If you wondered if God is glorious and majestic then do watch this video to convince yourself. It will keep you from having too high an opinion of yourself and our tendency towards our little self-promotion projects which can't really compete with creating the universe :)
Furtick has got lots of hassle for bringing Christians from different tribes together to preach the gospel at the Orange Code Revival. These are the supposed 'best in class' at preaching to lost folk so why not have a listen via the podcast and see if you agree.
I don't know if you noticed..... but I wrote a bit about preaching last week. David Fitch has views on y'man.....
Bethel have gone all acoustic with The Loft Sessions which I am enjoying.
As I am now trying to do three jobs here is some helpful advice on 'How to train your church'.
Really challenged by Don't waste your life which I seem never to have got around to reading. Better to read it sooner rather than later as the title probably suggests.
Cool office pod (via Ben Armett)
If I can include a list of books that someone liked you know I will. Buy one and tell me what you think.
At the St Mellitus 'Church Planting Program' we've been debating Attractional vs Missional and Reggie McNeal has some views (via J R Briggs).
Love David Keen for keeping the C of E's blunt sword a tiny bit sharper by showing us the numbers evacuating the church (one example he tells us of a diocese, unnamed, that saw a 20% decline in both decades averaging at 36%!) Now even though there is no 'performance managment' as we used to call it in the real world I presume their was a Bishop but one may ask what on earth was he doing? I feel for him poor chap and other Bishops - it must have been so very depressing or perhaps no one told them until too late that people were no longer coming to church.
A few reflections on a few strategic questions that might have stemmed the tide that I have no idea if the 36% decline winner asked. You don't really have to be a seasoned missiologist to work this out. Who did he ordain? Did he have a mission strategy at he outset? How did he deploy his resources? How did he spend his time? What efforts did he make at evangelism and did he ever think of recruiting evangelist's to lead churches? Did he have a church planting strategy? Did he ask for any help or expertise from others who may have the knowledge or experience he lacked? What were his staff doing? Did he allow anyone around him to give him truth or did he believe his own propaganda? Did his fellow Bishops not pull him up on things or one of the Archbish's? Did he teach, visit and encourage his clergy? Did he train his clergy? Did he have any focus on youth and children and if so what was that? What books was he reading and who was he engaging with to help stem decline? Did he call his people to fasting and prayer? Did he monitor men's attendance at church? Did he engage the learning of those churches that were experiencing some growth in his area and ask them how they go about it? I could go on. All the while during that period we talked almost singularly about gender and homosexuality at our synods. Don't get me started or I will have to write another one of those long essays :) More detailed numbers from David here and he concludes:
"My fear is that bishops/synod/etc. will look at these stats and say 'oh hurrah, things are getting better'. Well, they are, in the sense of a man who has one leg amputated one week and only has to have half a leg amputated the following week."
1 comment:
Thanks David, my long essay is going up tomorrow, though I very nearly just cut and pasted your paragraph!
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