Quotes About Church

One may be outside the church, but one can never be outside of God's love.

More than churches full of people, God wants (and the world needs) people full of the Spirit. Let

When my invitation centered on how the Church would interest them, Tom wasn't interested. But when I asked for help, Tom said, "Sure." He and his wife have become wonderful members of our ward.

I don't want to see another church; the smell of the places makes me sick. Stale incense, old sweat, and lies... In the Hills, the Cities

Now, I don't believe that a god exists. I think that gods are creation of men, by men, and for men. What has happened over the many centuries now, the better part of two thousand in fact, is that God has been slowly and steadily accruing power. His church has been accruing power, and the men who run that church, and they are all men, are not about to give it up. If they give it up, they give up luxury, they give up comfort.

Hipsters seek refuge in church, Our Lady of Perpetual Subculture. There is some discussion as to whether or not they are still cool but then they are calmed by the obscure location and the arrival of their kind. Keep the address to yourself, let the rabble fund it themselves. Wow, this crappy performance art is really making me feel no so terrible about my various emotional issues.

Hipsters seek refuge in church, Our Lady of Perpetual Subculture.

The elms and the poplars were turning their ruffled backs to a sudden onslaught of wind, and a black thunderhead loomed above Ramsdale's white church tower when I looked around me for the last time.

Greek Catholic Church, that mild communion whose demands on one's conscience are so small in comparison with the comforts it offers.

David S. Young, Chapter: Foresight, the Lead that the Leader Has. Through foresight we help congregations shape an incremental, measurable three-year plan. This is a very artistic process. I use a triangle and have the church members put their vision on the top, the strengths on the lower angle, and the need on the other angle. I put foresight in the center.

Lepine nos recuerda: "Un esposo que ama a su esposa como Cristo ama la iglesia va a comenzar a entender que su amor es una decisión, a pesar de (no a razón de) las acciones, actitudes o apariencia de su esposa. Una vez él le ha pedido que sea su esposa, un esposo hace el juramento de amor incondicional hacia ella, para bien o para mal".

He has created the Church to be a dynamic, growing, changing movement, not a static doctrine. The Spirit of God calls each generation to re-imagine church for its own context and culture. The Holy Spirit invites every generation into the struggle to discover answers and approaches for themselves about church-answers that bring them into fresh partnership with God and fresh contact with their culture.

The final question to ask before launching a new or revamped small group ministry is, "Who already does what we want to do well—and does it in a church we would go to if we lived in the area?

This can be very confusing and frustrating for people who are new to a community or church. The acts of friendship send one message, but the lack of connection sends another. It's why so many people complain about churches being cliquish.

In my own profession, some surveys show that up to 80 percent of pastors rate their preaching skills as well above average.

What matters is not the size of the church or the slickness of the programming. What matters is that those who come find a ministry and relationships worthy of spontaneous word-of-mouth recommendations.

High-powered front-door programs can have the unintended consequence of sending a message that some weekends and programs are for bringing guests—and the rest aren't.

Specialists who can't become trainers or who aren't willing to become trainers will eventually put a ceiling on the growth of your church or bust your budget.

The only exception I've found to this principle is in the recovery movement, where small groups seem to be an effective evangelistic side door into the church all across the nation. I think it's because, having hit bottom, these folks have an openness to try anything, including a small group. The concerns that give pause to the average American are overcome by their desperation and desire for sobriety. And once they find sobriety, they often end up finding the Lord as well.

To be structured for spiritual growth, a church (whether front-door or back-door focused) must have some sort of method in place to consistently connect people to both significant relationships and the Bible.

Once people get a taste of frontline ministry, they don't let it go easily. Once the church has been let loose, it's hard to put it back in the box.

Let's be honest. Chad is not an exception. Our churches have long been filled with people who claim to be Christ followers but who live like pagans. Our lives have not been all that different when it comes to things such as divorce, sexual purity, forgiving those who wrong us, loving our enemies, slander, gossip, and the harder things of discipleship.

If the back door of a church is left wide open, it doesn't matter how many people are coaxed to come in the front door—or the side door, for that matter.

Third, it promises the potential of unlimited evangelism and church growth, because groups can grow and divide indefinitely—thus providing care and connectedness no matter how large the church gets.