Category Archives: unprogrammed church

Church flows from the Spirit; it’s not produced by a program.

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Steve Simms

Church is God’s orchestra, playing His symphony, as each member focuses on, listens to, and obeys the Conductor — the living, resurrected Jesus Christ. Come and experience God’s orchestra playing in Nashville every Sunday morning at 10:45 as each member … Continue reading →

Posted in awe, awe inspiring, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christian values, Christianity, church, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church services, church structure, live performance, live to please God, LP Field, music, Music City, musicals, Nashville tourist attractions, order of worship, organic church, praise and worship, Ryman Auditorium, Son-shine, spirit, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual innovation, spiritual interaction, spiritual transformation, Tennessee Titans, testimonies, testimony, Titans' stadium, Uncategorized, unprogrammed church, What is church?, worship | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Radical (Back To The Roots) Church Is . . .

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Steve Simms

Church is a living message: *Christ alive from the dead; * actually present with us when we gather in His name; * personally directing the meeting and leading various people to share testimonies, gifts of the Spirit, Scriptures, prayers, etc. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, alternative church, alternative lifestyle, Emmanuel, faith, faith-based, family gathering, God with us, healing, intimacy, kingdom of God, National Football League, NFL, NFL Playoffs, recovery, religion, religious ceremonies, religious innovation, religious tradition, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Scriptures, sermons, simple church, sold out, spiritual healing, surrender, surrender to God, unprogrammed church, What is church?, When you come together, witness | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Awesome Power Of Spiritual Interaction

Posted on August 17, 2012 by Steve Simms

*  One of the most powerful tools for personal transformation is spiritual interaction, openly sharing your faith, spiritual experiences, struggles, and concerns with others in a loving and compassionate environment.  (I have personally seen spiritual interaction produce life-changing results both … Continue reading →

Posted in AA, addiction, addictions, Alcoholics Anonymous, Berry Street, Christ followers, Christian, Christian history, Christian values, church, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, early church, His story, history, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, inspiration, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, missional, move of God, movement, NA, Narcotics Anonymous, Nashville, Neil Cole, non-church movement, open church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, pentecostals, Quakers, religious ceremonies, Revelation 12:11, revival, sermon, sermons, simple church, sobriety, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual interaction, support group, the 12 Steps, The Salvation Army, the Walk to Emmaus, tradition, Tres Dias, unprogrammed church, When you come together | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Was Matthias A Mistake? — The Human Need To Institutionalize Spirituality

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

Was replacing Judas (who had betrayed Jesus) with Matthias a mistake?  Was it a very early example of the human desire to institutionalize church?  Perhaps. The Book of Acts begins with the resurrected Jesus spending 40 days with the apostles … Continue reading →

Posted in 120 in upper room, Acts, acts of God, Bible, choice, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian values, Christianity, church, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, disciples, ekklesia, empty tomb, faith, fire, gift of God, gifts of the Spirit, God's authority, God's government, Gospel, Gospels, Greek word, guidance, hearing God, hearing Jesus, heirarchy, His story, history, Holy Spirit, house church, insight, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus' mother Mary, Judas, kingdom of God, life, lifestyle Christianity, Luke, Matthias, missional, move of God, movement, mysticism, non-church, organic church, Pentecost, pentecostals, presence of Christ, presence of God, quench the Spirit, Quotations, quote, Quotes, religion, revelation, revival, rivers of living water, Scriptures, speaking in tongues, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual awakening, spiritual formation, spiritual warfare, supernatural, The Voice, tongues of fire, tradition, unprogrammed church, voice of God, voices, What is church?, words on fire | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Should Church Comfort Or Confront?

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Steve Simms

Should church meetings comfort or confront?  Perhaps both.  Maybe church should “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” However the goal of a church meeting is not primarily to make people comfortable or to be user friendly.  The goal of … Continue reading →

Posted in afflict the comfortable, American church, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, blessed, brokenness, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christian values, church, church history, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church structure, comfort, conviction, conviction of sin, cross, deny yourself, godly sorrow, hearing God, Isaiah, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, lifestyle Christianity, move of God, mysticism, Nashville, organic church, participatory church, Paul of Tarsus, purpose, repent, repentance, revival, revolution, salvation, self-denial, show and tell, simple church, spiritual awakening, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, those who mourn, uncomfortable, unprogrammed church, user friendly, voice of God, Woe is me | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Alternative Names For Organic Church

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Steve Simms

In the last few years, many books have been written about organic church by people like Neil Cole, Milt Rodriguez, Tony and Felicity Dale, Frank Viola, Wolfgang Simpson, Jon Zens, and many others.  I have read many of the books.  … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, American church, Berry Street, Bible, Biblical concept, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church roles, church structure, faith, faith-based, flag, Frank Viola, history, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, improv, James H Rutz, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jon Zens, King James Version, Milt Rodriguez, Music City, Nashville, Neil Cole, non-church, non-church movement, non-traditional church, open church, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, prayer, prayer walking, Quakers, relational church, religion, religious ceremonies, sermon, sermons, show and tell, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual awakening, support group, tag team, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, Tony and Felicity Dale, tradition, unprogrammed church, Western religion, What is church?, Wolfgang Simpson | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

New Poll Shows More Millennials Doubt God

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Steve Simms

A new poll by the Pew Research Center has found that doubts about the existence of God have increased by 15 points during the past 5 years among Millennials, Americans 30 and under.  Here’s a link to the survey: http://www.pewforum.org/Age/Religion-Among-the-Millennials.aspx … Continue reading →

Posted in acts of God, American, American church, American media, announcements, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church roles, church structure, doubts, faith, faith-based, gifts of the Spirit, Music City, mysticism, order of worship, organic church, participatory church, Pew Research, poll, popular culture, rejecting Christ, show and tell, Spirit-led, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, supernatural, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army, unprogrammed church | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Does Hierarchy Hinder God? — How To “Prepare The Way For The Lord”

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Steve Simms

John the Baptist came to “prepare the way for the Lord” in his generation.  I, too, would like to prepare the way for the Lord.  I want to prepare the way for God to work powerfully in my life.  And … Continue reading →

Posted in acts of God, Apostle Paul, Bible, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christianity, church history, church roles, church structure, clergy, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, equality, free will, freedom, gifts of the Spirit, God, God's government, heirarchy, Holy Spirit, house church, improv, improvisation, Jesus, Jesus Christ, laity, organic church, participatory church, Paul of Tarsus, Quotations, quote, Quotes, race, relational church, simple church, unprogrammed church, What is church? | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

Non-Church — Discovered In Japan & Other Places

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Steve Simms

I recently read about non-church when I heard about a Japanese man named Uchimura Kanzo.  He  started meeting with a group of friends in a small Christian gathering in Japan in the early 1900s where everyone was equal and everybody … Continue reading →

Posted in burning heart, China, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church roles, church structure, congregational, East Nashville, heart-felt love, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Japan, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, movement, non-church movement, non-traditional church, organic church, participatory church, priesthood of the believer, relational church, religion, simple church, spiritual formation, support group, the way we do church, Uncategorized, unprogrammed church, What is church?, worship | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 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