Category Archives: simple church

More than a Sunday soliloquy?

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Steve Simms

Everybody has a gift of insight when Christ-followers meet. Why do we silence them? “In the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Prov. 11:14 (Perhaps we need to let all the members share when we gather as the body of Christ.) … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Berry Street, house church, Nashville, posters, Salvation Army, Salvation Army Berry Street, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, show and tell, simple church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Humility & equality in church services . . .

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Steve Simms

 

Posted in body life, church organization, church structure, hierarchy, house church, multi-voiced church, one anothers, open church, organic church, participatory church, simple church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Y’all-worship (1 Corinthians 14:26)

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Steve Simms

  An Observation About 1 Corinthians 14:26: Beyond the status quo We could all listen to Jesus And then go with His flow! Church consists of people passively listening to one man on a platform. 1 Corinthians 14:26 is people … Continue reading →

Posted in group interaction, house church, open church, open sharing, organic church, participatory church, personal testimonies, priesthood of the believer, simple church, Spirit-led, Spirit-led church, Spirit-led interaction, spiritual interaction, testimonies, testimonies in church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Now hear this: “Be doers of the word!”

Posted on November 5, 2016 by Steve Simms

–Now Hear This: “Be Doers Of The Word”– What if Christ-followers met to do the word And not just to hear one man give a talk about it? We could take turns doing the more than 50 New Testament one … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible one anothers, habitat for huminaty, hearing Jesus, house church, How many one anothers are in the, My sheep hear My voice, Nashville, one anothering, organic chruch, preaching, preaching without words, Prepare the way of the Lord, simple church, Tennessee, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

There’s a whole lot of chexit going on!

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Steve Simms

For the past few decades, there has been a whole lot of Chexit going on in America and in other Western countries. Chexit is a word that I coined that was inspired by another coined word: Brexit. Brexit refers to … Continue reading →

Posted in Chex cereal, Christianity, congregational participation, facilitation, heart religion, house church, making church more participatory, Nashville, nones, not religion but relationship, organic church, participation in church, participation in meetings, relationship with God, religion, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, simple church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why doesn’t church let people take turns on Sunday morning?

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Steve Simms

Answers: All we have known is the clergy/laity system. We don’t like the idea of any other way of doing church. So we ignore the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Martin Luther set up the focus on one man … Continue reading →

Posted in a new reformation, alternative to preaching, Berry Street, body life, changes in worship, contemporary worship, group interaction, interaction, interactive, interactive church, interactive learning, interactive sermons, Luther, Martin Luther, multivoiced church, preaching, Protestant Reformation, simple church, Uncategorized, worship wars | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are sermon points and systematic theology in the Bible?

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Steve Simms

Sermon points? Sermons frequently have numbered points. However, when you read through the New Testament, you can’t find even one incidence of number points. So how did such an unbiblical idea become so common in church services? (Perhaps it is … Continue reading →

Posted in All I have written, alternative to preaching, Christian history, church history, history, house church, New Testament, organic church, preaching, preaching the Word, preaching without words, simple church, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

No time for spectators in church –MLK

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Steve Simms

Martin Luther King, Jr. put it this way: “There are many people who have caught the dangerous disease of ‘spectatoritis.’ Such persons are only spectators or onlookers but not participants. Such persons watch the minister and choir indulge in prayer … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, African American church, Black history month, black-church, body life, creativity, house church, innovation, Martin Luther King Jr., MLK, MLK quotes, Quotations, Ray Stedman, religion, religious innovation, simple church, spectatoritis, spiritual innovation, Thom Schultz, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mr. Potato Head all ears? Or the Body of Christ?

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Steve Simms

Are you familiar with Mr. Potato Head — a Playskool/Hasbro toy that originally came out in the 1950s? Mr. Potato Head was so popular that he was included as a character in the Toy Story movies. He has also been … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 12, alternative church, church programming, church programs, house church, Nashville, organic church, participatory church, Salvation Army, simple church, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We cry out to dry bones, “Come alive!”

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Steve Simms

Church is no place for passivity! Biblically it’s a gathering for interactive, Christ-led involvement. (See 1 Corinthians 14:26 and http://amzn.to/2dvrvlz.) Far too many people believe that occasionally attending a highly structured and tightly controlled church service is Christianity. However, the 50+ … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, a new reformation, Berry Street, Bible type revival, church, house church, nontraditional church, organic chruch, revival, revival center, revival in Nashville, Salvation Army Corps, simple church, spiritual formation, spiritual revolution, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment