Category Archives: Salvation Army church

Do You Ever Get The Hear-Another-Sermon-Blues?

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Steve Simms

Do you ever get the hear-another-sermon-blues?  Well, don’t fret.  I can’t find the word “sermon” in the Bible.  Can you? When you regularly share with others about what God is saying to you and about what He is doing in … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, blues, Darryl M. Erke, Ernest F. Scott, Nashville, Nashville church, non-church, non-church movement, non-liturgical, non-traditional church, nonconforming, open church, participatory church, quotation, Quotations, quote, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermon, sermon-free, sermon-hearing, sermons, simple church, spirituality, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Christmas Lights

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Steve Simms

No man puts up dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of Christmas lights and then only lets one light shine.  He turns on all the lights and if any light or lights don’t shine, he replaces the bulbs. Perhaps God wants … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ followers, Christmas tree lights, church, church services, light, light bulbs, Nashville, Nashville church, open church, open sharing, organic church, participation in church, participatory church, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, simple church, Sunday, Sunday morning, support group, you are the light of the world | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“The Christmas Candle” Confirms The Concept Of Sermon-Free Church

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Steve Simms

The new movie The Christmas Candle is an amazing confirmation of The Salvation Army Berry Street’s participatory worship where everyday people show and tell what God has done.  I’ve been writing and posting, on my blog and on Facebook, for … Continue reading →

Posted in angels, angels watching over you, burning heart, Christmas candles, church, church leader, church leadership, church meetings, church services, cynicism, demonstrations of the Spirit, glory, glory of God, interrupting a sermon, interrupting in church, miracles, miraculous, Music City, Nashville, Nashville charity, organic church, participatory church, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationism, Salvationists, sermon-free, sermon-hearing, testifying, testimonies, testimonies in church, testimony, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Would God Tell A Preacher To Stop Preaching?

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Steve Simms

I love to preach, however a few years ago God told me to stop preaching and instead,  to let ordinary believers show and tell what God has done! So I stopped, yet still I greatly miss it.  By the time … Continue reading →

Posted in by the word of their testimony, church format, church leader, church leadership, church program, church services, dream, homiletics, ministers, ministry, motivational speaker, oratory, pastor, preacher, preaching, preaching the Word, prompting of the Spirit, public speaking, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvation Army officer, teaching, testimonies in church, testimony | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Better Caught Than Taught

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Steve Simms

Open sharing and testimonies in a church service create a spiritual contagion that spreads from heart-to-heart, igniting passionate love for the living, resurrected Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ (like the early Pentecostals used to say) is more caught than taught. … Continue reading →

Posted in better caught than taught, Friends, Friends meeting, Friends' worship, go tell it on the mountain, Nashville, Nashville church, one another, one anothering, pentecostals, pursuit of God, Quaker meetings, Quakers, sage on the stage, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, spiritual church, spiritual hunger, testimonies, testimonies in church, testimony | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Thoughts & Frustrations About Church Bulletins

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Steve Simms

I’ve never been overly fond of church bulletins.  In fact, they have always frustrated me.  I don’t like to know the details of a church service before it happens.  To me that’s like reading the plot of a movie or … Continue reading →

Posted in church format, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, church structure, program, programmed, programmed from the front, programming, public worship, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, seminary, Sunday bulletins | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Making Peace — Words To Wake Up The 21st Century Church

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Steve Simms

I was given a book, Making Peace, (published by Moody Publishers) by my leaders in The Salvation Army.  Once I started reading the book, I couldn’t put it down and read through it at one time. The book is bold, … Continue reading →

Posted in church format, church leader, church leadership, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, clergy/laity, Jim Van Yperen, Mood Press, Moody Press, Moody Publishers, order of worship, organic church, priesthood of the believer, quotation, quote, Quotes, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A Different Worship Leader Every Sunday

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Steve Simms

At The Salvation Army Berry Street we have a different worship leader every week.  Over the past 5 1/2 years we have had about 50 different people/groups lead worship for us.  Why? 1) It keeps one person from being exalted … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, body of Christ, church format, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, church structure, Nashville, Nashville charity, Nashville church, praise, praise and worship, praising God, religion, religious ceremonies, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Uncategorized, worship, worship center, worship gathering, worship leader, worship styles | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

E pluribus unum church . . .

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Steve Simms

E pluribus unum is much more than just a Latin motto of the USA meaning “from many one.“ E pluribus unum is what happens when Christ-followers gather according to 1 Corinthians 14:26 and many ordinary people share testimonies, Scriptures, needs, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, America, American, Christ followers, church, church meetings, church services, from many one, gifts of the Spirit, gives grace to the humble, hearing God, hearing Jesus, hearing the Holy Spirit, Nashville, Nashville charity, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, The Voice, unity, USA, voice of God | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Quaker Style Meetings In The Salvation Army

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Steve Simms

The early Quakers believed that the living, resurrected Jesus was present with them when they met together in His name and that He, Himself, could lead the meeting without the need for a human leader or a human program. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ, church format, church programs, church services, denominations, Friends meeting, George Fox, God with us, hearing God, hearing Jesus, hearing the Holy Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Nashville, Nashville charity, Nashville church, nineteenth century, presence of Christ, presence of God, Quakers, quotation, Quotations, Quotes, real presence, Richard Munn, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvation Army General, Salvationism, Salvationists, Society of Friends, W.T. Stead, Wilfred Kitching, William Booth | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments