*Re-publishing this on the one-year anniversary of his passing. His thought still shapes my own, and the few times we met still leave a lasting impression.
If you’ve had a heart for missionary work overseas you may or may not have heard of the name “Ralph Winter”. Hands down, his was THE MOST influential voice in global mission in the past 50 years. While not the hagiographical superstar, his thought has subtly, yet profoundly influenced – no – charted the course of global Christianity and steered it toward new dimensions. Pop ideas like the 10 / 40 window would not be were it not for him, and those themes only scratch the surface of his ideas. Sadly, Ralph Winter passed away yesterday (5/20/09) at his home in Pasadena, after a long and courageous battle with Multiple Myeloma. He was well into his eighties. Read more…
I found this article terribly compelling (thanks to Daniel Eng for the heads up) – especially the following snippet – this has everything to do with defining * success * in church, or entrepreneurship, or just plain life: Read more…
As per a past post I re-raise this issue where angels fear to tread; well, thank goodness no one reads my blog anyway. Professor of New Testament, Rikk Watts, here @ Regent College has given a chapel lecture titled: “Up Zion’s Hill: Imagining a New Jerusalem” – and I walk away feeling like I missed the punchline – kinda half-full / half-empty – but here’s the synopsis: Read more…
Discovering how healing it is to be @ Regent – to talk about life, vocation, spirituality with other ministers-to-be. There is healing happening here in the context of community. But as I look back in my life I have not always had such support; where the resources of community have been made available to bring restorative listening and “life coaching”. I think of my recent foray into church planting, which has potential to be one of the loneliest periods in a pastors life. So I wonder if there is a way to strategically subvert the alone-ness inherent in planting a church. I’ve already concluded after the failure of missio that if I were ever crazy enough to attempt planting again I would… Read more…
Maybe last night’s sermon @ NCC that Christmas is “jihad” went too far. Read more…
Which is a fancy-schmancy way of saying “What is church?”
So contribute your thoughts, perhaps it will land in (or influence) the paper I am writing now titled, “The Kingdom As Church”. What is church? Is it a congregation? An established institution? Is it static and theoretical or dynamic, mission-birthed, people-oriented? Do you jive with the polemics of the progressive anti-institutional intelligentsia or do you prefer the familiarity of the old forms, traditions, liturgy, patterns? My answer to that question would be “yes, and…” but at any rate…
Further ponderings on the “success” question.
Some may disagree but I think there is a legit need to define quantifiable progress in church / missionary endeavor. Sure numbers are not everything but I think it’s necessary to know what is the telos of our work. A paradigm of mission is needed. Do we do good for goodness’ sake or is there a deeper reason? Before you fire off and say “Why? Do we always need a reason to do good?” I would say place yourself in my shoes of shutting down a dream and re-ask that question. Why do good if in the end it doesn’t happen? Why do good if in the end your efforts leave you discouraged, burned out, sucker-punched? Of course we could say with Mother Teresa, “do good anyway” – but that is not enough. There must be a telos to all of our frenetic religious activity. There must be quantifiable results. What are we driving at / towards? We must be able to answer that question. And the answer must be bigger than us. So what do I think is the telos of all missional / missionary activity? Read more…
Man it feels good to be back in Canada.
The above title was the convo @ the church planters gathering in Bellingham (Hothouse). Some of the attention was turned on me as those gathered knew about my recent heartache of closing down a church. And so I was queried about how I felt and if it was a loss or waste. It was therapeutic to be a bit narcissistic and talk about my angst but at the end the question was on the table and still stands: Read more…
My trip to the east coast has elicited much reflection & conversation about pastoring and starting new churches. I met with no less than 3 church planters while there and heard the glories and the “crap times” as one put it. I’m no church planting hotshot but i’ve got invaluable experience on several things that make it or break it for “church entrepreneurs”. Read the following at your own discretion; it will either discourage you or embolden you greatly. Read more…
Grenz is waxing eloquent on the ecclesiological practice of baptism.
I’m understanding more not only the theological and sacramental significance of the act, but more so the sociological significance of it. Being a Protestant of the “Reformed” strain, I don’t place heavy emphasis on the sacramental side as if the act itself were the mediator of the intrinsic grace; rather I see it as a symbol of heavenly realities. But still more I am discovering the deep sociological implications of the act of baptism. It is an act of belonging and identification, precisely that which a fragmented, over-individualized society yearns for today. In this sense baptism is an exciting, celebratory symbol of being part of something. Isn’t that what culture at large is looking for today? So, how do u do it? Are you into dunking, sprinkling, or pouring?
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