Other presentations included Rick Howerton on Small Groups in church plants, David Garrison on Church Planting Movements, Gary Rohrmayer on denominational influence, Hutz Hertzberg on church planting assessment, and John Bailey on church planting systems. (I will post the available presentations on the blog later this week. Not all will be available.)

We have 45 people here from about 30 denominations committed to planting evangelical churches. Here are some of the groups here learning from each other:
-Assemblies of God
-Baptist Missionary Association of America
-Christian and Missionary Alliance
-Christian Reformed Church in North America
-The Greehouse Church Planting Network
-Churches of God General Conference
-Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
-Evangelical Covenant Church
-Evangelical Free Church
-ReachMore, Foursquare Church
-General Association of General Baptists
-Grace Communion International (formerly the Worldwide Church of God)
-International Pentecostal Holiness Church
-Church Multiplication Ministries Evangelism USA
-Southeastern District
-Missionary Church/Church Multiplication Training Center
-Mission American Coalition
-Growing Healthy Churches Network
-Stadia (Independent Christian Churches)
-Vision Ministries Canada
-Mission To North America, Presbyterian Church in America
-Southern Baptist Convention, NAMB and several state conventions
-Outreach North America
-United Methodists
-Church of the Nazarene
-Fellowship of Evangelical Churches
-Mission America Coalition
-The Wesleyan Church

We talked research and a couple of the presentation were via video, including this research (see pic on the right) on assessment from Hutz Hertzberg's Ph.D. dissertation on church planting assessment.

You might find my opening words from the first meeting to be of some interest. In some ways, they relate to comments I made at the Advance09 panel a few months ago.

It is a bad idea theologically, with bad results historically, for us to partner and jointly plant churches. But, it is a bad stewardship and irresponsible missiology for us not to find ways to learn from each other.

When it comes to church planting, it is not really the same as evangelism. In church planting, we need to plant our own gardens. But, we will consider this an agricultural co-op where we learn to do it better by learning from one another.

So, that is why we are here: to learn and share best practices with other Christian denominational leaders committed to plant churches.

We had a great meeting with much helpful interaction. The groups also break down into peer settings for idea sharing and prayer.

We are also undertaking two research projects with different denominations participating in each. One will focus on urban church planting and the other is on church planting assessment. We have now officially committed to do the assessment research and several denominations have signed on to co-sponsor.

I am thrilled we could convene them and gather them together for this mutual learning.

More soon...

While I was there they shot a video about the school to start their "professor run in" series. You can take a look at it right here:

I love the mission statement at Trinity:

Trinity International University Mission Statement

Trinity International University educates: men and women for faithful participation in God's redemptive work in the world by cultivating academic excellence, Christian fidelity, and lifelong learning.

They flesh it out as follows:

• Trinity offers nonformal opportunities to the public for continuing education, as well as formal degree programs.


• Believers are called to be God's co-laborers in God's ongoing work in our broken world (1 Cor. 3:5-9), as we anticipate the return of the Lord. Wherever or however we serve, we are to be agents of restoration and transformation for the glory of God and the good of the world.


• We seek to instill in our students the habit of doing academic work with excellence for the glory of God and the good of society.


• A goal of our education is continuing faithfulness to Christ and his Gospel, to biblical authority, and to Christian doctrine as a guide to ethical living.


• Habits of learning must be sustained throughout life for individual growth and for effective service in a changing world. These habits of learning characterize the TIU community of learners--faculty, staff, students, and graduates.

Good stuff. All of it is great, but the highlighted section speaks to the recent post on "Gospel Definitions."

I hope to see you in a TEDS class soon.

From the Barna Update,

The survey asked adults to think back on their upbringing and to describe the frequency of their involvement in Sunday school or religious training. The Barna researchers then compared those reported early-life behaviors with the respondents' current levels of faith activity and faith durability.

So, what did the research reveal? here are some quotes from the report.

More than eight out of every 10 adults remembers consistently attending Sunday school or some other religious training before the age of 12.

Adults recall their church involvement as teenagers as less frequent than their participation as children.

...

Among the most active as children were Catholics (86%), upscale adults (78%), Midwesterners (76%), notional Christians (75%), college graduates (75%), women (73%), political conservatives (73%), and those ages 65-plus (73%). The least likely population segments to have attended Sunday school or other religious programming as children were atheists and agnostics (35%), people associated with faiths other than Christianity (52%), Asians (53%), unchurched adults (56%), 18- to 25-year-olds (59%), never-married adults (60%), Hispanics (61%), and residents of the West (63%).

The types of Americans most likely to recall religious participation as teenagers were evangelicals (61%), those ages 65-plus (60%), born again Christians (58%), Catholics (58%), women (56%), political conservatives (56%), residents of the Midwest (56%), married adults (55%), and Protestants (54%). On the other hand, atheists and agnostics (19%), members of other faith groups (30%), unchurched adults (31%), never-married individuals (33%), economically downscale adults (40%), and men (44%) were the least likely to have frequently attended Sunday school or other religious programs during their teen years.

How did those who were plugged into Sunday School and religious instruction and children and youth remain connected to faith as adults?

The research examined four elements of adult religious commitment: attending church, having an active faith (defined as reading the Bible, praying, and attending church in the last week), being unchurched, and switching from childhood faith.

When it comes to church engagement, those who attended Sunday school or other religious programs as children or as teens were much more likely than those without such experiences to attend church and to have an active faith as adults. For instance, among those who frequently attended such programs as a child, 50% said they attended a worship service in the last week, which is slightly higher than the national average and well ahead of those who rarely or never attended children's programs. Among those who frequently attended religious programs as teenagers, 58% said they had attended a worship service in the last week. In comparison, less frequent participation as a teenager correlated with less frequent adult participation.

David Kinnaman points out that the research uncovers a correlation, between early instruction and continued adult spiritual engagement, and not causation. Yet it does provide "clarity that the odds of one sticking with faith over a lifetime are enhanced in a positive direction by spiritual activity under the age of 18." (Might I add that it is refreshing to see someone release research that explains the difference between correlation and causation.)

Head over to the Barna Group, read the entire article, and then come back here to discuss.

When we think about the mission to make disciples we obviously need to do more than provide good teaching for adults and provide a cool/fun atmosphere for the young ones. What might this mean more specifically as we consider how the church teaches children and youth, and develops parents who are capable of discipling their own children working in partnership with the church?

In my Missional Church class at ReTrain this week, I share some thoughts on the gospel. Why? Well, I believe that what you believe about the gospel will be the foundation for your understanding of the mission.

To do that, I first reviewed some gospel definitions assembled by Trevin Wax at his blog Kingdom People. You can find a PDF and lists by names by clicking this link. Then, I shared a few of them (at first I did not identify the source). You can download a PowerPoint of the ones I shared here: Gospel Definitions.ppt. I took some pleasure in watching the students agree (at times) with the definitions from people with whom they disagree.

As I explain in this post, whenever I teach on the missional church, it is always an opportunity to talk about the Gospel since I tend to present the ideas around:

What is the Gospel?
What is the mission?
What is the church?
What is the Kingdom?

So, we began our definitions at ReTrain by having the cohorts make a definition and report back. Here are those gospel definitions...

The Gospel is the good news that God has sent his son Jesus Christ into the world in order to reconcile Creator to creation, which will renew all things and he has done all this through Jesus' perfect sinless life, bloody atoning death on the cross and subsequent resurrection from the dead. - Admin Cohort's Definition

Our glorious God created everything we know. We, his creation, rebelled seeking our own glory and deserving the full wrath of God. The gospel is the good news that Jesus lived the life we should have lived to the glory of the Father. He died in our place, for all our sinful, false worship. Through Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, we live a new life to His glory. As we behold the glory of Jesus we are transformed to look more like Him, united in the Church as His body through which his kingdom is advanced making all things new.
- Worship Cohort

God created man in His image to glorify Him
Mankind rebelled against God in sin
The gospel is the good news of Godʼs provision of redemption
Through the atoning work of Jesus the Christ
Who died in our place for our sin on the cross
Rising from the grave to conquer Satan, sin and death
Giving new life to all who by grace
turn to Him in repentance and faith
Calling them to a life empowered by His Spirit
To accomplish the mission of His kingdom
To the glory of His name
- Campus Pastor Cohort

The gospel is the power of God for salvation of everyone who believes. Through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection God overcomes sin, sin's consequences, Satan, and death and subjects all things under his feet. And, in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God is reconciling the world to himself.
- Biblical Living, Family and Community Group Cohort

God redeems fallen mankind through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus which regenerates individuals through the Holy Spirit and renews all of His creation as He establishes His Kingdom.
- Church Planting Cohort

The Gospel is the truth that Jesus Christ, God the Son sent from the God the Father, empowered by God the Spirit, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the atonement of sinners, and rose from the dead triumphing over satan, sin, and death in accordance with the Scriptures.
- Acts 29 Church Planting Cohort

One of the key issues is this question: Is the gospel only God-Man-Christ-Response or does it include elements of Creation-Fall-Redemption-Restoration. I think it is interesting how the worship leaders cohort differed from the Acts 29 church planting cohort (and, I should add, there was a "minority report" from the Acts 29 church planting cohort that wanted to include a Creation-Fall-Redemption-Restoration focus).

In class, I shared this article, on the difference between the gospel and the effects of the gospel, with the class. D.A. Carson and I discussed it recently while I was teaching at Trinity and I like it. Carson explains:

If the gospel is the (good) news about what God has done in Christ Jesus, there is ample place for including under "the gospel" the ways in which the kingdom has dawned and is coming, for tying this kingdom to Jesus' death and resurrection, for demonstrating that the purpose of what God has done is to reconcile sinners to himself and finally to bring under one head a renovated and transformed new heaven and new earth, for talking about God's gift of the Holy Spirit, consequent upon Christ's resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Majesty on high, and above all for focusing attention on what Paul (and others--though the language I'm using here reflects Paul) sees as the matter "of first importance": Christ crucified. All of this is what God has done; it is what we proclaim; it is the news, the great news, the good news.

For another view, see Scott McKnight in Christianity Today's Out of Ur blog. Also, Matt Chandler makes a case for including both God-Man-Christ-Response and Creation-Fall-Redemption-Restoration in his SBTS chapel message (including mentioning some helpful warnings about how we speak of others "tribes" in the church).

Below is the definition I am using. I am still tweaking and revising it (but trying NOT to make it longer). If Packer can define the gospel as, "God saves sinners," I figure we should be able to do it in a paragraph!

Anyway, here is what I am using today:

The gospel is the good news that God, who is more holy than we can imagine, looked upon with compassion, people, who are more sinful than we would possibly admit, and sent Jesus into history to establish His Kingdom and reconcile people and the world to himself. Jesus, whose love is more extravagant than we can measure, came to sacrificially die for us so that, by His death and resurrection, we might gain through His grace what the Bible defines as new and eternal life.

I chose not to include the response to the gospel ("repentance by grace through faith alone," for example), but just tried to focus on what the gospel actually is. I edit it regularly as I try to grasp and preach the gospel to myself.

What are your thoughts? Feel free to share your own definitions or interact with the ones listed here. Then, I will learn and edit mine!

Carol is the irrepressible editor of OnMission Magazine. She always does a good job putting together a fine magazine. For some odd reason, she lowered her standards and included an article I wrote.

I believe that the current economic and cultural situation is an opportunity for churches to partner together to plant other churches. I have excerpted the article below by including the whole list but only filling in part of the explanations. Check the site for the whole article.

Here are 10 reasons to partner for church planting sooner rather than later.

1. The current economy is a perfect opportunity.

The current recession will force people to make hard decisions about where they place their values. It is not unprecedented to discover many anecdotal reports that say people are more open to church during such times. According to a recent Texas Tech study, economic growth and evangelical church growth are counter-cyclical. As the economy goes down, church attendance goes up...

The consequential reason for this is simple: when our money and possessions disappear, we are forced to face our spiritual crises. Just as the prodigal son "came to his senses" after he'd squandered it all (Luke 15:17), the prodigals of our nation are primed to face their spiritual needs since they can no longer mask the need with their material wants...

2. Plants do better when local people are sent out.

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/10-reasons-to-partner-in-plant.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/10-reasons-to-partner-in-plant.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:00:06 -0600 As you may know, I do a monthly column for Outreach Magazine. The magazine is looking for stories of ministry breakthrough in 2009. By breakthrough, they mean those turning points when local churches and networks of churches sensed that their outreach was moving to a new level. In other words, what are these divine surprises?

Here is what my friend and editor, James Long, passed on:

For the January/February 2010 cover story (print and online), we're talking to church and ministry leaders nationwide to find the stories of hope in evangelism, outreach and community engagement. We want to tell those stories that include transferrable concepts--it happened in one place and could be replicated elsewhere. And we're looking for stories of inspiration and innovation--bold and novel ideas that may be so unique to one time and place, but that inspire a spirit of imagination in ministry. We're also looking for those stories that are inexplicable, except that "God showed up."

The key is to answer the question "What specific story or example in the last year has really inspired you and reaffirmed to you that the church (including local churches and ministries) is turning a corner and making a difference?"

The editors of the magazine will be looking in here to find some examples, so feel free to share yours or, even better, share the story of someone else. When you submit your story, your email goes into the form but is not posted... and I will forward your comments and email to the editors of the magazine.

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/breakthroughs-in-2009.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/breakthroughs-in-2009.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:32:33 -0600

Today, Frank Viola comes by the blog and interacts for the day.

As I have written before, I like Frank. He is not a subtle man. He is calling for big changes. And, he loves Jesus. Those are some good qualities.

Now, if you have read my books and my blog, you also know that Frank and I have some pretty significant differences about an important subject-- ecclesiology. And, I believe that ecclesiology will be one of the defining issues in the evangelical conversation in the years to come.

I am so passionate about the subject, my next scholarly book will be on ecclesiology, probably out in 2012 (my missiology textbook comes out in 2010), so I am pretty concerned about this subject and have some firm convictions.

And, it is no secret to Frank that I found his last two books to be lacking in ecclesiology (as I see it in scripture), but I appreciated his passion for the church and God's mission in From Eternity to Here. His passion for the church and its mission comes through in From Eternity to Here. Whereas his other books seemed to want to deconstruct the church (in a way I found destructive), this one provides the reader with reasons to love the church.

I also see this when Frank writes against "churchless Christianity," something I was encouraged to see. He did so in two parts at Out of Ur:

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/frank-viola-and-from-eternity-1.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/frank-viola-and-from-eternity-1.html Church Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:31:41 -0600 Remember that Bon Jovi song from the late 80s, "Living in Sin?"

Well, I'm guessing half of you do.

It's about "love" justifying living together as a married couple, without a marriage covenant.

The song shouts, "I call it love, they call it living in sin!"

Remember? Rock ballad, black and white video?

Anyway, people are still talking about it and more people are living together today than they were back in the 1980s. At LifeWay Research, we wanted to know more.

In June of 2008 (and September 2007), we conducted related surveys (thankfully, not about Bon Jovi) for a recent book on parenting, The Parent Adventure: Preparing Your Children For a Lifetime With God, by Selma & Rodney Wilson and Scott McConnell.

In our study, we found that 6% of all parents with children under 18 years of age in their home are living with a partner to whom they are not married.

To give this some context, we first determined that 69% of all parents are married and 31% are single. We asked these single parents the following questions:

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/cohabitation-study.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/cohabitation-study.html Books Research bon jovi cohabitation research Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:38:12 -0600 I'm contributing an article, sure, but the video is why I am posting about it.

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/the-reasonably-sized-hcsb-stud.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/the-reasonably-sized-hcsb-stud.html Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:16:29 -0600 At least according to this site (which definitely needs a new picture).

* If you can learn to order at Starbucks, then you can learn theological language at church. - 10/25/09

* In church life, the people that are rocking the boat are hardly ever the ones rowing it. -7:13 AM Oct 20th

* Even the unchurched know 2 things: Jesus loved the poor & the sick, so they're confused when they don't see us doing either. -10:18 AM Oct 3rd

* We've jazzed up the music, spiced up the sermons, and spruced up the buildings but the wheat still isn't harvesting itself. -1:53 PM Sep 30th

* Got a free first class upgrade- almost as good as getting the back row at church. ;-) Good times! -8:58 AM Sep 18th

* Headed to the orthodontist: lots of teenagers, Hannah Montana music, pink braces, and a puzzled look from them wondering why I'm there. -7:29 AM Sep 11th

* Watching the 5th season of 24 w/ Donna. She says I could whip Jack Bauer in a fight. And, Chuck Norris, too. Yep. ;-) -7:16 PM Sep 8th

* Fishing w/ my girls. If it goes well, I'll be posting pics of a HUGE fish. If not, I'll just write about the HUGE fish ;-) 2:25 PM Sep 7th

* RT: @thomrainer Marley didn't behave at vet. I responded by getting him neutered // As his employee, this concerns me. ;-) -1:57 PM Aug 29th

* Heading in to the office. Anglicans like to meet early. I need to introduce them to the slacker ways of low church evangelicalism. ;-) -4:38 AM Aug 20th

Bonus two tweets, for being our 2nd featured twit:

* Hoping to make it to worship tonight, but my wife drives the speed limit. Ugh. Like Sammy Hagar, I can't drive 55. ;-) -1:14 PM Aug 16th

* Just walked on the set where Hee Haw was filmed. Now I can die; my life is complete. ;-) -7:22 PM Aug 4th

It would appear that I use emoticons entirely too much. ;-)

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/my-top-tweets.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/my-top-tweets.html Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:32:36 -0600 The next ten days are both the busiest travel season AND the end of the fall "pastor conference" schedule for me. In other words, thing slow down. And, that's good.

But, I plan ahead and know that his time of year is always the busiest for me. In October and November, I am blessed to be able to talk to tens of thousands of leaders. It is tiring, but it is also a wonderful opportunity to brag on Jesus and provoke Christians toward His mission.

Yet, as you can tell, it is a little tiring. And, during this season, I need your prayers.

Here is a quick recap. See last week (part 1 and 2) for more info):

Tomorrow, I'm preaching at Harpeth Community Church in Franklin, TN.
Monday, I'm joining some friends for the TN Pastor's Conference in Jackson.
Tuesday, it's back to Louisville for the Acts 29 Bootcamp/Conference.
Wednesday, I'm off to New Orleans for the Great Commission Research Network Conference.
Thursday, I be preaching at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary chapel and doing a dialogue with the students following my message.
Friday and Saturday, I will be teach at ReTrain, and speaking to the leadership of Mars Hill Church
Sunday, I will be preaching to all the campuses at Mars Hill.
Monday, I will be speaking at the Calibrate Conference (with the Assemblies of God) in Seattle.

And, then I head home Tuesday and collapse.

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/saturday-is-for-seminars-22.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/saturday-is-for-seminars-22.html Seminars Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:20:07 -0600 I've shared a bit about my journey toward health here on the blog (here and here), mostly because many of you asked me to. Even since then I am frequently asked to post more on the subject. I've been slow to do this, but as I came across a recent study that showed a link between obesity and brain shrinkage, I thought I would jump in again.

Many of you already know that obesity (excess body fat that creates a significant health hazzard) is on the increase in our country. The Center for Disease Control explains,

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/moving-to-health-part-3.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/moving-to-health-part-3.html Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:38:58 -0600 As I recently mentioned, I am intrigued by the Independent Baptist Movement. It is often caricatured and frequently misunderstood, but definitely worth understanding. With that in mind, when I see research on this movement, it catches my attention.

Paul Chappell and Clay Reed have written a book based upon an independent, nationwide survey of independent Baptist churches, and the result is Church Still Works, an insightful read that will prove surprising to some and encouraging to all.

Paul is the senior pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church and president of West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California. Clayton is the founder and director of Global Church Planters, which has worked with American missionaries and national pastors to help start more than three hundred churches around the world.

I was happy to talk to Clayton about the new book, and think you'll find the interview and the book helpful.

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/book-interview-church-still-wo.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/book-interview-church-still-wo.html Books Church Revitalization Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:30:59 -0600 Do you remember the playground game Red Rover? You know, where school kids stand in two lines facing each other and take turns yelling out, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send Suzy right over!" Then little Suzy would have to leave her line and run as fast and hard as she could to break through the other line of kids holding hands. If successful, she would take one member from the other team back with her to her line. If unsuccessful, Suzy had to remain in the opposing team's line and then another child would be called to come over.

The game has seemed to lose some steam in the last few years. Maybe it's due to the development of "cooler" games. Perhaps it's due to the number of kids with neck injuries from nearly being strangled trying to break through. Whatever the case, it seems for the most part that Red Rover has gone to the playground cemetery along with King of the Hill. We'll have to hope for a resurrection.

It has occurred to me that we often to adopt a kind of Red Rover Strategy in church planting and pastoring. Like Paul in Acts 16, we hear the call, "Come over and help us!" and we react with a violent attempt to just break through the line. We have a dream in our heart to plant or pastor a church and we become so consumed with this vision that we barrel right into a new town looking for the weakest link in the chain before ever getting an honest and clear picture of the people that live there. We start plowing into a community with strategy, plans, and really great books written by "cool" church planters and pastors without ever considering the group of people into which we're being sent. And before we know it, we find ourselves strangled, trying to break into a community that is not ready or able to receive the church we have planned.

So, let me say this; before planting or pastoring a church, it's vital that we have a vision of the people to whom God has sent us. This was the crucial step that happened in Acts 16.

Paul and his companions are setting out to minister to people and they're running up against barriers along the way. The Bible says, "Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia, went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, come over to Macedonia and help us!" The "Come over and help us" ends with a little dative case pronoun: "us." And, it matters.

Here was Paul, sure of where he wanted to go, never stopping for directions, but being stopped at every turn. Until he received God's vision for ministry. And in the vision, he met a person, the man from Macedonia. We can learn a clear lesson from this story. Do not go plant or pastor a church if all you have is a vision for a particular kind of church, or because you think a particular city is "cool." You can only plant or pastor a church when you have a vision for the people. Part of being missional is to recognize that we are to go into a culture, engage the people of that culture, and plant a Biblically faithful church for those people, all the while acknowledging that culture matters in the way we do ministry. In many ways, the how of church ministry is determined by the who, when, and where of culture.

So, when we "come over," it's important to remember that we are going into our own community, not someone else's. It's so easy to hear an incredible speaker at a conference and say, "I'm going to be just like that pastor!" That is not the right goal, nor is it what God is calling you to be. Too often, we get so excited by someone else's church that we get a vision for their church before we get a vision for our people.

My challenge is, don't plant or pastor a church in your head. Plant or pastor a church in your community. When you are there, that's when the Gospel transforms real people who are living real lives. When we are in love with someone else's community, we fall prey to community lust and demographic envy. We begin thinking, "If I could just be in this part of California, or this part of Seattle, or this part of Manhattan... then, my church would be incredible." Know and live in your culture, not someone else's. Don't just bring a model, bring the Gospel. Create a church. Don't create a plan.

Most importantly, we must bring Christ, not just a church, particularly a way of doing church. Sometimes, I think we get too excited about the fact that we're leading a church. That's great, as long as we remember that we're planting the Gospel that creates a church, not a church that's known for being the best church or the most trendy or the most relevant. We're planting the Gospel and so we bring Christ and not just the church. Being missional has to be tied into the mission of Jesus, which is to seek and save the lost.

Unlike the in the game Red Rover, we win when we get to stay with our new "team" and begin leading it in a new direction. Planters and pastors must first take the time to listen to the Spirit, responding appropriately His call to the particular people He assigns to us. Then, we can best respond to the call to "Come over" and win them for the kingdom of God.

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/planting-in-your-head-or-your.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/planting-in-your-head-or-your.html Church Planting church planting culture people Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:09:23 -0600 O.K, I just went over the edge dealing with Twitter spam. Today, I am getting a bunch of Direct Messages from all the folks who got "phished" and did not protect their password. Then, there are the inappropriate followers. Today, I was going through my "followers" for the week and trying to eliminate inappropriate ones.

Some people ask why I care. Well, I have my twitter account set up to follow everyone back. Why? Because too many people ask, "Why don't you follow me?" I could only follow the people I know, but just because I don't know you does not mean I find you unimportant. Most of my Twitter-friends I never meet in person.

Since I have over 18,000 followers, there is no way I can check them all. Of course, that is what some people suggest, but basically that means I need to spend way too much time or pay someone to do it. I am not willing to do either. So, what I do is I watch the names when I get the email notification of new followers. For the vast majority of time, they are just names, and I don't worry about it. Sometimes the twitter avatar is obvious--and you block it.

Sometimes, they are questionable though--they might be something inappropriate or it might just be a name.

Let me give you an example. These folks followed me:

www.twitter.com/thebabesproject.

OK. Do I block or not?

I look at their avatar, and can't tell by that. But I'm not feeling too optimistic. So, I click the link and it works out fine. Turns out they are all about "coming alongside women, facing crisis pregnancy and offering positive alternatives to abortion, through adoption or parenting." Whew. They followed me because I was speaking somewhere on adoption.

]]> http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/fighting-twitter-spam.html http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/11/fighting-twitter-spam.html Web internet spam tech Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:33:40 -0600