Along with the resurgence of Reformed theology and gospel centrality, I believe there is a resurgence of biblical ecclesiology taking place as well. I’m grateful for the influences of organizations like IX Marks, and even more churchmen and practitioners who are bringing reformation to local churches according to the Word of God. One of the [...]
Archive for the ‘Ecclesiology’ category
Structuring the Church for Maximum Edification
February 6, 2012Roots Reading Initiative (New from PLNTD)
October 24, 2011I’m excited to share with you a new project from PLNTD called the Roots Reading Initiative. Over the past several months, we have been working on the creation of a whole new approach to leadership and networking in church planting through what we are calling the PLNTD ecosystem. We endeavor to create an environment through [...]
The Mission of the Church
July 18, 2011One of the most significant topics and sustaining conversations in my generation is the mission of the church. Fifteen years ago, “missional” wasn’t in most evangelical’s vocabulary, even less so in their practice. But in recent years, there has been so much talk about mission from all corners of evangelicalism that there is a struggle [...]
Evangelize as Your Edify, Edify as You Evangelize
July 14, 2011One of the biggest tensions regarding philosophy of gathered services is the issue of breadth and depth, or who should be the priority and focus of the ministry. Obviously, everything we do should be first and foremost with a focus and passion for the honor and glory of God. But the question we are [...]
Our Churches Are the Proof of the Gospel
June 17, 2011Mark Dever: “Many Protestants have begun to think that because the church is not essential to the gospel, it is not important to the gospel. This is an unbiblical, false, and dangerous conclusion. Our churches are the proof of the gospel. In the gatherings of the church, the Christian Scriptures are read. In the ordinances [...]
Biblical Church Leadership
May 17, 2011From IX Marks.
Highway to Hell and the Regulative Principle
April 12, 2011Back in October 2oo7, Mark Driscoll started an online game called “Ask Anything” where anyone could ask him a question and people voted on their favorite questions. The top nine questions would turn into a sermon series which later became his book entitled Religion Saves. On October 12, I blogged about the question I asked [...]
Disciple-Making and Cultural Transformation
October 27, 2010Below is a video of Kevin DeYoung, Greg Gilbert, and Ryan Kelly talking about the mission of the church. DeYoung and Gilbert have a forthcoming book coming out on this subject, and it will certainly be one worth reading. However, I think Doug Wilson is on to something about seeing things a little differently as [...]
When Justification Is Marginalized
July 7, 2010Check this powerful excerpt describing nominal Christianity evidenced when “the dynamic of justification” is marginalized: “The ultimate concern of most church members is not the worship and service of Christ in evangelistic mission and social compassion, but rather survival and success in their secular vocation. The church is a spoke on the wheel of life [...]
Jared Wilson on Under-Programming Church
April 28, 201010 excellent reasons to under-program your church from Jared Wilson. Check them out: 1. You can do a lot of things in a mediocre (or poor) way, or you can do a few things extremely well. 2. Over-programming creates an illusion of fruitfulness that may just be busy-ness. 3. Over-programming is a detriment to single-mindedness [...]
Nuts and Bolts of Sojourn Community Church
April 12, 2010I have really enjoyed and been helped by these short videos by Sojourn Community Church wherein their lead pastor Daniel Montgomery shares some of the nuts and bolts of their ministry and community life. I don’t think the series is completed (yet), but do check them out. Also, if you are in Louisville for Together [...]
In Defense of Physical Community
February 2, 2010As a follow-up to my post about technology and the absence of community, I want to direct you a a series of guest posts by Jake Johnson on Rethink Mission wherein he makes a good defense for physical community, contra “internet church.” Here are the links: –> In Defense of Physical Community – Part One [...]
The Many Ways of Destroying the Church
December 17, 2009D.A. Carson: “The ways of destroying the church are many and colorful. Raw factionalism will do it. Rank heresy will do it. Taking your eyes off the cross and letting other, more peripheral matters dominate the agenda will do it–admittedly more slowly than frank heresy, but just as effectively over the long haul. Building the [...]
Homogeneous Community vs. Gospel Community
October 21, 2009One of the undercurrent movements of evangelical renewal in local churches has been the rise of missional communities. These small communities are distinct from your typical home groups or small-groups because what unites them and defines them is a common mission. I resonate with this kind of missiologically-informed structuring of the ekklesia scattered as those [...]
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