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Author Archives: Matt Erickson

About Matt Erickson

Senior Pastor of Eastbrook Church, husband, father of three, music enthusiast, book lover, and life-long learner. Find out more here: http://mwerickson.wordpress.com/about/.

Eastbrook Leadership Forum – May 20, 2013

21 May

Last night we had our quarterly Leadership Forum at Eastbrook Church. The Leadership Forum gives us the chance to share new ideas, learn together, and pray for the ministries of Eastbrook Church. Last night, we talked about some new ideas related to the upcoming ministry year, beginning August 1, 2013. I’m including the brief slide presentation that we utilized last night below. If you have any feedback on the discussion questions near the end of the presentation, feel free to post your thoughts here on the blog.

<div style=”margin-bottom:5px”> <strong> <a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/merickson/leadership-forum-slides-5-20-2013&#8243; title=”Leadership forum slides 5 20 2013″ target=”_blank”>Leadership forum slides 5 20 2013</a> </strong> from <strong><a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/merickson&#8221; target=”_blank”>Matt Erickson</a></strong> </div>

 
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Posted by on May 21, 2013 in Eastbrook, Ministry Reflections

 

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Who is the Holy Spirit? (discussion questions)

20 May

Here are the discussion questions that accompany my message at Eastbrook Church this past weekend beginning our “Holy Spirit” series entitled “Who Is the Holy Spirit?“

Discussion Questions:

  1. This week, we are beginning a new series on the Holy Spirit. What are some questions that you have about the Holy Spirit?
  2. Whether on your own or with a group, begin your study by asking God to speak to you. Read the Gospel of John chapters 14-16 out loud. This is Jesus’ most extensive teaching in John’s gospel. There is a lot in here about the Holy Spirit, but the surrounding context is also important.
  3. What names or titles did you notice were given to the Holy Spirit in John 14-16? Read the rest of this entry »
 
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Posted by on May 20, 2013 in Eastbrook, Scripture reflections

 

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Who Is the Holy Spirit?

19 May

holy spirit rotatorI began a new series this weekend at Eastbrook Church on the Holy Spirit with a general overview of who the Holy Spirit is from Jesus’ teaching to His disciples in John 14-16. 

You can listen to my message at the Eastbrook web-site here. You can also follow the RSS feed for Eastbrook sermons or follow Eastbrook Church on Twitter or Facebook. A slightly revised message outline is included below:

Read the rest of this entry »

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2013 in Communication, Eastbrook

 

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Relevant Article: “Why I’m Not Giving Up on Church”

16 May

Relevant Magazine published an online article that I wrote today entitled “Why I’m Not Giving Up on Church.” It’s a bit of my own reflections on why the church is still relevant and important for us today. You can read the entire article at their web-site, but here are the first few paragraphs:

In 2011 the largest denomination in the United States, the Southern Baptist Convention, announced the results of a survey showing a significant decline in baptisms and church membership. Ed Stetzer, a missioligist and researcher with Lifeway Research, commented at the time: “This is not a blip. This is a trend. And the trend is one of decline.”

In the very same year, across the Atlantic, a report on the Church of England highlighted the challenges it was facing: aging congregations, faltering clergy recruitment and waning attendance. While church leaders used words like “crisis” and “time bomb,” the report predicted the church would likely be extinct within 20 years.

More recently, the Pew Research Center released a study on the state of religion in the United States entitled “‘Nones’ on the Rise.” The study brings into focus the increasing growth rate of those who do not identify with any religion at all. Nearly one-fifth of the U.S. adult population—and one-third of those under the age of 30—identify in this way; an increase from 15 percent just 5 years earlier.

For many people, these are signs that the church is, if not already dead, steadily moving toward the grave. And many have been calling for followers of Jesus to return to the original vision for our faith…[read the entire article here]

 
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Posted by on May 16, 2013 in Discipleship, My Spiritual Journey

 

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Questions about the Holy Spirit

16 May

This coming weekend at Eastbrook Church, we are beginning a new series on the Holy Spirit. I have a question for you as we do that:

what are your questions about the Holy Spirit?

Post anything you’d like here and I’ll hope to address those questions throughout this series.

 
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Posted by on May 16, 2013 in Discipleship

 

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