Mission Alive has put out the following statistics on population growth, church decline, the fall of Christianity in the US, and the oppor
tunity and need for church planting. Note the following:
Here is the bad news:
- Between 1990 and 2000 there was a net gain of 4600 churches in the US; however, to simply maintain the pace with population growth a gain…
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Added by James Nored on June 22, 2010 at 12:00pm —
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What is our mission? Our "missiology" is determined by our Christology. That is, our mission is based upon the life and ministry of Christ. In his own words, Jesus said that he came to seek and save the lost (Lk. 19:10), serve others (Mk. 10:45), and proclaim the good news (Mk. 1:38).
This mission also forms an excellent "missional outreach" strategy:
- Seeking the lost
- Serving the Community
- Sharing the Good…
Added by James Nored on May 19, 2010 at 7:30pm —
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There are so many wonderful, good hearted people at our church. And this church has been known for having great children's and youth ministry--which is wonderful. I have two young daughters (age 5 and 9), and they benefit from our children's ministry. I am so glad…
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Added by James Nored on May 11, 2010 at 10:30am —
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As mother's day approaches, I am reminded of my mother, of course. One of the things that always stood out to me was the importance of Scripture and following God's word.
The Bible, of course, does not claim to be an ordinary book. As the word of God, the Bible claims and is inspired by God’s Holy Spirit. The…
Added by James Nored on May 5, 2010 at 4:30pm —
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For the last two years at High Pointe, we have been actively seeking ways to serve and impact our community. This has involved many different types of service outreaches, from Habitat for Humanity to FriendSpeak to singing in the nursing home. Three of our biggest service outreaches have been our food pantry, which gave out 2000+ bags of groceries last year, our clothes closet, which clothed over 4400 families, and our outreach to Vega Elementary School, where we help mentor, clothe, feed, and…
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Added by James Nored on April 7, 2010 at 10:48pm —
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Monday on MON is coming soon! Several of the Misisonal Outreach Network (MON) community members have suggested a scheduled time on Mondays to login and blog, comment, video chat, reflect, encourage, etc. We are lining up a group of writers and participants who will make this weekly commitment to contribute content and participate with one another. I will feature the page, blog, or website on the front page of this site of those that make this…
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Added by James Nored on March 6, 2010 at 5:30pm —
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T oday I had another Bible study with--I'll call him Paul Smith. Paul was baptized into Christ 4-5 months ago. Paul had been angry with God for years because he and his wife had suffered two miscarriages and had not been able to have children. Paul came to us because he and his wife at the time were headed towards divorce. This divorce is now finalized, despite his…
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Added by James Nored on March 5, 2010 at 12:30am —
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In my study of community, I came across this article: …
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Added by James Nored on February 24, 2010 at 12:30am —
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Last Sunday, I started a new series on "A Christ-Centered Community." A classic text on Christian community is found in Acts…
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Added by James Nored on February 24, 2010 at 12:00am —
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Hey guys. I saw that my Missional Outreach Seminar showed up at
http://www.ubervu.com/outreach/social-media/. Is anyone familiar with ubervu? If so, please share?
Added by James Nored on February 23, 2010 at 5:43pm —
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This Friday and Saturday we had a Missional Outreach Seminar, hosted by the Buckingham Rd. Church of Christ in Garland, Texas. Richard Blaisdell is the preacher--a great fellow. Ron and Linda Sportsman are at Buckingham Rd. Ron served as an elder with me at the Liberty Church of Christ, in Liberty, MO, where I was a minister for 6 years. With the help of wonderful people like Ron and…
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Added by James Nored on February 20, 2010 at 9:00pm —
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Below is a note from our friends over at Missions Resource Network on the Haiti Relief Effort. If you have any other information on how to help in these efforts, or wish to comment on the disaster, please do so below.
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Dear Friends,
You have undoubtedly heard many reports these last 48 hours about the terrible 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastating Haiti on January 12th. The destruction caused by this…
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Added by James Nored on January 15, 2010 at 9:39am —
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I recovering from a nose job that I had last week. Ha, ha. :) Actually, I had surgery to correct a deviated septum. They removed my stints today-yikes! I hope to be back to full strength in a few days. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers.
I really have been trying to rest, but I came across an article today in the New York Times entitled,
Making College Relevant. The article cites…
Added by James Nored on January 5, 2010 at 11:00pm —
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Sunday was a great day! Will Koen was baptized into Christ at 9 AM. Will was brought to Christ by his girlfriend, Tiffany Schuchert, who was baptized herself earlier this year. Tiffany met Will at the Collin County Communnity College about six months ago. Tiffany is a bright, bubbly young woman whom I always believed would reach many people for Christ through her open, outgoing personality and sincere faith.
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We have been studying with Tiffany, Will, and some other…
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Added by James Nored on December 28, 2009 at 1:34am —
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Last Wednesday night, we did not have Bible classes at High Pointe. But the church still met. The church, of course, is present wherever two or three Christians are gathered in Christ's name.
A great group of singers from the High Pointe Church of Christ met at the Colonial Lodge, a nursing home in McKinney, to sing Christmas carols and bring a little Christmas joy to the residents and workers. It was a good mix of young and older Christians, with whole families…
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Added by James Nored on December 26, 2009 at 7:18pm —
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To my readers--I'm sorry about the posting delay. This is an incredibly busy time! But Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love the music, time with friends, and the focus upon Christ.
By now, you have all probably heard of the recent scandal involving global warming. Emails from the top scientists researching global warming were published,…
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Added by James Nored on December 7, 2009 at 10:30am —
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My wife Becki called me at work earlier this week. She usually has something she is thinking about or something she wants my thoughts on. This time she shared with me what my eight year old daughter, Gina, wrote at school on leadership. This is what she said.
10-29-09 Gina Nored 3rd Grade"If I could be a leader in any area, I would be a Christian leader. I would teach others about god, and try for them to believe in him. I would also tell bible stories, and read memory…
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Added by James Nored on November 12, 2009 at 11:28pm —
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Yesterday I flew out to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to give a Spiritual Gifts Seminar. (As a side note, American Eagle somehow lost my luggage on a direct flight. That is hard to do.) We had the first night of the seminar last night, and will conclude tonight.
Everyone has been very welcoming and has received me--and most importantly--the Spiritual gifts material--very well. One of the members, Jason Poynter, has been helping to start…
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Added by James Nored on November 2, 2009 at 3:30pm —
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I came across an article on Digg.com today called,
Why Does Hollywood Hate the Suburbs? The article points to movies like Revolutionary Road that paint the suburbs as places of "spiritual and mental death." They are also stigmatized "materialism, lack of imagination, and conformity."
I am largely a suburban kid. I went to high school in Edmond, OK, suburb of Oklahoma City. I ministered in Liberty, Missouri, suburb…
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Added by James Nored on October 16, 2009 at 10:30am —
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Author Brian McLaren has joined with some of his Christian friends in observing Ramadan.
McLaren says:
"Ramadan is the Muslim holy month of fasting for spiritual renewal and purification. It commemorates the month during which Muslims believe Mohammed received the Quran through divine revelation, and it calls Muslims to self-control, sacrificial generosity and solidarity with the poor,…
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Added by James Nored on October 3, 2009 at 12:00pm —
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