Evangelism (Page 10)
Could This Be The Best Conference For Church Planters in the World?
OK. So, I maybe exaggerated a little bit, but I bet you it is still going to be a great conference! In a recent British poll of people claiming to be ‘Christian’, less than half believed that Jesus rose from the dead. One study suggested that Christianity will be statistically irrelevant in…
Church Planting Supersite!!
I am always on the hunt for good resources when it comes to church planting. The problem we have in the UK is the lack of quality material on the topic, relevant to our context. The problem we have in housing schemes is contextualising material written for a largely middle class demographic. However, if you can think on your feet and are able to work hard at this,…
14 Obstacles We Face In Church Planting Ministry!
Housing scheme ministry is a tough gig. It is made somewhat harder when you are and/or have renewed a stagnant and/or dying congregation. We do have to watch our for all sorts of obstacles. 1. People Fatigue – I know I am tired and I need to refocus spiritually when I get sick of people and…
Urban Myth: Inner City Young People Can’t Listen to Sermons!
by Mike Stark Most of us are familiar with the terms ADD or ADHD (attention deficit disorder, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). We work with and know many local children who have been diagnosed as such, placing them in a box and giving them a medical label to help them understand their…
8 Keys to Housing Scheme Gospel Ministry (8)
Avoid Paternalism & Dependency Many, great, Western missiological thinkers have battled with the issue of paternalism in cross cultural contexts for decades. What exactly is paternalism? The essence of paternalism is providing outside direction and resources by some “mature” party to someone considered “immature” and not yet capable to carry full leadership…
8 Keys to Housing Scheme Gospel Ministry (6) Church Based Community Development (b)
Mark Dever notes on The Gospel Coalition blog, that: Since the Fall, the trajectory of unredeemed human history—the City of Man—is always in the Bible to judgment (the Flood, Babel, Canaan, Egypt, Jerusalem, Babylon, Rome & then Rev. 19). (Not quite as universal as gravity, but seemingly as…
8 Keys to Housing Scheme Gospel Ministry (6) Church Based Community Development
Part A: Church Based Community Development In his book, Generous Justice, Tim Keller states: “All I know is, if I don’t care about the poor, if my church doesn’t care about the poor, that’s evil.” Jesse Johnson, writing an article for The Cripplegate Blog, has a…
8 Keys to Housing Scheme Gospel Ministry (5)
Listening to Your Community It is noticeable in Niddrie that there are many housing association groups and various other social agencies, largely staffed by outsiders, who impose their ideas and ideals on to the community without much prior discussion. It is taken for granted that the ‘professionals’ know what we need. Often, many church plants can be guilty…
What Happens When Your Church has No Christian Youth?
by Mike Stark (Children’s, Youth & Community Worker) Historically, we haven’t had many ‘Christian’ young people in Niddrie Community Church. We have a vibrant and active work among children and youth in the community, yet this is almost exclusively evangelistic, rather than…
Rediscovering The Lost Gospel
I have been studying several books on the gospel in recent weeks as I research a chapter for an upcoming book. I have to confess at the outset that whilst I have heard of Darrell Bock, I have never read any of his writings. I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect as I opened it but I have to say that for its 136 pages it is real value for money. Bock felt the need to…