Joe Burnham's Blog

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This past week I saw a number of tweets by @ChapinChick that got me thinking about organizing a congregation to be missional, that is, having a focus on sending people into the world rather than primarily trying to draw people through your doors.

The presupposition that shapes my thoughts is that function follows form, and so, the way you structure your congregation (which is part of, to use a fancy word, your ecclesiology) will guide your people into how they approach ministry. This brings...

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Have you ever noticed how sometimes, when you're defining what something is, it's helpful to define what it isn't?

Well, there's a great deal of confusion out there today about what it means to be missional. While I have put it rather simply as an adjective that describes a way to do ministry (sending the people you have from the Church, to the world, for the world), others want to make it about events, or being socially minded, or having a certain kind of music.

Well, in attempt to clear some ...

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A few weeks back I put together this video requesting a Google Wave invite (since then, I've actually received two of them). While the video was fun, that's not why I'm posting it here, after all, this site is about ministry, mission, and equipping God's saints for the missional life, not fun videos I've made. So, what does this video have to do with the missional life? Well, in large part, it talks about the doctoral program I'm starting in January (the first stage of our African...

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After launching the eLife podcast earlier this summer, I went a few episodes and decided that I didn't like what I was offering, so I put it on hold and decided to rethink the idea. In this episode, I explain the idea behind the new cast by taking the comment that brought it about and putting it through the cycle.

I'd love to hear what you think of the new format, and would also love to hear your suggested topics.

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The "E" in a WELL Church

This past Sunday I preached as part of a 4-week series that we're doing at St. John's. The series explores four aspect of the Acts 2 Church, all built into the acronym WELL. The 'W' stands of worshipping, 'E' is for evangelizing, the first 'L' is for learning, and the second 'L' is for loving.

I aimed for something practical and relational in the realm of evangelism, and also tried to tie it into last weeks sermon on a worshipping church. I'll let you tell me how I...

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Mark 6:14-29

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach again at Christ Triumphant Lutheran Church in Denver's Historic Baker Neighborhood. It's always a joy to be there because it's the congregation the family attended while I was on my hiatus and Pastor Hank is the guy I go to for private confession and absolution.

The text itself is an odd one with an unusual amount of detail for Mark and tells a somewhat morbid and sad story of the beheading of John the Baptist. So, how's that link...

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Mark 6:1-6

In Jesus' day there were many who encountered him and liked aspects of who he was but ultimately rejected him because of other aspects. Today, we as Christians often have aspects of Jesus that we struggle with as well. So what keeps us from being like those Jesus was amazed at because of their lack of faith? How do we as Christians make sense of the questions we face everyday?

The sermon was preached at Ascension Lutheran in Littleton, Colorado.

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What to Preach on Fathers Day

This past Sunday I had the task of preaching on Father's Day. It was a challenge for me as I had months to prepare and, in the process, gathered way more thoughts than I could ever cover in 15-20 minutes. In the end, this overwhelming amount of info actually guided the structure I used. Enjoy, and happy belated Father's Day.

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Ephesians 6:5-8

On Sunday, June 14 I had the opportunity to preach at St. John's on one of my favorite topics, vocation. The word itself comes from a Latin word that means calling. In this particular sermon, I used Ephesians 6:5-8 to address how Christians, in light of the cross and empty tomb, should view their time in the workplace.

Thoughts?

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