August 4, 2020
We had the privilege of talking with the director of Passion for Planting, Dale Spaulding, about church planting, why it needs to be done and how to get existing churches invested and involved in the process.
Why is this important? Because in Churches of Christ we have planted fewer churches every decade since the 1960s. We are currently planting less than 20 churches per year. Many, many more than that are closing their doors. This must be addressed. The resources exist. Let's point people to them.
If Christianity is going to thrive it will require planting new churches. Several resources were mentioned that you might want to follow up on:
Passion for Planting
Exponential
Onward Church Planting
Mission Alive
Kairos
Stadia
Association of Related Church (ARC)
Ed Stetzer's book "Planting Missional Churches"
To contact Dale, you can email him at dales@church-planting.net
July 20, 2020
Let's assess how we got to where we are - the good, bad and ugly and then talk about how to put the pieces back together. This video discusses our issues in Churches of Christ, how they developed, and what we can do to move into a more vibrant future. This isn't intended to be harsh, bitter, or angry but more of a description of the state of things with an eye to help make things better, if we want to get better.
July 8, 2020
In their new book, "Discipleship in Community: A Theological Vision for the Future" authors Mark Powell, John Mark Hicks, and Greg McKinzie explore the discipleship dna in Churches of Christ and how discipleship offers us a framework to understand our lives as followers of Jesus. In this conversation we explore the Trinity, Creeds, and much, much more. Thanks for listening. If you prefer to watch it, you can find it on our Wineskins YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/wineskins
If you would like more information on the the theological commitments of Churches of Christ you can find that on the Harding School of Theology website's Theological Commitments page.
If you would like to purchase a copy of this book you can do that on amazon.
July 2, 2020
We explore the definition of denomination and whether or not the Churches in their current form are denominational. How can the Bible guide us to our answer? We have to be consistent in the application of our principles. We cannot label others by one standard and not then also apply that same standard to ourselves.
I mentioned donating to Wineskins in the podcast. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. We are an LLC, so it isn't tax deductible but it will keep us up and running!
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=BBcgyOU0PfQ3TgGQvS2PG15MecN6vMF9L2sTJWAqC4EgeAdhO3f05GygcEBRme2FVfcymG&country.x=US&locale.x=US
June 17, 2020
Is baptism necessary for salvation? What does the New Testament actually teach on baptism? And what about re-baptism...are there valid reasons for being re-baptized? We address this and more in this episode of the Wineskins podcast!
June 12, 2020
Dr. Michael Brown serves at the Westview Church of Christ in Huntsville, AL and is an electrical engineer at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. He is the author of several books through 21st Century Christian.
Dr. John Mark Hicks teaches history and theology at Lipscomb University.
They have known each other for nearly forty years and have come together for a series of discussions on how we view race and reconciliation as Christians.
June 8, 2020
This podcast walks through race in the New Testament: explaining how first century people saw race and how God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, brought unity to such diverse groups of people. It was always the Holy Spirit who took the lead and then the Apostles followed. We need to do the same today.
"Unclean" By Richard Beck
May 13, 2020
With so many churches moving to hosting church services online there is a great need to figure out how to integrate singing into those services. The Acappella Company started a new streaming service called Praise and Harmony TV to help churches navigate this without having to learn a lot about copyright and through streamlining the fee structures so that this is manageable and inexpensive for churches who are trying to meet the needs of the congregation while away from the building on Sunday.
Church Streaming/ Video Hosting information - A How To Guide
ReGen Harmony Website
Praise and Harmony TV
Hero of Israel
May 6, 2020
We have an identity crisis that bleeds over into a purpose/mission crises and a vision crises. How did we get here and how do we get on the other side? The answer isn't to keep doing more of the same - using our own wisdom to figure out the answer. We must lean into Jesus' example in Matthew 4 of the way to and through the wilderness.
