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Movements

Simple Church Fan Clubs?

Joshua Gibbs, in his article Can We Make Classicism Into A Fan Club Instead Of A Movement? at the Circe Institute has an interesting critique of whole notion of “starting movements.”  While he directs his message toward an audience hoping to see a classical education movement, I think he raises some interesting questions for those of us who would say that we are apart of (or hoping to be apart of) a simple/organic church movement in North America.  He writes… Movements are necessary, I suppose. When I say movement, I mean a group of people who have an agenda they want to accomplish— changing the hearts and minds and pocketbooks and laws of society at large. A movement has a platform of broad goals tailored to appeal to as many people as possible while still… Read More »Simple Church Fan Clubs?

Beachheads – A Guest Blog by Joseph Horevay (Neo House Church Network)

Beachheads The early hours of June 6, 1944 the Axis defenders saw, through the early morning haze off the Normandy Coast, a vast armada of Allied ships carrying hopeful liberators to those occupied shores. That wicked empire was secure as long as freedom’s defenders remained on distant shores. As young men dashed from plywood transports onto the blood soaked sands of invasion beaches named Juno, Omaha, Sword and Gold a watching world finally obtained the hope that the oppressor’s jack-boot would at last be removed from beloved homelands. A beachhead is the first fruit of invasion, a foothold that precedes liberation. Beginnings Reneé and I walked carefully along the grid of unpaved streets of Capricorn, a squalid, crowded “unofficial” township outside the margins of Cape Town, South Africa. With four young missionaries we traversed these… Read More »Beachheads – A Guest Blog by Joseph Horevay (Neo House Church Network)

Get The Picture?

At a recent simple church training, we discussed the importance of clearly communicating the values and vision of simple church. We challenged the leaders from each simple church to visualize simple church alliance. Below are a few of the images. How would you visualize simple church multiplication?

Like A Might Wave: Church Planting Movements (Video)

Below is a link to a video produced by the Southern Baptists explaining church planting movements (CPMs). Essentially, this video lays out why we believe that simple church is in fact a response to what God is doing throughout the world (and yes, here in the USA) rather than a reaction to traditional church structures. We pray that by God’s grace the ten common characteristics identified in CPMs around the world, as highlighted at the end of this video, would also exist throughout the simple churches in our region. May we see something like a “mighty wave” of God move through our community as in other parts of the world! Click to Watch Video (or copy and paste: http://www.imb.org/main/downloads/embedvideos.asp?flashvars=mvid=2109&mvidext=flv )  

Mission Possible? (Audio)

This past Sunday I had the privileged to speak during both services at First Alliance (Lexington, KY).  The message I shared was in many ways a summary of the main truths that God has shown me so far in the simple church journey. Click the link below to download to your computer or listen online to the message.  The audio quality is not the best but hopefully it will be a blessing to you… Click to Download:  Mission Possible:  Six Truths That Will Make the Mission Possible Message Points: 1.  It’s Mission Not Missions 2. God Desires To Release the “APEs” 3. Everyone Must “Go!” 4. Move From Additional Thinking to Multiplicative Thinking 5. Move From A Knowledge Based Faith to an Obedience Based Faith 6. The Heart is at the Heart of The Great… Read More »Mission Possible? (Audio)

APEST

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. – Ephesians 4:11-13 In the passage, Paul is writing to all believers (not just the church leaders) and states that Christ has gifted His body with people equipped to function in different roles.  Alan Hirsch, author of The Forgotten Ways, thinks all the roles identified in Ephesians 4 will need to be in play for a real multiplication movement of God to occur in our day.  Alan suggests that while each of us… Read More »APEST

“Exponential Conference” Live Blog (Day 1)

Well sort of a live blog… I’m going to attempt to post insights I gather from the conference below. I’m not completely sure if this will work so hang with me. 11:24AM – heading out from hotel.  Looking forward to the day and all the the Lord is going to teach us.  Marylin Walker just arrived and we got our entire crew together now!  A couple of websites to take note of on the conference and on Exponential in general: http://www.exponential.org http://www.exponentialconference.org 8:54PM – Well the whole “live blog” thing really didn’t work very well.  Couldn’t figure out how to update blog effectively via iphone.  If you have any ideas please pass them along.  Meanwhile, let me recap some of my notes from the day…. Main Session 1: “All our ecclesiological eggs are in one… Read More »“Exponential Conference” Live Blog (Day 1)

Geckos and Elephants

I found this quote on a recent post over at movements.net.  It’s a great illustration that I think you will enjoy.  The notes below are from Bill Hodgson on why Geckos are Better role models than elephants (Movements.net is a great site and worth spending some time on!).   The simplest form of church is the most adaptable, flexible, versatile, resilient and reproducible to multiply out in different contexts. Asian Elephants – Life span: may live more than 50 years?Gestation: 21 to 22 months?Number of young at birth: 1. Asian elephants a considered rare, especially in the wild. They are extremely strong but not very adaptable or flexible and certainly always visible. Elephants attract a lot of attention. It requires two to reproduce and if successful they will only produce a single off spring every… Read More »Geckos and Elephants