Category Archives: Tennessee

When The Nuns Came To The Salvation Army

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Steve Simms

My wife and I lead a participatory, sermon-free, non-traditional Salvation Army corps (church) called Berry Street Worship Center, located in a low-income neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee.  Our daughter went to high school at St. Cecilia Academy, a Catholic girls’ school … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Catholic, Catholic girls school, Catholicism, Dominican nuns, durag, Nashville charity, Nashville church, Nashville tourist attractions, organic church, religion, Roman Catholic, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationism, Salvationists, simple church, St. Dominic, Tennessee | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Church, Jesus, and the Father’s business

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Steve Simms

“I must be about my Father’s business.” –Jesus We’ve all been told to “Mind your own business,” but whose business should a church (or ministry) mind?  If a church (or ministry) is really dedicated to God, shouldn’t it operate according … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Bible, Bible quotes, Biblical concept, control, I must be about my Father's business", Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus quotes, Jesus' hands, Mind your own business, Nashville, Nashville church, Nashville news, organic church, pastor, preacher, priest, quotation, quote, Quotes, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, simple church, Tennessee | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

“God talks” or “God talks”? (“Talks” as a noun or as a verb?)

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Steve Simms

What if Jesus intended church to be a community of loving believers, instead of a series of weekly lectures?  What if instead of listening to a man’s sermonic God talks, church was originally designed by Jesus for you to listen … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, God talks, grammar, hearing God, hearing Jesus, hearing the Holy Spirit, listening, listening prayer, listening skills, listening to God, organic church, praise and worship, religion, religious innovation, religious talks, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermon, sermon-hearing, sermons, simple church, Tennessee, The Voice, understanding nouns, verbs, voice of God, worship, worship center, worship gathering, worship service, worship styles | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Dorothy In Oz, Wheels, Soul Train, TEAM, Yall, Lights, & A Quiz (Examples/Metaphors of Participatory Church)

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Steve Simms

Some metaphors for participatory church: Experiencing participatory church at Berry Street is like Dorothy stepping into a world of living color when she enters the land of Oz in “The Wizard of Oz.” Church is often like a unicycle, focused … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, big wheel, church format, church leadership, church meetings, church organizational chart, church program, church programs, church quiz, church roles, church services, Dorothy Wizard of Oz, New Testament, plural for you, religion, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationism, Salvationists, soul, soul train, Southern English, team, Team Church, Tennessee, Together Everyone Accomplishes More, unicycle, yall | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

When Hearts Speak

Posted on September 8, 2013 by Steve Simms

When a mind talks theology, people hear religious ideas.  When hearts speak in the Spirit, people learn love. A heart burning for God is a gift that is caught in His presence, not something just taught from a pulpit. I … Continue reading →

Posted in God's presence, hiking, in the Spirit, Jesus, Jesus Christ, love, Love one another, perfume on Jesus' feet, pulpit, Sonbeams, Tennessee, theology, University of Tennessee Martin | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Early Puritans Practiced Participatory Church

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Steve Simms

Reading a book this morning that I “randomly” found at McKay Books Nashville, I discovered that the early Puritans believed in participatory church. How exciting! “In the conduct of worship the Separatists (early Puritans) stressed spontaneity. Following the regular sermon, … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, British history, Christianity, church history, Edmund S. Morgan, English, English history, history, liturgies, McKay Books, Nashville, Nashville church, participatory church, prayer, prayers, praying, prophesying, Puritan ideas, quotation, quote, Quotes, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermon, sermon-hearing, sermons, speech making, speeches, Tennessee, The Salvation Army, Visible Saints | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Multivoiced Church — A Spiritual Sprinkler System

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Steve Simms

Perhaps a church service is like a sprinkler system on a golf course in Arizona. If only one sprinkler works and all the rest are shut down, almost all the grass dries up and withers. However, if every sprinkler shares … Continue reading →

Posted in active participants, Arizona, Berry Street, Building a Multivoiced Church, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church programs, church services, community, discipleship, golf, golf course, living water, multi-voiced church, Nashville, Nashville church, Nashville news, organic church, participants, participatory church, quotation, quote, Quotes, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sermon, sermon-free, sermon-hearing, sermons, Sian Williams, simple church, sprinkler system, Tennessee, The Power of All, The Salvation Army, voices | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Church — Spirit-Directed Team or Laid Back Audience?

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Steve Simms

Is church a Spirit-directed team that ministers to one another? Or a laid back audience that watches a religious program? (Search: “One another verses of the New Testament” and see.) If you live in the Nashville, Tennessee area, come and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Bible study, biblical, Biblical concept, Nashville, one another, one anothers, pray for one another, praying community, Team Church, Team Jesus, Tennessee, the way we do church, the Western church, What is church?, What is the true church?, worship, you can all prophesy | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

God’s Spiritual Sprinkler Systems

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Steve Simms

According to the New Testament, God wants church services to be spiritual sprinkler systems where the Holy Spirit freely flows from everyone present. (See 1 Corinthians 14:26.)  This is God’s powerful “prophetic activation” (a phrase made popular by Sandy Powell … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Corinthians:14, Christlike, church history, clergy, clergy/laity, God, Jesus Christ, laity, layman, laymen, laywomen, Martin Luther, Music City, organic church, prophesy, prophesying, quotation, Quotations, quote, reformation, reformer, round robin, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sprinkler system, Tennessee, The Salvation Army, TN, unbeliever, worship, worship gathering, worship leader | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Popular Rap Artist, Viktory, to do Nashville Outdoor Concert

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Steve Simms

Popular rapper, Viktory, will do an outdoor concert in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 20, 2013, from 5:00 pm. to 7:00 pm.  And it’s free! To be held on the grounds of The Salvation Army Berry Street, 225 Berry St., Nashville, … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, entertainment, music, Music City, Nashville adventure, Nashville charity, Nashville church, Nashville entertainment, Nashville events, Nashville news, Nashville projects, Nashville streets, Nashville tourist attractions, needy neighborhood, news, outdoor, party, partying, rap, rapper, rapping, real men, Tennessee, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment