video Archives

Rethinking Disciple Making in New York City: 200,000 Tracts Later

Rev. Paul Murphy, Pastor of Evangelism at Messiah’s Reformed Fellowship in New York City, discovered that distributing over 200,000 tracts produced only a handful of church visitors, prompting a fundamental rethinking of urban evangelism strategy. He shifted from “cold contact” methods to a “covenantal approach” that focuses on entire families, integrates deeply into community institutions through ESL classes, hospital chaplaincy, and workplace Bible studies, and leverages digital platforms for broader reach. Murphy’s journey demonstrates that effective disciple-making in post-Christian urban contexts requires moving beyond literature distribution to weaving the gospel into the fabric of the city’s secular institutions while maintaining the crucial distinction between community outreach and verbal gospel proclamation.

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Making Disciples Isn’t Complicated

Christianity / By Doug Vos

Church planter Andrew Martin emphasizes that while making disciples is central to the church’s mission, it doesn’t require complicated programs — just faithful presence in everyday contexts. Through simple community practices like weekly hospitality gatherings, ESL classes, and Bible study groups that mirror Acts 2, Martin demonstrates how ordinary church members working together can fulfill the Great Commission where God has placed them. The key insight is that Jesus gave one central command — make disciples — which the church community accomplishes together through going, baptizing, and teaching, empowered by Christ’s authority and abiding presence. Martin’s approach combines theological depth with practical accessibility: asking good questions, crossing the “pain line” to share the gospel clearly, and creating spaces where believers encourage one another and non-Christians experience authentic Christian community before fully understanding the message.

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The Great Commission at the Boardwalk and Your Neighborhood

Christianity / By Doug Vos

This article synthesizes insights from an in-depth interview with Rev. Chris Byrd on the “Great Commission Today” podcast, where he shares his experience as Regional Evangelist for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and co-director of the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood, New Jersey. Byrd presents a holistic vision of the Great Commission as a mandate for the entire church to make disciples through both evangelism and sanctification, rooted in the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. He identifies two primary obstacles to Christian witness (e.g. lack of practical competence or functional unbelief in the gospel’s power) while observing increasing spiritual openness in American culture, illustrated by transformative encounters like that of Bonnie and Bill, who found faith after receiving a gospel tract on the boardwalk. Through strategic outreach, publishing sermons online, and equipping believers for personal gospel conversations, churches can overcome these barriers and effectively participate in God’s kingdom work in their communities.

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Thomas Sowell Videos

Biography, Video / By Doug Vos

Explore Thomas Sowell videos and biography. Thomas Sowell, born into poverty in the segregated South in 1930, rose to become one of America’s most influential and controversial economists, authoring over 50 books that challenge conventional wisdom on race, economics, and social policy. His intellectual transformation from committed Marxist to free-market advocate occurred during a government internship when he discovered bureaucrats prioritized protecting their agenda over helping the poor — a revelation that taught him to follow facts over ideology. Now 95 and retired from his position at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, Sowell’s legacy endures through his rigorous empirical approach to social science and his fearless willingness to reach unpopular conclusions based on evidence rather than political correctness.

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Christian Nationalism: A Discussion With David VanDrunen

Worldview / By Doug Vos

Explore the concept of Christian Nationalism, its definitions, historical roots, and contemporary debates. It begins with a reflection on the phrase’s increasing use and its varied interpretations — ranging from a movement to align national identity with Christian values to a pejorative label tied to racism and nationalism. The text contrasts this with Roger Williams’ 17th-century advocacy for liberty of conscience, emphasizing religious freedom over state-enforced faith. The core discussion features Dr. David VanDrunen and Pastor Chris Gordon analyzing Christian Nationalism through a theological lens, drawing from VanDrunen’s book Living in God’s Two Kingdoms. They critique proponents like Doug Wilson and Stephen Wolfe, arguing that the New Testament does not support nations being explicitly Christian. Instead, they advocate for a “two kingdoms” approach, where God’s common grace sustains civil order for all, while the church focuses on spiritual mission, not political dominion. Key themes include the decline of Christendom, the rise of culture wars, and the tension between Christian identity and national loyalty, urging believers to prioritize heavenly citizenship over earthly power.

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Big Questions About Jesus Death and Resurrection

Commentary, History / By Doug Vos

Some people are not afraid to ask big questions about Jesus death and resurrection. Joe Rogan recently interviewed Wesley Huff for his podcast. Joe and Wesley discuss the historical evidence for Jesus’s resurrection. Rogan questions the validity of resurrection claims, while Huff approaches the topic as a historian. Huff points out that 400 people saw the resurrected Jesus, according to Paul’s writings in 1 Corinthians 15. He emphasizes that the gospels were written during the lifetime of eyewitnesses who could verify or deny these claims.

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The Proclamation Trust

Research / By Doug Vos

How did the Proclamation Trust get started? In the 1950s, Dick Lucas was appointed to St Helen’s Church, which was located in London’s financial district where church attendance among men was very low. The church began holding Tuesday lunchtime services, which became extremely successful. They offered quality sandwiches and biblical teaching, eventually attracting 600-700 people regularly.

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