church - Discipleship.Network - The Reimagine Network
2024-03-28T11:11:23Z
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/feed/tag/church
#ReimagineCHURCH: Adjusting to Life in a Changing Culture
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-adjusting-to-life-in-a-changing-culture
2023-10-21T22:02:14.000Z
2023-10-21T22:02:14.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
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<td valign="top"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a title="" href="https://churchrenew.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=85a8dfd22d860adc3cf21048b&id=dc51487d44&e=7891864621" target="_blank"><img class="m_-368200587974556581mcnImage CToWUd" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/PWqkU3phOg5zKotk4Yjgv6q0qMN_X_lBqj4ZY-mMRIqbfyQPJm0AHJWDMGIM-qSuJ2ZTsmLfT5g9xeSKknaxMbElUg08kL3SLbcdwU84UOsF4Ja2Qss59i4aXVVpkp8wqcJhls1YlSQvj5nLrc_4wiLqraAuzA=s0-d-e1-ft#https://mcusercontent.com/85a8dfd22d860adc3cf21048b/images/f71c1fe7-7a7a-40d3-9203-e8c688730f03.png" alt="" width="300" /></a></span></td>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN LIVING IN A NEW CULTURE</strong></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;">By Keith Doornbos</span></p>
<p><br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>North American culture is changing rapidly.</strong> We know that. We feel that. Many yearn for days, not long ago, when life was simpler, faith-family was central, and Sunday worship was a highlight of the week. Most importantly, many long for those days when the next generation’s faith-story tended to mirror the faith story of the previous generation. Those days are fast disappearing. </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">The cause of this rapid cultural shift is being explored by sociologists everywhere. An important thing to highlight, however, is that this is not the first time the church has experienced a rapid cultural shift. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Looking back on previous days can teach us important lessons for these days. One previous day is found in <a href="https://churchrenew.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=85a8dfd22d860adc3cf21048b&id=2739e149b3&e=7891864621" target="_blank">Jeremiah 29</a> just after God’s people were deported to a foreign land. <strong>Jeremiah, writing to exiles living in the refugee village of Tel Aviv, offers helpful insight into life in an unfamiliar culture.</strong></span></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>SEVEN IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN LIVING IN A NEW LAND</strong></span></p>
<hr />
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>REMEMBER…WE WERE BROUGHT HERE FOR A REASON </strong>(29:4)</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Jer. 29:4 says “This is what the LORD Almighty says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon…” </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">God puts his church where he places it for a reason. That reason is God's mission in the world and his work within us. We must remain alert to how God is shaping us and shaping culture through us.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>REMEMBER…WE SHOULD WHOLE-HEARTEDLY EMBRACE OUR NEW REALITY</strong> (29:5)</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Many long for the days gone by when every church teamed with energy and was filled with young people. Longing for what was is not a formula to creating what will be. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">God’s word to the exiles is to find a home in their new reality, “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.”</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>REMEMBER…FAMILY REMAINS ESSENTIAL TO VITALITY </strong>(29:6)</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">The church may struggle to impact culture, but we can always impact our families (both our nuclear family and our faith family). </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">The first mission field is the kitchen table and the communion table. Jer. 29:6 says, “Increase in number there; do not decrease.”</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>REMEMBER…OUR GOAL IS TO BE A BLESSING </strong>(29:7)</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">The role of the church is to love and serve our neighbors and community. “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile, pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">The church should not be a cultural irritant. It should be a cultural blessing.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>REMEMBER…LIFE WILL BE HARD BUT IT WILL BE O.K.</strong> (29:8-9)</span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Anyone suggesting that there are quick solutions to changing cultural currents is not speaking truth. “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you.”</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Simple solutions will not fix the loss of children and grandchildren from the church (sometimes from faith). Remember, God is still at work.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>REMEMBER…NEVER LOSE HOPE </strong>(29:10-11)</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">With God the best is still before us. Christ’s church may struggle in various places and at various times, but it is never without hope. Not even the gates of hell can prevail against it. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">God’s plans for his people are always to “prosper you and not to harm you.”</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>REMEMBER…STAYING CONNECTED TO GOD IS MOST IMPORTANT</strong> (29:12-14)</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Prayer is our priority in a secular culture. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">In a world that questions the importance of God-connection, God’s people bear witness that a God-centered life is a life of meaning, purpose, and joy.</span></li>
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<div><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>The Center for Church Renewal seeks to serve leaders who are renewing churches. <br /> Visit <a href="https://churchrenew.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=85a8dfd22d860adc3cf21048b&id=dade3abf7a&e=7891864621" target="_blank">churchrenew.org</a> to see the various ways we are serving churches for the purpose of developing intentional missional congregations that make more and better disciples.</strong></span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><em>Check out <a href="https://churchrenew.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=85a8dfd22d860adc3cf21048b&id=9f3c4c5550&e=7891864621" target="_blank">shareyourexperiment.com</a> to discover fresh ideas for ministry and to share your experiments with others</em>.</strong></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;">While there, <u>s</u><a href="https://churchrenew.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=85a8dfd22d860adc3cf21048b&id=9be0f797e1&e=7891864621" target="_blank">ubscribe</a> and we will let you know when we have new experiments.</span></div>
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<td class="m_-368200587974556581mcnTextContent" valign="top"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><em>Copyright © 2023 Center for Church Renewal, alll rights reserved.</em></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Our mailing address is:</strong></span><br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;">224 W 30th Street, Holland, MI 49423</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://churchrenew.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=85a8dfd22d860adc3cf21048b&id=748ad0962b&e=7891864621" target="_blank">bill@churchrenew.org</a></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://churchrenew.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=85a8dfd22d860adc3cf21048b&id=a579f7df03&e=7891864621" target="_blank">http://www.churchrenew.org</a></span></td>
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<center><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> </center>
<div class="nH"> </div></div>
#ReimagineCHURCH...Programs
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-programs
2023-08-08T15:18:41.000Z
2023-08-08T15:18:41.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
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<h2><a href="https://ericgeiger.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=67da82c2b2989178ec32b682b&id=e64dde0da2&e=38367472f2" target="_blank">10 Problems With Church Programming and 1 Perspective Shift</a></h2>
<em>By Eric Geiger on Mar 07, 2023</em><br />
<p> </p>
<p>Here are ten observations from my church resourcing days that I think most church leaders would agree with about church programming—the number of programs, events, and activities a local church offers:</p>
<p>1. More activity does not mean more godliness. While preachers have long said “if the devil can’t get you to sin, he will just get you busy” applies to Christians, that sentiment has rarely been applied to churches.</p>
<p>2. Church calendars often reveal a menu approach to discipleship rather than a map approach to discipleship (an approach that places anything and everything on a menu instead of a plan to move people somewhere).</p>
<p>3. Many church leaders feel like they manage programs rather than make disciples.</p>
<p>4. The reason churches find it challenging to communicate everything is often because churches are doing too many things.</p>
<p>5. Because not all church programs and events are created equal, they should not all receive the same amount of energy, investment, and communication. Yet many church leaders feel immense pressure to communicate all they are doing with equal intentionality and volume.</p>
<p>6. Offering a program is a matter of stewardship—stewardship of the resources it takes to run a program, stewardship of people’s time, and stewardship of people’s gifts.</p>
<p>7. Ineffective programs or events take more energy from the effective ones than people realize. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe famously said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”</p>
<p>8. Churches are notorious for adding programs, events, and activities and lacking the discipline to evaluate if they serve people well.</p>
<p>9. Many church leaders often can’t say, “Let’s go on this journey together,” because they can’t possibly do all they are asking people to do.</p>
<p>10. It is very challenging to do many things well, both in life and in church programming.</p>
<p>The problem is not the church program. Church programs can be incredible tools God uses. The problem is the perspective of church programs. Without the right perspective, a church program or event can become an end in itself instead of a tool within an overarching discipleship journey. Not all these problems will go away with one shift in perspective, but this one shift dramatically impacts how church leaders view programs. Here it is: programs must be for your people—not your people for programs.</p>
<br />
<h3>Recent Articles:</h3>
<a href="https://ericgeiger.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=67da82c2b2989178ec32b682b&id=c859b14d20&e=38367472f2" target="_blank">3 Ways to Fight the Entitlement That Is Fighting Enjoyment</a><br /> <a href="https://ericgeiger.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=67da82c2b2989178ec32b682b&id=660faa13dc&e=38367472f2" target="_blank">Entitlement Is Fighting Against Enjoyment</a><br /> <a href="https://ericgeiger.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=67da82c2b2989178ec32b682b&id=f79efdbd6c&e=38367472f2" target="_blank">A Discouraging Compliment to Receive After Preaching</a><br /> <a href="https://ericgeiger.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=67da82c2b2989178ec32b682b&id=e7dca27849&e=38367472f2" target="_blank">Research on Why Christians Should Be the Most Grateful People</a><br /> <a href="https://ericgeiger.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=67da82c2b2989178ec32b682b&id=c3d411725f&e=38367472f2" target="_blank">The Work Behind Teaching on God’s View of Gender Dysphoria</a></td>
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<td class="m_651745836387288834mcnTextContent" valign="top"><em>Copyright © 2023 EricGeiger.com, All rights reserved.</em><br /> You are receiving this email because you opted in at EricGeiger.com.<br /> <br /> <strong>Our mailing address is:</strong><br />
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Jump Start Your Reimagine Journey
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/jump-start-your-reimagine-journey
2023-04-30T21:25:54.000Z
2023-04-30T21:25:54.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
<div><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><em><strong>Jump Start Your Reimagine Journey</strong></em></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/template-the-6-spheres-of-praying?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES" target="_blank">Renew Prayer</a></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-by-asking-seeking-knocking-for-sprit-led-goals?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES" target="_blank">Reset Planning</a></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-the-seven-questions-staying-focused-and-faithful-?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES" target="_blank">Refocus Ministry</a></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/worksheet-for-big-small-church-impact-in-your-community" target="_blank">Reshape Outreach</a></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-seven-components-of-sunday-worship-services" target="_blank">Reset Sundays</a></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-a-fresh-sunday-weekend-template" target="_blank">Refocus Sundays</a></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginediscipleship-by-the-jesus-ratios?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES" target="_blank">Redesign Discipleship</a></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginecities-impact-communities-with-the-5-cs-template-1?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES" target="_blank">Refocus Church Unity</a></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineleadership?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES" target="_blank">Reimagine Leading</a></span></p>
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SpotLIGHT ~ Dare to #Reimagine Church/Discipleship/Evangelism/Compassion with
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/spotlight-dare-to-reimagine-church-discipleship-evangelism-compas
2023-03-26T18:09:12.000Z
2023-03-26T18:09:12.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
<div><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>SpotLIGHT ~ Dare to #Reimagine Church/Discipleship/Evangelism/Compassion with "Neighboring as Your Strategic Focus</strong></span></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:18pt;">"Neighboring" ~ A Radical #Reset</span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Our SpotLIGHT is on Lynn Cory</span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">A <span style="background-color:transparent;">Podcast + Multi-Stage Interview + Church Case Study with this Pastor-Teacher/ Coach-Strategist</span></span></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">He is not selling a product or pushing a program.</span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12pt;">Lynn is casting a REthink-vision and proposes a REset-strategy adaptable to any size/type of congregation/ministry.</span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-size:12pt;">____________________________________</span></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://archive.org/details/Nov142011ConferenceCallLynnCory" target="_blank">Podcast: Lynn Cory Unpacks "Neighboring"</a></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/phil-miglioratti-interviewed-lynn-cory-author-of-what-happened-to" target="_blank">Grassroots: The Biblical Foundation</a></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/love-your-neighborhood-a-church-for-people-like-me" target="_blank">The Neighborhood Initaitve Reset</a></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/interview-with-lynn-cory-author-of-the-incarnational-church" target="_blank">Become an Incarnational Church</a></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/the-reimagineforum-coaching-session-lynn-cory" target="_blank">Begin the Kairos Adventure</a></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/chat-with-the-author-lynn-cory-author-of-jesus-secrets-for-advanc" target="_blank">Discover/Deploy Jesus Secrets</a></strong></span></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><em style="background-color:transparent;">Scroll for reviews and resources - Begin to REimagine ... #Church #Discipleship #Compassion #Evangelism #Prayer</em></span></p>
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<p>Lynn Cory’s greatest passion has been for pastors to work together and to see the Church move outside the walls of the building and to minister in the local community in a naturally supernatural way.</p>
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<p>He has found the most natural way to accomplish this is in the neighborhoods where God has placed us ....</p>
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<p>Which is why he designed Neighborhood Initiative and authored a series of user-friendly books: "Neighborhood Initiative and the Love of God," </p>
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<li>“The Incarnational Church"</li>
<li>"The Kairos Adventure"</li>
<li>"Jesus’ Secrets"</li>
<li>"What Happened to the Grassroots Movement of Jesus?"</li>
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<p><img class="image_content" src="https://files.constantcontact.com/7f54f8e7001/700a5a11-69ff-4606-b2db-960cea06963a.png" alt="" width="145" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>#REimagineDISCIPLESHIP...</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/phil-miglioratti-interviewed-lynn-cory-author-of-what-happened-to" target="_blank">√ My Latest Interview with Lynn Cory</a></span></p>
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<p>WorldChanges</p>
<p>Person-to-Person</p>
<p>Jesus is on a Rescue Mission</p>
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<p>Jesus modeled a plan for His disciples to follow.</p>
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<p>Lynn Cory gives an eye-opening account of what turned the Church away from Jesus’ grassroots movement and redirects and aligns us with the Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples once again.</p>
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<p>#<span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>REimagineMINISTRY...</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/the-reimagineforum-coaching-session-lynn-cory" target="_blank">√My interview with the author</a></strong></span></p>
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<p>The Kairos Adventure is for believers who want to experience God, right where He has placed them, in a fresh new way and see Him at work in the lives of those in their neighborhood. Join Him on an adventure of a lifetime.</p>
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<li>The inspiring stories will allow you to learn from other’s experiences to help you better relate to and care for people in your own neighborhood.</li>
<li>Each story is coupled with an insight drawn from that neighborhood experience, followed by an opportunity to reflect and respond.</li>
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<p>The reader will learn how to live the kairos life, experiencing God's divine appointments, make lasting relationships with their own neighbors, allowing God in His timing to bring about opportunities to love them and impart the message of the gospel so they will become a disciple of Jesus.</p>
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<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>#RimagineCOMPASSION...</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/love-your-neighborhood-a-church-for-people-like-me" target="_blank">√One Church's Story</a></strong></span></p>
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<p>What if each of our homes became centers for the loving ministry of Jesus?</p>
<p>What if every one of our neighbors then began to experience the extravagant love of God?</p>
<p>Neighborhood Initiative is for those who want to join a Jesus revolution of love in our cities, neighborhoods, families, workplaces, and schools.</p>
<p>“Neighborhood Initiative and the Love of God” provides resources that equip people to make lasting relationships with their own neighbors. The book answers why neighborhood ministry is important and how those in the Church can get started in their own neighborhood.</p>
<p>Right now.</p>
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<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>#REimagineCHURCH...</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/interview-with-lynn-cory-author-of-the-incarnational-church" target="_blank">√My interview with the author</a></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:transparent;"> </span></p>
<p>What if pastors embraced Jesus’ Whole Church and genuinely demonstrated love and concern for one another?</p>
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<p>What if followers of Jesus in every community worked together to model Jesus’ love and bring His kingdom to their neighborhoods?</p>
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<p>The Spirit of God is initiating a “neighboring” strategy.</p>
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<p>“The Incarnational Church: Catching Jesus’ Radical Approach for Advancing His Kingdom” is for those who want to join this movement, so that we will see revival and awakening in our cities.</p>
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<p>“The Incarnational Church“ is a leader’s resource of real-life examples plus practical steps to get you started in your city, church, and neighborhood to live out the life of Jesus right where He has placed you.</p>
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<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/resources-to-reimaginechurch-as-neighboring" target="_blank">√ Free. Tested. Resources. to Initiate a Neighboring Strategy</a></strong></span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>#REimagineEVANGELISM...</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/chat-with-the-author-lynn-cory-author-of-jesus-secrets-for-advanc" target="_blank">√My interview with the author</a></strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The intention of this book is to help us uncover many of Jesus’ secrets for advancing His kingdom—His reign and rule—that are often overlooked.</p>
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<p>My hope is that your eyes may see into the invisible realm of Christ in order to take hold of His secrets.</p>
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<p>They are available to anyone God will grant eyes to see.</p>
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<p>All too often, we who desire to see Jesus’ kingdom advance resort to methods, programs, or our own strategies, which often have a very short shelf life, rather than what Jesus put forth in the Gospels about how His kingdom advances.</p>
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<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong><a href="https://archive.org/details/Nov142011ConferenceCallLynnCory" target="_blank">√PODCAST with Author/Coach Lynn Cory</a></strong></span></p>
<p>Phil Miglioratti and Lynn Cory discuss the issues of recalibrating our ministries as we reimagine our communities.</p>
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#ReorganizeCHURCH...
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reorganizechurch
2023-02-03T17:39:51.000Z
2023-02-03T17:39:51.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
<div><h1>#ReorganizeCHURCH...</h1>
<h1><a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=280069&post_id=99622080&utm_source=post-email-title&isFreemail=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MjI2OTY3LCJwb3N0X2lkIjo5OTYyMjA4MCwiaWF0IjoxNjc1MzE3ODY4LCJleHAiOjE2Nzc5MDk4NjgsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yODAwNjkiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.L1sbdwZ8ouYqwI92U2YuYjKT6uufr3REe2NYNispYFQ" target="_blank">Not Your Grandmothers' Church</a></h1>
<div><a href="https://substack.com/profile/27107797-scot-mcknight" target="_blank">SCOT MCKNIGHT</a></div>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">When I was a child it seemed most people went to church on Sunday. Not only did most attend church, most who did attended most weeks. We got credit if we attended a church when we were on vacation. We wore Sunday clothes, which meant most months coat and tie. In the heat of the summer I wore a short sleeve shirt and a tie without a coat. It was as Christian as it was American to attend church this way. Builders and Boomers lived this way. We assumed America was mostly a Christian nation though, as good fundamentalists we secretly knew most of those who said they were Christians weren’t really Christians. (I say this to our shame.)</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Less than half of Americans belong to a church or house of worship now. Just 30 years back that number was at 70%. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Somewhere between 25-30% say they attended a church service that week. Bob Smietana, in <em><strong><a href="https://substack.com/redirect/6a2a6192-9721-42db-a0b1-f9499aa4fde0?j=eyJ1IjoiNHdieXYifQ.GforGe9BzsEd8kT1AhYyRqTJHvYZWmz0wgFAGS-UYXI" target="_blank">Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters</a></strong></em>, examines the “unprecedented transformation” underway in American religion.In American history the church has been (1) mostly white, (2) mostly a national culture, (3) mostly Protestant, (4) mostly run by men, (5) and mostly shaping a conservative Christian culture, and (6) mostly respectable and respected. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">That’s your grandmothers’ church and America. “America’s grandparents go to church; their grandkids do not.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">The local Episcopalian and Presbyterian churches are filled on Sundays with white hairs. The local Episcopalian church in our village is struggling. Their attenders are all down here in Florida! I exaggerate, but not much.America is now multi-ethnic, pluralistic, and egalitarian. The fast-growing group, you guessed, is the one that answers “None” when asked on surveys about their religion.Age matters here. As the church shifts from the current generation propping up the church to the younger generation, those six items above are shifting dramatically.We are, Smietana observes, “in this reorganized religious landscape” right now. Things are changing.By 2060 only 43% of America will be white.The decline in American churches is mostly among white churches.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">The “future of religion in America belongs to the Nones and the ‘Nons’ – Christians who are not white.” Smietana takes here from Mark Silk at The Religion News Service.<a href="https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=280069&post_id=99622080&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&isFreemail=true&comments=true&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MjI2OTY3LCJwb3N0X2lkIjo5OTYyMjA4MCwiaWF0IjoxNjc1MzE3ODY4LCJleHAiOjE2Nzc5MDk4NjgsImlzcyI6InB1Yi0yODAwNjkiLCJzdWIiOiJwb3N0LXJlYWN0aW9uIn0.L1sbdwZ8ouYqwI92U2YuYjKT6uufr3REe2NYNispYFQ" target="_blank">Leave a comment</a>Your grandmothers church built megachurches; you are not going to. By you I mean the current generation, whatever letter is the latest demographic. Church attendance is no longer the common path to a good life. Megachurches and the mainline “big-box” churches are/were white and they assumed people would be going to church when they built their buildings and formed their culture. That world is disappearing. (I do think Smietana could give more nuance if South vs. North were more into play.)In the disappearing church world “they often turn on one another,” and Bob Smietana has covered the SBC often. So he tells stories about one Baptist church, formerly pastored by someone named Jerry Sutton, and then about the Conservative Resurgence.The church is not disappearing because it has gotten liberal in its theology, though that narrative has been told for decades. Some sociologists, including Andrew Greeley, whose book with Houk I wrote about when it was published, have demonstrated beyond easy dismissals that the decline has more to do with birth rates. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">To sustain a church one must have at least one birth for every death, and the American white churches increasingly have more dying than being born. Their birth rates have dropped. Significantly. At one point conservatives were gleeful about the decline of mainlines because they thought the mainline liberals would die off because of their liberal theology, while the conservatives would go from victory to victory because of their conservative theology.Until the numbers showed they were wrong. Numbers in the SBC are not easy to calculate but they are on the decline, more than 10% in the last 15 years (2006: 16.3 million; 2021: 14 million).Until the <em>Houston Chronicle</em> unmasked sordid stories in the SBC that rival the stories in the RCC. The aftermath has been a sickening display of a defensive posture toward the institution and a heartless disregard of victims.Bob’s finishing page for chapter one concludes that the SBC “was built for a world that no longer exists.” Nuance might say it is declining but not like the decline in the North.But your grandmothers’ church has all the signs of all but disappearing.</span></p>
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#ReimagineCHURCH...as the Christ-Serving Congregations Across Your Community
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-as-the-christ-serving-congregations-across-your-c
2023-01-06T03:25:17.000Z
2023-01-06T03:25:17.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
<div><p> </p>
<h1 class="entry-title" style="text-align:center;">#ReimagineCHURCH...as the Christ-Serving Congregations Across Your Community</h1>
<h1 class="entry-title" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;">Better Together: God Reveals His Plan for Church Unity</span></h1>
<p class="entry-meta" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><span class="entry-categories"><a href="https://research.lifeway.com/category/insights/">Insights</a>| <a href="https://research.lifeway.com/category/insights/faith-culture/">Faith & Culture</a></span> | </span></p>
<div class="entry-content" style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><img class="wp-image-124977 lazyloaded align-center" src="https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ChurchUnity.jpg" alt="ChurchUnity.jpg" /></span> <span style="font-size:12pt;"><a href="https://unsplash.com/@noaa?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" target="_blank">NOAA</a> photo | <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/orcas?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" target="_blank">Unsplash</a></span></div>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>How do we know unity is God’s plan for His church? God reveals His plan for church unity both in creation and through His Word.</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><em>By Karen K. Cook</em></span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Orcas can hunt anything, but nothing hunts them. Intelligent, social, and diverse, these magnificent animals live in family units called pods. Females transform into <a class="swipebox" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQpGT1BgdX4" target="_blank">grandmothers</a> in their mid-forties and retain the pod’s collective knowledge about survival, food sources, and generational hunting techniques. Sometimes that knowledge will lead them to hunt impressive prey.</span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Blue whales, as the largest animal to have ever lived on earth, weigh up to forty times as much as orcas. Yet one group of orcas off the coast of Australia hunts blue whales with frightening efficiency. How can orcas possibly hunt blue whales? Community.</span></p>
<h3 class="has-large-font-size" style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>God reveals His design for unity</strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">As a neuroscientist, I learned about how God displays His design in all creation. And God used my love of zoology to help me understand and appreciate His plans. The complexity and beauty of animal life evidence God’s creativity and intelligence. As a seminary student, the more I learn about God in an academic setting, the more I see Him in creation. Theology and science aren’t separate from one another. Rather, they support each other in the discovery of God’s absolute truth. Theologically, I know the love of the triune God spilled over into creation so all nature witnesses God’s extravagant love. We see God’s character and attributes in all He made. God reveals Himself through both science and theology. Studying zoology and neuroscience make me a better theologian, and studying theology makes me a more observant scientist.</span></p>
<span class="bctt-click-to-tweet" style="font-size:12pt;"><span class="bctt-ctt-text"><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fresearch.lifeway.com%2F2022%2F12%2F16%2Fbetter-together-god-reveals-his-plan-for-church-unity%2F&text=%E2%80%9CTheology%20and%20science%20aren%E2%80%99t%20separate%20from%20one%20another.%20Rather%2C%20they%20support%20each%20other%20in%20the%20discovery%20of%20God%E2%80%99s%20absolute%20truth.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Karen%20Cook&via=LifewayResearch&related=LifewayResearch" target="_blank">“Theology and science aren’t separate from one another. Rather, they support each other in the discovery of God’s absolute truth.” — Karen Cook</a></span><a class="bctt-ctt-btn" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fresearch.lifeway.com%2F2022%2F12%2F16%2Fbetter-together-god-reveals-his-plan-for-church-unity%2F&text=%E2%80%9CTheology%20and%20science%20aren%E2%80%99t%20separate%20from%20one%20another.%20Rather%2C%20they%20support%20each%20other%20in%20the%20discovery%20of%20God%E2%80%99s%20absolute%20truth.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Karen%20Cook&via=LifewayResearch&related=LifewayResearch" target="_blank">CLICK TO TWEET</a></span></div>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">As I learned about unity and community among orcas, I saw that this is also God’s design for humanity. But humans—even Christians—often fail to live out the tight-knit unity orcas share and Christ calls us to. Orcas display God’s creative plan for unity in action. How do we know unity is God’s plan for His church? Paul describes God’s extravagant love and <a href="https://research.lifeway.com/2020/10/19/5-traits-every-church-must-have-to-maintain-unity/" target="_blank">His plan for unity among Christians</a> in a letter to the Ephesians. For those who follow Jesus, love for Him mobilizes unity among believers.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Paul writes his prayer in Ephesians 3:16–19 to help believers grasp the dimensions of Christ’s love for us—which calls to mind the width, length, height, and depth of the ocean. Paul wrote his letter to highlight God’s reconciliation through Jesus. God reconciles the cosmos and humankind to Himself vertically. He also reconciles Jews to Gentiles horizontally. Unity in Christ—in the cosmos and the church—is the central theme of Paul’s letter.</span></p>
<h3 class="has-large-font-size" style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Unity rooted in Christ</strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">In the beginning of his prayer, Paul elucidates how Christ captains our faith-filled hearts, so we can steadfastly follow Him. He writes: “I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith,” (Ephesians 3:16–17a, CSB). This Trinitarian expression points us toward a faithful walk with Jesus. The Father strengthens believers through the power of the Holy Spirit so that Christ can live in our hearts, preparing us to love others in unity.</span></p>
<span class="bctt-click-to-tweet" style="font-size:12pt;"><span class="bctt-ctt-text"><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fresearch.lifeway.com%2F2022%2F12%2F16%2Fbetter-together-god-reveals-his-plan-for-church-unity%2F&text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Father%20strengthens%20believers%20through%20the%20power%20of%20the%20Holy%20Spirit%20so%20that%20Christ%20can%20live%20in%20our%20hearts%2C%20preparing%20us%20to%20love%20others%20in%20unity.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Karen%20Cook&via=LifewayResearch&related=LifewayResearch" target="_blank">“The Father strengthens believers through the power of the Holy Spirit so that Christ can live in our hearts, preparing us to love others in unity.” — Karen Cook</a></span><a class="bctt-ctt-btn" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fresearch.lifeway.com%2F2022%2F12%2F16%2Fbetter-together-god-reveals-his-plan-for-church-unity%2F&text=%E2%80%9CThe%20Father%20strengthens%20believers%20through%20the%20power%20of%20the%20Holy%20Spirit%20so%20that%20Christ%20can%20live%20in%20our%20hearts%2C%20preparing%20us%20to%20love%20others%20in%20unity.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Karen%20Cook&via=LifewayResearch&related=LifewayResearch" target="_blank">CLICK TO TWEET</a></span></div>
<div class="entry-content" style="text-align:center;">
<p style="text-align:left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">We see a picture of this as orcas live in unity within their pods. The grandmother’s love and commitment guarantee the survival and flourishing of her descendants, much as the love of Jesus promises human flourishing.</span></p>
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<div class="u863738d8dfc47223f3d45e8345cba39c-content"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><span class="ctaText">See also</span> <span class="postTitle">Video: Learning the Skills You Need to Pastor</span></span></div>
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<div class="ctaButton"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
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<h3 class="has-large-font-size" style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Unity rooted in love</strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">As he continues, Paul illuminates how empowered saints of love grasp the dimensionless love of Christ, so we can experience and participate in this unfathomable love. He says: “I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love,” (Ephesians 3:17b–18, CSB). The Greek tells us we must be rooted like a tree and established like a foundation in love <em>with other believers</em> so that we can comprehend Christ’s love. Two separate phrases—“being rooted and established in love” and “with all the saints”—indicate our need for horizontal love to help us grasp vertical love.</span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Similarly, orcas demonstrate great love for one another. Using their unique dialects, orca pods spread their social consciousness around the group so they can operate as one when hunting. Orca behaviors and communication set each pod apart within their species, reflecting God’s design in setting the church apart from the world. God desires this intensity of unity for His church.</span></p>
<h3 class="has-large-font-size" style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Unity rooted in the fullness of God</strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Finally, Paul reveals how God animates unity in the church with His fullness so we can succeed in His mission as His body. “And to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19, CSB). We will <em>experience</em> Christ’s love even though we cannot fully <em>understand</em> it. Then God will fill us to the measure of Himself, animating unity in His Church. When Paul refers to God filling us with His fullness, he looks back to the Old Testament tabernacle and temple, which God filled with His physical, holy presence. In the New Testament church, God fills believers corporately, as His temple, with His character, attributes, strength, holiness, love—all that describes Him.</span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> </p>
<span class="bctt-click-to-tweet" style="font-size:12pt;"><span class="bctt-ctt-text"><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fresearch.lifeway.com%2F2022%2F12%2F16%2Fbetter-together-god-reveals-his-plan-for-church-unity%2F&text=%E2%80%9CIn%20the%20New%20Testament%20church%2C%20God%20fills%20believers%20corporately%2C%20as%20His%20temple%2C%20with%20His%20character%2C%20attributes%2C%20strength%2C%20holiness%2C%20love%E2%80%94all%20that%20describes%20Him.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Karen%20Cook&via=LifewayResearch&related=LifewayResearch" target="_blank">“In the New Testament church, God fills believers corporately, as His temple, with His character, attributes, strength, holiness, love—all that describes Him.” — Karen Cook</a></span><a class="bctt-ctt-btn" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fresearch.lifeway.com%2F2022%2F12%2F16%2Fbetter-together-god-reveals-his-plan-for-church-unity%2F&text=%E2%80%9CIn%20the%20New%20Testament%20church%2C%20God%20fills%20believers%20corporately%2C%20as%20His%20temple%2C%20with%20His%20character%2C%20attributes%2C%20strength%2C%20holiness%2C%20love%E2%80%94all%20that%20describes%20Him.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Karen%20Cook&via=LifewayResearch&related=LifewayResearch" target="_blank">CLICK TO TWEET</a></span></div>
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<p style="text-align:left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Though God does not fill orcas with His fullness, He designed them to experience social unity that establishes them as apex predators with a successful life story. Similarly, in the body of Christ, unity is the root of success. Once again, we see God uses orcas to model His design for humans to have success in unity.</span></p>
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<h2 class="gb-profile-name"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Karen Cook</span></h2>
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<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Karen is a seminary student at Dallas Theological Seminary.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><em>With thanks for permission to republish this article from Lifeway.com</em></span></p>
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Explore Phil's #ReimagineFILES Index
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/explore-phil-s-reimaginefiles
2022-10-22T18:18:19.000Z
2022-10-22T18:18:19.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
<div><p class="p1"><span style="font-size:18pt;"><em><strong>The #ReimagineFILES Index</strong></em></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><em>Articles + Blog Posts + Commentary + Discussion + Essays</em></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><em>Outreach Strategies • Seminar Teachings • Planning/Teaching Templates • Interaction Formats</em></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><em>Video - Thought Leader Screenshot "Quotes" - Podcasts</em></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><em>Share on Social Media - Handout-Ready • <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12374324465,original{{/staticFileLink}}">Phils Files document.docx</a></em></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><em><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reading-plans-to-refocus-then-refresh-your-ministry" target="_blank">Reading Plans</a> with Your Team/Group...Your Church</em></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;">by Phil Miglioratti •<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Reimagine.Network Curator</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#Reimagine…</strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/why-did-i-launch-the-reimagineforum">Why Did I Launch #The #ReimagineFORUM...?</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/why-reimagine">Why #Reimagine..?</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginefuturechurch-reformat-reboot-reset" target="_blank">#ReimagineFutureChurch: Reformat? Reboot? Reset?</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-reimagine-coaching-session-with-phil-miglioratti">A #Reimagine Coaching Session with Phil Miglioratti</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reviewed-then-renewed-what-is-your-1-question" target="_blank">Review Then Review: What Is YOUR "1-Question"?</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-romans-12-2-1?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES">#Reimagine Romans 12:2</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3" style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/are-you-a-reimagineer-in-every-ministry-role" target="_blank">Are You A #Reimagineer?</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/designing-a-reimaginechurch-journey">Designing a #ReimagineCHURCH Journey</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineleadership?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES">#ReimagineLEADERSHIP...</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-my-promiseland-journey">#ReimagineCHURCH...Promiseland: Rethinking Children's Ministry</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/the-danger-of-a-homogeneous-blindspot" target="_blank">#ReimagineMINISTRY...The Danger of a Homogeneous Blindspot</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineworship-uncommon-prayer" target="_blank">#ReimagineWORSHIP...with Uncommon Prayer</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23reimagineministry&src=typed_query" target="_blank">#ReimagineMINISTRY...additional posts on Twitter</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/photo" target="_blank">Thought Leader Screenshot "Quotes"</a></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#ReimagineEVANGELISM</strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/time-to-reimagine-how-we-evangelize" target="_blank">Time To REimagine Evangelism</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/fruit-of-the-spirit-evangelism" target="_blank">Fruit of the Spirit Evangelism</a><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://discipleshipnetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/fruit-fo-the-spirit-evangelism">?</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/as-you-go-everyday-life-evangelism" target="_blank">Reimagine Evangelism...As You Go</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineevangelism-as-a-four-letter-word">#ReimagineEVANGELISM…As a Four Letter Word</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineevangelism-as-a-wholistic-organic-lifestyle">#ReimagineEVANGELISM...As A Wholistic, Organic, Lifestyle</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineevangelism-out-of-the-seats-into-the-streets">#ReimagineEVANGELISM...Out of The Seats; Into The Streets</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/turn-these-four-emotional-barriers-into-pathways-to-a-spiritual-c" target="_blank">#ReimagineEVANGELISM...Turn These Four Emotional Barriers Into Pathways To A Spiritual Conversation</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineevangelism-as-a-new-collaboration-equation">A New Collaboration Equation: The Great Commission plus the Great Commandment added to a Great Commitment, multiplied by Great Collaborations results in Great Communities</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/billy-graham-center-roundtable-prayer-evangelism-and-human-method">Billy Graham Center Roundtable: Prayer, Evangelism and Human Methodology</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/notes-on-prayer-evangelism" target="_blank">Notes on Prayer Evangelism</a></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="#reimagineevangelism" target="_blank">#ReimagineEVANGELISM...additional posts on Twitter</a></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/photo1" target="_blank">Thought-Leader Pic "Quotes"</a></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP</strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/get-used-to-different-rethink-the-dna-of-discipleship-1" target="_blank">"Get Used To Different." Rethink the DNA of Discipleship</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-how-the-learning-process-has-changed-learning">#Reimagine...How the Learning Process Has Changed Learning</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginediscipleship-educating-in-the-technological-post-pandemi">#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP...Educating in the Technological, Post-Pandemic, World</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginediscipleship-maybe-you-are-not-in-the-2">#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP...as Developing a Biblical Worldview</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagneprayer-reimaginediscipleship-biblically">#ReimaginePRAYER... to #ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP... Biblically.</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginediscipleship-developing-a-prayer-culture">#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP... Developing a Prayer Culture</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginedisipleship-my-confession-about-confession" target="_blank">#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP...My Confession About Confession</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/syncretism-breeds-pharisees" target="_blank">Syncretism Breeds Pharisees</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginediscipleship-by-the-jesus-ratios" target="_blank">#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP...According to The Jesus:Ratios</a> </strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginediscipleship-as-choosing-scripture-over-culture" target="_blank">#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP...as choosing Scripture over Culture</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23reimaginediscipleship&src=typed_query&f=top&pf=on" target="_blank">#ReimagineDISCIPLESHIP...additional posts on Twitter</a></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/generosity-is-our-dna" target="_blank">Generosity Is In Your DNA</a> </span></p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#ReimaginePRAYER</strong></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/pandemic-prayer-meetings-anytime-anywhere-anyone-anything">ReimaginePRAYER...Pandemic Prayer Meetings: Anytime, Anywhere, Anyone, Anything.</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineprayer-whenever-two-or-three-gather">#ReimaginePRAYER...as whenever Two or Three Gather</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/exclusive-excerpt-pray-prophetically-not-politically">Exclusive Excerpt: Pray. Prophetically...Not Politically</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/let-love-rule-your-prayers">Let Love Rule Your Prayers</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-template-for-prayer" target="_blank">A Template for Prayer</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/template-the-6-spheres-of-praying" target="_blank">The 6 Spheres of Praying: A Template</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/group/national-pastors-prayer-network/pages/prayer-coach-essential-text-for-prayer-champion-pastors" target="_blank">Interview with a Prayer Coach</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/pray-beyond-reimagine-prayer-as-scripture-fed-spirit-led-wider-sp">Pray Beyond ~ Reimagine Prayer as Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, Wider-spread</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/p-r-a-y-a-spirit-led-conversation">P.R.A.Y. ~ A Spirit-Led Corporate-Conversation Teaching-Template</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-a-s-k">#ReimagineSCRIPTURE: A.S.K. (Matthew 7:7)</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/so-that-praying-this-changes-everything">"So That" Praying. This Changes Everything!</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/videos2/pray-like-epaphras">#ReimaginePRAYER...Pray. Like Epaphras</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-diagnostic-tool-to-assess-the-prayer-life-of-our-congregation" target="_blank">A Diagnostic Tool To Assess The Prayer Life of Our Congregation</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/when-pastors-and-intercessors-struggle" target="_blank">Exclusive Excerpt ~ "When Pastors and Intercessors Struggle"</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/god-save-everyone-prayers-are-misguided" target="_blank">#ItSeemsToMe...this is a misguided prayer</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-biblical-format-to-reimagine-your-church-prayer-list">A Biblical Format to #Reimagine your Church Prayer List</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/pages1/pastor-s-strategies-for-mobilizing-men-to-pray">Pastors Mobilizing Men to Pray</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineprayer-think-outside-the-box">Think Outside the Box with 5 Summer Prayer Action Steps</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineprayer-phil-miglioratti-a-perspective-on-prayer-7-interv?context=category-Mini-Courses">#ReimaginePRAYER...Phil Miglioratti: "Perspectives on Prayer" • 7 Interview Clips</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-leading-facilitating-corporate-prayer">#ReimagineCHURCH...Leading / Facilitating Corporate Prayer</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/secrets-to-facilitating-corporate-prayer">Secrets to Facilitating Corporate Prayer</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/group/explore-god-prayer-coordinators/pages/your-explore-god-chicago-prayer-meeting" target="_blank">Template: Pray For / Prayer About /Pray Against</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/reimagine-your-prayer-list" target="_blank">#Reimagine Your Prayer List</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/notes/reimagineprayer-with-one-word-prayers" target="_blank">#ReimaginePRAYER...with One Word Prayers</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23reimagineprayer&src=typed_query&pf=on" target="_blank">#ReimaginePRAYER...additional posts on Twitter</a></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#ReimagineCHURCH</strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/can-libraries-save-the-church" target="_blank">Can Libraries Save The Church?</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-seven-components-of-sunday-worship-services" target="_blank">#ReimagineCHURCH...Seven Components of Sunday Worship Services</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-a-fresh-sunday-weekend-template" target="_blank">A Fresh Sunday/Weekend Template</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-pandemic-exposes-church-identity-crisis">#ReimagineCHURCH...Pandemic Exposes Church Identity Crisis</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/church-reimagined-reconfigured">CHURCH... Reimagined. Reconfigured.</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-gather-differently">#ReimagineCHURCH...Gather. Differently.</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/don-t-reopenchurch-reimagine-your-church">Don’t (merely) #ReopenChurch … #Reimagine Your Church</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/designing-a-reimaginechurch-journey">Designing a #ReimagineCHURCH Journey</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-the-seven-questions-staying-focused-and-faithful-" target="_blank">#ReimagineCHURCH...The Seven Questions Staying Focused and Faithful (Lead Teams)</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-a-fresh-sunday-weekend-template">#ReimagineCHURCH...A Fresh Sunday/Weekend Template</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-assess-your-prayer-culture">Assess Your Prayer Culture:11 Practices of Praying Churches</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-beginning-with-a-fresh-encounter">#ReimagineCHURCH...Beginning With A Fresh Encounter</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-church-as-a-house-of-prayer-filled-people">#Reimagine CHURCH...a 7 Day Prayer Emphasis</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/workshop-becoming-a-prayer-driven-church-60-slides">#ReimaginePRAYER...to Become a Prayer-Driven Church</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/group/explore-god-prayer-coordinators/pages/mobilize-your-congregation">Mobilizing an All-Church Prayer Strategy</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-biblical-format-to-reimagine-your-church-prayer-list">A Biblical Format to #Reimagine your Church Prayer List</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-keys-to-lead-the-church-in-prayer">#ReimagineCHURCH... Keys To Lead The Church INTO Prayer</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-by-asking-seeking-knocking-for-sprit-led-goals">#ReimagineCHURCH...By Asking, Seeking, Knocking, for Sprit-Led Goals</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-leading-facilitating-corporate-prayer" target="_blank">#ReimagineCHURCH...Leading / Facilitating Corporate Prayer</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineprayer-develop-a-yearly-rhythm-for-your-congregation-net">#ReimaginePRAYER...Develop A Yearly Rhythm for Your Congregation/Network</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-appoint-a-new-prayer-leader" target="_blank">#ReimagineCHURCH...Appoint a New Prayer Leader</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23reimaginechurch&src=typed_query&f=top&pf=on" target="_blank">#ReimagineCHURCH...additional posts on Twitter</a></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#ReimagineCITIES</strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/to-love-your-city-you-need-these-seven-components">A Template to LOVE YOUR CITY</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/leadership-lab-city-impact-together" target="_blank">Seminar Slides: City Impact. Together</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/worksheet-for-big-small-church-impact-in-your-community" target="_blank">Worksheet</a></strong><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/worksheet-for-big-small-church-impact-in-your-community" target="_blank"> for Big Small Church Impact in Your Community</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/facilitating-a-city-gospel-movement-phil-miglioratti-interviewed-" target="_blank">Facilitating A Citywide Movement (podcast)</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/thought-leaders-reimagine-cities-podcasts?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES" target="_blank">Thought Leader PODCASTS on City Impact with Phil Miglioratti</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/movemental">Is Your City-Wide Movement, Movemental?</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginecities-fueling-the-great-commandment-great-commission-wi" target="_blank">Thought-Leaders on How To Fuel the Great Commandment & Great Commission with Great Collaborations</a></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginecities-impact-communities-with-the-5-cs-template-1" target="_blank">#ReimagineCITIES...Impact Communities with The 5 "Cs" Template</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/profiles/blogs1/prayer-and-community" target="_blank">#ReimagineCITIES...Prayer and Community Transformation</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineprayer-praying-for-your-community-your-country" target="_blank">TEMPLATE ~ Praying for Your Community. Your Country.</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p3"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginecities-impact-communities-through-prayer">#ReimagineCITIES...Impact Communities Through Prayer</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/living-on-a-prayed-for-planet" target="_blank">Living In A Prayed For City / Living On A Prayed For Planet</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23reimaginecities&src=typed_query&f=top&pf=on" target="_blank">#ReimagineCITIES...additional posts on Twitter</a></span></p>
<p class="p4"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#ReimagineSCRIPTURE</strong></span></p>
<p class="p2"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginescripture-always-take-it-seriously-but-don-t-always-take" target="_blank">#ReimagineSCRIPTURE...Always Take It Seriously; Don't Always Tke It Literally</a></strong></span></p>
<p class="p6"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginescripture-text-context-pretext-1">#ReimagineSCRIPTURE... Text + Context + Pretext!</a></span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p7"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s2"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/beware-modern-scribes-and-pharisees-and-sadducees-too">Beware Modern Scribes and Pharisees. (And Sadducees, too.)</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p8"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-john-3-16">Reimagine John 3:16</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p8"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-romans-12-2">#Reimagine Romans 12:2</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p8"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/the-gospel-according-to-jesus">The Name of God...Is Not A Name</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p8"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><span class="s1"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechristmas-heroes-villains" target="_blank">#ReimagineCHRISTMAS...Heroes & Villains</a></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="p9"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-how-to-discover-the-will-of-god?context=category-The+%23ReimagineFILES" target="_blank">Ponderings on How To Discern the Will of God</a></span></p>
<p class="p9"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23reimaginescripture&src=typed_query&f=top&pf=on" target="_blank">#ReimagineSCRIPTURE...additional posts on Twitter</a></span></p>
<p class="p9"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="p9"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#ReimagineCHRISTIANITY...</strong></span></p>
<p class="p9"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechristianity-my-politics-reflects-my-persona" target="_blank">My Persona Precedes My Politics</a></span></p>
<p class="p9"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="p10"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#SayALittlePrayer</strong></span></p>
<p class="p11"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/main/search/search?q=%23Sayalittleprayer" target="_blank">#SayALittlePrayer... Brief Prayer Prompting Posts.</a></span></p>
<p class="p11"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23sayalittleprayer&src=typed_query&f=top&pf=on" target="_blank">#SayALittlePrayer...additional posts on Twitter</a></span></p>
<p class="p12"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p class="p10"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>#ItSeemsToMe…</strong></span></p>
<p class="p10"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/main/search/search?q=%23ItSeemsToMe..." target="_blank">#ItSeemsToMe...Thoughtful Commentary</a></span></p>
<p class="p14"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23itseemstome&src=typed_query&f=top&pf=on" target="_blank">#ItSeemsToMe...additional posts on Twitter</a></span></p>
<p class="p14"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/notes/g-o-d-is" target="_blank">#ItSeemsToMe...We Need Help To #ReimagineGOD... {Template}</a></span></p>
<p class="p14"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p></div>
Phil Miglioratti Interviewed Nancy Beach and Samantha Beach Kiley, Authors of
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/phil-miglioratti-interviewed-nancy-beach-and-samantha-beach-kiley
2022-09-10T21:09:02.000Z
2022-09-10T21:09:02.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
<div><p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Phil Miglioratti Interviewed Nancy Beach and Samantha Beach Kiley, Authors of "Next Sunday: An Honest Dialogue About the Future of The Church"</strong></span></p>
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<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10808280675,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10808280675,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10808280675?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="186" height="287" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>NOTE>>></em></strong><em>Two excerpts from the book are linked below. Scroll "comments" for an <strong>exclusive thrid excerpt.</strong></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><em>"We believe in the Church as a force for restoration."</em></strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>PHIL @ The Reimagine.Network >>> Both of you have experienced great disappointment from "the "Church" ~ What drives your undiminished passion for the Church? And what do you mean by"restoration?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10808282058,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10808282058,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10808282058?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="250" /></a>NANCY >>> Once Jesus asked Peter if he was going to leave along with the others, and Peter replied, “Where else should we go?” Although I have experienced some church pain and disappointment, I still hold out hope for the church. Through many years now, I have experienced moments when the church is at its best. These moments include sacrificial giving to the under-resourced, experiences of unity in worship when people of different races, gender, age, and socio-economic standing join together to praise our Creator. I am passionate about the church because Jesus called it his bride, and showed zeal for God’s house when he tossed the tables in the Temple.</p>
<p>To me, restoration means coming back home to God, to love, to truth, and to hope. The church can be the place where we heal and build bridges across all kinds of divides. I want to be a small part of that restoration.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>SAMANTHA >>> I have a great deal of hope for the Church. It really seems unlike any other aspect of contemporary culture: a school for love. A place for us to be in community with those who share different identity markers, and to surrender ourselves to the love that can transform us and our world. I believe whole-heartedly in the Church that commits herself to restoration. I think that includes an honest reckoning with not just the broken parts of our world but the Church's complicity in the divisions that persist, lament, humble listening, and willingness to surrender to a faith expressed through love and service.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"We write to open up the conversation. We are not historians or academics but storytellers." </em></strong></p>
<p>PHIL >>> Speak to the person who sees no need for conversation...someone content to lead based on how today's Church has been shaped throughout history ... and explain how we can learn from storytellers.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>NANCY >>> There is a humility required to be open to learning and to change. As we age, it’s so tempting and easy to avoid dialogue that might disrupt our picture of how the church should be led. I think Jesus calls us to the humble posture of curiosity, asking questions and listening well. When we listen to storytellers, our guard isn’t up so high and maybe new ideas and truths can be explored without so much defensiveness. I want to be an older person who frequently makes statements like, “Tell me more about that,” and “I could be wrong.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10808282683,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10808282683,RESIZE_400x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="10808282683?profile=RESIZE_400x" width="250" /></a>SAMANTHA >>> In Scripture, we see our spiritual ancestors consistently re-interpreting their understanding of God and His calling for their particular context. As we learn more, as we include voices we have historically silenced, I think we got to continue to collaborate with God on making something new. We don't need to throw it all away - there are many good gifts from the early Church we can carry with us. But Jesus models for us what it means to allow room for stories, for those who have been overlooked to change the hearts and minds of religious leaders. In fact, His call to "repent" may be best translated as "change your mind." We aren't very good at that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"The profile of a typical Christian missionary [or a missional believer] is changing."</em></strong></p>
<p>PHIL >>> You indicate the Church has constructed an "attractional model" of outreach ... we are "consumed with building our own ministries" ... we have "historically wedded evangelism to conquest and assimilation" ... often employing a "culturally irresponsible approach to service." How do we reimagine church as "a place of disproportionate emphasis on responsive and sustained service" ... with a vision of "abundant liberation and generosity?" </p>
<p> </p>
<p> SAMANTHA >>> When it comes to missions in particular, we can apply some grace, I think, to the parts of our legacy that we may now understand as problematic or insensitive. But it's important to reflect, to look back, and listen to how it felt to be on the other side of our more strident evangelistic efforts - in particular those that presumed that the people we sought to "convert" knew nothing of God, or that their suffering in this life wasn't worth our concern so long as we secured their place in heaven. I believe the Church that will thrive in the years to come will be one that exercises great humility about the mysteries we do not know as to how and where God reveals Godself, and may it be a Church that listens deeply to the needs and leadership of those they feel called to serve.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>NANCY >>> I keep coming back to humility – because so many of us displayed the kind of pride that believed we held all the answers and knew what was best for everyone. I celebrate the shifts we are seeing in the approach to both evangelism and global missions. Many church leaders are actively listening and pursuing partnerships with people already in the community who likely know best what is needed and can build on their relational capital as they serve. We still have much to learn, but I’m encouraged by the progress I have seen.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"I wonder what a church community would look like if more attention was given to discipleship in the art of including."</em></strong></p>
<p>PHIL >>> What would this reimagined "lead-with-love-rather-than-beliefs" discipleship look like? How would it function differently than most models employed by churches today? (Are you hinting at parties instead of programs?)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>NANCY >>>I think there’s a place for curriculum or programs as long as we recognize the deep longing of people to be known. When we gather in ways that allow us to come out of hiding, to talk about what is going on in our everyday lives, people connect with one another deeply. The goal is not to pour more and more information into others, but rather to walk with one another as we seek transformation. And yes, I’m a big fan of parties! </p>
<p> </p>
<p>SAMANTHA >>> Parties instead of programs is one idea! There are some churches building community in very creative ways now - whether it's around the dinner table, serving together, or, yes, throwing great parties. I think we get to re-examine the model of weekly living room Scripture study. I'm not sure that model - which can be an uncomfortable environment for doubt and disagreement without an extremely skilled facilitator - is very attractive for church newcomers or reluctant return-ers. We can't think our way to God, but we sure can meet Him in the face of one another.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>"Showing up to Promiseland was like arriving at my own birthday party."</strong></p>
<p>PHIL >>> </p>
<p>[Full disclosure: I had the privilege of shaping and launching the foundational stage of Promiseland; a Sunday School experience filled with the joy of discovering God's amazing promises in the Bible. Our colleague and friend Sue Miller took the baton and built a state-of-the-art ministry] </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Why (and how?) must churches "elevate their focus on ministry to children, students, and families?"</p>
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<p>NANCY >>>The local church has a unique and remarkable opportunity to help parents and families grow in their love of God and for one another. Parents are longing for practical training in how to guide their children emotionally and spiritually. Churches must be intentional to create spaces where children can be loved by other adults, where families can come together for both celebration and service, and where moms and dads can be equipped to more effectively do what is arguably one of the most challenging of jobs! </p>
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<p>SAMANTHA >>> Many people give church a second chance when they bring kids into the world. We want help introducing our little ones to the love of God and the freedom and joy of following His ways. When churches invest deeply in these ministries - perhaps through a strategy that integrates them into the larger life of the church - they may see the benefit for years to come, as young people grow up with a love for God they don't need to deconstruct or heal from, but can simply build upon. </p>
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<p> </p>
<p>PHIL >>> Please unpack this statement. How does it help us reassess and recalibrate how to shape ministry?</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"Church is not fundamentally a classroom where we seek to fill our minds with abundant information."</em></strong></p>
<p>NANCY >>> When we leave a gathering, our primary question should be focused on transformation, not information. So instead of asking, “What do I know that I didn’t know before?”, we ask, “How will my everyday life be different if I apply these truths?” I’m not anti-learning. I’m anti learning just to build up knowledge, with no apparent changes in our character.</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"We cannot think our way into an embodied expression of love."</em></strong></p>
<p>SAMANTHA >>> Sometimes I wonder how our Western corporate spiritual practice became so heady. We sit quietly for an hour and absorb knowledge, but we know that God meets us in our hearts, and in one another. Perhaps the invitation to stop thinking so hard might unleash more artistic expression, contemplative practice, and a greater focus on service.</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"Men And Women Leading Well Together"</em></strong></p>
<p>PHIL >>> I am convinced the Enemy's strategy since The Garden has been to have God's followers misinterpret Genesis 3:16 as a prescription (inescapable judgment) rather than a description (prophetic warning) resulting in an acceptance of a husband controlling their wife, rather than a mutual submission out of their submission to Christ (Ephesians 5:21). Whether you agree or disagree with that statement, please explain how a rethinking of male/female relationships is critical if the Church is to develop a culture that is safe for women and open to the full use of their calling and gifting.</p>
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<p>NANCY >>> I do agree with that statement, and grieve how we have historically sidelined women, limiting the ways they can use their gifts in the local church. We need church leaders to be open to thorough study of the difficult passages, and willing to engage in dialogue about these questions. Wherever we “land theologically”, we can be intentional to open up as many opportunities as possible for women to lead and to serve. When a higher percentage of women are sitting at the tables of leadership and teaching in our pulpits, we will see a massive shift in the culture. Little girls and little boys will see it as “normal” for women to lead and teach.</p>
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<p>SAMANTHA >>> I think that makes a lot of sense, and that spirit of misinterpretation or narrow interpretation is applied to so many other passages that have kept women from places of leadership in the Church for far too long. When we broaden our reading list, we see the great diversity of approaches to Biblical interpretation and theology. It is possible to hold a high view of Scripture and interpret passages that subjugate women in such a way that we don't have to continue minimizing the pieces of God revealed to us through female leaders and teachers. If the Church continues to lag behind all the other industries opening doors to women to lead, the Church will simply have less and less to say to the modern world.</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"Every church is dysfunctional in some way. It is a question of degree."</em></strong></p>
<p>NANCY >>><em> </em>It’s vital that we adjust our expectations. We will never find a perfect church. This doesn’t mean we tolerate sin, only that we are not so shocked when we see it in ourselves and others. We commit to bringing truth to light, confessing our sins to one another, asking for forgiveness, and extending grace. In this way, over time, we will become more like Jesus and create a community of love.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"I believe there is a place for zealous anger about the ways the church is not what it should be."</em></strong></p>
<p>NANCY >>> If we love God, we love what He loves – and God is crazy about the church. So when we see apathy, moral failure, hiding, selfishness, greed, pride, narcissism or any other sins, we should be passionate and angry and committed to transformation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"To love well over time will require me to develop some new skills."</em></strong></p>
<p>SAMANTHA >>> I don't want a perfect church culture. I want a church culture that is comfortable with rupture and repair. That's what being in community means to me: that we keep moving towards each other in love.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"Churches must face how we have failed to follow Jesus in liberating people at the margins..."</em></strong></p>
<p>SAMANTHA >>> It won't be enough to call for reconciliation if the white American church doesn't first own and name the part we have played in the disenfranchisement of BIPOC folks, LGBTQ+ children of God, those with disabilities, etc.</p>
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<p><strong>PHIL >>> One more thing we need to ponder...</strong></p>
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<p>NANCY >>> I believe the pandemic has been a catalyst for the church to examine where we have been and where we are headed. What an opportunity for church leaders and key volunteers to prayerfully ask questions like, “What do we need to let go of? What is no longer working well? What do we dream about becoming? How can we make a true difference in our local community?” A spirit of curiosity and openness to the Spirit may lead us to a future that is more like the church we all long to be a part of.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>SAMANTHA >>> It is easy to critique something from the outside. How might those of us who love the Church get in the game and put something on the line when it comes to the project of restoring the Church that she may better reflect the love of Christ?</p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>"...O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church..."</em></strong></p>
<p>PHIL >>> Your book concludes with a prayer. Please write a concluding prayer here that will help us start an honest dialogue with God, and our ministry partners, about the future of the congregation/ministry we serve... </p>
<p> </p>
<p>NANCY Father, we confess that we have often failed you in our attempts to build the local church. Help us to show up with a spirit of both humility and enthusiasm. May we avoid bitterness, cynicism and pride. Give us a picture of what life in the community of loving Christ followers can look like, and help us to play our part with faithfulness and joy.>>> </p>
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<p>SAMANTHA >>> God, give us ears to listen well. Increase our zeal and hope for the future of the church. Renew our calling to make the Church more like you. </p>
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<p>= = = = </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/next-sunday" target="_blank">Grab "Next Sunday" Here</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>EXCERPTS</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Downloads/Excerpts-and-Samples/A0302-excerpt.pdf" target="_blank">"Creating Genuine Community"</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ivpress.com/Media/Default/Press-Kits/A0302-press.pdf" target="_blank">"Could Serving Others Be The New Apolgetic?"</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nancy Beach</p>
<p>Follow her on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/nancylbeach" target="_blank">@NancyLBeach</a></p>
<p>Visit her website at <a href="http://www.nancylbeach.com/" target="_blank">nancylbeach.com</a>.</p>
<p style="font-weight:400;"> </p>
<p>Samantha Beach Kiley</p>
<p>Follow her on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/beachsamantha" target="_blank">@BeachSamantha</a></p>
<p>Visit her website at <a href="https://www.samanthabeach.work/" target="_blank">SamanthaBeach.work</a></p></div>
Whether or not America is a Christian nation
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/whether-or-not-america-is-a-christian-nation
2022-01-16T04:30:22.000Z
2022-01-16T04:30:22.000Z
Salvatore Anthony Luiso
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/SalvatoreAnthonyLuiso
<div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Whether or not America is a Christian nation</strong></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">Posted by Salvatore Anthony Luiso</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size:12pt;">Last week <em>Christianity Today</em> and <em>The Dispatch</em> published two articles which complement each other. These articles were written by two Christian men who are friends. I recommend both of them. </span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size:12pt;">Here are links to them:</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>The Capitol Attack Signaled a Post-Christian Church, Not Merely a Post-Christian Culture</strong></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size:12pt;">Last year’s events in DC threatened not only American democracy but also evangelical witness.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">By Russell Moore</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><a class="ydp8616d46yiv7249687443ydp7a0ac718yiv4862527989ydp7a678c52yiv6637083808ydp13600da2yiv2329498790ydp1f4d3c5yiv9962674447ydpc5f63129yiv0217129311" href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/january-web-only/january-6-attack-russell-moore-post-christian-church.html" target="_blank">https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/january-web-only/january-6-attack-russell-moore-post-christian-church.html</a></span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>A Nation of Christians Is Not Necessarily a Christian Nation</strong></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size:12pt;">We cannot equate Christian power with Christian justice.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">By David French</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><a class="ydp8616d46yiv7249687443ydp7a0ac718yiv4862527989ydp7a678c52yiv6637083808ydp13600da2yiv2329498790ydp1f4d3c5yiv9962674447ydpc5f63129yiv0217129311" href="https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/a-nation-of-christians-is-not-necessarily" target="_blank">https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/a-nation-of-christians-is-not-necessarily</a></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> These articles and others like them prompt the following questions:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">1. What is a Christian nation?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">2. What is a post-Christian nation?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">3. Was America a Christian nation?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">4. Is America a Christian nation?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">5. Is America a post-Christian nation?<br /> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">6. Will America be a Christian nation?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">7. Is it possible for America to be a Christian nation?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> I myself am not as interested in such questions as I used to be. </span><span style="font-size:12pt;">Whether or not America is a Christian nation, I have other concerns which are of incomparably greater importance, including these three:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>1. God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Isaiah 40:15–17; Matthew 22:34–38)</strong></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>2. the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)</strong></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>3. the church, which the Apostle Peter calls "a holy nation" (I Peter 2:9), echoing what God said to Moses about the Israelites (Exodus 19:6).</strong></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> Thus, although I am concerned about the state of Christianity in America, I am far more concerned about the state of Christianity in the church.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> The Lord Jesus said that His disciples are the light of the world and like a city set on a hill (Matthew 5:14): not the United States of America. No one and nothing can ever take their place in those respects.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> The Lord Jesus also said that His disciples are the salt of the earth. He warned them that if the salt loses its savor, "it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men" (Matthew 5:13). This does not mean that if the world casts out and trods on His disciples, it is always because they lack savor—but it does mean that if they lose their savor, they are good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden upon.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> Note that "savor" does not mean "political power", nor any other kind of worldly power. It is a quality which only disciples of Jesus can have, and which they should have, and which they receive from Him—and which they can lose.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> They will not lose out saltiness if they live by the following seven truths:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">1. Whether or not America is a Christian nation: God shall endure forever (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalms 9:7, 102:12 and 24; Isaiah 57:15; Romans 6:9; Hebrews 13:8; I Timothy 1:17 and 6:13–16; Revelation 1:17–18 and 4:8–11).<br /> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">2. Whether or not America is a Christian nation: the kingdom of God shall endure forever (Psalms 145:13; Isaiah 9:6–7; Daniel 4:3 and 7:27; Luke 1:30–33; II Peter 1:11).<br /> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">3. Whether or not America is a Christian nation: the church of God shall endure forever (Matthew 16:18; I Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 5:22–33; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 21:1–2 and 9–10).<br /> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">4. Whether or not America is a Christian nation: the word of God<span style="color:#202124;"> </span>shall endure forever (Deuteronomy 18:15–19; Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 40:6–8; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33; John 6:63 and 68, 7:16–18, 8:26–28, 12:47–50, 14:19, and 15:15; Acts 3:19–26; Hebrews 4:12; I Peter 1:23–25).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">5. Whether or not America is a Christian nation: God shall be faithful forever (Numbers 23:19; Joshua 21:45; II Corinthians 1:18–20; Romans 3:3–4; II Timothy 2:13).<br /> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">6. Whether or not America is a Christian nation: God shall reign over America, all other nations, and everything else in creation forever </span><span style="font-size:12pt;">(Psalms 29:10, 45:6, 93:1–2, 96:10, 97:1, 99:1, and 146:10; Lamentations 5:19; Daniel 7:13–14; Matthew 28:18; Acts 10:36; I Corinthians 15:24–25; Ephesians 1:20–22; I Timothy 6:13–16; Hebrews 1:8; Revelation 4:1–11, 11:15, 17:14, and 19:15).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;">7. Whether or not America is a Christian nation: we who follow the Lord Jesus Christ in this world are "strangers and pilgrims" (I Peter 2:11), and should bear in mind that "here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come" (Hebrews 13:14): "the holy city, new Jerusalem" (Revelation 21:1–2).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"> </div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong> AMEN.</strong></span></div>
</div></div>
A Prayer for the Assistance, the Light, and the Knowledge of God
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-prayer-for-the-assistance-the-light-and-the-knowledge-of-god
2021-05-15T06:00:37.000Z
2021-05-15T06:00:37.000Z
Salvatore Anthony Luiso
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/SalvatoreAnthonyLuiso
<div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"><b>Note:</b> This article is related to the article "A Rare Prayer for the Church", which is posted here: <a href="http://discipleshipnetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-rare-prayer-for-the-church-2">http://discipleshipnetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-rare-prayer-for-the-church-2</a>.</font> It is not necessary to read one of these articles to understand the other.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Psalm 80 begins with this plea:</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"><b>Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest <i>between</i> the cherubims, shine forth.</b></font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> In the book <i>The Treasury of David</i>, by Charles H. Spurgeon, the following prayer attributed to the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498) is quoted in connection with this verse:<br/></font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"><b>Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock art considered by the unbelieving to have no thought for our affairs; therefore stretch forth thine hand for our assistance, that the mouth of them that speak iniquities may be shut. We seek not gold and riches, or the dignities of this world, but we long for thy light, we desire more ardently to know thee, therefore, "shine forth."</b></font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> I understand the reference to "Joseph" in the psalm to be a metonym and synecdoche for the Israelites, as the patriarch Joseph was the father of two of the largest tribes of ancient Israel: Ephraim and Manasseh, I believe that when Savonarola referred to "Joseph", he did so in a spiritual sense, following the lead of the apostle Paul, who n Romans 4 and Galatians 3 and 4 explains that a Gentile who shares the faith of the patriarch Abraham is, in a spiritual sense, a child of Abraham. Thus, by "Joseph", the friar is referring to all those who are Israelites in a spiritual sense, as distinct from a fleshly sense: or, as the apostle might say, "according to the flesh" or "after the flesh" (Romans 1:3 and 9:3, I Corinthians 10:18, Galatians 3:23 and 29).</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> The "Shepherd of Israel", the one who "leadest Joseph like a flock", is, of course, the LORD: the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. This is not the only verse of the Old Testament which refers to Him as a shepherd: others include Psalm 23:1, Psalm 100:3 (by implication), and Ezekiel 34:11-19. In the New Testament we read that the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the "Good Shepherd" (John 10:1-18) and the "chief Shepherd" (I Peter 5:4) of His people.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> The expression "shine forth" is related to </font>Deuteronomy 33:2, which says:</span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"><b>And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand <i>went</i> a fiery law for them.</b></font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Thus the psalmist, and by extension Savonarola, are asking for God to "shine forth" as He did during the Exodus, when He gave the Israelites the Law through Moses. The same Hebrew word translated as "shine forth" is used in the following verses:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.<br/></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>--Psalm 50:2</b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b> </b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself [shine forth].<br/></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"><b>--Psalm 94:1</b></font></span></div>
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<p>.</p>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Reading further in Psalm 80, one sees that the psalmist asks God to "shine forth" because Israel was suffering, because she had strife with her neighbors, and because her enemies were laughing at her (verses 5 and 6, and more). </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> It sounds as if when Savonarola wrote his prayer, there were people around him who did not believe that God cared about the affairs of His people, and expressed their unbelief in an iniquitous manner, e,g, by scorn, mockery, and blasphemy. He asks God for His assistance not only because His people need it, but to shut the mouths of the unbelievers.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> He also tells God that His people "long for" His light, and "more ardently desire" to know Him. He contrasts their longing and desire with their not seeking for "gold and riches" and "the dignities of this world". To fulfill their longing and desire, he asks God to "shine forth".</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> It should be noted that Savonarola is best known not for his prayers or his commentary on the Scriptures, but for his preaching of repentance to the populace of Florence during the Italian Renaissance, which had an extraordinary effect.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Therefore, we should understand that his prayer came from an attitude of contrition and repentance. It would have been foolish and presumptuous of him if it did not.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><u>Questions for consideration:</u><br/></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1. Do you consider God to be the Shepherd of His people? Why or why not?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2. Can you relate to the situation of God's people which is implied by Savonarola in his prayer: one in which they were seen by others who did not believe that God cares about their affairs? Why or why not?<br/></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">3. Would you like God to stretch forth His hand for the assistance of His flock to show those who do not believe that He cares about their affairs that in fact He does? Why or why not?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">4. What is your attitude toward "gold and riches"? Do you seek them? Why or why not?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">5. What is your attitude toward "the dignities of this world"? Do you seek them? Why or why not?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">6. Do you long for God's light? Why or why not?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">7. Do you ardently desire to know God (more)? Why or why not?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">8. Would you like God to "shine forth" to fulfill a longing for His light and an ardent desire to know Him? Why or why not?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">9. Do you pray to God from an attitude of contrition and repentance? Why or why not?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">10. Would you like to pray part, parts, or all of this prayer attributed to Savonarola? Why or why not?</span></div></div>
A Rare Prayer for the Church
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-rare-prayer-for-the-church-2
2021-04-15T04:46:00.000Z
2021-04-15T04:46:00.000Z
Salvatore Anthony Luiso
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/SalvatoreAnthonyLuiso
<div><div dir="ltr"><div><div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> Psalm 80:14 says:</font></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><font size="3">Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine;</font></b></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> In the book <i>The Treasury of David</i>, by Charles H. Spurgeon, the following prayer attributed to the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498) is quoted in connection with this verse:<br/></font></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b><font size="3">Still it has roots, still some branches are living. In the beginning of the world it began, and never has failed, and never will. For thou hast said, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. It may be diminished, it can never utterly fall. This vine is the vine which thou hast planted. There is one spirit, one faith, one baptism, one God, and Lord of all, who is all in all. Visit, then, this vine, for thy visitation preserves her spirit; visit by thy grace, by thy presence, by thy Holy Spirit. Visit with thy rod, and with thy staff; for thy rod and thy staff comfort her. Visit with thy scourge that she may be chastened and purified, for the time of pruning comes. Cast out the stones, gather up the dry branches, and bind them in bundles for burning. Raise her up, cut off the superfluous shoots, make fast her supports, enrich the soil, build up the fence, and visit this vine, as now thou visitest the earth and watereth it.</font></b></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"><br/></font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> Much of this prayer is based on John 15:1-8, wherein the Lord Jesus speaks of Himself as the True Vine, His disciples as the branches, and His heavenly Father as the vinedresser. Savonarola believed that all the people of God of all ages--including those who lived prior to the Incarnation, e.g. the Patriarchs--are branches in the Vine who is Christ.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> It is also based on other passages of the Scriptures, including, it seems to me, at least the following: Matthew 28:20, Psalm 80:8, Ephesians 1:23 and 4:4-5, Psalm 23:4, Hebrews 12:5-11, Titus 2:14, Isaiah 5:1-2, Matthew 13:30, and Psalm 65:9.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> Savonarola agreed with the author of Hebrews that it is good for God to chasten His people, and thus he prayed for Him to do it. Hebrews 12:10-11 says that God chastens them in fatherly love so that they may yield "the peaceable fruit of righteousness" and partake of His holiness.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> Savonarola also agreed with the Lord Jesus that it is good for God the Father to take away the branches of the Vine which produce no fruit, and to prune those branches which do produce fruit. Both measures are conducive to fruitfulness, and the Father is glorified when the branches bear much fruit (John 15:2 and 8). He prunes with love, and He has the knowledge and wisdom to prune as is best.</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3"> </font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><u><font size="3">Questions for consideration:</font></u></span></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3">1. Do you consider God's chastening (discipline) to be good?</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3">2. If so, do you desire He chasten the church? Yourself?</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3">3. What do you think about asking God, in fatherly love and in His knowledge and wisdom, to chasten and purify the church, for her good and His glory?</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3">4. Do you consider God's pruning of the branches so that they would bear much fruit to be good?</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3">5. If so, do you desire that He prune the church? Yourself?</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3">6. What do you think about asking God, in His knowledge and wisdom, to take away unfruitful branches and to prune fruitful branches of His church, so that she would bear much fruit and He would be glorified?</font></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font size="3">7. Would you like to pray this prayer attributed to Savonarola? If so, why? If not, why not?</font></span></div>
</div></div>
The #ReimagineFORUM Coaching Session • Bob Burton
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/the-reimagineforum-coaching-session-bob-burton
2020-03-06T21:40:28.000Z
2020-03-06T21:40:28.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
<div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">[ Church ]</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><a href="https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/KvThGSB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The #ReimagineFORUM</a> Coaching Session: Bob Burton</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4028224306?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4028224306?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="201" class="align-center" height="134"/></a></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p><strong>WHY?</strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Why is it important for Christian leaders to begin a journey of rethinking ministry</em></strong><strong><em>?</em></strong></p>
<p>It’s because missional revival and a change of culture within the church go hand in hand. A true missional revival is birthed in repentant prayer, carried by the wind of the Holy Spirit and characterized by holiness. A spiritual awakening in our nation and a renewed global missionary movement in our generation can occur when local churches reorient themselves to God and begin to obey Him. This world is in desperate need of the gospel and Jesus has clearly commissioned His church to the mission (Matthew 28:19-20).</p>
<p>It’s my conviction that Jesus taught and modeled to his disciples—the spiritual DNA of a church on mission. Simply put, the book of Acts is a continuation of the expression of that spiritual DNA (Acts 1:1). This spiritual DNA is evident in the timeless missionary principles which are embedded in those stories of Acts.</p>
<p>Missional revival pivots on two words—suppression and expression. My important assertion is that the church for the most part (not all) tends to suppress rather than, express their God-given missionary DNA. The discovery or rediscovery of DNA does indeed change everything. The vision to see the modern church truly experience God in a book of Acts style missional revival is the essence of the why behind the what for me—calling the church back to her roots.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><em>Why will a “reimagine-journey” be difficult and potentially dangerous to the status quo?</em></strong></p>
<p>For many believers, the difficulty is reflected by an altogether avoidance of the book of Acts. There tends to be a disconnect between what the first century stories are teaching and their twenty-first century applications.</p>
<p>While the difficulty for another segment of the church is one that enthusiastically attempts to replicate everything in Acts with a focus on signs and wonders. The God-directed outcomes of a true missional revival are the multiplying of disciples, leaders and new churches. This can happen through a healthy view and application of the book of Acts.</p>
<p>By the way, there are ten principles which thread through the book of Acts and these were first seen in Jesus’s life and ministry. In my books, these are what I call the spiritual DNA of a church on mission and are particularly dangerous to the status quo. For each one of the ten, there is an antithesis, a modern-day mutation that manifests itself in churches. Genetic mutations are the status quo and can be changed through a fresh expression of each spiritual DNA principles.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>WHEN?</strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Agree/Disagree ~ </em></strong></p>
<p><strong><em>We live in an extraordinary world: Globalization.Immigration. </em></strong><strong><em>#BlackLivesMatter. Gender reclassification. Marriage Redefined. #MeToo. The rise </em></strong><strong><em>of White Supremacy. Terrorism. Unpredictable Weather. The impact of the </em></strong><strong><em>Industrial Revolution gives way to the Technological Age. . . . This a time of epic </em></strong><strong><em>change that requires the Church to rethink how we apply biblical truth to the </em></strong><strong><em>traditions-programs-models-systems that format everything we do.</em></strong></p>
<p>Agree. This is the application part of contextualization. It’s being biblically accurate and culturally relevant. The church needs to learn from Paul in Athens and see how he used these things (idol to an unknown god, creation, God’s nature, arts, etc. Acts 17) as bridges to the gospel. All the things listed above in your question can serve as spiritual bridges to connect people to the real hope in Christ. The principle of spiritual bridges discussed in my book is all about leveraging points of connection for the sake of the gospel, exemplified by Paul’s work in Athens.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>WHAT? </strong></p>
<p><strong><em>What does it actually mean to “reimagine?”</em></strong></p>
<p>Break-down the word. The prefix “re” makes me think of returning, rediscovering, renewal, etc. It’s about coming back to the old ways for me with missional revival. The word “image” is at the core of reimagine. In my focus area, it’s about the rediscovery of Acts (missionary principles) while at the same time holding up the mirror of the Word of God for churches to see their true image. The Holy Spirit’s work through Acts provides them the framework and patterns to reimagine what might happen if those ten principles are intentionally activated and freshly applied in their church.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><em>What roadblocks or resistance, barriers and boundaries, inhibit or prevent leaders </em></strong><strong><em>from pursuing a discerning assessment when they commence a journey to </em></strong><strong><em>reimagine ministry?</em></strong></p>
<p>Again, the mutations of the principles are the points of limitations for leaders. The first principle of spiritual preparation highlighted in the church start in Jerusalem reminds us of the essential elements of waiting, praying and expecting God to work. Without this orientation to God and obedience to His call to wait for power, there will no doubt be hinderances. With churches in need of missional revival, the manifestation of impatience, prayerlessness and just playing it safe is an indicator that this DNA thread is being suppressed. It’s interesting to note the book of Acts ends with the statement about how that the gospel was unhindered. Like those first century believers, we are called to continue with this mission today.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>WHERE?</strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Where do I begin? Where do you recommend a leader looks first to insure they </em></strong><strong><em>commence a truly Spirit-led, Scripture-fed journey?</em></strong> </p>
<p>Regarding leaders, my heart is to point people to the Word of God and the Holy Spirit who will ultimately teach each person how to live on mission with Him. Seek out like-minded missional leaders who long for missional revival and spiritual awakening. Plan to meet regularly with them in order to pray, learn, encourage, and network towards missional revival. Hold each other accountable in relationship to practicing the missionary DNA principles and not just theorizing about it. Acts is a book of action.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>WHO?</strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Who are the thought leaders the Holy Spirit is using to help the Church reimagine?</em></strong></p>
<p>There are many godly people who have influenced me on my missionary spiritual DNA journey wherein I’ve come to reimagine what missional revival might look like are Henry Blackaby, Chuck Lawless, John Stott, Neil Cole, Jeff Christopherson, Alan Hirsch, Leonard Sweet and Bob Roberts to name a few.</p>
<p>All are authors that you can simply Google their work and hear their thoughts.</p>
<p>A quote by Vance Havner (a beloved evangelist of old) is especially meaningful to this conversation. He said, “The church is so subnormal that if it ever got back to the New Testament normal it would seem to people to be abnormal.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>HOW?</strong></p>
<p><strong><em>How does your ministry help Christian leaders equip those they serve to begin the </em></strong><strong><em>reimagine-journey?</em></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4028654635?profile=original" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/4028654635?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="150" class="align-right"/></a>My writing ministry is directed to the local church having the tools and process to implement an intentional process for missional change. The workbook is written with the leader in mind who would lead his church into a special set apart season to focus on Acts through employing these cultural change factors: reading Acts, preaching Acts, praying Acts, studying in small groups Acts, and engaging in Acts kinds of missionary activities on a weekly basis. All these things are to be combined and integrated into a season of 5,7, or10 weeks. This is a special time dedicated for seeking God and learning how to express the ten spiritual DNA principles in your life and the life of the church—a missional revival.</p>
<p>In this forum, I’ve spoken only of my writing ministry. I’d like to say something about my primary calling which is my work with the North American Mission Board. It involves assisting churches to discover, develop and deploy missional leaders and church planting teams from within their churches. This aptly describes churches like the ones we read about in Acts—focused on multiplying disciples, leaders and new churches for God’s glory.</p>
<p>By God’s grace, our prayer is to see the day when there is a multiplying church in every community in North America. In order to see that become reality, my team has the assignment of serving churches of our tribe (SBC) through the Multiplication Pipeline Team. All churches are called to have a heart for missions and need an intentional pipeline for the discovery and</p>
<p>development of new disciples, new missional leaders and new churches. The Multiplication Pipeline is an excellent resource for that purpose. >>> <a href="http://www.namb.net/pipeline/">www.namb.net/pipeline/</a></p>
<p>Another important part of my work is to help churches by coaching pastors as they move toward an ever-increasing involvement with church planting. This movement is along a continuum of becoming a supporting, sending or multiplying church.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>MORE?</strong></p>
<p><strong><em>Additional coaching insights to share? Questions we must pursue?</em></strong></p>
<p>It would be helpful to end with a question and an application point for you.</p>
<p>Below is a list of the ten principles (their corresponding churches in Acts) which are the spiritual DNA of a church on mission.</p>
<p>Read over the list and ask God to show you what specific areas in your life/life of your church need a fresh discovery and fresh application of first century DNA.</p>
<ol>
<li>Spiritual Preparation</li>
</ol>
<p>Wait, Pray, and Expect God to Work (Jerusalem)</p>
<ol start="2">
<li>Spiritual Authority</li>
</ol>
<p>Rely on the Holy Spirit’s Power (Jerusalem)</p>
<ol start="3">
<li>Spiritual Understanding</li>
</ol>
<p>Focus on the Peoples and Places (Jerusalem/Caesarea)</p>
<ol start="4">
<li>Spiritual Leadership</li>
</ol>
<p>Identify and Nurture Missional Leaders (Antioch)</p>
<ol start="5">
<li>Spiritual Synergy</li>
</ol>
<p>Work Together for Greater Impact (Philippi)</p>
<ol start="6">
<li>Spiritual Receptivity</li>
</ol>
<p>Find the People of Peace (Philippi)</p>
<ol start="7">
<li>Spiritual Sowing</li>
</ol>
<p>Evangelize and Make Disciples (Thessalonica/Berea)</p>
<ol start="8">
<li>Spiritual Bridges</li>
</ol>
<p>Leverage Points of Connection (Athens)</p>
<ol start="9">
<li>Spiritual Giftedness</li>
</ol>
<p>Gather and Give Resources from the Harvest (Corinth)</p>
<ol start="10">
<li>Spiritual Warfare</li>
</ol>
<p>Fight the Good Fight (Ephesus)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Thank you for the opportunity to share my heart with you and your readers!</em></p>
<p></p>
<p><em>*******</em></p>
<p><a href="https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/KvThGSB" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Subscribe to The #ReimagineFORUM Bulletin</strong></a></p></div>
The Strange Fire that May Be a Church
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/the-strange-fire-that-may-be-a-church
2020-01-21T20:48:00.000Z
2020-01-21T20:48:00.000Z
Michael Richter
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/MichaelRichter
<div><p>The Strange Fire that May Be a Church</p>
<p><em><span>19 enero 2020, Iglesia Bautista de El Cielito</span></em></p>
<p><span>Buenos días. La gracia y paz del Señor sean con ustedes.</span></p>
<p><span>Me pidieron que hoy no infliga mi español en ustedes. Van a escaparlo por la traducción hábil de mi esposa. Sí, es una traducción gratis. No es una coincidencia pura; para esas, me le casaré. Usualmente, recibo mucho por lo que no pagué. You have been warned.</span></p>
<p>Today, I have chosen for a text the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 2, Verses 18, 19, and 22:</p>
<p><span>John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, </span><span>“…</span><span><strong><sup> </sup></strong></span><span>No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins <em>as well</em>; but <em>one puts</em> new wine into fresh wineskins.” </span><span>(NASB)</span></p>
<p>Let me start by sharing a little of my personal journey. You may know that I was raised Lutheran. Missouri Synod, so <em>fundamental</em> Lutheran. The fundamental Lutherans are very serious about Christian Education. Their Sunday School program may well be second to none, and I was a proud product of it.</p>
<p>One of the Lutheran fundamentals is how the Bible is the ultimate rule for faith and action. So, when I was little, I could not wait to learn to read so that I could read the Bible for myself. By the time I was ten, I had read it cover to cover. I have continued to read it for almost fifty years.</p>
<p>About thirty years in, something very disturbing started to happen. I began to realize that some things in the Bible are different from what I had been <em>taught</em> was in the Bible. I began to realize that, from the perspective of what is written in scripture, I and many other Christians have a weak grasp on even fundamental things: like what is faith, what is baptism, what is the Word, what is evangelism, what is a disciple, what is the church.</p>
<p>Let’s do a quick example. One thing the Bible says is that disciples should be trained to leave.</p>
<p>Don’t believe me? What is the last instruction Jesus gave the first disciples?</p>
<p>“Now <em>go</em>! Now go and make disciples of people that are not yet disciples, teaching them to do everything I taught you to do (including this).”</p>
<p>So what should a church of mature disciples look like?</p>
<p>Empty. Empty, right? If they follow Jesus’ last instruction?</p>
<p>But I’m still here… You’re still here…</p>
<p>You know, most people don’t like school – ask any kid – but here am I, after more than fifty years, still without my diploma. When I think of it this way, it makes me feel very uncomfortable.</p>
<p>So today, I felt led to talk a little about that. To think a little about why we’re here and what we’re doing, particularly in regard to evangelism.</p>
<p>So, getting back to our text. As always, I find it profitable to reflect a little on the passage.</p>
<p>Two groups of people approach Jesus here. One was the Pharisees, who were reformers for religious purity. They were fundamentalists, roughly equivalent to today’s Evangelicals. They frequently criticized the Sadducees, who were the priests that ran the Temple and headed up the religious practices of the Jewish nation.</p>
<p>The other group that approached Jesus were the disciples of John the Baptist. Their perspective was, if anything, even more rigorous – if we remember John’s criticisms of the Pharisees. But in this instance, the two groups agreed that scripture or tradition required a particular religious observance.</p>
<p>They came to Jesus because Jesus’ ministry had been born out of John’s. The very message Jesus preached had been developed by John. (Can anyone tell me what the Gospel, as Jesus preached it, was?)</p>
<p>Jesus had come out of the Baptists (so to speak), so they expected Jesus to adhere to their structure of belief, to stick with the program that they had developed, to keep company with others just like them. In response, Jesus paints this word picture about making wine. Not the best idea when dealing with Baptists, but that’s what the Bible says he did.</p>
<p>I know little about producing alcohol, but the one thing I do know is that the process of fermentation produces carbon dioxide. In a well-sealed container, this causes pressure. If a wineskin were not supple, if it were an old one that has already been stretched to its limit, the pressure could cause a rupture. To avoid ruining everything, then, one puts wine that may still be fermenting into new skins that can be stretched into new, different shapes. Conversely, everything gets ruined if one tries to add new things to old things.</p>
<p>This principle, of course, has enormous implications for all expressions of faith – not just the fast mentioned in the story. It is readily understood that Jesus’ response applied to the whole of the religious movements that the Pharisees and John the Baptist had started, so of course it applies to the religious movement that resulted in our church. Even more generally, Jesus’ illustration raises a question about evangelizing into an existing church. If new people are new wine, what will happen if they are added to a church that has already been stretched by its existing members into a particular shape?</p>
<p>Someone might say, “Oh, it’s no problem accommodating new people!” Oh really? Let us go over some of the peculiarities of our church and remember how old they are…</p>
<p>We are about to celebrate the founding of our church 74 years ago. Our church was started out of the denominational conversion of the Island by American missionaries. For music, these missionaries translated hymns that had been novel in the US a full generation before. These hymns still form a significant part of our worship music. I jokingly call them the greatest hits of the 19<sup>th</sup> century. One I swear is often used as music in movies about cowboys and the US Civil War of the 1860s. Here, everybody loves them because they sang them as children. But how will someone completely new to church react? Or even the children born into our church? They may normally listen to trap or reggaeton. Chances are, they will look forward to singing our songs no more than we sing medieval monk chants.</p>
<p>Or consider that our church was founded from a movement that started 500 years ago. The Reformation performed an essential service – aligning the idea and practice of Christianity more to its scriptures – but there has been half-a-millennium of experience and discussion since then.</p>
<p>The Reformation was an academic exercise of rationality that took place at the start of an emphasis on a natural perspective. Faith was reduced to an intellectual assent of doctrine. The notion of non-abstract spirits and Luther’s fights with them produce bemused shrugs and psychological explanations. Once I looked up what John Calvin had to say about spiritual gifts. I was shocked to read that he had experienced their power, but he concluded, perhaps rightly, that their place is at Christianity’s frontiers. To this day, in our denomination, we require a recital of doctrine as primary evidence of faith. Contrast this perspective with the evidence that compelled Peter to baptize the household of Cornelius in Acts 10.</p>
<p>Going back to the idea of the frontiers of Christianity, when the Reformation took place, there were almost no non-Christians in Europe. Without anyone to evangelize, the structures that the Reformation developed and passed down do not accommodate evangelism very well. It was focused on improving existing believers; not discipling new ones.</p>
<p>The more recent movement of Pentecostalism, in contrast, was formed in an environment of compelling signs by the Holy Spirit and multiple classes, cultures, and religions. Perhaps it should be no surprise that it has become the fastest spreading expression of Evangelicalism. The older wineskin of the Reformation cannot stretch as well to accommodate.</p>
<p>And there are still older structures in our church that the Reformation left intact. A thousand years before, the explosion of the faith into Europe necessitated rapid mass indoctrination. Archaeology shows that this was accomplished through the construction of large auditoriums with a raised structure in the center, called a pulpit, where one person would instruct large crowds. Perhaps it was a good solution to the emergency, but to this day, most churches and indoctrination are structured the same way. This is not the “feed one another” model the Bible specifies for ongoing church meetings; it is probable that some other structure for a local church might produce a more fitting kind of success.</p>
<p>So, some of the expressions of our faith are very old indeed. This is not to say that the old is or was bad. If anything, most people agree that old wine is better than the new, which tends to be unfinished. But it is important to recognize that wineskins are meant to be temporary. Their purpose is only to carry the wine they are first filled with, and, Jesus implied with his illustration, they are best discarded when that wine is finished.</p>
<p>Every new group or movement of believers must develop local churches and other expressions and solutions of faith. We need to admit that these are most appealing to the believers that develop them. For this reason, churches and movements have a natural life span not much longer than their first adherents. The adjustment new members must make grows with time and the speed with which the world moves on.</p>
<p>You know, this is true even of the new people from <em>inside</em> the church – that is to say, our children. We <em>assume</em> they are attached to the church, but a church and its activities are shaped for the generation that built it. To assume that our children are attached to the church is effectively to assume that they are clones of their grandparents. And then we wonder why they disappear when they can no longer be compelled to come.</p>
<p>After enough time, as Jesus warned, it becomes downright dangerous to add new wine to an old skin. You know, Martin Luther didn’t set out to break from the Catholic church. He just wanted to shift it onto better ground. Moreover, it was ground that was “new” only in the sense that it had been forgotten. That’s why we call what happened “the Reformation” rather than something like “the Revolution” or “the Schism.” But his well-meaning correction exploded with such force that Catholics and Protestants slaughtered one another for centuries. Not to suggest, with the way the Catholic church insisted on its dominion, there was a better way that could have gone down.</p>
<p>I’ve reached the point in my sermon where a preacher typically suggests action steps.</p>
<p>I’ve demonstrated that all of this – the specialized building, we who tarry within its walls, the pulpit, the man up front engaged in a meandering monologue, the years of a sort of talking discipleship without graduation or action – all of this is outside the Bible’s teachings about what a church should be. It is strange fire before the Lord. What does one do about strange fire? I’d be happy to have that discussion.</p>
<p>If we follow the Biblical model and go out and make new wineskins for new wine, new churches of new disciples, we need to release them from all but the Bible’s expectations of what a church looks like. We would do best to discard as much of the old wineskin as possible. The situation and its people are different than 100, 500, or 1500 years ago, and Jesus essentially says here that the shape of a new wineskin is the prerogative of its young congregation.</p>
<p>If we instead continue in the model of bringing new people into our old wineskin of a church, we at least need to be ready to change for them – and for our children. It’s really a disservice, even a betrayal, to invite them but then put our old ways before the new needs and preferences they bring. And even then we have to be ready to run and patch all the holes this inevitably causes. We just have to realize, if there is to be a congregation in this building that will succeed ours, it will require an active denial of ourselves in order to assist in our replacement.</p>
<p>It’s sad to think that something we treasure must pass away. You know, Paul compared the church to a human body. They say that the body largely renews itself every seven to ten years. In this way, the body is able to continue in whatever environment it may find itself. I don’t think my body’s cells think about this, but if they did, I’d hope they’d relish both being a part of my body and being part of sending it onward.</p>
<p> </p></div>
Assess Your Prayer Culture ~ 11 Practices of Praying Churches
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-assess-your-prayer-culture
2020-08-17T14:36:24.000Z
2020-08-17T14:36:24.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
<div><h2 class="post-title"><span style="font-size:14pt;">Mini-Course: Assess Your Prayer Culture ~ 11 Practices of Praying Churches</span></h2>
<div class="post-author"><span style="font-size:14pt;">By Phil Miglioratti</span></div>
<div class="post-author"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="post-author"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="content">
<h3><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Praying Churches…</strong></span></h3>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Have established a Prayer Culture…</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Every church prays, but not every church is truly a praying church. Praying churches have a culture saturated with prayer; prayer has permeated every family, integrated into every ministry, and has been penetrating into the community.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Developong A Prayer Culture <strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/videos1/developing-a-praying-culture" target="_blank">>>></a></strong></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…That is driven by a Prayer Champion…</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Unless and until the pastor of the church, in congregations small or large, has begun to learn personally how to lead and facilitate prayer corporately, that congregation will remain a church that says prayers. It cannot have a complete culture change with out the leadership or the pastor.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Coacing Interview wIth National Prayer Champion <strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/chat-with-carol-madison-compiler-and-editor-of-the-praying-church" target="_blank">>>></a></strong></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…Who has taught & trained biblical Prayer Commands…</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">The Prayer Champion models a praying life but must also provide the biblical content as a foundation for prayer. Church members young and old, new to the faith and veterans of spiritual wars, must understand the Bible’s teachings on the who, what, where, when, why and how of praying.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Becoming A Prayer Driven Church <strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/workshop-becoming-a-prayer-driven-church-60-slides" target="_blank">>>></a></strong></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…And has made three difficult Prayer Changes,…</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Change #1 – the leader must change. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Change #2 – the list must change. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Change #3 – the location must change.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Praying churches are led by the Holy Spirit – to pray for people, places and things; neighborhoods and nations – from their already-seated-in-heaven position in Christ.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Reimagine Your Prayer List <strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-your-prayer-list" target="_blank">>>></a></strong></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…Assisted by a Prayer Catalyst…</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Someone with a passion for prayer with a gift for leadership or administration should be appointed to serve alongside of the Prayer Champion.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Interview with Author of "Prayer Coach" <a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/group/national-pastors-prayer-network/pages/prayer-coach-essential-text-for-prayer-champion-pastors" target="_blank">>>></a></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…Who helps recruit a Praying Core…</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">To help the pastor identify, train and lead those who respond to the challenge to live a life of prayer. These are usually intercessors who recognize a call upon their life to pray without ceasing. They must be given affirmation and opportunities to pray and to share spiritual insights from their time in their prayer closets.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Content & Resources for Sphere #1: Your Praying Core <strong><a target="_blank">>>></a></strong></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…toward transforming classes/groups/committees into Prayer Clusters</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">A key objective is to train each ministry leader, class teacher, and group director in how to integrate prayer into their ongoing ministry or activity. Prayer that invites participation from those in the group or on the committee. Prayer that permeates the Bible study, agenda discussion or planning session. </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Mobilizing an "ALL Pray" Strategy for Your Congregaiton <a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/group/explore-god-prayer-coordinators/pages/mobilize-your-congregation" target="_blank"><strong>>>></strong></a></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…That know how to pray differently when they pray,…</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Pray Corporately – the protocol for two or three, or twenty or thirty, or two or three hundred is different than private or around-the-circle-down the list praying</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Pray Courageously – daring to pray in the Spirit with faith, hope and love</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Pray Focused on the Community – asking God for his heart for the people, place and things (issues) that influence and impact the community and culture</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Ignight The 6 Spheres of Praying<strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/the-6-spheres-of-prayer-a-template-1" target="_blank"> >>></a></strong></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…Re-casting vision and resourcing through Prayer Communication,…</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> <span class=""Apple-tab-span""> </span>I should be able to search for the word "pray" or "prayer" and find it on you church’s website, in every Sunday bulletin and monthly newsletter, on bulletin boards and display/book tables, as a sermon title …</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Rethink Communication <a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/rethink-communication-by-rethinking-who-is-in-the-room" target="_blank">>>></a></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…Making leadership accountable to a Prayer Calendar,…</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">A praying church has an established rhythm of praying – daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Developng a Prayer Rhythm for Your Church <strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagineprayer-develop-a-yearly-rhythm-for-your-congregation-nethttp://" target="_blank">>>></a></strong></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>…And discern God’s ongoing direction and correction through the partnership of a Prayer Coach.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Much can be gained from a person who knows how to teach and train but also how to coach the congregation’s leaders into a deeper and an outward focused life of prayer.</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Prayer Coach: The Interview <a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/group/national-pastors-prayer-network/pages/prayer-coach-essential-text-for-prayer-champion-pastors" target="_blank"><strong>>>></strong></a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:14pt;">Every Prayer Champions Needs a Prayer Coach<strong> <a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/every-pray-er-needs-a-prayer-coach" target="_blank">>>></a></strong></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">Phil Miglioratti posts/publishes resoruces and content on Reimagine.Nwetwork: Pray.Network, Discipleship.Network, <a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/videos1/developing-a-praying-culturehttp://" target="_blank">National Pastors' Prayer Network</a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:14pt;">He writes and curates from his experiences as a pastor, coach, seminar speakinger, preacher, network coordinator, factilitator and teacher in the areas of corporate prayer.</span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;"> </span></p>
<h2 align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-assess-your-prayer-culture?context=category-Mini-Courses" target="_blank">√</a><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-assess-your-prayer-culture?context=category-Mini-Courses" target="_blank">Mini-Course: Assess Your Prayer Culture</a></span></h2>
<h2 align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;">~</span></h2>
<h2 align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-assess-your-prayer-culture?context=category-Mini-Courses" target="_blank">11 Practices of Praying Churches</a></span></h2>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;">+</span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/workshop-becoming-a-prayer-driven-church-60-slides" target="_blank">√</a><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/workshop-becoming-a-prayer-driven-church-60-slides" target="_blank">Workshop: Becoming a Prayer Driven Church</a></span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;">+</span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/a-diagnostic-tool-to-assess-the-prayer-life-of-our-congregation" target="_blank">√</a><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/a-diagnostic-tool-to-assess-the-prayer-life-of-our-congregation" target="_blank">Diagnostic Tool: Assess The Prayer Life of Our Congregation</a></span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;">+</span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/phil-miglioratti-keys-to-lead-the-church-in-prayer" target="_blank">√</a><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics1/phil-miglioratti-keys-to-lead-the-church-in-prayer" target="_blank">Video Interview: Keys To Lead Your Church Into Prayer</a></span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;">+</span></p>
<p align="center"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-church-as-a-house-of-prayer-filled-people" target="_blank">√</a><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimagine-church-as-a-house-of-prayer-filled-people" target="_blank">Prayer Guide: Becoming A House of Prayer-FiIled People</a></span></p>
</div></div>
#ReimagineCHURCH...A Fresh Sunday/Weekend Template
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-a-fresh-sunday-weekend-template
2020-08-14T21:34:30.000Z
2020-08-14T21:34:30.000Z
Reimagine Curator
https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/members/PrayerINC
<div><p><span style="font-size:14pt;"><em><strong>#ReimagineCHURCH...A Fresh Sunday/Weekend Template</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><br /> One of the changes taking place across the world, is the approach to how we educate people.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Media (TV, radio, social sites, video access) has blown past the lecture-by-expert mode if the Industrial era ... for which we built schooling facilities based on the factory model of mass production. Learning was rote (“mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned”).</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Our technology-driven culture provides a variety of learning experiences, such as video-classes, roundtable interaction, TED talks (mini-lectures), self-discovery ...</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">So, how to we implement changes by incorporating these modes of learning into our “church service” approach to make-disciples?</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">A revising of our standardized Sunday-morning-Church format:</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong> Week 1 - The Word</strong>: Teach the context and content of a biblical passage (sermonic)</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Instruction</span></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong> Week 2: - The Body:</strong> Apply the truths of that passage to contemporary life (workshop-style; discussion)</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Interaction</span></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong> Week 3 - The Table -</strong> A complete dedication of time to the Lord’s Table (praise, prayer, sharing, healing , the bread & wine)</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Inspiration</span></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong> Week 4 - The Saints -</strong> Focus on equipping for leadership, stewardship, worship, discipleship</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Integration</span></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong> 5th Sundays - The Streets</strong> - Presence Evangelism: In the Community; for the Community</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Interface</span></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">The purpose of a format like this is to create a disciple-making rhythm for the entire congregation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">In many churches, discipleship is an extra class or an annual seminar or retreat.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">In too many churches, discipleship relies too heavily on a Sunday/weekend sermon.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">This monthly rhythm:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Views every gathering as disciple-making</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Isolates worship as a discipleship discipline; not merely the prelude to a sermon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Invites members/attenders into a life experience as a Christ-follower</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Recognizes communication includes exegesis, exchange, exaltation, equipping, engaging</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Employs more than a single mode; seminars, sharing, skill-sharpening, service, each build disciples in ways sermons alone cannot</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Sermons focus on truth texts. Experiential learning enables members/attenders to apply teaching topics and themes to both their life and the mission of the Church</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Pursues disciple-making as leadership development of each member/attender that produces Christ-followers who do not need a "church meeting" to worship, pray, care for others, share their faith.</span></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;"><strong>Another way to reimagine Sundays/Weekends...</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:12pt;">Design a rhythm of devoting a week to each of these disciple-making components:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Worship: Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs; Song then Scripture then Sermon repeated several times; a full service devoted to the Lord's Table</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Discipleship: Biblical truth texts-topics-themes; description-dialogue-discussion</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Fellowship: Celebrate (with a purpose/focus); Small groups share needs; pray for one another</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Leadership: Seminar-styled training</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Stewardship: Ministry/Mission stations focused on prayer, strategic updates, empowering </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:12pt;">Citizenship: Citizens of heaven blessing neighbors and communities through proclamation and service</span></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-seven-components-of-sunday-worship-services" target="_blank">READ THIS NEXT>>></a></p>
<blockquote>
<div class="gmail_quote"><strong>A Mini-Course to #CoachYourTeam / #ShareWithLeaders</strong></div>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/why-reimagine" target="_blank">Reimagine Church? Why?</a></strong></li>
<li></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-a-fresh-sunday-weekend-template" target="_blank">A Fresh Template for Sunday Worship</a></strong></li>
<li><strong> </strong></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/don-t-reopenchurch-reimagine-your-church" target="_blank">This may help: Don't Reopen Church...Reimagine Church</a></strong></li>
<li></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/a-reimagine-coaching-session-with-phil-miglioratti" target="_blank">A Reimagine Coaching Session with Phil Miglioratti</a></strong></li>
<li></li>
<li><strong><a href="https://reimaginenetwork.ning.com/forum/topics/reimaginechurch-seven-components-of-sunday-worship-services=edit" target="_blank">Seven Components to Rethink Worship</a></strong></li>
</ul></div>