The folks at The Exponential Conference are a never-ending source of creativity. They have an RV. That's right, a conference RV. It has its own web site and Twitter account. They even made a video to introduce the RV.

They are touring the planet as part of their promotion of the Exponential Conference. Exponential gathers about 3000 people to each year in Orlando to talk about church planting and ministry. I will be sharing again this year presenting some research and inspiration from my new book Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers. The book will be released at the conference itself.

Well, the boys in the RV came by my house on Saturday. I was one of several people they visited in Nashville including Thom Rainer, Pete Wilson, and Anne Jackson. Some pretty fun stuff.

Needless to say, it was a guerrilla-style shoot. My person favorite part is that each video seems to begin with some version of what you say just before you start filming. ;-)

The guys were great fun and good sports. Josh Jackaway is the guy doing the interviews and he wants to be a church planter, so he is OK in my eyes! And, his cameraman, Corbin Franklin, put up with a lot of foolishness from me.

Here are my four videos:

First, from my exercise area over viewing my exercise plan and what I read on the elliptical:

Next they wanted to see my kitchen where I describe my food and how it is different than my wife's food. For the record, I don't eat what she eats. ;-) I thought it was funny that this video got aggregated into a weight loss site.

And, probably more importantly, here are two videos with viewer questions about church planting:

Enjoy... and be sure to visit the sites involves:

The Exponential RV
The Exponential Conference
The Exponential Network

And, I will see you in Orlando April 19-22, 2010.

Here are two interviews with some Western workers serving the church in Taiwan and other nearby settings.

Phil Nicolson, with OMF, describes "Shopkeeper Churches" and their ministry among the underclass. Few of us have to worry about doing ministry among people who are not available at normal respectable church times. Listen to how they work through these issues:

"Garth," who works with my "company," explains his work and why he is there. The video is intentionally dark and "Garth" is filmed from behind because he goes to some other areas in the region.

"Garth" and I have known each other for a long time. He has planted in more than one place and his story is worth hearing.

If you or your church wanted to partner in planing churches in the area, "Garth" is the person who can help make the connections.

I was humbled and burdened to talk to these men-- and it made me wonder, am I doing enough?

I will have one more post on Taiwan... so stay tuned.

Video number 4 from the Jet Set Vision Trip in Taiwan all goes down during a cab ride through Taipei as Ray Chang and I talk about how second generation immigrant churches in America can be involved in God's global mission. Ray is the pastor of Ambassador Church (an Evangelical Free congregation) in Brea, CA.

Watch and listen as a second generation Asian American leader talks about his vision for the nations. It's worth your time!

If you missed the earlier videos, they are listed below.

Taiwan Video 1: Meeting and Learning from Pastor Chen
Taiwan Video 2: Ancestor Worship and Taiwanese Christians
Taiwan Video 3: Knowing Taiwan

We have been here in Taiwan for about half the week and we have seen some remarkable settings, fruitful ministry, and spiritually hungry people.

Be sure to check out the posts thus far:

Taiwan Video 1: Meeting and Learning from Pastor Chen

Taiwan Video 2: Ancestor Worship and Taiwanese Christians

As we talk to pastors, local leaders, and just everyday people, we regularly hear two things:

1. Taiwan is a difficult field. Operation World explains:

Taiwan remains the only major Han Chinese population in the world where the spiritual breakthrough has yet to come. During the 1990s the influence of Buddhism grew markedly with a large increase in adherents (800,000 in 1983 to 4.9m in 1995). Many of their outreach techniques have been adapted from Christians. Ancestor worship is one of the major barriers to faith in Christ. Added to this is the materialism stimulated by the rapid rise of living standards. Pray that every obstacle to the reception of the gospel may be broken down.

2. The heart religion is primarily animism and ancestor worship.

Take a look at this video to better understand the situation in Taiwan.

Please pray for the people of Taiwan so that the name and fame of Jesus might be more widely known here.

One of the fundamental challenges with evangelistic cultural engagement is how far to go to engage culture. It is always easy for unengaged people to sit on the sidelines and throw rocks at people who seek to engage cultures. I see it every day. But, people who care about God's mission also care about engaging culture.

The fact of the matter is this: in every missional cultural engagement, some go too far and some don't go far enough. It is the nature of contextualization. It is hard. It takes a commitment to biblical principles. It takes wisdom. It takes listening to each other. And, those outside the culture need to listen to those inside. And, those inside the culture need to learn from those that have gone before them.

In this video, Robert Young, a local Taiwanese believer who trains visiting personnel, explains to us how he has worked through issues of contextualization in regards to the veneration of ancestors. As you will see in tomorrow's post, animism and ancestor worship is much more significant in this culture than Buddhism and Taoism.

Listen as Robert Young (his anglicized name) explains in this video shot by our team member, Ray Chang. Listen as he explains the issues and how his family has addressed them:

Why does this matter? Well, at the Madras missionary conference, way back in 1938, they explained that churches had to be "indigenous," or be rooted and related to their own cultural context:

An indigenous church, young or old, in the East or in the West, is a church which, rooted in obedience to Christ, spontaneously uses forms of thought and modes of action natural and familiar in its own environment. Such a church arises in response to Christ's own call. The younger churches will not be unmindful of the experiences and teachings which the older churches have recorded in their confessions and liturgy. But every younger church will seek further to bear witness to the same Gospel with new tongues" (International Missionary Council, "The Growing Church: The Madras Series," Papers Based upon the Meeting of the International Missionary Council, at Tambaram, Madras, India, December 12-29, 1938. Vol. 2, (New York, International Missionary Council), 276.)

Such a value is not easy to uphold and there are dangers on both sides.

Dean Gilliland explains:

Contextualization [is] a delicate enterprise if ever there was one... the evangelist and mission strategist stand on a razor's edge, aware that to fall off on either side has terrible consequences... Fall to the right and you end in obscurantism, so attached to your conventional ways of practicing and teaching the faith that you veil its truth and power from those who are trying to see it through very different eyes. Slip to the left and you tumble into syncretism, so vulnerable to the impact of paganism in its multiplicity of forms that you compromise the uniqueness of Christ and concoct "another gospel which is not a gospel." (Dean S. Gilliland, ed., The Word Among Us (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1989), vii.)

An organization I serve recently put out some helpful guidelines on contextualization that are worth your time and consideration:

PRINCIPLES OF CONTEXTUALIZATION

1. We affirm that the Bible is the only infallible text that exists. It is appropriate to evaluate all other books by the Bible. We encourage our personnel to search the Scriptures daily to see whether the principles presented by any text or teacher are true (Acts 17:11). Content that is in accord with biblical truth should be embraced. What is contrary to sound doctrine should be rejected.

2. We affirm that there is a biblical precedent for using "bridges" to reach out to others with the Gospel (Acts 17:22-23). The fact that Paul mentioned an aspect of the Athenians' idolatrous worship was not a tacit approval of their entire religious system. He was merely utilizing a religious element of their setting (an altar to an unknown god) to connect with his hearers and bridge to the truth. Similarly, our personnel may use elements of their host culture's worldview to bridge to the Gospel. This need not be construed as an embracing of that worldview. It should be noted that Paul not only used their system to connect, he also contrasted elements of it with the truth. Our evangelism must go beyond bridges to present the whole unvarnished truth of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

3. We affirm an incarnational approach to missions that is bound by biblical parameters. Following the example of Him who became flesh (John 1:14), it is appropriate that our personnel continue to tailor their ministry to their setting. The apostle Paul likewise embraced this approach, "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22b). We advocate the learning and appropriate utilization of language and culture. Constant vigilance is required lest contextualization degenerate into syncretism. Where linguistic categories and cultural mores are deficient, these must be challenged and corrected with biblical truth.

4. We affirm both the sufficiency and unique nature of biblical revelation (2 Timothy 3:14-17). We deny that any other purported sacred writing is on a par with the Bible. While reference to a target people group's religious writings can be made as a part of bridge building, care should be exercised not to imply a wholesale acceptance of such.

5. We affirm the need to be ethically sound in our evangelistic methodology (2 Corinthians 4:2). Becoming all things to all men in an incarnational approach does not necessitate an ethical breach. Jesus instructed His disciples to be as "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). We are to be wise in our bridge building. We are to be harmless in our integrity as we hold forth the truth.
(Footnotes specific to another religious tradition were dropped from the guidelines as I posted them here.)

More on this over the next couple of days... but please weigh in below, specifically on Robert's comments and missions in this culture-- where not worshiping one's ancestors to be both dishonoring and spiritually dangerous.

I am in Taiwan right now and will be blogging the trip all week. Other bloggers will also be weighing in over the next few days. See my last post for a list. (The guys at the Upstream Collective made a nifty little graphic that our "official commentators" will use a bit later, but you can see it at the top of this post.)

During the week, we will talk to local leaders, workers living here permanently helping local churches, and also some of those who came with me. You will meet leaders from different cultures, denomination, and ages.

For our first video, I talk with Pastor Chen. He pastors a traditional Baptist church and tells a bit about the context and ministry here.

Take a moment to listen and begin to hear about ancestor worship, the growth of the church on the mainland compared to the slower growth in Taiwan, and a bluegrass concert.

I will be posting more in the days to come, but enjoy:

Please feel free to comment below, but if you have friends working over here, be sure they would want their name mentioned before you do so.

The broadcast has ended, but you can still read through the comments.

I have written about the upcoming broadcast of "The NINES." The event has generated significant interest, prompting the Christian Post to headline, "Church Leaders Abuzz About Virtual Conference." I am one of the 75 presenters, but the mix of speakers should make for some interesting dialogue and, I am guessing, some debate.

Here is the promo video:

I will be streaming the event live at the blog. I (and others at other blogs) will be dialoging about what we see and hear-- so watch the comments.

I am guessing that there will be much with which you/we agree, but there will be open conversation here about what we disagree as well. in other words, the blog will be an "open mike" around the ideas presented. And, I would love to hear your voice.

So, here's what to do:

1. Register.
2. Come by tomorrow at 9/9/09 9a.m. central time to watch the live webcast.
3. Let's talk about it in the comment stream. I'll be here.

See you tomorrow.

Here is the video from my discussion with Mike Harland about worship, relevance, and reverence. Thanks to the folks at LifeWayWorship.com for inviting me.

Reverence vs Relevance from LifeWay Productions on Vimeo.

Feel free to interact in the comments and give us your thoughts.

Ed Stetzer Last Service Video from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

Here is a video that my church showed last Sunday to look back over the last two years. My kids loved it. And, to be honest, it got to me as well. Thanks, Chad Conger, for the hours it took to put it together.

Some of the references include "inside jokes," like the "Cheese It" reference in my Financial Freedom series.

The "Cheese It" illustration was based on the idea that my daughter, Jaclyn, was convinced that there was a limited amount of Cheese Its, but as her father, I owned the Cheese Its on a thousand hills. We often think that God can't meet our needs, so we fear and hoard. When you think about your "stuff" all day, it takes over (watch for the big box) and is eventually a prison (watch for the Cheese It prison).

By the way, you can get that Financial Freedom series for free. Click here for more information.

The "weight loss" vignette was pretty neat to watch and inspired me to take the next step and run a half marathon. More information about my weight loss journey is here.

I am thinking about writing an article about "Things I Learned While Preaching at a Traditional Megachurch." I learned much. And, I will miss being there. As a contemporary church planter and pastor, I was a little anxious at the beginning, but they welcomed me and l think we learned a lot together.

I don't own a suit anymore. It is way too big. So, I only have a blazer and an untucked shirt left. But, that's seemed to be OK as long as we studied the Word and focused on the Lord!

Here is one more "Saturday is for Seminars" that is posted on Sunday.

Take a look at this video:

Connect Conferences: Reaching and Keeping Young Adults

This fall I will be participating in a series of Connect Conferences around the country. These unique gatherings provide a focused discussion about reaching and keeping young adults. Our hope is to provide an intimate opportunity for key leaders to:

• learn more about young adults


• understand some of the many reasons why they leave the church


• network with other leaders in your area


• walk away with practical, promising next steps for ministry

Thom Rainer, Sam Rainer, Jason Hayes, and I will be speaking at the majority of these events. In addition, other speakers include Mark Batterson, Michael Kelley, Heather Zempel, Tim Miller, Jen Hatmaker, Adam Thomason, and more.

Go HERE to learn more about these gatherings and to see who will be in a city near you.

Atlanta, GA - August 13-14, 2009
Nashville, TN - August 20-21, 2009
Charleston, SC - August 27-28, 2009
Washington, DC - September 17-18, 2009
Shreveport, LA - September 24-25, 2009

Hope to see you at one of the Connect Conferences.

The B21 panel, presented by Baptist 21 and hosted by Sojourn Community Church went down during the Southern Baptist Convention last month. I am probably the last person to post it on his blog (considering the thousands of video views), but I need to in case you are the only person who has not yet watched it.

The panel examined reasons for young pastors to involve themselves with the Southern Baptist Convention, the place for seminaries in training up the next generation, dual involvement with the SBC and Acts 29, and more provocative topics. You can watch it in two parts below.

Of course, I was live-twittering the event, as you will see on the video. The picture I took is here.

Last week, I posted video from the Assemblies of God on church revitalization. Today, I have some video from the Kentucky Baptist Convention on the same subject (but with a different format).

In this case, my friend of many years, Alan Witham, asked if I would present our findings in several short videos to be used in their state convention. They created a "Comeback Process" described as follows:

Based on the book, Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can Too by Ed Stetzer and Mike Dodson, the Kentucky Baptist Convention has developed a Comeback Church Process to give direction to weakened churches seeking to make a comeback.

Is your church in need of a comeback?

Process Goals

• To provide good information to church leaders


• To help them with application of the principles


• To see transformation in that results in church health and growth.

Process Details
Leaders of churches who commit to the Comeback Church process will be guided in growth in five key areas:

1. Leadership

2. Vibrant faith (renewed beliefs in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church, servanthood and strategic prayer)

3. Meaningful and active ministries for laypeople

4. Intentional evangelistic efforts

5. "Celebrative" and "orderly" mood of worship

Opportunities for growth include individual consultations, seminars, evaluations, networking, coaching and strategic planning.

For More Information
If your church is interested in the Comeback Church Process, please contact our Church Development Team Office at 502-489-3571 or 866-489-3571 (toll free in KY), or e-mail us at churchdevelopment@kybaptist.org.

Each of the five areas above included the video segments I recorded on each topic. They are included below.

We shot the videos in the library at LifeWay, but somehow copies of my books were mistakenly placed in the background. ;-)

Part A: Introduction

Comeback Church part A- Introduction from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

Part 1: Visional Leadership

Comeback Church part 2- Visional Leadership from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

Part 2: Intentional Evangelism

Comeback Church part 2- Intentional Evangelism from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

Part 3: Lay Mobilization

Comeback Church part 3- Lay Mobilization from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

Part 4: Celebrative Worship

Comeback Church part 4- Celebrative Worship from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

Part 5: Renewed Focus on Jesus and His Mission

Comeback Church part 5- Renewed Focus on Jesus and His Mission from Ed Stetzer on Vimeo.

Thanks to the KBC for making these available.

Here are some videos about church revitalization. I will be posting more soon.

Back in August, I was invited to record a television program and shoot some video for the Assemblies of God. Both programs were videotaped at the Total Living Network in Aurora, IL.

Larry Griswold and Gary Blanchard from the Illinois District of the Assemblies of God interviewed me for the video. They then took the videos as part of a bigger program and showed it to over a thousand leaders in different meetings throughout the region.

To load them on YouTube, I combined them based on length so each video (after the introductory one) is between 5-10 minutes.

Thanks, Larry and Gary, for the chance to serve your churches and permission to share these videos with my blog readers.

I have included all the videos below.

Introductions, The State of the Church in the U.S, Re-Focusing on the Lost

The Bridge to What God Desires, The Keys to Change

The First 100 Days of Change

The Role of Leadership/Teamwork

Mistakes to Avoid

A Word to Denominational Leaders - Making it About the Mission, Not the Machine

I sat down with Darrin Patrick, Lead Pastor of The Journey in St. Louis, to be interviewed concerning church, ministry, younger generations, and the future. Check it out below and join the conversation in the comments.

And now for a bit of history from a great source for learning such things...

And my personal favorite:

Happy Independence Day!

Here is a sermon I preached a couple of weeks ago at my church on living a "God-imitating life."

The video of our Advance09 panel is up. Take a look.

Interestingly, John Piper's first answer led to this clarification. The clarification is well worth your read just to get a take on how we might view modern culture.

Also, several people have asked me about my comments about missions cooperation being the doorway to theological compromise. (I think that surprised some people.)

However, there is little question that this is an historic pattern. I wrote a bit about it a few years ago here. My answer in the video gives more details.

I am excited to see my friends from the BGCO working hard to serve their churches. In a tumultuous time in my denomination, Anthony Jordon has led the BGCO to serve their congregations well. At a time when some are saying we don't need a change, Anthony has been urging his churches to become more missional. I appreciate his friendship over the last several years and, more importantly, his steady leadership.

Well, my friend Bob Mayfield is part of the team there and he asked me to come out and do a training event that will be used for 10,000 leaders this August. Now, this training is not for pastors, but for leaders of small communities-- small group leaders and Sunday School teachers. And, training 10,000 leaders is a pretty great opportunity to encourage some folks, so I was glad to do it... and the videos will be coming out soon.

Let me add that I think this kind of approach will be big part of the future. Last year, I did a similar thing with the Assemblies of God. We shot the video at a television station in Chicago and then then used it in meetings across their region. It takes such training to people and not just to pastors. You can see those videos here.

They have planned a "One Day" training for leaders of small groups and classes to help them live on mission. Below is a preview video and you can find more information about the "One Day" initiative here.

One of the things you will see in the coming days is a concerted effort to add more video and audio content here at the blog.

To start, here is my message at the Advance09 conference in Durham, NC.

Here is the panel of which I was part.

You can download all of the messages here.