I apologize for the meandering way these posts are proceeding, but I’m trying to be true to the nature of the conversation going on in evangelical circles. And as my own thinking is evolving, it would hardly make sense to give a nice, linear, simple presentation — as my thinking isn’t that way at all.
This [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Well, Nic posted some insightful words. If we were serious about equipping members to do good works, what would our classes look like? Would we be covering Acts for the 51st time? Teaching hermeneutics? Or offering classes on –
local evangelization (completion of this area of specialization by significant numbers may allow expansion of the local area [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Bill Kinnon is another missional thought leader and practitioner. He joined the conversation in plain terms (which I greatly appreciate) speaking favorably about megachurch Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City –
If every megachurch in the world helped to plant 100s of different kinds of churches in their city, putting their money where their mouths are [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

David Fitch is a Bible professor and leader in the missional church movement. In his blog, he explains why attractional churches fail to be missional.
1. HOW DO THE STRUCTURES OF YOUR ATTRACTIONAL CHURCH SHAPE (TRAIN) YOUR PEOPLE INTO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP AND MISSION?
I’m not talking here about initiating people into four steps, or four bases, or [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Alan Hirsch is the author of The Shaping of Things to Come (a great book by the way) and an important thought-leader in the movement toward greater missionality. In a recent post at “Out of Ur,” a Christianity Today blog, he addressed Dan Kimball’s comments questioning the evangelistic effectiveness of missional churches. Hirsch writes, 
* I certainly [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

I can’t close this series without getting a little bit more into the theology. You see, this is what Ephesians 4 is all about. The following is the short version (the long version may be found at this post).
(Eph 4:11-12)  It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

So how do we actually lead a church to be both attractional and missional? It’s not altogether obvious, largely because few of us have ever experienced such a thing. But I have an idea or two.
* I’m not sure that you do one first and then the other. But the reality is that a church [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

So should be we attractional or missional? Which is better?
The danger of the attractional way of doing church is that it can turn disciples into consumers. If the reason I choose church A rather than church B is its great youth program, its great preaching, and its great coffee, well, my thought process is entirely [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Mark Driscoll, author of several books and pastor of the Mars Hills church in Seattle, posted this fascinating account of the history of many of our Christmas traditions.
It goes well with earlier posts from Patrick Mead.
Enjoy, and have a Merry Christmas!

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

If you keep up with Christian leadership literature, you know that for the last few years there’s been a rivalry of sorts created between “attractional” churches and “missional” churches. The idea is that we need to get away from the old attractional model and move toward a more missional model.
You see, in the attractional model, [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Well, he’s written another excellent Christmas post: The Man Who Invented Christmas. Mandatory reading.
And once you’ve read it — and no sooner — reflect on the following. But wait until after Christmas. The rest of this post isn’t really in the Christmas spirit. It’s about the Calvinism Mead describes in his post. And it’s for [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

I want to pass along a story about Christ’s Church at Remmel, from a long-ago post about this small church that has enjoyed dramatic growth:
This rural Arkansas church of 170 has had 85 baptisms! And it did it through caring about its community.
Here’s how they tell their story on their website –
Although flourishing through most of the 20th century, this [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

If I were called to lead a church of less than 50 members, I’d try to persuade the church to think of itself as a church plant — placed by God in this community to reach the lost and serve the hurting. I’d call on the members to make the radical change of mindset from [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

I get emails.

1.) My congregation has less than 50 members now. It’s suffered some splits in the past but very much wants to be evangelistic and to grow. We are thinking about changing the congregation’s name to another scriptural name.
Anyway, how would you approach a possible name change so it doesn’t cause a split?
2.) They [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

It’s time to move on — because I’ve run out of book. But there is, of course, much more that could be said on hermeneutics.
I’m going to repeat some things I’ve said in the comments to make sure no one misses these points. 
If you’re serious about learning hermeneutics, I can’t recommended highly enough John Mark [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

A Christmas thought –
Merry Christmas
PS — “Advent” is the four weeks before Christmas.

Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

I’m a devoted reader of Patrick Mead’s Tentpegs blog. His latest on the origins of Christmas and its pagan roots is one for the ages.
Read and enjoy!
PS — Here in Tuscaloosa I’m as likely to get snow on Christmas as I am to be named Man of the Year by the Gospel Advocate (I so keep [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

While teaching a class on the Ray Vander Laan series, it occurred to me that the key to the Sermon on the Mount is the Story. It should have been obvious, but it takes a while for these things to sink in, you know.
There are, of course, as many theories of interpretation as there are [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Surely the dominant characteristic of the 20th Century Churches of Christ was our propensity for splitting churches. A lot of good was done by the Churches in those days, with many missionaries sent, colleges founded, and such — but the Church was greatly weakened by internal conflict that kept many Churches from cooperating with others.
For [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

A reader emailed me and asked for suggestions for a church website — where do you go for good web design if you have a very limited budget (church of 25 members)? What needs to be on the site?
Where to find good software?
I have no idea — especially if you’re on a budget and don’t [...]

Filed under: Uncategorized | 7 Comments »