I am available for ministry at your location for conference speaking, guest preaching, teaching events, and workshops.
A Note from John
I’m definitely interested in meeting you and your group/fellowship/assembly. If your church is smaller, don’t let that stop you from dropping a line to me. A lot of churches fit the description of “less than two hundred,” and most “less than seventy-five.” That metric has certainly fit mine.
The way I see it, for us to plan an event together is a way of initiating a relationship, of building bridges. Maybe it would lead to a partnership as we established a healthy connection between our congregations.
These days, small networks are better than going it alone. I realize there are already plenty of hi-profile crusades for Christian unity, big conferences, etc., but for sure we can honor the oneness Jesus desired without trying to market a movement. Our most trustworthy motivations will always lie in basic brotherly love, and a desire to be built up in our common faith. No one needs to sign a contract or buy the tee-shirt.
If you’ve already read other parts of this site, you know what I would be bringing to your place. My passion lies with the great wonder of the Christian life—Christ Himself, unsearchably rich, and much too extensive for an individual or an isolated group to alone possess. I don’t have any new cargo, certainly nothing “progressive.” I want to promote what Jeremiah might have called “the ancient roads”—the habit of following Scripture where it always leads, straight into the glorious knowledge of God.
Let’s get a conversation going.
I’m definitely interested in meeting you and your group/fellowship/assembly, but I’d like to see this as a way of initiating a relationship. I’m in favor of building bridges between simple assemblies, strengthening each other, establishing healthy connections from one congregation to another.
I realize there are plenty of hi-profile crusades for Christian unity today. But for sure we can honor the oneness Jesus prayed for without trying to market a movement. No matter what era we live in, it seems our most trustworthy motivations always lie in basic brotherly love, and a desire to be built up in our common faith.
The great wonder of the Christian life is Christ Himself, unsearchably rich, and therefore much too extensive for an individual or an isolated group to alone possess. It stands to reason, then, that as we plumb the depths of the Son of God together, unity will happen.
This is to say I’m not interested in attacking the perceived faults of Christianity–division, alleged pagan holdovers, etc.–nearly as much as I am exploring the risen Christ as our living core. Nor do I have any new cargo, certainly nothing “progressive” in the political, cultural, social, or religious sense. I want to promote what Jeremiah might have called “the ancient roads”–the habit of following Scripture into the glorious knowledge of God.
Let’s get a conversation going.
Frequently Asked Questions
Aside from requiring my travel and lodging expenses, I don’t have a set fee. I leave this up to your personal sense of fairness and what the Lord provides through the church. I see my visit to your event as a service to you and the kingdom of God. However, as part of the scheduling process, I will confirm that you have thought through the practical aspects of the proposed event. That way I’m less likely to travel a thousand miles to visit a group of seven people, who forgot to tell the rest of the group I would be there (Yes, I have extensive experience with the exciting world of itinerate ministry).
The Bible is the authoritative, inerrant, complete (66 books), divinely inspired Word of God. It contains and authoritatively defines “the faith once delivered to the saints,” human morality, and the principles of healthy spirituality. Everything that human beings need to know in order to have a redemptive relationship with God is found within the Scriptures. As such, only the Bible accurately describes the Person and work of God through its doctrine, invites us into its rich storehouse of spiritual experience, and commands our obedience to it.
God is one triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, three distinct but not disconnected Persons who coexist equally as God from eternity to eternity. The Son of God (who is God), incarnated to be a sinless man named Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, so that He would be our Redeemer and Savior. As such, He is fully divine and fully human. The Lord Jesus died for our sins on the cross and then rose from the dead on the third day. He then ascended to heaven to be the Lord of all and is coming again in the future. His work provides the full substance of the faith and fellowship we have been called into.
The Holy Spirit (who is God), convicts sinners, regenerates those who believe in Christ, and then dwells in them for their sanctification and transformation. He also grants to the believers gifts for service in order to build up the body of Christ. His work enables spiritual living in the daily dimension, the all-important access to the glory of Christ.
God provides the world salvation by grace, through faith in Christ alone.
There is one spiritual Body of Christ, the church, and the moment a person believes in the Lord Jesus, God places him or her into it. This unique, universal church cannot be divided by denominational differences, race, or social status. The body of Christ has an enormous
range of function, including that of being the house of God, and the Bride of Christ. In turn, local churches can be nothing other than localized expressions of those same great realities.