Category: Church
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6 Rules of Cultural Engagement
Jesus said: “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10.16) When the Lord calls us to himself he also sends us out. It is a package deal. No exceptions. We are expected to engage our culture. It is part of our…
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6 Foundation Points for the Church
According to Dann Spader and Gary Mayes there are six foundational aspects of ministry crucial to cultivate an environment for (healthy) church growth. While the culture has changed quite a bit in the twenty years since Spader & Mayes published their thoughts, their points are still valid. 1. Create an atmosphere of love Jesus’ insight,…
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Lessons from The Externally Focused Church
Although everyone outside the Church is a potential ministry focus, the Externally Focused Church moves intentionally toward two groups: Those on the margins The City – from Externally Focused Church These are important points to remember when designing an outreach strategy for the local church. The first, people on the margins of society, probably…
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Total Church
I have recently been listening to Tim Chester and Steve Timmis speak about Total Church. I appreciate their emphasis that two key principles should shape church life: gospel and community. As Tim Chester writes: Christians are called to a dual fidelity: fidelity to the core content of the gospel and fidelity to the primary context…
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Bashing the Bride
This video cracks me up… and it also makes me a little sad. It is sad because this critic is all too familiar – not just to me, but probably to most church leaders. In our consumer culture, where some people have little more allegiance to their covenant community than they do to Wal Mart, K-Mart,…
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Screwtape Meets the “Me Church” Generation
Among C.S. Lewis‘ masterful works is the Screwtape Letters. For those unfamiliar with this book, Screwtape is a fictional senior devil mentoring his nephew, Wormwood, a junior devil, in undermining his “patients” new found spiritual journey. When reading Screwtape Letters it is important to remind yourself that everything is presented from a backward perspective –…
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Mission @ the Heart of God
There are the five parts of the Bible: The God of the Old Testament is a missionary God, calling one family in order to bless all the families of the earth. The Christ of the Gospels is a missionary Christ; he sent the church out to witness. The Spirit of the Acts is a missionary…
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4 Ingredients for an Assimilation Recipe
It has been said: When people visit a church they are not so much looking for friendly people as they are looking for new friends. If all they wanted was friendliness they could go to almost any store in the mall and find it. I have always sensed that there is much truth in this…
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Moving Toward Missional
Some questions I have wrestled with over time: Can someone live missionally without a conscious embracing of missionalism? I suspect “No”. It is possible to engage in activities, but without a conscious approach there is no “mission”. Such a life is more frenetic, aimless, and haphazard. Mission requires intentionally carrying out a preconceived plan and/or…
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5 Marks of Revived Churches
Ray Ortland proposes there are five constants in all historic instances of biblical revival. Awareness of God’s presence Responsiveness to God’s Word Sensitiveness to sin Liveliness in community Fruitfulness in testimony These are important features. To read Ortlands elaboration click: Revived
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5 Key Missional Questions
In this video Jonathan Dodson answers important questions like: Who are you? Is the Gospel dangerous? What does risk look like in following Jesus? How are we called and equipped for the risk that comes with mission? How does entertainment prohibit mission? How does the gospel compel risky mission? You can also read Dodson’s follow-up…
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The Original Missional Calvinist
John Calvin often gets a bad rap. But David Mathis offers us another perspective. In the Introduction to a book he co-edited with John Piper, With Calvin in the Theater of God, Mathis writes: “Calvin so believed in the importance of the everyday activities of Christian life and mission that he had a strange but…
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Our Walk with God is a Community Project
In this short video Paul Tripp powerfully confronts the Lone Ranger mentality that permeates our culture, and offers reason why transparent, authentic, relationships are essential. Tripp reminds us that genuine redemptive relationships are God’s design for our spiritual growth and vitality.
