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.

This is a slow couple of weeks for travel, which means I will be catching up on some things at the office. Sleeping in your own bed for a whole two weeks in a row is quite an accomplishment. ;-)

I will be doing some local church speaking. For the next three Sundays, I am in different churches-- and also preaching at one church on a Monday.

My "Saturday is for Seminars" is late, so we will rename and post it now!

This Thursday I'm speaking in Charleston, SC at another Connect Conference (I blogged about it earlier). Check out the website for more information and to register. I hope to see you Sunday!

Looking a bit farther down the road in September I'm participating in THE NINES, a very exciting one day event for church staff members who are looking to develop their leadership skills. Why "The Nines?" It's going down on 9/9/09 and... well let me pull it from the website.

Hit the website for the rest of the details.

I am excited to speak at the National Outreach Convention in San Diego, CA, November 4-6.

If you received the brochure, I am the guy in the really little pic on the front cover, to the right, with the old fluffy hair cut and 125 pounds ago. ;-)

Efrem Smith and I will be keynoting the first night and there will be a special unannounced guest. That is not a marketing strategy; there is a reason that will become clear that night. It will be a good night and you won't want to miss it.

It looks like it will be a fun and challenging time.

Here is some information fom the website...

Here's what you can expect at NOC09...

• 50 power-packed workshops with the nation's leading voices on outreach.
• 4 Inspiring General Sessions - with powerful worship, true outreach stories and messages from key note speakers passionate to reach more for Christ.
• 120+ resource providers - ready to share effective tools and the newest resources with you and your team.
• Tons of free resources and giveaways!
• More books and authors than ever! Meet the authors - get the latest from your favorites.
• Discussion groups - more than 15 opportunities to dialogue with powerful outreach champions from churches around the country.
• FREE Night of Comedy
• NEW! Outreach Film Festival!

Check out the website, you can become "a fan" of The Outreach Convention on Facebook, and you can follow them on Twitter.

I was the first to join the "twub" (and it is my first twub) so, I feel extra special. ;-)

This is an annual destination for me and I really appreciate my friends at Outreach. As a columnist for Outreach Magazine, part of the research team that works on the Outreach Magazine / LifeWay Research special report on the largest and fastest growing churches, and a regular part of the NOC, we value the friendship and partnership.

See you in sunny San Diego!

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.

I have been a little tied up and weekends and have not done my "Saturday is for Seminars." I will try to get back into the swing of doing so.

Thanks again for those of you who pray for me while I am on the road.

Here is where I am now and/or will be going soon:

Ridgecrest, NC
Right now, and for the next 16 hours, I am in beautiful Western North Carolina at Ridgecrest Conference Center. I preached last night and will do so again in about 4 hours at the Sunday School Weekend/Week at Ridgecrest in Ridgecrest, NC.

Glorieta, NM
I'll be doing this again at Glorieta, NM later this month. But, I get to have my family with me in Glorieta, so that makes it even better.

Originally, my family was going with me to Ridgecrest. We love the camp and kids programs each year. However, the folks at B&H Publishing asked me to make a change to respond to a request from the International Christian Retail show... which is where I am heading early tomorrow.

The International Christian Retail Show
Early tomorrow, I fly to Denver for the International Christian Retail Show, Christian Booksellers Association on July 12th. (Is Colorado close to North Carolina?) I went last year and had a little too much fun with Twitter, so I have to be on my best behavior this year.

The folks at ICRS have asked me to speak on church and culture research in the Sunday afternoon main session. It's also good to meet new and old friends and talk to people about the research we do at LifeWay Research. I will also be doing a book signing Monday morning, so if you are there-- drop on by and say hello.

Looking Ahead
On Nov. 10-12, 2009 I'll be speaking at the Great Commission Research Network which is planning a joint meeting with the Society for Church Consulting Summit 2009. This is a big three-day conference (or two conferences in one location) that will go down at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Here's some info from the website.

Conferences At a Glance

Nov. 10: Church Consulting Summit 2009
The first day of this historic joint event is the Society's inaugural summit. This year's theme, "Battling Ministry Giants," will feature a practical array of workshops, case studies, and discussions led by SCC board members and sponsors. Topics include conflict management, church visioning, conducting community research, and many more practical areas of church consulting.

Nov. 11-12: GCRN's Annual Conference
The second conference is focused on how churches can reach out in times of calamity and recession. GCRN (formerly the American Society for Church Growth) will present topics like:

• Transformational Churches: Who They Are and How They Do It - Ed Stetzer
• An old Strategy Revisited: Prayer Ministry in Times of Crisis - Chuck Lawless
• Building Bridges of God During Calamity - Gary McIntosh
• Future Trends in Church Consulting - Tom Harper

Joint Conference Schedule

Day One (Tue., Nov. 10) - Society for Church Consulting

• Case study breakouts
• Expert panel discussion
• Practical workshops
• Exhibit area
• Member meeting
• Networking receptions

Days Two and Three (Wed. & Thur., Nov. 11-12) - Great Commission Research Network

• Lectures
• Research presentations
• Exhibit area (same for both conferences)
• Bus tour of local churches damaged by Katrina
• The prestigious Donald McGavran Award
• President's banquet

You can download the brochure here, and register here.

New Orleans

While I am at New Orleans, I will be planning a "Tweet-up" with friends (and potential new ones). My friend Steve Lemke, has promised to buy me lunch and, if I time it correctly, I am pretty sure I can get him to come to his first-ever TweetUp.

Watch Twitter and the blog for more details.

Hope to see you on the road!

Small churches and small towns often get overlooked at our big, fancy conferences. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy and benefit from most of the conferences, but many of the issues smaller churches face are often left unaddressed at these gatherings of big church leaders. This is why I'm happy to tell you about a couple of conferences coming up that are tailored to the needs and issues facing smaller churches - and I am looking forward to sharing at both.


This Friday I'll be speaking on "The Missional Small Church" at 8:00 pm at the Tennessee Small Church Leadership Conference in Hermitage, TN. The conference is sponsored by Lifeway, IMB, and NAMB.

Here's the conference schedule:

I have a lot to share with you about upcoming seminars and conferences. Dates, places topics - and even a way to save you some money!

March 15, 2009
After services tomorrow, I'm speaking to the Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA) campus ministry students who are coming up to Nashville for church in the morning. Should be good.
-----------------------------------

March 17, 2009
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Spring 2009 LifeWay Conference (Wake Forest, NC)

Thom Rainer and I have switched chapel days so you might be surprised to see me there on Tuesday and Thom will be there on Wednesday.
-----------------------------------

March 19, 2009
Protestant Church Owned Publishing Association Spring Conference I will be speaking on "Protestant Pastor's Today" at the annual meeting in Nashville, TN.
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March 23-27, 2009
Starting next Monday I will be teaching for a D.Min. class on "Entering the Missional Conversation" at Biblical Seminary (Hatfield, PA)
-----------------------------------

I have mentioned the Exponential Conference before. While I am there we are planning a special dinner on Monday night. Here are the details:

Dinner and Dialog with Hirsch and Stetzer (April 20)
Let me give you a "heads up" about a couple events in the Orlando area in April around the Exponential Conference.

What if Alan Hirsch and I were starting a church together?
What would it look like?
What strategic considerations would we talk about?

Here's the blurb:

On Monday, April 20, at 6:30 pm in Orlando The Upstream Collective along with Christian Associates International will host Alan and Ed, who are among today's leading missional thinkers and church planters. Join them in a conversation about what church planting could look like in North America, what values a church planting team might espouse, what attractional and/or missional elements it might employ and more.

We have a limited amount of seats available. Tickets are 10.00 at the door and that helps cover the cost of the dinner that will be hosted by Houseblend Café in Orlando.

If you want to reserve your spot go to www.theupstreamcollective.org to sign up.

Also on Wednesday, April 22, at 6:30 pm The Upstream Collective will hosting a dinner with Derek Webster, a church planting strategist for Scandinavia. He will talk about some unique opportunities for North American churches to get involved in what God is doing in Scandinavia. You might be surprised to hear about the ways your church could be a perfect fit for this region of the world!

You can sign up for either or both of these upcoming dinner events online at www.theupstreamcollective.org until April 12.

May 12-13, 2009
And, if you are pastoring in a small town, you might want to check out "The Sticks," a conference for pastors and leaders in small towns. Their early bird registration is about to end. I will be at the SE regional conference along with Perry Noble, Tony Morgan, Gary Lamb, etc.

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, D. Min Teaching Chicago, IL (March 9-12)

I'm back in "Chicagoland" teaching a D. Min seminar on church planting at Trinity. It's a great school with sharp students, and I always enjoy my time teaching there.

I will being two events this week as well.

First, on Tuesday night I will be meeting with a group of regional Evangelical Free Church pastors about church planting.

Second, as part of my class, we are incorporating a seminar for local pastors and church leaders. It is called the "Subtext Forum."

Subtext Forum at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (March 12)
The Subtext Forum is a one day conference organized by Steve McCoy and Joe Thorn and focuses on the preaching and practice of the gospel in the suburban context. The conference runs from 10am - 3pm, includes lunch, and only costs $25. I'm speaking in three sessions on:

The Missional Church in Principle and Practice
Breaking the Missional Code in Suburbia
Challenges to Missional Thinking and How to Overcome Them

And at the end we're making time for Q&A. There's still time to register - get all the details at Subtext.

This next week I'll be traveling back and forth between TN and the Midwest.

First, it is off to Michigan.

Michigan State Evangelism Conference, near Flint/Detroit, MI (March 2-3, 2009)
Next week I'm heading into the Midwest for the Michigan State Convention Evangelism Conference.

it will be good to see some old friends, but my time will be short since they have me speaking five (that's right, five) times in 24 hours. I am eating my Wheaties in preparation.

Then, it is back to Tennessee...

Chattanooga Pastors Conference, Chattanooga, TN (March 5, 2009)
Then I'm coming back to TN to speak at the Chattanooga Pastor's Conference at the invitation of the good folks at the Maclellan Foundation. The focus is on my new co-authored book, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and Churches that Reach Them.

This is actually the first time I have presented on Lost and Found since the book has come out. So, it is a bit of a "launch party." In the Fall, Thom Rainer, Jason Hayes, Sam Rainer, and I will be doing a road tour around reaching and keeping young adults-- but this is still the launch for Lost and Found. So, I hope you can come and see us in Chattanooga.

They're making this very affordable - $15 per person or $50 per church (up to 4 people).

So, I hope you see you in Chattanooga.

Reaching The Next Generation, Granger, IN (March 7, 2009)
Then I'm heading back into the midwest for an "Enrichment Seminar" with the Missionary Church North Central District in Indiana. There I'll be addressing two topics: 1) Reasons 18 to 22 Year Olds Drop Out of Church - Can the Church Close the Door? and 2) Connecting Young Adults.

The Missionary Church is a remarkable small denomination. Of all the denominations we looked at in our Leadership Network church planting study, they had the highest church planting rate. If you have ever been to their home office, it is small and functional-- and has church planting literally written on the walls.

Good people-- and I am looking forward to being with them on Saturday.

Now, for an upcoming seminar.

The Flourish Conference

This one is a bit unusual for me. Actually, it is the first time I have spoken at such a gathering.

May 13-15, I am going to be a part of one of a unique conference. Flourish 2009 (www.flourishonline.org) will be hosted by CrossPointe Church in Duluth, GA. Sponsors include Southeastern Seminary, David C. Cook Publishers, and the National Association of Evangelicals. The subject is how to live as missional, evangelistic followers of Christ in a world full of poverty, injustice and environmental degradation, but that is not the most interesting part.

To me, the speaker line-up is most fascinating.

it is an interesting to see an unusual mix of speakers, For example, well known Southern Baptists such as James Merritt and Al Mohler will be speaking along side a whole assortment of authors and speakers including Chris Seay, Rick McKinley, Joel Hunter, Margaret Feinberg, Gabe Lyons, and a whole bunch of others from all kinds of denominations and perspectives.

The MCs for this event will be Jonathan Merritt, a faith and culture writer and well-known SBC troublemaker :), and Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making and Senior Editor of Christianity Today.

This will obviously be an event you won't want to miss.

My goal: get Chris Seay and Al Mohler together in the green room and start up a conversation.

The organizers asked me to pass on two things especially for my blog readers. First, there will be a church planters track led by Rand Clark, a church planter in Colorado (http://genesiscastlerock.com/), and Dr. Jack Allen (http://www.nobts.edu/Faculty/AtoH/AllenJ/Default.html), Director of the Nehemiah Center for Church Planting at New Orleans Seminary (nobts.edu). I will be some part of that, but I am not sure yet what that is. More on that soon...

Second, they are offering my blog readers a 25% discount if they register soon. Simply go to FlourishOnline.org, and when you are registering enter "Stetzer25" into the discount section. With the early bird discount, this will give you all three days for about 100.00, which includes a personal meet-and-greet / Q&A with many of the conferences speakers at a party the first night.

This is going to be a unique and enriching experience that you won't wanna miss. The early bird special ends tomorrow, although the discount code will continue to work throughout the month of March.

I had the opportunity to speak at Leadership Network's Innovation 3 Conference yesterday about the future of the church. It was a special conference featuring some of the great leaders in the Christian church today. The conference was broadcast live, discussed in online chat rooms and was live twittered. Conferences are changing in the 21st century allowing the information and influence of speakers can be more widely felt.

I promised to post my notes. So, here they are - from my talk on "The Dangerous Church in 2020."

Well, when this is posted I will be in sunny San Diego at the National Outreach Convention. The annual convention is the largest gathering in the country for the purpose of outreach every year. I have been for the last several years and am glad to be back again.

Let me share some good things about some friends today... and then one bad thing about a very self-centered "Christian" leader, Al.

First, the good friends...

My schedule starts early with a church planting session at 7a.m. (Since that is 9a.m. my time it does not seem so early.) It will be a dialogue time with those interested in "Church Multiplication -- Planting & Daughtering New Churches." We meet in the Town and Country Boardroom.

After that I have a few meetings. One of them is with my friend Dan Kimball, who gives me hair advice. We have called our meeting here the "annual Kimball / Stetzer NOC meeting." I am hoping to get more info about their not-so-secret new emerging church network that is explicitly evangelical and intentionally missional. More on that later, I think. I will also ask Dan why he does not follow me on Twitter. I used to follow him, but I stopped because he was not reciprocating. Just sayin'.

I also will get a chance to hang with Greg Ligon, publishing guru of Leadership Network where I hope I will be offered a huge book contract to take back to LifeWay and B&H Publishing. Now, I would not sign with any publisher other than the one that has a book at #1 on the NY Times bestseller list (Love Dare) but I can use it as leverage for future negotiations. Think big, Greg, really big, because you won't have to pay it.

Now, the main reason I am going is my workshop. It is a "featured" workshop which means, "we want you to come to the conference but not be a keynote speaker so will this be enough?" It appears that I and several others got listed in that catagory, though I would come just because it is such a great conference. For that matter, I think the some of the "non-featured" workshps look better than mine. (But, you should come to mine anyway.)

My workshop is from 1-2pm and it is called, "Learning & Discerning from the 100 Fastest Growing Churches" in the Town & Country Golden Room. I will be presenting some information about the churches on the fastest growing church list. It will be practical and include some practical takeaways. Now, if you are an angry Calvinist recently graduated from seminary with grave concerns about, well, growing churches, then this seminar is not for you. (However, happy Calvinists are welcome.) Since this is right after lunch, it may be 5 people and me, but we will see. I will probably post my notes later here at the blog.

Finally, Ron Forseth and I will hang out. Ron is a friend and has been for a while. I am a hotel guy, but I have actually spent the night at Ron's house. I can only say that for about 3 people. Ron is the King of all things Sermon Central. I have written about them before in what become a much debated post about plagiarism. Anyway, we are doing some preaching research in partnership with them and we will talk about that and catch up a bit.

And, lastly, there is a book signing. Book signings are very lonely when you are a D list celebrity like me, so please come by the Atlas lobby at 2:30pm and ask me to sign a book.

In between meetings, I will walk around a bit and lament the fact that all the world does not have San Diego's weather.

Then the former friend...

It appears that my simmering conflict with Al has now gone public. The video is below. I am not quite sure what to say, but I think it points out just how confused the missional conversation has become. Seems like everyone wants to be missional but what when they say "missional" they really mean "edgy," "innovative," or "contemporary."

But, Al wants to take ownership of the word. He thinks there is no mission without him.

This is not the first time that has happened. I have seen several key missional leaders get offended at how others use the word and Al seems to be one of them. But, I think I there are important issues here and you will see the dialogue played out over several episodes. If seeing my misery makes you happy, feel free to post on your site as well.

Many people asked who Al was when I twittered about his misunderstanding of missional, his ego, and his attitude. Actually, many suggested who he might be. Now, the truth must be told...watch here for the first of three episodes:

You can also embed the widget on the right sidebar that will stream all the videos.

This could get ugly.

Megachurch week stretched to two weeks. Perhaps it needs a new name-- Supersized Megachurch Week.

Well, megachurch "week" is not quite done. I will have two more posts, one later today and one tomorrow. Here is what we have covered so far:

Megachurch Week-- Looking at Research
Interview with Kerry Shook
Megachurches in Outreach Magazine
Interview with Perry Noble
Who's Who in Megachurch Research
Megachurch Interview: Joel Hunter
Warren Bird's Megachurch Dissertation on Megachurches as Spectator Religion
Megachurch Interview with Brady Cooper

Enough on megachurches (for now, at least).

First, for the Church of God pastors and church planters I spent the day with on Monday, click here for the presentations I mentioned. Thanks so much for having me share with you.

On to Catalyst...

If my flight has made it (always a question when flying the Delta-owned ASA airlines), I'm at the Catalyst Conference for the next few days.

Today

I will be speaking at the Catalyst Start Lab Wednesday afternoon. I will be doing a live interview via the internet Wednesday afternoon at plantingchannel.com/catalyst. You may also want to check out the New Thing Network's Discover the Dream workshop on PlantingChannel starting at 8:45am eastern time.

Friday

My main stage session will be around 1:45pm on Friday. I will be talking about our new book, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and Churches that Reach Them. A copy of the sampler will be in each of the registration bags.

Throughout the Week

Of course, I'll be Twittering throughout so you can follow my updates and observations from Catalyst as it all goes down.

Also, be sure to see the LifeWay and International Mission Board exhibits while you are there... I will be hanging around both of them at different times.

See you at Catalyst.

Chicago is on my mind.

I am heading there in a couple of weeks to shoot a day of video on Comeback Churches for the Assemblies of God. Should be good...

I am staying over a few days with Donna to get a feel for the city.

If I don't end up preaching somewhere, Dave Ferguson has invited me to lunch so I will probably visit the big yellow box called Community Christian Church. Dave and Jon are contributing to our new book, Multisite Churches: Guidance for the Movement's Next Generation So, I owe Dave (and Jon) and will probably have to buy the lunch!

I am trying to get to Chicago more often because of my new relationship with Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. As I recently blogged, I just joined their faculty.

This Fall (November 17-21) I will be teaching a course titled "Becoming a Missional Church" at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School just outside of Chicago, IL. The course description reads,

Transformational ministries in today's rapidly changing culture require churches that are "missional" from a biblical, theological, and cultural perspective. This course will help you better understand the cultural context in which you serve and teach you how to apply biblically faithful and culturally relevant missiological strategies to your ministry. Special attention will be given to North American cultural shifts, the missional/sending nature of the church, effective communication in various cultural contexts, and emerging ministry patterns in North America.

You can download the syllabus here. Auditors are welcome!

TEDS is a fantastic school and I am looking forward to teaching and interacting with the students. I will be making a point of being on the Trinity campus while in town, so if you are a student there, I hope we can visit.

I will also teach a one day conference on November 20, in Hinkson Hall, (located in the Rodine Global Ministries Building on campus). The conference, also called "Building a Missional Church," runs from 3:15-6:45 and is open to all, but registration is limited. This should be a great gathering of students and pastors. Stay tuned for coming website and how to register.

I will come back in December to be part of a Cornerstone Knowledge Network meeting. We did some architecture research for them (see here.) They are meeting the 9th and 10th, and I will be with them on the 9th and will get some time at Trinity while I am there.

In the Spring I will be back in Chicagoland teaching another class at Trinity. This course will be on "Planting Missional Churches." While there I will lead a forum for sub•text on March 12th, 2009 (more details coming soon). sub•text is a new initiative begun by local pastors by Joe Thorn and Steve McCoy and emphasizes the preaching and practice of the gospel in the suburban context.

So, now I just need tickets to the White Sox game.

Warning: I am talking about resources and conferences... beware of shameless plugs!

As I've mentioned before, I'm doing some work with LifeWay's Threads initiative. They are good folks and I've enjoyed working with them. We'll be releasing a new Bible study this fall called, Sent: Living The Missional Nature Of The Church. I am excited about seeing the ideas of missional living in a small group format.

I've also told you about my new co-authored book, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and The Churches That Reach Them. It will release this October in Atlanta at the Catalyst Conference. One of my co-authors, Jason Hayes, serves as a face and voice for Threads by providing teaching, consulting, writing, etc.

All this to say, Threads is hosting a series of regional events this fall that I would encourage you to check out called, Connect Conferences. I'll be participating at several locations along with folks like Jason, Margaret Feinberg, Michael Kelley, and several others. Click here for more information.

BLOG POSTS ON CALVINISM AND THE SBC
Spelling and Debating Calvinism

Building Bridges Presentations

Lifeway Research on Calvinism

BUILDING BRIDGES ADDRESSES

Calvinism and SBC Leadership: Key Findings and Evangelistic Implications
Ed Stetzer (PDF) (MP3)

The Historical Record
David Dockery (PDF, rough draft) (MP3)
Tom Nettles (PDF) (MP3)

Calvinism: A Cause for Rejoicing, A Cause for Concern
Malcom Yarnell (MP3)
Jeff Noblit (MP3)

The Atonement: Its Design, Nature and Extent
Sam Waldron (MP3)
David Nelson (MP3)

Theological Stereotypes: Let's Be Fair and Honest with Each Other
Charles Lawless (MP3)
Nathan Finn (PDF) (MP3)

Election and Calling: A Biblical/Theological Study
Ken Keathley (MP3)
Greg Welty (MP3)

Panel Discussion
Daniel Akin (moderator), Nathan Finn, David Nelson, Tom Ascol, Ken Keathley, Malcolm Yarnell, Greg Welty
Part 1 (MP3) Part 2 (MP3)

Working Together to Make Christ Known
Daniel Akin (MP3)
Tom Ascol (MP3)

Conclusion
Ed Stetzer (MP3)

Sermons
J.D. Greear
Don Whitney

RELATED MATERIAL
Calvinism Timeline, Timmy Brister (PDF)

Recent Grads Three Times More Likely to Be Calvinists, Baptist Press

A Plea for Kindness in Debate, Nathan Finn

With Friends at Dwell

I had a great time at the Dwell Conference in New York City. I also had the chance to meet uber blogger Darryl Dash, who snapped these photos. Darryl is an always thoughtful blogger and all around good guy, except that he left early to go to the David Letterman show.

Darryl's pictures show a bit of the venue. It was an interesting space, to say the least.

Here is Abe asking me another hard question:

Monday:

Had a great day with a group of pastors from the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada. Tonight was dinner on the lower East Side with a group of folks, but closest to me was my wife, Donna, Tim and Cathy Keller, Tullian Tchividjian, Matt Chandler, Ed Marcelle. I will have much more to blog later, but I still have not blogged about last week, so check back soon!

--------------------------------------------
Updated Tuesday afternoon:'

Had a great morning listening to C.J. Mahaney talk about "Watching Your Life and Doctrine. I have listened to C.J. for decades. A a teenager, I remember hearing him speak at "Jesus" Festivals," a mix of Christian rock and teaching. He had a great impact on my life 25 years ago and it is good to see him still at it now.

I spoke on "Dwelling in the Kingdom Mission" and gave away our new book, Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living (more book info here). I think they are planning to post the audio and I will link it here when they do.

A couple of people asked me to link to the the book I mentioned in my presentation. It was The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective, by Russell Moore. I believe it is a significant book describing the emerging evangelical consensus on the Kingdom of God.

Eric Mason talked last, but certainly not least. He spoke on "Dwelling Incarnationally" with passion and a life that back it up.

The afternoon is a NYC experience with a series of options. (I chose the option of hanging out with Donna.) Tonight, we hear Mark Driscoll.

Tomorrow, it is Tim Keller.

I am on my way to New York City as I write this (plane delayed as usual).

It will be a busy week, assuming Al Sharpton does not succeed in his promise to shut down the city.

From Drudge:

Monday, I meet all day with the leaders of a denomination called the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada.

Monday night, it is off to dinner with Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, and our wives. It should be a good time. (And, I always enjoy it when Donna can join me on trips.)

Tuesday, I speak on the "Mission and the Kingdom of God�? at dwell. I will also be staying around to hear some of the other speakers. The lineup is pretty impressive: Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, CJ Mahaney, Darrin Patrick, and Eric Mason.

Wednesday, I will be speaking to the staff of The Journey. Nelson Searcy planted the church several years ago and has recently written a new church planting book, called Launch.

In between, I plan to have a great time with my wife and will be far from my computer. However, I will post another SBC related blog on Monday.

I made mistake of telling all 2600 of you that I would post some resources here yesterday. Well, in the meantime, our new evangelism research was released and then some very important news for my denomination was released. Please forgive the delay and I will have it posted before you leave the conference tomorrow night.