We’re pleased to announce that Church as Movement: Starting and Sustaining Missional-Incarnational Communities our very own JR Woodward and Dan White Jr. is now available! Purchase it as a discount rate here and get additional free resources here. From the Foreword One of the strengths of the book derives from the fact that JR and Dan are reflective practitioners; both have …
Here's What Happened at Praxis 2016
This past weekend, church planting practitioners gathered in Washington, D.C. to work together and share on the topic of discipleship. Missional-movement leaders such as Deb Hirsch, Kevin Doi, Paul Sparks, Mark Scandrette, Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, and David Fitch worked with other missional-movement leaders like you from all over the country. This year’s focus was discipleship, and the workshops were phenomenal, thoroughly engaging the relationships …
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 …
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 …
5 Must-Learn Lessons from the Life of Jesus
The life of Jesus is at the center of our faith, yet often we seem to skip straight from his birth to his death when teaching discipleship. The result is that his amazing life story of healing, liberation and generosity has little impact on how we plan our lives and guide our congregations. So what can we learn from the …
Embrace Neighborhoods with Kevin Doi at Praxis Gathering ’16
Discipleship happens in a place, and should affect that place. At Praxis Gathering 2016, however, we are focusing on Shaping Disciples for Mission, but we do so with a “place-based lens.” We couldn’t do it without the help of our friend Kevin Doi. Meet Kevin Doi Courtesy of Epic Church Kevin is the founding pastor of Epic Church and co-founder of JOYA Scholars, a …
Get Trained by Matte Tebbe at Praxis Gathering '16
Discipleship happens in a place, and should affect that place. At Praxis Gathering 2016, however, we are focusing on Shaping Disciples for Mission, but we do so with a “place-based lens.” We couldn’t do it without the help of our friend Matt Tebbe. Meet Matt Tebbe Matt Tebbe is a bi-vocational church planter who knows firsthand what place-based church is all about. …
Creating a Culture of Honesty
I remember the first time I ever went on a “missions” trip (I love how there is an “s” added to that word for some unknown reason). As a person who did not grow up involved in or even remotely aware of churches, youth groups, mission trips, or any of the other cultural expressions of evangelical churches, the whole thing …
6 Tips for Holy Waiting
How do we help parishioners use seasons of waiting to strengthen their faith? Summer is filled with transitions. It is a time to wait—holy waiting. It is a time between now and not yet, a time when we are very aware of what is behind us but not sure of what lies ahead. We wait for new jobs, a new …