Category: Holistic Ministry
-
The Value of Ministries of Mercy
It seems that Micah 6.8 is quite clear and straight-forward in its summary of living as God’s People in this world: He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?To do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Yet, for some reason, many Christians, and too many churches,…
-
Race & the Church RVA: Why Do We All Look the Same?
The second gathering of Race and the Church in Richmond, Virginia took place on Saturday morning March 12. The theme was: Why Do We All Look the Same? A Cultural & Theological Analysis of Underlying Church Dynamics; featuring speaker Dr. Alexander Jun. Alexander Jun is a professor at Azusa Pacific University, a TED Talk speaker,…
-
What If We Omitted Gospel, Community, or Mission?
The refrain from an old song says: “Two out of three ain’t bad.” But would this be true for a church, or a Christian, who incorporates 2 out of 3 of the core values: Gospel, Community, Mission? Consider these thoughts, framed as a mathematical equation: Gospel + Community – Mission If we have a Gospel…
-
When Helping Hurts
With the re-emergence of ministries of mercy by Evangelicals have also come definite challenges. I am delighted that this trend of compassion continues on the upswing. But I am also aware of both the theological and practical dilemmas that inevitably face anyone who is engaged in such outreach. The video above in an interview with…
-
Being a Transforming Presence
As followers of Jesus it is as imperative for us to fight every inclination toward dualism as it is to fight against legalism. While legalism is widely recognized as relating wrongly to the Law, the error of dualism is not as widely acknowledged in our Evangelical circles. Simply put, dualism is like split vision, seeing…
-
Distinct, Not Separated
John Stott offers a reminder of the task and the tension we, as Christians, must continually navigate when he uses the phrase: “spiritually distinct, but NOT socially segregated.” And here is a quote expanding this perspective: Your business and mine as Christian people is to be in the midst of this world and its affairs,…
-
Friend of Kuyper
For the better part of the 20th Century the Protestant Church in the USA seemed to have divided into two camps: Those interested in Evangelism and those concerned for Social Issues. Which one adopted pretty clearly fell along the lines of how seriously one took the Bible. Conservatives lined up for Evangelism; Liberals for Social…
-
Lord Save Us
I spent this morning watching the documentary, Lord Save Us From Your Followers. I was prompted by a note from a friend and, despite it not being on my agenda for the day, I was intrigued. Once again, I am not sure where I have been. This film came out over a year ago. Some…
-
Ah!! You Just Said a BAD Word!
Tony Campolo is famous – or infamous – for a statement made at a Christian college chapel service: “The United Nations reports that over ten thousand people starve to death each day, and most of you don’t give a SH%T. However, what is even more tragic is that most of you are more concerned about…
-
Taking Pieces of Heaven to Place of Hell On Earth
Jesus says: “I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not stand up…” –Matthew 16.18 First it is important to remind ourselves that in this challenge Jesus is calling his church to take an Offensive stike, not a Defensive response. The church is to take the initiative, go, and storm the gates. This verse…
-
Prophets, Priests, and Kings
An important concept to explore and implement in the ministry of the local church is the reflection of the Offices of Christ: Prophet, Priest, and King. This is known as Tri-Perspectivalism or Multi-Perspectivalism. I have written and spoken a little about this, but I am still far more a student than an expert when it comes…
-
Reflecting Jesus in Christ’s Church
If, as most Christians profess, Jesus is indeed the only Head of the Church, it seems reasonable that Christ’s Church should reflect His personality in it’s ministries and structure. One way that Jesus is reflected in the ministry of faithful churches has been the recovery of a balanced Word & Deed holistic ministry. By balanced…
