If you talk to church leaders – it won't matter what tribe you ask – they will likely tell you that attendance is down in their local congregation. Very few churches these days report numerical growth and many are in steady decline. That's bad news right? The problem with this issue is that there is … Continue reading Attending a Church With 50 Members is Good For You (You Just Don't Realize It)
Missional
No One Knows How to Make Mouse
If you've got two and a half minutes free and want to acquire a splinter in your mind then watch this. That's a cool thought! No one on earth has all the knowledge to make a computer mouse. In the (post)modern world we are necessarily dependent on each other. So what does this mean? This … Continue reading No One Knows How to Make Mouse
Does the Church have a Control Fetish
Blogger Craig T. Owens tweeted a couple of weeks ago, “Jesus didn't say, 'Poor people and other outcasts, find yourself a church!' but 'church people, find yourself the poor and the outcasts.'” I love that quote. It captures what I meant a couple of weeks ago when I said that the missional shift requires churches … Continue reading Does the Church have a Control Fetish
Evangelism in the 21st Century
One insight for churches and church leaders caused by the missional shift is how they view evangelism; not how the DO evangelism, but how they see it. Missional churches have a clearer picture of what evangelism looks like in the 21st century. Communications has changed in the past 50 years. Transportation has changed in the … Continue reading Evangelism in the 21st Century
What does "Missional" mean?
What does it mean to be a missional church? A missional church participates with God in what God is doing in the world.
Attractional Church Gone Horribly Wrong
Missional church is a difficult thing to define. You can sometimes capture it by saying what it isn't. At the risk of being simplistic, you could say that Missional isn't Attractional. Attractional church is the mindset that what has created the current crisis in your church is poor promotion of your church. If you advertised, … Continue reading Attractional Church Gone Horribly Wrong
God is Calling You
I don't like to be called, 'Reverend' In my line of work as a Minister, when I am with people from other tribes or denominations I am willing to be flexible with the language they use. Just like tribes in the Outback, every group has names for some things and labels for other things that … Continue reading God is Calling You
The Church and the World
When a church considers a genuine engagement in the world through mission, critics will sometimes use James 4: 4 as a rebuke and say, “Friendship with the world is enmity toward God.” The interpretation usually taken is that we need to distance ourselves from people who don't frequently go to church and protect ourselves from … Continue reading The Church and the World
Have Another Donut You Fat Cow!
In Adult class today we read from Amos chapter 4. To make sense of this post you really should read it first. How about that Amos! Talk about a guy who calls 'em like he sees 'em. First he calls the women of Israel 'Cows of Bashan' a breed of cow notorious for being fat. … Continue reading Have Another Donut You Fat Cow!
Missional Church Workshop
On March 30th, 2008 the Tintern Church of Christ and the Beamsville Church hosted a Missional Church Workshop. Our guest speaker was Dr. Mark Love, assistant professor at ACU. Our first session was held at the Empire Theatres in St. Catharines ON. The idea of beginning our workshop away from the church building was to … Continue reading Missional Church Workshop
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