Category Archives: participatory church

Apply These Apps For Spiritual Strength

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Steve Simms

God’s not like a TV where you passively sit back, like a couch potato, and watch professionals put-on religious performances. He’s got more apps for you than there are for your iPhone. So listen directly to the living God.  Load … Continue reading →

Posted in acts of God, alternative lifestyle, apps, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christian, church, church roles, community, download, downloads, East Nashville, gifts of the Spirit, guidance, iPhone, joy, kindness, kingdom of God, love, Music City, mysticism, non-traditional church, operationg system, organic church, participatory church, patience, peace, priesthood of the believer, reality TV, religion, religious ceremonies, simple church, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, supernatural, support group, television, TV, TV network, voice activated | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Relational Church — What A Great & Powerful Idea — Experience It For Yourself

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Steve Simms

Relational church is powerful and life changing.  It shows people that the love of God isn’t just a religious idea, but a present, almost tangible, reality. When God’s love is demonstrably present and visible in a gathering, people’s lives are … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, church roles, East Nashville, glory, hearts unfold like flowers, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, inward change, kingdom of God, Music City, non-traditional church, normal Christianity, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, relational church, simple church, spiritual growth, support group, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

500 Years Ago Martin Luther Posted 95 Shocking Statements About Church — Here Are My 95 . . .

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Steve Simms

In 1517, Martin Luther nailed a piece of paper, listing 95 revolutionary statements, to the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany.  This act marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation of the church. Inspired by Martin Luther’s courageous act, … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American church, belief, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Biblical concept, blog, bold statements, Bubba Watson, burning heart, challenges, change, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church roles, church structure, clergy, conscience, conviction of sin, courage, dancing, dancing with God, deliverance, demons, disciple making, East Nashville, family gathering, football, forgiveness, formal, freedom, gifts of the Spirit, God's government, grace, guidance, guilt, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heart-felt love, Heaven, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, improvisation, Jeremy Lin, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, laymen, lecture, lifestyles, Linsanity, Martin Luther, miracles, missional, morality, morals, movement, multi-racial, Music City, mysticism, Nashville, normal Christianity, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, praise and worship, prayer, prayer walking, presence of Christ, presence of God, priesthood of the believer, prophesy, quench the Spirit, recovery, reformation, religion, religious ceremonies, repent, repentance, simple church, sin, Spirit-led, spiritual, support group, Taiwan Tebow, tears, tebow, tebowing, Tim Tebow, voice of God, wages of sin, Western religion, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

The Way To Grow Is To Go

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Steve Simms

People grow when they go into positive action.  If they sit still too long, they atrophy. The way to grow spiritually is to go with God’s flow — to hear and do what the Spirit of God says to you.  … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, Berry Street, celebrations, challenges, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, church roles, church structure, community, congregational, devotion, disciple making, disciples, East Nashville, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heart-felt love, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, improvisation, Music City, Nashville, non-traditional church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, people of God, praise and worship, prayer, presence of Christ, presence of God, priesthood of the believer, quench the Spirit, religion, religious ceremonies | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What’s Needed In Contemporary Ch__ch? u r (You Are Needed To Be An Active Participant Rather Than A Spectator!))

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Steve Simms

If you compare contemporary church meetings with how they did church in the New Testament, you will notice that something seems to be missing nowadays.  What’s the difference between the early church and the modern-day church? Paul compares the New … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st Century, American church, announcements, awe, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, church, church history, church roles, church structure, community, congregational, early church, East Nashville, entertainment, hearing God, house church, human body, I Corinthians 14:26, kingdom of God, Music City, mystery, mysticism, non-traditional church, normal Christianity, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, praise and worship, prototype, religion, religious ceremonies, revival, simple church, speaking, spiritual growth, surrender to God, symphony, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, tradition, What is church?, worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Hey Church, We Are Family . . . (Do We Act Like It?)

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Steve Simms

Perhaps the church can learn from family . . . The Bible teaches that church is family — a body of believers bound together in spiritual kinship.  Church is hearts connected in love for Christ and for one another.   The … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Biblical concept, children, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, community, disciple making, discipling, early church, family gathering, formal, funerals, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, improvisation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lecture, lesson plans, marriage, modeling, New Testament, non-traditional church, organic church, parents, participatory church, religion, religious ceremonies, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual kinship, support group, teaching, the way we do church, thinking, tradition, unprogrammed church, weddings, Western religion, What would Jesus do? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

What Involves Various People Speaking But Only 1 Person Talking?

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Steve Simms

What involves several people speaking but only one Person talking?  A Spirit-led, participatory church meeting. It is truly amazing.  Various people spontaneously (as led by the Spirit) share words of encouragement, insights, testimonies, Scriptures, prayer requests, spiritual gifts, prayers, and … Continue reading →

Posted in American church, awe, Bible, bold statements, burning heart, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church, church structure, God's government, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, improvisation, Jesus Christ, Methodist class meeting, Music City, Nashville, non-material reality, non-traditional church, organic church, participatory church, prayer | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

A Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Words

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Steve Simms

When I was a boy my dad had a book called:  Eloquence in Public Speaking: How To Set Your Words On Fire by Kenneth McFarland.  It was about how to put sparks in human hearts and it helped to create … Continue reading →

Posted in a hunka hunka burnin', Acts, alternative lifestyle, apologists, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, burning heart, change, Christian, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, early church, Jesus Christ, Kenneth McFarland, message, Music City, Nashville, organic church, participatory church, religion, revival, riot, simple church, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, testimonies, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, turned the world upsidedown, witness, words on fire | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Jesus Culture In Nashville — Not A Concert But A Passionate Worship Experience

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Steve Simms

It looked like a concert, but it wasn’t.  Several thousand people (mostly under 30) gathered last night at the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville to worship with the band, Jesus Culture. With the energy of a rock … Continue reading →

Posted in awe, Belmont University, Berry Street, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christianity, concert, Curb Event Center, dancing, dancing with God, East Nashville, freedom, God, hearing God, hearing Jesus, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus Culture, music, Music City, participatory church, praise and worship, prayer, presence of Christ, presence of God, religion, sermon, sermons, simple church, spiritual growth, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, worship | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin, & Now Bubba Watson — W.G.U.T.? (What’s God Up To?)

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Steve Simms

Bubba Watson was the surprise winner of the Masters’ Tournament on Easter Sunday.  After winning the green jacket, he said:  “I’d like to first thank Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior . . .”  Just before that moment, his Masters’ … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Bible, Bubba Watson, challenges, champions, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian history, Denver Broncos, East Nashville, ESPN, facebook, glory, golf, green jacket, hearing God, hearing Jesus, Jeremy Lin, Jesus, Jesus Christ, joy, lifestyles, Lord, Masters' Tournament, meaning, New York Knicks, non-material reality, normal Christianity, organic church, participatory church, PGA, religion, Savior, Scriptures, spiritual, spiritual growth, tebow, tebowing, testimonies, The Salvation Army, The Voice, Tim Tebow, TV network, twitter, Uncategorized, voice of God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments