Thomas Brauer has written a number of fine posts on the Barnabas Initiative blog. Here’s a sample of his most recent post:
“We speak of the Church, we pray for the Church and now we are growing in our capacity to plant Churches… BUT how do we know it’s Church????
As the grain from which the bread we break was made
were once scattered over the fields,
and then gathered together and made one,
so may your Church be gathered from all over the earth into your kingdom.
~ from the Didache 9, as reprinted in 2000 Years of Prayer, M. Counsell, ed., Canterbury Press, 1999
What is it we mean by “Church”? This question has been asked and answered thousands, tens of thousands of times throughout the centuries. One thing that is commonly attested is that we refer to the whole body of Christ, meaning all the people throughout the world who believe in Jesus Christ, when we talk about “the Church.” However, sometimes we get confused between the Church as the body of Christ, and the Church as an institution, or even the church as a place.”…
Nick Brotherwood is Assistant Director of the Institute of Evangelism. Since January 2011 he is also incumbent and pastor of St. Stephen's Church, Westmount, QC. In 2006, he was made a canon of Christ Church Cathedral in Montreal. In 2003, he and his wife Sue led a team which planted a new church—Emerge—focusing on 18-25 year olds in downtown Montreal. He was Bishop’s Missioner to Young Adults in the Diocese of Montreal from 2003 until the end of 2010. From 1989 till 2002, he was on the staff of St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Westmount QC, where he served first as Assistant, then as Associate and finally as Priest in Charge. For a part of this time, he was also a chaplain at McGill University. Nick has extensive experience in Christian camping. In the 1970’s, he was a professional rock drummer—a skill he has never lost. Nick is married to Sue, and they have six children and four grandchildren at the last count. Nick has a long-term commitment to congregational health and evangelism, has wide experience of the church and its ministries, and a passion for seeing Fresh Expressions of Church spring up throughout out country. Click here to read all articles by Nick Brotherwood
