When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations
By Donavon Riley
10/01/25
13mins

When Pastors Are Abused by Their Congregations

This article is the first part of a two-part series. The second part will take a look at when pastors abuse their congregations.
An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
09/30/25

An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136

The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s new book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 311 and 335
St. Michael, Defender of God’s People
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
09/29/25

St. Michael, Defender of God’s People

Why did the church dedicate a day to St. Michael anyway? Who is he, and what does he do?

All Articles

Kelsi Klembara
Kelsi Klembara
11/14/19

How Do You Know They Are "the One"? Part 2 of 2

“I forgive you,” must be said and it must be said often in a marriage.
Philip Bartelt
Philip Bartelt
11/08/19

Grace and Lawlessness

Where Erasmus saw fear and collapse, Luther saw the never-ending comfort of Christ and his gospel.
Luke Kjolhaug
Luke Kjolhaug
11/06/19

I Found Jesus in the Copier Toner

As I sat there in the dark, empty church with my hands buried in the guts of a copy machine I was powerless to fix, I couldn't help feeling sorry for myself.
Ken Sundet Jones
Ken Sundet Jones
10/31/19

Reformation Day: Hey Beggar, You're Free!

When we hear freedom, we have to ask about its opposite, bondage.
Kathy Morales
Kathy Morales
10/31/19

Haunted

The devil knows our name and labels us by our sin. The devil breathes out death as he names us for what we are, sinners.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/31/19

Church Trash, Cotton Candy Spiritualism, and God's Ongoing Reformation

All major and minor reformations happen not because people react but because God acts. He reforms. He looks down from heaven, has mercy upon his starving children, and ends the famine of the Word by sending the rain of the Gospel.
Bror Erickson
Bror Erickson
10/30/19

Halloween and Christian Freedom

We have the freedom to joyfully participate in neighborhood fun with the love of our neighbor in mind.
Kyle G. Jones
Kyle G. Jones
10/28/19

On Freedom in Christ and the Parable of the Forgiving Father

Like the younger son, we can return to our Father every time our sinful hearts rebel against him. Like the older brother, we can complain and lament to our Father without fear of being destroyed.
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
10/24/19

Meeting God in the Delivery Room

Our very lives as parents and children implicitly proclaim this higher and lovely truth: we have no value to God based upon our usefulness.
Ryan Couch
Ryan Couch
10/23/19

The Gospel of the Unabomber

It is incumbent upon the faithful preacher, looking to see sinners transformed into the image of Christ, to preach a naked gospel.
Erick Sorensen
Erick Sorensen
10/15/19

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God (and That’s Not Enough) 

God daily broadsides us with his abundant power and glory as we observe nature around us. And yet, as glorious as this book of nature is, it is not enough.
John Bombaro
John Bombaro
10/13/19

Salvation by Microsoft

Are people so different today? Is justification really irrelevant now? Is the preacher’s only point of contact with the life-giving Gospel a by-product of Microsoft’s word processor? I do not think so.
1517 is a Christian non-profit (501(c)3) multi-media organization. Our mission is to declare and defend the Good News that we are forgiven and free on account of the death and resurrection of Jesus alone.
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