The Radical Resurgence

[...] to expastorsguide @ gmail.com and receive a free copy of the Ex-Pastors Survival Guide. Links on Jon Zens, an ex-pastor: Jon Zens | LinkedIn View Jon Zens’s professional profile on LinkedIn. [...]

[...] Jon Zens is an Anabaptist scholar. Zens has a B.A. in Biblical studies from Covenant College, a M.Div. [...]

[...] love among the brethren, reign in these days as we confront one another with the gospel. by Jon Zens [...]

[...] Jon Zens has just released a new book entitled, 58-0: How Christ Leads Through the One-Anothers There is [...]

[...] of a maturing community of believers.  Such is the ecology of the church. This is where spiritual gifts come into proper focus. As gifts are recognized and exercised, each part does its work in the [...]

[...] foundation stone is not enough. We must join the priesthood of all believers with the fact of spiritual gifts. [...]

[...] participants are believers (e.g., worship, celebration of the Lord’s Supper, exercising of spiritual gifts, corporate prayer, etc.). Such exhortations to worship God and edify one another makes no [...]

[...] which He has called them to do: Ministry! [Ephesians 4:11-12] We need ones who understand spiritual gifts and their proper function in the local church; ones who truly know the people they oversee [...]

[...] ., Bishop of North Af­rica).  The post-reformation one-minister-rule had more to do with how a local church was governed.  Thus, while the territorial dimension of one-man-rule was in many cases [...]

[...] , however ancient, to fresh biblical scrutiny and, if necessary, reform.” I believe the local church is highly important to God and His purpose. Our book merely demonstrates that the local church [...]

[...] cared for by plural oversight and the service of deacons.  The group of elders in each local church was called a “presbytery,” and there is no example in the N.T. of a church ruled by [...]

[...] for limiting “pulpit preaching” to one pastor alone. As a matter of fact, the local church is greatly benefited when it receives revelations of Christ from the entire body. A. No person, [...]

[...] group will become a religious slave camp . . . . The greatest instrument of coercion in traditional Adventism is guilt. The two greatest motivational forces in the world are guilt and grace. Where the [...]

[...] . INFLUENTIAL CULTURAL FACTORS Synagogue Background The most obvious influence on the early church’s perception of how it should organize itself was Israel’s synagogue-structure.  The Jerusalem [...]

[...] that the apostolic pattern appears to be one of dialogue and mutual interaction. The early church, it seems, had an open system of communication, but we, in contrast, have preferred a [...]

A Study in the Writings of Ignatius and Cyprian INTRODUCTION Even a cursory reading of the post-apostolic fathers reveals how faintly influenced the [...]

[...] , God gives a wide variety of ministries, all of which are important for the Kingdom.  The early church understood spiritual gifts as meaning a variety of ministries as we see from 1 Peter 4:10-11 [...]

[...] in ethics . . . . The Bible is written as history. It is the story of God’s redemptive acts. Biblical ethics are not artificially attached to this story. They are embedded in the story itself When [...]

7. In order to better facilitate learning within our churches, pastors should begin to implement a Q&A period after the sermon on what was just ta [...]

[...] slip-up of the tongue or in mispronouncing a word! 15. Directly connected to the traditional sermon concept, is the practice of limiting corporate instruction to one gifted pastor (usually [...]

2. When gathering with other believers, are the saints to be preached at or taught? Should Gospel preaching have a dominant place in our churches? Som [...]

To question the “sermon” concept should not be equated with the mistaken notion that we do not need teaching or teachers within our church [...]

[...] Frank Viola is starting a series of blog posts critiquing John MacArthur’s book Charismatic Chaos [...]

[...] spoke openly about their belief that those who commit suicide will be condemned to hell. Frank Viola, an author, dedicates his life to applying Christian principles to the modern world, and when [...]

[...] Theological Society (December – 1981, Vol.24/No.4) pp.315-322. George Barna and Frank Viola, Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices (Carol Stream: Tyndale, [...]

[...] the tremendous possibilities for more meaningful ministry experiences and expressions. Frank Viola: One of the most enduring qualities (and effects) of the book is that it has given [...]

[...] and empowered. Extract from Liberating The Church: The Ecology of Church & Kingdom by Howard Snyder. [...]

Call it revolution or reformation – the church’s understanding of ministry is changing radically. Ministry is in crisis today. Seminarians say th [...]

GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT The key passage here is Ephesians 4:1-16.  The passage speaks of unity in the church – one faith, one Lord, one baptism. Throu [...]

THE PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS The key passage here is 1 Peter 2:4-9.  Peter says that believers are “being built into a spiritual house to be a [...]