Posted January 4th, 2010 by Ernest
The biggest obstacle to a church truly becoming missional is a mistaken sense of citizenship. Missionaries to foreign lands understand quite well (and quickly!) that ministry among a different people requires them to change the way they see things- they learn language in order to communicate, they study culture in order to relate, they build [...]
Posted December 11th, 2009 by Ernest
Dear Pastor,
I’ve always been perplexed by your lack of direct involvement in international missions. It’s not that you shy away from preaching about international issues. You often encourage social action- you’ve led your church’s campaign to help local public schools. You support a child in a poverty-stricken village in Malaysia. You’ve raised money to finance [...]
Posted July 13th, 2009 by Ernest
You’ve worked hard to build a missions-minded church. You have a couple that are really excited about ministry in Indonesia. You have a young lady who’s been to Kenya over a dozen times. Your church has planted churches in inner-city Detroit and suburban Ohio. You take mission trips to Nicaragua and Lisbon every year. You [...]
Posted June 24th, 2009 by Ernest
They say that, over time, we begin to resemble our spouses.
Maybe it’s convenience- we use the same products, shop at the same stores, eat the same foods. Eventually, you can’t tell whether those are your glasses or hers. You just grab whatever set of dentures you find lying around and put them in. It might [...]
Tags: homogeneity, look-alikes, personality, spouses
Posted June 10th, 2009 by Ernest
If everything I know about church was learned in youth group, I’d be inclined to think that:
Church should be a good mix of games, singing, a short devotion, and pizza.
Accountability is meeting with a “grownup” who asks me if I’ve been reading my Bible.
Socially, it’s easier to be a big fish in the “small pond” [...]
Tags: Church, grown-up, Youth Group
Posted April 18th, 2009 by Ernest
Obviously, I’m not Mark Driscoll. I couldn’t be, even if I tried. The man is an amazing communicator, a fearless preacher of the scriptures. Through his sermons, interviews, debates, and seminars, Pastor Mark makes the Truth understandable, accessible, and applicable for thousands of people on a regular basis.
Beyond the teachings of Mark Driscoll is the [...]
Tags: apostolic, Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill
Posted April 9th, 2009 by Ernest
PREVIOUSLY: Impractical Spaces
Lest you think these last few posts reflected only the thoughts of a lone anonymous cynic, I’d like to introduce you to some of the many other intentionally impractical leaders among us:
When he started the Evergreen Community in Portland, Oregon, Bob Hyatt had a vision- he knew what he wanted his church to [...]
Tags: Counterintuitive, Impractical
Posted April 7th, 2009 by Ernest
Previously: Impractical Worship
Megachurches don’t just happen. And they’re certainly not the inevitable result of God’s blessing. They are the results of decisions throughout the lifetime of a church. Say a church plant starts out with three couples meeting in a living room. That’s six people meeting regularly to worship God and be a local expression [...]
Tags: Counterintuitive, friendly takeover, Impractical, indigenous
Posted April 6th, 2009 by Ernest
PREVIOUSLY: What’s Wrong With Pragmatism?
The majority of evangelical churches don’t pray prayers written by someone else. Sure there’s the occasional St. Francis quote, or a Puritan prayer used in a responsive reading, but for the most part, we like to pray more personal prayers that express a personal sentiment. Yet when it comes to worship [...]
Tags: Impractical, Outsourcing, Worship
Posted April 2nd, 2009 by Ernest
PREVIOUSLY: Let’s Be Clear
Some might read my commentary about widespread pragmatism in the American church today and ask, “So what?” Others might share my concern, but see few alternatives. I have never wanted to be merely a critic, so here I’d like to draw some conclusions. Next, I’ll try to share some ideas for [...]
Tags: Church, Counterintuitive, Megachurch, Pragmatism