Kingdomology

expanding the love of Christ & Kingdom of God the world over

Church Planting

Campus Concerns

Feb 1

Posted by steve in Church Planting | 6 Comments

I’m not a fan of the growing church campus movement.  Yes, I know there is some value in these works and Deb is quick to remind me that there are indeed a lot of people getting connected to Christ through some of these campuses.  I have a great friend that works with the campus model in my area.  My brother; have mercy on his soul, attends one of these campus churches.  Yes, there are people being saved and discipled at these campus churches.  Yes, I know all the positive arguments for campuses.  But I still just don’t like the idea.  At its worst, I feel like campuses are more about Empire building than Kingdom expansion.  I sense at times that much of this simply comes down to control issues.  On my bad days I even want to liken the whole phenomena to the BORG from Star Trek.  You know; assimilation of all worlds is the plan and resistance is Futile. 

Before you get the idea that I’m just a scrooge, please know that my caution is not just emotional.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Church on Mission.

Jan 13

Posted by steve in Church Planting, Kingdom Living, the CHURCH | 1 Comment

Have you seen this clip?  It was made a couple of years ago.  But I came across it again the other day while researching a church planting organization.  Though the clip is not new, I believe it’s worth checking out again.  Jeff Maguire did a fun job describing the authentic Kingdom life which he refers to as Missional living.  The point being that authentic Christ followers are all called to live out the Kingdom of God in their own daily lives.  Sharing the message and love of Christ is the call of every Christian and not merely the domain of the decorated.  Remember, the CHURCH is not a building; but the people.  So whatever your niche in the Kingdom, be sure to be “missional” about it today.  Enjoy and implement!

 

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Farming out the Gospel.

Oct 17

Posted by steve in Church Planting, World | No Comments

Help!  My wife is taking over my website and blog.  Ok, maybe not.  But she is contributing her third installment today from her resent project in Costa Rica and Honduras this past month.  In the post, Deb is actually reporting on a missionary family in Honduras that is engaging in a unique mission strategy.  The Family is actually following the lead of a great pioneer missionary from the 19th century named William Carey.  It was the strategy of Cary to live off the land in India and work with the people.  In doing so, Cary became fluent in the native languages and thus translated the Bible in to these mother tongues.  So thanks again to everyone who prayed for Deb’s work and enjoy the report! Read the rest of this entry »

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Ancient Evangelism. Part I.

Aug 29

Posted by steve in Church Planting | 3 Comments

Discipleship and evangelism can be confusing subjects these days.  The short and sweet is that a disciple is someone who is transformed by Jesus and follows after him. While discipleship is really a long process, it always begins with some form of evangelism.  In essence, evangelism at its root is simply the ‘good news’ of what Christ did for all of us on the cross.  One big dog theologian, Michael Green, noted that this conveyance of the good news is really a “sacred duty of every Christian.”  Evangelism is a hot topic in Church Planting and in most Christian circles in general.  There are unlimited strategies on the subject.  They range from secretive social gospel thinking on one hand to the huge public mass meetings on the other.  The results of each vary. But even the apparent success of any of them may end in failure unless there is real transformation.  In addition, even successful strategies for reaching out in the past may honestly just not work today.  One such example may be the success of the great Sunday School movements of the 20th century which are for the most part being replaced today by small groups. Read the rest of this entry »

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Rich Mullins, the World, and You!

Jul 23

Posted by steve in Church Planting, Just Life, World | No Comments


I was doing some research and came across this clip.  Indeed two things I love; the World and Rich Mullins.  Enjoy and ask, “what can I do to share the love of Christ and expand the Kingdom of God the world over?”

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To Sign or Not To Sign? (Thoughts on Church Membership)

Aug 30

Posted by steve in Church Planting, the CHURCH | 2 Comments

Recently we had our first “Official” membership class at the Crossings and it was a lot of fun.  It was just neat to see so many new and old faces excited about what God is doing in our own little part of the Kingdom.  It was neat to see people stepping up to the plate in heartfelt commitment.  Now I understand that in the greater body of Christ there’s been some debate as to what to do with Church membership.  Some claim it is not a Biblical principle and others hold the opposite position and see it as a great practicality for our day.  On my part I lean toward the second camp, so I’ve listed 7 reasons at the bottom of the post as to why we’ve gone with a formal membership at The Crossings.  But I think the greatest reason why I fall on the side of a designated church membership for the located body of Christ actually comes from a true story from our time in the former Soviet Union.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Church in the Snow and Counting the Cost.

Feb 15

Posted by steve in Church Planting | 3 Comments

siberian-oil-boom-615My oldest son was reading an article the other day in the National Geographic about a city in Siberia which has exploded in growth over the past few decades due to its growing oil production.   Because Debi and I lived in the former Soviet Union for two years after college, I’m always drawn to things happening in that part of the world.  This article was particularly interesting as it seems that nothing ever really happens in Siberia, especially growth.  But because of the natural resources and great leadership, this town which used to be not much more than wooden shacks 40 years ago has grown into a modern city of some 300,000 people.  But the one thing that really ran through my head was, “Wow, someone needs to move there to plant a church.”  If I were in another stage of my life, I would probably; (definitely) have looked into that possibility.  But then it happened; the flesh fought back.  Read the rest of this entry »

To Tell the Truth?

Nov 16

Posted by steve in Church Planting, the CHURCH | 1 Comment

truthI got a link from a friend the other day to another church planter’s blog and in one of his recent posts he talked about what kind of church he’d like to be a part of.  I’ve read a lot of similar things in the past and can see where this guy is coming from.  He’s got a lot of good ideas and shares his heart well.  But I have noticed something that’s missing a lot these days, especially with anything connected with post-modern, emerging, or emergent churches, and that’s the issue of doctrine.  (Dan Kimball seems to be a great exception to this tendency)  While I understand that doctrine by itself is dead, I get the feel that there are a lot of folks who are throwing out truth for the sake of emotion, relativism, and pragmatism.  But what we find in the first church is that they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.”  (Acts 2:42) In other words, they were concerned about truth and it seems that if we’re going to be authentic church today and not simply new clubs, then we have to seriously pursue the apostle’s teachings ourselves.  In short, truth really does matter.

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Looking Forward to Turbo!

Sep 29

Posted by steve in Church Planting | No Comments

worldI’m excited about attending an upcoming “Turbo” church planting event at NorthWood Church in Keller this Thursday. The lead presenter is a guy named Bob Robertswho has been used by God in a great way not only to plant NorthWood over 20 years ago, but to assist in and send out over a hundred planters. I’m looking forward to gleaning some more wisdom on the subject and exploring more into the future direction God is calling us to. One thing that I am convinced of is that we are going to be involved in church planting whether that’s doing another plant or leading an established church into this realm of service. Along those lines, I’ve been asked a few times if there’s really a need for such a thing, especially in an area like DFW which has “tons of churches”. I’ve always told folks asking that it’s a good question and then given them some things to chew on. Without too much research, here are just four reasons for planting that immediately come to mind. Read the rest of this entry »

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Some Wise Words on Global Evangelism

Sep 12

Posted by steve in Church Planting, World | No Comments

glocalnetOne of my true heart passions is world evangelism. In tune with this, I’ve pasted below a recent post from one of my favorite blogs to keep up with. The guy’s name is Bob Roberts and he’s got a lot of experience and insight to consider. The link is at Glocal.net and the post is below. Enjoy.

To See a Transformed World – or NOT!

When we go into ministry it is driven by passion, love, vision, and determination to see God work in our lives and see radical transformation through Jesus Christ in our local ministries and throughout the world. Too often it ends in frustration, disappointment, and defeat. The problem is not our heart or desire or even willingness – it’s our paradigm and understanding of our world. If we would see transformation:

1. We need a clear understanding of what the Great Commission is and what it isn’t. In my upcoming book that will be out in a few months I deal with what the Great Commission is – and move it from religious preacher work to disciple society engagement. Our current western understanding of the Great Commission is limiting us in being able to be a part of things where the Gospel is going viral. Read the rest of this entry »

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