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Walking Butterflies (Roger Thoman Article)

Roger Thoman at The Simple Church Journal has written an excellent post today that echo’s my feelings as of late.  In this post, he shares his concerns that many of God’s people apart of the simple/organic church movement are like walking butterflies–they are no longer caterpillars but they are failing to use their wings to experience the freedom of flying.  Roger identifies four very perceptive reasons why he believes this is so. Read his short article (and a comment of mine) HERE.  This would be a great article to discuss with your simple church this week when you get together.

Lecrae on Engaging Culture (Video & Free Album)

Check out the video below and hear Lecrae echo our plea to end the sacred/secular divide and truly embrace the “priesthood of all believers” (I have actually used the “JV” analogy he uses in the talk many times to address this issue.  It is always amazing to see how God puts the same ideas, even same words, in the hearts of people from different places and different backgrounds.) and call believers to live as missionaries within their given cultural context. I am convinced that the number one challenge for existing simple/house/organic churches is to continue heeding this call.  Failure to do so will result in ingrown groups of Christians meeting regularly for a “holy huddle.”  This is a timely message for The Church today! “We are great at talking about salvation and sanctification, we are… Read More »Lecrae on Engaging Culture (Video & Free Album)

Child Driven Education – A Lesson for The Church?

I recently posted about Sergio Juárez Correa, a teacher in Mexico, and his “radical new teaching method” that is having an amazing impact on his students.  After discussing this post with some of my friends, I was encouraged to go online and listen to some of the TED talks by Sugata Mitra, the gentleman who inspired Sergio to adopt his new methods of teaching.   I have posted one of Sugata’s TED talks below. I believe that what Sugata is onto has great implications for the western church.  As you view this short teaching, ask yourself the following questions: * Has God truly wired us all to learn in this way?  Are there similarities to how He has chosen to educate us about Him? * Does our access to the Holy Spirit and the Bible provide us… Read More »Child Driven Education – A Lesson for The Church?

Creative Simple Church Planting Training Recap

Each month we invite folks to come together to join in a discussion about issues relevant to simple church leadership.  This month, Uday Balasundaram facilated our time together.  Over the last several months, Uday and I realized that we share a similar passion for missional living, discipleship, and simple church–even though we use different words to describe it.  Uday did a wonderful job of challenging us all to think about how we, as believers, are called to “mix” with the world around us and to join God in the creative process of birthing new life in the culture in which we find ourselves. Here are some of my “take-a-ways” from our time together this week.  Feel free to share your take-a-ways below. 1.  Simple Churches will do well to identify the culture in which they… Read More »Creative Simple Church Planting Training Recap

“House Worship” Opportunities (Guest Blog)

House Worship Opportunities – A Guest Blog by Dana and Diego Vogel Hi family! I know we haven’t met very many of you yet, but my husband and I (Diego and Dana) would love to throw out an idea for you all. One thing we both really have hearts for is worship through music and prayer. We usually incorporate this into our own simple church gatherings, but we also have a desire to share an extended time with everyone dedicated to just prayer and worship. We’ve done this several times before with some of you, and it’s always so GOOD – an evening spent singing to God, praying over each other, encouraging each other through visions, prophecy, Scripture, art, etc., and ultimately just spending time with God and each other with no other agenda. A… Read More »“House Worship” Opportunities (Guest Blog)

6500 New Churches A Year Needed?

Note: Originally posted on March 10, 20011 – This post continues to be one of my most recommended posts to those wrestling with the “Why simple church?” question.     Several years ago, a good friend recommended this post at www.plantingchurches.org. Here is an excerpt: According to census data, the population of the US currently is roughly 300 million.  In 2050, they project that they the population will be 400 million.  While many surveys suggest that 40% of Americans attend a church service regularly, that number is largely inflated.  According to David T. Olson’s book, The American Church in Crisis, in 2005 the number was closer to 17.5%.  That seems more realistic to me.  Multiple studies have also suggested that about 4,000 churches close their doors annually.  So let’s play with those numbers a little.… Read More »6500 New Churches A Year Needed?

Imagine the Possibilities

What if… What if a church did not have to have a staff? What if a church did not have to have to own/rent a facility in which to meet? What if a church did not have to have a pulpit? What if a church did not have to have a sound system? What if a church did not have to have a youth minister? What if a church did not have to have an office? What if a church did not have to have a bulletin? What if a church did not have to have a stage? What if a church did not have to have a budget? What if a church did not have to have a payroll? What if a church did not have to have a nursery? What if a church… Read More »Imagine the Possibilities

What Are We Inviting People Into?

When you think about reaching out to others, what do you invite them into? I believe that what is needed in the body of Christ is believers who are willing to generously offer Jesus-centered friendships to others they meet.  Far too often, we encounter spiritually interested folks and we invite them to our “meeting,” our “church,” or encourage them to “get plugged in” to some ministry.  However, for many of us we simply do not know how to practically invite people into a relationship with Jesus.  Often this can be because we simply do not feel qualified or capable to help others connect with Jesus.  We feel that an expert would be better suited for such a task.  After all, we don’t want to mess up something as important as following Jesus! This need not… Read More »What Are We Inviting People Into?

My Friend Pete (Guest Blog By Tobin Jenkins)

I first met Pete in 2008 because of work. For the first few years, we became friends from a distance. Our offices sat parallel, but nothing else in our life was…so I thought. At the time, my wife and I did not have kids, but we wanted them. Pete was single and living the life of a bachelor. Occasionally on Monday mornings, we would laugh about what we did that weekend. For the most part, the stories could not be more different. I was happily married. Pete was happily not married. The very next year, my wife and I had our first son. Surprisingly, Pete became “Uncle Pete” and treated my son like true family. I specifically remember thinking, “for a guy that claims to never want kids, he sure is good with them.” Time… Read More »My Friend Pete (Guest Blog By Tobin Jenkins)