via @tulsaworld: Plans to renew Central Library have expanded http://t.co/5gfQmJe0 | awesome revitalization happening in S Denver corridor [go]7 hours ago
honored to have just turned in my 2nd cover story to @UrbanTulsa Weekly on how MHAT is tackling chronic homelessness. look for it soon... [go]8 hours ago
Very interesting // RT @greene_wayne Dewey Bartlett commits $3 million city parking fund to proposed downtown Pops Museum. (HT: @edsharrer) [go]8 hours ago
Darrin Patrick, lead pastor of The Journey (my home church and where I intern) interviews my friend Ed Stetzer, President of Lifeway Research and Lifeway’s Missiologist in Residence, on what he sees as the pressing issues within evangelicalism today.
I believe this is Ed at his best, bringing prophetic insight to a wide variety of topics that should be of interest to those who love the church and the Gospel. Enjoy:
Chester and Timmis, the authors of Total Church, founded The Crowded House church-planting initiative in the UK and direct the Porterbrook Network. Steve Timmis is also Director of Acts 29 for Western Europe.
Total Church may very well be one of the most influential and informing books I’ve read that has influenced my ministry philosophy since The Emerging Church and Emerging Worship by Dan Kimball and Transforming Mission by David Bosch.
There is no shortage of great tools to help form Gospel and Missional DNA into the life of a church plant core team, a just-launched church plant, a small group ministry, a church revitalization, or a church that is transitioning from a traditional to missional model. The Total Church study guide is yet another exceptional resource to that end.
I would also encourage you to check out these great handbooks/guides:
We have a tendency to celebrate church leaders who have managed to draw a large crowd to their church. But this is hardly an accomplishment in a culture where a few bottles of Diet Coke and a pack of Mentos mints can draw a crowd. The fact that a few thousand people might show up on Sunday to hear you talk seems less impressive when you consider that we live in a society in which millions of people will tune in to watch Sanjaya sing on American Idol.
Aggregating an audience isn’t successful ministry. Fostering women, men, and children toward deep, internal, and unyielding communion with Christ that transforms their lives and produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—that is ministry worth celebrating.
-Skye Jethani, from his “The Divine Commodity” blog book tour interview with Bob Hyatt
Some of you have probably heard of this exponential “math” in one way or another. But to see it illustrated, all I can say is, wow. This turns many of our “discipleship” ideas on its head.
What would the church look like if we instituted this? We will have to seriously rethink our metrics for success. Success won’t be quick growth, big worship services, etc. but rather an slow process of developing Christ followers one-by-one. We could reap amazing harvests if we are patient…
