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The Antioch Movement is a sending community seeking those far from God. We are launching a movement that is replicable and sustainable. We are trusting God for a few big things this year. The first is to see two to three new missional communities launched. At the end of 2014 we had two launched. A missional community is a gathering of 20 to 70 folks. These can happen in neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, wherever a follower of Jesus is and carries with them the character and competency of Jesus. The second thing we are trusting God for is to see rapid reproduction in the context ofRead More →

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Whenever the topic of Doubt on Tap  and Coffee Doubt comes up there are a few questions that inevitably arise. The first is why do we do it? The second is almost always about how do Christians and non-Christians interact? The third question then is how do we do it? This third question is the practical one. It’s all about gathering people and conversations. What surprises me every time that I have this conversation is just how simple Doubt on Tap really is. In its most pure form Doubt on Tap is a conversation between friends. Quite simply it is friends sitting around a tableRead More →

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As we read through Luke together on Sunday nights I am more convinced than ever that Jesus is one of coolest cats ever. He’s one of these guys that leave you thinking, “Really!?” We read this narrative Sunday night, After this he went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” And he did—walked away from everything and went with him. Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciplesRead More →

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Have you ever thought about what a missionary is? When Amy and I were on staff with Cru, we used to joke about how if we were “real” missionaries it would have been easier to raise support. We felt this way because there was a sense among many Christians that a “real” missionary is someone who goes overseas to suffer and to take the gospel to the “heathen”. We were serving on the college campus and definitely not suffering. I used to think of a missionary as anyone who was in full time ministry and not a pastor. Missionaries, in my mind, were a specialRead More →

The Brick

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Regardless of what you do for a living there are weeks that are better than others. Most weeks are mundane. Most weeks you wonder if you have any value or if you’re making any impact. Then you have a week where you realize that you are doing what you were born to do. This past week was one of those weeks. It was absolutely amazing. This past week, I felt like we were finally living out the purpose for which we were called to launch the Antioch Movement. I was reminded through practical living that we were not called to start a church. A churchRead More →

ypsilanti-building-a-house

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For most of my life the last thing that I would want to do on a Sunday morning when I was exhausted from a long and hard week was to go to church. I am an extrovert and people generally energize me. But there was something about going to church that always seemed a little overwhelming. I think a part of it was because I have been a leader in the church for a really long time. You see often when you’re a leader there is a level of expectation that comes with showing your face at church. You are supposed to have it allRead More →

Ypsilanti Church Hope

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Focus – Sending The Antioch Movement in Ypsilanti is one where we have sending as our telos. We are focused on how we move from being far from God to being on mission with God. We realize that discipleship has sending as a necessary end. Therefore, all we do must be reproducible at the micro and macro levels. What we do as a gathered community, we must be able to do as a sent community. Strategy – Saturation A sponge is a remarkable thing. It will receive as much water as it can hold. What happens next? It overflows. It overflows all over the place.Read More →

Flat White

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Over the last few months I have committed to spending time at a particular coffee shop. As often as I can have appointments there, I do. If I need a place to study I head there. If I ever write a book, my guess is it will be written there. To be honest though, I really miss my office. I really enjoy going to an office where I have bookshelves (oh blessed bookshelves!) and a door and my chair. It also has a door that can be closed. In my office were great people who loved Jesus and I could go out there and just beRead More →

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We do things really weird at The Antioch Movement. It’s true. Really weird. For starters we include our children in everything we do. We place a high value on inclusion. The reason is simple, we believe that discipleship is the proper model of the spiritual growth of our children, and all people. If we think that discipleship is the means by which to best reach others, then we must be committed to it in the context of our own families. We believe that the primary discipler is the parent, Mom and Dad. In most of the West when Mom and Dad arrive at church theyRead More →

ypsilanti-building-a-house

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This week I was in a meeting with church leaders and civic leaders in our city. There are some amazing people and things happening in our town. There are people who have huge hearts and care deeply for the people of our city. I was impressed and thankful to be among them. There was a brief side conversation that took place about a church purchasing a significant piece of property in town. As a result of the church buying the property it came off the tax roles. While many see this as a huge benefit, I struggle with this reality. Many smaller cities like oursRead More →