Imaginatively Missional
Back in 1994, Loré and I were coming off of an incredibley tense and productive time of ministry in post-communist Romania. Four years of non-stop work resulted in seven church plants, Romanian leadership of the churches, and sustained evangelism and disciple-making leading to the multiplication of small groups. It truly felt like we were living …
On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael delve into the foundational importance of Christology within the context of innovative disruption. Emphasizing a return to understanding who Jesus is and how He defines Himself, they explore the implications of Christological clarity for mission and ecclesiology. Drawing from biblical texts and theological reflection, they discuss how a …
Continue reading "Episode 173: The Christology of our Mission"
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill has been one of this year's most popular podcast series. On this Ephesiology Podcast, we begin to unpack the issues in light of an Ephesiological framework for a New Testament movement. Andrew and Matt lead the discussion from places of personal experience with leaders who have abused their authority in ministry. Don't miss this longer than usual episode of the Ephesiology Podcast.
One only needs to consult an online job board to observe the vast number of staff openings in churches across the United States. As do others, I receive regular requests from headhunters for recommendations of people to fill this or that ministry position. However, a question has been raised, at least in my mind, regarding …
Continue reading "The Solution to Your Church Staffing Needs"
During my doctoral studies in the early 2000s, Paul Hiebert shared a story that I have never forgotten. Dr. Hiebert was a master at using illustrations and case studies to highlight essential missiological principles. His years of experience in India and as a world renowned missiological anthropologist made those attending his classes sit on the edge of …
On January 6th while the 117th Congress gathered to certify the 2020 election, an individual who identifies himself as Crazy Cripple filmed a group marching on the street toward the US Capitol. At about the 2 minute mark in the video, the group stops to pray. Ahead of the prayer, someone announces, “If you’re on …
Contemporary church leadership tends to model itself after various social structures of leadership whether in business or politics. The DNA of the New Testament church looked altogether different as Jesus instituted a leadership style that was counter-cultural and unique for His church. Join Matt, Andrew, and Michael as they continue to discuss the non-hierarchical leadership …
Continue reading "Ep 68: The Non-Hierarchical Leadership of the New Testament Church"
The Christian movement in Asia Minor is a wonderful example of a group of churches and APEST leaders who took doctrine and morality seriously. Writing to a few of these churches in Ephesus less than four decades after Paul's initial engagement of people in the city began (Acts 19), Jesus applauded them for the good …
Leadership is one of the most important issues confronting the church today. In this podcast, Andrew, Matt, and Michael address the distinction between hierarchical and flat leadership. A discussion originating with a recent blog on the topic, Michael focuses attention on how the Trinity is a model for the body of Christ and how Jesus …
Continue reading "Ep 66: The Dark Side of Hierarchical Leadership"
It seems to be a regular occurrence these days. Another evangelical pastor falls into moral failure. Carl Lentz is the latest causality. The celebrity pastor of Hillsong Church’s New York City branch is a further example of the dark side of hierarchical leadership where a pastor-centric ecclesiology places a charismatic person as the lead of …
The global west is now on the front lines in the battle against COVID-19. The epicenter of the novel coronavirus has shifted from our distant shores to our communities. After a sudden two-week blitz in the United States of implementing extreme social distancing measures that included closing stadiums, canceling large events, shutting our borders, closing …
When I was in my second year at Texas A&M University, our architectural design class took on a project to work with a local vineyard on a design for a new facility outside of College Station. As we began the design process, we had the vinter make a presentation on the science of winemaking. We …
The growth of the church will rise and fall on leadership and having the right team will position the church for continued growth. Join us in the riveting episode when our podcasters unpack the roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers. Leadership in the church in Ephesus adopted forms from the culture that contributed to …
Join us for our next episode where we introduce the first of a multi-part series on leadership. Our podcasters are wrestling with the type of leadership that propelled the church on God's mission of more people following Jesus. In this episode, we begin to look at Paul's leadership. Was he a strategist? A lone ranger? …
We so thoroughly enjoyed our interview with Dave in our last episode that we had to continue talking about issues he is helping us wrestle through. Join us for a continued discussion on strategies, Paul, and church planting movements. To comment on this episode and future episodes, be sure to login. Find Us On: Search …
We are excited to have Dave as our guest on this week's podcast. As a cross-cultural worker in Chad, Dave brings some perspective that will help the Western church think about what it means to sacrifice in the midst of challenging ministry situations. To comment on this episode and future episodes, be sure to login. …
For decades, church planting has been touted as one of the most effective strategies to reach the lost. However, our podcasters are asking, "Is CPM a strategy or a result?" Join us as we search for the biblical command to church plant and re-orient our focus on Jesus as the head of the church. To …
The early Christian movement was uniquely diverse, but not without its problems. Join our podcasters and special guest Pastor Devlin Scott as they unpack Ephesians 2 and its implication for ministry today. To comment on this episode and future episodes, be sure to login. Discussion Forum Find Us On: Search "Ephesiology" on your preferred podcast …
Continue reading "Ep 21: The Movement and Ethnic Diversity, Part 2"
The early Christian movement was uniquely diverse, but not without its problems. Join our podcasters and special guest Pastor Devlin Scott as they unpack Ephesians 2 and its implication for ministry today. To comment on this episode and future episodes, be sure to login. Discussion Forum Find Us On: Search "Ephesiology" on your preferred podcast …
What is God's will? In this episode, our podcasters attempt to tackle one of the most important questions in the Christian life. Join them as they look at Ephesians chapter 1 and discuss this essential question. To comment on this episode and future episodes, be sure to login. Discussion Forum Find Us On: Search "Ephesiology" …
What is the church? This is the third installment of a three part series that explores ecclesiology. Join Matt, Andrew, and Michael in a discussion on how Ephesiology impacts our thinking about the church. Search "Ephesiology" on your preferred podcast app.
What is the church? This is the second installment of a three part series that explores ecclesiology. Join Matt, Andrew, and Michael in a discussion on how Ephesiology impacts our thinking about the church. Search "Ephesiology" on your preferred podcast app.
What is the church? This is the first of a three part series that explores ecclesiology. Join Matt, Andrew, and Michael in a discussion on how Ephesiology impacts our thinking about the church. Search "Ephesiology" on your preferred podcast app.
We are gearing up for more Ephesiology podcasts. Join us beginning later in August as we pick up our discussion on the New Testament movement in Ephesus. Find us on: Search "Ephesiology" on your preferred podcast app.
It is hard to believe that we have recorded 13 episodes. We trust that you have enjoyed our banter as we study the New Testament movement in Ephesus. As we head into the summer, our podcasters are going to take a much needed break. So, this is a great time to catch up on earlier …
Who is God? Join our podcasters as they discuss God's missionary nature and how He relentlessly pursues a relationship with people. This compelling view of God, a view that is theocentric as it understands that God is glorified most when more people worship him, is what our podcasters are calling "missiological theism." To comment on …
How did the early church connect God's story with the story of culture? This weeks podcast unpacks what is meant by missiological theology. The early writers, especially Paul and John, uniquely and brilliantly told the story of God in such a way that it connected with the story of people. This is one of the …
We are just at the beginning of wrestling through a New Testament movement and reflecting on the difference it can make where we live, work, and play. Join us for this special edition of the Ephesiology podcast as Andrew and Matt begin to unpack how Ephesiology is impacting how they think and act in their …
Many are asking the questions about the meaning of discipleship and what a disciple looks like. Instead, our podcasters are asking "What would a theocentric movement look like?" That is, what would it look like if we were completely focused on God? Join our next episode for an insightful discussion. To comment on this episode …
How does a church planting movement begin? Join us as we discuss the first step in launching a movement. Through a study of the Apostle Paul and his missionary effort in Athens, our podcasters will unpack what they call missiological exegesis. This first step toward a movement begins by understanding the people, their belief systems, …
Join us as we engage in a community dialogue about a church planting movement in the New Testament. This is the first of a multi-part series on launching a movement. Our first episode in this series addresses the importance of the theme of God's missionary activity and its impact on understanding Scripture. To comment on …
Join us as we engage in a community dialogue about a church planting movement in the New Testament. This is part three of a series addressing what many are calling the “legacy church.” In this episode, our podcasters drill down on diagnostic questions for the legacy church and unpack the concept of being disciples. To comment …
Continue reading "Ep 7: The Legacy Church and Movement Making, Part 3"
Palm Sunday is also regarded as the “triumphal entry” because the King had arrived in Jerusalem. But was it the way he was received worship, or something masquerading as it? To comment on this episode and future episodes, be sure to login. Discussion Forum Find us on: Search "Ephesiology" on your preferred podcast app.
Critics of CPM say that advocates practice eisegesis; they read into the biblical text something that is not there. Learn about this and more as we discuss the evidence for a church planting movement in the Book of Acts. To comment on this episode and future episodes, be sure to login. Discussion Forum Find us …
Join us as we begin to delve into understanding the idea of "movement." This episode is sure to raise your curiosity about whether or not a movement can actually occur in North America and Western Europe. We see it in the New Testament and we see it around the world. Can it happen in the …
Join us for this interesting discussion on the characteristics of a legacy church and of a church planting movement. What differentiates the two and what needs to happen to see a legacy church take on the identity of a movement? These and other topics are the focus on the second part of our three part …
Continue reading "Ep 3: The Legacy Church and Movement Making, Part 2"
Join us as we engage in a community dialogue about a church planting movement in the New Testament. This is the first episode of a three part series addressing what many are calling the "legacy church." Some use it pejoratively while others use it in recognition of the church's historic significance. This is a topic that …
Continue reading "Ep 2: The Legacy Church and Movement Making, Part 1"
Join us as we engage in a community dialogue about a church planting movement in the New Testament. This episode introduces our podcasters and the topic they will address over the next several weeks. It is sure to challenge how we think about movements in the New Testament. To comment on this episode and future …
Continue reading "Ep 1: Introducing the Ephesiology Podcast"
You must be logged in to post a comment.