Jared Wilson is a pastor, writer and blogger whose first book Your Jesus is Too Safe, was just released from Kregel. As the subtitle says the book aims to help us outgrowing "a drive-thru, feel-good savior."
I was glad to write the foreword for the book, and recently had the chance to ask Jared a few questions about the book. Read the interview and jump into the comments below. Jared will be around today answering questions on the blog.
Ed Stetzer: There's inspirational stuff in the book, some devotional stuff, some academic stuff, some apologetics stuff, some discipleship type stuff, lots of humor and sarcasm, and lots of gospel. Who is Your Jesus is Too Safe for? Who's your intended reader?
JW: It's for people who need to hear about Jesus and the gospel, which I think is everyone, Christian and non. But I know you're not supposed to market a book that broadly.
The book does assume a certain working level of Christianity, and it does sort of assume that the reader is interested in deepening his or her understanding of what Jesus said and did. It assumes the reader has "a Jesus" that may or may not need clarifying.
And, yeah, given the pop cultural references, the humorous footnotes and the sarcasm and what-not, it is probably most in the language of Christians 18-40 or so.
ES: You cite N.T. Wright and John Piper pretty much equally. There has obviously been tension there. Fill us in.
JW: I know, I know. I'm supposed to pick a team.
And honestly, if I'm picking a team for the atonement wars, I'm probably with Piper. I talk about that a bit in the book, but I am a fan of a symphonic view of the different biblical emphases on the atonement with penal substitution as sort of the sharp, leading edge of gospel understanding and proclamation.
I love both men and their work. They are the two most formative influences on my understanding of Jesus. And the book is sort of a literary mashup of Wright's (and others') historical Jesus scholarship and Piper's (and others') passionate proclamation of the glories of Christ.
ES: I know Element bills itself a missional community, and I know you've blogged extensively on the missional church. How does the book fit in or apply to the missional conversation? Or does it?
JW: I think it's human nature to favor one extreme over another. We like life on the pendulum. So in the missional church movement, if we can call it that, we find big bold preachers of Jesus' awesomeness who are very little action and we find folks who are big on action but downplay gospel proclamation. (And there's great folks who do both.) This isn't new and it isn't limited to missional Christianity. It's fundamentalist reductionism versus social gospel all over again.
I think what the book could do - and I don't talk about the missional church in the book; it's just not in the book's view - is push us to ponder if maybe we have a Preacher Jesus on one hand or a Activist Jesus on the other, and the corrective is not to trade one for the other but to look at who Jesus was and what he did. He preached and taught that the kingdom revolved around himself, and he healed, fed, clothed, raised, exorcised, etc. as if that were true. The closer we get to the biblical Jesus, the better our missiology and ecclesiology will be. I think that's a fairly obvious point nobody really needs me to point out. But the book, I hope, will help people get closer to the biblical Jesus.
ES: You survey quite a few false Jesuses from contemporary culture in the Introduction--Grammy Award Speech Jesus, Hippie Jesus, ATM Jesus, etc. Which one do you think is most prevalent in the church right now? And what is the book's response to it?
JW: I don't have the research resources that you do, so I can't put a figure on this, but I can tell you that my biggest concern is actually about an Invisible Jesus. Jesus, the Best Supporting Actor. Cameo Appearance Jesus. The "Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain" Jesus.
In way too many churches - just one would be too many, but I know this is a larger problem than that because I have experienced it myself and I hear from many others across the country who have as well - Jesus barely or rarely shows up. He may make an appearance in an illustration or something, but he is not the point of the message. Sometimes his name is never mentioned. Perusing church websites or pastor's blogs or Twitter feeds, they hardly ever mention him.
It's bizarre. It's distressing. But it makes sense given the current state of evangelicalism.
ES: Run with that and explain your title. How is evangelicalism's Jesus is too safe?
JW: It's this weird thing we do -- that we've got to wake up to - where Jesus cares about the exact same things we do, Jesus wants the same things we do, Jesus gives his stamp of approval on all our hopes and dreams. Who was it that said "God made man in his own image and ever since man has tried to return the favor"?
Our Jesus is too safe when it turns out he likes and dislikes the same people and things we do. For our church culture, it's things like success at work, prospering in our finances, achieving our dreams, etc. But every time I read the Sermon on the Mount, for instance, I am immediately comforted and challenged at the same time. It totally freaks me out. If Jesus in the Gospels doesn't challenge your idols, your worship of them is more entrenched than you realize.
My friend Ray Ortlund says making Jesus the chaplain of the American dream is blasphemous. I think he's touched on the prevailing sin of Western evangelical culture.
ES: What's the takeaway? What one idea or thought do you want to resonate with people when they close the book at the end of their reading?
JW: Well, I hope we don't make it sound as if the book is constantly critical, constantly corrective. Michael Spencer did me a favor in pointing that out in his review, when he says the title sort of belies the real thrust of the book. I sort of set up the problems with some critical surveys in the Introduction, just as you sort of do in the Foreword, but the text of the book is overwhelmingly pro-Christ, not anti- anything. There are corrections as necessary and plenty of arguments for certain things, but the book is more "for" Jesus than it is "against" anything else. I think anyone who's read it can testify to that.
But the takeaway I hope it offers is what I like to call the all-surpassing awesomeness of Jesus.
If it renews or deepens or even just helps someone's relationship with the risen Lord, I'm happy.
Jared will be around to interact with us right here on the blog. So jump into the comments if you have any questions or issues you want to discuss.
If we are going to take the Great Commission seriously we have to figure out how to best communicate the gospel to and connect with the younger generations - especially the unchurched. So, I was very impressed with the continued good work of my friends at Threads. They created this video that gives you a peek into the stats and perspective you'll find in the book. If the video interests you, you should order the book. ;-)
We appreciate you checking out the book and sharing it with others.
Here's a quick look into what you are saying (in the order we saw them). If we missed you, feel free to post your review below-- even if you hated the book!
"Lost and Found is not a how-to book for reaching young adults. It is rather a here's-what book -- here's what this generation is, here's what they want, and here's what churches are doing to reach them."
"... we should read the Bible until God stops us. One verse, one page, one chapter; when we run into something God wants us to ponder, then stop and ponder. That happened to me literally hundreds of times in Lost And Found. I finished the book much the better for having read .. make that studied .. it."
"... A great read. You definitely need to pick this up if you are church planter, pastor or leader in a church that cares about reaching the younger unchurched."
"Ed Stetzer is a genius - he is able to make statistics interesting! He speaks with both authority and humility. His research seems (to this amateur) to be solid and honest. But he is careful not to use research as the basis of truth. He recognizes that truth comes from God's Word - something this book is careful to remember. He is not trying to derive truth from statistics, but to use his research to show the church how to communicate its eternal truth more clearly."
"This is not a book to be read once. It is a book to be slowly digested and considered over time. Buy it. Read it. Think about it. Pray about it. Implement its recommendations. The younger unchurched in your community will receive better ministry if we do."
"This book is a must read for all pastors and church planters who desire to reach the younger generations. Lots to think about and some very interesting stats."
"The short of it is that Lost and Found is a good place to begin a journey. You will find several hints about what is connecting the church with the unchurched. My prayer is that pastors would read this book and get their butts in gear."
"...you have to read this book. Let it challenge you. If you have no clue why the young adults generation is missing from your church, you have to read this book. You will have to consider making serious changes if you want the missing to be found. If you have young adults, but have no idea what it might take to keep them, you have to read this book."
"... church leaders need to know how to equip those in church to reach out to others who won't ever enter the church's doors. This book does a great job of offering suggestions for how leaders might do just that, and I am thankful that the authors have put it together."
"Let me recommend this book for reasons beyond the information, practices, narrative, or tone of the book. We need to connect to this generation of young adults in a big way. Maybe it is because I am a young adult myself, but I have a passion for this group. I think this book can help us- I pray it helps us."
"The book is an engaging read. A well structured balance of research based data, personal interview, and an engaging "true story" narrative that glues the concepts together with practical advice."
"Reaching young unchurched adults is the concern of every church. Lost and Found serves a useful purpose in allowing us to move past our opinions of what "should" be and begin to consider the obstacles confronting us in this task."
"Lost and Found championed the simple in order to make maximum impact. This was simply a great read. When you pick it up, don't rush through it. Take your time and make sure you have notebook and pen handy. My copy is filled with notes!"
J.D. Payne has written a valuable book that shines some much need light on church planting teams. Having taught church planting and evangelism courses in evangelical institutions for nine years and served with several church planting teams, Dr. Payne is aware of the lack of quality church planting resources, particularly resources addressing church planting teams.
In The Barnabas Factors: Eight Essential Practices of Church Planting Team Members, Payne examines the life of Barnabas in Christianity's first church planting efforts. He uses this as a model for contemporary church planting team members. Each chapter of this work addresses a particular "Barnabas Factor, " a healthy aspect of Barnabas' life that assisted in Kingdom expansion. The is broken down into eight practices and chapters that include:
1. Walks with the Lord
2. Maintains an Outstanding Character
3. Serves the Local Church
4. Remains Faithful to the Call
5. Shares the Gospel Regularly
6. Raises Up Leaders
7. Encourages with Speech and Actions
8. Responds Appropriately to Conflict
Payne's book also includes a guide to assist church planters in selecting and
developing team members according to the Barnabas Factors. Each chapter
includes an application section, "Points to Ponder for Team Development."
I was happy to write the forward to this book, and have included that here below.
Foreword
In this book, The Barnabas Factors: Eight Essential Practices of Church Planting Team Members, J. D. Payne addresses the desired characteristics of team members in the context of church planting teams. He does this by examining the life of Barnabas in Christianity's first church planting efforts.
This book is different from anything I've seen in church planting books. While it is generally expected that a book will start with a concept and then move to the use of scriptures to back up that concept, J. D. takes a completely different approach. This is a very straightforward, non- glitzy look at what the Bible has to say about team ministry in church planting. The principles laid out and explained in this book are taken directly from the scriptures through an in-depth look at the life and ministry of Barnabas.
It's not really a revolutionary idea to draw one's understandings from the biblical text, but it is a foundational principle that we often miss in our quest for effective leadership and exponential growth. The primary reference point for J. D.'s book is a candid look at biblical references to Barnabas. To put it simply, the primary case study for this book is the life and ministry of Barnabas.
Case studies can be powerful. They give us insight into the motivations, principles, and goals of the one being studied, while allowing us a window for viewing our own circumstances through the filter of someone else's experience. By looking at the biblical principles in Barnabas' life and ministry, this book has a high scriptural component that provides an even clearer window into your own church planting experience. After all, nothing is able to speak to the soul like God's Word. Similarly, when we think of church planting in the Bible, we might easily be drawn to the more-famous Paul. Yet as you read the words of this book, you will find that Barnabas's experiences aren't too far removed from your own planting journey. He wasn't the star. He was more like most of us--an ordinary guy who surrendered to a great call to simply do his best to assist in the greatest mission enterprise ever.
Barnabas probably lacked some of the oratory skills or apologetic artistry of more famous guys like Peter or Paul, but Barnabas's faithfulness provides a glimpse into how we can be better church planters in a calling that is often trying and always in need of greater staying power, faith, and steady determination.
Through an examination of Barnabas's life and ministry, J. D. has identified eight characteristics of successful church planting team members. He applies these characteristics not only to the individual church planter, but also to the church planting team. He then examines each of these characteristics in detail and helps the church planter apply them to the everyday needs of the church planter and his team.
As you read this book, you will come to a greater understanding of these biblical qualities. This understanding will aid you in either building an effective team from scratch or in reforming your present staff to function and live as a team.
Although The Barnabas Factors is not a how-to book or a strategy manual for the team approach in church planting, J. D. has provided a very nice and concise application section at the end of each chapter entitled, "Points to Ponder for Team Development."
I personally believe this application section is one of the best features of this book. These questions are designed for the church planting team members to use in sharpening their own application of the principles taught in this book. It would greatly benefit you and your team to systematically study and discuss these "Points to Ponder for Team Development" during your weekly training/staff time. Another good option might be to use these reflection questions in a retreat or weekend training event for your team.
As you read this book and continue along your church planting journey, let me encourage you to always center all that you are and all that you do on the gospel. As you prayerfully strategize on how to employ the knowledge gained in this book in your own team setting, keep the message of the gospel front and center. J. D.'s methodology for extracting his material straight from the scriptures is a good reminder for us to always, always, always keep the proclamation of the gospel as our chief purpose.
May God greatly bless you and work through you as you assemble and grow a team for a great harvest.
The Compelled by Love blog tour took a stop at the Dallas Morning News. Philip Nation wrote a few thoughts on our book, Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living (New Hope, 2008), in the Dallas Morning News religion blog.
He wrote ten things... I excerpted a few here:
1. Understand the Gospel. The mission of God is consumed with the person & work of Christ. As you understand Christ, you can accurately participate in God's work of redemption. So read the Gospels - a lot...
4. Watch for a chance to serve. People give away all of their energy on family, work, and menial chores. Look for ways that you can care for your neighbors - even if it is just cooking a simple dinner for them...
6. Love like Jesus. He lived a robust life of caring for the lost. In elevating sacrificial love far beyond any previous thinking, he gave an example for us...
10. Do it for one reason - the glory of God. The only reason for be missional is to make Christ more widely known. God is worthy of being honored by all of creation and it should be the main reason why we participate in his mission.
Joel Rainey, whom I've known for a few years now, has written a book called Planting Churches in the Real World. I wrote an endorsement for it, which appears on the front cover.
I think the angle of this book will be very helpful. Most of the books on church planting are written by guys who have planted mega-churches, which often leaves would-be planters thinking that theirs will be the next mega-church. But most new churches don't break 100 in average worship attendance until after the fourth year, and Joel writes his book with this majority group in mind.
Our hope for the book is that it will help you push the idea of missional from being a leadership paradigm to a way of life for the people in your church.
The book is written from the perspective of love being a primary ethic for missional living. Ultimately, God's glory is the ethic and motivation for all we do. And the church being as loving as her Lord will propel us onto his missional work of redemption and care for humanity.
Here I sit in the airport in Nashville missing my lunch conference in Florida.
So, don't go to my conference here. Go to Thomas Hammond's instead.
I planned for a three hour time cushion, but, alas, Freedom Airlines (Delta's "problem child" partner) is slower than that. Check it out:
Update: The 6:50a.m. flight eventually departed at 1:30p.m., or almost 7 hours late
Sigh.
So, the bad news is that I won't make it for the pre-conference session. The good news is that I will make it to bring a main message tonight and I can post a very late "Friday is for Friends" here at the blog.
Here are some updates on some friends, old and new:
Although it is not selling as well as Keller's book NYT bestseller (grin), Todd Wright and Marty Duren's new book is off to a good start.
I had lunch with Todd and Marty last week and then spoke at the evengelism conference hosted at Todd's church. Good guys.
Many of you know Marty as the former proprietary of the blog SBCOutpost. A few years ago, Marty's blog became a focal point for much of the SBC debate. He now blogs here.
Last summer, Marty made a conscience decision to focus less on issues of the SBC and more on missional issues relating to his local church. One result is the newly released book, Journeys: Transitioning Churches To Relevance, co-authored with Todd.
I read the book a while back and you will see my endoresment on the cover.
It is not a book for you if you are content with the same old thing. It is not for you if you think culture is an enemy to your church. It is not for you if you think change is unbiblical. A narrative written from the lab of pastoral practice, not from theoretical wishfulness, Journeys chronicles how God changed the hearts of two pastors who then were burdened to lead their churches to transition to be more effective in engaging their host cultures with the gospel. I encourage you to read it, digest it and allow God to prepare you for the journey that He has for you, and possibly for your church, as you strive to bring the gospel to those around you.
The new message theme: What would you do if you only had 31 days to live? (See http://www.31daystolive.com.)
Philip says that the original inspiration came from a similar campaign done by Life Church led by Craig Groeschel. And, there are a number of books being written about this subject and churches pursuing similar campaigns, including Kerry Shook's book, One Month to Live.
Lake Ridge is being planted in the 13th wealthiest county in the nation according to Forbe's magazine. It is a place where the houses are large but the souls seem empty. So Philip decided to offer a question that simply could not be escaped - what would you do if you only had 31 days to live? And he has asked it everywhere. Postcards, email blast, business cards, yard signs, local magazine ad, and even a digital billboard in the area's busiest shopping center - all driving people to the website and posing the question: 31 Days to Live.com - what would you do?
One of the unique facets to Lake Ridge's outreach campaign is that he invited a friend planting a church in San Diego to join in the fun. So, together with Jeff Langley's plant Cloudbreak Church, they are preaching the same topics during March, driving metro Atlantians and Southern Californians to the same viral website, sharing stories about people's answers, and talking about the lives that are being changed.
During March, they will roll out new stories, messages, and articles each week. Already, some great stories are out there. But the ultimate goal is to get the unchurched into environments where honest questions can be asked and hope can be given. So, they are pointing all of this to discussion groups to be formed out of the Sunday messages and website topics.
It seems like a great catalyst to get far-from-God people to think about the brevity of life and the need for something greater than themselves -- namely the Gospel.
I had the privilege of getting to know Larry while working on Perimeters of Light. We quoted him:
1970s A.D.: Larry Norman sang, "I want the people to know, That He saved my soul, But I still like to listen to the radio...They say that rock and roll is wrong...I know what's right, I know what's wrong and I don't confuse it: Why should the devil have all the good music...'Cause Jesus is the Rock and He rolled my blues away.�? He founded what became known as Contemporary Christian Music... and it is still controversial today.
The day before he died he wrote, "I feel like a prize in a box of cracker jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up... I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home..."
Larry was a pioneer for much of what became contemporary Christian music and greatly influenced what would become the contemporary church movement.
He stood for change and relevance, and like many who questioned what was alread settled, he was attacked by many who called themselves Christians.
He sang:
"I've been knocked down,
kick around,
some people scandalized my name...
But here I am... talking 'bout Jesus just the same.�?
Now he get's to meet the Jesus he loved.
He will be missed.
Update: The New York Times has an excellent obit on Larry posted this morning.
On Wednesday, I will be interviewed on ShapeVine by my friend Lance Ford.
Shapevine is billed as a "place for church planters, pastors, and leaders to bring their ideas, struggles, and experiences into a virtual online café for conversation and sharing."
It was started by former Globalnet Director, Lance Ford and Alan Hirsch, author of The Shaping of Things to Come and The Forgotten Ways.
They do on line training with a wide range of people like Leonard Sweet, Sally Morgenthaler, Michael Frost, Steve Sjogren, Neil Cole, Dan Kimball, Ron Martoia, etc.
The broadcasts are free (and they are live via video).
So come by for, "Lance Ford interviews Ed Stetzer, Wednesday, March 5, 2pm EST"
I was particularly blessed when the General Overseer of the Church of God, Dennis McGuire, and the International Executive Committee took me to dinner. These men are the elected leaders of an international body of seven million believers.
We talked about the challenges of connecting with young and innovative leaders, their church planting plans, and the future of the denomination. I was encouraged by their passion for the lost.
You can read some thoughts about the conference (from the attendees perspective) here.
Perry Noble
Perry and his glasses dropped by the blog to comment here. It appears I was not the only guy in the 1980s to own parachute pants.
Bob continues to crank out books... and he always makes me think. In this case, Bob's focus is churches that plant churches.
Bob asked me for my input and I gave a bunch. I enjoy the dialogue with Bob because he really wants feedback and is not afraid to push back. We have great arguments-- and then we do it again. So, we had a good time talking through the book and "provoking one another to love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).
Kingdom minded leaders stop focusing on what is hard or risky, move beyond the comfort of addition within their own building, and risk.
My friend Bob Roberts is a risk taker. It is evident in his ministry. As a result of shunning the safe in favor of radically chasing after the Kingdom of God, Bob has become a multiplier. He's instilled that mentality in the members of NorthWood Church, the body of believers he pastors in Keller, Texas. The result: exponential Kingdom growth.
Not many people are able to grasp what it means to think and act exponentially, especially in today's North American Church. But, Bob is there on both. That is what makes him uniquely qualified to share his insights. I can be pretty frantic, but I pause when I hear or read something that comes from somebody who's "been there, done that.�? Bob has always given me reason to pause.
Actually I did more than pause when Bob sent me this latest book, The Multiplying Church. I lingered.
I am in Western Europe today and the internet connection is not good... I hope to post some tonight.
Update 1 Monday Night:
Five Hours later... finally, Internet. Ahhhh.
We met tonight in a cramped apartment in urban Barcelona. There were about 20 of us shoulder-to-shoulder talking about how to plant churches in Western Europe.
I brought a group of pastors with me that are passionate about reaching U.S. contexts-- and there was some great dialogue and mutual learning.
Earlier today, we walked the city and saw some of its cultures.
I am impressed with these missionaries-- they could easily be planting churches in gentrified U.S. cities and it would be a lot easier.
I do not intend, by any stretch of imagination, to call U.S. urban church planting easy. But, to take that cultural context and place it in a post-Christian European city, is quite a challenging thing.
I read unChristian on the plane over. A worthwhile read about the move of emerging generations away from historic Christianity. It was challenging and sobering--but sitting in Barcelona reminds me that these people were post-Christian for generations. It is a different world... and I wonder if North America will look similar in the next generation.
Here is what I posted recently about the Western Europe leadership team:
I will be going to Spain in February to meet with the leadership and do some teaching. The IMB leadership will be doing some events in the states as well. Please connect with them if you can...
Here is the info:
The Western Europe region of the International Mission Board invites you to participate in The Gatherings, a two-day event designed to connect you and your church to the work God is doing in Western Europe.
Join IMB workers and other stateside church leaders/members at one of two locations in 2008: Stafford, Va. (March 3-4), or Atlanta, Ga. (March 6-7). During The Gatherings, we'll dialog about ministry among postmoderns and fast-growing immigrant groups in Paris, Barcelona, Zurich, Rome and other places in Western Europe.
Scott McConnell, the brains behind LifeWay Research, alerted me to recent Gallup Research that deals with Spain's spiritual views, among other things. You can find the full story here.
Posted on February 4, 2008 at 8:09 AM ~ 4 Comments
I just returned from Louisiana College in Alexandria, LA. Yesterday, I did a pre-conference seminar on Come Back Churches. Then, I preached to the annual evangelism conference last night and this morning. They are still meeting, but I headed home to be with my family.
It was good to meet some new people and visit with some old friends.
It was particularly nice to spend some time with Eric Geiger. Eric is, according to Thom Rainer, the brains behind the book Simple Church. He is also fun to be with so he has no sense of driving direction at all (long story, but he got us lost).
Two fun moments with Eric:
1. When we discovered we were preaching from the same text. (We still used the same text, but I altered my message a bit so he could drill in on his theme... which I am sure he did exceedingly well.)
2. When he told me his mom was watching over the Internet and "texted�? him that she liked my sermon. (Hopefully she also liked Eric's sermon.)
For the record: My mom has never watched my sermon on the Internet and she does not know how to text. And, I don't think she reads the blog, either.
Sigh.
Posted on January 22, 2008 at 6:38 PM ~ 6 Comments
The book is written from the perspective of love being a primary ethic for missional living. Ultimately, God's glory is the ethic and motivation for all we do. And the church being as loving as her Lord will propel us onto his missional work of redemption and care for humanity.
I was particularly blessed when the General Overseer of the 
Bob asked me for my input and I gave a bunch. I enjoy the dialogue with Bob because he really wants feedback and is not afraid to push back. We have great arguments-- and then we do it again. So, we had a good time talking through the book and "provoking one another to love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).
We met tonight in a cramped apartment in urban Barcelona. There were about 20 of us shoulder-to-shoulder talking about how to plant churches in Western Europe. 
I just returned from 
