The book Pagan Christianity is a book that makes some serious charges against the offices, functions, and forms of the church. Additionally, it has become something of a manifesto for those disgruntled with the church, rebellious against spiritual authority, and intrigued by suspicious doctrine. The conclusions of the book are antithetical to nearly everything I write with Dr. Gerry Breshears in Vintage Church and are personally concerning to me as a church pastor. Because Pagan Christianity poses such a serious threat to the health and well being of the church, I felt it merited a formal critique and commissioned my research team to review the book for some pastors who had asked for it. Over time, requests for that critique have become so numerous that I have decided to post it online for free to be of service to the whole church of Jesus Christ. Lastly, this critique is intended to in no way serve as a critique of the men who wrote Pagan Christianity. By all accounts they are brothers in Christ whom I love but with whom I disagree.

• Pagan Christianity Critique (PDF download – footnotes included)

Click here to read the critique on the site (minus footnotes)

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Georgia A29 Pastor Matt Adair talks about church revitalization, the difference between planting and revitalization, and his one thing for planters/revitalizers. He offers a helpful perspective we haven’t heard yet in our video interviews. Watch. Learn. Tweet.

I sat down with Matt at the recent Acts 29 Boot Camp hosted by Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY.

Pastor Dad

Every dad is a pastor. The important thing is that he cares for his flock well. Pastor Mark Driscoll's new eBook offers spiritual insights on fatherhood. Get it here.

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At the recent Acts 29 AMBITION Boot Camp, sponsored by Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY, I had the opportunity to talk with Acts 29 Pastor Jamie George, from Franklin, TN, about what has made his church merger successful and his “one thing” for church planters.

Also, Jamie will be speaking at an upcoming local event in Franklin, TN, called Honesty: Death to Performance.

Porn Again Christian

Pastor Mark Driscoll's frank discussion on pornography and masturbation is now available from Amazon. Find out more.

“Missional Ecclesiology” takes its cue from Jesus’ words to his disciples: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). By this pronouncement, Jesus commissioned and launched the missional church as the community of divinely-called and divinely-sent ministers to proclaim the gospel and advance the kingdom of God.

Posts in this series:

1. The Trinitarian Church
2. Gathered and Sent
3. The Work of the Missional Church
4. The Structure of the Missional Church

Re:Train

We are launching The Resurgence Training Center (Re:Train) to prepare leaders for ministry locally and around the world. Additional details and downloadable application form here.

From the free e-book Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship.

Empower People to Serve

One way to help people connect with Christ-centered community is by empowering people with the gospel to serve God and others. Serving is one of the greatest things that Christians can do as disciples. We should be committed to helping people grow as disciples by using their gifts and talents for God in a way that will bless others and make the community a better place. The Bible tells us that God gave each of us the ability to do certain things well (Romans 12:6‐8). The Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers to be used for the building up of the body of Christ. As a church, we need to help people find and use these gifts for God. Serving is a powerful connection point that many churches ignore or simply overlook.

Serving others is certainly not encouraged in our individualistic society. To be a servant means that we must look after the interests of others. It means selflessness as opposed to selfishness. A servant asks, “What can I do for others” instead of “what can they do for me?”

Serve Like Jesus

Christians must strive to be like Jesus, our perfect example. Jesus set the example of being a servant by saying, “For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). This scripture beautifully embodies the task of Christian ministry. Disciples are to serve and give their lives for others. Serving is the example that Jesus gave, and his followers should follow it. Jesus met both the physical and spiritual needs of the people he ministered to in the Gospels. As the Body of Christ, we become his representatives to a lost world.

Create Pathways for Service

A servant revolution in our churches will reach our community and show the love of Christ. Each week and month, our church provides dozens of different opportunities for people to make a difference through service projects that touch peoples’ lives in the community. These pathways of service help people connect to their community with their God-given ability to serve. Serving is one of the major connection points in our church. The church should be an army of servants who are making a positive difference in their families, their community, and the world. Help find creative pathways for people to connect to your church through serving.

Read Winfield Bevins’ free e-book Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship.

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From the free e-book Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship.

Converts vs. Disciples

Some churches focus on evangelism at the expense of discipleship by seeking to win converts instead of making disciples. The goal of evangelism is disciple making. The Great Commission in Matthew chapter 28 is to make disciples who will follow Christ rather than simply win converts. When Jesus said, “make disciples” the disciples understood it to mean more than simply getting someone to believe in Jesus and they interpreted it to mean that they should make out of others what Jesus made out of them. Robert Coleman explains the Great Commission in the following way:

“The Great Commission is not merely to go the to the ends of the earth preaching the gospel (Mark 16:15), nor to baptize a lot of converts into the name of the triune God, nor to teach them the precepts of Christ, but to ‘make disciples’—to build people like themselves who were so constrained by the commission of Christ that they not only follow, but also led others to follow his way.”

Superficial Discipleship

The Great Commission compels Christians to focus on keeping people through discipleship as much as they focus on reaching people through evangelism. With the rise of the modern evangelical movement in North America in the 20th century came an over-emphasis on evangelism at the expense of discipleship. At the First International Consultation on Discipleship, John R.W. Stott called attention to the “strange and disturbing paradox” of the contemporary Christian situation. He warned, “We have experienced enormous statistical growth without corresponding growth in discipleship. God is not pleased with superficial discipleship.”

Bill Hull also addresses this issue by saying, “The church has tried to get world evangelization without disciple-making.” The church must once again make discipleship a priority for a new generation of believers. The consequences are evident. Statistics show that the average church in North America loses 74 percent of people between the ages 18‐24. According to one of the most recent statistical surveys of the top 25 churches, many of the denominations in North America are in decline rather than growing.

Not only are churches in North America not growing through evangelism, they are not keeping believers through discipleship. One example is The Southern Baptist Convention. In 2004, they reported more than sixteen million members. Only 6,024,289 or 37 percent of their membership are present for the average Sunday morning worship service. Where are the other ten million people? Lack of discipleship and not just evangelism is one of the growing contributing factors for church decline in North America.

The church needs to bring evangelism and discipleship together. Christians have viewed discipleship as something they do on one hand and evangelism on the other, which is a false dichotomy. The church needs to rediscover the integration of evangelism and discipleship in order to fulfill the Great Commission and make 21st century disciples of Christ.

Read Winfield Bevins’ free e-book Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship.

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From the free e-book Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship.

Grow Disciples Naturally

Many churches have a linear discipleship program where they try to funnel everyone through the same process. Sadly, many times churches simply use the latest program or book in hopes that what works for a large church across the country in a different context will work for them. I have learned that discipleship is usually the opposite. What works in California or New York might not work in Tennessee. You need to find out what works in your culture and context. Being organic means that you begin with the gospel and let the people grow naturally, right where they are. This is growing disciples naturally.

Why Organic?

You may be asking yourself the question, “Why organic?” The answer is in the Bible. The Old and New Testaments are based on an organic worldview. The Bible uses various organic metaphors to describe spiritual growth such as sowing and reaping (John 4:37; 2 Cor. 9:6) planting and watering (1 Cor. 3:6), growing (1 Pt. 2:2; 2 Pt. 3:18) and bearing fruit (Mt. 7:17‐20; John 15:1‐16; Gal. 5:22). The church is spoken of as a family (for example the use of terms such as brother, sister, mother, father, bride, etc.). The church is also the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:12‐27 Paul talks about the whole body as a distinct metaphor for Christ’s church. In Paul’s body metaphor, every part has an important role to play in the whole.

The Body of Christ

Nowhere in the New Testament do we find the word church referring to a building. In its earliest expression, the church meant a group of individuals who had come together in the name of Jesus Christ. The Greek word for church is ecclesia, which literally means “the called out ones.” Interestingly enough, the English dictionary describes church as, “A place of public worship.” Over the ages, the concept of church has shifted from being a body to becoming a building. People have gotten it backwards. Followers of Jesus must get back to an organic understanding of what it means to be the church.

The church is the spiritual and living Body of Christ. Like all healthy organisms, it requires numerous systems and structures that work together to fulfill its intended purpose and overall health. Just as the physical body has to have an organic structure to hold it together while allowing it to grow and develop, likewise the body of Christ must have an organic structure that can do the same. As a new church continues to grow and change, it will outgrow its old systems and structures. Leonard Sweet says, “We must develop ministries that continually adjust and change with our continually changing culture.” In a similar way, a church’s discipleship strategy must be structured enough to maintain order, but organic enough to change with the ongoing needs of the church as it grows or it will hinder its growth. Therefore, the church’s discipleship strategy must be organic.

Organic Discipleship

Organic Discipleship is an organic understanding of spiritual formation that begins and ends with the gospel. Organic means growing or developing in a manner of living organisms. An organic understanding of the discipleship will require church leaders to rethink current church systems and structures in Biblical terms. Alan Hirsch argues that an organic image of the church and mission is theologically richer than any mechanistic and institutional conceptions of church that we can devise. Organic discipleship is not a program or curriculum; rather it is about learning the natural rhythms of discipleship within your church context.

Read Winfield Bevins’ free e-book Grow: Reproducing Through Organic Discipleship.

Advance 09 Media

Video, audio, and images from the Advance 09 conference in Raleigh-Durham, NC, June 2009. Find out more.



Not to be dramatic, but a little dramatic. This is the overwhelming feeling I have when I’ve been working all day, had a few hours to connect with my family in the evening, and am now sitting at my desk reading a 480-page pdf document (book) on the church, or slugging away at a 25-page paper till the wee hours. Amazing stuff, but the feeling is a bit overwhelming as the proverbial Re:Train is barreling down the tracks, and I’m stuck in the middle, staring at the oncoming lights and deafened by the blaring horn. How do I escape the wrath?



Re:Train has been a significant investment of time and energy, but it’s an investment that has been extremely beneficial and filled with the grace of God. This weekend was another testament to that as Dr. Gregg Allison lectured and answered questions for two days regarding ecclesiology and the missional church.  

An ecclesiological man among boys

His wisdom, humility and love for the church was inspiring. He is a seasoned pastor, well-studied theologian, faithful husband, father and grandfather, elder in an Acts 29 church, and his daughter and son-in-law attend Mars Hill Bellevue. After a few moments with the Allisons, my wife said, “Wow, that’s the type of couple everyone wants in their church. Godly, stable, wise, humble, and encouraging.” As Pastor Tim Smith put it on Twitter, “Gregg Allision is an ecclesiological man among boys.”  Here are a few takeaways that have left me pondering further.



These are a few reflections from Re:Train with Dr. Allison. The full impact of his teaching and friendship will have a long and sustained impact on the church planting taking place through Mars Hill and Acts 29.


1. Ask good questions before you leave your church.


Dr. Allison loves the local church, and he did a good job of distinguishing between true and false churches as well as less pure and more pure churches among those that are true. He had some good words and questions to ask yourself before moving from one true church to another:

1. Have I expended all of my opportunities to effect change in this church?
2. Will continued participation in this church exert a negative impact on my relationship with and worship of God, my ministry for Jesus Christ, the use of my spiritual gifts, etc.?
3. Do I have to compromise too much—essential doctrines and practices, a lifestyle in accordance with biblical values and principles—in order to remain in this church?
4. Do I have a legitimate reason for leaving?  In a culture where church-hopping and shopping is the norm, I felt these were timely words for Christians to ask themselves before leaving their church so that we don’t flippantly move on from a place God may want us to persevere in.

2. Have something in your life you can finish.


Pastors and those in ministry need to have some outlet in their life that allows them to finish something.  Ministry is never finished, and the pile of work continually grows. Paul told Titus to “put what remained into order” (Titus 1:5).  Based on my experience, I don’t think Titus ever finished getting everything in order.  As he appointed elders, it meant more training and leadership; as new people met Jesus, it meant more teaching and discipleship; as the church grew, it meant new systems and structures.  The church is alive and therefore never finished.

This is why Dr. Allison recommended having something you can finish.  It might be writing a book, refinishing your basement, or some other outlet for bringing something to full completion so that you can enjoy the work and rest upon its completion.  He wasn’t legalistic about it, and didn’t attempt to prooftext any verses to support this position--it was just a piece of pastoral advice from a seasoned pastor.


3. Fight for unity.


The church begins at a place of unity.  In Ephesians 4:3, Paul says, “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Wow, the church is unified because of the Spirit’s work, yet our sins of pride, envy, gossip, jealousy, dissention, and the like are actively working to destroy the unity of the Church.

Dr. Allison pointed out from Ephesians 4:2 that unity is maintained and achieved through the attitudes of gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love.  He challenged all of us to dig deep into the places where we and our churches are not unified and accurately diagnose the root issue, which is nearly always sin of some sort.  One of his closing lines on this topic was profound: “The will to maintain unity can overcome significant differences.”



For more from Dr. Allison, read his posts on Missional Ecclesiology on the Resurgence.



You can follow Pastor Jamie on Twitter at twitter.com/jamiemunson.

Total Church

Tim Chester and Steve Timmis present a vision for churches centered on gospel community. Find out more.

Missional Ecclesiology series: Click | View Series

Dr. Gregg Allison is teaching a course on Missional Ecclesiology at the Resurgence Training Center this fall. Find out more at ReTrain.org.

Church Structure

As structured by its divine head, Jesus Christ, the church is directed by specific human leaders in two offices—the eldership and the deaconate. Elders (or pastors), qualified men who meet the requirements for their office (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9), have the responsibility to do the following things:

• Teach (1 Tim. 3:2; 5:17; Titus 1:7)
• Lead (1 Tim. 3:5; 5:17; 1 Thess. 5:12)
• Pray (James 5:13-15)
• Shepherd the church (1 Pet. 5:2-3; Eph. 4:11; Heb. 13:13, 17; Acts 20:28-31)

Deacons, qualified men and women who meet the requirements for their office (1 Tim. 3:8-13), serve Jesus Christ through involvement in all the ministries of the church other than those for which the elders are responsible. Church governments are structured according to various historic (episcopalian, presbyterian, congregational) and contemporary (e.g., multi-site) models.

Baptism

Jesus Christ gave two ordinances to his church, seals of the new covenant relationship he enjoys with his people and tangible, powerful symbols of spiritual realities. Baptism, or the immersion in water of new believers following their credible profession of faith in the gospel, is the sign of entrance into the new covenant relationship with God and into the covenant community, the church (Acts 2:38-47). It vividly portrays:

• association with the triune God (Matt. 28:19)
• identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:3-5; Gal. 3:26-28)
• forgiveness and cleansing from sin (Acts 2:38; 26:16)
• escape from divine judgment (1 Pet. 3:20-21)

The Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper, instituted by Jesus Christ at his last supper with his disciples (Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-23), is the sign of the ongoing new covenant relationship with God and the covenant community, the church. It is celebrated by the church when it gathers together through the breaking of bread and the drinking of a cup of wine (or grape juice) as the elements are distributed to its members. It vividly portrays the broken body and shed blood of Christ and thus:

• proclaims the Lord’s death (1 Cor. 11:26)
• effects participation with his body and blood (1 Cor. 10:16)
• fosters the unity of the church (1 Cor. 10:17)
• expresses the church’s hope that one day it will celebrate the Supper in the presence of the Lord (Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:16, 18; 1 Cor. 11:26)

The Expansion of the Missional Church

As the church described above is faithful and obedient to its missional identity, it is expansive, contextually sensitive, and (potentially) catholic or universal. The expansion of the missional church extends from its beginning in Jerusalem to church planting endeavors around the globe today.

As this centrifugal movement propels the church into different cultures, a contextually sensitive adaptation of the gospel and the church is demanded. The church indiscriminately preaches the gospel and, when people respond to its message, it expands into all lands. Certainly, the divine goal for the church in terms of extension is that one day it will exist among all people groups throughout the entire world (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Rev. 5:9). The missional church yearns for complete universality, so it presses on to enter into every corner of the humanly populated world.

Check out some of Dr. Allison’s books:

• Getting Deep: Understand What You Believe About God and Why
• Jesusology: Understand What You Believe About Jesus and Why
• A Theology for Christian Education

He also has two new books coming out in 2010: one on the doctrine of the church and the other a historical theology which will be the companion to Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.

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Missional Ecclesiology series: Click | View Series

Dr. Gregg Allison is teaching a course on Missional Ecclesiology at the Resurgence Training Center this fall. Find out more at ReTrain.org.

From the seven essential characteristics of the church (discussed in Part 1 and Part 2) flow the ministries of the church: The church worships the triune God; proclaims the Word of God; engages non-Christians; disciples its members; cares for people through prayer, giving, support of its pastors, and assistance for its members; and stands both for and against the world.

The Church Advancing

As it engages in these ministries, the church moves forward “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). This movement is away from immaturity—“children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph. 4:14)—and toward maturity—“we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph. 4:15).

Divine and Human Work

Furthermore, this movement must be born of divine grace and assisted each step of the way by divine grace, but it also demands intense effort from each and every member of the church. So Christ, “from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:15-16).

This dynamic of the divine and human dimensions working together—Christ doing his part, which only he can do, in ways appropriate to his divine agency; Christians doing their parts, which only they can do, in ways appropriate to their human agency—will bring about the growth of the church. Specifically, the church works toward its own growth through the exercise of spiritual gifts, the pursuit of purity, the maintaining of unity, and church discipline.

To be continued.

Check out some of Dr. Allison’s books:

• Getting Deep: Understand What You Believe About God and Why
• Jesusology: Understand What You Believe About Jesus and Why
• A Theology for Christian Education

He also has two new books coming out in 2010: one on the doctrine of the church and the other a historical theology which will be the companion to Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology.

Rain City Hymnal

The first offering from Re:Sound is the Rain City Hymnal. Listen online and get the record from the Re:Sound website. Find out more.