It is not uncommon to be told about a particular church which is very ‘successful’. The story usually contains accounts of growing attendances, thriving youth groups, new families etc, and also sometimes a charismatic leader. Such churches often then become the ‘model’ we are all to copy. Where such a story is true we should … Continue reading True ‘Success’ Can Be Replicated
The Shopping Centre or the Town Centre Shops?
In the process of promoting Unbounded Church type Missional Communities, I get to talk with many church leaders. It is a privilege to share in their struggles in missional endeavour and perhaps to give some encouragement, but often also a great frustration. This is because, despite a common passion to see the lost won for … Continue reading The Shopping Centre or the Town Centre Shops?
The ‘Great Commission’ Without the ‘Great Permission’
Many churches quite rightly place a high emphasis on what is often called the “Great Commission” as an essential part of their Mission Statement. That is Jesus instruction to his disciples to “Go and make disciples” as we read in Matthew 28:19. This mission component usually results in a significant effort to make disciples by … Continue reading The ‘Great Commission’ Without the ‘Great Permission’
‘Blowing in the Wind
“The Wind blows wherever it pleases, You hear its sound but you cannot tell Where it has come from or where it is going” As I write this I am sitting on my patio listening to the sound of the wind blowing through the Gum trees around my house. The sound varies with the … Continue reading ‘Blowing in the Wind
Tis the Season for Axes and Bullets
Phew! It’s finished, all that planning, all that effort, the multitude of resource-draining Christmas ‘outreach’ activities (with exhortations to invite a friend), Carol Services (with exhortations to invite a friend), Gingerbread Houses (with exhortations to invite a friend), Beach Missions (with exhortations to come along to help). Thank goodness, it’s now time to have a … Continue reading Tis the Season for Axes and Bullets
The Gate of the Year – A Reflection
We have just stepped through the gate of the new year. The blank canvas of 2017 lies before us. What will we paint on it? What tapestry will we weave as we journey through that space of time? Every year at this time, I am reminded of the poem written by British poet Minnie Louise … Continue reading The Gate of the Year – A Reflection
Multiplication is a Many Splendoured Thing
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian population is growing at the rate of 1.5% per year, whereas church attendance is in significant decline. It is true that in some areas (e.g. the Anglican Diocese of Sydney) attendance is so far keeping pace with population growth, however, this is mostly due to what … Continue reading Multiplication is a Many Splendoured Thing
Unbounded Church Essentials –Unbinding the Mind
As I get to talk to people about the Unbounded Church concept I increasingly become aware that the first thing that needs to take place for them to really understand it is an ‘Unbinding of the Mind’. For centuries, Christendom thinking and practice (and local mission practice when we finally realized we had to do … Continue reading Unbounded Church Essentials –Unbinding the Mind
The Parable of Woolworths and the Micawber Principle
I saw a headline in a Christian magazine recently which read “The best ideas come from Jesus” and I thought – that’s right they do, especially I have found in the business world when I worked with a consulting engineering company. In such a company, a mid-sized one, the central issue was that we always … Continue reading The Parable of Woolworths and the Micawber Principle
Never on a Sunday
Recently I accidently tuned into a radio station playing the song ‘Never On A Sunday’. As I listened I heard couple of the lines which went- “Never on a Sunday when the church is full of people And the bells are ringing in the steeple” And I thought –well that doesn’t work anymore! There are … Continue reading Never on a Sunday
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