Monthly Archives: April 2008

Churches of Christ in Decline? Reflections

Did you notice? The church planting plan I linked to in the last post was organized very much along the lines of Lencioni’s Silos, Politics and Turf Wars. That is, it has a short-term vision (plant a church). It had … Continue reading

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Pepperdine Materials

Well, I made my presentation today here in Pepperdine. I referred to a number of items on the website in answer to questions, so here are a few posts that may help some who attended. Here is the PowerPoint presentation … Continue reading

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Buried Talents: The Archaeological Evidence

Recently, a number of scholars have noted that archaeological and other evidence supports the idea that the early church had women elders and bishops. While the existence of the evidence is undeniable, some argue that such women were part of … Continue reading

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Amazing Grace: Conclusions, Part 1

[I'm reposting these for the benefit of our teachers. This is supplemental material in case last week's outline doesn't get you through two weeks. The last two are newly posted.] Feeling forgiven. Obviously enough, the first important consequence of understanding … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline? What It Takes to Be a Planted Church

Again, this is just an idea. I’ve never done this. I don’t know anyone else who has. It’s probably impossible. But at the worst, this would be a good exercise for any church leadership. What would it take to turn … Continue reading

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Are We Sacramentalists? Sex, Children, and Such

In the previous posts, I tried to give a taste of the sacramental nature of the Spirit — how human actions, empowered by God’s Holy Spirit — cause spiritual things to happen here on earth. But there are other examples. … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline? Setting a Short-Term Vision

Okay, I’ve warned you against just buying the hot new evangelical book and making it the short-term vision. It doesn’t work. Well, actually, sometimes it does. But not always. Back when the church growth movement was in full swing, those … Continue reading

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Buried Talents: The Women after Pentecost

Pentecost Jesus’ inclusion of women among his disciples begins a pattern that is reflected in the conduct of His apostles. Women disciples were with the apostles at the very beginning: (Acts 1:12-14) Then [the apostles] returned to Jerusalem from the … Continue reading

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Are We Sacramentalists? The Creation

In a previous post, we considered the verses that teach that God acts on us, through his Spirit, as we study the Bible. This makes Bible study — or listening to the word taught or preached — sacramental, as a … Continue reading

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Churches of Christ in Decline: Silos, Politics and Turf Wars

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars is a business management book by Patrick Lencioni. I’m a huge fan of his The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, which should be required reading for every elder and minister in the Churches. I’m such … Continue reading

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