aj_sherrill_healing

The In/difference of God: Meditations on Healing

My friend has Lyme disease. He suffers from flu-like symptoms and chronic fatigue most days. It has cost him his job, his livelihood, and, on the darkest of days, his dignity. As a friend who can only observe and listen, it’s the stuff that makes you cry. To make matters worse, most of his family suffers from it, too, while …

Amazon Culture, the Church, and the Ikarians: Cultivating a Faithful People

History was made this past week. According to the New York Times, the recent exposé on what it means to be an Amazonian (someone who works at Amazon) became “the most commented-on story at The New York Times.” Why Has a Story about Amazon Culture Generated So Much Reaction? So why has this story drawn so much attention and so many …

meditation

Easy Tools and Simple Rules for Meditation

A couple of weeks ago I collected some rocks from the French drain in front of our property. I intentionally placed my stones where I would notice them throughout the day and week, recognizing that they provide a focus for my prayers and signify my receptivity to the voice of God. In gathering these stones, I invited God to speak …

don_coleman_praxis

Meet Praxis Presenter Don Coleman

The Praxis Gathering exists to connect church planters with missional practitioners who are eager to share their experiences and wisdom in a relational, conversational setting. Every Praxis Gathering presenter brings unique perspectives and bona fide practical instruction to the table, all in the name of glorifying Christ and blessing the Church. Don Coleman is no exception. Don takes his role as a citizen …

change_leadership

10 Key Strategies of Change Leadership

Recently, I was meeting with a young minister who is beginning his second year in his current ministry. We were reflecting on the whirlwind of his first year. Through the course of the year, he responded and reacted to the different voices, expectations, traditions, and possibilities that he both inherited from and brought into his context. It was a rich …

mako_nagasawa_praxis

Meet Praxis Presenter Mako Nagasawa

Coupling a background in public policy and industrial engineering with a spiritual fervor for making things just in the world, Mako Nagasawa brings expertise to the confluence of theology, practice, and public policy. Mako Nagasawa also brings his expertise to this year’s Praxis Gathering as one of the many exciting, missional presenters. Mako is involved in numerous missional-justice fronts. He is a coauthor …

funding_church_planters_diversity

Funding Church Planters Through the Lens of Diversity

On June 25th, the U.S. Census Bureau published an article entitled “Millennials Outnumber Baby Boomers and Are Far More Diverse.” Their research shows that the U.S. population born between 1982 and 2000 now represents more than one quarter of the nation’s population (83.1 million versus 75.4 million boomers). This group is more diverse than any previous generation, with 44.2% belonging …

Register Now: “Why Sidestepping Pain is Bad Leadership” Webinar with AJ Swoboda

At Noon Eastern on Monday, August 10, we will host a free webinar featuring church planter, pastor, author, professor and The Praxis Gathering Presenter AJ Swoboda. Dr. Swoboda teaches theology, biblical studies, and Christian history at George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Portland, Oregon. A. J. started and serves Theophilus Church in urban Portland. He is the author of A Glorious Dark, Messy …

gideon_tsang_vox

Meet Praxis Presenter Gideon Tsang

The Praxis Gathering facilitates interaction among missional practitioners through the exchange of real-world, hands-in-the-soil experiences. Every Praxis Gathering presenter is currently engaging in missional practices and comes to the conversation with a passion to share what’s working in church planting and to inform against what’s not. One such missional practitioner is Gideon Tsang, a pastor at Vox Veniae in Austin, Texas. His church, Vox …

learning_organization

How Church is Like a Learning Organization

In 1990, Peter Senge first published The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, a book that would quickly become one of the bestselling business titles of all time. In it, Senge argues that the contemporary world is changing too fast, and that it is not enough for an organization to be merely reactive. As I have …