Over the last two decades, our culture has been in continual flux, shifting at an ever-increasing rate. In fact, quite possibly, the one constant within our culture may be our constantly shifting culture. This has been most notably aided by the emergence of the internet. Our grandchildren will, most likely, not know a world without the internet having seeped into …
Normally we think of evangelism as a process of telling. We are proclaiming or sharing something. And it is that, of course, but I’ve become more and more convinced that effective evangelism starts with listening. Here’s the thing: most evangelism strategies focus only on the telling part. They help people figure out what to say, how to present, the right things to proclaim. One size does NOT …
If you’ve been planting a church for more than a couple weeks, you’ve probably already encountered a good deal of disillusionment. And if you haven’t felt disillusioned yet… well, just wait. Sorry if that sounds ominous. Disillusionment isn’t fun. You thought one thing and it turned out to be another. You had hoped that family would join the church and …
My Lenten theme this year is Breaking Down Walls. I was not just thinking of the controversy about the wall on the U.S/Mexican border when I chose this topic. All of us have walls in our lives, products of our own brokenness and often too, of our responses to the brokenness of others. These walls separate us from the one …
Half of my church plant is comprised of people who’ve never really grown up with a church community. We gather monthly, and at one service I had the audacity to experiment. I broke the room up into sections based on religious affiliation. (Admittedly, I probably won’t do this again.) Nonetheless, I had people move around to a space that fit …
What is a Mid-size Community? The Church is familiar with small groups but mid-size communities are another story. We need to explore an old but new vehicle for being present in the world, for the sake of God’s mission. Belonging is easier, missional engagement is higher, discipleship is laser focused, community is happening, and leaders are developed. This is the culture of …
The way Christians die is the most contagious aspect of what being a Christian means. – William Frazier a Maryknoll Priest I can’t help it, I just love starting new things. I always love getting in at the ground level of something new—molding, forming, and building. I don’t know how much of that desire stems from my days in the …
I recently talked with a church planting couple I used to coach, and they’re planning to shut down their church plant and move on to something new. This might seem like the worst ending to a church planting story, but I actually encouraged them in their decision. Sometimes the best thing to do in church planting is “brush the dust …
January is a month of discernment for me. I don’t just make resolutions I spend considerable time discerning God’s path ahead and working out how I will keep myself on track. It is something I think every Christian community should consider. How do we prepare ourselves so that what we intend sticks? Here is a glimpse of what I am …
STARTING MISSIONAL CHURCHES FROM SCRATCH New passion is bubbling up around the world to birth new faith communities that take the neighborhood seriously. There is a growing groundswell of leaders discovering the abundant possibilities of organizing tight-knit communities, that commit to life-forming discipleship, that stay rooted in a particular local place. But where to begin? The typical attractional, personality-concentric strategies …