If I Unfriend You, Here’s Why
If you have a hard time fighting for your side without mocking people on the other side, you need to reconsider your argument. It may not be as strong as you think.
Unity
Saying “There’s Nothing Wrong With Small Churches” Is A Great Start, But It’s Not Enough
For the first time in my memory, many church growth writers and speakers are making sure to say “there’s nothing wrong with small churches” when they teach about church growth. This is good, and I’m grateful for that concession. Unfortunately, that’s what it is. A concession. That’s not enough any more.
What The Church Can Learn From The People Of New York About Being Repairers Of The Breach
When we’re at our best, the church isn’t just another group on one side of the partisan political conflict that pits people against each other. We’re the ones who should be a shining light of hope that rises above it all.
I Don’t Like the Way You Do Church
There’s no style of church that everyone likes.
Over the last few years I’ve participated in so many different types of worship, and it’s reaffirmed for me that our unity in Christ is much stronger than our differences in style or method.
I’ve been with a lot of people who do church very differently than what I’m used to or comfortable with. So I’ve had to either open up to what Jesus is doing through those varied methods, or close myself down and retreat back to the stability and safety of familiarity.
Opening up to different ways of doing church is scary. And exhilarating. And sometimes I get it wrong.
Closing down to different ways of doing church is easy. And boring. And sometimes I get it wrong.
I’d rather get it wrong while trying new things than get it wrong while staying comfortable.
I Don’t Like the Way You Do Church
There’s no style of church that everyone likes.
Over the last few years I’ve participated in so many different types of worship, and it’s reaffirmed for me that our unity in Christ is much stronger than our differences in style or method.
I’ve been with a lot of people who do church very differently than what I’m used to or comfortable with. So I’ve had to either open up to what Jesus is doing through those varied methods, or close myself down and retreat back to the stability and safety of familiarity.
Opening up to different ways of doing church is scary. And exhilarating. And sometimes I get it wrong.
Closing down to different ways of doing church is easy. And boring. And sometimes I get it wrong.
I’d rather get it wrong while trying new things than get it wrong while staying comfortable.
Big Churches And Small Churches: Contrast Without Criticism
Sometimes we need to highlight the differences between church sizes in order to lead them properly.
“Big churches do something this way, while small churches do it this way” needs to be a regular part of our leadership learning and dialog.
But highlighting those differences should never be done in an ‘Us vs Them’ manner.
We need to learn how to contrast without criticism.
People in almost every other field of endeavor (like cooks, contractors, publishers and scientists) know this. They regularly compare, contrast and utilize different ingredients, tools, fonts and methods to become better at what they do. Leaders within the body of Christ need to have a similar approach to our extra-biblical differences.