http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/on_the_panel_tom

Yesterday, I mentioned the National Outreach Convention.

Tomorrow, I will be moderating a panel with some good folks, including:

David Gibbons, who is lead pastor of the multicultural New Song Church.

Kem Meyer, who is on staff of the uber-creative Granger Community Church.

Michael Lindsey, who just wrote an important new book Faith in the Halls of Power. Michael and I have known each other for a few years and I am pleased he is on the panel.

Tony Morgan, who is part of the staff of New Spring Church in Anderson, SC. I regularly read his blog, so it will be good to meet him. (Tony adds an interesting post today that I will probably ask him about tomorrow.)

Jonathan Falwell, who has led Thomas Road to be, numerically, the fastest growing church in America.

It should be an interesting conversation.

Keywords: blog, Stetzer

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/in_san_diego_at_

I just arrived at the San Diego at the National Outreach Convention.

It should be a good week and I am not bitter that the folks at Outreach don't know where I work (click here, right under Len Sweet, and see the "North American Mission Board," my FORMER place of employment).

The Christian Post explained:

Thousands have converged in San Diego for the self-claimed single largest gathering focused solely on outreach and featuring much of today's most innovative and fastest growing churches in the country.

The National Outreach Convention (NOC), presented by Outreach Magazine, opened Wednesday at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center...

This year's convention, under the theme "Converge: Where Mission Meets Innovation," aims at energizing and refocusing outreach efforts to help churches reach their surrounding communities for Christ.

Then they quoted what I am going to be doing in the session I lead:

But before local church pastors and other leaders jump on the bandwagon for innovative outreach methods, a panel discussion on Friday will address some of the dangers and the temptation of going from one new ministry trend to the next. The panel, led by moderator Ed Stetzer – director of research and missiologist at LifeWay – will provide "an honest deconstruction of the potential tyranny, superficiality and idolatry of ministry innovation in search of its true missional core."

Sounds like I am supposed to be the killjoy, but I hope not. And, "deconstruction of the potential tyranny" is quite a mouthful. Grin.

The good folks at Regal gave 200 copies of one of my new books, 11 Innovations in the Local Church (with Elmer Towns and Warren Bird), so I will be signing and sharing. (If you want people to sign up for your book signing, and you are not famous, you have to give books away! Thanks Regal.)

My focus will be on how churches engage their context in fresh ways.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/meanings_of_miss

I have not forgotten my "Meanings of Missional" series. I have been tied up finishing a few other projects, etc. I will get back to it soon and reflect on some conversations with Guder and others.

When David Putman and I wrote Breaking the Missional Code, our intent was not to write a philosophy / theology of the missional church. It was more of a handbook-- simple and short, intentionally without much of the foundational material we assumed people would read elsewhere. (I wrote much more foundational material in Planting Missional Churches.)
Many had written theory-- and theory is important to help reshape our thinking. Our focus was practical application-- to reshape our actions.

We did not expect the book to sell so many copies (but are genuinely blessed that it did). If I had to do it again knowing what I know now, I would lay more of a theological and missiological foundation since many have bought the book without reading some of the more foundational materials.

That is why I am enjoying the Meanings of Missional series and the forthcoming missiology textbook I am co-editing with David Hesselgrave. (The Meanings of Missional may even become a book one day.)

More soon… sorry for the delay. Fall projects have been just too much.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/new_orleans_on_m

Last month, I wrote about my time with friends at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. The school has a unique place in the Great Commission Resurgence that is needed across my denomination and the church in general.



After Katrina hit, the school had its big chance to get out of what most people would consider a bad neighborhood (New Orleans' 9th Ward) and move to greener pastures (like their new "hubs" in Orlando and Atlanta). But, they didn't. They upgraded their centers, but their stayed in the city. And, I think it is great that they did.

Yes, New Orleans Seminary is not in a "nice" area... and isn't it good that Christians can go to places that are not nice? When I visited, I saw that the neighborhoods are still in disarray... but not the seminary. They are working hard, hosting volunteers to serve and reach the city, and being on mission in a hard place. And, I respect Chuck Kelley (and the trustees) for deciding to stay.
The Journal



For more about New Orleans and the ministry there, you really must read the latest issue of their journal. There is no theological journal in the world that can address the issue the issue of "dealing with distaster" in the same way-- they lived it. Many students and faculty lost their homes and possessions. The National Guard actually based out of their campus during the crisis.

So, I encourage you to read the most recent issue of the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry Journal, Baptists Ministering in the Midst of Disaster. I serve as a "fellow" of the Baptist Center, and must say this is the best issue to date. (I think I am contributing to the next issue, so its quality will go way down... grin.)

Churches of Excellence

The Baptist Center also has a neat new initiative called "Churches of Excellence." They recognize churches that meet certain criteria, and the examples are worth a look. You can learn more about that project here. They have added missions giving to their list of qualification-- an important addition if you ask me.

The Leavell Center

New Orleans has several good "centers." That must be a seminary thing.

One of those is called the Leavell Center for Evangelism and Church Health. As I indicated earlier, they will soon be looking for a new director. They are the source of a stat I cite frequently: according to Bill Day, 89% of churches in my denomination are not growing through healthy evangelistic growth.

Their staff recently did a good job reporting on our recent church revitalization conference.

Upcoming Conference

One quick plug: come join us here.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/standing_for_the

I recently wrote about some Anglican friends and their struggle. In that post, I wrote:

Pray that the Episcopal Church will respond to the calls for repentence from faithful Anglican Christians around the world.

They didn't. Instead, they sought to head off a schism by agreeing to "pause" (rather than repent of) their unbiblical practices.

This week, the Diocese of Pittsburgh voted to take the first step to leave the Episcopal Church. They will be followed by several others, I am sure.

Just before the vote, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori sent a threatening letter to one Bishop who is leading his diocese away from the Episcopal Church (and into closer fellowship with faithful Anglicans in the two-thirds world).



Robert Duncan, who I had the priviledge to meet at the Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, wrote back to the presiding bishop:

Dear Katharine,

Here I stand. I can do no other. I will neither compromise the Faith once delivered to the saints, nor will I abandon the sheep who elected me to protect them.

Pax et bonum in Christ Jesus our Lord,

+Bob

Amen.

Please keep praying that the nature of the gospel, and why it is worth fighting for, will become clear to all in the coming days.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/nice_summary_of_

Click here.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/friday_is_for_fr

Dan Kimball



I spent several hours this morning with Dan Kimball and his hair. I like Dan. He has a great heart for those far from Christ.

We talked theology, missiology, and the future of the emerging church. (Dan wrote the first major book on the subject, called, not suprisingly, The Emerging Church.)

His new book is called, They Like Jesus, but Not the Church. He shared some video interviews from the unchurched that I thought were powerful and telling-- how the church is alienating a generation that desperately needs Christ.


Ronnie Floyd



A few weeks ago I participated in a "Night of Worship" at First Baptist of Springdale Arkansas. The pastor there is Ronnie Floyd. I had never had a chance to spend some time with Ronnie so I was glad to catch some time at a local Mexican restaurant and learn more about him, his vision, and his church.

Ronnie has a heart for global mission engagement and he asked me to come and share in this live-to-tape production that will air multiple times on cable. It was really just a two hour church service with some preaching and interviews.

We heard from Don Soderquist, former C.O.O. of Wal-Mart, Jena (Ronnie's wife) who talked about her battle with breast cancer and her new book An Uninvited Guest, me, and Ronnie.

Ronnie's written a fair share of books. He has a great book on fasting.


Ronnie also asked me to endorse his most recent book for young pastors (Ten Things a Minister Needs to Know) and I was glad to do so.

I also was thrilled to spend the next day leading a discussion with the church staff.


Adam Walker



While I was at Catalyst, Adam Walker and I visited about ministry and church planting in urban areas. He is starting a church in Decatur, Georgia, which you can read about here. Adam also has a blog here with a great post about "10 ways to avoid building community in the church."


Reid Monaghan



This past week, I had lunch with Reid and other staff members from Fellowship Bible Church in Nashville. This church is working on a church planting internship, similar to the Fellowship Associates program at their parent church in Little Rock.

Fellowship Associates is the church's organization that focuses entirely on church planting. They were asking me for some counsel on how to start their program-- and I shared with some some of the data I recently shared here.

Reid is going to be planting a new church. He recently wrote some thoughts on the emerging church you can find here. His church planting plans are here.


Rob Wilton




I had a fun meeting with Rob Wilton while speaking in New Orleans.

Rob has a fascinating opportunity to plant a church inside a facility. You really have to read his blog about the pink walls.



Go Rob.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/some_suggestions

I have been called out on a couple of blogs this weekend...

Dan Kimball comments (among a few other nicer comments and some reflection on the topic of hell):

I believe Ed would look fantastic in a rockabilly hair cut and I encourage him highly to take his hair to the next level.

Dan knows:



And, Bob Roberts tells me:

FINALLY - ED STETZER - WRITE THAT BOOK!!!!! I was in San Diego with Ed at a conference. Several of us were talking about needing a book for missional church on “theological realities” and “historical” tracing of movements and end results to serve as a guide, base, and encouragement. It would be a more technical book, but I’m convinced many of us need it - me being one - and it would serve us well.

I promise to pray about one of these things.

-----------------------

UPDATE: David Phillips chimes in and provides a suggestion and what this tragedy might look like:

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/meeting_and_refl

I had a great steak dinner on Friday in San Diego with Tom Clegg.



Tom has been a hero of mine for many years.

I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation on the development, implementation, and efficacy of church planting systems. It was Tom Clegg (along with Bob Logan and Tom Nebel) who actually taught me those systems in the late 90's. Our denomination hired them to come in and train us pastors how to coach and mentor church planters.

We had a nice dinner on Friday and I asked him about his journey. Both he and his wife have recently beaten cancer and now are taking on some new challenges.

Tom is now the director of CoachNet, an important player in ministry coaching. But, most exciting for me, Tom gave me a signed copy of his new book.

A few years ago, Tom and Warren Bird wrote Lost in America (a book that many of us used in our writing and research).

Just this week, they have released the updated version of that book, called Missing in America.


When I first met Tom, I was planting a church in Pennsylvania. The church had grown rapidly and we were planting some daughter churches, but did not know anyone in church planting or missiology. But, I got an invitation to this "new paradigm" training. And, I said, "Yes."

After a day of listening to Tom, Bob Logan, and Tom Nebel, I thought, "I want to do that-- I would like to dedicate my life to helping and training church planters and pastors."

It was a bit of a pipe dream, as I was in Erie, PA, far from any training centers, and I was just finishing my D.Min. at Beeson Divinity School. Regardless, I did feel this odd sense of call.

I walked out into the lobby after one of the session and David Putman approached me to talk. He asked, "Would I be interested in becoming a seminary professor and teaching and mentoring planters full time?" The rest is history.

Thanks, Tom for inspiring me that day! God used it in my life in a way you will never know.

Tomorrow, I will pass on a little of what Tom taught me to several hundred church planting leaders in Quebec.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/impulsados_por_e

As I mentioned recently, Philip and I have a new book coming out... we were please to discover that it will be released simultaneously in Spanish.

Esta bien!

You can also preorder the books by clicking on the books.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/baptists_christi

I got in late last night from North Carolina. Had a good, and too brief, time in Greensboro at the North Carolina Baptist Pastors Conference. Click here for more info.

Today, I am with the Indepent Christian folks, who always tell me, "I used to be Baptist, but now I am a Christian." I will be dropping into their bootcamp for a couple hours today.

Then, off to Canada to talk missional, church planting, and rapid church multiplication. The theme of the Canadian National Church Planting Congress is, "Celebrating the Church, Expanding the Kingdom."

Busy week... too busy.

Here is an excerpt from the article (click here for the whole thing). I thought they did a good job communicating what I said:

Engage people where they are

GREENSBORO -- Churches should engage people in culture where they are, not where the churches want them to be, a Southern Baptist missiologist said.

Ed Stetzer, the director of LifeWay Research in Nashville, Tenn., preached from 2 Corinthians 5 during the North Carolina Baptist Pastors' Conference. He said something is wrong when Baptists are known more for their customs, traditions and things they oppose than for serving Christ.

"There's something wrong with our faith if it turns us into miserable people," he said. "I just don't know what kind of faith produces unhappy, grumpy people."

Christians need a new perspective, Stetzer said.

"It's not turning over a new leaf," he said. "It's getting a new life."

God sends Christians on a mission of reconciliation, Stetzer said. Baptists should plead for people to be reconciled to God, he said.

Stetzer said Jesus' came to serve and to save. Serving people shouldn't be something only liberals are known for, he said.

"We can't get to the point that concern for the poor is not something conservative, evangelical Southern Baptists are known for," Stetzer said.

Baptists must engage people in the culture where they are, rather than where Baptists want them to be, he said.

"If the 50's come back, most of our churches are ready to go," he said.

Churches do not have the task of exporting their culture, but instead should seek to transform their communities "for the name and fame of Jesus," Stetzer said,

"We've got to stop being mad at each other because we don't look like each other," he said.

Stetzer said Christians should represent Jesus and His kingdom.

"Our job is not to represent a political party; our job is not to represent a musical style; our job is not to represent a clothing manufacturer," Stetzer said. "Our job is to represent the King.

"That means we can't be afraid of the world."

People say that Christians shouldn't be worldly, but they already are, Stetzer said. Rates of divorce and pornography addiction are similar between Christians and non-Christians, he said.

"We teach people to look different and act the same," he said. "The biblical model is the opposite."

The cross should be the focus, Stetzer said.

"The answer to the preference wars in our churches is the cross," he said.

A biblically faithful church in Greensboro will look different than a biblically faithful church in Durham and a biblically faithful church on the coast of North Carolina, Stetzer said.

"It's the cross that will unite us," he said.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/our_newest_surve

Find out more here.

Quoting Morris Chapman:

We are asking some very tough questions in this survey -- many of the questions are groundbreaking in nature.

If you are S.B.C., watch the mail this week.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/church_planting_

I was very impressed with the Canadian National Church Planting Congress today.

I had a small part of a much larger program. I did one session with Canadian denomination leaders, one panel about reaching Quebec, and a keynote session tonight with the whole group. It is simply amazing that all these denominations come together to work on the common agenda of planting churches throughout Canada.

Tomorrow, Alan Hirsch, Cam Roxburgh, and I will lead a panel on missional church issues.

I will write more soon.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/church_planting_

To my Canadian friends. Thanks so much for having me at the National Church Planting Congress. Below are the studies and presentations I promised to post here.

The "State of Church Planting" reports I referred to yesterday are listed below for your convenience. You can download them from the Leadership Network website at the links below.

The Christian Post reported on the research yesterday.

If you haven't seen them already, check out:

Church Planting Overview
Funding New Churches
Improving the Health and Survivability of New Churches
Who Starts New Churches?

You can also access all the Leadership Network downloads at www.leadnet.org/churchplanting.

The NAMB research I mentioned was done at the Center for Missional Research.

You should visit their site-- you can download over 2000 reserach presentation on a myriad of topics. The CMR web portal is one of the things I was most excited about when I worked at NAMB. (PeopleGroups.info was another).

Here is a rundown of what church planting research you can download.
First, is the full report of the Church Planting Survivability and Health study, a study involving 11 denominations and networks. You can download a presentation of that study here.

Second, are four articles that came from that study.

Part 1: The Survivability and Health Study
Part 2: How Many Church Plants Really Survive--and Why?
Part 3: 10 Factors for Higher Attendance in Church Plants
Part 4: Higher Baptisms in Church Plants

Third, is a research that looked at denominational "best practices" that led to higher church planting survivability and health. To do this, we did more in-depth analysis of several denominations to look for best practices. When we found a practices that was "statistically significant," we reported it and then I asked representatives to present what they did at last year's National New Church Conference in Orlando.

So, you can find the full report here and a PowerPoint of that data here.

Finally, you can find my presentation of the best practices research that I recently gave at the NAMB State Summer Leadership Conference. It is a big download, but you can get it here.

In that presentation, I combined the presentations of 4 denominational leaders who shared their best practices in the areas we found statistically significant. Each network or denominational leader presented their overall church planting system, then presented their specific best practice as determined by our research. Each of them gave their permission to share their presentation. The presenters were:

Steve Childers presented the Presbterian Church in America assessment system.
Rod Koop presented the Foursquare peer support / mentoring system.
George Klippenes presented the Evangelical Free team approach and funding system.
Steve Pike presented the Assemblies of God community minsitry approach.
Tom Nebel and Gary Rohrmayer presented the Baptist General Conference training for local church giving.

At LifeWay Research, we are oversampling several additional groups to build on this study. Contact Lifeway Research if you are interested.

Next Year

At next year's National New Church Conference (now called The Exponential Conference), I will again be coordinating the Best Practices track. Here is the info from the Exponential Conference site:

When: Monday, April 21, 1-5 pm and Tuesday, April 22, 9-11 am

Leaders: Ed Stetzer, author and missiologist

Description: This pre-conference intensive is intended to connect church planting leaders for a discussion of best practices and trends in church planting. Stetzer and several other presenters will share research and observations on best practices. Specific topics will be determined several months before the conference based on a survey of registered participants. The intent is to discuss topics of mutual interest to church planting leaders.

Likely topics include:

* General trends in church planting

* Multi-site and church planting

* Collaborative networks

* Movements: What can we learn from overseas?

* Urban and ethnic planting

* The growing influence of megachurches in church planting

* Recruiting, assessing, and selecting church planters

* Training, equipping, and supporting church planters

* Accountability systems (e.g. coaching, supervision, management teams, etc)

Many denominations, church planting networks, and leading organizations are expected to participate in this cross-denominational event. A number of organizations are planning to bring their national leadership teams to participate. You will not want to miss this opportunity to network with and learn from other like-minded leaders.

Thanks for the chance to be with you in Ottawa! I will pray with you that God will work in and through Church Planting Canada to foster a church planting movement.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/missiology_and_c

One of the fundamental challenges with cultural engagement is how far to go to engage culture. It is always easy for smug people to sit on the sidelines and throw rocks at people who seek to engage cultures. I see it every day. Come to think of it, I get calls about it pretty regularly. It seems that everyone is an expert on how far to go with engaging culture-- and the fact that you have no real experiencing in a certain culture does not keep you from opining on the subject. Sigh. But, the fact of the matter is this: in every missional cultural engagement, some go too far and some don't go far enough. It is the nature of contextualization. It is hard. It takes a commitment to biblical examples. It takes wisdom. It takes listening to each other. And, those outside the culture need to listen to those inside. And, those inside the culture need to learn from those that have gone before them. At the Madras missionary conference, way back in 1938, they explained that churches had to be “indigenous,” or be rooted and related to their own cultural context:

An indigenous church, young or old, in the East or in the West, is a church which, rooted in obedience to Christ, spontaneously uses forms of thought and modes of action natural and familiar in its own environment. Such a church arises in response to Christ’s own call. The younger churches will not be unmindful of the experiences and teachings which the older churches have recorded in their confessions and liturgy. But every younger church will seek further to bear witness to the same Gospel with new tongues” (International Missionary Council, “The Growing Church: The Madras Series,” Papers Based upon the Meeting of the International Missionary Council, at Tambaram, Madras, India, December 12–29, 1938. Vol. 2, (New York, International Missionary Council), 276.)

Such a value is not easy to uphold and there are dangers on both sides. Dean Gilliland explains:

Contextualization [is] a delicate enterprise if ever there was one... the evangelist and mission strategist stand on a razor’s edge, aware that to fall off on either side has terrible consequences... Fall to the right and you end in obscurantism, so attached to your conventional ways of practicing and teaching the faith that you veil its truth and power from those who are trying to see it through very different eyes. Slip to the left and you tumble into syncretism, so vulnerable to the impact of paganism in its multiplicity of forms that you compromise the uniqueness of Christ and concoct “another gospel which is not a gospel.” (Dean S. Gilliland, ed., The Word Among Us (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1989), vii.)

I think the new IMB guidelines on contextualization strike a good balance between the poles of obscurantism and syncretism. But, again, it is a journey that we need do take together to figure these things out. For example, some have gone too far in certain Muslim contexts-- affirming too much of the belief system from people they were trying to reach. Some folks have gone too far in the emerging church-- becoming syncretized to postmodernity. Some have gone to far in the Boomer church-- reducing the gospel to positive thinking and how to live your best life. In every culture in every time, some go too far. On the other hand, some just don't want to go far enough. The IMB document encourages those who are overly cautious to take some additional steps toward contextualization. For example, the IMB guidelines specifically recognize that Allah is the word that many cultures (and Christians within those cultures) use for God-- and it is the contextually appropriate thing to do when doing so does not cause unwarranted confusion. They key is emphasizing the Biblical nature of God. This principle will be important to apply in multiple settings. For example, churches reaching postmoderns will, by nature of contextualization, look different than those reaching boomers, Koreans, and others. The how of ministry is in many ways determined by the who, when, and where of culture. And, the new guidelines specifically call for the use of bridges to culture-- something many want to disallow (having never read the accounts of Paul's preaching at Psidian Antioch, Lystra, and Athens, I would guess... grin). This is good news and sound missiology. I was also intrigued (and encouraged) that even the IMB sees the need for a contextualization strategy in postmodern culture. (If I could only get some of my stateside friends to agree.) All in all a great statement. When our new book comes out (mentioned here), Paul Hiebert's new contextualization suggestions will line up well with this approach. And, be sure to see this summary of Dean Fleming's new book, Contextualization in the New Testament (click here to download the copy I have uploaded). It is a significant addition to contextualization studies. Below is the IMB document.

PRINCIPLES OF CONTEXTUALIZATION 1. We affirm that the Bible is the only infallible text that exists. It is appropriate to evaluate all other books by the Bible. We encourage our personnel to search the Scriptures daily to see whether the principles presented by any text or teacher are true (Acts 17:11). Content that is in accord with biblical truth should be embraced. What is contrary to sound doctrine should be rejected. 2. We affirm that there is a biblical precedent for using “bridges” to reach out to others with the Gospel (Acts 17:22-23). The fact that Paul mentioned an aspect of the Athenians’ idolatrous worship was not a tacit approval of their entire religious system. He was merely utilizing a religious element of their setting (an altar to an unknown god) to connect with his hearers and bridge to the truth. Similarly, our personnel may use elements of their host culture’s worldview to bridge to the Gospel. This need not be construed as an embracing of that worldview. It should be noted that Paul not only used their system to connect, he also contrasted elements of it with the truth. Our evangelism must go beyond bridges to present the whole unvarnished truth of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 3. We affirm an incarnational approach to missions that is bound by biblical parameters. Following the example of Him who became flesh (John 1:14), it is appropriate that our personnel continue to tailor their ministry to their setting. The apostle Paul likewise embraced this approach, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22b). We advocate the learning and appropriate utilization of language and culture. Constant vigilance is required lest contextualization degenerate into syncretism (see footnote 1). Where linguistic categories and cultural mores are deficient, these must be challenged and corrected with biblical truth (see footnote b). 4. We affirm both the sufficiency and unique nature of biblical revelation (2 Timothy 3:14-17). We deny that any other purported sacred writing is on a par with the Bible. While reference to a target people group’s religious writings can be made as a part of bridge building, care should be exercised not to imply a wholesale acceptance of such. 5. We affirm the need to be ethically sound in our evangelistic methodology (2 Corinthians 4:2). Becoming all things to all men in an incarnational approach does not necessitate an ethical breach. Jesus instructed His disciples to be as “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). We are to be wise in our bridge building. We are to be harmless in our integrity as we hold forth the truth (see footnote c).

Footnotes: a In John Travis’ spectrum of contextualization, C-4 would be the extent of indigenization acceptable for IMB personnel (“The C1 to C6 Spectrum.” Evangelical Missions Quarterly 34. [4]:407-408). b For example, the theological construct represented by the term “Allah” in the Quranic system is deficient and unacceptable. However, the primary issue is not the term. The same name is used by devout Christians and it represents a sound, scriptural view of God. In fact, historically, the Christian use of “Allah” predates the rise of Islam. The missionary task is to teach who “Allah” truly is in accord with biblical revelation. c Integrity requires, for example, that we not imply that a false prophet or a body of religious writings other than the Bible are inspired. There is a level of contextualization that crosses the line of integrity. Our board has dismissed personnel who have refused counsel and deliberately positioned themselves beyond that line.

More on this over the next couple of days.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/a_great_day_in_n

We had a great day hanging out with family and touring downtown. I have been told that Nashville is one of the best places in America to raise a family. We saw why today-- lots of things to do.

In case you want to come to Nashville, here are all the awards to tell you why (according the Chamber of Commerce).

Nashville is known for many things: the Athens of the South, Music City, and according to some, The Protestant Vatican.


Today, on the Grayline Bus tour, we had a chance to see some of it all. It was a bit touristy, but a good way to learn more about where you live.

Next up on my cultural adventure, I am fixin' to go on a backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry thanks to the Skaggs family (from the church where I am preaching).

(Note the use of the word fixin'. I am quite proud of working that in.)

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/busy_being_thank

I am too busy being thankful to blog! More next week...

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/calvinism_confer

I am moving the presentations to a new post. I will post the written presentations here and then link to the audio presentations as soon as they are up.



Post 1:
Here is the presentation I just gave at the Calvinism Confab at Ridgecrest. Later on, we will post the full report at www.lifewayresearch.com.

Post 2:
Here is the rough draft of Dr. Dockery's presentation on the history of Calvinism. It is a draft, but I have his permission to post it.

Post 3:
Tom Nettles written presentation is now here.. (Thanks for Chris Turner for getting in converted.)

Post 4:
Timmy Brister has updated his Calvinism timeline that I mentioned earlier today. You can now download the new version here.

Post 5:
Here are the first audio files. We will have an official page here.

Ed Stetzer: Calvinism and SBC Leadership (research presentation)
Tom Nettles: The Historical Record
David Dockery: The Historical Record

Post 6:
These links are now up:

Jeff Noblit: Calvinism, a Cause for Rejoicing and Concern
Malcolm Yarnell: Calvinism, a Cause for Rejoicing and Concern

Post 7:
Malcolm Yarnell just sent me his paper. Thanks, Malcolm. It is attached here.

Post 8:

David Nelson: The Atonement, Design, Nature, and Extent
Sam Waldron: The Atonement, Design, Nature, and Extent

Post 9:
Here is the first news story, "Recent Grads Three Times More Likely to Be Calvinists."

Post 10:
Here is Greg Weltey's presentation.

I should add that I will not be publishing all the papers... just a few. So, enjoy those that are there.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/a_dichotomous_we

It just struck me...

Today, I present on Calvinism and then stay two days to hear lots of talks on Calvinism related issues. This is an important event for my denomination.

On Thursday, I will be in Arizona speaking at the Assemblies of God chuch planting summit. Their summit may be the most significant denominationally focused church planting conferences in a long time. It is a quite a gathering. (My Assemblies of God friends will rebuke me for calling them a denomination... so please forgive me.)




That is quite a dichotomy. Wonder which one will be more exciting? Grin.

Note to self:
Don't mix up the presentations...
Don't mix up the presentations...
Don't mix up the presentations...


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Update 1:
Here is the presentation I just gave at the Calvinism Confab at Ridgecrest. Later on, we will post the full report at www.lifewayresearch.com.

Update 2:
Here is the rough draft of Dr. Dockery's presentation on the history of Calvinism. It is a draft, but I have his permission to post it.

Update 3:
I have Tom Nettles' presentation, but he gave it to me on a floppy drive. I asked him if he wrote it while listening to his 8-track. Grin. Unfortunately, my 386 running Windows 3.1 is at home, so if anyone has a floppy drive here at Ridgecrest, please let me know by leaving a comment.

Update 4:
Timmy Brister has updated his Calvinism timeline that I mentioned earlier today. You can now download the new version here.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/calvinism.html

As I have mentioned before, I am presenting research today on the topic of Calvinism.

If you are interested in the subject, you might want to read Timmy Brister's chronological timeline of Calvinism in SBC life. I don't think Timmy would be bothered if I told you that he is on the Calvinism side of the argument and the document, at times, reflects that.

Though lengthy, it is definitely worth a read...

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/in_boone_nc_1.ht

Yesterday was a great day in Boone, NC with Allan and Pam Blume at Mount Vernon Church.

Allan has a great passion for missions.


This is a church that is engage in Acts 1:8 missions at a great level. I was closing out their missions month that started with Church Planting Movement guru David Garrison. See their site for how they planned the whole month.

The highlight of the morning was when Allan showed a slide with all the vocational missionaries from their church-- and then told about their local and regional involvement as well. I doubt many churches their size could duplicate their commitment to God's global mission.

I also preached to this guy, who I am told is famous for quite a game and I would know that if I actually watched college football.



Of course, I did not know him so I was not nervous... but if another regular attendee had shown up, my anxiety might have gone up a bit... but he was in Korea.

Whew.

Off to Ridgecrest to talk about Calvinism...

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2007/11/the_assemblies_o

Click here for more information about the chuch planting summit.




Bob Roberts, Steve Johnson, Alan Hirsch... nice.

Hopefully talking about church planting on the blog will not suddenly drop the recently increased traffic. Grin.

More soon...