Creed or Chaos by Dorothy L. Sayers
I’m still paging through Creed or Chaos (1948) when free time presents itself. Sayers has left us with an incredible little treatise on the importance of Christian doctrine. Here’s just one of many thought provoking excerpts: Read More »
Leadership Gold by John Maxwell
I’m looking through a few of the chapter titles in John Maxwell’s Leadership Gold. Leadership Gold is a compilation of over forty years of leadership experience, as experienced by John Maxwell, of course. The book is composed of 26 chapters of wisdom (aka “Gold Nuggets”) for leading. More than a few of the chapters immediately resonate with me, as I continue to plant this church and minister in the city. These nuggets are going into my front pocket: 1. If It’s Lonely at the Top, You’re Not Doing Something Right; 2. When You Get Kicked in the Rear, You Know You’re Out in Front; 3. The Best Leaders Are Listeners; 4. Don’t Manage Your Time - Manage Your Life; 5. Experience Is Not The Best Teacher; 6. People Quit People, Not Companies (or Churches!) 7. Those Who Start the Journey with You Seldom Finish with You. Read More »
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
John C. Maxwell’s revised and updated 10th Anniversary Edition of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is an incredibly valuable resource for church leaders. The further into this ministry I journey, the more I reach back for Maxwell’s book and others like it. Read More »
Novelist, Playwright, and Theologian Dorothy Sayers
I was just introduced - for the very first time - to novelist, playwright, and theologian Dorothy Sayers. Dorothy writes, in a collection of essays cumulatively titled Creed or Chaos? Why Christians Must Choose Either Dogma or Disaster (Or, Why It Really Does Matter What You Believe), the following assessment of the current situation in the Church (the really amazing thing is, that Sayers actually penned this in the 1940s): Read More »
Have Archaeologists Unearthed a 2000 Year Old Church
Further thoughts and comments regarding the article excerpt and link below will be added later, but for now, I’ll simply say, “Those who cite the 1st Century as some sort of proof-text against corporate gatherings, clergy, and apse-like structures might have to re-think some things!” (HT/Bob Hyatt)
Archaeologists in Jordan have unearthed what they claim is the world’s first church, dating back almost 2,000 years, The Jordan Times reported on Tuesday. “We have uncovered what we believe to be the first church in the world, dating from 33 AD to 70 AD,” the head of Jordan’s Rihab Centre for Archaeological Studies, Abdul Qader al-Husan, said. He said it was uncovered under Saint Georgeous Church, which itself dates back to 230 AD, in Rihab in northern Jordan near the Syrian border. “We have evidence to believe this church sheltered the early Christians — the 70 disciples of Jesus Christ,” Husan said. These Christians, who are described in a mosaic as “the 70 beloved by God and Divine,” are said to have fled persecution in Jerusalem and founded churches in northern Jordan, Husan added.
Church Management Apps
Friend, fellow Lancaster dweller, and awesome-design-guy Kyle Sollenberger just launched what promises to be a fantastic new blog called Church Management Apps. Why? Because he is fed up with how the church family communicates! I am too! So, I’ll be a regular at Church Management Apps for sure. If I were you, I’d subscribe to the feed too, because Kyle is well informed and excellent at what he does. This is a great blog in the making.
A Barna Report on Technology in the Church
Barna has a new report on the use of technology in the church. Interesting numbers, to say the least. Barna also says the following:
The incorporation of digital technologies into church-based ministry is an important frontier for churches to master, according to George Barna, who directed these studies for The Barna Group over the course of the decade.
My only question, and I can’t help but to ask, how does all of this - especially the above quote - jive with all that Barna proclaimed in his controversial book “Pagan Christianity?” Seriously? Is technology and the mastery of technology rooted in the New Testament way of doing church? I do think the church should get a grip on technology and use it for the Kingdom of God, but Barna sure shouldn’t be thinking so, after what was written in “Pagan Christianity,” should he? Barna has seriously lost me somewhere along the line. I guess I’m asking what is the purpose and/or goal of his research and research reporting, post “Pagan Christianity.”
The Unchurched Prefer Sacred Spaces Over Common Spaces
The idea of sacred space is not lost on the unchurched, it seems. Recent research by Lifeway has revealed a surprising fact about our church buildings:
People who don’t go to church may be turned off by a recent trend toward more utilitarian church buildings. By a nearly 2-to-1 ratio over any other option, unchurched Americans prefer churches that look more like a medieval cathedral than what most think of as a more contemporary church building.
The unchurched preference for medieval cathedrals over utilitarian or all-purpose church buildings should not be reduced to mere whims of architecture. The preference is rooted in unconsciously expressed theology and our deep need to worship and inhabit sacred spaces. Our contemporary multi-purpose, conference-like halls do not offer enough of a break from the world’s common spaces to facilitate the dance with the sacred we naturally look for during worship times. This research should not be ignored or hastily discarded.
The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith 6
The following commentary addresses the sixth point as advanced by Myron S. Augsburger in “The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith” (Brethren in Christ History and Life, August 2000), which is: “Interpreting Our Participation in Evangelism as Socially and Ethnically Inclusive.”
Augsburger begins his thoughts with a reminder of the meaning of compassion. “The meaning of compassion,” Augsburger writes, “is not limited to any ethnic sameness but is a call for us to see all peoples alike created in the image of God. The kingdom of Christ is inclusive, and our witness of grace must be consistently so.” Read More »
Call for Worship Presentation Software Reviews
This is a question for all the worship leaders: which worship presentation software would you rate highest and recommend? I’ve been looking at a few different products, but I am really quite uninformed about worship presentation software. Your experience in this area and product recommendations are seriously coveted. We are in the midst of acquiring the basic equipment we need for our church plant, and quality worship presentation software is a priority. So, if you were building your worship experience from zero, which presentation software would you have to have? Thanks, leaders.
