» Revitalization

It is no exaggeration to say that the global Anglican church of is at a crossroads facing its greatest crisis since the Reformation. It’s been there at least since the 1998 Lambeth Conference when the vast majority of Anglican bishops worldwide rejected “homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture.”

Despite this the Episcopal church in the US [...]

I’ve reflected recently about God’s activity in shaping a leader through the painful experience of being unravelled: the Wall. It’s a recurring pattern in the lives of leaders who finish well.

The same pattern is clearly discerned in the birth and rebirth of Christian movements. God unmakes his people in order to reshape them.

The church in [...]

How do you breathe new life into Disney animation? Simple. You don’t.

This is what you do instead. . .

Start a new company called Pixar. Produce film after film that everyone wants to watch— Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.

Films that succeed “because they are the vision [...]

Andrew makes a good point about our understanding of church renewal and decline, “There seems to be an inherent danger with just giving something a certain timespan and then ‘writing it off’.”

GK Chesterton agrees, “Men invent new ideals because they dare not attempt old ideals. They look forward with enthusiasm, because they are afraid to [...]

Following my post on Encounter—Transformation—Mission, here’s a case study on the emergence of the Moravian missionary movement in the first half of the eighteenth century.
1. Dissonance
From childhood, Count Nikolaus Zinzendorf had been devoted to Christ and committed to the spread of Christianity throughout the world. In 1722, in his early twenties, he opened up his [...]

The breakthroughs in the renewal and expansion of the Church have always begun on the fringe. The spark and the fuel for the fire is a powerful encounter with God constructively channeled into renewal and mission.

Movements cannot be manufactured or controlled. Those most open to empowering spiritual experiences are those who sense their need of [...]

“Breathing strange utterances and mouthing a creed which it would seem no same mortal could understand, the newest religious sect has started in Los Angeles. Meetings are held in a tumble-down shack on Azusa Street. . . and the devotees of the weird doctrine practice the most fanatical rites, preach the wildest theories and work [...]

At the heart of the renewal of any movement is the ability to make an “innovative return to tradition”.

Ponder the Beetle and you’ll get an idea of what that means.

Good question from Brett the other day regarding my views on the “emerging church”. Was I concerned the emerging church was not “conservative” in the best sense of the word?

I don’t see the emerging church as any different from previous attempts to adapt the church to a changing world. It’s a mixed bag. The challenge [...]

According to the BBC, the number of priests is in serious decline in the UK. The Cardinal of Westminster has seen numbers of priest in his diocese slump from 850 in 1990 to 600 this year. The number is expected to decline to 470 over the next decade.

But we have a solution.

The Church is launching [...]