The RePlacing Church Podcast with Ben Katt In this episode, I explore the Teachers as “Sage” by looking at the story of Apollos from the early church, and identifying the three main practices of Sages as they pursue restoration in the neighborhood. Series Summary: In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul mentions 5 gifts for the church – Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, …
How to Follow the Praxis Gathering This Week
After over a year of prayer and preparation, we’re just a few days away from kicking off The Praxis Gathering! We’re bringing together world-class missional practitioners, such as Don Coleman, Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, Soong-Chan Rah, David Fitch, Deb Hirsch, Mark Scandrette and many others to discuss what it means to be part of a movement that shapes disciples for Mission. …
6 Keys to Fruitful Life Transitions
It’s that time of the year when many of us are in transition. Students of all ages begin a new school year. Some of us are starting new jobs, and at church we are getting ready for the new seasons of Advent and Christmas. Even the created world is in transition, that season between summer and autumn when, at least …
Just Because There's an "I" in Bible Doesn't Mean It's About You
When the whole story of the Bible is not the context for the life and formation of communities of faith, it is too easy for parts of the gospel to be mistaken as the entire gospel itself. One example of this is the particular version of the gospel that has been the predominant rendering in evangelical communities in the United …
Episode 40: Shepherd as Healer | The Neighborhood Restorers (RePlacing APEST, 5 of 6)
The RePlacing Church Podcast with Ben Katt In this episode, I explore the Shepherd as “Healer” by looking at Psalm 23 and the story of Barnabas from the early church, and identifying the three main practices of Healers as they pursue restoration in the neighborhood. Series Summary: In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul mentions 5 gifts for the church – Apostle, …
The Real Reason We Don't Enter the Promised Land
“We must start with the basic fact that there is no such thing as a pure gospel if by that is meant something which is not embodied in a culture” declared Lesslie Newbigin decades ago. He continued by asserting, “Every interpretation of the gospel is embodied in some cultural form.” But for many in the church today, these cultural forms …
Jesus and Movement, Part 1
As we continue to deepen our understanding of the Missional church, the next big idea that is flowing from this conversation is Movement. Have you been in a conversation with someone about movement recently? If not, you will likely find yourself in conversation about this idea, as this word will be used more and more in public and private settings. From coffee …
Episode 39: Evangelist as Host | The Neighborhood Restorers (RePlacing APEST, 4 of 6)
In this episode, I explore the Evangelist as “Host” by looking at the story of Lydia from the early church and identifying the three main practices of Hosts as they pursue restoration in the neighborhood. Series Summary: In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul mentions 5 gifts for the church – Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher (APEST). Over the past decade …
Creating Culture: When Values and Life Don’t Match
Organizational culture powerfully determines the success or failure of a vision, the flourishing or demise of the human spirit. [1] As part of a coaching process with a pastor of a large church in the southern United States, I asked Charlie to keep track of how she spent all of her waking hours. I encouraged her to write down how she spent every 30 …
Do Church Planters Need Theological Education?
Do church planters need a theological education? Should those of us guiding potential church planters encourage them to get a theological education? We’ve all heard the well-worn put-downs that seminary can be a spiritual cemetery and that people just need Jesus, not exegesis. There is some truth that seminaries can be ivory towers that are far removed from the realities …