Here in Philadelphia we have been blessed with several families and individuals who live in the suburbs and serve in the city. Ideally we would like to see some of them make the decision to move into the city in order to be fully incarnational in their witness. They are wonderful assets to the ministry Read more

The other night I ran into a pastor friend whom I hadn’t seen for some time. He asked about the church plant in Philly and I suggested he check out our web site. I knew his church has sensitivities which would preclude support and never sought support from the church. Later that day he sent an Read more

Missional churches often use "kingdom" language. We hear of "proclaiming the kingdom,” “extending the kingdom," or "kingdom values." This has morphed in the minds of some, critics and advocates alike, to "establishing the reign of God over society."  In my opinion this would be an inaccurate kingdom articulation. I prefer to say with N. T Read more

Churches which provide meals or other services for the poor and homeless are open to the criticism of being mercenary.  To be mercenary has the idea of doing something merely for gain, for self-interest. Imagine mercenary churches which make poor people listen to a message before they eat.  The underlying motive might be that the church hopes to Read more

The Lord gave us a great day yesterday in allowing Grace Church to baptize three believers. One of those baptized was a young lady I mentioned in an earlier blog who had recently been saved. One of the men baptized we had met at a homeless outreach several months ago. He now serves alongside of Read more