From planting the seeds to watching them grow, let's discuss church multiplication.
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A while ago as I was reading in Luke I noticed something, namely, Elijah and Elisha get a lot of play in this gospel. I first noticed it when reading Luke 9 and 10. In Luke 9 there is the feeding of the crowd which echoes the feeding in 2 Kings 4.42ff, a miracle performed by Elisha.
There is an increasing emphasis on discipleship among evangelicals. It seems that this is the present great movement that is consuming us. In the 1980s and 90s it was evangelism, the recognition that we had not done well generally, and in the case of the CRCNA specifically, at reaching those who were not connected to Christ and his church.
The latest Utne Reader has an article entitled, “Me, Myself, and I: Why is it so hard to admit when we are lonely?” The author, Olivia Laing, talks about the pain of loneliness in her own life as she lived in New York City, surrounded by people but still terribly alone. In the article she points out not only her own pain of loneliness but also the research on loneliness,
1 John 3.1 raises a bunch of interesting questions. The words of the verse are "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him." One of the questions is, "When John tells us that God has "given" (or bestowed) the kind of love that makes it so we are called "his children", how do we understand "given" or "bestowed"?
When we asked when they considered a church to have become “mature,” the measure was quite simple: The church after three years is 1) Self-sustaining 2) Self-governing and 3) Self-propagating.
Stepping into worship in the face of tragedy is always a difficult thing. The attack in Boston this week is but one painful picture of what congregations around the world will be dealing with.
The New York Observer is a culture watch newspaper. The paper keeps an eye on the culture and movement in New York City. While some may say that reading a paper like this doesn't give a broad look at our culture, the truth is that all studies say NYC is the number one city of influence in the U.S. and the world.
The promise of the kingdom in Luke 1-3 is a kingdom of great hope where the rich and powerful are brought down and the poor and struggling are lifted up. The promise builds and builds and then it comes crashing down: John the Baptist, the great announcer of this kingdom, the harbinger of the kingdom is put in prison by Herod. The powerful take...
Here's a chart outlining the growth of a cluster and its seven characteristics.
I was reminded recently why getting a good Bible translation for study and getting the full sense of the text matters. I was reading the story of Samson. The ESV in talking about Samson's desire for the woman at Timnah says, "But Samson said to his father, 'Get her for me for she is right in my eyes.'" The NIV translates the same verse, "But Samson said to his father...
Many are asking how to get a ministry cluster going. This article by Randy Rowland will offer a step-by-step approach, with this proviso: This is a basic template, not a blueprint.
The opening of the book of Luke is filled with hope and lofty speeches and songs. Underlying it all is the promise of God's kingdom where the rich and powerful are put in their place, the poor and weak are lifted up and all is made right. It is pretty heady stuff. As John the Baptist comes on the scene Luke uses words ...
Disney movies. For the most part we feel comfortable taking our kids to them. The language is decent, the plots are kind with the good guys winning at the end, and there is a lack of ambiguity in them. The right people do the right things--they may wander for a bit, but they get back to it in the end. Meanwhile, the bad folks get what is coming to them--gently...
There is a continual theme that pulsates through our culture. The theme is "God is love." The thing that always intrigues me about this idea that God is love is that love gets defined in a way that reflects whatever a person wants. So if I want my god to be loving so that he would never demand anything of me, then that is love. If I want my god to be the kind of god...
A partnership between the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) and the Reformed Church in America (RCA) involving pooling resources in an innovative church-planting movement that will spread the gospel by reaching out to people in the places where they live.
Yesterday I decided to start again on Luke's gospel taking time to read and study it closely. In the first few chapters there is the wonderful unfolding of the story--rich with hope and wonder. But I also noticed something else that I want to keep my eye on as I continue, namely, the story is never kept quiet, it is always shared with others.
Are we telling God's story or do you see God finding ways to compel us to tell the story?
Enjoying creation in its fullness comes with taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch. What is the rhythm of your life where a moment comes and you say, TGIF?
For a certain number of pastors Monday is their Sunday. Personally, I rarely take Monday off. I think that Rick Warren got it right when he said that he didn’t take Monday off because it was the day he was most wiped out.
Planting churches and revitalizing churches calls us to move outside the four walls and into the world. Moving into the world, however, presents more than a few challenges.
Planting churches and revitalizing churches calls us to move outside the four walls and into the world. Moving into the world, however, presents more than a few challenges.
When I was growing up and doing Sunday school I remember going to other churches and seeing the cool prizes you could get for perfect attendance and for memorizing scripture. To be honest, I always felt a bit bummed that we didn’t get those things in my church. As I grew up however, I began to wonder about these ways of getting kids to places and getting ...
Every once in a while someone asks me about the passage in 1 Corinthians 11 that deals with the Lord's supper. What does one do with this verse and who can dares to take communion in the light of eating and drinking judgment on yourself, after all, even the most committed and faithful of us never gets the faith completely right...
Ministry development guidelines from Christian Reformed Home Missions
Last week the Church Planting Teams of the CRC and RCA came together for two days of "meetings". Some of you may be aware that the CRC and RCA are working together to catalyze mission in North America. About two years ago the Church Multiplication Initiative was started. In the last 24 months there have been 10 regional areas...