Applying Purpose-Driven principles to a mainline church? Bethlehem Lutheran may be the first mainline congregation to apply Rick Warren’s famous philosophy – and it’s been a great success. Nearly 20 years ago Pastor Chris Nelson attended a conference at the now-famous Saddleback Church in Southern California. When he returned he did not change the music, [...]
Chris Nelson: Heightening Expectations Grows the Church [ 30:40 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (6)
Building healthy churches begins with building healthy church members. That’s the thinking behind Forward Movement, a 1930′s initiative of The Episcopal Church, which is best known for its ‘Day by Day’ daily devotional pamphlet, but also includes tract, and book publishing. Scott Gunn is the gifted, energetic, and new face behind Forward. He’s a popular [...]
Scott Gunn: Forward Movement Moves the Church Forward [ 46:57 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (10)
Celebrating the gifts of young people is one of the best ways to build a healthy congregation. The average age of members of most North American Churches is higher – and sometimes way higher – than the rest of the population. And experts say congregations where a majority of members are age 50 or older [...]
Megachurch pastor Doug Schmidt of Woodside Bible Church in Metro Detroit pioneered a novel way to advance the Gospel: by merging with struggling congregations and investing in them with the intention of turning them loose. It’s not a takeover plan aimed at building a new denomination, rather a way to help declining congregations re-tool and [...]
Doug Schmidt: Merging with Struggling Congregations Grows the Church [ 53:59 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (13)
Nearly 40 years ago founders of The Alban Institute set out to resource local congregations – and it’s current president, The Rev. Dr. James Wind is continuing the task. Since its humble beginnings Alban has branched out into publishing, conferences, and newsletters (both print and email) that share valuable resources with congregations. In this interview [...]
James Wind: The Alban Institute Can Help Build Your Congregation [ 52:12 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (20)
He’s a leader in the New Monasticism movement – and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove has plenty to say about the blessings of building the church by building up a community. Ten years ago Jonathan and a handful of others started Rutba House, as an intentional monastic community set in a poor area in Durham, North Carolina. The [...]
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove: Reaching Out By Moving In [ 50:45 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (22)
It’s the classic definition of ‘missional’: participating with God in what God is doing in the world – and it’s Steve Knight’s passion and profession. Maybe you’ve heard of Steve’s popular blog, or heard him speak (or spoken about) at emergent church gatherings. Steve currently serves the Disciples of Christ in their efforts to start [...]
Steve Knight: Participating in God's Mission Grows the Church [ 51:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (26)
He left Christendom, but kept Christ. And Frank Schaffer, a one-time leader in the Religious Right movement has much to say about what he’s learned along the way, especially regarding the importance of identifying with our brokenness so that Christ may be exalted In this interview, this best-selling author and popular blogger tells us why humility [...]
Frank Schaeffer: Identifying with Your Brokenness Builds the Church [ 52:10 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (25)
It’s one of the Church’s biggest mistakes: over-reliance on one person to do the bulk of the work (planning, visioning, preaching, organizing, cleaning gutters… you name it). In this new, inventive, age, the PCUSA’s Landon Whitsitt, author of the book Open Source Church, thinks that the day of the ‘super-pastor’ is way over – and [...]
The North American Church is too easily enculturated, says author Rodney Clapp – and is at its best when it’s set apart as a peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). Rodney, whose written several books and has a column in The Christian Century, says we need to get back to formation as a central organizing principle [...]
What are we called to do? It’s a pervasive question that author, blogger, counselor, and pastor of Calvin Presbyterian in Pennsylvania, Graham Standish just keeps asking. He credits an emphasis on discernment, in various levels, with the substantial growth his congregation has seen. In this interview Graham tells us how he created a culture of [...]
23 books and 53 recordings later, 0ne of Contemporary Christian Music’s pioneers, John Michael Talbot, is still going strong. The 58 year old Talbot tours most of the year, allowing the Spirit to breathe through his heart-touching gift of meditative music. He does it out of obedience to a Francis-esque call to ‘rebuild God’s Church.’ [...]
John Michael Talbot: The Gift of Meditative Music [ 37:18 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (35)
Connecting the poorly resourced with the better resourced is Dr. Jimmy Dorrell’s soul and passion – he’s the founder of The Church Under the Bridge and Mission Waco/Mission World. This full-time social service administrator and part time seminary professor and pastor says that when congregations get a deeper vision for the plight of the poor, [...]
Jimmy Dorrell: How to Get Middle Class Congregations Involved with the Poor [ 50:02 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (28)
How does an increasingly secular society take religion seriously? United Church of Canada minister Bruce Sanguin says it’s by being dedicated students of both. So this avid blogger and writer is making headway with evolutionary theology – an approach to Christianity that pays a lot of attention to evolution and world history. Bruce says his [...]
Inspiring people about the wonders of the Bible has been Bishop NT ‘Tom’ Wright’s sustaining passion – which he believes is at the heart of congregational health and vitality. The former bishop, New Testament Scholar, and author (the new one is How God Became King) says Christian leadership has always been about the same four [...]
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