- Author: Brad
- Filed under: Gospel, art, authenticity, church, contextualization, culture, emerging church, liturgy, ministry, sacred space, worship
- Date: Jun 3,2009
I recently had the privilege to be interviewed for an article by Jennifer Harris, news writer for Word & Way, on church and culture. The article was forwarded to me today from a friend. Apparently it popped up on the Associated Baptist Press website.
I encourage you to check it out: “Some churches help Christians view culture through spiritual lenses”
- Author: Brad
- Filed under: Gospel, church, church planting, contextualization, culture, incarnational, missiology, missional church, post-Christian, post-Evangelical, postmodern, video
- Date: Mar 14,2009
“If you want to talk to somebody honestly as a human being, ask him about his kids, find out what his dreams are, just to find out for no other reason because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it’s not a conversation anymore, it’s a pitch. And you’re not a human being you’re a marketing rep.”
-Phil, played by Danny Devito, from The Big Kahuna
I have begun meeting with an older mentor who is providentially working God’s truth deep into my soul. Last week, we met and he challenged me on the issue of what I “lead with.” Especially in conversations with those who don’t follow Jesus.
What do you lead with? Do you lead with what you do? Is what you do who you are? Or is what you are not defined by what you do? Is telling people what you do even important?
People are not commodities. Evangelism is not a recruiting scheme. Conversation and relationship should not be bait-and-switch.
We must be compelled by love.
See also: Doug Pollock: Ten Spiritual Conversation Killers
The first Midwest Acts 29 Quarterly of 2009 is tomorrow at The Journey – Tower Grove. I’m going to try to live blog it via the Cover It Live platform. I know it is difficult for some of you to travel to St. Louis, especially in these difficult economic times…
Here is a blurb from A29 about what the quarterly will focus in on:
Approaching Evangelism: Salt & Light
As Christians, our primary ministry calling is to bring the gospel to the broken culture. But, sadly, as pastors, church planters, and church leaders we can lose touch with this call while navigating the other demands of local church ministry. Throughout the history of the church we have seen movements that have reacted to this issue by becoming wholly focused either on making the gospel attractive to the culture or through incarnating the gospel within the culture. Does there have to be an either/or response to our call? How can we keep personal evangelism a priority for ourselves and our congregations while shaping a church culture that expresses an attractional facet of the gospel?
Our teachers for the first session focusing on The Shape of an Attractional Culture will be Darrin Patrick, lead pastor for The Journey, and Jonathan McIntosh, Teaching and Hanley Rd. Campus pastor for The Journey.
Our teacher for the afternoon session focusing on Jesus-Style Evangelism will be pastor, teacher, and author Jerram Barrs, Professor of Christian Studies and Contemporary Culture and Resident Scholar of the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute at Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO.
- Author: Brad
- Filed under: Christianity, Gospel, church, church planting, contextualization, evangelism, incarnational, kingdom of God, missio Dei, missiology, missional church, missional living, missions, orthopraxy, research
- Date: Jan 2,2009
1. Ed Stetzer – edstetzer.com
Ed Stetzer, President of Lifeway Research, Lifeway’s Missiologist in Residence, on the faculty of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Southern Seminary, prolific author and blogger, multiple church planter and ministry trainer, is my #1 missional blog of the year.
So I’m a little biased here, but as many of you know, I’ve had the special privilege to work under Ed through my master’s level work at Liberty Theological Seminary this fall/winter. I’ve witnessed first hand his heart to help and serve people at all levels of ministry understand the missional conversation and practically move them towards it. And this heart for mission, the church and God’s people shines through on his blog.
Check these:
The Meanings of Missional series
Speaking of Jesus and Justice
Simply Missional
When the Mission Gets Lost in the System
Missional Living
Top 8 Recap
8. J.R. Woodward | 7. Jonathan Dodson | 6. Neil Cole | 5. Drew Goodmanson | 4. Bob Hyatt | 3. Alan Hirsch | 2. David Fitch
- Author: Brad
- Filed under: Bible, Gospel, New Testament, acts, church, church planting, community, contextualization, emerging church, emerging culture, evangelism, incarnational, leadership, ministry, missiology, missional church, missional living, orthopraxy, pastoring, post-Evangelical, postmodern, relationships, sacred space
- Date: Dec 31,2008
2. David Fitch – Reclaiming the Mission
David Fitch, Betty R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary; founding pastor of Life on the Vine Community, an emerging church in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago; co-founder of Up/Rooted, an emergent cohort that gathers leaders and thinkers to engage issues of the emerging church and the post-modern context; and author of The Great Giveaway comes in at #2.
David has been one of the most influencing voices in the development of my ministry/church planting philosophy. It started with The Great Giveaway, but continuing on with the stream of consciousness on his blog, let’s just say, it’s a gold mine. I believe it will be shown that David was one of the most important shaping influences on the grounding of missional orthopraxy in the twenty-first century.
I’m looking forward to becoming a regular part of the missional leader learning community in the future. I was personally invited to the one in January but can’t make. I hope to down the road..
Check these:
Please Lord, Don’t Let Me Get Pragmatic: Spiritual Formation for Missional Leaders
“The Numbers Are Going Up But Something Doesn’t Feel Right”
Conversion a casualty of Missional Theology?
When They Will Not Come – Community: The anti-attractional process of beginning a church with community
The Middle In: The Unique Missional Opportunity
Top 8 Recap
8. J.R. Woodward | 7. Jonathan Dodson | 6. Neil Cole | 5. Drew Goodmanson | 4. Bob Hyatt | 3. Alan Hirsch
5. Drew Goodmanson: Goodmanson.com
Drew Goodmanson, equpping/teaching elder at Kaleo Church in San Diego, is one of the sharpest missional practitioners out there. I’m particularly thankful for his [and Kaleo's] graciousness to share with us Kaleo’s journey toward pushing missional through everything they do. Drew is singlehandedly changing the fact that missional resources – particularly those moving beyond the orthodoxic to the orthopraxic – are far and few between online.
Check these:
Missional Communities and Contextualization (.pdf)
Leading a Missional Community (.pdf)
Missional Community Leader Development (pdf)
6. Neil Cole: Cole-Slaw
I think for those of us who enjoy the missional conversation, we would agree that having Cole’s voice back in the blogosphere is a huge gift. Not one to mince words, Cole continues to be a much-needed “prophet” in evangelicalism. Comeback of the year…
Check these:
Biblical support?
Misguided Misgivings 5: A cost too high
Separating the church from the business
7. Jonathan Dodson: Church Planting Novice
Dodson is pastor of Austin City Life in Austin, TX and is a prolific blogger. Both reposting great missional thoughts from others and adding some of his own, particularly on the issue of missional ecclesiology, Dodson is a must read for me.
Check these:
Five Characteristics of Missional Communities
Pushing Missional Practices Through Everything
How Missional is Your Church? Keeping the Global in Missional
