How do you feel when you see an image of a Muslim praying, like this one? And how do you feel when you see an image of someone like Mother Theresa praying? If you are anything like me, as a Christian, you might feel separate or even negative towards the first image and somehow, connected,…
It’s the little things that count. True love in the small things. Living missionally is not difficult in the “skill” sense but it is difficult in the “make-it-a-priority” sense. Small, simple, consistent acts of love add up and give God more grace space in which to work. Here are 10 ideas to inspire you this…
When my wife and I (Brandon and Kristi Wellcome) moved to Dublin to begin discovering how we might participate in God’s Kingdom, we were introduced to the work of Serve the City. As we sat in the kitchen of Alan and Sheryl McElwee (the legendary couple that launched Serve the City in Ireland) and heard story after story…
“Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Then when you do criticize them, you’ll be a mile away. And you’ll have their shoes.” (This quote is attributed to several sources, including Jack Handy and Justin Bieber) In my own life, a critical spirit surfaces on a regular basis. – When I see a…
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35 “The best thinking has been done in solitude. The worst has been done in turmoil.” (Thomas A. Edison) I spent this past week on a solo retreat in…
Within Communitas we value Kingdom Seeking, which includes a life of worship and passionate devotion to Christ. I grew up in a denominational church. In so many ways I’m thankful for the rich Christian heritage this church passed along to me. I learned scripture from godly men and women in Sunday School, and came to…
The “Dones” are leaving church, reportedly, in droves. They even have their own website. One of them simply said, “I’m just done. I’m done with church.” But is this really what he meant? No clarification needed? According to the article, “John” has not abandoned his faith. Just church. Or, should we say, church the way he experienced…
I saw a headline recently that said “The Church is Too Generous to the Needy.” At first, it was hard for me to believe anyone could actually say there’s such a thing as “too much generosity,” particularly when in reference to God’s people. It seemed something akin to saying, “The Church is being too joyful…
As I’ve become more familiar with CA’s “Kingdom Seeking” value and the practices we embrace, I’ve come to realize that we are wrestling to implement a paradigm of church that makes every Christ-follower in a church a “missionary” whose unique gifting is fully engaged in God’s mission. (Granted, “missional activist” may be a better term than “missionary,” given…
Not 40, but 57 new churches in 4 years? God never ceases to amaze us! Four years ago, we launched our strategic focus for 2015-2018: “40 in 4.” Our hope and prayer was to see 40 new church planting projects and partnerships launched in four years. God surprised us immensely. With the prayers, encouragement,…
