Tag Archives: community

Church — Educational or Mystical?

Posted on January 11, 2015 by Steve Simms

Historically church has been seen as educational –communicating concepts about God (especially since the Protestant Reformation). –Biblically church is seen as a mystical portal — presenting the actual presence of the living Christ. (“Where two or three gather in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian community, Christian education, Christian mysticism, Christian spirituality, Matthew 18:20, Nashville, organic church, Salvation Army, Tom Robbins, Where two are three are gathered | Tagged Christian, Christianity, community, education, experiencing God, mysticism, quotes, spirituality | Leave a comment

Christ-Connections Create Community

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Steve Simms

Thank God for Christ-connections with other people! As a child and teenager, I felt very distant and isolated from others. I really didn’t know how to connect with or relate to other people very well. I had one friend in … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ bearer, Christ followers, Christ in people, Christ in you, Christ's presence, Christ-centered, how to connect with people, lover of your soul, Music City, Nashville, networking, Salvation Army, Salvation Army Nashville, spiritual connections, spiritual relationships, spirituality, witness of the Spirit | Tagged Christ, Christianity, community, people skills, relationships, the body of Christ | 1 Comment

How to create community in church

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Steve Simms

When many speak and share in a meeting, community comes forth. Church is called to be community, not an audience. In a traditional church service, there is one person speaking on the platform and everybody else is in the audience … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Corinthians:14, 21st Century, ancient ruins, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, church community, early Christians, early church, early Salvation Army, East Nashville, ekklesia, how to create community, Isaiah, Nashville adventure, Nashville charity, Nashville church, Nashville think tank, Nashville tourist attractions, quotation, Quotations, quote, Quotes, Ross Parsley, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvation Army Flag, Salvation Army Nashville, simple church | Tagged Christianity, church, community, First Century church, Nashville, organic church | 7 Comments

New Page Church = Purch/Participatory Church

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Steve Simms

Perhaps it is time for the 21st Century Western church to turn the page and flip through the Bible, stopping at the one place in the New Testament where we are told how to do church: “When you come together, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Chinua Achebe, cleansing the temple, David James Duncan, Hillary Clinton, It takes a village, kingdom of God, narrow is the way, Nashville, Nashville church, New Testament, participatory church, participatory culture, simple church, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, the Western church, Things Fall Apart | Tagged 1 Corinthians 14:26, Christianity, chruch, community, organic church, quotes | 3 Comments

Church — A Flow Or A Show?

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Steve Simms

Is church more of a show or more of a flow? Wind and rivers are symbols of the Holy Spirit. The wind blows, a river flows; but the church tends to show what it knows through programs and presentations rather … Continue reading →

Posted in Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, church format, church leadership, church program, church programs, church roles, church services, church structure, flo, flow, flow of the Spirit, flowing of the Holy Spirit, lecture, lecture series, led by the Spirit, life, Music City, Nashville, Nashville adventure, Nashville church, Nashville tourist attractions, Romans 8:14, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual flow, spiritual life, spiritual worship, TN, tree of life, tree of the knowledge of good and evil | Tagged Christianity, church, community, knowledge of good and evil, practical theology, two trees in the garden | 6 Comments

To walk transparent in the light with others and thereby behold the glory of the living God present and working in their hearts and lives — is church.

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Steve Simms

Posted in filled with the Spirit, God, God calling, others | Tagged community, light, spirituality, transparency, What is church? | Leave a comment

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 community, family gathering, lecture, lesson plans, parenting, spiritual kinship, The Salvation Army, unprogrammed church | 6 Comments

An Opportunity To Make A Real Difference In Nashville

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Steve Simms

Would you like to make a real difference in Nashville? The Salvation Army has a unique ministry in East Nashville that is changing lives and helping to transform the urban neighborhood of McFerrin Park. At The Salvation Army Berry Street … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, change, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian history, Christianity, church, church history, church structure, compassion, concerned about the very poor, conversion, deliverance, disciple making, discipling, East Nashville, ekklesia, freedom, Holy Spirit, lifestyles, manliest city, McFerrin Park, miracles, missional, movement, Music City, non-traditional church, normal Christianity, organic church, outreach ministry, participatory church, recovery, religion, repent, repentance, salvation, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual warfare, The Salvation Army, the way we do church, Uncategorized, What is church? | Tagged Christ-centered, community, East Nasvhille, missional, Nashville, participatory worship, Tennessee, The Salvation Army | 10 Comments

Incarnation Is Not A Flower (But God With Us)

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Steve Simms

Incarnation is not a flower, but like a flower it is beautiful and glorious — the life of God animating physical matter. Describing Jesus Christ, John the Beloved said: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” God didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christ, Christian history, Christianity, church, church structure, East Nashville, glory, God, guidance, Holy Spirit, house church, I Corinthians 14:26, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John the Beloved, kingdom of God, life, lifestyles, mystery, mysticism, Nashville, non-material reality, organic church, Paul of Tarsus, religion, revelation, simple church, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, spiritual growth, spiritual skills, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, worship | Tagged 10:45, 225 Berry, 37207, about, about you, actually, allow, allowing Christ, and Him crucified, animating, beautiful, became a human, being, believers in Christ, Berry Street, best learned in, Christ in you, come, community, control, daily lives, demonstrate, describing, direct, don't resist, dwelt among us, eloquence, except, flower, follow, functions, gathering, give up, glorious, God's instructions, how do you, human wisdom, I came to you in weakness, I Corinthians 14:26, I was resloved, in my Name, in the midst of them, incarnation, incarnational, instructed, Jesus Christ, John the Beloved, listen, message, might not rest on, move, move beyond, Nashville, no matter what other peopole may think, not enough to talk, not with wise, obedience, obey, on God's power, Paul of Tarsus, perhaps it is time, persuasive words, physical matter, physiology, preaching, proclaimed, puppet, puppeteer, put it this way, Quench not the Spirit, send a messenger, so that your faith, Sunday mornings, supposed, surrender, talk, teaching, the hope of glory, the life of God, the living Christ, The Salvation Army, the Spirit's power, the testimony, the way, the Word became flesh, thembling, theology, there am I, thoughts and actions, TN, to know nothing, unconfortable, understnad, visit, walk, When I came to you, when two or more gather, with a demonstration, with great fear, word, Worship Center | 2 Comments

What Would Your Life Be Like If . . .

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Steve Simms

How would you be today if you had been born to a mother in poverty with several children by different men? What if you had been surrounded by depression, anger, fear, hopelessness, and despair? How would you be if you … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, Christianity, disciple making, discipling, drugs, drunk, East Nashville, freedom, house church, human rights, Jesus, Jesus Christ, jobs, life, lifestyles, meaning, multi-racial, Nashville, organic church, popular culture, prejudice, race, recovery, rehab, religion, self-esteem, self-image, simple church, social justice, The Salvation Army, Uncategorized, values, What is church?, words | Tagged 10:45 am, 225 Berry St., 37207, a place, according to, advantages, America, Americans, anger, ask, befriends, Berry Street, better off, better quality of life, born, builds, built, buy, caring relationship, cheat, childhood, children by different men, church, close personal friends, college, community, cross, culture, cuss, demonstrating, depression, despair, desperately need, different, disciplined, doesn't, drugs, economics, encouraging, enviornment, environment, family, fear, few, financially, friend, get drunk, godly man, great advantages, groups of men, growing up, had never known, hand, handed, help, helped, helped along, helping, hopelessness, How would you, however, in the middle of, Jesus Christ, job, kept away, lie, lines, lived n their shoes, living, look down on others, looking for, loved, loving, make a difference, man, mean to others, mentor, millions, money, mother, Nashville, negative, neighbor, not so fortunate, opportunity, paid, parented, people's lives, personal, pobverty, positive example, powerful programming, practical help, profanity, question, raise, redirect their lives, rehab, relationship, relationships, sexual, sin, social status, socially, socio-economic, spearate, steal, struggling financially, stuck, Sundays, surrounded, the love of, The Salvation Army, TN, today, true, use drugs, violence, visit, vital, vulgarity, way to live, woman, Worship Center | 1 Comment

Tag Archives: community

Church — Educational or Mystical?

Christ-Connections Create Community

How to create community in church

New Page Church = Purch/Participatory Church

Church — A Flow Or A Show?

To walk transparent in the light with others and thereby behold the glory of the living God present and working in their hearts and lives — is church.

Hey Church, We Are Family . . . (Do We Act Like It?)

An Opportunity To Make A Real Difference In Nashville

Incarnation Is Not A Flower (But God With Us)

These elephants want to inspire you! Search Amazon for: Elephants INspiring The Room.

Email Subscription

Beyond Church: An Invitation To Experience The Lost Word Of The Bible

Top Posts & Pages

Recent Posts

Archives