Bedhead Theology

  One of the greatest tragedies of the last century, in my opinion, in the church was the seeming professionalization of evangelism. The devastating lack of vision for congregational evangelism. The lack of conviction that holds that evangelism is not for the paid staff but the call of every believer. The misunderstanding that evangelism is not a spiritual gift or spiritual fruit; it is a command. If we love Him, we must obey His commands. Nevertheless, as I have conversations with my pastor friends, I am encouraged by the resurgence of intentional congregational evangelism. More and more leaders are communicating the church's irreplaceable role in God’s mission, bridging the gap and connecting the lost to Christ. But when we talk about congregational evangelism, what exactly do I mean? Evangelism, at its most basic, is best summarized in the words of D. T. Niles, “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” So, how does this translate to the congre...

I have been in software engineering for over a decade. It always amazes me how much my theology influences my work. Lately, I have been contemplating whether any aspect of my computer science training could apply to ministry. In the same fashion that Paul employed classical rhetoric in a sanctified way, so too could we apply modern secular principles to the church. One thing I have considered about church evangelism is the necessity for a balance between intentionality and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. We can learn a lot about intentionality through applying the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) principles to local church evangelism. It might sound a bit corporate or tech-heavy at first, but it is actually a brilliant way to approach outreach. At its core, the SDLC is just a structured framework for taking an idea from a vague concept to a fully functioning, sustainable reality. When applied to church evangelism, it shifts the focus from haphazardly hosting random events and hop...