'The Church in the West is blinded to the fact they have trapped Christ in their own culture”’ Paul Vincent Donovan ****** The current missional mindset of local churches, particularly their leaderships, continues to be controlled by the assumption, even if subconsciously, that the goal is to reach a still Christianized society living on, what … Continue reading A ‘Cultural Intelligence Deficit’- A Lesson From Africa
“The current trajectory of our church is a huge mistake” George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury ****** Every now and then little ‘Chinks of Light’ appear in the generally gloomy Australian missional landscape in which, now for decades, successful ventures are a rarity. However, I started to get that ‘every now and … Continue reading Chinks of Light – Maybe
‘Janus - the Roman ‘god’ of beginnings . . transitions . . . and endings’ ****** Sadly, Covid-driven Lockdowns have now become familiar to most of us, and those who live on Australia’s eastern seabord are currently experiencing the ‘joy’ of them yet again. What has also become familiar is the corresponding shutdowns of normal … Continue reading Janus Tide – A Season of Opportunity
The Marquis De Sade in a conversation about God with the French Emperor Napoleon is reputed to have said ‘I have no need of that Hypothesis’. No doubt he would feel very much at home in our society in which most now live their lives, and certainly how the community organizes itself, with a similar … Continue reading Dysfunction- A Tale from God’s Casebook
‘If I was trying to minimise growth in the church, I would get everyone to speak a totally different language that no one understands. That is what the Church is doing.’ Russel Evans, Global Senior Pastor of Planet Shakers. ****** In Luke’s Gospel (Chapter 16:19) Jesus tells a teaching story (parable) in which … Continue reading Mission Basics 101 – 1 The Great Chasm
On a recent road trip from Sydney to Melbourne we pulled off the motorway to have a break on what is a very long drive. The place we stopped at was a small, quite undistinguished village with a number of houses, a community centre and a café. There was however one more significant building. This … Continue reading Has God Left the Building? An Hypothesis
‘When I run fast, I feel His pleasure’ Eric Liddell The above quote is attributed to Scotsman Eric Liddell who won the gold medal for the 400 yards (400m) in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. He did this after refusing to run in his best event the 100 yards, as well as other … Continue reading Making God Smile
The Covid-19 forced shut down of ‘normal’ Church life exposed a number of things, most of which already existed but didn’t get much attention. One of these things, and the subject of this post is the opportunities that exist for Christian fellowships to meet On-Line. Such possibilities were already available but the shutdown brought them … Continue reading The Online Network
As churches sleepily emerge from the Covid-induced shutdown it seems nearly all are happily climbing back onto the down escalator they had been on for decades pre Pandemic. This longstanding downward trajectory has most certainly generally been given a Covid-induced fresh impetus in terms of loss of service attendees and income. The opportunity provided by … Continue reading Vain Hope Or ‘The Irish Way’
‘He is stolen and it is not harmless!’ _____________ I entered the large shopping complex and there He was, front, centre and large, enthroned in his palace. There He was, ‘the reason for the season’. The One who is always encouraging the children to come to him, and woe betide anyone who want to … Continue reading ‘The Stealing of Christmas’ Revisited
unbounded church 