Thoughtful post on renewing and reviving the church here, by Ian Paul.
Obviously if you are not a C of E member then you need to make appropriate translation to your own situation.
Then there are the comments, matching Ian for thoughtfulness and repaying our attention.
There is a comment about Wesleyan revival.
I think it is saying there is nothing in our day intrinsically preventing such revival.
What do you think?
Two things strike me in Ian's posts, including the original one he links back to (Oct 22nd:
ReplyDelete1. The value of church planting from healthy and thriving models of how to do local church - HTB is now developing this, par excellence, in England, albeit within carefully defined parameters (generally close to the centre of the town/city - location , location, location!).
2. The importance of stipendiary ministry - have we lost our nerve and confidence in ACANZP on this? Ian says in his original post:
"I am not sure there are many examples in history where churches sustain growth without stipendiary ministry. This is not because I believe in clericalism, but simply because setting people aside for ministry is essential to create the support and investment which sees individuals and congregations flourish and grow. It is the principle which was at work in Corinth, when Paul was able to devote himself fully to his apostolic ministry when he received the gift from the Macdeonian Christians in Acts 18.5."
IMHO, worth further discussion.