Complexity is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be. In the West, disciple making, church planting, and pastoral ministry are complex matters. But they do not have to remain in this state. Whenever I speak to pastors, denominational leaders, academics, and agency leaders, they all share the desire […]
Discipleship
The call to be a pastor in the post-Christianized West is a call to stand on a bridge between two worlds. The great need of the hour is to know the present, see the potential, and call church planters to move to a possible future. The great need of the […]
Pastors Stand on the Bridge
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity” (Psalm 133:1, ESV). No one enjoys conflict, especially the kind that comes with others on your team. That kind of conflict really hurts. While we do not like it, it will come. No team is immune to conflict. […]
5 Practices When Responding to Team Conflict
Evangelicals in the West, and North America in particular, generally agree that they live in a mission field. Cultural shifts and immigration have moved the boat of the Church into post-Christianized waters. Lesslie Newbigin argued this. David Bosch argued this. The Gospel and Our Culture Network argued this. The academy […]
Apostolic Structures in a Post-Christianized Context
April 11 was the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 13 launch. It has been called NASA’s most “successful failure.” Though the three men failed at their goal of landing on the moon, this aborted mission resulted in the application of a wealth of knowledge and skills no one could have […]
Expect Successful Failures
I know the Pew Research Center’s report notes that the U. S. Christian population is 78%. That would be 243,360,000 people. I know 38% of the general population (That would be 118,560,000 people.) accept the label “Evangelical”–with Barna adding that 27% of those (That would be 32,011,200 people.) that do […]