We come to the final step in the process. This step, if not taken, will put stress on all the other steps. But if taken, the implications have no limits. It’s all got to do with expansion. We have seen that we want to start church small rather than big. But does that entail that you continue to be small? No. The church must expand.… Read More »Add to Multiply
This step, I believe, is one of the most difficult to get your head around. This, at first glance, seems to run against the grain of what our culture wants today. But deep down, I believe that this culture craves this step and more importantly, needs this step. We have seen that when a church comes together, there are many elements to be done in… Read More »Short to Long
The church needs to realise that the Western world has dramatically shifted. It has gone from a Central Culture to a Wide Margin Culture. This means that the way we do church is not the best and most missional, biblical, and disciple-making way of doing church. We have looked at 4 steps in becoming a Wide Margin Church. In this and the next session we… Read More »Monologue to Dialogue
For small independent house churches the inevitable question keeps coming up : Who is running the church? What about Pastors? Won’t it all fall apart? This is a legitimate question and one that we need to assess in two sessions. I believe this next step that the Wide Margin Church is to take is the hardest hurdle of them all. So much of our understanding… Read More »Few to Many
At the end of last session we were left looking at the church as a A Small gathering (10-20), meeting in homes.But that just leaves one with a description of something called “Cell Church”. The Cell church model is this idea that you will have little gatherings that meet in homes, but they are collectively part of a larger church, a larger gathering where all… Read More »Dependence to Independence
We have seen that the western world has changed dramatically. It has become much like a Wild West, where many cultures have exploded into one location doing their own thing. Yet, throughout this change the church has continued to do church in the same way. This series, called Wide Margin, is to show a new, though old way of doing church that can connect to… Read More »Halls to Homes
We have seen that the cultural field has changed from a Central field to a Margin field. The problem is that much of how we do church has been built into a central way of thinking. But instead of the church changing to connect with the culture of the day, they have continued in the same fashion. Not only is it not connecting with the… Read More »Big to Small
The world has changed. The map is different. But the church will continue. Christ is still king. In this new Wide Margin World the church needs to figure out how to do church. In the West, we have been doing church a similar way. That may have worked for the last few hundred years, but can it work today? I have argued that in the… Read More »Create a Space
Even though the Western world has no more “centre” that doesn’t mean there are no more “central entities”. What do these entities want? They want to create a centre again. I call these groups “centities” In this session I will define the top 8 central wolves that still lurk in our fragmented culture. I will also outline why I think that these “central wolves”, at… Read More »Centities
The world has dramatically changed. There is no longer one culture, but many cultures in the same area. What does this mean? There is no central hub. No common sense. Welcome to the world we live in today : The Wide Margin. But how did we get here? We have been dealing with the culture and showing that there are 2 parts to it :… Read More »The Cultural Shift
Jesus told Christians to be “in the world”. We cannot leave it to its own devices. But at the same time, we are not to be “of the world”. We need to be separate from the culture but at the same time to be connected with the culture. How do we do this? How can we be Christian in this world without losing ourselves? More… Read More »The 2 Parts of Culture
There are many problems with church. These are my top 7 problems that can affect the whole identity of what church is supposed to be. The idea is to read from the beginning problem as each one builds onto the previous problem. Quick Snapshot Institutional churches start with the wrong move. They assume that the only way church will happen is when there is a… Read More »The 7 Problems of Church
One goal of church is to make disciples. Part of that process is conversion. The question is : Are disciples being made? Or is something else going on? “Conversions” is one of the main things that a church may use as a statistic. But it can also be a problem for the church. How do you define a conversion? I am convinced that the institutional… Read More »The Problem of Conversions
Everybody needs to deal with it. This includes the church. But how are we to properly use cash? This has been one of the biggest problems for church. First we need to say some preliminary things about cash: So with those things in mind, here are some common problems with cash in church: The bulk of cash goes towards bosses and buildings Due to the… Read More »The Problem of Cash
Communication is crucial in any church. If we get this wrong, then genuine care and growth cannot go forth. But as you may have experienced, communication is increasingly harder in a fast-paced world. So what are the problems that relate to the problem of communication? The more people, the harder the communication If the church continues to increase in number, it makes communication more complex.… Read More »The Problem of Communication
Is the church supposed to have complexity? Or should it be simple and organic? The problem of complexity rise out of the previous 3 problems: When all 3 of these happen, you’ll get complexity. Here are some of the things that complexity does to the church: It goes from being an Organism to being an Organisation When you read about the church, primarily it is… Read More »The Problem of Complexity
In the western world, you can sum it up in one word : Consumerism. There are some great things about Consumerism. But it has seeped into all facets of life, including the church. What happens to the church when it becomes consumeristic? Now “consumer” means that everything is tailored around the consumer in order to give it a great product. But how does that play… Read More »The Problem of Consumerism
When people hear the word “church” what do they think of? Usually they would see something like a building. Hang on, a really old building. A building with a high ceiling, some arches, white pillars. Maybe they would think of rows and rows and rows of pews. Maybe red carpet? This ethereal old musty building. This is one of the greatest problems for the mainline… Read More »The problem of Church Buildings
One of the first questions people may have about church is, “who runs it?” In other words, they want to know who the leader is. LEADERS ARE EVERYWHERE They are running businesses, schools, and sports teams. It’s only natural to have leaders amongst your church gatherings, right? But in the traditional church, leadership has been taken to a whole other level. Known as the “clergy”,… Read More »The problem of Clergy