November 2006 – Tall Skinny Kiwi

Emerging Church in the News

Congrats to Hamo (Andrew Hamilton) for making the West Australian newspaper. HT: Scot Also take a look at Hamo’s big hitting blog posts.

Out of Bounds Church Gets Blogged

The Out of Bounds Church by Steve Taylor, says Pernell Goodyear, is the best book on the emerging church to date. He has just blogged his way through the book which means, if you were too stingy to buy it, you might be able to partake of its fruit. Chapter One is a free read.…

Mark Driscoll Responds (Updated)

UPDATE: Protest is OFF UPDATE: Mark meets with critics. UPDATE: The Seattle protest for Dec 3 is still on, but People Against Fundamentalism organizers say they will stop it if their goals are met. “Our goals for this protest are: 1. To expose to the city of Seattle to Reverend Driscoll’s anti-women diatribe. 2. To…

Oxford: A Church called hOME

Update: Really good time last night. Gill Poole and I went to hOME and then pizza afterwards with the hOMe commuity. The worship service at hOME was mainly younger people and students. Similar liturgy to Burford Priory this morning but with video projection and music from this century. Matt Rees is the Abbot and Jim…

Cup of Tea with the Grandson of Roland Allen

I had a cup of tea yesterday with Hubert Allen, the grandson of Roland Allen [“the prophet’”]. A very warm and humble man who is delighted that a new generation is reading his Granfer’s book almost a century later. Roland Allen predicted his writings would be ignored for many years and he was right. Hubert…

Burford Priory

Went to Burford Priory (Benedictine) this morning with Gil Poole and Jim Barker. Had a great time, Nice quiet service and then lunch with Brother Stuart who is the Abbot. Very gracious man who is happy and wise and patient.We chatted for quite a while about his thoughts on nu monasticism and the emerging church.…

Fusion National Weekend Today

Today I am speaking to university students at Fusion National Weekend in Oxford. Look forward to hooking up with some of you there. My seminar is called “The Skinny on Being Missional”. I will be representing Church Mission Society and its 200 year history of figuring out what it means to bring missional concepts to…

Family Blah Tonight in Oxford

It will be a small gathering tonight for families in Oxford. We will meet at 5pm in a building that is about to be the home for a new monastic community. There will be games for kids and food and wine and a really really really good looking skinny guy [me] talking about monastic rhythms…

Key Thoughts on Church Planting

Various leaders have responded to Martin Robinson’s excellent talk this morning. Here are the highlights of their responses in which i see an immediate connection with emerging church; Mattias Martinson (EFS Sweden): As the Father has sent me, so I send you – Need to be “mission-shaped” or “missional” – Tell stories – Be postmodern…

Emerging Generation and Church Planting

In Copenhagen. Marc and I are teaching this afternoon on emerging generation and the kinds of church movements they are starting, or not starting . . .. The event is sponsored by DAWN Scandinavia in cooperation with SALT (Scandinavian Academy of Leadership and Theology). SALT is led by Anders Michael Hansen, who is picture above…

The Trees of the Field Shall Clasp Their Hands

We are meeting in a Danish Pentecostal building today for our ecumenical church planting conference. About 60 of us, all enjoying each others company and making fun of ourselves. There are Baptists here, and Lutherans, Penties, Charasmatics, house church, emerging church, Reformed . .. which reminds of me of a verse (based on Isaiah 55:12)…

Strategic Conference at Copenhagen, Denmark

I’ve gone to Copenhagen, land of the Danes who are famous for their humor. Wonderful, wonderful, Copenhagen, friendly old girl of a town, as Danny Kaye once put it so . . . HANS-somely . .. thank you very much. I”ll be here ’til Friday . . try the veal! And why not let good…

15 Year Old Binge-Drinkers Need a Happy Hour

Young people need a happy hour at the dinner table with their family. Let me explain what i am thinking. I saw some stuff on TV a few weeks ago that got me thinking. UK has a serious problem with badly behaved, foul-mouthed, binge-drinking youth. [Sounds like they interviewed that church youth group I visited…

Missio Dei at DTS

Following on from their great series on the emerging church some months ago, Dallas Theological Seminary tackled the idea of “Turning Theology Inside Out: Missio Dei”. [HT: Matt Glock] Dr Mark Young has some blog-worthy thoughts [Podcast 1, 2, 3] that will have Reformation fans tip-toeing through the Tulips. Tell you what’s cool. I hear…

Global Learning Trail meeting in Houston

As you know, Debbie (my wife) spent last week in Houston discussing the potential for pilgrimage and a quasi-monastic-global-learning-trail-pilgrimage-type-thing for the missional/emerging church. She is not much of a blogger and has not written down her experiences but you can check out Mark Berry’s post and photos. Other participants dont seem to have got around…

Major Ian Thomas and his Sermons

Staying in this Sunday morning? Iggy suggests downloading or reading a few sermons from Major Ian Thomas. I actually met the Major at Keswick in Australia back in 1983. And he was old back then! The Maj has logged in a good 6 decades of ministry and is working on his next one. Thanks Iggy!…

Is George Barna the most quoted person in the church today?

I said he was a while ago but actually, he isnt, if you include new media and the blogosphere. In my post George Barna’s Revolution: A Review, I passed on a quote about George Barna as “the most quoted person in the church today” and I now believe that information is incorrect if we include…

Rocky Balboa: My Conference Call With Sly

I got an email invitation to be in phone chat with Sylvester Stallone last week regarding his new movie, Rocky Balboa. Which I accepted. But I didnt hear from them again. I am guessing they saw that i am now living in UK and decided to GIVE ME THE SHAFT which is fine. . .…

Scotland: Three Curses

Also in Edinburgh last week, I met with some ministry leaders. Paul and Fiona Thompson (Dreamday, Tartan Theology) and Peter Nielsen (Church Without Walls). I was talking to Paul about the Scottish and he said the three curses that need to be overcome in this country are: Masochism, sectarianism and addiction. Next Dreamday is Dec…

Mark Driscoll: The Skinny

I have had a little email correspondence with Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church and have encouraged him to put forward an apology. I don’t think he realizes the gravity of this situation but am hoping a few others [where are the Reformed folk???] might also share their thoughts with him. I am a little…