Christ in our midst; keeps narrating our lives in a manner quite different from that of the world. The world tells us that we are our own creations, that we are … More Pastor 4 – Recollecting the Mighty Acts of God
I’m sharing highlights from my reading of William Willimon’s definitive book on pastoral ministry called “Pastor.” Today, I share a quote from a section discussing Acts 4 and every pastor’s favorite topic — inviting people to give their money away! 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that … More Pastor 3 – A Revolutionary Offering
Here’s a litmus test to see whether you see the world through a Christian worldview or have been conformed to the culture we inhabit: Do you believe in Retirement? Read the New Testament and show me on Christ follower who wasted away their final years in self-indulgence and liesure while a broken and dying world … More Thoughts on ‘Retirement’
From William Willimon’s definitive book on ordained ministry entitled Pastor. “The history of pastoral care in America is a history of the adoption of inappropriate models of leadership by the clergy. This stands as a warning to us of the perils of uncritical adoption of secular techniques and models of leadership…..” “The pastor as manager … More Pastor 2 – More than a Manager
I’m reading through William Willimon’s definitive book on ministry called “Pastor.” Allow me to share some highlights as I go. “We live in a capitalist, consumptive culture where there is no purpose to our society other than “meeting our needs.” The culture gives us the maximum amount of room and encouragement to “meet our needs” … More Pastor 1 – More Than Meeting Needs
“Soon I turn 65. One could look at this two ways: 1) it’s the age most people retire, or 2) it’s the age Winston Churchill became Prime Minister and led England and the Western World to victory over Hitler’s aggression. I find Churchill much more inspiring than retirement.” -John Piper, Pastor
This post comes from a question and answer series with Francis Chan. I found this at http://www.desiringgod.org. Q: Jesus has always blessed his Church with gifted teachers. Unique to our day is the increased accessibility of these teachers. How should we make the most out of these resources while at the same time being committed to … More Francis Chan on ‘Celebrity Preachers’
Hi friends, December and January are always peak reading months for me. Something about snowy weather, hot chocolate, fireplaces, and new books and Amazon Gift cards for Christmas seem to factor in. So, if you’re curious, here are the books I’m reading or have recently read. I especially enjoyed One.Life by McKnight. Peace. After You … More Books I’m reading these days
A friend who is planting a new church emailed the other day and asked me about some of the best things I did as Life Covenant Church was starting. I started to write down the first few things that came to mind, and what came out are some small practices that looking back have had … More Church Planting Wisdom (by Tim Morey)
