NRB member Lucas Miles is urging likeminded Christian leaders to use the pulpit to affirm the historic truths of Scripture, reject false strains of theology, and challenge cultural dogmas.
An ordained minister since 2004, Miles is lead pastor of Nfluence Church and president of the Nfluence Network, Inc., a ministry resource organization based in northern Indiana. He is the host of EpochTV’s “Church & State with Lucas Miles” and the author of “The Christian Left: How Liberal Thought Has Hijacked the Church” and “Woke Jesus: The False Messiah Destroying Christianity.” Miles has also served as a faculty member at Summit Ministries since 2021.
Miles seeks to equip and embolden believers to contend for the faith in an environment of hostility and compromise. To the dismay of many American churchgoers, some churches and Christian organizations have promoted critical theory, secular “social justice” concepts, and other errant ideologies while the centrality of the Gospel goes by the wayside. Meanwhile, some pastors have fallen silent on the most challenging issues of the day—wavering at a time when they are most needed to stand firmly on the truth.
Miles notes, “The Church has wrongly accepted the idea that abortion or gender or marriage are political issues, and as a result they’ve been told that they’re not supposed to talk about politics, so therefore they can’t talk about those issues.”
Miles added, “Faith comes by hearing, and we haven’t had an opportunity for [Christians] to hear what the word of God has to say about these topics.”
In response, Miles is seeking to ensure that pastors are prepared to confront the ideologies that are infiltrating the American church. The American Pastor Project, which Miles began developing in concept in 2022, aims to point pastors towards a return to “broader Christian orthodoxy” to better minister, inform, and arm their congregations with truth. Miles invites pastors and Christian leaders across denominations to sign a statement affirming the essential doctrines of the Christian faith and God’s created order, pledging to help defend against the deceptions of false teaching, and refusing to use “pulpits, nor any extension of our ministries” to promote false doctrines.
The American Pastor Project hosts conference calls with thought leaders and national ministry voices to facilitate constructive dialogue on topics that pastors may be facing in day-to-day ministry. The project also connects pastors with resources produced by trusted ministries to aid sermon preparation, individual counseling, and policy development within their churches.
Miles said the American Pastor Project welcomes “anybody who touches Christian doctrine” to join the mission.
“This could be a Christian recording artist, podcaster, pastor, worship pastor, traveling musician, someone developing children’s curriculum,” said Miles. “We want anybody who’s engaging with the messaging of the church to commit to this project.”
In a short time, the project has attracted participation from several hundred pastors who seek tosharpen and support one another in carrying out the responsibilities of spiritual leadership. When faithful Christian leaders stand shoulder to shoulder, Miles said, the church can be “a light in the darkness” and “a city on a hill,” following in the footsteps of Christ.
Lucas Miles has been an NRB member since January of 2023 and is the recipient of the 2023 Program of the Year award. To learn more about the American Pastor Project and sign the statement, click here.
