Church Archives - Page 5 of 13

Pope Francis: Evangelical of the Year

Chris — December 13, 2013

Since the day black smoke came out of Vatican, we haven’t been able to stop talking about him. He still wears hats and robes and prays with Mary, but we love him anyway. In an evangelical culture starved for meaningful examples of the way of Jesus, Pope Francis is the new Billy Graham.

All branches of the Christian faith are dealing with an identity crisis. With their social capital and political power waning, evangelicals specifically have struggled to find themselves. For many the answer was to rediscover the church’s call to social justice. Suddenly everyone wanted to build a well or adopt a kid.

In Church, Culture catholic church, Church, francis, Missional, missional church, pope francis

I Miss Mark Driscoll

Chris — December 12, 2013

There was a time when I looked forward to listening to Mark Driscoll on a regular basis. That was before I lost my stomach for the whole thing.

Driscoll was a new and exciting voice, championing the need for new, missionally minded churches to be planted. He was embedded in a city known for being both unchurched and superhip. He was dynamic and inspiring.

In Church, Culture celebrity, Church, megachurch, Missional

How Would the Apple Store Handle Church Membership?

Chris — November 12, 2013

I had the pleasure to work at an Apple Store for a few years. Yes, it has amazing products and an impeccably designed space, but more than anything, it works to cultivate a culture.

Best I can tell, “Church Membership” is a remnant of Christendom denominations use to distinguish themselves. The idea was that you become a member of a certain local church. This was usually denoted by a formal catechism or a conversion experience. You are more or less a member for life, and are expected to transfer said membership to a church of the same denomination if you move. More recent churches that can be traced by to the Church Growth movement of the 80s developed membership classes, which seem like basically a soft catechesis.

The world desperately needs our churches to be the Church well. This means clearly articulating how one learns and follows the way of Jesus in our culture (a disciple), and then articulating what it is that a disciple does. Discipleship cannot happen in a vacuum. Church is the community that naturally occurs because following Jesus always has relational implications. All communities have a culture.

Church membership (for lack of a better word) should describe the expectations of a person who has chosen to associate with the framework for discipleship that a local church uses. The process of discipleship cannot be extricated from the culture it takes place within.

Many aspects of the way of Jesus are unique. Creating culture, on the other hand, is not. Churches can and should learn from anyone who does culture well. Here are seven ideas that I learned from the Apple Store that will help.

1. Onboarding is EVERYTHING.

When I started at Apple, I wasn’t allowed anywhere near a store. They took us offsite, where we learned about Apple history, our expected behavior and each other. We didn’t even touch computers for the first week! Sometimes, it feels like churches are saying “sign here, and you’re a member”. Apple takes a few weeks. Jesus spent three years. Why don’t we take time on the front end to create a culture? Continue Reading…

In Church, Mission apple, Church, Missional, post-christendom

A Few Things Most Christians Can Agree On

Chris — October 4, 2013

The kind folks over at Explore God asked me to write an article on The Apostle’s Creed.

Even some of the best students will admit they have used CliffsNotes before. Those little yellow booklets provide a sometimes-much-needed list of characters and an overview that provides readers with the gist of even the densest novels. They aren’t just a shortcut for procrastinators; they are handy tools for navigating complex, multilayered stories.

Essential to many Christian traditions is The Apostles’ Creed, a CliffsNotes-style summary of what the Christian Church believes. Some churches, such as the Catholic Church, consider their creeds to be official and binding. Others, such as various Reformed, Lutheran, and Presbyterian denominations, find it useful as a tool of reaffirmation during worship and special occasions like baptism or the Lord’s Supper. Free churches—such as Baptist, Mennonite, and modern nondenominational churches—don’t necessarily embrace the creeds as part of their religious practice, but they would likely affirm that the creeds are an accurate summary of what they believe.

You can read the whole article on Explore God’s website.

In Church apostle's creed, Belief, beliefs, Church, doctrine

Why I am helping plant Austin Mustard Seed (and you should, too!)

Chris — September 26, 2013

RSVP Now for Austin Mustard Seed‘s first ever Sunday Liturgy on Sunday October 13!

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For the last four years, I’ve called Vox Veniae my home. Vox is the most fun, innovative and loving church community I’ve ever known. Why would anyone leave?

1) If you love something, you want there to be more of it.

I landed at Vox Veniae a little beat up. On my first visit, I saw no pretense, heard the soothing hymns of Sufjan Stevens and was invited out to lunch. The community was made of individuals at different stages of faith with varying lifestyles. They exuded creativity and a sense of belonging. I was encouraged to participate, not just watch.

In a world where millennials seem to be dropping out of church, Vox is young and vibrant. In a commuting culture, Vox is passionate about being good neighbors. In a politically polarized culture, Vox is fighting to create a quiet space to listen to God.

I would love to spend the next few decades as a part of Vox. There is something I am convinced is more important: giving more people the opportunity I had.

2) We need neighborhood churches.

Here’s my theory: the best antidote for consumer church is incarnational communities. When I say “incarnational“, I mean that the church follows the methodology of Jesus: “the Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.” Jesus, the eternal Word of God and second person of the Trinity, became a baby. He got calloused hands from working hard labor, spoke Aramaic and ate a lot of locally sourced fish.

There’s a lot of great regional churches. Sometimes the people who live in the same neighborhood as the church building don’t know much about the church other than the traffic jams on Sundays. I’m betting that living the church together in our neighborhoods will make it easier to participate in meaningful community and love our neighbors. Continue Reading…

In Church, Life, Mission Church, ecclesia network, mission, Missional

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