Introduction: The Problem of God Apostle Paul writes to the Church of Rome that the existence and majesty of God is common knowledge among all people, and that these truths of God are, “manifest in them,” being displayed by creation (Rom 1).[1] In other words, God does not believe that atheists exist. At the most …
This past month, I found myself wondering about missing person cases. I have been especially interested in wilderness cases, where people get off a trail in a national park, for even just a moment, only to vanish forever. If the families are lucky, their loved one’s remains are found years or decades later. Until then, …
Continue reading A Theology of Hope for Missing Persons and Lost Causes
For me, the five hallmarks or indicators of personal success are quite the same as with professional or pastoral successes, so I will strain to separate the two. I would say that the five hallmarks of personal success, to me, are as follows: First Commandment Lifestyle: The greatest success in this life is to relate …
Main Takeaways Chapter 1: Basics of Church Planting 1. Planting a church should have a missional goal to reach the field around it and to addapt it's approaches while maintaining its theology. 2. Church planters can often be energetic entrepeneurs but should not lose touch with the fact that their jobs are one of spiritual …
A new church plant’s survival is largely based on it’s ability to engage the culture it finds itself in. For instance, Griffith and Easum explain in Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by New Church Starts, that many churches fail to survive due to a fantasy vision that fails to exegete the culture of the community …
The discussion on The Remnant Radio Youtube channel concerning Randy Clark’s response to Dr. Doug Geivett and Holly Pivec1 had some points that were both surprising and personal to me. Upon consecrating my life fully to the Lord, I was soon prophetically directed by God to get trained and discipled at the International House of …
One of the most surprising mistakes mentioned in Griffith and Easum’s book, Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by New Church Starts, concerned church planters having “no plan for the other six days of the week.”[1] The authors explain how churches that are built around a model based on codependency to the pastor will only have …
Continue reading Reflections on Common Church Planting Mistakes
Chapter One: "Mistake Number One: In pursuit of the Great Commission, church planters neglect the Great(est) Commandment." (Griffith and Easum, 8) "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love." (Revelation 2:4) The church of Ephesus had remarkable works, labor, and patience. They hated evil and loved good. They were able to …
I believe the toughest question author Reggie McNeal poses in his book, The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church1, concerns “The Shift from Church Growth to Kingdom Growth" as summarized by Tony Bowick in Sums2, or, as McNeal writes, "how do we deconvert from churchianity to Christianity?” This is the toughest question due to the …
"Our view of the nature of God influences our understanding of sin. If God is a very high, pure, and exacting being who expects all humans to be as he is, then the slightest deviation from his lofty standard is sin and the human condition is very serious. If, on the other hand, God is …
...and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 