As a church planter in a community that is attempting to be more relational and organic, Parker Palmer’s words on leadership really strike a chord. He argues that it’s in the less rigidly defined community that leadership is most important not in the structured and hierarchical system: Unfortunately, our idea of leadership has been deformed by a myth that links leadership to hierarchy, as if leaders were needed only in systems that operate from the top down. But when we…
Yesterday we successfully had our first public worship service for our new church plant New City Covenant! It went really, really, well. It was so much fun to see everything come together. The praise band sounded great, the welcoming crew did a fantastic job, the volunteers who helped setup were tireless servants, the kids had a blast in the children’s ministry, the food was amazing, and the people who showed up were gracious and engaged. It was a real privilege to…
When I read that God said to Abraham, offer up your son as a sacrifice, I wonder if this story should have been left out of the Bible. What does it have to do with a loving God and his relationship with his people? Isn’t this just at best a bizarre case of emotional manipulation and at worst divine child abuse? But recently this story has started to gain new meaning for me. Abraham’s relationship with God is meant to…
Have you heard this song by The Fray called Over My Head? It’s a catchy tune. I’m not really sure what the song is about, but the chorus speaks to me. Every time I hear it on the radio it reminds me of my own inner turmoil. Over and over throughout the song, the lead singer belts out: “Everyone knows I’m in over my head, in over my head” And as I hear those words I think, that’s me. I’m…
It’s amazing how broken our world is. Since I’ve started planting New City Covenant, I’ve become more aware of both my own brokenness and that of others. I sit down with anywhere from 2 to 10 people each week and share my story and the vision of our church with them. I also listen as people share their stories with me. I get to hear their frustrations with the church. I get to hear their frustrations with God. I…
This sums up the driving metaphor behind what we want our church plant to be. This quote explains why our church is named New City Covenant Church. Key images of God’s alternative community, the missional church, are found in the Gospel’ descriptions of the people of God as “the salt of the earth,” a “light of the world,” and a “city set on a hill.” These images suggest that mission is not just what the church does; it is what…
Check out this interesting commentary by Skye Jethani on consumerism in the church in this short video: I think he raises an interesting point about the assumed cultural values the medium of our church experience communicates. If Sunday morning church experiences are dedicated to the “entertainment” and “comfort” of the parishioner, then it is no surprise that eventually many people will just stop attending church. When the pastor says something that makes Suzy uncomfortable or when the praise leader fails to…
Do you ever feel like God has abandoned you? Do you ever feel like the path that you set out on isn’t going to work because God is no longer leading you? Do you go through ups and downs spiritually or emotionally as you wonder about God’s involvement and direction in your life? I do. My spiritual life is like an extreme roller coaster ride from a wild theme park. It’s the one that rises the highest and then plummets…
This past weekend Mary and I finished up our time at Emmanuel Covenant Church. Where for the past six months I had been working as a church planting resident. It was a great experience for our whole family. Throughout our time there, we were able to engage in a variety of ministries that encouraged and nurtured us in our relationship with God. The leadership at the church is passionate about God and they lead his church with wisdom. Thanks to…
This chart displays graphically the inflow and outflow of people in various religious groups in America. This graph is taken from a post by internet monk. It was compiled from two surveys recently released detailing the state of religion in America. The most influential is the Pew Forum study Faith in Flux. The upshot of the above graph for Evangelicals is summarized by internet monk as: Evangelicals are at best currently treading water. Their inflows have been matched by…