Category Archives: worship gathering

Do Preplanned Church Programs “Ruin It” For People

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Steve Simms

If you tell people the storyline and outcome of a movie before they see it, many people will say that you have ruined it for them. They don’t want to know what happens in a movie before they see it. … Continue reading →

Posted in brackets, champions, church leadership, church meetings, movie, movies, Music City, Nashville, Nashville church, NCAA championship, predicting the NCAA tournament, ruin it, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, service, simple church, sporting event, sports, unprogrammed church, wait and see, why go to church, worship, worship gathering, worship service, worship styles | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Jesus Is Alive & Active in the 21st Century — Church Can Catch Him Like A Sail Catching The Wind

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Steve Simms

When the leaves and small limbs of a tree are all leaning in the same direction, you know that something invisible is going on — the wind is blowing the tree.  That’s what happens at The Salvation Army Berry Street.  … Continue reading →

Posted in clergy, clergy/laity, clericalism, how to do church, How to raise a sail, meeting in His name, ordaination, order of worship, organic church, relational church, release of the Spirit, relevation, religion, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Scriptures, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual church, ways of doing church, why go to church, worship, worship gathering | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Can You Handle These Quotes About Church?

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Steve Simms

“When we do come together as His assembly, let it be that He may work as He will, and by whom He will.” –William Kelly “The Holy Spirit is the One Who should be allowed to lead the people of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, assembly, Bible, Bible concepts, Darryl M. Erkel, Jerry Trousdale, Kathleen Ward, ministers, ministry, New Testament, Old Testament, one another, one anothering, one anothers, pastor, praise and worship, prayer, preaching, pulpit, quotation, quote, Quotes, Scriptures, William Kelly, William MacDonald, worship, worship gathering, worship service | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“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

Realty TV / Reality Church . . .

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Steve Simms

Reality church? We have reality TV that features ordinary people. So, why not reality church, where everyday people show and tell why God has done? When church is scripted, the freedom to flow in the Spirit is restricted to the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, Andy Chamberlain, C. Wess Daniels, Constance M. Cherry, experiential worship, Fuller Seminary, Music City, Nashville, new kind of church, New Testament, open church, open mike, open sharing, order of worship, participation, participation in church, participatory culture, participatory sermons, passivity, pastor, popular culture, quotation, quote, Quotes, religious innovation, Ryan Bolger, Ryan Flanigan, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, television, TV, TV network, William Willimon, worship, worship center, worship gathering | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

When church is scripted, the freedom to flow in the Spirit is restricted to the agenda. When church is spontaneous, the Holy Spirit can break out in glorious demonstrations of His power and presence.

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Steve Simms
Posted in church program, church programs, church services, order of worship, participation, participation in church, participatory church, scripted, simple church, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, spiritual, spiritual flow, spiritual innovation, spiritual life, spiritual movement, spontaneity, worship, worship gathering | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

An interview with Paul of Tarsus

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Steve Simms

(An interview with Paul of Tarsus based on 1 Corinthians chapter 14.) Me: “So, Paul, who can prophesy?” Paul: “You can all prophesy.” Me: “What happens if everybody prophesies?” Paul: “If an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 21st Century, church meetings, church programs, church services, church structure, convicted of sin, God, God demonstrations, God experiment, God is really among you, God with us, hymn, judging, judgment, one anothering, one anothers, organic church, participation, participatory church, participatory sermons, Paul of Tarsus, prompted by the Spirit, prompting of the Spirit, promptings, prophesying, prophet, prophets, public speaking, public worship, quotation, Quotations, quote, Quotes, relevation, religion, revelation, secrets, secrets of your heart, sin, What is church?, When you come together, worship, worship center, worship gathering, you can all prophesy | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Church — In Sync or Spontaneous?

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Steve Simms

During praise and worship an image came to my mind. I saw a group of people, all neatly facing the front of the room, sitting at banquet tables with full plates in front of them. Then I saw a man … Continue reading →

Posted in 37207, banquet, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit promptings, in unison, living God, Nashville, Nashville charity, Nashville church, Nashville events, not being fed in church, organic church, praise, praise and worship, praising God, program, programmed, programmed from the front, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationism, Salvationists, spiritual food, spontaneity, The Salvation Army, unprogrammed church, unrehearsed, vision, visions from God, We've always done it that way", Western religion, Western society, Western world, What is church?, what to do in Nashville, worship, worship center, worship gathering | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

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