Today is Remembrance Sunday in the UK, celebrating the Armistice of World I on November 11, 1918. The church service at Holy Trinity was dedicated to remembering the service men and women, both past and present, who fight for peace. After the service, there was a big military processional (with pipes and drums, of course) [...]
Archive for the ‘Church’ Category
13 Sep
Creating Space
What does it mean to create common space as a community? This is something that we learned a lot about from Armonia. But it was also something that we had been thinking about prior to going as well, so I think we were ripe for the learning. How does a church create its space, use [...]
2 Sep
Plight-Based Versus Potential-Based Ministry
Having worked among indigenous Mexicans for a year with Armonía, Stephanie and I have been reflecting a lot more about the Christians’ relationships with and ministry among indigenous people here in the US. In one of the books that I am reading–Whiteman’s Gospel, by Craig Stephen Smith–I have found some wonderful insights into the history [...]
29 Aug
Gospel Ministry and Ordinariness
I am reading through Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, and came across this thought-provoking description of gospel ministry:
“Most gospel ministry involves ordinary people doing ordinary things with gospel intentionality.” (61)
Do you agree?
27 Aug
Moving Beyond Monologue
As Stephanie and I continue to reflect on our time spent with Armonía in Mexico, one of our lasting impressions is that we must move beyond monological methods in doing Christian ministry of any kind. Whether we are speaking of preaching, teaching, discipleship, evangelism, or relationships in general, we must seek a dialogical rather than [...]
12 Aug
Leaving a Church is Like Divorce
A recent article in Relevant Magazine wrestled with the issue of church splits and leaving a church, advising readers to think of one’s relationship with a church like a marriage. You should not leave for reasons of preference or convenience, but there are times when divorce may be necessary. What do you think of this [...]
24 Jul
Where is the Church?
Would you agree with the following statement? Why or why not?
Asking the question “Where is the church?” is just as important as asking “What is the church?”
8 Jul
Taking a Stand on Missional
The EPC, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, just adopted a missional statement at their General Assembly. Here it is in full (or you can access it on their website here):
A missional church grasps that God is a missionary God and that “it is not so much that God has a mission for His church in the world, [...]
3 Jul
Adopting a New Confession
The Belhar Confession is an important statement of belief adopted by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church of South Africa in 1986. The confession arose out of reflection on the struggle with apartheid in South Africa. After the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) and the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (DRSA) united in 1994 to [...]
10 May
The Church as Mother
As we celebrate mothers and motherhood on this Mother’s Day, it is fitting to the bring up the subject of the Church as Mother. Many people have probably heard the famous phrase: “No one can have God as Father who does not have the Church as Mother.” This might seem like a very Roman Catholic [...]
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