About Practical Christianity

What Is Practical Christianity?

Practical Christianity is a ministry focused on helping Christians live comprehensively under Christ’s lordship, not just on Sunday, but Monday through Saturday; not just in private devotion, but in public witness; not just in church, but at home, at work, and in the culture.

This isn’t a departure from Walking Points but a crystallization of it, bringing into clearer view the convictions that have always been at the heart of my ministry: that Christianity is comprehensive, not compartmentalized; that Christ is Lord over all of life; and that true discipleship means hearing God’s Word and putting it into practice in every sphere of existence.

The title is intentional. Practical Christianity speaks to what people want most, something that works, something that helps them navigate their lives in ways that bear good fruit. But here’s the crucial foundation: Christianity is practical because Christianity is true. It works because it reflects reality as God created it.

Two Guides for the Journey

As I’ve sought to understand what it means to live comprehensively under Christ’s lordship, two men from history have profoundly shaped my vision:

John Wesley (1703-1791) – I am a lifelong Methodist. Wesley’s vision of “scriptural holiness,” his conviction that God called Methodism to “reform the nation and spread scriptural holiness over the land,” has been the theological current running beneath everything I’ve done. Wesley taught me that Christianity must be social, never merely private, and that personal transformation and cultural renewal are inseparable.

Richard Baxter (1615-1691) – I discovered Baxter around 1995-96, likely through J.I. Packer’s A Quest for Godliness. I was drawn to his pastoral ministry, captivated by his form of discipleship, and gripped by his understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Baxter taught that Christ has “absolute dominion” over all creation and that the Christian life means comprehensive submission to his reign in every sphere.

Both men rejected compartmentalized faith and insisted that authentic Christianity pervades every dimension of human existence. This is the legacy they bequeath to us: a vision of practical Christianity that is deeply theological, intensely pastoral, and comprehensively transformative.

What You’ll Find Here

Content organized around ten major spheres of life:

1. Personal Faith & Spiritual Formation
2. Marriage & Family
3. Men’s Discipleship
4. Pastoral Ministry & Church Leadership
5. The Kingdom of God & Cultural Engagement
6. Work & Vocation
7. Church Life & Community
8. Evangelism & Mission
9. Suffering, Providence & Hope
10. Legacy & Finishing Strong

Who This Is For

This is for:

• Men and women seeking to live faithfully in a complex, contested world
• Pastors and ministry leaders looking for Wesleyan wisdom for discipleship
• Thoughtful Christians navigating faith and culture
• Anyone who wants truth that transforms because it’s lived

A Bit About Me

I’m Dale Tedder, a Global Methodist pastor in Jacksonville, Florida, with over 33 years of pastoral ministry experience. My work focuses on discipleship, spiritual formation, men’s ministry, and pastoral care. I’m deeply rooted in historic, evangelical Wesleyan theology, drawing from Scripture, John Wesley, Richard Baxter, and the Great Tradition.

I’m in the final quarter of my pastoral ministry, thinking about legacy, what I want to pass on, what matters most, how to finish strong. This project is part of that. I want to distill what I’ve learned, root it in Scripture and the wisdom of faithful men who’ve gone before, and present it with clarity and grace to people who desperately need it.

Let’s Build on the Rock

Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24).

Let’s build together, not with novelty or trends, but with ancient truth applied to contemporary life. Not with compartmentalized religion, but with comprehensive Christianity that touches every sphere. Not with knowledge alone, but with wisdom, truth embodied, practiced, lived.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Dale Tedder

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