» Case studies

Dynamic movements are committed to a cause. But what if you’re not sure what that cause is any more?

Tim Keller writes:
A generation ago, it would have been hard to imagine evangelicals unable to agree on what the simple gospel is: 1) God made you and you must have a relationship with him, 2) but your [...]

As the Lambeth Conference draws to a close it would good to take a step back from the immediate disputes that have divided the Anglican Communion and look at the wider context.

On the left the global Anglican church of 1900. On the right, the Anglican church of 2005.

Expect the trend to accelerate as the Africans [...]

One reason for Oscar Muriu’s success in growing leaders for a church planting movement is that he didn’t know what he was doing. He was young enough not to know it couldn’t be done and smart enough to copy from the best. This what he told me. . .

All I do is I copy.

You don’t [...]

While Albert barbecued the goat, I chatted to David Githugu about his experience as an intern and church planter with Nairobi Chapel under Oscar Muriu’s leadership.

David first came into contact with Nairobi Chapel as a university student. In 2002 he left a lucrative legal career and took a big paycut to become a pastor. In [...]

Here’s a photo I took of a just a handful of the church planters, pastors and interns who have been trained by Oscar and Beatrice Muriu.

Many church leaders say they want to grow leaders. Few actually do. I asked Oscar Muriu how he turns good intentions into reality. This is his reply. . .

We came [...]

The next installment on how Oscar Muriu grows leaders for a church planting movement.

How did it all begin?

In 1989 Nairobi Chapel was a dwindling, discouraged group of whites praying that God would show them what to do. They sought new leadership to help them reach the African students around them.

I was finishing my studies [...]

I’ve just returned from a visit to Kenya where I met with Oscar Muriu and interviewed him and a number of the leaders who are the fruit of his ministry. It’s an amazing storty. Over the next week or two I’ll be featuring the story of Oscar Muriu and the Nairobi Chapel with a focus [...]

foto ©Godefroylg

Here’s an interview I conducted with a worker somewhere in the Middle East. We’ll call him “Tom”. It’s a case study of a church planting movement among a minority that is culturally Christian but without a first hand faith of their own.

1. What’s your background in church planting?

Our first church plant was a house [...]

Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?”
Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.”
Gregory: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.”
Holmes: “That was the curious incident.”Lately I’ve become obsessed with stats, especially those related to the rise and fall of movements. [...]

Make sure you read Joel Carpenter’s article on Philip Jenkin’s New Faces of Christianity. A passionate, biblical faith is winning the day in the global South and making its way to the global North.

A recently rediscovered religious text is making huge waves in the world today. With stunning power, it is driving the largest [...]