Category Archives: open church

A Better (More Biblical) Way To Have Church?

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Steve Simms

Should church teach people: 1) To quietly sit and listen and mentally learn a lesson? (The traditional way of doing church.) Or 2) To actively participate and take possession of Christ-like attitudes and actions?  (The only way of doing church … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, biblical, Biblical concept, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, Christian values, church meetings, church program, church roles, church structure, disciple making, do church, faith, faith-based, house church, hymn, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, improvisation, interpretation, Music City, open church, participatory church, speaking in tongues, tongue | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Have You Ever Been To Church?

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Steve Simms

Church is more than a structured meeting. Church is spiritual life flowing through a room – Something you and everyone present can feel.   Church is electricity in the air, An inner tingling, A sense of awe. A keen awareness … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian organizations, Christian values, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, denominations, disciple making, disciples, electricity, faith, faith-based, fire of the Holy Spirit, followers of Christ, gifts of the Spirit, God experiment, God's authority, God's government, Holy Spirit, house church, hymn, improv, improvisation, interactive, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, ministry, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, open church, participatory church, people of God, praise and worship, prayer, presence of Christ, presence of God, psalm, relational church, relevation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Spirit-led, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual interaction, The Salvation Army, worship | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Perhaps It’s Time To Cry Out To God

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Steve Simms

Cry Out Nashville was a prophetic event held in Cumberland Park, overlooking downtown Nashville, Tennessee, on Saturday, September 15, 2012. Christ-followers gathered to worship God and to cry out for spiritual awakening and revival.  God is wanting believers in Nashville … Continue reading →

Posted in adoration, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, Christian values, church, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, contemporary, Cry Out Nashville, Cumberland Park, evangelism, evangelistic meetings, followers, followers of Christ, house church, improv, improvisation, interactive, intercession, interdenominational, kingdom of God, missional, Music City, Nashville, non-church, non-traditional church, open church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, praise and worship, prayer, prayer walking, prayer without ceasing, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, repent, repentance, revival, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, wake up, wake-up call | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Awesome Power Of Spiritual Interaction

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Steve Simms

*  One of the most powerful tools for personal transformation is spiritual interaction, openly sharing your faith, spiritual experiences, struggles, and concerns with others in a loving and compassionate environment.  (I have personally seen spiritual interaction produce life-changing results both … Continue reading →

Posted in AA, addiction, addictions, Alcoholics Anonymous, Berry Street, Christ followers, Christian, Christian history, Christian values, church, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, early church, His story, history, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, inspiration, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, missional, move of God, movement, NA, Narcotics Anonymous, Nashville, Neil Cole, non-church movement, open church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, pentecostals, Quakers, religious ceremonies, Revelation 12:11, revival, sermon, sermons, simple church, sobriety, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual interaction, support group, the 12 Steps, The Salvation Army, the Walk to Emmaus, tradition, Tres Dias, unprogrammed church, When you come together | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

A Brief (Alternative) History Of Western Christianity

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Steve Simms

An alternative history of Western Christianity . . . The early Christians were passionate and obedient followers of the living, resurrected Jesus Christ.  The government didn’t like them and put many of them to death. However, the love, lifestyle, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 95 theses, alternative lifestyle, Castle Church, church, Constantine, downline, early church, ekklesia, empire, Germany, heretic, house church, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, lifestyles, love, Martin Luther, mullti-level, Muslims, mystery, mysticism, non-church, non-traditional church, open church, organic church, Orthodox, political issue, politics, Protestant Reformation, reformation, religious ceremonies, religious wars, Roman Catholic, simple church, true Christian life, turned the world upsidedown, values, Western religion, Western world, What is church?, Wittenburg Door | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ideas to Tone Down the NBA, the NFL, and the Olympics

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Steve Simms

What if they made a new rule to tone down the Sochi Olympics by requiring all Olympic athletes to have one arm tied behind their back during competition?  Would you be okay with that? What if, in order to reduce … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, Acts, American church, basketball, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, bold statements, burning heart, Christian community, Christianity, church history, church roles, church structure, current events, early church, East Nashville, England, faith-based, football, heart-felt love, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lifestyles, London, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, Olympics, open church, order of worship, participatory church, persecution, popular culture, post-Christianity, powerless, reality TV, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, repentance, revelation, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, sporting event, sports, television, the way we do church, true Christian life, TV, TV network, UK, Uncategorized, Western religion, Western world, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Video About How Church Can Be Like A Beach Party

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

Beach parties are fun.  Why do people love them so much?  Perhaps there are things the church can learn from a beach party . . .

Posted in beach, Beach Boys, Beach Boys songs, beach party, beach songs, Berry Street, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, church history, faith-based, gifts of the Spirit, Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 14:26, lifestyles, Music City, Nashville, non-traditional church, open church, participatory church, relational church, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, the way we do church, What is church? | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Alternative Names For Organic Church

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Steve Simms

In the last few years, many books have been written about organic church by people like Neil Cole, Milt Rodriguez, Tony and Felicity Dale, Frank Viola, Wolfgang Simpson, Jon Zens, and many others.  I have read many of the books.  … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American church, Berry Street, Bible, Biblical concept, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church roles, church structure, faith, faith-based, flag, Frank Viola, history, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, James H Rutz, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jon Zens, King James Version, Milt Rodriguez, Music City, Nashville, Neil Cole, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, open church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, prayer, prayer walking, Quakers, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, sermon, sermons, show and tell, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual awakening, support group, tag team, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, Tony and Felicity Dale, tradition, unprogrammed church, Western religion, What is church?, Wolfgang Simpson | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments