Timothy Tennent

My Charge to the 2023 Graduating Class of Asbury Theological Seminary

May 20, 2023 Every year I give a brief charge to our graduates as part of the graduation ceremony. Here is the charge I gave this year. 2 Cor. 4:8-10 says, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. […]

The Relationship of Psalms to Hymns and Choruses

Most Protestant worship services devote a section of the worship service to congregational singing. Typically, a congregation will sing hymns, choruses, or some combination of these. Yet, for the vast majority of Christians throughout history, the primary act of singing would have been the Psalms, even if other songs were also sung. One of the […]

Asbury Awakening Continues

The spiritual awakening that started at Asbury University on February 8 continues to the present and is having a significant impact on many people around the country and even in distant parts of the world. Thousands of people from all over the nation and the world have descended upon this little town of Wilmore, Kentucky. […]

Thoughts on the Asbury Awakening

Something special happened last Wednesday in the chapel of Asbury University chapel. The Lord began to move in the lives of a group of students. These embers have now been fanned into flame and there is clearly a definite move of God in our midst. We should not spend too much time looking for human […]

Small UMC churches and the pain of disaffiliation

My heart swells with joy as I reflect on the wonderful opportunity given to me to pastor several small United Methodist churches in the earliest days of my ministry. I was a true Methodist “circuit rider” with four churches on my “charge.” I would start early on Sunday morning and preach at 8:00 to a […]

Happy New Year – Preparing for the Coming Revival

There is no more common and “sunshine” greeting at the New Year than to say to someone, “Happy New Year!” But, this is clearly more aspirational than descriptive of how Americans actually feel about the upcoming year. For example, a recent Pew Research Center Survey revealed a growing pessimism in the country about what most […]

UMC Churches and Disaffiliation

This is a momentous time for thousands of United Methodist Churches across the world who are contemplating disaffiliating from an increasingly wayward denomination. Faithful churches have worked tirelessly for decades to prevent the demise of historic faith in the United Methodist Church. Despite the fact that those committed to historic faith have been victorious in […]

What is the Difference between Evangelism and Missions?

All Christians should understand that the good news of the gospel that Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead and universally offers redemption and reconciliation to the entire created order is central to our identity as the people of the Risen Lord. The challenge comes is knowing what this actually looks like in a local […]

The Multiplication of Laborers: A Centennial of Fruitfulness

Asbury Theological Seminary 14th Convocation Address for the launch of Asbury Theological Seminary’s Centennial Text: Matthew 9:37, 38 A desert road leading to Damascus; a quiet garden in the city of Milan; a stormy day in Stotternheim, Germany; three women conversing in a doorway in Bedford, England; a Moravian prayer meeting on Aldersgate St., London; […]

Let our People Go: The Cry of Disaffiliating UMC Churches

There are hundreds of UMC churches across the country who are currently seeking to disaffiliate with the increasingly wayward United Methodist Church. This is the beginning of what will be a long, slow “adoptive curve” rather than any huge “split” which happens all at once. It is important to remember that none of these departing […]