Author Archives: Steve Simms

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About Steve Simms

I like to look and think outside the box. In college I encountered Jesus Christ and I have been passionate about trying to get to know Him better ever since. My wife and I long to see the power and passion of the first Christ-followers come to life in our time. I have written a book about our experiences in non-traditional church, called, "Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible--Ekklesia." If you need encouragement, search for: Elephants Encouraging The Room and/or check out my Amazon author page. Thank you!

Is there too much agreement in church?

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Steve Simms

Passive agreement is overrated and often bland. Connecting with people heart-to-heart is much more powerful and fulfilling. Social media trains people to be interactive while church continues to insist on keeping people passive and silent. However, when most of the … Continue reading →

Posted in conscience, happiness, heart, heart care, heart religion, heart-felt love, hearts on fire, inner joy, joy, joy unspeakable, paralysis, paralyzed, Uncategorized, unhappiness | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Priests & other church leaders

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Steve Simms

Being hurt by religion is sometimes the first step toward learning to listen to and follow the risen Jesus. It helps us look beyond religious leaders to Christ. The body of Christ should be an environment of radical humility, honesty, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14, biblical Christianity, Christianity, control, dishonesty, early Christianity, God's presence, healing, honesty, humility, sexual harassment, simple church, Uncategorized, walk in the light | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Priests behaving badly in Pensylvania

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Steve Simms

A grand jury report issued on August 14 revealed that Roman Catholic bishops in Pennsylvania covered up child sexual abuse by more than 300 priests that took place over a period of 70 years. (A week before that numerous allegations … Continue reading →

Posted in abuse, Bill Hybels, bishops, Catholic priest, child abuse, church, church leadership, hierarchy, Lord it over, preachers, priesthood, religion, sexual harassment, sin, sinner, sinners, sins, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A preacher’s tweak once a week isn’t enough

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Steve Simms

Christianity has to be more than a preacher’s little tweak once a week. All Christians (not just one per church) are called and ordained to preach the Gospel–to tell people the good news about Christ! The traditional church  service typically doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in fanfare, Holy Spirit, house church, hype, institutional church, non-traditional church, nontraditional church, organic church, organic church blogs, Uncategorized, unprogrammed church | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bill Hybels & Willow Creek show flaws of “Big Man On Campus” church

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Steve Simms

Perhaps Bill Hybels shows that the “Big Man On Campus” way of doing church is flawed. Here’s are some insights inspired by Bill’s alleged backstage harassment incidents at Willow Creek. Religious leaders who have power over a congregation and little … Continue reading →

Posted in big man on campus, casual church, celebrities, church, form of godliness, having a form of godliness, human sexuality, religion, religious celebrities, seeker model, seeker sensitive church, seeker-church, seeker-driven, seeker-oriented, sermon, sexual addiction, Uncategorized, user friendly | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lookin’ like a Christian?

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Steve Simms

 

Posted in character, faithfulness, gentleness, godliness, goodness, inner peace, joy, kindness, love, patience, peace, self-control, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

If you haven’t heard, perhaps your being herded

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Steve Simms

If you haven’t heard Christ’s living words burning in your heart, it’s easy to follow the herd. Are you being herded? When God blazes a new trail in your heart, it often creates a mismatch with religious tradition. Jesus’ way or … Continue reading →

Posted in following Christ, heart, heart care, heart connection, heart strangely warmed, heart-felt, I am the way, Jesus is the way, sin, smoke, smoke and mirrors, spectators, spiritual warfare, tradition, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Recognizing and forgiving wrong

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Steve Simms

Ignoring wrong is denial, not tolerance. However, recognizing and forgiving wrongdoing is powerful! Forgiving others releases any emotional chokehold their hurtful words or behaviors have on your life. One of the best gifts you can give yourself is to forgive others. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, brainwashed, brainwashing, forgive us our trespasses, How to forgive., how to receive forgiveness, human nature, intolerance, judge, judge not, judges, judging, judgment, judgmentalism, judgments, media, moral judgment, self-forgiveness, sermon, sermon material, Uncategorized, unforgiveness | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Anybody like repeating words after a preacher?

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Steve Simms

Some preachers’ idea of participation in church is this: “Everybody say: ‘This message is gonna be good.” If preachers want people to say a one-liner to their “neighbor,” why don’t they say: “Turn to your neighbor and quote a Bible … Continue reading →

Posted in clergy, clergy laity, clergy/laity, clergy/laity split, hype, priesthood, priesthood of all believers, priesthood of the believer, religion, religious ceremonies, religious nuts, religious quotes, religious tradition, routine religion, Uncategorized, universal priesthood | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

18 ideas for disrupting the church industry

Posted on August 5, 2018 by Steve Simms

A disruptive innovation is a creative change that establishes a new market by disrupting an existing market. It gradually replaces established market leaders. The term was coined by Clayton Christensen in the mid 1990s. In addition to uprooting markets, another … Continue reading →

Posted in business, business communications, church movements, facebook, recovery groups, releasing creativity, social media, spiritual, Ted Talks, twitter, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments