church
-
Will your work survive according to 1Corinthians 3:9-16?
What is 1Cor 3:13 warning us about? A day when our ministry will be tested by fire? What does it mean that our gold ministry will last, while our straw ministry will burn? What is it all referring to? Not… Continue reading
-
Heisenberg’s Church
How’s your church going? How would you test it? What measurement would you use? Who would you ask? What about the individuals? How’s that person going; with godliness, prayerfulness, living out of grace not law, being generous? But, what happens as… Continue reading
-
Repost: Abstract and Concrete Ideas in Church
We came across this idea a few years ago… that most churches (ours included) were generally pretty good at communicating two sorts of things… Abstract Theology, and Concrete Details about Church. (Abstract means concepts and ideas, whereas Concrete means times,… Continue reading
-
Reblog – But what about the riotous “crowd” (ἐκκλησία) in Ephesus?
There’s one usage of the word “ἐκκλησία” that people have used to argue it simply means “a gathering”. Its in Acts 19, where the people of Ephesus riot because Paul’s preaching has affected the idol-maker’s income. When they heard this… Continue reading
-
Reblog – “ἐκκλησία” does not mean “gathering”
I was told for years that the Greek word for “church” (ἐκκλησία) simply meant a “gathering”… that all a church is, is a bunch of (pretty) random Christians getting together; Whether you know them or not, as long as they’re… Continue reading
-
Church size and inter-church involvement
So, following on from yesterday’s post about inter-church involvement, there’s a practical aspect to consider when it comes to church size (which I’ve alluded to earlier, but it’s worth exploring). See, if you’ve got a quite small church, chances are… Continue reading
-
Thoughts on inter-church involvement
Inter-church involvement is great – but it doesn’t make Christians united (because Christians are, by nature of our union with Jesus, ALREADY united) – but it is one (of many good ways) we can express the unity Christians have. Let… Continue reading
-
Another attempt to pictorally display church
Recently we had our AGM which gave us another opportunity to try and help our church see itself. That might seem like a strange idea, but for most people, they only see (or even hear) about the aspects of their… Continue reading
-
The 2 types of new people… On my terms or your terms
As you welcome new people to church, one (of the many) things to be aware of is how willing they are to join church on church’s terms or on their own terms. The person who comes to church on their… Continue reading
-
The only things you should advertise at church are…
Churches seems to have such a quandary about saying no to advertising things out the front. Its hard when someone runs up to you and says they need, really really need to you advertise their thing today!!! When the reality… Continue reading
-
Don’t “act” out the front of church
Don’t pretend you don’t know what’s going on. Don’t make out like that interview answer surprised you. Don’t act like you’re being spontaneous when you’ve planned it all out. Why? First, because unless you’re a trained, seasoned actor… You suck… Continue reading
-
Who should you design your church meetings “for”
At one level, this shouldn’t be a hard question… surely you design your meetings for the people who are meeting with you. So, since the meeting is for everyone – especially Christians (see the last post) – you have to… Continue reading
-
Who should church be “for”?
This is a question that seems to cause grumbling, but that’s usually because those discussing it haven’t defined their terms, and the preposition “for” is very slippery. As such, these are all true… Church is for everyone! It’s a gathering… Continue reading
-
The dangers of “desert island” theology
Desert-island theology is when you try to reduce a theological question down to its basic elements. This can be a really helpful activity for thinking clearly, however it need to be taken back into context. Some examples: What is marriage?… Continue reading
-
Dress to un-impress at church
We used to say, “Dress slightly more dressed-up than the average person in your church.” One of the main reasons was because we didn’t want people to think, “hmmm, this is too casual to be ‘church’ – it’s meant to… Continue reading
-
The proximity element of Christian love (or “love the one you’re with”)
The parable of the Good Samaritan might better be titled the parable of the unloving Jews. For that’s what is highlighted as three wannabe “righteous” Jews come into proximity with a man who needs help, and they avoid him. But… Continue reading
-
#MinistryExercises : The Blank Page
This is one of the exercises we get our MTSers (and staff) to do every 6 months or so. All you need is a blank page (better if there are no lines on it) and a pen. Then you think… Continue reading
-
Do you have staff members who are paid to go to church or church members who are paid to be on staff?
This is a really important distinction. And it’s important that you keep making it clear both to your church and your staff team. Some church staff members see themselves kind of like “consultants”. They are only at this particular church… Continue reading
-
Growing produces more problems than you expect
It’s hard enough to grow in the first place. But if you do grow, that’s not the only hurdle. That new growth produces its own problems to overcome. More people raises the “acceptable minimum” level of production. Your meetings and… Continue reading
-
The type of room you meet in matters!!
Our youth group used to meet in a school basketball court. It was great for games and activities, and the leaders thought the small group times worked pretty well. Until they moved to a purpose built venue with lounges and… Continue reading
MINISTRY PRINCIPLES & PRAGMATICS 