A friend of mine asked this question recently. I think it’s a really good question to consider. He later gave a bit more of an explanation about what he meant by self-reliant Christianity. He was describing those who become so buy in church life and ministry that they forget our ongoing dependence on Christ’s grace… Continue reading What’s worse: consumer Christianity or self-reliant Christianity?
Tag: grace driven culture
On not throwing people under the bus -why you need to give that TGC article a second look
The other day, this article was posted on The Gospel Coalition website. The article drew quite some ire. In fact, some of the responses on twitter may even ironically have been of the exact kind that the article has in its sights. I understand that there are some reasons why some people may have struggled… Continue reading On not throwing people under the bus -why you need to give that TGC article a second look
Revitalisation and the traumatised church
I’ve mentioned a few times now that sometimes a church acts and feels as though it has been through a form of corporate or collective trauma and is suffering corporate PTSD. There may have been a number of factors leading up to this including specific events within the life of the church such as the… Continue reading Revitalisation and the traumatised church
Keep a particular look out for narcissistic bullies
When thinking about dangerous leaders, the potential false shepherds and even wolves that might sneak in, being alert to the dangers of narcissism may be helpful. Narcissists are people with an unhealthy inward focus on themselves. They believe that the world should or does revolve around them, their needs and their priorities. These are the… Continue reading Keep a particular look out for narcissistic bullies
Planting Safer Churches
This may seem like an unusual title. On the one hand, we would hope that churches are safe, loving and accepting places. This is where the Gospel is preached and where people whose lives are being changed come. On the other hand, can we really expect church to be safe? Isn’t there something intensely dangerous… Continue reading Planting Safer Churches
A genuine grace saturated culture? Don’t lose the challenge
This is kind of a postscript or P.S following my two articles on Evangelical futures. There’s a further PPS to come in a few days where I want to talk about the positive aspects of Australian/Sydney Anglican influence on UK Evangelicalism. In this article I want to talk about two linked things that primarily are… Continue reading A genuine grace saturated culture? Don’t lose the challenge
What does your church value?
I’ve been writing a few articles on things like mission and vision statements. There is the risk that such things can feel corporate, slick and fluffy. However, if a mission statement is really simply “Matthew 28:19-20 with a date stamp and a postcode” then what we are doing is helping the church apply God’s word… Continue reading What does your church value?
Can we manage our risks?
It was much easier when COVID rules were in place. We knew that we were to Keep a two-metre distance from others Wear face masks in doors Stay home for at least 10 days after testing positive and then only begin mixing again when we had tested negative on two consecutive days. At various times… Continue reading Can we manage our risks?
Grace (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Here’s the outline notes of a sermon I preached yesterday. Introduction As a church we want to be a grace filled community – a radical alternative to the world and culture around us. This means that every aspect of what we do and how we live is saturated in this thing called grace. We need… Continue reading Grace (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Abuse, safeguarding and church discipline
One of my main concerns is to see healthy churches planted into urban contexts. We often talk about the church planting bit but I also try to talk as much as possible about the healthy bit. When we talk about healthy churches we are thinking both about health in terms of right doctrine/teaching and good… Continue reading Abuse, safeguarding and church discipline
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