By Graham Chipps Porridge. “If you write like porridge you will think like it, and the other way around. And if you have to read porridge all the time you may well begin to speak it.” 1 Do you taste breakfast mush whenever you write? (with apologies to good porridge.) It is a common misunderstanding […]
By D. Michael KoppA report from a missional church planter outside Denver, Colorado.(A4 pdf version 76k, Letter pdf version 76k) When it comes to church, and church models, what if success were defined by faithfulness (not by numbers) and faithfulness by whether or not a church was living up to its bi-cultural calling? The church […]
By Neil Tibbott (A4-size pdf version 48k, Letter-size pdf version 48k) (Neil spoke at the 2004 MICN Conference in Jakarta) I started my church planting ministry in Southern California during the late 80s. Our association of churches started many new plants by gathering people with shopping mall style “Grand Opening” worship services. But some of […]
By Warren Reeve & Keith Webb (pdf version-A4 60k, pdf version-Letter 60k) In some cities there is only one international church. Christians of all stripes, creeds, and theological persuasions join in community together. A little taste of heaven? Or guaranteed grumbling no matter what kind of sermon is preached?! Bandung International Church uses Team Teaching […]
A Synopsis of Research by Dan P. Bowers (A4-size pdf version 76k, Letter-size pdf version 76k) International churches appear to be uniquely positioned to serve as launching pads for mission to indigenous peoples. Today there are over four hundred million English speakers in the world and hundreds of millions more that speak English as a […]
By Kenneth D. MacHarg Where do the approximately fifteen million North Americans who live abroad attend church? The answers are varied, but many find their spiritual home in one of nearly one thousand English-language congregations around the world. While many of these Union Churches or International Congregations were established as a chaplaincy to provide ministry […]
By Kenneth D. MacHarg With estimates of fifteen million Americans living abroad, the overseas English-language church movement today is a growing enterprise, with some estimates of up to one thousand churches overseas. These congregations range from large, several-hundred-member churches in major foreign cities such as Paris or Tokyo to a small handful of people gathered […]
By an IC pastor in the Middle East (downloadable pdf version 88k) I love international churches! I have served as the pastor of an international church in the Middle East for sixteen years. I can’t imagine a more exciting and dynamic (oh yes, and exhausting) place to minister for the kingdom of God. When I […]
Acts chapters 11 and 13 tell the story of the church at Antioch. That church reached Jews (expats in Antioch), Greek-speaking Syrians (locals in the city), plus Europeans and Asians (unreached peoples in those days). It was missional. It was international. It was a model church. Today, international churches are uniquely positioned to impact the […]