Posted today at Marty's site discussing the same.

(Ed: your view of social systems theory, please--and its application to vocational Christian ministry [my opinion: Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Church book, for example, actually is all about the application of systems theory, whether or not Rick realized he was writing on the topic]--thanks!)

POSTED TODAY:

Love = to pursue always and unconditionally–despite all costs to myself–the total well-being of another simply for the prize that one has become to me. You and I have been loved–and are loved–that way (cf. John 3:16; Matthew 22:37-40; etc.).

If the SBC and its affiliating churches were a donut franchise, and desired to remain in business, we’d continually be focused on “relevant” and not consider doing so a big deal–though an important one. If, as donut shop owners and managers, we really enjoyed making/eating/selling donuts and it was all we ever hoped to do, but we began to see repeated references in donut industry literature to customers wanting their donuts delivered out the drive-up window much less often in a cardboard box and much more often in a lady’s hat, we’d have 3 basic choices: (1) be offended by the need to change and go out of business immediately; (2) be offended by the change and spend lots of money to try to alter the public’s mind about what it really wants; or, (3) have no feeling one way or the other about the public’s desire for change, invest heavily in lady’s hats, and keep on making/eating/selling the donuts. In social systems theory, the concept is the outward-focused one referred to as “adaptation” and it’s one of the four main problems each social system (purposeful people-groups of any size) must deal with well today in order to see a tomorrow (in the beginning, God created . . . a solar system; when He began creating other beings, He was making social systems).

So, Ed and Philip’s book is about a biblical concept which is commonly known, but not so consciously-so–and one which requires a good deal of spiritual and emotional maturity to deal with on a regular basis (too few vocational ministers understand the concept; too few believers in our churches have that level of maturity; it’s a leadership concept which can be taught–and one which can aid in predicting the future of the donut shop or local church).

Way to go, Philip and Ed!

(This is the David who spoke to Ed recently during Sunday School Week at Glorieta about assisting the BGCT with evangelism conferences during 2009.)

I'm in tucson, but here is my review on the book: http://missionalthoughts.wordpress.com/2008/07/21/compelled-by-love-the-most-excellent-way-to-missional-living/

Thanks for writing and inspiring! Enjoy the blog tour and your normal tour of the world in all that you do!

Thanks, David and Josh.

Eric, good to hear from you. Hearing good things about the book.

And, I am waiting for Erwin to invite me to Mosaic on my real world tour! Grin.

Ed

I am looking forward to reading the book!
mike miller www.navpress.com