Tag: Church
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In Spirit Produced Corporateness
As I reflect upon the need of our church to constantly cultivate community among those within our congregation, as well as between those already part of the congregation and those who have newly arrived, I am pondering the poignancy of this statement by Stanley Grenz, from his book Theology for the Community of God: “Only…
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Leading in the Construction of Christ’s Church
As one who has benefited from reading Jim Collins, John Kotter, Stephen Covey, and several other leadership gurus from the business world, I found this quote from Tony Morgan‘s Developing a Theology of Leadership to be a very helpful reminder and convicting corrective: It is true that we church leaders can learn from business leaders,…
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Fellowship of Jesus’ Followers
Stanley Grenz wrote, in Theology for the Community of God: “The fellowship of Jesus’ followers is not merely a loose coalition of individuals who acknowledge Jesus. Rather, it is a community of disciples who seek to walk together in accordance with the principles of the kingdom. As Christ’s church, we desire to live out in…
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Is Bigger Really Better?
No matter how much I have grown to despise the discussion, it seems I cannot avoid it entirely. Almost any conversation about church, it seems, inevitably gravitates in some form toward the Bigger is Better or Great Things Come in Small Packages debate. It is not always an actual debate. In fact it is probably…
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Messy Christian Communities
As our church makes the slow but intentional shift toward Missional Communities, I found this illustration to be a good picture of the contrast between common perception and ideal reality of what such communities, or small groups, and even church is like. On the left side, “What People Think It Looks Like“, we see the…
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Being the Church in the World: Distinctiveness
In this video John Stott discusses what he calls one of the most neglected themes in the Bible: Distinctiveness. With all the clamoring for church to be seen as relevant in our culture, perhaps we – the Church – have lost sight of the call to be different. Not different for the sake of being…
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Thoughts on Easter Giveaways
I was stunned the first time I read about the plan of a church in the area where we then lived to give away prizes at an Easter gathering. And they were not just going to give stuff away, they were planning to create a frenzy. A helicopter was leased, piloted by some guy in…
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Numbering the Sheep on the Ranch
Blogger Tim Challies is at the Together for the Gospel Conference, surrounded by other church leaders. No surprise then that he is hearing this common question all around him: “How many people go to your church?” And apparently Challies, whose primary vocation is writer not pastor, has some concerns about this question: I’d like to…
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Is Church Membership Really Required?
by Ricky Jones This month we will be inducting new members into the most honored body the world has ever known: the church of Jesus Christ. The initiation fee for this club is so high that no human could have ever paid it; God himself had to pick up the tab. The benefits of the…
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Qualities of Christian Community
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic book, Life Together, makes this observation that should be pondered by many in the church, especially those discontented with the relational dynamic in their particular congregation: “The people most in love with community are in danger of destroying community.” In other words, there are people who have made such an…
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24 Tips for Preachers
My friend and once-upon-a-time informal mentor, Randy Nabors, has posted a score of tips for preachers on his blog, Randy’s Rag. I learned a lot from Randy just by hanging out and watching when I was a young pastor living and serving in the Chattanooga area. I post Randy’s Tips here because they are worthy…
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Here AND There
We don’t just go to church, we ARE the church …sent out by the power of the Spirit to BE the church. This illustration above represents two aspects of being a faithful church: Attractional – those elements of a particular congregation that draw people into the church community. Among these would be the quality of…
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10 Principles for Worship
The highest calling and greatest privilege of all Christians is to love and worship God. In worship we encounter God with increasing awareness of who he is. In worship we together magnify God’s glory. The following are 10 principles, developed over a number of years, and influenced by a variety of sources, that not only express my philosophy of worship,…
