Ed Stetzer

Monday is for Missiology: The Eschatological Dimension of the Missional Church

2010-02-08T20:26:16Z

Over the next few months leading up to missionSHIFT, along with introducing to you to the folks who are joining us at Ridgecrest to be a part of the missional conversation, I want to make sure that we continue to trace the roots of the missional debate historically and theologically. These posts will be a continuation of my "Meanings of Missional" series that has been on hiatus for a while. Okay, since October of 2007 (grin).

]]>
For many of you, this discussion may not interest you. Your focus is, "Let's live on mission." Fair enough-- we will actaully be talking about some practical discussion with some partners in the next few days. I don't think this practical approach is a wrong approach-- but I think that if we are to think deeply on issues of church and mission, it will require historic and theological reflection.

I believe we need to be careful not to assume that this is the first time there has been concern, for example, over the relationship between social justice, evangelism, and the Kingdom of God. We can learn a lot by looking at those who have gone before us and walked through these issues. In fact, if we don't look at this part of the conversation, we could easily make some of the same mistakes that caused the leftward shift in a theological direction during the missio dei movement in the mid- and late-20th century.

When you look at the historical trajectory of the "church and mission" conversation, it was a deeply theological discussion. We must continue to filter this discussion theologically. In fact, I would say that missional must be tied-- and I believe it is-- to something inherently theological, particularly, the missio dei. If not, it is just another descriptor in a long line of descriptors: church growth, seeker-sensitive, church health, emerging.

In previous "Meaning of Missional" posts, we looked at the nuanced discussion over the relationship of the kingdom of God, mission, and the church. Today we will look at the role of eschatology (in this case referring to the coming of the Kingdom) and its relationship to mission and the church.

In the last century, the church began to be perceived (particularly within the conciliar missions movement) differently than in previous centuries. This would pave the way for a decidedly distinctive relationship between the church and the biblical concept of the Kingdom of God. In contemporary ecclesiology, the church moved away from being identified as institution and increasingly became acknowledged as "sacrament, sign, and instrument."[1]

Gunther Gassman has shown that the broad reception of the ecclesiological use of the terms "sacrament, sign, and instrument" in ecumenical deliberation explains that this terminology is "helpful in describing the place and vocation of the church and its unity in God's plan of salvation."[2] The images of "sacrament, sign, and instrument" give articulation to the idea that the church is the only social order in the world that exists for the sake of those who are not yet members of it.[3]

The understanding of the church as sacrament, sign, and instrument also led to a new perception of the relationship between the church and the world. Missions became viewed as "God's turning to the world," representing a fundamentally new approach in theology. For centuries, a stagnant notion of the church had triumphed; the world outside the church was recognized as a antagonistic; the outside were, at most, "prospects" to be won.[4]

Put differently, according to David Bosch, the church was a world on its own and "it wasn't until after the Second World War that the essential orientation of the church toward the world was being embraced more widely in Protestantism."[5] Today, that view is widely embraced in most missiological circles (and many popular ones as well).

This idea was not first "discovered" in the modern missional movement or the missio dei movement that preceded it. At the turn of the twentieth century, New Testament scholars such as Albert Schweitzer contended that eschatology should be central to the church's mission. It wasn't until just after World War 2 (around the missio dei movement) that a climate would be created in which new eschatological thinking would be win the day.[6] But this "new eschatology" was far from homogeneous. Citing Ludwig Wiedenmann, Bosch states there were four major eschatological "schools" in German Protestantism, each of which had a noteworthy influence on missionary thinking.
1) Dialectical (Karl Barth, Karl Hartenstein, Hendrik Kraemer),
2) Existential (Rudolf Bultmann),
3) Actualized (Adolf Althaus), and
4) Salvation-historical (Oscar Cullmann, Walter Freytag).[7]
Wiedmann ascertains the first three interpretations to be paradigms of ahistorical eschatologies. Only the fourth model, the salvation-historical school, takes history sincerely, putting particular emphasis on the reign of God as both present and future.

Perhaps the most influential theologian in the salvation-historical "school" was the Lutheran theologian Oscar Cullman. Bosch says a case could be made that practically all contemporary schools of eschatology and of missionary thinking are "offshoots" of Cullman's salvation-history approach and his understanding of eschatology is the "soundest base for an understanding of the eschatological nature of missions from earlier positions."[8]

Now, evangelicals would have some robust concerns with many of the theologians and movements mentioned, but they have influenced much of evangelical thinking today. Putting names aside, perhaps it would be helpful to unpack it practically. George Eldon Ladd provides a helpful explanation in The Gospel and the Kingdom, "God's Kingdom creates the Church and works in the world through the church."

It might help to define the Kingdom of God a little further to fully consider the theology. One way to define it is that the Kingdom of God is where the will of God is done. Obviously, when Jesus the King came and lived on Earth, the Kingdom of God was here. Jesus prayed, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven." The reign of God is active, allowing His will to be done.

When Jesus returned to Heaven, the church was left here on Earth, clearly not the Kingdom of God, as it was still in a fallen world, but most would say that it was a sign and instrument, even a sacrament, of the Kingdom of God. For example, when people look into the church (not the building, but the relationships and community) and they see marriages restored, people made whole, and miracles taking place, they should say, "Oh, that's what the Kingdom of God looks like." Thus, the church is a sign and an instrument of the Kingdom. It engages in Kingdom work for a Kingdom agenda. The church is the Kingdom's tool.

In order to understand the missional church, we must consider the Kingdom of God. Christians are talking much more about the Kingdom. I think that is good but not without some concerns historically and theologically.

I'll unpack this more in the coming days, but let me pose a few questions:
-How do you view the Kingdom of God and its relationship to the mission of God?
-What needs to change to have such a Kingdom focus?
-How is that important to the missional conversation today?
-Are there any dangers inherent with a Kingdom focus?

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

[1] Avery Dulles, Models of the Church (Garden City, NY: Image Books, 1974), 58-70.

[2] Gunther Gassman, "The Church as Sacrament, Sign, and Instrument: The Reception of this Ecclesiological Understanding in Ecumenical Debate," Gennadios, ed., Church, Kingdom, World: The Church as Mystery and Prophetic Sign (Geneva: World Council of Churches, 1986), 13.

[3] Dietrich Bonhoffer, Letters and Papers From Prison (London: SCM Press, 1971), 382.

[4] Howard Snyder, Liberating the Church (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1983), 52.

[5] David Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1991), 502.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ludwig Wiedenmann, Mission und Eschatologie: Eine Analyse der neueren deutschen evangelischen Missionstheologie (Paderborn: Verlag Bonifacius-Druck-erei, 1965), 26-49, 55-91, 131-178, as quoted by Bosch, Transforming Mission, 502.

[8] Bosch, Transforming Mission, 504.

Missional Mondays: Introducing Linda Bergquist

2010-02-08T15:07:16Z

Today I want to introduce you to Linda Bergquist. She will be speaking at the missionSHIFT conference this summer. We are also excited to have her voice as a part of framing the Missional Manifesto.

Linda and her husband Eric live in San Francisco, California. She is a New Church Starting Strategist and the co-author of "Church Turned Inside Out" from Leadership Network (2009).

I have known Linda (Dr. Bergquist ) for many years. When I was a professor (oh so long ago) she took several of us on a tour of the marginalized communities where God was at work in the Bay area. She has a passion for people on the edge of society and the change that the gospel brings. You can find out more about her work in San Francisco at her site Plant Churches with Us.

To introduce her to you, I asked Linda to answer a few questions about herself.

]]> You work as a new church starting strategist in San Francisco. Tell us briefly how you came to do that work in that place.

Linda: I've been involved in missional activity since the week I became a follower of Christ, and in church planting since a few months after that. Five years and four churches later, with a seminary degree in hand, my home church invited me to join their staff and help them start churches. Ten years later, the senior pastor left for the Bay Area [and I took] the church planting strategist job in San Francisco. That was fourteen years ago.

What do I see that gives you hope for the church in America?

Linda: I see Dave and Brook Maturo who moved from a 4 bedroom house they owned in Florida to a small rented space in San Francisco, with no guarantee of jobs, to assist our church planting team become more effective. I see a church of poor Mongolian refugees, all new Christians, who sent the school supplies we gave them back to Mongolia where children are glad for even one pencil. I see business entrepreneur Ken McCord intentionally translating kingdom values into the workplace; notifying the utility company that his bill was too low, extending medical benefits to employees at the expense of his own salary, and caring enough to utilize more costly earth friendly processes. I see Marian Engelland planting churches, mentoring other women and running a nonprofit that serves the poor, even with twin baby girls and two other preschoolers. I see Jason Williams helping local churches collaborate with Afghan business owners to raise money to repair windows in a girl's school in Afghnistan. I see really good DNA that's worth reproducing.

You recently published "Church Turned Inside Out." Tell us about the book.

Linda: "Church Turned Inside Out" is a design book for churches. My friend, Allan Karr and I wrote it because we wanted to introduce Christian leaders to the world of design thinking. Over the decades, church became algorithmic. We discovered a formula, and a set of rules that helped us find ways to get from here to there more efficiently and more effectively. But the present algorithm is not as reliable as it once was. New information has come into the equation, and it requires a more experimental posture. Some people experiment in ways that improve the results of the present algorithm (refiners and re-aligners), and others step into the mystery and discover new ways of thinking and being in the world. Awareness of both is needed for a good design process, and both are necessary concepts to carry the church into the future.

Obviously, the word "missional" is spoken of, used by, and claimed by many groups. Instead of giving another definition for the word, can you tell the readers an example of where you and your family are seeking to live missionally?

Linda: Sometimes I tell people that in the suburbs it's easier to be nice, but in cities it's easier to be good. So many things rub against us in a dense city-- crazy driving, difficult parking, close proximity to every kind of noise and smell. It's a different pace of life. Serenity, patience, and "nice people attitudes" seem distant and even extravagant. But in cities, the decision for goodness is ever-present. Will we waste the food from our large portion meal, or cut some off before we eat, and wrap it to give to that hungry person we will surely encounter on the way home? Do we follow the trail of blood that leads down the street and into a park to see who may need help or do we ignore it? Do we acknowledge the beggar on the sidewalk who is asking for money, or do we look away because seeing is too costly? Do we treat the Russian pizza delivery driver with respect and kindness? In Russia, he was a classical musician, but here, his limited English prevents him from being well employed. Every time I treat him more like a delivery driver than a classical musician, I rob him of his identity.

In terms of missionSHIFT and the Missional Manifesto, what would be a great end-game in your mind for this event and process?

Linda: There have been times and places in history that mobilize great movements. For example, I love the story of the Harlem Renaissance. African American poets and preachers, artists and educators showed up in Harlem at the same time in the 1920s and 30s. Together they imagined what it might be like to be black in America some day. Communication was more difficult then, but what happened in Harlem sparked the Civil Rights Movement. Today I imagine a new, decentralized, and wonderfully diverse movement of God's people who respond to the urgent call of a missional manifesto and walk together in a revitalized kingdom direction.

Are you registered for the missionSHIFT conference? Head over to the website and sign up. I believe this will be an important and helpful gathering.

Thoughts on Faith and Sports

2010-02-08T00:00:27Z

Right now, many of you are gathered around the TV, surrounded by bowls of dip and chips, platters of wings, and other tasty treats as you watch The Game. Are you getting your Superbowl on? Some people watch mostly for the commercials, and at least one spot has already generated a lot of controversy because of an athlete's pro-life stance in it.

Most guys like sports, and Christians aren't any exception. In fact there appears to be a real influence of faith in sports, and even (for good or bad) sports in faith. There's even a new book covering the subject (with a negative view).

We've all seen teams pray before the game, players credit God with the win, and many athletes openly talk about their religious convictions. I know it's cool these days to dump on celebrities and athletes when they "thank God." Newscasters, and even many Christians, roll their eyes. But the truth is many athletes who wind up in the spotlight believe such opportunities must be taken to publicly give God thanks or even tell others about Jesus.

Look, you can't ask for someone's thoughts and expect them to leave out their core convictions that determine how they interpret the events (or games) of their lives. Even if the press doesn't get religion, they have to know enough to cover the motivation of these athletes. Sarah Pullman Bailey has written a good article on this in the Wall Street Journal.

...reporters have found it hard to ignore Jesus-professing athletes like the quarterback Kurt Warner, who retired on Jan. 29. Mr. Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a grocery store to winning two MVPs, is outspoken about his faith. When a reporter attempts to separate the high-caliber athletes from average ones, they begin to look for some intangible qualities, and faith is sometimes a part of that. "There is dishonesty in telling his story if you ignore what drives him, especially if you accept its role in one of the NFL's great success stories," the Arizona Republic's Paola Boivin wrote before last year's Super Bowl.

Sports journalism often lends itself to lengthy profile-driven features. Sportswriters have some of the best opportunities to tell human-interest stories, and in some cases that means connecting the religious dots for people. But when you look closer into what it means to be religious, it usually involves divisive opinions on matters like heaven and hell, and, in some cases, abortion.

One of the funnier moments I enjoyed was the shock that a nationally known athlete would live different because of his faith. Tebow's response to a journalist's question is priceless.

Now, this has to apply to all. If an athelte wants to thank Allah, Vishnu, Mother Earth, or the power of Grayskull, so be it. If you don't like it, quit making athletes into role models and interviewing them. When you ask them, they just might tell you what they believe.

2009 in Review: March

2010-02-05T14:01:53Z

I'm continuing the 2009 blog in review with some highlights from March. Below we've got some good research and a lot of Andy Stanley.

MARCH 2009

Preaching to the Younger Unchurched

Let us begin by saying that not only is it possible to preach to the unchurched, it's quite probable you're already doing so, perhaps weekly. Just because someone has awareness of your church or has attended a service at your church does not make them churched. Consider those that show up for their annual visits on Easter and Christmas. They may have sat through the last 20 years of your holiday cantata, but that doesn't make them churched. Entertained, sure. Inspired maybe. But certainly not churched...

[read it all here]

Andy Stanley

This interview with Andy Stanley is helpful and provocative. It generated a lot of conversation on and off the blog. I actually had to interrupt the interview in between parts 2 and 3 to address some of the responses. If you missed it, it's definitely worth checking out.

Andy Stanley on Communcation Pt 1
Andy Stanley on Communcation Pt 2
Responding to Stanley
Andy Stanley on Communcation Pt 3
Andy Stanley on Communcation Pt 4
Andy Stanley on Communcation Pt 5

Barna: How Many Have a Biblical Worldview?

Barna Research has published the results of a survey that "explored how many [adults] have what might be considered a 'biblical worldview.'" This is a helpful study that will confirm the conclusions many have already drawn - and may surprise some of us as well. What does Barna mean by a "biblical worldview?"

[read it all here]

The Decline of Religion in America

...the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) has caught everyone's attention today as it points out the decline of religion and the rise in secularism in America

[read it all here]

Receptive People

Yesterday I talked with Cathy Lynn Grossman for USA Today about Americans' receptivity to evangelistic contacts and outreach from a church. I pointed to some recent research done by Lifeway Research and the North American Mission Board where we surveyed over 15,000 people (read more on this report via Lifeway Research). It turns out most people said they would be willing to receive information about church in a personal conversation with a family member, friend or neighbor.

[read it all here]

Some Upcoming Seminars

2010-02-03T21:46:35Z

Here are some upcoming places where I will ministering in the next two weeks.

Austin, TX: Verge: Missional Communities Conference (Feb. 4-6)

I'm packing for the Verge: Missional Communities Conference this morning. I will be there all day tomorrow. I'm hoping to make much of God's mission with application on how we might live it out. The conference is sold out, but you can watch it live online at the site.

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

Nashville, TN: Honesty Conference (Feb. 10)

Next Wednesday, I will be speaking in the Honesty Conference in Franklin, TN with Ray Ortland, Scott Thomas, and Jamie George. I love the theme and look forward to talking about gospel-centered Christianity as compared to the works-based version so prevalent today.

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

Lake Forest, CA: Radicalis (Feb. 9-12)

Last week, Rick Warren asked me to join the team at Radicalis and I am glad to do so. I will be writing more about that later.

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

Lake Forest, CA: Saddleback Church (Feb. 13-14)

I will be staying over to bring the weekend messages at Saddleback Church. Please pray I make much of Jesus, the cross, and God's mission.

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

Thanks for praying for me as I seek to represent Christ.

What is a Missional Church?

2010-02-03T15:38:48Z

Somewhere (and I don't recall where), I was asked to state my name and define a "missional church."

Here was my response:

What Does It Mean to Be Missional? from The Resurgence on Vimeo.

For a better (and much easier to look at!) video, see this one:

What do you think? What could be said better than what I said in my spur-of-the-moment comments? (By the way, I get much more technical here.)

Missional Manifesto: Introducing Eric Mason

2010-02-02T21:35:30Z

Over the weeks to come, I will be introducing you to the people who will be serving as framers for the Missional Manifesto that we will discuss as a part of the missionSHIFT conference on July 12-15 in Ridgecrest, NC.

First up is Eric Mason... better known as "Mase" to his friends.

He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife Yvette and two sons Immanuel and Nehemiah. He is also an adjunct professor at Biblical Theological Seminary. Dr. Mason received his Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM 2000) and a Doctorate degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (DMin, May 2007).

Eric is the lead pastor and co-founder of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the church website, the mission of Epiphany Fellowship is simple: "We want to develop disciples."

The web site goes on to explain:

]]> We want to develop disciples that are able to minister in the culture and help new disciples to grow in God's word in every area of their lives and shining the truth of the person of Jesus Christ to the glory of the Triune God. We cannot stress enough the realization that this Church will not be a "Hip Hop Church," but a CHURCH.

Albeit we will be sensitive to the unique needs of those heavily influenced by that culture. The target group will be those from ages 18-44 who are unsaved or without a community of disciples of which to bond in a Theo-centric community.

We would like to see The Name of Jesus Christ Magnified by the credibility of the Church being reestablished in the world through Robust & Relevant Worship, Rich & Relevant Word, and Real & Relevant Witnesses (Eph. 2:20-21). We want to have inward depth, and be outwardly missional.

Here's a little more about Eric. You can find a series of messages Eric did about the missional church in April of 2007 and February of 2009.

Back in 2008, he spoke at "Missional Christianity... Church Beyond Boundaries: A conference addressing theological and practical challenges for the future of the missional church" at Biblical Seminary on the subject of "Missional Church Planting in an Urban Setting."

I first heard Eric speak at the Dwell Urban Church Planting Conference in New York City on the subject of "Dwelling Incarnationally." You can hear the audio here. And, Eric is speaking this week at the Desiring God conference in Minneapolis.

Eric Mason is passionate about the mission of God in world, and specifically in the urban context. He is godly and humble. I am proud to serve with him as we move in conversation toward a better articulating what it means to be a missional church-- and then encouraging one another to live mission-shaped lives.

The Exchange Live Web Show Starts Today at 2p.m. Central

2010-02-02T17:35:57Z

I'll be hosting a regular web show starting today. You can find it here.

Here is what I wrote last week:

My main agenda is simple: to help pastors and church leaders in a setting that includes questions and dialogue. If I had my way, I would personally coach and encourage every pastor or leader. But, since they actaully want me to lead a research team here at LifeWay, I am somewhat limited in my capacity. With this new show, I can talk through some common themes and interact with Christian leaders as we "provoke one another to love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).

The episodes will be archived and cataloged by themes and topics. Today I will focus on three things:
1. my article on research in Christianity Today
2. thoughts on the clergification and its dangers
3. my blog post from yesterday

Here is the news release with more information (and the link at the bottom).

]]> LifeWay announces live webcast with Ed Stetzer

By Brooklyn Lowery

NASHVILLE, Tenn., 1/26/10 - On Feb. 2 LifeWay will launch "The Exchange with Ed Stetzer," a live monthly webcast featuring Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research and LifeWay's missiologist in residence. Stetzer will talk about issues relating to church and culture as well as take questions from viewers.

The live webcast will begin at 2 p.m. CST and can be viewed at LifeWay.com/theexchange. During the approximately 30-minute program, viewers will be able to communicate with one another and with Stetzer via a chat feature at LifeWay.com/theexchange or on Twitter.

Stetzer has planted churches, served as a pastor and helped revitalize churches in several states. He has also trained pastors in countries around the world.

"I'm blessed with the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people who often ask insightful questions informed by their own unique experiences and perceptions," Stetzer said. "Unfortunately, I rarely have the opportunity to respond to these questions with as much thoroughness as I would like, nor am I able to get back to everyone who has a question or would like to dig deeper on a subject.

"'The Exchange' will give me a chance to talk through some of these questions and, I hope, will be a resource for people who are in the trenches doing ministry and engaging the culture for Christ."

The first episode will focus primarily on "clergification," or the division of the church into a false and unbiblical hierarchy where a select few paid leaders "do ministry" and the unpaid others are to "pay, pray and get out of the way."

Stetzer will also discuss his recent article in Christianity Today, which addressed church leaders' tendency to incorrectly use statistics and research.

"The Exchange with Ed Stetzer" will air Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. CST on LifeWay.com/theexchange.

"Converts to What?"-- On the Need for Showing and Sharing the Love of Christ

2010-02-01T10:24:02Z

Today, I re-start my tradition of blogging on all things missional each Monday.

To do that, I wanted to start with an article that would not normally be listed as one of my "missional" articles. I think, however, it will help frame the discussion and must be part of the focus.

Simply put, I am not interested in a "missional conversation" that does not involve men and women being redeemed, changed, and transformed by the gospel. Yes, it is more than that (and I will write on that in depth over the coming week), but it must include a heart for those far from Christ. We are called to share and show the love of Christ and the beauty of the gospel-- both matter.

Here is a re-post of a blog post and an article I wrote for Catalyst Monthly. It begins by recounting a conversation I had with someone in the missional church conversation.

The article:

"We worry too much about reaching people," explained a recent "missional" convert. He explained that he had read my book and a few others and he wanted to be more about the mission of God and less about nickels, noses, and numbers. "We have to show the love of Jesus, not just tell people about him." He was a convert to missional but was not as focused on seeing converts to Christ. And he is not alone.]]>
Converts to a Cause

I continue to see movements gaining traction among Christians that do not seem to have many converts. In other words, they have recruits to their cause, but few converts to Christ. And I am concerned. I am concerned that in the name of "fixing the Church" we are not proclaiming the Church's gospel.

You've seen it, too, among others--the emerging church wants to rethink structures; the missional folks want more social justice; the charismatic folks want more of the Spirit; Baptists want to convert the Presbyterians; the house church people want more authentic community; and the Reformed folks just want, well, I am not sure since they never seem happy.

I must confess I have an affinity with some of these groups. But, a change movement that does not produce converts is as useless as a systematic theology text at Joel Osteen's church. Even if and when the cause is important, that is not enough for the church and its mission. Central to our task is to display the glory of God through His redemptive work through the redemption of those far from Christ.

Let's Talk

An argument of sorts has arisen among some friends of mine that helps illustrate the point. Mark Driscoll, in his oh-so-subtle way, said that many in the emerging church "don't have any converts." Dan Kimball has expressed his missional misgivings about missional churches without conversions. Several defenders have responded to the critics. But, the conversation can and should be much broader than "emerging" or "missional" conversations: I have heard it in charismatic, Calvinist, Baptist, and other settings. And, there are always defenders.

But, I believe defending is not the answer. It is never a good thing to be defending our lack of converts to Christ while we are busy converting people to our cause. To me, it is the difference between complaining and creating a new (and better) way.

For example, I have been identified with the missional conversation. I believe the church can and must identify with the missio dei and refocus its agenda around the purpose of God. Yet, I don't want missional to mean attacks on mega and fast growing churches who are reaching people "wrongly," while missional churches are reaching few "rightly." (Now, take that last sentence and replace the word "missional" with the word "reformed"--still works. Now do it with "Baptist"--yep that's 3 for 3. Need I go on?)

Now, I am not willing to say that a lack of converts is a sign of unfaithfulness. But, I am willing to say that too many change movements are not seeing lost people's lives changed. And I think that is the wrong kind of change.

So, my Reformed friends, let's not only read 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John (that is, John Calvin, John MacArthur, and John Piper), let's go plant some more churches. My emerging church friends, let's take a pause from the theological rethink and head into the neighborhood and to tell someone about Jesus. My missional friends, let's speak of justice, but always tell others how God can be both "just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." My house church friends, let's have community, but let's be sure it is focused on redemption. My Baptist friends, let's focus more on convincing pagans than Presbyterians. And, my charismatic friends, let's focus less on getting existing believers to speak in tongues and more on using our tongue to tell others about Jesus.

Now, I know the preceding paragraph will tick some of you off--and, I am trying to be a bit edgy while making a point. But, let me suggest you be less offended at my words and more focused on Jesus' words: Go therefore and make disciples of nations.

If you are passionate about what you believe you will naturally want others to "get it" as you have. For example, you would not be a very good charismatic if you did not want me to be baptized in the Spirit. However, I think it is unhelpful that so many Reformed, emerging, missional, denominational, Baptist, house church, charismatic, and every other kind of Christian spends more energy persuading other believers than they do reaching non-believers.

So, let's continue conversations about being "missional" or whatever, but let's not do so if it distracts us from the mission. Instead let's talk about these issues but not let them distract us from our main focus--showing and sharing the love of Jesus to a desperately lost world that needs a message of hope.

Showing a Better Way

If you want to convince me (and the body of Christ) to your cause, you must show me it is a better way. You must tell and show something different. You must not just protest what is, but you must show me what should be.

Ivan Illich was once asked if the way to societal change was best through revolution or through reform. He explained it was neither--at least if you wanted long term change. Instead, he said we need to tell an "alternative story" that is so compelling it draws others to the story.

So, tell your alternative story. Show me a way that is passionate about the cause and filled with new converts to Christ. If all you have are criticisms, concerns, or new ideas, but no new converts, that hardly seems a better path or an "alternative story."

So, don't defend your lack of converts, repent of it, weep over it, and resolve to change it.

Thanks to Catalystspace.com for running the article.

Philippians Series, parts 1 and 2

2010-01-29T16:33:23Z

As you may know, I am interim pastor at Two Rivers in Nashville. I have been preaching through the book of Philippians and thought I would post them here. Both of these videos are from our 9:15 service.

Here is part 1 with introductory information about the book and its big themes:

Philippians Series- part 1 from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

And, here is part 2, which covers verses 1:3-6:

Philippians- Our Partnership in the Gospel from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

You can subscribe to the vodcast here and the podcast here.

For those who know me, you will note that my 40-45 minute sermons are not suddenly shorter! The reason is that I am taking time in each service to explain to the congregation where we are (ministry, prayer, finances, the future, etc.) as we work together toward the future of Two Rivers.

God has been doing good things as we trust and follow Him. Part of that plan is to communicate with the people as we work through some important things as a church.

We're excited about the future at Two Rivers!

Christian, Jew and Muslim "Trialogue"

2010-01-28T00:15:05Z

We often hear of interfaith events and organizations, but is it possible for three very different religions to hold on to their beliefs, maintaining their differences, and still learn about one another? Bob Roberts, Pastor of Northwood Church in Keller, Texas, thinks so, and worked with local Jewish and Muslim leadership to pull off a three day "trialogue."

The Dallas Morning News covered the story and explained,

Members of NorthWood and the mosque will attend the regular worship service tonight at Temple Shalom. On Saturday afternoon, the Christians and Jews will visit the mosque. Finally, on Sunday morning, the Jews and Muslims will attend NorthWood for worship.

After each gathering, the three clergymen will answer questions about the differences and similarities of their faiths

Since Bob is a friend, I contacted him for details. i preached at Northwood a couple of months ago during their church planting focus. I stayed over at Bob's house and we talked late until the night about his engagement with Muslims around the world. So, I know his passion for Muslims and evangelism.

When I saw his most recent idea (and Bob has them regularly!), I had questions and thought you might as well. So, I shot him some questions via email. Below is the interview. Feel free to discuss below and Bob will be dropping by the comments.

]]> First, tell us about the weekend?

The largest mosque and synagogue in DFW along with our church came together not for an inter-faith service but a multi-faith education and relationship building event. On Friday - we all went to the synagogue - had refreshments and conversation for an hour, and then and observed their worship. When it concluded me, the rabbi, and the imam took Q & A for 45 minutes. Saturday we all went to the mosque - and then Sunday they all came to the church. I'll tell you, it was strange as a pastor looking out and seeing hundreds of head coverings of hijabs, skull caps, etc., Our members worshipped with passion, clapping, raising their hands - and to see other religions interspersed through us as we worshipped was undescribeable - all I could think of was Paul in the synagogues, Mars Hill - etc., I didn't know how it would affect our worship Sunday, but for whatever reason - our worship that day was powerful simply powerful - I heard that again and again.

What did you hope to accomplish?

First, I wanted to glorify God-- by Muslims and Jews being welcomed to an evangelical church and being told clearly who Jesus is and what we believe about him, then letting them ask their hardest questions - and share the Gospel in a loving and relational way - and we did. You can listen to my sermon at glocal.net or northwoodchurch.org. YES, the rabbi and the imam shared their faith as well-- the premise was we should be able to talk honestly and openly about it.

Second, I work with people of different religions all over the world-- I don't think we in the West know how to speak of faith and treat people with respect at the same time. We can come across as arrogant, superior, and sometimes condescending because we have the truth. If we have the truth - we should be the most humble of all and the most serving of all. Keeping our young people and children isolated from other religions in an attempt to keep them in our faith - is a dangerous move in the 21st century. They will hear and know, we can help with that process and help them understand why we follow Jesus above all else, and send them out equipped, or ignore or worse villify but never explain other religions and watch them turn from Jesus because we didn't live it or explain it.

Third, I want to build bridges between Christians and other religions. I do this all over the world - it was an opportunity for me to bring my congregation to the table with me to see what I'm doing and how I do it globally and give them a pattern for how to build relationships and share the Gospel. I've been swamped by our members calling and emailing things like "I get it now". I have also been overwhelmed by Muslims and Jews thanking us and thanking me for being honest about the differences. Several want to meet with me to clear me up on the Trinity and Jesus being the "only way" which I preached - but not in an arrogant or bully way.

Fourth, I want to bring down the tension between Christians and other religions - the East and the West. The only way you do that is by building relationships. I don't want to have to bury my children, my youth in our church, our grown men and women from war. I want to be able to look them in the eye and tell them, I did all I could with all I had to prevent that. The less we know each other, the more polarizing we become and the more fearful we live. This is a way to open the door.

How is this different from liberal Protestant approaches at interfaith cooperation?

I'm not a particular fan of interfaith events. It takes all religions and tries to merge them into a "all roads lead to the same place" kind of approach as well as mixing worship to multiple gods thereby denying the truth of most views of God. At the synagogue they did their worship and we observed, at the mosque the same and at the church the same. Interfaith is mirky, it's more about feel good. It doesn't allow us to be honest about our differences. It's build on the premise of the lowest common denominators of our belief of God so we can all sit down together. How can we build relationships if we don't speak honestly to each other. I'm tired of having to be religiously politically correct. I'm also tired of the arrogance of some evangelicals who don't know how to disagree and treat others with respect.

The conflict in the world today is between the fundamentalist and conservative Christians, Muslims, and other groups - not liberal and more moderate Muslim, Christian, or Jews. Those of us who are conservative are serious about our faith, our views of God, our views of our Holy Books and we are not going to compromise them for the sake of "getting along" because we have an eternal and truth paradigm view of God. THEREFORE, since we DO NEED TO GET ALONG together in this world we have to change the platform for meeting and shift the conversation. That's what multi-faith does - it moves the platform for conversation and engagement from the least common denominators of faith - to the most irreconcileable truths and says even so, we can treat one another with respects. At one point I told the group as the rabbi, the imam and myself were talking - "We are one another's worst heretics!" It says, I believe who I believe God is and am not willing to compromise truth but in my truth there is the teaching that I should respect others, get along with them.

It does something else - most conversation between people of various religions is an intellectual debate about why my religion is right and yours is wrong. It starts from a head perspective - which is critical. But this starts from a relational perspective. If your mind is already made up about your religion and someone bashes it or disagrees with you - you're not listening. If you're my friend - you will listen. I wish you would have been with me for lunch after church Sunday. The imam, the rabbi, and myself got into heavy heavy theological discussions. We were asking the "unaskable" questions of each other. I will say, my wife did learn to cook Kosher/Halal food - and it wasn't bad!

What do you believe about Muslims and Jews who are without Christ?

I was asked several times about John 14:6 "I am the way the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father but by me." I was asked if I believed that - as a matter of fact a reporter asked me that, and it was the first question asked me at the synagogue - my answer. "Yes, I do believe that. I don't wish to offend you or seem arrogant or cocky or narrow. But I believe in the authority of the Bible and it says that - it's a quote from my Savior and I can't compromise on that. It's true for all religions - even Baptist! That doesn't mean I think I'm better than you - it means truth is absolute and not subjective - and wish you all believed that and I'd love to help you with that and then baptize all of you (with a big smile)." To which with a smile being returned I was told "no thankyou." I believe in Hell and Heaven and the only way to heaven is through Jesus. I was asked a lot of questions about other verses as well - what Christians believe about the second coming (one of the worst jobs we've done of helping non-Christians understand) I told them I did not have all the answers of everything God was going to do and exactly how everything would work out, that may be what you're referring to.

Why attend the worship service of other religions? Can you really worship with Muslims?

Missionaries around the world do this to understand the people they're trying to communicate with. It was an educational event. I don't view it as "satanic" or "demonic" these are people that are sincere and seeking God. Going into bars, movie theatres, and banks are probably a lot more "satanic" than anything else! I want to know how they think, etc., Paul did it in the synagogue and at Mars Hill. Those people who are seeking God the most, are the ones I want to relate to. I want to be like Paul in this regard.

Worshipping with Muslims? At first I would have said no - but worship isn't about the space it is "the hearts affection and the mind's attention" as Jordan Fowler says - so I can worship anywhere, anytime, anyplace - as long as I am right with God and my focus is directed toward God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In my car, in my study, in a mosque, in a catholic church, in a synagogue, on the side of a mountain, in an airplane - the Holy Spirit doesn't leave me when I walk in places he goes before me and guides me into those places as long as the primary focus is to glorify God.

The question is, do I focus my worship to the God of the Jew or Muslim or whatever? The answer to that is no. I believe as I stated several times the past weekend that I believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. I cannot worship if I deny who Jesus is. Jesus is greater than all religions, and all gods. If he's in my heart - I'm filled with the Holy Spirit - and "if I make my bed in hell - he is with me."

How have other Christians responded?

Lots of responses, curiosity, excitement, confusion, questions . . . . . . all of it. But overall, it has been an incredibly positive event. We are at a powerful point in history where we are connected like never before. All religions are all places and we are at a turning point in how to speak of faith globally - which is what my sermon is about at glocal.net on my blog yesterday. Our current way of communicating is not working let alone building bridges and relationships. I believe that Christianity started as a Jewish movement to Jesus - I'm convinced it will conclude as an Islamic movement to Isa (the Islamic word for Jesus).

I've had so many thank me after it was over. Some who were skeptical came up to me and said "I get it now." Others, "I can build relationships and do this." Roy Fish called and told me he was sick or he'd be there!

An interesting note Ed, the younger people in our church below 30, were so excited. Those over 40, several were nervous. We all got to the same place. I think the worldview has changed with the younger generation and its up to us that are older to build the tracks for the next generation to be able to run on. Isolation has never been a good strategy for the Gospel to spread.

How did the Muslims and Jews respond?

I never dreamed it would draw this much attention or open up the doors or relationships that have opened. I'm being introduced as "This is my evangelical friend," and after a moment of someone looking at me in horror the following, "but he is a good guy - he isn't mean to us." I was in Gaza last week - and I was taken around like a "trophy" by some, everytime being introduced, "he is an evangelical pastor - but he is ok." It has always left me with this question, "what have we done that they don't mind our view of Jesus - but they do mind us?" I'm getting lots of emails from Jews and Muslims this week asking if I would meet with them to discuss the Trinity - or to just get to know them. One Jewish lady, hearing of my wife learning to cook Kosher and Halal was very moved and has volunteered to teach all our women to cook in that way so we can eat meals at one another's homes.

You know Ed, I went into it facing criticism, and still do over it - but when I was 8 years old, I was taught as a Royal Ambassador in my Baptist Church where my dad pastored that we are all "ambassadors for Christ" and I grew up really believing that. I still believe that. I felt this weekend like God was incredibly pleased with us during the whole thing. I could have spent years trying to build a relationship with one person, but Sunday as I worshipped, I wept standing by the rabbi and the imam knowing, that I would have the privilege of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus to some people for the first time. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

What did you preach?
Colossians 1!!!! John 14:6

What do you think? Can this kind of "trialogue" be helpful in building bridges to share the gospel? Talk it out in the comments, but remember to be civil.

Talking Small Groups with Guest Rick Howerton

2010-01-27T13:16:11Z

I'm a small groups guy. In fact, I've led conferences on 'em, led my churches to do 'em, been a small group leader myself, and been in 'em. I believe in small groups. Whether you're a church plant or well-established church, people in small communities is essential for individual spiritual growth as well as church health.

Yesterday on Twitter I wrote:

"Most likely place transformation & missional engagement will happen is in small community-- not large"

I also linked to a video on missional small communities here where I talk about small groups and their impact.

Small groups matter, but some churches are struggling with their groups because they are unaware that there are different ways of implementing them, and that how your small groups work (or don't work) will make a difference in your church. Choosing the one that is right for your church is vital.

Rick Howerton is my guest blogger today. He's been a campus minister, small groups pastor, senior pastor, and has planted a successful church, The Bridge in Spring Hill, Tennessee. As the small group specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources, Rick spends every day talking with church leaders preparing to start a small group ministry, doing small groups, or re-strategizing their small group ministry. He is also the author of multiple small group training resources and Destination Community: Small Group Ministry Manual.

]]>

Small Groups done right are one of the sure pathways to making disciples and growing a church. Sunday School churches are doing them alongside their traditional approach, many churches do small groups exclusively, and I'm thinking 99% of church plants are laser-like focused and will do small groups without ever considering another option. But these organic microcosms of the church have become so diverse that most church leaders are not sure what they're really discussing when a conversation about them starts up. There are at least seven different systems for doing groups and each of them has more variations on that particular theme than a Paganini Concerto.

Seven of the prevailing systems are...

1) Organic Community Groups
2) Preference of two or more group types
3) Closed Small Groups
4) Open Small Groups
5) Free Market System
6) Making Extraordinary Disciples
7) Cell Groups/Holistic Small Groups.

Choosing the right system for your church is vital. There are five criterion that you may want to consider when determining which system is best for your situation.

1) The senior pastor's primary passion. Is it Theological, Relational, Restorational, or Missional? If you get this wrong, no matter how well the groups are doing numerically, there will never be a consensus that the ministry is accomplishing what it should.

2) Is the first entry way to the church the small group? If so, choose a system that has many different kinds of groups and many groups with low expectations of group members.

3) The number of leaders required for the group ministry to be effective. If your church doesn't have enough group leaders for a given system choose an approach that demands fewer leaders.

4) What will you do with children. If you don't have a large enough congregation to have childcare for groups during meetings the children will need to be equals in the group with adults or choose an approach so that husbands watch the kids while mom attends a group meeting and moms watch kids while dad attends a group meeting. Be sure to meet the needs of your single parents too.

5) Demographics. While this isn't scientific my experience has shown me that the following groups do best with the demographic noted below. These demographics do represent the flagship church for each system.

Socioeconomics as well as the amount of education in a given demographic seemed to play a significant role in the effectiveness of each group system. The ratings on ZipWho.com at the time of the research utilized the terms below average, average, and above average. In order to find out where the community your church is in ranks, go to ZipWho.com and type in your church's zip code. When you do this you will get even more specific information including median income, cost of living index, median mortgage to income ratio, average household size, median age, etc... . If your community falls in the top 10% or the bottom 10% of a category the website will designate that fact.

1) Organic Community Groups... Income: Below Average, Education: Above Average
2) Preference of two or more group types... Income: Above Average, Education: Above Average
3) Closed Small Groups... Income: Above Average, Education: Above Average
4) Open Small Groups... Income: Above Average, Education: Above Average
5) Free Market System... Income: Above Average, Education: Above Average
6) Making Extraordinary Disciples... Income: Average, Education: Above Average
7) Cell Groups/Holistic Small Groups... Income: Below Average, Education: Below Average

I am particularly interested in a conversation on the relationship between small group types and economic / educational factors. Would love to see some interaction with Rick on that subject.

Rick is gathering some of the most notable leaders of the small group movement for a free online forum. Check out the Who, What, When Where, and How of this thing.

What: The Summit: A Convergence of Small Group Experts (a live, free interactive experience/forum for church leaders)
Who: Greg Bowman, Lyman Coleman, Bill Donahue, Carl George, Eddie Mosley, Randall Neighbor, Bill Search, Reid Smith, and Rick Howerton
When: Thursday, February 18, 2010, 10:30 a.m. to Noon Central Standard Time
Where: Watch from your own office or home computer or Starbucks or anyplace with an internet connection.
How to Learn More and Register: Head over to www.lifeway.com/sgsummit

In case you need Rick's assistance, his contact info is noted below.

Rick Howerton
rick.howerton@lifeway.com
www.serendipityblog.com
twitter.com/rickhowerton

Let's talk small groups with Rick as he will be interacting in the comments today.

New Live Web Show: The Exchange

2010-01-26T19:30:55Z

I'll be hosting a regular web show starting in February. Doing a "web show" feels a bit like I should be broadcasting from a basement in Aurora, IL, but I have hopes that we can be some encouragement to pastors and leaders.

My main agenda is simple: to help pastors and church leaders in a setting that includes questions and dialogue. If I had my way, I would personally coach and encourage every pastor or leader. But, since they actaully want me to lead a research team here at LifeWay, I am somewhat limited in my capacity. With this new show, I can talk through some common themes and interact with Christian leaders as we "provoke one another to love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).

The episodes will be archived and cataloged by themes and topics.

Here is their release:

]]>

LifeWay announces live webcast with Ed Stetzer

By Brooklyn Lowery

NASHVILLE, Tenn., 1/26/10 - On Feb. 2 LifeWay will launch "The Exchange with Ed Stetzer," a live monthly webcast featuring Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research and LifeWay's missiologist in residence. Stetzer will talk about issues relating to church and culture as well as take questions from viewers.

The live webcast will begin at 2 p.m. CST and can be viewed at LifeWay.com/theexchange. During the approximately 30-minute program, viewers will be able to communicate with one another and with Stetzer via a chat feature at LifeWay.com/theexchange or on Twitter.

Stetzer has planted churches, served as a pastor and helped revitalize churches in several states. He has also trained pastors in countries around the world.

"I'm blessed with the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people who often ask insightful questions informed by their own unique experiences and perceptions," Stetzer said. "Unfortunately, I rarely have the opportunity to respond to these questions with as much thoroughness as I would like, nor am I able to get back to everyone who has a question or would like to dig deeper on a subject.

"'The Exchange' will give me a chance to talk through some of these questions and, I hope, will be a resource for people who are in the trenches doing ministry and engaging the culture for Christ."

The first episode will focus primarily on "clergification," or the division of the church into a false and unbiblical hierarchy where a select few paid leaders "do ministry" and the unpaid others are to "pay, pray and get out of the way."

Stetzer will also discuss his recent article in Christianity Today, which addressed church leaders' tendency to incorrectly use statistics and research.

"The Exchange with Ed Stetzer" will air Feb. 2 at 2 p.m. CST on LifeWay.com/theexchange.

By the way, the logo you see above is not the final logo... but I needed a graphic for the post!

Missing the Missional Mark

2010-01-24T23:15:38Z

In September Brent Thomas, pastor of Church of the Cross in Peoria, AZ, took issue with a 9 Marks review of Jim Belcher's Book, Deep Church. Brent saw the review by Greg Gilbert as not only "snarky," but also unfair. In fact Gilbert's review actually received a response from Belcher himself on Trevin Wax's blog. There Belcher explained how Gilbert had somehow missed the point of his book. In his blog post Brent wondered if there was something of a growing rift within Reformed Evangelicalism related to the issue of the "missional church."

Just last week Brent's suspicions seem to have been confirmed through another 9 Marks publication by Jonathan Leeman. Leeman's article, "Is the God of the Missional Gospel Too Small" is troubling in that he argues missional thinkers place a heavy emphasis on social justice that moves the church away from a proper emphasis on the gospel. Brent explained,

]]> Throughout his piece, Leeman equates "missional" with a focus primarily on "social justice." I don't know any Reformed, missional believers who make this equation, and I know many Reformed Evangelicals who would indeed call themselves "missional." Nowhere does he admit that he is speaking of a specific subset of the use of the word "missional" in the larger Reformed, Evangelical world. I just wish that Leeman had pointed out, just once, that he is, in fact, using the word in severely different ways than most people. I'm sure that conservative believers like Ed Stetzer, Mark Driscoll, and Tim Keller take issue with Leeman's equation of missional = focus primarily on social justice = new liberalism but nowhere does Leeman acknowledge that such conservative believers use the word "missional" in very, very different ways.

(Leeman wrote a generally helpful article a few years back on "What in the world is a Missional Church?")

I share Brent's concern. Clearly there is a misunderstanding at some level. Either men like Leeman are not putting much effort into understanding missional thinkers, or some missional thinkers are not being clear enough. My guess is, guys like Leeman can try harder, and some missional thinkers could be more clear.

Of course the truth is, there are different streams of missional thinkers, just as there are different streams of Presbyterians (or Baptists, or Calvinists, or charismatics). To say that one is missional doesn't necessarily imply anything other than a recognition that all believers and churches are sent by God on mission. Of course, we need to be clear about what that mission is. I have written on that extensively right here on the blog in my "Meanings of Missional" series. Yet Leeman seems to believe that "missional" necessitates some baggage.

He argues that the missional emphasis leads to a social-justice emphasis which is the first step toward liberalism. He then attempts to connect "a small view of God," "an inconsequential view of Hell," "a de-emphasis on conversion," and a "reductionistic Biblical storyline" to the missional crowd. This is obviously not true of many of the well-known missional thinkers out there.

Tim Keller is a well-known pastor/theologian who has been speaking and writing on the subject of the missional church for some time. He certainly doesn't fit the description given by Leeman. Tim not only preaches the reality of Hell, he teaches his church members why it matters, and gives advice on how to help non-Christians better understand the terrifying reality and appropriateness of Hell.

As for me (my name tends to come up a fair bit when the subject of "missional" is tossed around), I believe in a big God, an eternal Hell, the need for the new birth, and that we need to be clear about priorities in the church.

Although this particular dust-up is focused on the Reformed world, the issue is bigger than the Calvinist corner. Evangelicals have embraced all things missional-- sometimes as a genuine shift and sometimes as just updated jargon. But, there is much confusion and a need for clarity.

A few of us have talked and we are going to try to forge something of a definition-- at least for how we use the term. As part of that, later this year, July 12-14, I'm partnering with a few others to launch a new conference called missionSHIFT that I believe will help us with the discussion.

As a part of this conference, we are prayerful that a helpful statement can be forged on what it means to be missional. Several leaders in the missional church conversation (Keller, Hirsch, and others to be announced), who write about all-things missional, have already agreed to be Framers for the statement and some of the Framers will be at the conference for discussion and dialogue.

The intention of "The Missional Manifesto" is to allow the Scriptures to guide our understanding and involvement in the mission of God as it applies to the whole of life and doctrine. The document will strive to show how "missional" intersects with truths about the gospel, the local church, evangelism, missions, social justice, and contextualization, among other things.

The intent would be to say, "This is what we mean when we talk about being missional." It is not our intent (or within our ability) to say this is what everyone should think or say about the term. Words mean different things to different people (for example, "grace," "justice," and "gospel" all have different meanings to different groups). However, it is our hope that it will help us be clearer and more mission-shaped in our own thinking and practice.

Finally, every Monday I will be blogging about all things missional. It is my hope that we can clear up some of the erroneous perceptions among conservative evangelicals and speak into the movement that does need a missional turn, but also a robust biblical theology. We need a gospel-centered, mission-focused church to be faithful to God's agenda in the world.

More soon...

Sunday is for Seminars

2010-01-24T23:14:43Z

I will be hitting the road at the end this week for a few days. I hope to see you there or, if not, I ask for you to be praying for me and these events.

Here are some upcoming stops this week:

The Conclave Conference in Chattanooga, TN (January 29, 2010)
Conclave, a training event for youth pastors.

Here is some information about the conference:

Conclave is the ultimate Youth Ministry training and worship event in the Southeast for your entire Youth Ministry Team. Send your youth minister, adult leaders, youth minister's spouse, and your core student leaders (grades 9-12) to Conclave 2010 for 3 powerful days full of Authentic Worship, Relevant Training, Honest Conversation, and Personal Encouragement that will help jump-start your student ministry for the new year. There will also be over 60 Breakout Seminars, a student leader tract called "The Core" for your developing leaders (grades 9-12), and over 125 Exhibitors ready to enhance your student ministry in new and exciting ways!

The keynotes for the conference are Clayton King, Ergun Caner, and me. And, Ergun is stalking me. Why do I say that? Well... we are both speaking in Jacksonville, FL immediately after Conclave. (We texted a bit last night and I also will be at Liberty University March 3, speaking at convocation and then speaking at the campus church service that Ergun leads each week.)

Anyway, on to Jacksonville.

The Jacksonville Pastors Conference (January 30, 2010)
The Jacksonville Pastors Conference has a long and powerful history in my denomination. Their theme this year is navigating ministry in uncharted waters. I have been impressed at how they work so hard to serve pastors. Their website includes this section:

The opportunity for a one-on-one counseling session through our Counseling Ministry and Pastoral staff, available for free upon request

FREE child care (birth - Kindergarten) to provide ministry families an opportunity to rest and re-energize

Financial assistance for those who cannot afford to attend the conference. We offer scholarships as well as free housing to ensure that if a pastor is facing financial difficulties we have an opportunity to help and bless him in his ministry

I think it is great to see a conference where the hosts love and serve pastors like they do in Jacksonville.

Finally, I am heading to Johnson Ferry in Atlanta (without Ergun Caner!).

Marietta at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church (January 31, 2010)
I will be preaching all the Sunday morning services at Johnson Ferry and then leading their leadership training that evening. Then, I am staying over for their staff retreat the next day to talk about how they might be missional in their unique context and situation.

See you on the road... thanks for praying.