Category Archives: Christian community

Church — A Bottled Water Plant? or A Mighty, Whitewater River

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Steve Simms

Church — A bottled water plant? or A mighty, whitewater river? Contemporary church is too often like a bottled water plant. People sit passively, like flimsy plastic bottles in a row, hoping to receive a single squirt of water from … Continue reading →

Posted in bottled water plant, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church format, church meetings, church program, church programs, church seating, church services, church structure, Holy Spirit, house church, How is water bottled?, institutional church, Nashville adventure, Nashville charity, Nashville church, Nashville news, participation in church, participatory church, participatory culture, plastic bottles, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, simple church, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual church, spontaneity, spontaneous church, whitewater river | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Perhaps Church Needs A New Focal Point

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Steve Simms

Maybe the focal point of church should be the living, resurrected Jesus Christ — not a human personality exalted above everybody else and controlling everything from the front. God is looking for a generation that will hear and obey the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ, Christ followers, Christian community, Christianity, church history, definition, doctrine, everyday minister, history, how to do church, ministers, ministry, renewal, routine, routine religion, ways of doing church | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Multivoiced Church — A Spiritual Sprinkler System

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Steve Simms

Perhaps a church service is like a sprinkler system on a golf course in Arizona. If only one sprinkler works and all the rest are shut down, almost all the grass dries up and withers. However, if every sprinkler shares … Continue reading →

Posted in active participants, Arizona, Berry Street, Building a Multivoiced Church, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church programs, church services, community, discipleship, golf, golf course, living water, multi-voiced church, Nashville, Nashville church, Nashville news, organic church, participants, participatory church, quotation, quote, Quotes, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermon, sermon-free, sermon-hearing, sermons, Sian Williams, simple church, sprinkler system, Tennessee, The Power of All, The Salvation Army, voices | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Every Christ-follower is clergy & is called to be God’s minister/witness, regardless of his/her job.

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Steve Simms
Posted in Christian, Christian community, church, church leadership, clergy/laity, participatory church, pastor, preacher, preaching, preaching the Word, simple church | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Could Church Services Be Like A Handbell Choir?

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Steve Simms

Have you ever seen a group of people play a tune with handbells? Each person holds two bells and all the bells play different notes. As a director leads them, each person plays one of his bells at the proper … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian community, Christianity, church leader, church leadership, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, encountering God, experiencing God, participants, participators, participatory church, religious innovation, spiritual transformation | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The church is the body of the broken; the face of the forgotten; and the house of the humble.

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Steve Simms

The church is the body of the broken; the face of the forgotten; and the house of the humble.

Posted in Christian, Christian community, Christian values, Christianity, humility, service, serving others | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Two Questions About Human Leadership Vs. The Spirit’s Leadership In Church

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Steve Simms

Here are two questions about church leadership for pastors and so-called laymen: Question #1: Who is the most capable church leader in the world? Answer: The living, resurrected Jesus Christ present in our midst when we gather in His name. … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ followers, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, church, church history, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, comfort, comfort zone, congregational, deciision making, decision-making, earn his keep, East Nashville, God's government, guidance, homes, house church, human leadership, improv, improvisation, laymen, Laymen's prayer revival, Music City, Nashville, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, order of worship, participatory church, pastor, religious ceremonies, religious innovation, religious tradition, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual leaders, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

3 Bold & Radical Martin Luther King Quotations

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Steve Simms

3 bold, radical, and ignored quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “God has a way of standing before the nations with judgment, and it seems that I can hear God saying to America, ‘You’re too arrogant! And if you … Continue reading →

Posted in America, arrogance, Be still and know that I am God, bold, change, change agent, Christ, Christ followers, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, church history, colony of heaven, commitment, contemporary church, disturbers of the peace, drunk, early church, gladiators, God calling, God-intoxicated, hearing God, hearing Jesus, ignored, infanticide, Jesus, Jesus Christ, judgment, MLK, mores, obey God rather than men, outside agitators, persecution, popular opinion, power, powerful, quote, Quotes, radical, radical obedience, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spirituality, thermometer, thermostat, voice of God | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Church is everyday people, prompted by the Spirit, presenting God’s presence. It’s not one person presenting a program to people passively perched in pews (or chairs).

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Steve Simms

See Matthew 18:20 and 1 Corinthians 14:26

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Christ followers, Christ in you, Christian, Christian community, Matthew 18:20, order of worship, organic church, presence of Christ, presence of God, prompted by the Spirit, real presence, sermon, sermon-free, sermons, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Radical Quotations About Church (Can You Handle Them?)

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Steve Simms

Can you handle these radical quotations about church? “A Christian gathering controlled by one person cannot be controlled by the Holy Spirit.”  –Eddie L. Hyatt “Our great duty is diligently to wait on the motions of His Spirit in our … Continue reading →

Posted in ambulance corps, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, church history, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church services, church structure, evangelism, George Fox, non-church, pillar of fire, Quakers, quote, Quotes, religion, religious ceremonies, religious innovation, religious relic, religious tradition, William Booth | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment