Category Archives: church services

Presenting God’s Presence–Putting the living Christ on the podium!

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Steve Simms

A simple script for an amazing church service: –“Please welcome our speaker, the living, resurrected Jesus Christ!” (Applause, then one person after another stands up and talks freely from the heart as they are internally prompted by Jesus.) Have we … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 2:4, church program, church programming, church services, church structure, church without a program, Crazy Love, demonstration of the Spirit's power, enticing words of man's wisdom, John 2:5, John Wilber, Keith Saylor, programmed, purpose of church, Quaker meetings, Quaker worship, Quakerism, Quakers, speaking from the heart, speaking in church, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-led church, Spirit-prompted, unprogrammed, unprogrammed church, unprogrammed meeting, Whatever He says to you do it | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Do You Dare To Read These Amazing Words From Catherine Booth?

Posted on July 22, 2015 by Steve Simms

Here’s a long passage from Catherine Booth about how church meetings should be done. Dare you read it? “While the gospel message is laid down with unerring exactness, we are left at perfect freedom to adapt our measures and modes … Continue reading →

Posted in church history, church order, church services, early Salvationists, history, organic chuch, Salvation Army, testimony | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nashville Salvation Army newsletter features a story about Berry Street

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Steve Simms

There is something going on at Berry Street . . . by Laura Tingo The Nashville Salvation Army’s Berry Street Corps is a place where people gather to share, sing, hug and worship. Sometimes one happens without the other. Its … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, church services, corps, nontraditional, Salvation Army Corps, Salvation Army Flag, support group, Trevecca | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Catherine Booth Shows That Participatory/Organic Church Is In The Salvation Army DNA

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Steve Simms

Catherine Booth shows that participatory (organic) church is in the DNA of The Salvation Army: “People contend that we must have quiet, proper, decorous services. I say, Where is your authority for this? I defy any man to show it. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14, alternative church, Armybarmy Blog, Berry Street, church, church services, Commissioner Barry Swanson, Hebrews 5:12, New Testament church, participatory church, Quotations, Stephen Court, Tennessee, testimony, unconventional church, you ought to be teachers | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Amazing manifestations of God happen when church moves beyond performance, program, and presentation to people openly sharing their hearts with one another!

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Steve Simms
Posted in church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, participatory church, simple church, Spirit-led church, spiritual church, spirituality | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Quotes & Notes on Spirit-Prompted Church Meetings

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Steve Simms

Hear God where you are.  Follow Him to where He is.  D.L. Moody said:  “The preaching that this world needs most is the sermons in shoes that are walking with Jesus Christ.” Within every person is a spiritual cell phone … Continue reading →

Posted in Azusa Street, Bob Kuhn, C.H. Mackintosh, church services, church structure, clergy, clergy/laity, clericalism, D.L. Moody, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, G. Campbell Morgan, Nashville, Nashville church, ordaination, ordained, order of worship, organic church, out of the box, outpouring of the Spirit, participation in church, participatory church, preaching, priesthood of the believer, religion, ringtone, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvation Army Nashville, sermon-hearing, sermons, Tennessee, The Apostolic Faith | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Pentecost — A Holy Spirit Takeover Of A Church Service!

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Steve Simms

Pentecost — let’s not just talk about, let’s experience it!  We need Pentecost to be more than a distant, religious memory.  We desperately need it to be a present, ongoing reality in our individual lives and in our churches! Pentecost … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian church, Christian holidays, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit flow, Holy Spirit promptings, Pentecost Sunday, pentecostal experience, pentecostals, Pentecostialism, spirit, spirit fire, Spirit of Truth, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-led church, Spirit-led interaction, Spirit-prompted, spiritual, spiritual adventure, spiritual awakening, spiritual discovery, spiritual drunkenness, spiritual experiences, spiritual fire, spiritual flow, spiritual formation, spiritual hunger, spiritual movement, spiritual power, spiritual prompting, spiritual transformation, spiritual walk, spiritual waves, spiritual worship | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Did modern innovations in churches create worship wars?

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Steve Simms

Church innovation has become widespread & refreshing! Guess what is my favorite church innovation. Over the past generation or two, the way of having church in our society has changed a lot as we have seen new ideas creatively introduced … Continue reading →

Posted in Bob Rognlien, changes in worship, church meetings, church program, church seating, church services, church speakers, competition, conflict, contemporary Christian music, contemporary church, contemporary society, controversy, debate, definition, experiential worship, house church, how to do church, hymn, hymns, innovation, lip syncing, open church, open sharing, organic church, participatory church, participatory culture, participatory sermons, pew, Power Point, powerpoint, quotation, Quotations, quote, raising hands, simple church, worship, worship dancing, worship drama, worship gathering, worship innovation, worship leader, YouTube | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Karaoke Spoken From The Heart (Lay Witness Missions)

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Steve Simms

Before people in the USA sang karaoke, they spoke it spontaneously, from the heart as they told how the living, resurrected Jesus Christ had changed their life.  It was called Lay Witness Missions.  This spoken karaoke began in United Methodist … Continue reading →

Posted in a shout out, Ben Johnson, can I get a witness, Christian history, church history, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, evangelism, evangelistic meetings, Frank Billman, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lay evangelist, lay speakers, lay testimonies, lay witness coordinator, lay witness movement, lay witness team, layman, laymen, laywomen, Methodism, Methodist class meeting, Methodist revivalists, Methodists, Music City, Nashville, Nashville church, non-traditional church, open church, open forum, open mic, open mike, open sharing, religious karaoke, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, sharing, sharing Christ, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-led church, spiritual experiences, spiritual karaoke, spoken karaoke, team, testimonies, testimonies in church, testimony, witness, witnesses, witnessing, worship, worship service | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

How To Make Church Exciting: Let God Run It!

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Steve Simms

Too many people find church boring.  But, hey, it’s not their fault.  It is not people’s responsibility to sit in a boring church service and make themselves excited.  Christianity, the most exciting facts in the world, should never be presented … Continue reading →

Posted in bumper sticker, Christian, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, class meetings, Friends, Jesus Take The Wheel, Layman's Prayer Revival, Let go and let God, Max Lucado, Methodism, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, presence of Christ, presence of God, programmed, programmed from the front, programming, purpose of church, Quaker meetings, Quakers, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Nashville, The Christmas Candle | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments