If God predestines, why bother with evangelism?

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There was an old apocryphal tale of little Calvinistic churches that didn’t put up notice boards with service times because if you were part of the elect, then you were predestined to be at church at the right time. I am not sure if anything like that has ever really happened.  However, this has been… Continue reading If God predestines, why bother with evangelism?

Church Growth or a battle for market share?

Over the years I’ve come across a lot of material, books, seminars, blogs, podcasts talking about how to guarantee that your church will grow.  Some of the advise sounds to me like practical wisdom, for example if you have a building that is 80% full then you have reached capacity.  Some of it is good… Continue reading Church Growth or a battle for market share?

Do you know where you are going? Does everyone else know where you are going?

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Back when mum and dad were living in Shenzhen, I went out to visit them a few times. On one occasion we went up to Beijing. We got a taxi from the airport to our hotel.  After a little while we began to think that the journey was taking far longer than it should.  Then… Continue reading Do you know where you are going? Does everyone else know where you are going?

What shall we do with Halloween?

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It’s strange isn’t it that October 31st has become quite the big deal in some ways, yet less so in other ways.  In fact, that’s true of this time of year generally.  Back when I was a child in the 1970s-80s, there were things that were big about late October/early November.  Bonfire Night was fast… Continue reading What shall we do with Halloween?

Lack of consistency is often the killer

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If you are thinking about introducing something new into your church, then before you do, ask the question “Can we keep this up week after week, through the winter and into the summer over the next few years.”  You see, often we rush ahead with a great idea and either we do something as a… Continue reading Lack of consistency is often the killer

Did the Archbishop preach the Gospel?

Before the funeral, there was a lot of talk about the fact that 4 billion people would be listening in and the responsibility therefore on the shoulders of the Archbishop of Canterbury to “hot it out of the court” and “smash it” by giving people the Gospel, full barrels. I must admit that I’m a… Continue reading Did the Archbishop preach the Gospel?

I am NOT Jesus

John Stevens mentions on his blog a new video game “I am Jesus.” The idea is that the game simulates various events from Jesus life in order that you can get to know the events of his life through experiencing them.  John rightly points out that whilst this may seem like a great idea, the… Continue reading I am NOT Jesus

Ministry nuts and bolts: Space to Grow?

The other day, I wrote about whether or not churches should expect to grow and if so whether pastors and elders are responsible for that growth.  My view is that, Biblically we expect God’s kingdom to grow. That’s not the same as saying that every individual church will be growing all the time but it… Continue reading Ministry nuts and bolts: Space to Grow?