Tag Archives: organic church

#organicchurch When a church meeting is released from human control and turned over to the Holy Spirit’s direct leadership, the meeting unfolds beautifully, revealing God’s unseen hand.

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Steve Simms
Posted in church format, church leadership, church meetings, church services, God's unseen hand, participatory church, simple church, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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

Perhaps church services could move beyond attenders silently sitting to hear sermons; and let them stand to share stories about how the living, resurrected Jesus Christ is actively working in their lives.

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Steve Simms
Posted in alternative to preaching, Jesus, Jesus Christ, listening, listening skills, preaching, preaching the Word, resurrection, resurrection of Jesus, sermon-hearing, silence, stories, story, testimonies, testimony, witness | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Quarterback Preacher & Handoff Church

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Steve Simms

Is it time for a handoff or a pass to Jesus?  Football season is upon us and the quarterback’s job is to get the football to a playmaker, either by a handoff or a pass. I believe that a pastor’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Final Four, handoff, Jesus Christ, Nashville, open mic, open mike, playmaker, Salvation Army, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, sports, Super Bowl, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Church Piano or Piano Church?

Posted on June 24, 2013 by Steve Simms

Church is like a piano.  Here is a piano lesson for the church. A piano has 88 keys, 52 white & 36 black. But what if 87 keys are stuck and only one key is free to make a sound? … Continue reading →

Posted in black keys, church format, church leader, church leadership, church meetings, church programs, church roles, church services, church structure, Holy Spirit, How many keys on a piano?, keys, music, Music City, Nashville adventure, Nashville church, Nashville events, non-church, non-traditional church, piano keys, piano lessons, religion, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, Salvationists, The Salvation Army, tickle the ivories, white keys | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Could Church Services Be Like A Handbell Choir?

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Steve Simms

Have you ever seen a group of people play a tune with handbells? Each person holds two bells and all the bells play different notes. As a director leads them, each person plays one of his bells at the proper … Continue reading →

Posted in Christian community, Christianity, church leader, church leadership, church meetings, church program, church programs, church services, encountering God, experiencing God, participants, participators, participatory church, religious innovation, spiritual transformation | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

An Anglican & A Baptist Describe Participatory Church

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Steve Simms

Anglican priest, Robert Wild, describes participatory church: “God can speak to each person through the others and guide the entire assembly toward a common mind, toward consensus.” Baptist pastor, Ed Stetzer describes participatory church: “In all of our research on … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglican priest, church format, church leader, church meetings, church program, church programs, church roles, church services, clergy, clergy/laity, consensus, Ed Stetzer, laity, layman, laymen, ministry, missional, missionary, pastor, preacher, quote, Quotes, Robert Wild, simple church | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Church of the Nazarene Leader Proclaimed Participatory Church

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Steve Simms

Early leader of the Church of the Nazarene, P.F. Bresee, proclaimed participatory church: “‘Pump handle’ religion has to give place to the ever-ready springing up and sending forth of testimony and praise. How often the ‘pump handle’ has to be … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Corinthians 14:26, audience, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, church fathers, church format, church history, church leader, church leadership, church meetings, church program, church roles, church services, church structure, fire, fire of the Holy Spirit, history, Holy Ghost, Nashville, Nashville charity, Nashville church, participatory church, performance, preacher, preaching, preaching the Word, religion, religious innovation, renewal, revival, sermon, sermon-free, sermon-hearing, sermons, spirit, Spirit's flow, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, spiritual innovation, spirituality, symphony, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Baptist Pastor Promotes Participatory Church

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Steve Simms

I “stumbled upon” a 1971 book by a Baptist pastor that describes a participatory style church service: “One winter morning I stopped for worship at a small East Tennessee rural church . . . The singing stopped and he (the … Continue reading →

Posted in Albert McClellan, attitude, East Tennessee, festival, mystery, praising God, pray for one another, prayer, praying, praying community, Quotations, Quotes, Salvation Army church, Salvation Army Corps, shouting in church, simple church, testimonies, testimony, The Salvation Army, weeping | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Priesthood of the Believer Church (Church Meetings Without A Dominating Leader)

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Steve Simms

Can churches meet without one person dominating the meeting?  History says they can! When the Protestant Reformation broke with the Roman Catholic Church, one of the doctrines they embraced become known as “the priesthood of the believer.”  The Reformers acknowledged … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholicism, China, Chinese, church, church history, church in China, church leader, church meetings, Communists, holy priesthood, kingdom of priests, Laymen's prayer revival, laymen's prayer revival of 1857, Martin Luther, Methodism, Methodist class meeting, Methodists, participatory church, pastor, Peter Wagner, priest, Quaker meetings, Quakers, quote, Quotes, Ray Stedman, Roman Catholic, simple church, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, Spirit-prompted, The Salvation Army | Tagged , , , , , | 23 Comments