Two years ago, I was privileged to speak at the D6 Conference. Based around the Shema and the V'ahavta found in Deuteronomy 6, D6 is "a Bible-based discipleship strategy leveraging the very best of church and home to help develop life-long Christ followers who disciple others in their communities and around the world."

The conference is once again being held in Frisco, Texas, at the end of September and I am looking forward to being there.

Here are some of the takeaways they discuss on the D6 website:

Our challenge is not that we don't have enough resources to equip parents. Thanks to churches, ministries, authors, and publishers, we now have more effective and intuitive resources than we have ever had before. The problem is that we are not successfully passing faith to the NEXT generation. D6 will give you the theology, philosophy, strategies, and creative methods. It's the one multi-model gathering on family ministry where the body of Christ has the opportunity to hear what God is doing in some of the most innovative family ministries around the country.

I'd love to have you join me at D6. You can find out more about registration here. The price jumps up in March, so if you'd like to go, register now and save some money.

See you in Frisco!

My Spring conference speaking schedule is almost here. In addition to traveling to Australia and Washington D.C. to talk about church planting, I'm looking forward to speaking at the Velocity Conference in suburban Atlanta at the end of February. Hosted by Mountain Lake Church in Cumming, GA, this conference for church planters is put on by my friend Shawn Lovejoy and the good people at ChurchPlanters.com.

One of the great features of this conference is that is also has a pastor's wives track. So if you're looking for a relatively inexpensive conference (around $100), are interested in church planting, and would like to take your wife to a conference, I hope you can join me at Velocity as we focus on:

• Going missional by being the church in their community (Jerusalem).
• Making the Gospel accessible throughout their region (Judea).
• Launching church planting movement makers throughout North America (Samaria).
• Developing strategic partnerships for global impact around the world (ends of the earth).

At the moment, I am in Manhattan, and it is cold. Wow. It's almost as cold as a legalist's heart. ;-)

This weekend, I've been teaching at Gordon Conwell in their doctoral program. We are in NYC for a two-week class. The students are sharp (From Egypt, Canada, Aistand the United States) and the topic is fascinating, so I am glad to teach-- particularly to do so in NYC. It's a great school with an important class in the right environment. Thanks for the invite. Here is a pic of our class, sans a few that we missed for the photo.

Sunday, I preach at Morningstar Church at two campuses in Manhattan. I've been here before and was impressed with their work, so I look forward to being back. According to their website, I am going to bring a "thought provoking message," so the pressure is on!

For now, it's out to NYC with my 13 year old daughter for the day.

As our nation's capital, Washington DC is known as a city of great discussion, debate, and oratory. So when I was asked to speak at the upcoming Q Conference in April, I was honored to do so. Now in its sixth year, the Q conference educates church and cultural leaders on their role and opportunity to embody the Gospel in public life. This year's conference will feature talks by Miroslav Volf, James K. A. Smith, Jonathan Merritt, Andy Crouch, Don Golden, Gideon Strauss, and many others.

Back in March 2009, I wrote on this site "I have never been to Australia and have always wanted to go so that I can say I have 'trained pastors on 6 continents' instead of five. ;-)"

Well, this February, I'm headed down under and I am excited about the trip and the partners there.

I'm looking forward to spending time with preachers in Melbourne at the XPOSE Preaching Conference at the Melbourne Convention Center, talking with church planters in Sydney at the Geneva Push Multiply Conference, and speaking along with friends at the Small Boat Big Sea TEN Conference. Along the way, I will speak at two colleges and preach at a couple of churches.

I am in Minneapolis right now attending and later speaking at the Desiring God National Conference.

Earlier this year the team at Exponential and I issued a report on the Top Issues Church Planters Face. We listened to over 40 national leaders who have over 600 years of cumulative experience working with 100's of planters. Individual planter interviews, online surveys, and volumes of real world experience were included in the discovery process. I did a multi-part blog series on that report that you can read here. You can download the full report here.

The Top Issues we found are:

1. Leadership development and reproducing culture
2. Financial self-sufficiency and viability
3. Team development and volunteer mobilization
4. Systems, processes and cultures
5. Vision casting and avoiding mission drift
6. Evangelism and discipleship
7. Spiritual, physical and mental health of planter and family.

Church planting is a great challenge-- we are living that again at Grace Church and it is never easy. It's normal to experience discouragement, loneliness, frustration, uncertainty, and to even question one's calling during planting.

The results of this research and the difficult realities facing planting families have shaped Exponential's focus for the coming year. The 2012 Exponential Conference Theme of Sifted deals directly with the spiritual, physical and emotional health of the planter and family as key aspect in catalyzing healthy reproducing churches.

This fall, Exponential is also coordinating over 40 One Day Events meeting in various locations across the country that are designed to encourage church planters and their families.

Highlights of the One Day Events are:

• Local Church Based
• 9:00 am to 3:00 pm to avoid overnight travel expenses
• In as many major metropolitan areas as possible to minimize travel expenses for families
• Childcare provided where possible so husband and wife can both attend
• Inexpensive so finances are not an issue ($29 per planting couple - includes lunch!)
• Filled with conversation, connections, interaction and ENCOURAGEMENT for church planting couples
• I appreciate the approach that the Exponential team has taken on these One Day Events. They started with the end in mind asking, "how can we create an environment to encourage church planters and take away as many barriers to participation as possible?" So they removed the barriers, including cost, childcare, overnight travel, etc. There is also great value in having these events on a local church level, as the host churches have struggled through the same issues as the planters and the relationships formed during the one days can continue well after the events.

I encourage planters to attend an "Encouraged One Day Event" near you. See www.onedays.org for more information and a list of cities.

Next month I will be speaking at the Desiring God National Conference in Minneapolis, MN. The conference will be held September 23-25 at the Minneapolis Convention Center and will include plenary speakers Louie Giglio, David Platt, Michael Ramsden, Michael Oh, me, and of course, John Piper.

I should add that, if you look at the website, you will see that while the other plenary speakers are resting(!), I will also be leading a seminar along with Jeff Vanderstelt, Dave Harvey, David Sitton, David Sills, Jason Mandryk. The seminar leaders alone make it worth the trip.

I am excited to be there and make a big deal about God's global mission. I will particularly be focusing on the mission to our neighbors and the nations.

Part of my role at LifeWay includes a few weeks each year to partner with the IMB. For example, a few months ago I took a group of pastors to Turkey to help foster partnerships there. You can read posts about that journey (and partnership) here. So, I am glad to share with you how you can get a discount rate at the DG National Conference thanks to our friends at the IMB.

This month registration costs $170, but I have a special offer for those that follow my blog. If you enter special code: IMB before midnight on August 31, you can register for $150. It is open to all who register using that code here. See the video below to hear from Piper's heart about this important conference.

I am looking forward to joining these Christian leaders and making much of Jesus and God's GLOBAL mission.

I try to post where and when I'm speaking on Saturdays, but sometimes (well, okay, always) hanging with my daughter is more important than timing things to post on the blog. So it's Sunday morning and I'd still like to share where I will be this week and ask you to pray for me.

Sunday, February 27th, Harvest Chapel, Chicago

Right now (if you are reading this as I post it), I am about to head over to two of the campuses of Harvest Chapel, where James MacDonald is pastor. James is speaking in Nashville and I am speaking for him in Chicago. I think he checked the calendar and I did not!

Monday, February 28th, Kentucky Baptist Evangelism Conference, Elizabethtown, KY.

Tuesday, March 1st, Army Chaplains Strategic Leader Development Training, Hilton Head, NC.

Thursday and Friday, March 3-4, M-Pact Montana, Great Falls, MT

I'm looking forward to speaking in warm Great Falls, MT for the M-Pact Conference.

Please pray for me as this is one of the busiest travel times for me this year. Pray I make much of Jesus and God's mission.

Yes, Saturday is for Seminars. First, I want to draw your attention to something big going down in April, and then I'll share were I'll be throughout February.

EXPONENTIAL 2011

Over the past month, I've been blogging about the Top Issues Church Planters Face. If you've missed it, you can check it out here. I have partnered with my friend Todd Wilson, Director of Exponential, to do quantitative research alongside some of the better-known church-planting practitioners in America. These blog posts are just the highlights of the broader seminar I'll be doing in April at the Exponential Conference in Orlando.

Exponential, April 26-29, has been billed as "the largest gathering of church planters on the planet." Even though I just returned from Orlando, I'm already looking forward to going back! This year's theme is "On the Verge: Rediscovering Old Truths in New Paradigms" with a significant focus on missional communities and how they can help fulfill God's mission no matter your model or approach.

The registration rate of $159 is available if you use the discount code expo2011. But don't wait long because that rate ends Friday, Feb 18. Check out the conference here.

FEBRUARY 2011

Here is my travel for the next few weeks.

February 11
Next week I'll be speaking to my Anglican friends in Greensboro, NC at the Anglican Mission in the Americas Winter Conference.

And then I'll be speaking at a couple different places in California over the next couple weeks.

February 18
"Going Missional"
If you are in the area and want to join us here call now, because space is limited. 405-787-7110. Use ext. 3318 or ask for Evangelism USA.
International Pentecostal Holiness Church
San Diego, CA

February 18
"Engaging All God's People in Mission"
Magnolia Avenue Baptist Church
Riverside, CA

February 20
"Transformational Church"
On Target Evangelism Conference
Los Angeles, CA
I will be sharing the opening session (with the help of technology) with my friend Philip Nation.

February 21
"Charge to the New President"
The Inauguration of Frank Page as President of the Executive Committee, SBC
Nashville, TN

February 26, 27
And, in late February I will be preaching at Harvest Chapel (Rolling Meadows Campus) in Rolling Meadows, IL on Saturday, February 26, at the 5:00 p.m. service, and Sunday, February 27, at the 9:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. services.

Hope to see you at one of these places. Pray that I will make much of Jesus and God's mission.

This year's FBC Jax Pastor's Conference (Jan. 28-Feb. 1) features a conference within a conference. One specifically designed for church planters. Registration is only $100 and is limited to 150 planters, so you need to register ASAP. You'll hear from a diverse group of men who will address issues of particular importance to planters, and you'll some great books in addition to what everyone else will get for the pastor's conference.

Saturday looks at Leader Planter and leadership issues with a panel featuring Dr. Kevin Ezell, Tullian Tchividjian, and me. My understanding is that we will actually dialogue with the planters present.

Monday will focus in on Pastor Planter and pastoral issues in planting. That panel has Eric Mason, Larry Grays, and Mark Edworthy on it. Mark will actually even get into some international planting talk at the end.

Tuesday looks at Visionary Planter and the way we plan our church plants. That panel is Matt Carter, Mark Dever, and John Worcester.

On top of that the planters will have full access to the Pastors Conference and everything that goes along with it including the 13 books they will get at registration. It really is a great deal for $100! There is even financial assistance available if needed.

Head over to the website to register and for more details

I mentioned a "Viral Churches" seminar happening in the NYC area a few weeks ago. Well, it is coming up quick. Here are the details. This is the first time I will do a conference around Viral Churches-- and they even give you a copy of the book for registering!

Multiply! September 28, 2010

The Multiply! Conference asks what would it look like if a multiplication movement swept the Northeast?

The morning session (8am-12:30pm) is open to all, and will feature a muti-denominational presentation & discussion from Viral Churches. I will be sharing about what a church multiplication movement looks like and what it will take to see one in North America, particularly in the Northeast.

Everyone is also welcome to the afternoon session, but the conversation will be geared more toward church multiplication movements in the SBC denominational context.

This is a FREE event. However, your registration is greatly appreciated so that we may accommodate your meal needs well. And, if you are among the first 100 registered, you get a free copy of the Viral Churches book.

To register email Kathy at kaubrey@bcnysbc.org. You can download the brochure for more information here.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of you there!

Today we're looking ahead into the Fall and next year, but I wanted to mention two conferences I was working on this week (one preparing a message and one scheduling some travel).

The first one is coming up in September and the second one early in 2011.

From Our Backyard to the Nations Conference
On October 16th & 17th I'm speaking with Sam Rainer and Kevin Smith at the From Our Backyard to the Nations conference at First Baptist Church, Murray KY. You can register by visiting the church website here.

Pastor's Conference @ FBC/JAX
Then in January of 2011 I'm speaking alongside of Tullian Tchividjian, Al Mohler, Howard Hendricks, David Platt, Paul Tripp and many others at the FBC Jacksonville Pastor's Conference in Florida. For to register and find more information check out the website here.

Hope to see you there.

We're haven't left the summer season yet, but I want to give you a heads up about two conferences coming up in September and October.

The NINES
9/9/2010

The NINES is an free online conference and gathering for church leaders that will happen on September 9, 2010. Things will kick off at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time (10:30 Central; 9:30 Mountain; 8:30 Pacific) and will last about 9 hours.

If you can watch videos at YouTube on your computer, you should be able to watch the live stream on The NINES. Just be sure that you have the most current version of flash.

Did I mention that this is free? Well, not only is the conference free, but there are upgrading options as well. You can learn more about The NINES here.

The GCM Collective Conference 2010
October 28 - 30, 2010

The GCM Collective will be hosting their first GCM Conference in Austin, TX this October, bringing together church planters, pastors, and leaders to collaborate on the practice of missional communities. This three-day conference will feature main and breakout sessions under the theme of GOSPEL, COMMUNITY and MISSION.

You will get to hear from, meet and interact with leaders who are daily practitioners, living in gospel communities on mission in their cities. This is a unique experience that will present the why, what and how-to of starting, leading and multiplying missional communities. Interactive plenary sessions, breakouts and unique training experiences will fill our days both on-site and off.

Big church, small church, multi-site or neighborhood this event is for every church that seeks to effectively expand the gospel in their context.

I'm looking forward to be speaking along with Steve Timmis, Jeff Vanderstelt, Caesar Kalinowski, David Fairchild, Drew Goodmanson and Jonathan Dodson. You can find more information and register here.

This August 6-8 I'll be in Chicago participating in The Mainline Call, a conference that targets the revitalization, replanting and pastoring of mainline churches.

They are focused on churches that they call ECOT churches. If you Google "ECOT mainline," it turns out there are many resources geared toward helping mainline churches that want to be "Evangelical", "Conservative", "Orthodox", or "Traditional." I'll be joining John Armstrong, Carmen Fowler, Jim Harrell, John Hull, Bob Thompson, Jim Tomberlin, and David Runnion-Bareford.

If you're in the Chicago area in early August, I hope you'll join us! Register here. Please be praying I will make much of Jesus, the cross, and God's mission.

I find it interesting when friends disagree. And, a bit of an argument has "broken out" among some friends.

First, my friends at Leadership Network posted a list of speakers for people to vote for or against for their online conference, TheNINES.

Dave Travis explained that they set up the list to consider speakers for their event. To get it started they, "seeded the list with 20-25 names and encouraged folks to add to the list."

The response was rather surprising:

So far over 30,000 people have viewed the site. We are up to about 11,000 comments and over 350 speakers suggested. All of that is way, way more than we ever figured would see the list much less respond.

Skye Jethani, a great thinker and gifted writer, objected (strongly) in this post:

... I was both saddened and disturbed by the Leadership Network's decision to run a Twitter-based popularity contest to determine the speakers for THE NINES conference in 2010. The feedback form seen here allows users to submit the name of a church leader. Twitter users are then able to give a thumbs up or down to each person. Ranking is then automatically determined by the ratio of positive to negative votes a leader receives. Adding a dash of arsenic to an already distasteful dish, the site allows you to see exactly who voted up or down for each leader.

Skye was actually one of the presenters in TheNINES last year. (Some disclosure: I also participated in TheNINES last year. Actually, there were nine blogs that hosted it for discussion and feedback and my blog was one of the nine. You can see the discussion and my video here. My theme was that "mission is the opposite of self" and you can read my blog post here.

I have had a little fun with the list, encouraging votes for two people:

• Ben Arment, just an all around great guy who blogs and has a new book, Church in the Making.
• Frank Turk, who is a cranky Calvinist blogger at Pyromanics and (once you get past the blog and some of his grumpy friends) is a great guy.

So, what do I think of the list?

Well, first, I have looked at it... more than once. Which tells me that it probably appeals to a part of me that is not good. I think that is probably the reaction that many of those on the list have had.

Second, I have noticed that some of the people at the bottom of the list probably have been unfairly treated. Many of these speakers are pastors and I think it might hurt their ministries.

Third, I don't like the idea that people can like and dislike and, on that basis, I probably would have not run with the technology even with the good motives that LN had. I think they could have simply asked for suggestions (but, to be honest, they would not have had this level of reaction).

Fourth, some of the leaders on the list are controversial, but controversy does not mean you should not be heard.

Finally, this is a list of people who have an affinity for Leadership Network, evangelicals, and now (probably) Out of Ur. That means it is not a representative sample by any means (and they did not claim it to be).

But, I think I like the idea of discovering new voices. For example, I don't see Pete Wilson on that many national platforms, but as I have had the opportunity to get to know him, I think he has some good things to say. My guess-- this will help people know who he is. Also, I think both Ben Arment and Frank Turk are worth listening to.

Also, this list tells us some things. For one example, it tells us the influence of the Reformed community (at least on the Internet). I mentioned that in a recent discussion of the top 100 blogs.

I think it also speaks to the decline of some "movements" like, for example, the Church Growth Movement.

And, it tells us that being bald seems to help you make the list ;-)

But, all in all, I think it is a good idea with a technology that makes it distasteful.

But, for some, making lists is always problematic. It is not for me. For example, I want to know (and have done the research to answer) who the most influential preachers. I have even hosted a discussion on that very topic-- with almost 150 comments). I do not want to know it for their aggrandizement, but because I want to know who is shaping our churches and leaders.

So, read their two articles (one from Skye Jethani which came first and then Dave Travis' response) and feel free to share your thoughts here at the blog. And, then go vote for Ben Arment and Frank Turk. ;-)

What do you think?

The next couple of weeks will involve a couple of denominational meetings.

June 23-24
Churches of God, General Conference
Decatur, IL

I am looking forward to speaking on evangelism and mission, identifying and releasing leaders, and empowering congregations to grow and multiply.

__________

June 26
General Association of General Baptists
Franklin, TN

Here I will get to talk about reaching the unchurched younger generation, and planting missional churches.

Hope to see you there.

I'm already in Florida and have tired myself out going to Sea World two days in a row. I will soon need a break and my denomination's annual meeting might be the break I need! Southern Baptist Convention. We are gearing up for the annual meeting in Orlando, Florida, and I will be participating in a number of venues this year. Here is my schedule for the next several days. I've only listed places where I am speaking, doing an interview, etc.:

When I did my usual "Saturday is for Seminars" this week, I forgot to mention one that is coming up soon: Ligonier Conference and the SBC.

I know some of my readers will be at the Southern Baptist Convention this year in Orlando, FL, but you may not know that following the SBC Ligonier Ministries is hosting its annual conference in the same city, and is offering registration at only $50 to everyone who attends the SBC. The conference theme is Tough Questions Christians Face and features speakers like Dr. Albert Mohler, Michael Horton, John MacArthur, RC Sproul, Alastair Begg, and others. It looks to be a great time. I'm even joining a few others at the pre conference happening on June 17th. From the ad,

Come join some of the leading Christian thinkers at the Ligonier National Pre-Conference on June 17, immediately following the SBC Annual Meeting right here in Orlando. Albert Mohler and Ed Stetzer will join Burk Parsons and Tim Challies as they explore a biblical approach to using the internet.

Then stay for the National Conference on June 17-19 as these and other leading theologians and teachers--including R.C. Sproul--explore some of the toughest questions Christians face.

Visit www.ligonier.org/conferences for more information, or call 1 800-435-4343.

You may have seen my story in the recent issue of Christianity Today asking the question "Are Denominations Dead?"

In the article I say:

I have been privileged to speak at dozens of national denominational meetings over the past two years. I constantly hear from leaders that they are struggling with lower denominational loyalty among their churches and a path that is unclear at best. I work in a denomination-- the SBC-- that is at times dysfunctional and unwise (like me). I grow weary of denominational foolishness and its drama. The idea of working independently is tempting at times.

Given all that, call me a cautious believer in the idea that we can do more for the kingdom of God by doing it together with people of common conviction--which usually means in a denomination--than by doing it alone.