Category Archives: Nashville

How To Have Genuine Revival & Spiritual Awakening

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Steve Simms

How to Prepare The Way of The Lord (And Make Room For Revival & Spiritual Awakening in Your Life And in Your Church) 1) Get tradition out of the way. (“You nullify the word of God by your tradition.” –Jesus.) … Continue reading →

Posted in Biblical concept, deny yourself, God resists the proud, God's power, God's presence, grace, grace of God, heart, heart care, humility, iniquities, iniquity, Jesus, Jesus is alive, Jesus Movement, Nashville, Prepare the way of the Lord, quotation, quote, Quotes, revival history, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, take up your cross, tradition | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Do Preplanned Church Programs “Ruin It” For People

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Steve Simms

If you tell people the storyline and outcome of a movie before they see it, many people will say that you have ruined it for them. They don’t want to know what happens in a movie before they see it. … Continue reading →

Posted in brackets, champions, church leadership, church meetings, movie, movies, Music City, Nashville, Nashville church, NCAA championship, predicting the NCAA tournament, ruin it, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, service, simple church, sporting event, sports, unprogrammed church, wait and see, why go to church, worship, worship gathering, worship service, worship styles | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

National Salvation Army Magazine Promotes Participatory Church

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Steve Simms

War Cry, the national magazine of The Salvation Army USA features this article on interactive church in the March 2014 issue (page 5). If you would like to go to the article on line, click on the link and thing … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Nashville, Nashville church, one another, one anothering, open church, open forum, open mic, open mike, open sharing, organic church, participatory church, simple church, Uncategorized, USA | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Dezoc And Roll With The Rock

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Steve Simms

Many people refuse God because they can’t see Him and they rob themselves of life’s most amazing experiences! What would it look like If God ran loose Flowing filter-free From heart to heart? Perhaps church isn’t really People in pews … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative church, experiencing God, experiential worship, getiting out of the boat, Nashville, open church, open forum, open mic, open mike, open sharing, order of worship, Salvation Army, walking on water | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

March Madness Style Excitement In Church

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Steve Simms

March Madness boring?   If basketball officials acted like pastors; personally planned and programmed each play, prompted those present when to stand and when to sit, and then presented a 30 minute talk; March Madness would be boring. I’m glad that … Continue reading →

Posted in basketball officials, basketball players, basketball plyaers, boredom, church format, church leadership, church services, clergy, clergy/laity, coaches, Jesus, Jesus Christ, ministers, Nashville, Nashville church, officials, officiating, organic church, pastor, preacher, priest, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, simple church, worship, worship service | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Church Is Like A Swiss Army Knife

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Steve Simms

A church service is like a Swiss Army Knife — full of spiritually gifted people.  It can use the same person to speak, week after week, while the others are closed down (pic 1).  Or it can allow everybody to … Continue reading →

Posted in How many blads in a Swiss Army Knife?, interactive, interactive church, interactive learning, Nashville, Nashville charity, Nashville church, non-church, non-liturgical, non-traditional church, nonconforming, open church, open forum, open mic, open mike, open sharing, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, simple church, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, spiritual giftings, spiritual gifts, spontaneous church, Uncategorized, What is a Swiss Army Knife | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Pope Francis & Participatory Church

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Steve Simms

Pope Francis has made several statements that indicate that he wants church meetings to be more than passively listening to sermons. We need to allow the living, resurrected Jesus to come out in church meetings and use ordinary people. Pope … Continue reading →

Posted in Bergoglio, Bergogolio, Chris Lowney, clergy, clericalism, dialogue, God's surprises, Jesuit Pope, Jesuits, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Nashville, organic church, Quotations, quote, Quotes, Roman Catholic, Rome, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermons, simple church, Tennessean, witness, witnesses | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Page Church = Purch/Participatory Church

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Steve Simms

Perhaps it is time for the 21st Century Western church to turn the page and flip through the Bible, stopping at the one place in the New Testament where we are told how to do church:  “When you come together, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Chinua Achebe, cleansing the temple, David James Duncan, Hillary Clinton, It takes a village, kingdom of God, narrow is the way, Nashville, Nashville church, New Testament, participatory church, participatory culture, simple church, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, the Western church, Things Fall Apart | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Non-Charismatic Seminary Professor Speaks Out For Participatory Church

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Steve Simms

Charles H. Kraft, professor of anthropology and intercultural communication at Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, California speaks out for participatory church.  In in his book, Christianity With Power:  Your Worldview and Your Experience of the Supernatural, although he says that … Continue reading →

Posted in anthropology, California, Calvin, charismatic, Charles H. Kraft, Christianity with Power, Holy Spirit, intercultural communication, interpretation, Luther, Nashville, Nashville church, Nashville tourist attractions, non-charismatic, Pasadena, quotation, Quotations, quote, reformer, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermon, speaking in tongues, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Tennessee, the Reformers, worldview | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Church — A Flow Or A Show?

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Steve Simms

Is church more of a show or more of a flow?  Wind and rivers are symbols of the Holy Spirit. The wind blows, a river flows; but the church tends to show what it knows through programs and presentations rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, church format, church leadership, church program, church programs, church roles, church services, church structure, flo, flow, flow of the Spirit, flowing of the Holy Spirit, lecture, lecture series, led by the Spirit, life, Music City, Nashville, Nashville adventure, Nashville church, Nashville tourist attractions, Romans 8:14, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual flow, spiritual life, spiritual worship, TN, tree of life, tree of the knowledge of good and evil | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments