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changing lives faith

Fractal Discipleship in the United Methodist Church

I had a conversation several weeks ago with Paul Watson and he talked about a concept which I dug up on reaching the online generation. The concept is Fractal Discipleship. According to Wikipedia, “A fractal is “a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size […]

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church faith

Zimbabwe: Worship and Discipleship (4 of 8)

One of the first sites that we visited in Zimbabwe was a revival at Prospect United Methodist Church. We walked into some of the most passionate worship that I have experienced. In the singing, preaching, dancing and response it was clear that the Holy Spirit was active. While I did not understand the language of […]

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leadership ministry renewing the church

What do you do as pastor for Resurrection Online? – Part Un

This is one of the most common questions that I receive since starting my new role as Resurrection Online Campus Pastor on November 1. The answer is most accurately answered in two parts and the first part has to do with the online experience. Since November 2, 2008 there have been an average of 1,004 […]

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changing lives church

Church = Spiritual Formation

I believe that the primary role of the church is spiritual formation. Through worship, teaching, classes, serving, conversation, care, accountability and many other specifics the faith community that is the church is about forming the souls closer to the image of God. This journey of sanctification moves us closer toward perfect love of God and […]

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renewing the church united methodist church

Micro Church: New Church Start (5 of 5)

I believe that over the next several years, micro churches will become an important part of renewal within The United Methodist Church. While there are many different settings in which micro churches might thrive, I believe that the greatest potential may be in planting new churches. As micro churches continue to multiply and grow, leadership […]

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renewing the church united methodist church

Micro Church: Existing Congregation (4 of 5)

I believe that over the next several years, micro churches will become an important part of renewal within The United Methodist Church. I believe that existing congregations could be a place where a micro church could flourish. Utilizing a live stream of worship could enable existing congregations to begin another worship service with a small […]

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renewing the church united methodist church

Micro Church: College (3 of 5)

I believe that over the next several years, micro churches will become an important part of renewal within The United Methodist Church. I believe that colleges and universities have great potential to be a place where micro churches will flourish. In residence halls and public spaces, there exists a community that is already in close […]

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renewing the church united methodist church

Micro Church: Home (2 of 5)

I believe that over the next several years, micro churches will become an important part of renewal within The United Methodist Church. I believe that homes have great potential to be a place where micro churches will flourish. It may be easier to invite someone that is new to faith into one’s home rather than […]

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renewing the church united methodist church

Micro Church: Renewing the Mainline Church (1 of 5)

I believe that over the next several years, micro churches will become an important part of renewal within The United Methodist Church. Micro churches will be supported by existing congregations that use web technology to live stream worship, such as http://live.cor.org. These existing churches will encourage and equip local leaders of a group of 10 […]

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changing lives ministry renewing the church transforming the community

Apprentice of Jesus

This week I was part of a conversation that was encouraging, informative and exciting. I was part of a conversation with Ben Simpson, Correy Trupp, Darrell Holtz, Dave Robertson, James Bryan Smith and Jimmy Taylor about The Apprentice Series – a discipleship curriculum. I met Jimmy less than a year ago at Board of Ordained […]

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changing lives life

A Call to Spiritual Formation

I go through seasons in my practice of spiritual disciplines and now is a time for a refresh. I found inspiration and encouragement in A Call to Spiritual Formation – a simple document addressing the need for continual spiritual formation of every Christian. I invite you to visit the website at http://acalltospiritualformation.info and sign your […]

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church leadership renewing the church

Church Planting – What if…

What if entrepreneurial small group leaders were asked to equip others to invite people to Christ and multiply small groups? What if these groups participated in worship and discipleship together? What if these leaders were asked to oversee the networks of small groups which they helped to initiate? What if faithful and effective leaders were […]