By Lane Corley ALEXANDRIA, La. – Luke 15 is foundational for church planters who want to reach the lost: Am I approachable by lost people? "tax collectors and sinners were approaching to listen to him" (v. 1) Am I spending time with the lost? "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them" (v. 2) Do I place greater value on one lost person over a crowd who are right with God? (v. 7, 10) Is my search for the lost careful, deliberate, diligent, risky? (v. 4, 8) Do I have compassion or contempt for those far from God? (v. 20, 28) Reaching the lost may mean: You'll be misunderstood by religious people. You should focus on fewer people, rather than large crowds. You are engaging in careful, deliberate, diligent, time consuming work. You'll lay aside contempt for sin, to throw your arms around sinners. You'll start celebrations in heaven. Let's make it about the lost. Lane Corley is a Louisiana Baptist church planting strategist and pastor of the Bridge Church in Madisonville. … [Read more...]
How Do I Start a Multiplying Church?
By Lane Corley SHARE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. The Gospel is a proven and tested VIRAL Idea. And Jesus promised to empower the spread of the Gospel through the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 FIGHT FOR SIMPLICITY AND REPRODUCIBILITY. Jesus’ started a movement which has exponentially multiplied, partly, because it was as simple as water, bread, and wine.Simple Church = Saying No to Almost Everything.Ask: Is my ministry 2 Timothy 2:2 Simple? CREATE MARGIN. We have so little multiplication because churches have so little margin. We have JUST ENOUGH, instead of MORE THAN ENOUGH.Margin is typically created through BIG CROWDS or RADICAL SIMPLICITY.More than enough can also be toxic. Like a sponge. Like buried talents. Jesus meant for us to use what we have. LOOK FOR LOW HANGING FRUIT. Persons of Peace. New Believers network of relationships. Apostolic Leaders. People Groups and Population Segments. Existing Social Movements. People Scattering and moving about the country. New Churches. New Ministries. MAKE ROOM FOR UNBRANDED MINISTRY. Is the invite to our brand of church louder than the invite to the head of the church? Build partnerships with like-minded ministries who are sharing the Gospel of Jesus … [Read more...]
It’s too pristine
By Chuck Kelley Rarely does Hollywood contact a Southern Baptist seminary, but rarely is not never. One day location scouts for a major motion picture to be filmed in New Orleans called NOBTS and asked to tour the campus. They were looking for a place that with a bit of movie magic could be made to look like the United States Coast Guard Academy. As they looked around, the location scouts absolutely loved what they saw. The star of the movie, who was a major Hollywood player, also had to sign off on the location before they could make a formal request to film some scenes within our gates. After looking things over, he overruled the scouts and rejected the recommendation to use NOBTS, saying it was “too pristine,” meaning too unspoiled and fresh. When news of the Hollywood conversation reached the president’s Office, I found it amusing, Upon reflection, I realized how instructive it was for the future facing Baptists. Having lived and worked on the campus for more than four decades, I was accustomed to hearing people speak of how beautiful the campus was and how different it felt when entering our campus from the city of New Orleans. The classic academic quadrangle was designed by A. Hays Town, a legendary Louisiana architect, … [Read more...]
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