I recently came across an article in ‘Quadrant’ magazine that in part described a bygone world- a nowadays strange world even quaint to many. It was a description of the decline of the suburban church post WW2, specifically in the major city of Melbourne, however the description could have been of any city in the … Continue reading There Was a Kindness There
I get to talk to a lot of Pastors of mainline congregations. Some show interest when I explain the Missional Community (Unbounded church) vision, and a few, a very few, come along to the seminars I run from time to time. Of those that do come, it is depressing to see that while showing interest … Continue reading Time for a Break Not Cherry Picking
In our house I am surrounded by Leggo. This is a result of having a family, now of several generations, who are Leggo fanatics. I reckon you name it and we can make a Leggo model of it! As the family gathered over the most recent Christmas it looked at times like it was the … Continue reading Time For Leggo!
John Stott the famous evangelical preacher used to say that when preparing sermons it is necessary to hold the bible in the one hand and the newspaper in the other. His point was that the Christian message is not to be taught or proclaimed in a cultural vacuum. Rather the receiving culture, while not changing … Continue reading ‘Cultural Intelligence’ – Understanding the Times
In the Bible we are told that at the first Christmas a bunch of Angels cried out- “Peace on earth and good will to all people, On whom his favour rests” A great promise isn’t? I am sure we could all do with a bit more peace, because there doesn’t appear to be a whole … Continue reading A ‘Different Kind of Peace’
Regrettably, despite several decades of increased missional endeavour the result has been continuing decline in the numbers of those being won for Christ in Australian society, with a consequent decline in the standard church. It is evident that we urgently need to develop 'Another way' of doing church and mission for the sake of the … Continue reading Unbounded Church Gathering
I have written in the past on Unbounded Church platforms about the urgent need for Australian Christians to wake up to the creeping persecution which has already started. Yet generally we slumber in a blissful belief that (reasonably) regular 'church' attendance, turning up at a Bible study, a bit of good works and trying to … Continue reading Christians Wake Up!
There is a man sitting on a bough of a tree. The Tree is very, very old, some think perhaps two thousand years. The Tree is the source of the branch, from small bud grown to a mighty bough, battered and blasted by centuries of gales a plenty but sturdy and undefeated. Larger growing, season … Continue reading When the Bough Breaks
Recently the Senior Minister of a local church outlined his strategy for mission as one of seeking the “Low hanging fruit”. By this he meant that the ‘target’ for the church’s missional activity would be those members of society who for some reason are relatively church-friendly. For the most part this means those who come … Continue reading Has Anyone Got A Longer Ladder?
The small building stands, weatherboard, old and quiet now, a family home- unremarked, but where once hoards of children Sunday chattered. A clue nearby, a small tower and still the bell, but for long years silent. Where once the church, Jesus’ families in numbers gathered, no longer so. But silence and death’s symbol, yesteryear’s relic … Continue reading New Shoots Amid Silent Bells
