Aaron Menikoff
Aaron came to Mount Vernon in June 2008 after completing his Master of Divinity in Biblical and Theological Studies and his Ph.D. in American Church History from Southern Seminary.
Prior to pastoral ministry, Aaron worked as a legislative assistant to the late U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield. After leaving his career in politics, he went on staff and served as an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. While in seminary, Aaron served as an elder and interim pastor at Third Avenue Baptist Church.
Aaron is the organizer and host of Feed My Sheep, an annual conference for pastors and church leaders in the Atlanta area. He also serves on the administrative team of the Greater Atlanta Baptist Network, where he leads a monthly pastors fellowship.
In addition to pastoral ministry, Aaron is an Adjunct Professor of Church History at Reformed Theological Seminary (Atlanta), the author of Character Matters (Moody, 2020, read excerpts here and here) and Politics and Piety: Baptist Social Reform in America, 1770-1860 (Pickwick, 2014), and co-host of the Island Idylls podcast.
Articles:
- Partnering Together: A Practical Guide (9Marks, 2023)
- Missions Succeeds When Churches Thrive (Reaching & Teaching, 2022)
- Preach Christ Crucified This Easter (Radical, 2021)
- Thank God for the “Pie in the Sky”: Why the Heavenly Minded Do the Most Earthly Good (9Marks, 2020)
- Don’t Just Be a Sending Church, Be a Staying Church (Reaching & Teaching, 2020)
- Pastor, Know Thyself (The Gospel Coalition, 2020)
- Shepherding in the Fruit of the Spirit (Outreach Magazine, 2020)
- I’m Pro-Life Because I’m Pro-Gospel (Speak for the Unborn, 2020)
- Why Should Pastors Care About Their Holiness? (9Marks, 2020)
- Don’t Give Up, Pastor. Change Is Slow. (The Gospel Coalition, 2020)
- We Need Healthy Pastors (Outreach Magazine, 2020)
- How Can We Care for Our Older & At-Risk Members? (9Marks, 2020)
- Must You Share the Gospel in Every Sermon? Invitation Without the Altar Call (9Marks, 2020)
- Grateful to God for the Wheelchairs (Baptist Press, 2019)
- Tribute to an Extraordinary Pastor (Some Pastors and Teachers, 2019)
- 5 Reasons Pastors Ought to Pray for Slow Growth (9Marks, 2019)
- Five Marks of a Calvinist Pastor’s Ministry (9Marks, 2019)
- Adoption: The Sweetest Doctrine (Tabletalk, 2019)
- A Modest Proposal for Baptist Associations (Baptist21, 2018)
- The Evangelist’s Mission (Some Pastors and Teachers, 2018)
- How to Respond When a Servant, an Elder, or the Preacher Struggles with Pornography (9Marks, 2018)
- 3 Reasons You Should Preach through The Song of Solomon (9Marks, 2018)
- The Evangelist’s Message (Some Pastors and Teachers, 2018)
- They Pointed To Me (Baptist Press, 2018)
- Pastors Must Be More Than Good Communicators (Radical, 2018)
- Friendship Evangelism (Some Pastors and Teachers, 2018)
- “At the Bottom of a Well”: Why Should You Believe? (Some Pastors and Teachers, 2018)
- Someone I Love Won’t Believe. What Should I Do? (The Gospel Coalition, 2018)
- Be Tender-Hearted and Thick-Skinned: How Humility Protects Pastors from Pastoral Burnout (9Marks, 2018)
- Why Great Commission Churches Should Practice Church Discipline (Radical, 2018)
- How Much Theology Do I Have to Know to Be a Christian? (The Gospel Coalition, 2018)
- Be a Gospel Neighbor (9Marks, 2018)
- Choose the Congregation’s Songs Well (Radical, 2017)
- The Flesh Is Weak: Pastoral Reflections on Self-Control (9Marks, 2017)
- “What Do You Want?”: Pastoral Reflections on Faithfulness (9Marks, 2017)
- How to Spot a Deacon (Radical, 2017)
- Don’t Be a Do-Gooder: Pastoral Reflections on Goodness (9Marks, 2017)
- No More Mr. Nice – Pastoral Reflections on Kindness (9Marks, 2017)
- First Comes Love, Then Comes Adoption (The Gospel Coalition, 2017)
- Let Us Not Grow Weary – Pastoral Reflections on Patience (9Marks, 2017)
- How and Why Did Some Christians Defend Slavery (The Gospel Coalition, 2017)
- You Don’t Find Community by Looking for It (The Gospel Coalition, 2017)
- Living in the “Nevertheless” – Pastoral Reflections on Peace (9Marks, 2017)
- Stop Looking for It – Pastoral Reflections on Joy (9Marks, 2016)
- Am I a Noisy Gong? – Pastoral Reflections on Love (9Marks, 2016)
- 10 Temptations Facing an Elders Wife (The Gospel Coalition, 2016)
- When Grace Hurts the Church (The Gospel Coalition, 2016)
- Is Meek Weak – Pastoral Reflections on Gentleness? (9Marks, 2016)
- Which Church Documents? And Why? (9Marks, 2016)
- The Loving-Kindness of Covenant Membership (Christianity Today, 2015)
- When Should You Correct Another Christian? (Christianity.com, 2014)
- Do I Really Need to Tithe to the Church? (Christianity.com, 2014)
- 5 Lessons from Jesus on Prayer (Christianity.com, 2014)
- How Do We Know There’s a God When We Can’t See Him? (Christianity.com, 2014)
- Perilous Times, Dead Baptists, and the Church (Founders, 2014)
- Reflections on Elders from 1 Peter (9Marks, 2014)
- What Members Are Asking about Elders (9Marks, 2014)
- In Defense of Preaching Models (9Marks, 2014)
- Historical Reflections on Baptism and Church Membership (9Marks, 2014)
- Ten Questions to Ask of a Song’s Lyrics (9Marks, 2014)
- What about Movie Clips? Applying the Regulative Principle (9Marks, 2013)
- Evangelism without an Altar Call (9Marks, 2013)
- Justifi-what? (Christianity.com, 2012)
- Are Parachurch Ministries Evil? (9Marks, 2011)
- A Pastors’ and Theologians’ Forum on Biblical Theology (9Marks, 2010)
- Preach to the Non-Christian, Christian, and Church Member (9Marks, 2010)
- The Preacher and the Text: What is the Goal of the Message? (9Marks, 2010)
- The Goals and Benefits of an Installation Service (9Marks, 2010)
- Loving Questions for Pastors of Seeker-Sensitive Churches (9Marks, 2010)
- Loving Questions for Pastors of Seeker-Sensitive Churches #2 (9Marks, 2010)
- Loving Questions for Pastors of Seeker-Sensitive Churches #3 (9Marks, 2010)
- Loving Questions for Pastors of Seeker-Sensitive Churches #4 (9Marks, 2010)
- The Gospel and Friendship (The Gospel Coalition, 2009)
- Is the Bible Reliable for Truth about Jesus Christ? (Christianity, 2008)
Book Reviews:
- Workers for Your Joy, by David Mathis (9Marks, 2023)
- Saturate, by Jeff Vanderstelt (9Marks, 2020)
- Hearers and Doers: A Pastor’s Guide to Making Disciples Through Scripture and Doctrine (The Gospel Coalition, 2019)
- You Found Me, by Rick Richardson (9Marks, 2019)
- Healthy Plurality = Durable Church, by Dave Harvey (9Marks, 2018)
- Reconstruction: A Concise History, by Allen Guelzo (The Gospel Coalition, 2018)
- The Gospel Comes with a House Key, by Rosaria Butterfield (9Marks, 2018)
- Immeasurable, by Skye Jethani (9Marks, 2018)
- Eldership and the Mission of God, by J.R. Briggs and Bob Hyatt (9Marks, 2015)
- Expository Listening, by Ken Ramey (9Marks, 2015)
- Damned Nation: Hell in America from the Revolution to Reconstruction (The Gospel Coalition, 2015)
- Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus (The Gospel Coalition, 2015)
- The (Un)Common Good (The Gospel Coalition, 2015)
- How Sermons Work, by David Murray (9Marks, 2012)
- Politics for Christians (The Gospel Coalition, 2011)
- Why Elders? (The Gospel Coalition, 2011)
- Collected Writings on Scripture (The Gospel Coalition, 2011)
- The Shepherd Leader (The Gospel Coalition, 2010)
- The Trellis and the Vine (The Gospel Coalition, 2010)
- Why Join a Small Church?, by John Benton (9Marks, 2010)
- The Rabbit and the Elephant: Why Small is the New Big for Today’s Church, by Tony Daly and George Barna (9Marks, 2010)
- Elders in Congregational Life, by Phil Newton (9Marks, 2010)
- Him We Proclaim, by Dennis Johnson (9Marks, 2010)
- Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, by Sidney Greidanus (9Marks, 2010)
- The Family at Church: Restoring God’s “Ordinary” Means of Grace (Crosswalk, 2009)
Videos:
- Does All of My Tithe Have to Go to the Church? (Crosswalk, 2020)
- Journal Talk: Episode 2: Why Should Pastors Care about Their Holiness? (9Marks, 2020)
- Pastors & Patience (9Marks, 2020)
- Pastoring in a City Full of Mega-Churches (9Marks, 2019)
- Building a Healthy Church Amid Nominal Christianity (9Marks, 2019)
- What is the best counsel I have received about pastoral ministry? (9Marks, 2018)
- Pray for Slow Growth (9Marks, 2018)
- True Greatness (Southern Seminary Chapel, 2018)
- Shepherding in the Fruit of the Spirit (Bethlehem, PasCon2018)
- What fruits have you seen for practicing membership & discipline? (9Marks, 2017)
- What’s a very common temptation when it comes to building & growing churches? (9Marks, 2017)
- How quickly should a pastor change things? (9Marks, 2017)
- Should every Christian be a member of a local church? (9Marks, 2017)
Podcasts:
- Pastors’ Talk: Episode 127: On Character Matters (9Marks, 2020)
- Reclamation: Worship – Soul Care (Church Discipline) & Worship (Jason Allen, 2019)
- Pastors’ Talk: Episode 70 – On Church Revitalization (9Marks, 2019)