We’ve all heard the saying from Francis of Assisi, “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary use words.” He never said it.
I’m in Acts at the moment. It’s full of the witness of words. Peter at Pentecost; Stephen on trial; Phillip with the Ethiopian eunuch; Peter before Cornelius and his household; Paul wherever he [...]
Category Archives: Case studies
Second generation faith
9 March, 2010 – 9:15 AM
Born to rule — a movement on the skids
2 March, 2010 – 9:17 PM
I’m still in New Zealand talking about movements. Tomorrow we’re in Palmerston North. Last stop Christchurch.
While I was here this story broke about the Destiny movement led by Bishop Brian Tamaki. It tells of the closure of its Brisbane congregation after the pastor and 90 people walked out.
They were upset about increasing demands for money [...]
These people are crazy
17 February, 2010 – 8:55 AM
Dave Lawton reports in on what’s been happening at Alabaster House:
Starting with five young radicals I remember going to pray in parks at night with them as they started to dream of reaching broken kids with the gospel. Passion was high. So was their faith. There was no resource, no big budget, just big hearts.
A [...]
Anglo-Catholics and Anglican decline
12 February, 2010 – 8:55 AM
Peter Corney is a leading evangelical Anglican in Melbourne. He takes a look at Anglican decline and especially the decline of the Anglo-Catholic movement within the Anglican church.
Here is his (edited) list of trends that have contributed to Anglo-Catholic decline:
1. Anglo-Catholics drifted away from the credal and biblical orthodoxy of its founders and gradually embraced [...]
Why Nepal?
8 February, 2010 – 9:20 PM
Prayer can penetrate anywhere. Long before we enter the valleys of Nepal prayer can be doing a concrete work in laying the foundations for the future kingdom. . . . When we have prepared the way with the Spirit of God in prayer, he will answer those very prayers in permitting us to occupy Nepal.
Gordon [...]
The kingdom comes to Nepal
6 February, 2010 – 8:28 PM
John B shares some great news out of Nepal.
Until recently Nepal was the world’s only Hindu kingdom. The mighty Himalayas and the fact that Nepal was a closed land until the middle of the twentieth century enticed many, but from 1881 to 1925 only 153 Europeans are known to have visited Nepal and none became [...]
Missional Fad vs Missional Movement
11 January, 2010 – 9:43 PM
Ed Stetzer wonders why so many “missional” churches are uninterested in doing global missions. Others have wondered why the emerging/missional church doesn’t do evangelism.
Dan Kimball agrees that something is wrong: “For the past few years, I have been observing, listening, and asking questions about the missional movement. I have a suspicion that the missional model [...]
When “missional” churches aren’t
9 January, 2010 – 1:14 PM
Ed Stetzer wonders why some missional churches don’t do global missions.
It appears to me that many missional churches are missing the Great Commission in the name of being missional. That makes zero sense.
I was recently told by a pastor who called himself “missional” that his church needed to pull back on their global mission support [...]
How it began
2 January, 2010 – 9:19 PM
SVM2 Haystack Video from SVM2 on Vimeo.
We began the story of the Student Volunteer Movement in 1886. Eighty years earlier God was preparing the way for the greatest student missionary movement in the history of the church.
In 1806 Five students gathered to pray for revival on their campus and in their generation. Samuel Mills, a [...]
Gotta pick a pocket or two
22 December, 2009 – 1:02 PM
Christmas must be the silly season for media hungry clergymen.
A UK clergyman has advised his congregation to shoplift following his Nativity sermon.
Father Tim Jones, 41, broke off from his traditional annual sermon on Sunday to tell his flock that stealing from large high street chains is sometimes the best option for vulnerable people.
It is far [...]
