Points of Departure

Points of Departure:
7 Challenges to the American Evangelical Church

By Jim Thomson (Joshua Tree, 2010)

“We lead, as Jesus instructed us not to, as the Gentiles do. We work hard, there is no doubt about that, but we work hard to build an organization that is contrary to the biblical pattern. We don’t work hard to simply, purely follow Jesus, hear God’s words and act upon them, while eschewing Gentile leadership principles, according to the biblical pattern. We don’t work hard to operate in the supernatural power of God, as every leader in the Bible did—because we’re too hard at work building and organizing a religious structure.” –Jim Thomson, from the book

To order from Amazon.com: Points of Departure: 7 Challenges to the American Evangelical Church

How Much Tech Do You Actually Need?

Because you cannot do this alone, you are going to have to trust the right individuals who know more about tech than you do. Your calling is to shepherd. Do that.

Gene Appel: Do Less Ministry; Reach More People

None of the programs at our church were bad in and of themselves. The volume of it just prevented us from being focused on building relationships with those who are far from God. So, we had to do less ministry to reach more people. It sounds funny, but people had to be trained in how to do life with nonbelievers or people spiritually disinterested.

When Familiar Becomes Careless

God wants to be in a relationship with his people that’s not marked by fear but love. Not apprehension, but an appreciation of his great grace and compassion.