We met at this nice little chocolaterie on Amsterdam called Jacques Tourres.
I think I saw the girl who played Zoey Bartlett in The West Wing.
He had lots and lots to say, but here's just some:
- The single most significant why their church has been so successful is that their people pray more than any other church.
- To build a culture of prayer he takes his guys up onto various cities, maybe smokes some cigars, and prays over the city - this betrays his charismatic background.
- He is trying to re-establish a form of parish system here in NYC - a family of neighbourhood churches in close partnership.
- 'Relevance' is trying hard, 'contextualisation' is actually being.
- Redeemer Church Planting Center waits for people to feel frustrated in trying to reach New Yorkers - then they realise the need for proper contextualisation. You can't tell people the problem, they need to realise it for themselves.
- You gotta be fairly traditional to reach New Yorkers - they are suspicious of cults, they are Ivy League educated, they are cultured, the structure helps educate the biblically illiterate.
