Simply ChurchWe just returned from a two week trip to Taiwan, an island off the coast of China. Tony’s parents originally were called to work in China, but when the Communists took over just a few weeks after they arrived, they moved to Taiwan where Tony’s father, a doctor, opened a clinic. Tony was born in… Read More
Photo Credit: ladybugbkt (Creative Commons) On May 23rd 2008, I became an American citizen. In a large gymnasium hastily converted into a courtroom, before a presiding judge and with all due pomp and circumstance, I pledged allegiance to my new country and was granted the rights and privileges that citizenship brings. It was a surprisingly moving ceremony punctuated by… Read More
In the past week, I have come across two (small) denominations who are revising their views on church planting. Rather than planning on traditional church planting with the expense of buildings and trained staff, both denominations are looking at a simple/organic approach to missions. They are encouraging their existing churches to plant out daughter simple/organic… Read More
Transitioning a legacy church to a network of simple/organic churches is not an easy route. There may be compelling reasons to take it, such as the fact that your church can no longer afford to keep its building. But if there are no compelling practical reasons, there are alternatives. Photo Credit: rburtzel (Creative Commons) It… Read More
It’s a sad fact, but one that you need to face up front. You will lose people. When you transition from a legacy church to a network of simple churches, not everyone will come with you. For many, the legacy church has been their whole life, and when you suggest a paradigm shift as major… Read More
As the simple/organic movement becomes more mainstream, and the financial trends force more and more traditional churches to cut back economically, then many churches are asking the question: should we transition our legacy church into a network of simple/organic churches? Photo credit: Dan4th (Creative Commons) Every church needs to hear from the Lord about their… Read More
A dream Two nights ago I dreamed there was a movement of Christians all over the country who had decided to pray in public. They asked to pray in a secular context before business meetings. They prayed openly before meals asking the non-believers with them how they could pray for them. They refused to be… Read More
Telling our story is only a bridge to an explanation of the good news of Jesus. Photo credit: Southernpixel Alby (Creative Commons) Another skill it is good to have in our toolbelt is the ability to explain the Gospel simple and concisely to a not-yet-believer. I’m not talking the Santa Claus Gospel here–invite Jesus into… Read More
Ying Kai in the book, T4T: A Discipleship Re-Revolution, shares how he taught a group of 30 impoverished farmers how to tell their stories, and then encouraged them to share their stories with at least 5 people during the coming week. The next week they shared reports of what had gone on. Eleven people had shared… Read More
Photo credit: zebble (Creative Commons) God woke Tony and me up at 3am on October 17th to speak to us directly from the book of Haggai. It's worth reading the story if you haven't already done so. That will make sense of this very insightful comment from Ross Rohe, whose own blog can be found… Read More