By now you no doubt have heard of the devastating earthquake that hit Christschurch, New Zealand on Feb. 21, killing 65 people. Click here for the Christian Chronicle article on this. High Pointe Church of Christ is the sponsoring congregation for the South Pacific Bible College in New Zealand. Here is a note…

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ESSAY ON LEADERSHIP



Response by Bill Bowman



WHAT IS BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP



Your thrust is to study how Jesus led his followers. And by this study you can conclude how we are to be leaders. There is an aspect that, to me, is somewhat a mystery. When we are baptized the Spirit comes into our lives somehow. Acts 2:38. Also the metaphor of “putting on Christ” as a coat is used.

Implied in this are some added features that we are endowed with that are not gotten… Continue

What is Biblical Leadership?

One of the most common complaints within congregations is a “lack of leadership”.  This observation takes several forms: 1) the eldership acts as a board of directors 2) the eldership should be “Shepherds” 3) there is no vision 4) the focus of the “leadership” is on material things not spiritual things 5) there a severe lack of communications with the congregation 6) there is no one in the eldership I can talk too 7) the leadership…

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I can remember Dr. Don Vinzant, one of my Bible professors at Oklahoma Christian University, say to us in a ministry class, "People will leave your church, and when they do, they will all repeat the same lie--I was not being fed." So, as I came across the section below from Lance Ford in the new book that he and Alan Hirsch have written, Right Here, Right Now, I remembered Don's words. 

 

"Pastors are aware that one of the common critiques uttered by…

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Missiologist Eckhard J. Schnabel, author of Early Christian Mission, says, “Jesus had worked as prophetic preacher and teacher, but contrary to the rabbinic model, he did not wait for people to come to him (although that happened as well); instead, he traveled through the towns, villages, and hamlets of Galilee (Mk. 6:56), encountering people where they lived and…

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Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (Jn. 20:21). As the “sent out” body of Christ, our life and mission is centered around Christ’s life and mission. In his own words, Jesus said that he came to seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10), serve (Mk. 10:45), and share the good news (Mk. 1:38). Compelled by Christ’s love for us and our love for God and our neighbor, we have as our primary task the mission of Jesus.

 

If we are to fulfill this mission, we must do…

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One of the major passages on spiritual formation, particularly within families, that is often pointed to is the "Shema":

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.^[…

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Valentine's Day is a GREAT time of the year to share the love of Jesus, and it's a great time for those of us who are mission-minded believers to motivate and help others to begin reaching out. A simple "planned" outreach can help other Christians (including those who have never done any type of evangelism or outreach) to break-out of their comfort zones and to begin…

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In the their new book, Right Here, Right Now: Everyday Mission for Everyday People, authors Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford write this:

 

"It is impossible to be a missional church if we fail to be missional people. Otherwise, missionality is reduced to sponsored programs that centralize the life of the body of Christ, institutionalizing…

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There's a great need to mentor "normal" Christian families to get a passion for local and international missions. Right now, I'm organizing a simple 8-week guide utilizing my two books The Mission-Minded Child and The Mission-Minded Minded Family. The study, designed for small group mentoring (for church home groups, women's studies, or personal use), will be…

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Holidays in February provide great opportunities for outreach and family discipleship for MISSION-MINDED FAMILIES. As we look a: Valentines Day, Chinese New Year, President's Day, and Black History Month. we can emphasize God's love for all… Continue