Category Archives: participatory church

Is The Holy Spirit Shut Down In Church?

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Steve Simms

The Holy Spirit flows through people. If people are kept silent in a church meeting and only allowed to listen to a speaker (or read from a program), the Spirit is quenched (limited in what He can do). See 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in order of worship, organic church, outside the box, participatory church, relevation, religion, simple church, speaking, spectators, spirit, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual interaction | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Thanking God On Thanksgiving Day — 2012

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

Happy Thanksgiving 2102, everybody! (Let’s get started.) *Thank You, Lord for creating me and giving me life. Thank You for this beautiful world you have placed me in. (Sorry we humans have messed it up so much.) Thank You for … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, celebrations, church, comfort, community, compassion, confession of sin, conviction of sin, corps, creation, devotion, freedom, gift of God, God, God calling, God's protection, godly sorrow, guidance, happiness, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heart care, human life, human nature, humility, inner peace, intellect, invisible, inward change, joy, kindness, life, Lord, love, meaning, mind, miracles, move of God, movement, mysticism, Nashville, non-traditional church, opportunity, organic church, participatory church, prayer, prayer without ceasing, presence of Christ, presence of God, purpose, recovery, relevation, religion, religious ceremonies, repent, repentance, revival, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, sin, spirit, Spirit-filled, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual disciplines, spiritual warfare, surrender, surrender to God, thanksgiving, thinking, thoughts, truth, voice of God | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Imagine If Church Had More And Less

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Steve Simms

What if would happen if church had . . . More of the Spiritual Guide speaking inside of everybody present and less of the one man sage on the stage?  (1 John 2:27) More prayer, less pride?  (2 Chronicles 7:14) … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 John 1:9, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, brokenness, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, Christian values, Chronicles, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, confession of sin, East Nashville, gift of God, gifts of the Spirit, God's authority, God's government, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, improvisation, inward change, Isaiah, John, keeping it together, lifestyle Christianity, Matthew, moral failures, Music City, non-church, non-traditional church, participatory church, prayer, pride, religion, religious ceremonies, repentance, sage on the stage, self-focus, simple church, societal, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual interaction, Tennessee, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

What Will It Take For A Bible Type Revival To Happen In America?

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Steve Simms

At The Salvation Army Berry Street last Sunday we passed out paper and pens and had everybody who was willing to write out a question for God and then to listen to God for His answer to their question. Then … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American, American church, American history, Americans, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible type revival, Christ followers, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, Christian values, church, church meetings, church programs, conviction of sin, devotion, die to self, disaster, disasters, disciple making, disciples, discipline, guidance, guide, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heart care, inspiration, institution, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, meaning, meaninglessness, message, movement, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, normal Christianity, participatory church, praise and worship, relevation, religion, repent, repentance, revolution, rivers of living water, salvation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, society, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual formation, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

How To Bring Back The Glory Days Of The Salvation Army

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Steve Simms

5 Keys To Bringing Back The Glory Days Of The Salvation Army 1) Get back to the streets. (Prayer walking with the Blood & Fire flag is a great, non-threatening way to do that.) 2) Get back to bold, public … Continue reading →

Posted in Blood and Fire, blood of Jesus, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian flag, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, church history, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church structure, glory, glory days, Holy Spirit, joy, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, move of God, movement, Music City, Nashville, Nashville projects, open airs, open church, openairs, order of worship, organic church, organization, outreach ministry, outside the box, participatory church, people of God, prayer, prayer walking, prayer without ceasing, preaching, Protestant, recovery, relevation, religion, religious ceremonies, repent, repentance, revelation, revival, revolution, salvation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual walk, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, The Salvation Flag | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

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

Let Jesus Run The Sunday Church Service

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Steve Simms

Come to Berry Street and see The Holy Spirit set free, No program, no plan led by man; Why should we run things when God can? We gather as “two or more” Then let Jesus have the floor; And He … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street Worship Center, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, Christian values, church, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, corps, denominations, disciple making, disciples, East Nashville, followers of Christ, freedom, gifts of the Spirit, guidance, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Heaven's door, Holy Spirit, house church, improv, improvisation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, move of God, movement, Music City, non-church, non-traditional church, participatory church, relevation, religion, revival, revolution, salvation, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, simple church, soldiers, Spirit-led, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare, surrender, surrender to God, testimonies, testimony, two or more, voice of God | Tagged , , , , , | 5 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

Should We Settle For Sunday Morning Mediocrity?

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Steve Simms

For generations people in the Western world have settled for church as usual — Sunday morning mediocrity (SMM).  However, this has not always been the case. For the First Century believers, church was anything but mediocre.  Gathering with other followers … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, biblical, Biblical concept, Christ, Christ followers, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, community, conviction of sin, East Nashville, ekklesia, evangelistic meetings, faith-based, filled with the Spirit, followers of Christ, gifts of the Spirit, house church, improv, improvisation, interactive, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, Nashville, non-church, normal Christianity, order of worship, participatory church, post-Christianity, religious ceremonies, service, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments