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KEEPING CHURCH SIMPLE – PART 2E How are finances handled in a simple church? There are many options for this. In our network, we encourage everyone to meet the financial needs of those in their simple church family first. Then, with whatever money is left, give back to the church network to help start new…

KEEPING CHURCH SIMPLE – PART 2D What do you do with kids in a simple church? If the primary image of the church is that of “family,” then healthy churches should deal with their kids in the same way that healthy families do. This means that kids are frequently included in the life of the…

A couple shots of our kids from the past several days. I caught Alex in mid-jump… Kirstie at the piano… a natural! Ian can’t keep a tooth in his mouth these days… 🙂

There’s something magical about fishing. Ian is currently enthralled. He remembers fishing last year in the pond at the place we are staying again this year. And he loves it. It compels him to cast again, reel in and hope for a bite from a tiny little Brim. They obliged. Ian was hookin’ the little…

KEEPING CHURCH SIMPLE – PART 2C How do you control these churches doctrinally and morally? There are two ways to respond to this question! The first way to answer this question is to acknowledge that simple churches do have a natural form of accountability that comes through relational lines. Every church was started by another…

When this world is a mess, and I’m feelin’ less than in controlMy heart is at ease cause there is a peace deep in my soul The Mighty King Will never change That’s all that I can knowHis peace in me Will always be The rock that is my homeThe Mighty King alone.————————- – g.campbell…

KEEPING CHURCH SIMPLE – PART 2C Practical Implication #3: Learning to Question our Most Frequently Asked Questions! Meaning no disrespect to those who ask, I must admit that most of the questions that we are asked about simple church are the wrong questions! We humbly acknowledge this because these are the same questions we spent…

Here we are in Virginia. We arrived last night at about 5:00pm, just in time to rehearse, unpack our stuff and get ready to lead a bunch of teenagers in some musical worship. Nice. Did I mention the 5:00am wake up time? Or, the 10 hour drive with a baby who wouldn’t sleep? Or the…

KEEPING CHURCH SIMPLE – PART 2A Practical Implication #2: Learning to See Family as the Primary Image for Church There are two problems that emerge from trying to figure out “church.” First, when we try to figure out “church” we often start with a cultural assumption that church is a non-profit organization, or a “place…

KEEPING CHURCH SIMPLE – PART 2 PART II: PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF A SIMPLE UNDERSTANDING OF CHURCH Practical Implication #1: Learning to see what is happening with the church globally. As Americans it is very hard for us to admit the facts that are now being widely reported to us: The church is growing faster in…