http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/03/missional_church

I had a great day in Dallas. I am sitting in the airport right now hoping to make it out before the storm roles in.

I had the chance to hear Alan Roxburgh in person for the first time. If you are building a missional church bibliography, you will want his resources, including:

The Roxburg Journal

Allelon: A Movement for Missional Leaders

Alan's books at Amazon.com

I was blessed to spend some time with Eric Swanson from Leadership Network after the conference. He co-wrote The Externally Focused Church. Eric is one of the more Christ-like leaders I know in Christian ministry and his book should be required reading for people interested in the missional church.

I also got some one-on-one time with Jeremy Self (who blogs here). Jeremy is planting a church in Austin, a city whose motto is "Keep Austin Weird." Should be interesting.

Finallly, it was good to catch up with Chris Conrad, director of church planting for the Wesleyan Church. I am coaching just a handful of movement leaders and Chris is one of them. They are doing great work in "Wesley world" and have a heart for more missional church planting.

More soon about DTS and their leadership center.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/my_favorite_apri

.Here they are in order as I spot them... feel free to share others.

Bill Kinnon shares Microsoft's decision to abandon PowerPoint:

Bill Gates announced today, that in spite of its popularity, Microsoft (MSFT) would be abandoning PowerPoint.... Gates made the announcement at a symposium put on in Seattle by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Eyeballs. Commenting at P.E.T.E yesterday, Gates stated,

"We realize that no matter how wonderful the software is, it's being used in ways that are hurting people."

Gates said that one of the main complaints he'd heard about the presentation software was its use in churches. He stated that there are over 300,000 churches in America and it would seem a vast percentage were using PowerPoint. And using it badly.

"From cluttered screens to using every font in their system, churches are making a mockery of the power of this program. Things fly in, things zip out. It's making congregants sick. And Microsoft has had enough litigation issues without having to worry about a class-action lawsuit from the millions of pew sitters in America."

Bart Barber announces the new Southwestern Seminary Office of Landmark Studies:

Today it was my great pleasure to spend the morning with Dr. Emir Caner, Dr. Thomas White, Dr. Malcolm Yarnell, and several other of the diligent scholars at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Tonight, nearly eight hours after my return home, I'm still giddy with excitement about the things that we discussed. History is going to be made in the next few months, and if God is willing, the Southern Baptist Convention will never be the same again.

Next Fall, the Center for Theological Research will open the Office of Landmark Studies. The purpose of the office will be to develop and disseminate scholarly resources to begin the work of rebutting the fifty years of virulent anti-Landmark inaccuracies that have been foisted upon the Southern Baptist people by bitter academicians...

For context, read here.

The Sea of Galilee (long explained as a Biblical legend) has been discovered (HT: JT):

Officials today announced that the Sea of Galilee, famous in the New Testament as the location of Jesus' ministry, has been discovered! Reaction to the announcement was decidedly vocal in all quarters. Evangelicals claimed that all of the Bible was hereby proven to be true. One biblioblogger denounced the archaeologists as right-wing fundamentalists, asserting that no such body of water ever existed but the Bible is completely true nonetheless. A Palestinian spokesman said that this is all just a plot to steal their land. One Christian Zionist organization already had an appeal letter for funds in the mail. 60 Minutes had undercover reporters on the scene in hopes of finding an Egyptian scientist to explain how it must be a fraud...

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/my_april_fools_d

Today, the LifeWay Communications Department put out their weekly "Lifelines," which is our employee newsletter at LifeWay. Since I am in the office today, I had a chance to see the issue. It is not available on-line, but this is the actual text (no April Fools "trick," just a little "treat").

Doing their jobs well, the communication folks edited my answers. But, since the newsletter came out today, and in the spirit of April Fools Day fun, I have added the original text back in underline/italic at the beginning or end of each question.

Unlike our staff at the LifeWay building, you get to read the rest of the story... grin.



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

This article features Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. Stetzer came to LifeWay in 2007. He previously served as senior director of the Center for Missional Research at the North American Mission Board in Georgia. Visit Stetzer’s blog at www.edstetzer.com and learn more about LifeWay Research at www.lifewayresearch.com.

LifeLines: Ed, you are director of LifeWay Research and act as LifeWay’s missiologist in residence. What is a “missiologist”?

I have wondered that myself.

It is actually a nickname that Thom Rainer gave me. (I have a nickname for him as well, but it is secret.) So, Thom wanted to create a title where everyone would think I was part of a secret society (think Da Vinci Code) and then people would listen to me more. It seems to be working so far... except when people ask what it means.

Ed Stetzer: What it means is that I am one who studies and writes on missiology, or the study of missions. I completed a Ph.D. in missions because I think that the discipline can give us great help in our quest to be biblically faithful, culturally relevant, counterculture communities for the Gospel.

We have largely neglected missiology, yet it is a discipline that asks how to engage changing culture with a life-changing message of the Gospel. We need it more and more today.

Our churches, not just SBC but American evangelical churches, are failing to engage culture because they are often trying to live in a culture that no longer exists around them. I often say that if the ’50s come back, most of our churches will be ready to go. So, churches have to engage culture. But they have to do so in biblically responsible ways. Both of those matter to me – and missiology helps us think biblically about how to do that.

The “how” of ministry is, in many ways, determined by the who, when and where of culture ... and missiologists help us to think deliberately and biblically about church, culture and mission.


LL: What purpose do you believe LifeWay Research serves in relation to LifeWay's vision statement?

LifeWay has a vision statement? Let me check that and get back at the end of the interview. ("Shirley, can you help me?")


LL: What’s your vision for LifeWay Research?

ES: When Dr. Rainer launched LifeWay Research, it was his desire that it would become a key voice in church and culture research. So, my vision is largely an extension of Thom’s.

In five years, I would like for pastors, Christians and churches to see LifeWay as a trusted source to understand church and culture. They will find us trustworthy if we actually do research well by using proper methods, safeguards and approaches. And, that can be awkward if, for example, we do research that does not make everyone happy. But, at the end of the day, we have to believe that “facts are our friends,” and we will be trusted when people see that we tell the truth even when it is not always pleasant. Also, we will be found trustworthy when people see that our research is motivated by a love for Christ and church and shaped by the Word of God.


LL: What has been the most exciting study you’ve been involved in as director of LifeWay Research?

ES: The most exciting for me was the study of the unchurched. In that study, we had a chance to hear honestly from the unchurched. It was not always pretty (you can see the results at www.lifewayresearch.com). But, it is eye opening. Many of the unchurched don’t like us.

Why is that exciting to me? Well, basically, when we know what is wrong we can work toward fixing it. Also, we found a great openness to spiritual things in the study as well. That is bad news coupled with good news and biblical solutions.

And, I must confess that I greatly enjoyed being able to talk about Jesus, the cross, and salvation on CNN as well.


LL: Tell us about your family.

ES: I don’t talk much about my family on my blog (www.edstetzer.com) because I don’t want their pictures all over the Internet. But, I have a great family.

Donna and I were high school sweethearts. We started dating when we were 15 years old. (Interesting side note: she says we started dating when we were 16, which means I was stalking her for a year thinking we were dating.)

We were married at 20 in college. This past year we celebrated our anniversary by moving to Nashville and unpacking boxes.

I have three daughters (so pray for me). They are ages 3, 5, and 9. I love them dearly and they make my life fun, exciting and unpredictable.


LL: How has your background in church planting, revitalization and ministry, mixed with academics prepared you for your current role?

ES: I guess I am a bit weird in that I love the church and I love training pastors. So,
my stint in academia was basically a chance to train pastors.

LifeWay Research exists for the church. And, I think that is why it is important we stay connected to the church. So, I am of the church, for the church, and in a church. The church is what God is and will use to redeem a lost world. That is one of the reasons I became the interim teaching pastor at First Baptist in Hendersonville. I feel compelled to be ministering in a local church.


LL: What purpose do you believe LifeWay Research serves in relation to LifeWay's vision statement?

ES: Ohhhh... you mean THAT vision statement. (Thanks, Shirley.) Yes, I have it memorized. Tattooed, as a matter of fact (although you cannot see if because visible tattoos are against policy).

So, here is the vision statement as I have memorized it: "As God works through us...We will help people and churches know Jesus Christ and seek His Kingdom by providing biblical solutions that spiritually transform individuals and cultures."

So, the answer to your question about the vision of LifeWay Research: "As God works through us, we will help people and churches know Jesus Christ and seek His Kingdom by providing quality research that helps churches spiritually transform individuals and cultures."

Amen.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/traveling.html

Today, I lectured at NOBTS and their partnered colleges.

It was a nice mix of students and faculty. I presented on the emerging church and then three faculty members critiqued my presentation. Much more on that later...

Right now I am at a St. Louis hotel.

Tomorrow, I am speaking to the leadership of "General Association of General Baptists." Some of you may not know that there are a whole bunch of Baptist denominations.

Wikipedia describes this group as:

General Association of General Baptists - a group of Baptists holding the general atonement (that Christ died for all persons), located mostly in the Midwestern United States.

This body has grown and developed until it now embraces about 60 associations, 816 churches and more than 73,000 members. The denominational headquarters are located in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where they operate Stinson Press. The official denominational publication is The General Baptist Messenger.

The General Association oversees publication of Sunday School literature, a home mission board, a foreign mission board, and the Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana. The General Association is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals and the Baptist World Alliance.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/church_architect

We just released a new research project.



Unchurched prefer cathedrals to contemporary church designs
by Tobin Perry

People who don’t go to church may be turned off by a recent trend toward more utilitarian church buildings. By a nearly 2-to-1 ratio over any other option, unchurched Americans prefer churches that look more like a medieval cathedral than what most think of as a more contemporary church building.

The findings come from a recent survey conducted by LifeWay Research for the Cornerstone Knowledge Network (CKN), a group of church-focused facilities development firms. The online survey included 1,684 unchurched adults – defined as those who had not attended a church, mosque or synagogue in the past six months except for religious holidays or special events.

"Despite billions being spent on church buildings, there was an overall decline in church attendance in the 1990s," according to Jim Couchenour, director of marketing and ministry services for Cogun, Inc., a founding member of CKN. "This led CKN to ask, ‘As church builders what can we do to help church leaders be more intentional about reaching people who don’t go to church?’"...

Stetzer suggested that the unchurched may prefer the more aesthetically pleasing look of the Gothic cathedral because it speaks to a connectedness to the past. Young unchurched people were particularly drawn to the Gothic look...

Stetzer noted that despite these survey results, most of the churches that look like a cathedral are in decline. Just because someone has a preference for the aesthetically pleasing, Gothic churches doesn’t mean they’ll visit the church if that’s the only connection point they have to the congregation, he said.

"Buildings don’t reach people, people do," Stetzer said...

Read the whole story here.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/on_the_frontier_

On Saturday, I was speaking to the General Association of General Baptist Churches in a very rural part of Missouri.

The General Baptist denomination is an Arminian Baptist denomination. In many ways, they are similar to my own denomination, but they do not hold to the idea of "eternal security"-- or the idea that (in popular terms) once you are a believer you can't "undo" that. This view is held by Wesleyans, many Pentecostals, etc.

Over lunch, we reminsced a bit of the Second Great Awakening history.

Stephen Gray, my host, and Marcus Bigelow, Director of Stadia, and I went to lunch together. And, might I add, it was quite the restaurant.

Steve is a great guy and recently wrote a book called Planting Fast Growing Churches. I have shared about the book here.

Marcus and I have become friends over the years. Stadia is one of the leading church planting networks in America today.

It was a great lunch, but we were far from civilization. The photo tells the story.


Just so you don't miss the menu (on the sign)...


Here is some history you might find interesting. (Or, at least, I found interesting...)

First, all three of our movements benefited from the Second Great Awakening. For Stephen and Marcus, their movements were founded during this time. Of course, for mine, that is not the case-- we trace our roots back to the New Testament through a Trail of Blood (for the humor impaired, that is a joke based on an earlier post).

Wikipedia explains:

The Second Great Awakening (1800–1830s) was the second great religious revival in United States history and consisted of renewed personal salvation experienced in revival meetings. Major leaders included Charles Grandison Finney, Lyman Beecher, Barton Stone, Peter Cartwright, Asahel Nettleton, and James B. Finley.

But, when you look under influential leaders, you also Joseph Smith, Jr. (founder of Mormonism). So, this was not a solely Christian revival. The Second Great Awakening produced new religions such as Mormonism and, in an indirect way (via William Miller), Jehovah's Witnesses.

Again from Wikipedia:

William Miller (1782–1849) was an American Baptist preacher, whose followers have been termed Millerites. He is credited with the beginning of the Adventist movement of the 1830s and 1840s in North America. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations including Seventh-day Adventists, and Advent Christians. Later movements which found inspiration in Miller's emphasis on Bible prophecy include Bible Students/Russellites and Jehovah's Witnesses.

So, the Second Great Awakening "awakened" quite a few things.

But, let me focus on my two lunch guests and talk about them behind their backs.

First on General Baptists... This information is from a dissertation entitled, Church Planting Programs of Similar-Sized Denominations in the United States.

General Baptists emerged as a response to the revivalism of the Second Great Awakening (Shull 12). Consequently, much of their early history revolved around evangelistic meetings. They also emerged in the early nineteenth century in the Midwest which was the frontier in that day and was sparsely populated.

Elder Benoni Stinson founded General Baptists in the United States. Much of his ministry involved traveling on horseback to the number of emerging new communities to preach the gospel. On many preaching tours, Stinson preached two or three times a day for seven to fourteen days at a time. His preaching was always about reaching men and women with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Stinson's sermons "were always about saving lost men." (Williams 147) He had a burden to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

These revival meetings sometimes resulted in beginning new congregations. In 1824, Stinson's travels resulted in beginning three new congregations. These new churches joined Stinson's home church, Liberty, to organize the first association of General Baptist congregations. Stinson never gave up his habit of taking preaching tours.

The first denominational agency developed by the new General Association of General Baptists in 1871 was the Central Board which was responsible for planting new congregations in the United States. Local associations also had their own committees or boards which oversaw the collection of funds and the appointment of ministers for starting new congregations. History shows that planting new congregations has been a priority for General Baptists.

Thus, the General Baptists come right out of the movement... as does the Restoration Movement.

Again, from Wikipedia:

The Restoration Movement (also known historically as the "Stone-Campbell Movement") is a Christian reform movement traced to the 18th and 19th centuries in the United States during the Second Great Awakening. Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell were leading figures of four independent movements with like principles who merged together into two religious movements of significant size. These churches have a total population of about 4,000,000 in the United States. Restorationism sought to renew the whole Christian church, on the pattern set forth in the New Testament, without regard to the creeds developed over time in Catholicism, Orthodoxy, or Protestantism, which allegedly kept Christianity divided. Churches are now found throughout the globe, claiming to "concentrate on the essential aspects of the Christian faith, allowing for a diversity of understanding with non-essentials." Basically, there are those whose beliefs and doctrines may differ on minor subjects, but who believe in Jesus Christ the Son as the savior and authority of the church. Among key practices are the weekly celebration of the Lord's Supper on the first day of each week and a commitment to believer's baptism by immersion in water.

Stadia is part of that "middle" of the Restoration movement with leaders like Bob Russell and Max Lucado.

Much came out of the Second Great Awakening... and it was good to catch up with some friends who trace their denominational roots there.
--------------------------------

As I have indicated before, when referring to awakenings, one should always refer to J. Edwin Orr, whose site has some great resources on the subject.

You can find a helpful PowerPoint with graphics here.

And, yes, I did enjoy some of the frog legs-- when in rural Missouri do as the locals!

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/why_leaders_need

Several Christian leaders at the upcoming "Heart Cry for Revival Conference" are asked and answer, "Why is revival needed among Christian leaders at this point in history?"

• John Avant: "We have become almost completely internalized. We have turned on each other and lost our way. Our churches often simply mirror our leaders. Beginning with me, we need a renewal of love, humility, holiness, and deep compassion for the lost."

• Nancy Leigh DeMoss: "As go the shepherds, so goes the flock. The church desperately needs leaders who are holy, Spirit-filled, prayerful, whole-hearted, anointed men of the Word and servants and lovers of Christ."
• Daniel Henderson: "Our Christian culture has become much like the Laodiceans of Revelation chapter three. We are lukewarm and, in our self-estimation, 'rich . . . wealthy and . . . in need of nothing.' We are blind to Christ's assessment that we are actually 'wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked' without a fresh experience of His presence. We are entrenched in self-sufficiency, evidenced by our reliance on human leadership, technology, methodology and programming -- coupled with our general disinterest in prayer. We need a holy outpouring of grace to repent, see our true condition and invite Christ into the midst of our corporate life as He is even now standing at the door and knocking, ready to revive His people with His holy presence."

• Erwin Lutzer: "We need a revival among Christian leaders because many of us must return to the basic truths and practices that made the church great: personal repentance, evangelism and a radical commitment to holiness, for ourselves and our congregations."

• James MacDonald: "For decades I have prayed for revival in the church in America in our lifetime. The western church has become an awful mess, but Jesus is not giving up on her and neither should we. The answer we desperately need is a fresh move of God. We need a renewed vision of God's exalted, infinite holiness. We need an overwhelming sense of our own pride and personal sinfulness. We need our eyes lifted from the bankruptcy of cultural reflection to the crucified, risen, glorified Christ. There must be a returning to the centrality of the unadorned Gospel and the power of God's Spirit to redeem, restore and rebuild broken lives. We need men and women on fire with passionate confidence in the power of God's Word proclaimed. In short, what we desperately need is a renewing work of God that will cut a swath of revival across our land like a tornado across a Kansas wheat field. Nothing else will do."

• Richard Owen Roberts: "God is unchanging: He still insists that things be done His way. Revival is greatly needed when leaders forget that doing things God's way in the power of His Spirit is the only acceptable way."

• Sammy Tippit: "We live at a time in history where we face incredible darkness. This is the moment to seek God for revival in our land and throughout the world. A visitation from heaven is desperately needed."

You can see the rest of their answers here. And click on the graphic for the conference web page.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/more_from_the_fi

I wrote about my trip to the Fishing Hole here.

Marcus Bigelow (from Stadia) sent me his reflections from the prior evening. Good insights...

Lessons from the Fishin’ Hole

Last night I stopped at the Fishin’ Hole in Greenville, MO. Greenville is a long way from most everywhere. I was looking for a friend who supposedly was eating at “The Fishin’ Hole”. I was to join him for dinner. He wasn’t there, but I decided to eat anyway, following the maxim, that a full parking lot usually means good food.

This Yankee boy walked in the door to find the “friendliest place in town”. Almost every table was filled, the waitresses were at a dead run. “Take any ol’ table” the cashier told me, so I sat down at one of the three empty tables and waited.

On my right were Wayne and a party of 12. I knew he was Wayne because everyone who came through the door shouted, “Hi, Wayne”. His wife, Zelda, laughed and joked with everyone as well. As I sat and watched, another couple came in; the wife probably had MS or some other problem affecting her walking. The husband was a man I’d like to meet. He was gentle and considerate and proud of his wife. While caring, he treated her with dignity and joyfulness. I thought about going over, but every time I got up the courage, someone else came in and they would laugh and visit and joke.

My aloneness soon got to me, so I went out to the car and got my notes for the evening’s lecture. I studied them carefully so it would look like I had something to do while I waited for my food. It’s intimidating to be the only one in the room with no one to talk to.

As I looked around the room, I realized that I was the only male that wasn’t attired in flannel or camouflage. I was one of the few who weren’t wearing lace up boots. I certainly didn’t have the proper uniform for the restaurant and everyone could tell I wasn’t from Greenville.

I asked the waitress what the specialty was and she said, “Frog legs or fish”. When the fish was delivered it was fried beyond recognition. They also served fried cannonballs called “hush puppies”. It was all very strange to a northerner. I actually did taste the frog legs 24 hours later. They said it was like chicken, but I thought it tasted more like a cross between spotted owl and bald eagle.

The dinner was actually pretty good. I did opt to pass on the deep friend side salad.

Finally, I stepped to the counter to pay with my credit card, and the cashier said, “Oh, we only take cash.” With a lump in my throat I rummaged through my wallet and finally found the extra $20 I keep there. Whew!

As I walked out, Wayne was still greeting people in the friendliest place in town, but the only ones who had talked to me were the people who were paid to do so.

It was a good experience to visit, but if I lived in Greenville, I’d have to build a restaurant, because it will be years before I fit in.

He that has ears . . .

There are two lessons to be learned.

First, what we think is normal is often not normal for the unchurched.
Some months ago in a study group of Christian pastors, we were assigned to go to a famous bar in Dallas and observe. Talk about fish out of water, we huddled at table nursing our sodas; I don’t think one of us could have ordered a drink if we’d wanted to. It really made me realize how awkward some people feel when they come to church for the first time or after a long absence.

What we think is normal-- very casual dress, heavily contemporary music while comfortable for some, makes others (especially former Catholics) very uncomfortable. For others, organ music and suits and ties also make them uncomfortable. Leaving your children in the nursery, communion services and baptisms also can seem strange to the uninitiated. It’s not that we won’t do these things, it’s just that we need to make sure we explain things clearly that we often take for granted. (My heart was pounding when I thought I couldn’t pay for dinner—I envisioned 3 years of washing dishes.)

The second lesson is we need all kinds of churches for all kinds of people. The Fishin’ Hole is culturally relevant to Greenville, MO. A new freeway is coming through town in the next year. Other restaurants will be needed for the people who move there.

I left Greenville to go to Sun City West. The church has no children’s facilities (no one under 55 is permitted to live in town), they all wore ties and jackets and the women wore dresses. The church is doing a great job of reaching their community. They have figured out Sun City West, but they readily admit that other churches have to be planted to serve their grandchildren.

The apostle Paul says, 1 Cor 9:22 “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” NIV

Someday in heaven, we will all worship together, and no one will complain the music is too loud, repetitious, boring, old, contemporary, or anything else. Until then, we need to plant all kinds of churches and help those “outsiders” to feel at home.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/catching_up_on_f

With the Coast Guard Chaplains


I led a productive (but humbling) training event with the men and women who serve our Coast Guard. All Coast Guard chaplains are actually Navy chaplains assigned to the Coast Guard. I have a privilege to spend two days at a Naval base in Norfolk training these chaplains in understanding emerging generations.

I used research from our upcoming research project on the younger unchruched and from a project we recently released on young adult dropouts.

I will have much more to say about this as I found it a remarkable experience with a group of deeply committed men and women.


Steve Lemke, the Emerging Church, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

I spent about 6 hours in New Orleans on my way to speak and eat frog legs in Missouri.

Steve invited me to speak on the emerging church. I spoke and then three faculty responded to my paper. (I will write more about that later.)

They had a packed house, another indication that people are interested in the subject. Here is a photo from the event:



And I look a little more intense than I probably should in this photo:



It is always good to be at New Orleans and visit with Steve Lemke, who has been an encouragement to me on my denominational journey. Steve is the provost at New Orleans and heads the Baptist Center for Theology and Ministry where I serve as a "fellow."

It was a good day and I only which I could have stayed there more than 6 hours. However, I was glad that I could visit with Preston Nix, new head of the Leavell Center.

I believe the Leavell Center and New Orleans Seminary are bright spots in my denomination.


Rodney Hammer and Central Europe

I talked to Rodney this week from his office in Prague. Much like my recent trip to Barcelona, I will be taking some pastors to Eastern Eurpose in the October. We will be centered in Krakow and will focus on how to reach emerging postmodern generations in Central Europe.

Shoot an email to research@lifeway.com if you are a pastor reaching people in emerging culture here and want to help reach emerging generations there.


Jack Allen and Facebook

Well, I am little behind and am trying to catch up on Facebook. Facebook. I find the whole concept intriguing.Jack Allen, professor at New Orleans Seminary and one of the respondents to my talk on the emerging church, takes to mocking me on my own site posting in the comments of this post:

Your Facebook dilemma will get worse. First, let's solve your "how to make friends on Facebook" problem. Facebook is intuitively simple. You click, stuff happens. Go into your profile and set everything to tell you everything when anything happens. Facebook claims that "You can change this later," but do not believe that. Anyway, once you've set to be "totally informed" anyone who asks you to be his or her friend will also send you an email that says something like "You have a friend request on Facebook," which means... more at http://s178065219.onlinehome.us/

Now, I get that, Jack. But, I have 100 friend requests to respond to and that makes me nervous. Perhaps that is my NYC upbringing, but do these people really want to be my friend? Or, are they going to rob me? Try to steal my car? Trick me into selling Amway? (OK, that is a little extreme... grin... but that is what my dad told me when I was a kid. Beware of people who want to be your friend.)

And, while I am at it, why do people keep poking me.

Jack's blog is here and he says I am only "sort of" on Facebook. Sigh. He even mocks my Facebook photo! With friends like Jack...

I am trying, Jack… I really am. But, what I need to figure out is what more I can do with Facebook. Having a few hundred friends on Facebook is great. However, I want to tie it into my blog and try to build some online community.

Well, I see I have used the word "emerging" in all four of these posts so I better stop now before I cause any more problems...

I am leading a Bible conference tomorrow and will write more soon...

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/historical.html

Well, today I was at First Baptist Church of Alexandria finishing up a weekend Bible conference. It was good to meet their pastor, Don Davidson, and visit with old and new friends. More on that soon…



Visits like this get me in an historical state of mind. Those of you who follow the blog know of my interest in history-- particularly when referring to "firsts."

Before blogging, I have:

Visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where Jesus was born of a Virgin.

Stood on the porch of Christ Church in Savannah where John Wesley served and, while in Georgia, began his relationship with the Moravians.

Sat in the restaurant that once was the church founded by A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

Made a journey to the Japanese neighborhood (Little Tokyo today) that once spawned a revival that started on Azuza Street where Pentecostalism was born.

Walked through the woods where Charles Finney sat when he was converted.

Vistied Pennepack Baptist Church, where the Philadelphia Baptist Association would form the first Baptist association in America.

Since blogging, I have shared about:

Speaking at North Cleveland Church of God, the oldest extant church in the Church of God (Cleveland, TN), the world oldest Pentecostal denomination.

Speaking at a church that helped launch the Landmark Baptist movement.

Sat at W.A. Criswell’s desk from his home study.

And, my "Meanings of Missional" series tracks the first use of the term in the modern sense we use it today.

So, I love being at historic places and thinking about historic things. Today I preached at one such place.

First Baptist Church of Alexandria has been around a very long time… Thomas Jefferson gave money to the church. Patrick Henry defended the founding pastor in court. And, it played a part in the adoption of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Their church history page explains:

On April 16, 1803, just 27 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, five men and seven women of the pioneer Baptist Church in Fairfax County, Virginia asked that they be "dismissed agreeably… to be constituted into a regular Baptist Church in the town of Alexandria." Their request was approved.

Meeting on April 22, 1803 the twelve agreed that, "We, the underwritten subscribers… humbly desiring to be constituted into a regular church, hoping it may be for the glory of God… do hereby as in the presence of His Supreme Majesty, solemnly unite as a regular society to worship Him and promote His ordinances, maintain His truth and endeavor to promote His Glory in the world." Following the signing of this covenant, the twelve, with $1,988.87 borrowed from a charter member, Alexander Smith, erected a humble meeting house. Jeremiah Moore was called as their first pastor.

Jeremiah Moore was one of the most prominent traveling preachers of his day. In the late 1760's he was converted to the Baptist cause from the established Church of England. During the early years of his ministry he found that it was against the law to preach any doctrine that did not conform to the tenets of the Church of England. He was thrown in jail in Alexandria three times. On one occasion he was seized by a mob and sentenced to "lie in jail until you rot." Undeterred, Moore preached to huge crowds from the jail windows. When he was finally brought to trial he was defended by Patrick Henry, a vigorous exponent of religious liberty. Henry is reported to have said, "Great God gentlemen, a man in prison for preaching the gospel of the Son of God?" Jeremiah Moore was set free.

Moore was instrumental in the adoption of the First Amendment of the Constitution in 1790 establishing the doctrine of separation of church and state. A letter to Moore from Thomas Jefferson reflects their agreement on this vital issue.

Under Pastor Moore's leadership the membership grew to 54 by 1811. However, in 1812 under stern church discipline, four members were excommunicated.

John Paradise, a member of the congregation, followed Moore as pastor. In 1812 early church leaders were active in the founding of Columbia College, now George Washington University.

In case you are wondering, here is one of the more famous letters between Jefferson and Moore, pastor of FBC Alexandria:

The clergy, by getting themselves established by law, & ingrafted into the machine of government, have been a very formidable engine against the civil and religious rights of man. They are still so in many countries & even in some of these United States. Even in 1783, we doubted the stability of our recent measures for reducing them to the footing of other useful callings. It now appears that our means were effectual. --Thomas Jefferson to Jeremiah Moore, August 14, 1800

Such a quote only makes sense when you remember what the First Amendment actually says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Moore’s concern was (among other things) that the government should not fund religious practice—and it was Baptists in that day who were most concerned about the separation of church and state. (They were being imprisoned by clergy paid by the government, so they had some reasons to be concerned.)

Baptists were known (in those early days) as strong proponents of religious liberty in a time where it was not appreciated. As a matter of fact, the phrase “Separation of Church and State” came from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Baptists to assume them that their liberty would be protected. He wrote:

To messers. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson, a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut.

Gentlemen

The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, & in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem.

Th Jefferson
Jan. 1. 1802.

It was a good weekend and I will share more about it later, but I just had to get some history out of my system before I finished for the day.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/small_church_res

LifeWay Research recently completed a study of small churches. We have not released the data yet, but Brad Waggoner recently shared some early analysis from the study. He shared at Impact 2008 the biggest challenges reported by small churches:

1. Time. According to Waggoner, 32 percent of the respondents said they were bivocational pastors and didn't have enough hours in the day to do what they were called to do.

"I read comment after comment which said pastors were under pressure to juggle responsibilities," Waggoner said. "The fact is they have 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They worked at their job somewhere and also dealt with the church. They were tired, drained of energy. They try to fulfill their calling and get the job done. There's no easy way to get it all done.

"All pastors fight that battle. Every leader is tired. But, at the end of the day, they trust the Lord to do the best they can with [the] energy they have and just trust Him."

2. Resistance. Small-church pastors said their congregation doesn't want to change, which leads to stagnation. Pastors have to deal with individuals who want to usurp authority from the pastor, forgetting that it's God who controls His church.

"We have to patiently hold the standard high and teach the Word of God," Waggoner said. "It takes a while for the church to grow biblically ... and takes expositional teaching for the church to get healthy. We can't lower the standards of church. Preaching precedes change. We have to raise the bar of expectations."

3. Lack of commitment from members. Many pastors said they deal with apathy and indifference. Waggoner said it doesn't matter what the size of the church is, but small churches feel it more.

"There are no quick fixes," Waggoner said. "It can't be about the man in the pulpit. We hear so much fluff and stuff. We try to sneak up on people with discipleship. You have to start out with discipleship. We've underestimated the power of a godly man or godly woman."

4. Too few workers. If the church's philosophy is that the pastor is a hired gun, the professional, it will wear the pastor out, Waggoner said. He also said most churches do not have a strategy to equip the laity for ministry.

"You have to teach what the Bible says about the pastor's role," Waggoner said. "I think every church should have a class on teaching spiritual gifts so people ... can take the next step on finding a place in the church ministry. You have to look people in the eye. There needs to be a strategy for involvement which fits the size of your church."

5. Age of the congregation. As the church gets older, young people do not feel attracted to the church. Waggoner said there's no easy answer, but pastors have to serve whomever God brings into their midst.

"Talk to the young people," Waggoner said. "There may be things that can be done to reverse it."

6. Lack of money. Waggoner said he had no easy answers for pastors who say they don't have resources. He did say pastors have to do a better job of teaching about the importance of tithing.

"Too often we preach [on money only] when we go into a building campaign or there's a budget shortfall," Waggoner said. "I think we should teach God's standards on biblical discipleship along the way. It should be part of disciple-making. You honor the Lord with your wealth."

7. Worldliness of the church. Waggoner said he saw in the survey something he called "cultural seepage."

"We allow the world's standards to come into the church," he said. "Sometimes we have propagated that through our arrogance. We're dictatorial, self absorbed. Often preaching becomes a performance. Preaching is not an end but a means. Have we allowed the world to permeate how we think?

"I'm grateful for the Conservative Resurgence," he said of the SBC's theological direction since 1979. "But we have been deceived to think that being conservative is being godly. We have to make sure we are walking in a way that honors God."

8. Age of the pastor. Several said they were getting too old in the survey.

9. Too few people. In the survey, pastors said they couldn't get things done because not enough help was available.

10. Demographics. The community around the church is changing but the church isn't growing.

Source: BP

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/booksresources_o

This bibliography was developed by the library at the International Mission Board, and they have given me permisison to pass it on to you.
To find out if these books are available in your local area, go to www.worldcat.org

1. Search for the title you want
2. Click on the record you want. (Be sure you have the correct edition: the Gale Encyclopedia has two editions; you want the 2nd ed. published in 2000)
3. On the record that comes up, you can click on the “Libraries” tab and enter your zip code, and the system will tell you which libraries in your area own a particular book.

List of Resources

The Newest Americans, by Sandy Probst.. Westport, Conn: Greenwood press, 2003.

This is a 5-volume set which provides historical, social, political and cultural information on more than 30 immigrant groups, focusing on those from 1960 to the present. Each chapter has information about the group’s history in this country and their religion, as well as some basic statistics about how many there are in the U.S. and where they are located.

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, 2nd ed. Detroit: The Gale Group, 2000.

This is a 3-volume set containing profiles of 152 ethnic, ethnoreligious, and Native American cultures in the United States. While each essay includes information on the country of origin and circumstances surrounding major immigration waves (if applicable), they focus primarily on the group’s experiences in the United States, specifically in the areas of acculturation and assimilation, family and community dynamics, language, religion, employment and economic traditions, politics and government, and significant contributions to American society. Wherever possible, each entry also features directory listings of periodicals, broadcast and Internet media, organizations and associations, and museums and research centers. Each entry also cites sources for further study.

Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups, edited by Stephen Thernstrom. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1980.

Although this resource is considerably dated, it remains the most comprehensive survey of American ethnic groups available. In addition to the individual articles on 106 ethnic groups, it contains valuable chapters on how to determine what constitutes an ethnic group, and a discussion of "methods of estimating the size of groups."

A Nation of Peoples : A Sourcebook on America's Multicultural Heritage, edited by Elliott Robert Barkan, Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1999.

This book is a more up-to-date overview of "America's ethnic peoples" than the Harvard Encyclopedia listed above, although more limited in scope, as it covers only 27 distinct groups. Each chapter on an ethnic group has a detailed bibliography of source materials, and there is an extensive bibliography at the end of the book that would provide an excellent starting point for further research.

Arab American Encyclopedia, edited by Anan Ameri and Dawn Ramey. Detroit : U X L (an imprint of the Gale Group), 2000.

This book covers a wide range of topics on Arab Americans, but the chapter titled "Community Profiles" discusses Arab Americans in different regions of the United States. There is a 2-page bibliography of sources for further research.

The Arab Population 2000: Census 2000 Brief, by G. Patricia de la Cruz. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, 2003.
This is the first of a series of reports on the ethnic makeup of the U.S. population, that are based on the 2000 Census. The report is available on the Internet at: http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-23.pdf

It is described as follows: As part of its ongoing series of Census Briefs, the U.S. Census Bureau released this 12-page document in December 2003 that examines the Arab population around the United States. The document begins with a description of how the Census enumerates which groups tend to identify as being of Arab ancestry, and then proceeds to discuss some of the findings from data gathered in the 2000 Census. Some of the findings include that the Arab population increased by nearly 40 percent during the 1990s and that people of Lebanese, Syrian, and Egyptian ancestry accounted for about three-fifths of the Arab population in the United States. The document also contains important information about the spatial distribution among persons of Arab ancestry, such as the finding that approximately half of the Arab population was concentrated in only five states, and that the state with the greatest proportion of Arabs was Michigan. [From: THE SCOUT REPORT, Dec. 19, 2003]

Asian Americans Information Directory, 1994-95 : A Guide to Organizations, Agencies, Institutions, Programs, Publications, and Services Concerned with Asian and Pacific Islander American Nationalities and Ethnic Groups in the United States, edited by Charles B. Montney. Detroit : Gale Research Inc., 1994.

This reference book covers information on groups associated with over 20 major Asian nationalities and ethnic groups in the United States and Canada.

The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas, edited by Lynn Pan. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1999.

While this is a comprehensive, world-wide directory, the chapter on the United States (pp.261-273) contains a chart on "The States with the Largest Chinese Populations," as well as occupational and educational information about the U.S. Chinese population.

We the People: An Atlas of America’s Ethnic Diversity, edited by James Paul Allen and Eugene James Turner. New York: Macmillan, 1988.

The statistics are somewhat dated, but the value of this book is in the detailed maps of the United States showing the locations of different ethnic groups.

“America’s Racial and Ethnic Minorities,” by Kevin Pollard and William P. O’Hare. Population Bulletin, v. 54, n.3, September 1999.

Contains more recent statistics, although of a more general nature than some of the other resources.

The Ethnic Cultures of America: A Reference for Teachers, Librarians and Administrators, by P.R. Fischetti. Washington, DC: Educational Extension Systems, 1997.

This book compiles information about more than 100 ethnic groups in the United States, including something about their cultures, traditions, and religions.

Islam in North America: A Sourcebook, edited by Michael A. Koszegi and J. Gordon Melton. New York : Garland Pub., 1992.

This book has general chapters on Islam and Arab Americans, but it also has many detailed bibliographies and lists of sources.

Muslim Communities in North America, edited by Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad and Jane Edleman Smith. Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, 1994.

Consists of 22 essays about different Muslim ethnic groups in various (mostly urban) parts of the United States.

The North American Muslim Resource Guide : Muslim Community Life in the United States and Canada, by Mohamed Nimer. New York : Routledge, 2002.

This very recent book discusses many aspects of Muslim life in the U.S. and includes a detailed bibliography, plus chapters with directory-type information on ethnic associations, community development groups, the media, public affairs organizations and research organizations.

And here are a few more:

Hispanic Realities Impacting America: Implications for Evangelism and Missions, by Daniel Sanchez. Ft. Worth, TX: Church Starting Network, 2006.

God Needs No Passport : Immigrants and the Changing American Religious Landscape, by Peggy Levitt. NY: New Press, 2007. A sociologist looks at the new realities of religion and migration and how they affect America.

Korean American Evangelicals: New Models for Civic Life, by Elaine Howard Ecklund. NY: Oxford University Press, 2006.

God in Chinatown : Religion and Survival in NewYork’s Evolving Immigrant Community, by Kenneth J. Guest. NY: New York University Press, 2003.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/coast_guard_2.ht

Last week, I had the chance to serve the chaplains serving the U.S. Coast Guard.



I have written in the past about my preparation for this speaking engagement.

The Coast Guard news explained the event:

PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Coast Guard Chaplains will meet at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia Beach, Va., for their annual symposium April 8-10. This year’s theme is “Ministering to the Emerging Generation.”

Guest speaker Dr. Ed Stetzer of LifeWay Research in Nashville, Tenn., will assist the chaplains in understanding more and connecting with the “Post Modern Generation” - young adults from in the 17-24 year-old demographic who view the world through lenses far different from previous generations. Stetzer has trained pastors and church planters on five continents, holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books. He served three years as a seminary professor at the Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and has taught at 15 other seminaries. He is currently the director of LifeWay Research.

“Our newest Coast Guard members are very sharp, confident and enjoy a collaborative environment,” explains Capt. Gary P. Weeden, chaplain of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. “They question things more often, have strong ideas of their own and are often more interested in what they can contribute to the mission than the amount of money they make. We need to better understand the lenses from which they see the world and learn how to listen, engage and communicate.”

The symposium will equip the chaplains with skills to work with a generation that comes from a very subjective/existentialist environment to a military world of specific parameters and objective parameters, according to Capt. Robert Marshall, Coast Guard Atlantic Area chaplain.

Vice Adm. D. Brian Peterman, Coast Guard Commander Atlantic Area; Rear Adm. Fred Rosa, Commander Fifth Coast Guard District, and Capt. James Louttit, Deputy Commander of Coast Guard Maintenance and Logistics Command Atlantic will also speak at the symposium.

Approximately 50 members of the Navy Chaplain Corps (active and reserve) are assigned throughout the Coast Guard to advise commanders to ensure the free exercise of religion, provide religious ministry and support to authorized personnel. In addition, chaplains serve as advocates for the well-being of all personnel and as command liaison to civilian religious leaders, communities, organizations and agencies.

You can find out more about what the Coast Guard does here.

Here is Vice Admiral Peterman, Commander, Atlantic Area / Commander, Defense Force East, speaking to the group:



For more information about what a Vice Admiral is, click here.

I spoke before and after Vice Admiral Peterson:



I was quite out of place without a uniform:


I speak a lot of places (or so my wife tells me). But, this is one of the most intriguing.

Here are a few more interesting facts for you related to the Coast Guard and to their chaplains:

1. The Coast Guard is a separate branch of the military. It is not a branch of the Navy, although that seems a common perception.

2. The Coast Guard is always deployed. Unlike some branches that deploy for a season, they are “deployed” every day. This is not to say that other branches are not working hard, but you can always say that about the Coast Guard.

3. The chaplains I trained are not technically "Coast Guard chaplains." Like the Marines, their chaplains are Navy chaplains assigned to the Coast Guard.

4. The duties of the Coast Guard are remarkably varied. Search and rescue is well known as is, I would think, drug interdiction. But, there are many other functions such as…

maritime law enforcement, maintaining aids to navigation, marine safety, and both military and civilian search and rescue--all in addition to its typical homeland security and military duties, such as port security.

5. The U.S. chaplains are of many different faiths—something I needed to keep in mind as I spoke. However, they all know that I am a conservative evangelical Christian and, I believe, took that into account when I started to preach (grin).

6. Although the chaplains are of many faiths, a chaplain does not do the religious rituals of another faith (that is an urban legend propagated by the television show M.A.S.H. and Father Mulcahy).

As part of my preparation for this trip, I visited a Coast Guard facility. Their work is quite impressive. I can’t share details, but I was amazed at the level of responsibility these young men and women serve. I watched them work in a secure facility and they were professional, passionate, and focused.

The Coast Guard is also the oldest seafaring branch of the military. Wikipedia explains:

The roots of the Coast Guard lie in the United States Revenue Cutter Service established by Alexander Hamilton under the Department of the Treasury on August 4, 1790. Until the re-establishment of the United States Navy in 1798, the Revenue Cutter Service was the only naval force of the early U.S. It was established to collect taxes from a brand new nation of patriot smugglers. When the officers were out at sea, they were told to crack down on piracy; while they were at it, they might as well rescue anyone in distress.

"First Fleet" is a term occasionally used as an informal reference to the US Coast Guard, although as far as one can detect the United States has never in fact officially used this designation with reference either to the Coast Guard or any element of the US Navy. The informal appellation honors the fact that between 1790 and 1798, there was no United States Navy and the cutters which were the predecessor of the US Coast Guard were the only warships protecting the coast, trade, and maritime interests of the new republic.

The modern Coast Guard can be said to date to 1915, when the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the United States Life-Saving Service and Congress formalized the existence of the new organization. In 1939, the U.S. Lighthouse Service was brought under its purview. In 1942, the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation was transferred to the Coast Guard. In 1967, the Coast Guard moved from the Department of the Treasury to the newly formed Department of Transportation, an arrangement that lasted until it was placed under the Department of Homeland Security in 2003 as part of legislation designed to more efficiently protect American interests following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

In times of war, the Coast Guard or individual components of it can operate as a service of the Department of the Navy. This arrangement has a broad historical basis, as the Guard has been involved in wars as diverse as the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War, in which the cutter Harriet Lane fired the first naval shots attempting to relieve besieged Fort Sumter. The last time the Coast Guard operated as a whole under the Navy was in World War II. More often, military and combat units within the Coast Guard will operate under the Navy while other Coast Guard units will remain under the Department of Homeland Security.

I think we would do well to remember the sacrifices these servicemen and women make, both the chaplains and those that they serve. This is not easy work and these chaplains serve at a crucial time in the lives of these “coasties.”

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/its_here_and_i_f

As I have mentioned before, my former co-pastor Philip Nation and I have written a new book concerning missional living entitled Compelled by Love.

Our hope for the book is that it will help you push the idea of missional from being a leadership paradigm to a way of life for the people in your church.

The book is written from the perspective of love being a primary ethic for missional living. Ultimately, God’s glory is the ethic and motivation for all we do. And the church being as loving as her Lord will propel us onto his missional work of redemption and care for humanity.

You can find out more about the book and read a sample chapter our new website – www.CompelledbyLove.com.

One of the encouraging things is how much support we are getting for the book. My thanks go out to all those who have been so kind to endorse this book.

Here are some of the endorsements (the fun headings are mine):

Godliest man on the planet
“Compelled by Love is a much-needed overview for how God’s love compels us to love as He is loving in our world.”—Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God and Called and Accountable

The global giant killer
“This is a great tool to help your church learn how and why we should live compelled by love. God calls us to nothing less.”—Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life

So edgy, he makes up his own words
“Here is an anthem of love that the missional church can sing with all its heart.”—Leonard Sweet, Drew Theological School, George Fox University, sermons.com

Pastor then professor and now president of LifeWay; potentate must be next
“Compelled by Love is a great read for those needing encouragement and direction for engaging in God's work in the world.”—Thom Rainer, co-author of Simple Church

What more can I say?
“Compelled by Love gives us a much needed teaching on an overused word… This book is necessary reading to redeem our understanding of how love fuels missional living.”—Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, author of Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions

Uber-hip Australian – what else needs to be said?
“Compelled by Love helps us recover the legitimacy that only love can bring. And God knows, we could be a whole lot more loving!”—Alan Hirsch,author of The Forgotten Ways and The Shaping of Things To Come

The guy who’s been saying it for years
“Compelled by Love is a compelling resource to spur conversation in small groups.”—Bill Easum, cofounder, Easum, Bandy & Associates.

You can order the book here. LifeWay will also be creating a small group Bible study resource that I will tell more about soon.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/exponential_conf

In a few days we will be heading to Orlando for the mother of all church planting conferences, the Exponential Conference.

I will be leading a pre-conference session on Monday and here is the lineup I have planned:

Monday
Stephen Gray, Planting Fast Growing Churches, from his book by the same name
Ron Sylvia, Creating Coaching Networks, NEXT Initiative
Tom Clegg, CoachNet on best practices in church planting coaching

Tuesday
Ed Stetzer, Church Planting Research
Mark Reynolds, Church Planting Internships, Redeemer Church’s Fellows Program

The main sessions look as follows:

Session #1 with Ed Stetzer: The Characteristics of Reproducing Churches
Session #2 with Andy Stanley: Apostolic Vision
Session #3 with Alan Hirsch: Missional Movement
Session #4a with Steve Andrews: Radical Disciple Making
Session #4b with Dave Ferguson: Genuine Community
Session #5 with Tim Keller: The Gospel
Session #5b with Rick Warren: The Challenge

You can see all the tracks here. I will be leading some sessions in the missional track and the pre-launch track.

During the Best Practices Forum I will announce the formation of two learning communities for church planting leaders. These communities will meet:
-two times a year in Nashville, hosted by a local church planting ministry,
-once in Orlando at the conference, and
-once in another location (TBD)

The first group will be for denominational leaders, specifically the leader of church planting for a given denomination Those leaders will gather three times per year (in addition to the meeting next week) to talk about best practices, plan partnership research, and generally learn from each other.

The other group will be focus on church planting network leaders who want to learn from each other on the journey.

The meetings will be coordinated by Passion for Planting through our NewChurches.Com partnership. The groups will require an application and will accept only a limited number of participants to ensure that the learning community has maximum peer interaction.

We hope to see you in Orlando.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/new_book.html

This morning, David Putman announced the release of his new book, Breaking the Discipleship Code. I wrote the foreword to the book and thought I should share it with you:

David and I have been friends for a long, long time. Ten years ago, he messed up my life by recruiting me to teach church planting and missions at a seminary and for our mission board. I have seen him in stress, joy, pain, and service. And, I have learned a lot from him along the way.

You see, David is like me—an imperfect person. I’ve seen him lose his temper, act in the flesh, and get focused on the wrong things. (By now you may be wondering what in the world I am doing writing the foreword, but stay with me.)

But, I have also seen him as an older brother in the Lord—his spiritual formation and growth exceeding my own. So, when I see David, I see someone who gets what it means to be a Christ follower, even when he is fallen and imperfect. I’ve learned form him—and I want you to as well. Maybe it sounds obvious, but I want to learn discipleship from a disciple, and I have seen that in David—up close, in messy, imperfect, and, yes, God honoring ways.

In Breaking the Missional Code, David and I focused on how a church could be engaged in God’s mission by being Biblically faithful and engaging people in culture. Our focus was how the church could (and should) be God’s missionary in the world.

David has always had a passion for the church—but he also has a passion for God people being on mission. In Breaking the Discipleship Code, David focuses on what it means to be a missional follower of Jesus.

The book reminds me, a bit, of a book my friends Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. In Simple Church, Rainer and Geiger called the church back to simplicity. In Breaking the Discipleship Code, Putman calls Christians back to simplicity. Rediscovering the centrality of Jesus in your church and everyday life is what this book is about.

Even as I begin a new book exploring the attitudes and our response to younger generation I recognize the importance of this conversation. Becoming a missional follower of Jesus is the key to reaching future generations with the gospel. Over and over again in this book the idea of losing ones religion and finding the Jesus way appears. This is one of the key conversations that we need to be having as the church. More and more we are finding that while people don’t like church they still like Jesus.

No longer can the church afford to be cute or cool. If we are going to face the challenges ahead of us we must be real—genuine followers of Christ living our biblical values and ideas. Being real is about rediscovering the Jesus of our church. It is about opening the doors of our church and letting him back in. Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock,” while referring to the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:16). David’s hope, and my prayer, is that when we focus on following Jesus in the church, He won’t have to knock on the outside.

“What is a follower of Jesus?” “How do people become followers of Jesus?” “What does a missional follower of Jesus look like?” These are all important question that find new relevance in today’s world. These are not only questions that David needs to address. In today’s context, these are questions we must address for ourselves. I think that Breaking the Discipleship Code will give us insights to help on that journey.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/saturday_is_for_

I know it would be alliterated if it said, "Friday is for Friends." However, I am always behind a couple of days. Here are a few friends, new and old, from the last week.


David Dockery and Union University

I heard from David this week. He is president of Union University. I have written before about Union and its recent tornado damage.

Union has become a remarkable institution seeking to integrate robust academics and a deep Christian faith commitment. I will be preaching in chapel on Oct. 24th. I may bring my oldest daughter along since I have told her she is going to college at Union. (I am still under the impression that my 9 year old daughter will attend the school of my choice when it is time for college.)


Becky Brittain

A week ago today I was inside the White House grounds. We were tromping around the running track where President Bush runs and just snapping away a bunch of Rose Garden photos. Becky Brittain got us past the crowds with her special I.D. (more on that in a minute) so we had a good time without any waiting in line.

Becky took a picture of Jaclyn, me, and my long-time friends Larry and Sharon Bull:


I stole the picture from Becky's blog here.

Becky is a CNN producer (hence the White House pass) and a Christian. She travels with the President and meets all sorts of important people. She blogged about the Pope (and me) here, having dinner at King Abdulla's place, and pictures with the President. So, let's just say that her blog is more exciting than mine. I have since added hers to my bloglines reader.

By the way, Becky is single and if any of you single men are not scared off by someone smarter then you, with a career, who studied journalism (not basket weaving) in school, you might want to drop by her blog and ask her out. It is called, "What's News with Becky."


Paul Edwards

Paul interviewed me from his studio at WLQV in Detroit. Honestly, Christian radio makes me nervous. Too many people who have already made up their mind and are just looking for you to be a foil for their sound bites. I did not find Paul to be the case. He asked good questions and I was impressed. You can find his site here and you can listed to Friday's program there.


Jeff Gallaway

Jeff's new book, Visional Life, arrived in the mail this week. Jeff sent an early draft to me a few months ago and I was impressed with his passion and vision expressed in the book.

I got to know Jeff when I co-planted Lake Ridge Church in North Georgia. We wanted to use the site www.lakeridgechurch.net but another Lake Ridge Church had the domain. Well, Jeff had planted that church. We talked. He gave us .net and he used .com.

Jeff could not get enough of church planting so he is now planting the Bridge Church at Perry. He blogs here and the book website is here.


The Tangible Kingdom

My friends Hugh and Matt have released a new book. The book promo explains:

In The Tangible Kingdom, authors Hugh Halter and Matt Smay help Christians and church leaders understand the Biblical concept of community as the key to evangelism, spiritual formation and enjoyment of life.

Written for those who are trying to nurture authentic faith communities and for those who have struggled to retain their faith, The Tangible Kingdom offers theological answers and real-life stories that demonstrate how the best ancient church practices can re-emerge in today's culture, through any church of any size. The Tangible Kingdom offers new hope for church leaders, pastors, church planters, and churchgoers who are looking for practical new ways to re-orient their lives to fit God's mission today.

Hugh and Matt sent me a preview copy a few months ago and I am glad to see it out. They have been training church planters in missional incarnational approaches to church planting and I think they have much to say.

They have a site with video, blogs, and other resources here.


Dale Braswell

Dale came by this week (with an unnamed friend) to talk about church planting. Then he showed up at my church today with Tina (his wife) as I preached through James.

They are heading to Seattle. He has big plans and no money (and he asked me for some... 'gotta love church planters).

Talking to Dale made me miss church planting, want to quit my job, move to a city, and plant a church. Pray for him and the team he is gathering to go to Seattle to plant. You can find his blog here.

Tina is a better blogger than he... and you can find her blog here. And, this post (from Tina) challenged me and reminded me why I love church planters:

We're already learning that if you're in church planting, you must always be ready for your plans to change.... Which goes completely against my "plan ahead" nature. But God must have been conditioning me for this, because I'm not going completely crazy! We still have not sold our Nashville home. So, first and foremost, if you're reading this, please say a prayer that it will sell very soon. Because of this, we've had to adjust some things with the purchase of our Seattle home. Therefore, we don't have a definite move date yet.

This brings me to another issue. Dale and I made the decision a couple of weeks ago for him to look for a part-time job in Seattle in order to stretch out the funding we've currently received. Because we don't know how much longer we may be in Nashville, he's decided to look for a job here that will allow him to work even though we're moving soon and/or one that could transfer to Seattle when we move. So, you can also be praying that he finds such a job that will also give him the flexibility he needs to still focus much of his time on Connect Church.

We are not discouraged. We know that everything will happen in God's timing and it will turn out better than what we had planned. God continues to show us daily that His hand is upon us and that He is providing for what we need. As a good friend reminded me recently, God is faithful to provide our DAILY bread, so we need not worry about tomorrow.

That is why I love church planters.


Todd Wilson, Neil Cole, Tom Jones, and Alan Hirsch

I am writing this in Orlando getting ready for the Exponential Conference. Todd, Neil, Tom, and Alan and I got together (with Todd's mom).

Todd is the brains behind the whole Exponential Conference that has become the premier church planting conference in the country. I will share more about my time with the other folks tomorrow.

More soon from the Exponential Conference...

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/best_practices_f

I have spent all day in Orlando with the leadership of over a dozen different denominations in Orlando.

Today, I announced new research we are planning on church planting assessment and other topics. We also heard from three speakers today.

Stephen Gray talked about planting fast growing churches based on his research. He has written Planting Fast Growing Churches.

Ron Sylvia of the NEXT Initiative talked about creating coaching networks. He has written a book called Starting Churches on Purpose.

Tom Clegg of CoachNet talked about coaching networks. He has written a book called Missing in America.

Tomorrow, we will hear from Mark Reynolds from the Redeember Church Planting Center. I will also share some research from best practice analysis.

More soon...

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2008/04/new_evangelism_r

We just released some new evangelism research. You can find the full story here. Here are some excerpts from the article.

Unchurched adults interested in finding a congregation aren’t nearly as likely to visit one in person as a church member who is shopping for a new congregation. That means effective evangelism must begin outside the sanctuary in relationships between Christians and unbelievers, according to research from several recent studies from LifeWay Research...

"The location of our evangelism needs to shift if we want to reach the unchurched and not just move sheep around," said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. "At LifeWay Research we want to encourage churches to grow through conversion. To do that, they must not rely only of the unchurched visiting our churches. Church switchers are primarily the ones who visit churches. The unchurched stay home...

"So, if you build your outreach on recruiting and reaching church visitors you will often build a church on church switchers," he said.

Stetzer continued, "For several decades we have focused on come and see, invest and invite, bring your friends to church by attracting them with a great program. We call that attrac