Nov

15

Missing: Human Affection

November 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I just received a fascinating article, which almost appeared to be real. Turns out that it was from The Onion, which is a parody newspaper. They write in a style that is so close to real that it makes you look deeper, think twice. I did that with this article, and was struck by how […]

Jun

23

The Present Future-Part 7

June 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Six: the Rise of Apostolic Leadership
Wrong Question: How Do We Develop Leaders for Church Work?
“If church work is not getting the job done, why do we continue to train leaders to do it better?”
Apostolic leaders in the first and twenty-first centuries evidence distinctive […]

Jun

21

The Present Future-Part 6

June 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Five: The Shift from Planning to Preparation
Most of what has ultimate effect on the church happens outside of it and outside of its control.
Wrong Question: How Do We Plan for the Future?
“Incrementalism as an anticipatory strategy is dead…. The better (and biblical) approach to […]

Jun

19

The Present Future-Part 5

June 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Four: The Return to Spiritual Formation
“We have turned our churches into groups of people who are studying God as though they were taking a course at school or attending a business seminar. We aim at the head. We don’t deal in relationships. And we […]

Jun

17

The Present Future-Part 4

June 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Three: A New Reformation: Releasing God’s People
“The first Reformation was about freeing the church. The new Reformation is about freeing God’s people from the church (the institution). Both Reformations have been fueled by an information revolution.”
“… church members no longer have to rely […]

Jun

15

The Present Future-Part 3

June 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Two: The Shift from Church Growth to Kingdom Growth
With rare exception the “growth” [in the church growth movement] was the cannibalization of the smaller membership churches by these emerging superchurches. “Consequently, a large part of the leadhip of the North American church […]

Jun

13

The Present Future—Part 2

June 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number One: The Collapse of the Church Culture
“The current church culture in North America is on life support. It is living off the work, money, and energy of previous generations from a previous world order. The plug will be pulled wither when the money […]