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 New Testament Ministry Based On Teamwork?

Posted on April 18, 2015 by Steve Simms

Why are the members of the body of Christ (the church) given various spiritual gifts if only one member is expected to do all the ministry when the church meets? (“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is … Continue reading →

Posted in 5-fold ministry, apostles, church teams, Ephesians 4:11, evangelists, ministry team, officers, pastors, prophets, Salvation Army, shepherds, soldiers, teachers | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Jesus CEO — Analogy or Actuality?

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Steve Simms

I recently heard someone in a meeting refer to “the heads of ministries and churches.” Unfortunately, this is not just words. Many people actually believe that a pastor is the head of a church, sort of like a CEO. However, … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts 13, apostles, calling of Paul and Barnabas, Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 4:11, Ephesians 5:23, evangelists, figurehead, Laurie Beth Jones, pastors, prophets, Quotes, shepherds, teachers, who runs a church | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Put Prayer Back In Schools? (How About Back In Church Services?)

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Steve Simms

For decades believers have debated and argued about prayer in schools.  We have been offended by public prayer being removed from public schools. We, people of faith, don’t like limits on prayer in schools. But what about our self-imposed limits … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Murray, Armin Gesswein, book of Acts, D.A.Carson, E.M. Bounds, J. Edwin Orr, Jack Taylor, Matthew Henry, Music City, Nashville, organic church, Quotations, revival, Salvation Army, Samuel Chadwick, Worship City | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Turning Setbacks Into Setups 4 Success

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Steve Simms

Things turn out the best For people who trust The living God To make the best Out of the way things turn out. Situations that seem like setbacks Suddenly turn into surprising setups For God to work. Your disappointment Is … Continue reading →

Posted in All things work together for good, appointment with God, dealing with disappointment, faith, Genesis, Joseph, overcoming setbacks, Romans 8:28 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is a 2017 Church Reformation Coming?

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Steve Simms

The Protestant Reformation began on Oct. 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of  All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany. A 500th anniversary is coming up in 2017. So here’s a challenge.  Complete this sentence: If … Continue reading →

Posted in 1517, 2017, Germany, Head of the church, history, one anothering, one anothers, priesthood of the believer, universal priesthood, Wittenbert | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Facilitating Group Surrender 2 The Risen Christ

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Steve Simms

Should church present programs about the religious Christ? Or surrender to the real presence of the risen Christ? What would happen if church leaders shifted from being public speakers under the spotlight, to being spiritual facilitators creating an environment where … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christian support group, Holy Spirit teacher, I will build my church, improv, Mark Batterson, On this rock, Peter, support groups | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Tethered or Untethered?

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Steve Simms

Tethered or untethered? Should church be allowed to soar with the Spirit or be consistently contained and controlled by confining cables? I’ve been up in a tethered hot air balloon.  We went straight up to the end of the tether (about 50 … Continue reading →

Posted in balloon challenge, balloon flights, basket, fun with balloons, lighter than air, Nashville, organic church, Salvation Army, soaring in the Spirit, tethered, tethered balloon, untethered | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Words Written In A Nashville House Fulfilled More Than A Century Later

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Steve Simms

These words from the 1880s were written by a man who lived in this Nashville house. They describe John Berry McFerrin’s experience with a non-traditional style church meeting as a young man in the 1830s. He wrote: “The meetings were greatly … Continue reading →

Posted in Class meeting, historic Nashville homes, houses in Nashville, Methodist class meeting, Nashville, Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Game Fixing Breaks Sports Integrity — What About Church Fixing?

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Steve Simms

Game fixing occurs when a sporting event is made to follow a completely or partially predetermined result.  (When the same thing is done in church, is it “church fixing”?) So what’s wrong with game fixing? Game fixing drastically changes the nature … Continue reading →

Posted in doping, International Olympic Committee, IOC, Jacques Rogge, Olympics, Quotes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

In the Bible is a church meeting a showcase for one man’s ministry or an interactive Christ-centered community?

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Steve Simms
Posted in Christ-centered community, interactive church, ministry showcase, one man ministry | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment