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.

I hope to see you on the web today at 2p.m. CDT for a live event.

Over 1000 people have signed up-- and you need to register to participate.

In August, I will be hosting the first meeting of a Church Planting Leadership Fellowship. This meeting will include time with Bob Harrington (Stadia) on church networks, Hutz Hertzberg (Moody Church) on assessment research, Thom Rainer (LifeWay) on organization leadership, and Steve Pike (Assemblies of God) on influencing your denomination. In addition, we will have peer-to-peer interaction among church planting leaders from different denominations. The first meeting is in Nashville, August 24-25th and the focus of this, and subsequent, meetings is how denominations can be more effective in church planting by sharing ideas and best practices.

The Mission America Coalition had asked me to convene a Church Planting Leadership Fellowship to help denominational leaders connect and collaborate around church planting learning. There seems to be a need for a place for peer learning and I am glad to help facilitate the group.

Chris Conrad (Director of Church Planting for the Wesleyans) and I will be working on this leadership community for people in denominational church planting leadership. It will meet three times per year: one in summer, once in fall, and once in spring (in partnership with the Exponential Conference). The group will be limited to those in similar church planting leadership roles. The focus will not be planting together, but rather learning from one another.

There may be an additional group that helps networks and network leaders connect together, but we have not decided on that quite yet. If you would be interested in that group, please let me know in the comments. (We won't post them but will contact you.) Also, feel free to email this information to your denominational church planting leadership if you think they might be interested in participating.

Here is the email we sent out earlier this week.

Dear Fellow Church Planting Champions,

I pray this finds you doing well as you continue to roll up your sleeves and give your best efforts to serve, support and celebrate church planting and church planters in your context.

Each of you receiving this e-mail have indicated an interest in being part of the Church Planting Leadership Network as we discuss best practices and work together to increase the number and effectiveness of church plants being launched.

So far we have two meetings scheduled:

August 24-25 (Nashville)
November 18-19 (Location TBD)

Our August meeting will include presentations and discussions about the following subjects all of us in the church planting world face:

• Recruitment
• Assessing
• Training
• Networking
• Multiplying

Attached you will find flyer that will give you more information as well as an application. To join the Church Planting Leadership Network, simply fill out the application and send it in, along with the membership fee, to the address on the application.

We look forward to having you with us in this "Best Practices" community.

Thanking God for you,

Ed Stetzer and Chris Conrad

This summer LifeWay will partner with NEXT to host a coaching network at LifeWay Headquarters in Nashville starting July 21. This is a small group of lead pastors meeting one day each month with an experienced pastor/coach.

We believe it is critical to the health of the church that pastors enlarge their thinking, network with other church leaders and establish some intentional learning relationships. We'll present specific tools to help pastors gain leadership perspective, expand the church's missional efforts while still addressing the details of weekend services, staffing, conflict & growth. I'll join a session or two as will others from our team.

As pastors, there's a tendency to get buried in the day-to-day problems of the church, even to the point of missing the mission of the church. Gaining proper perspective is foundational to leading well. Jesus modeled the way on the importance of pulling back in order to gain perspective. In Mark 1:29-39, we find Jesus ministering to hurting, sick, needy people all day and well into the night. At some point in the wee hours of the night, Jesus said, "I'm done," and He left. The text says that He went to a solitary place to pray and recharge. He needed perspective in order to lead more effectively.

If you are challenged in a particular area, or you've decided that 'business as usual' won't cut it this year, then come be a part of this group. In addition to Nashville, we'll start a network at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham July 13. Check it out at nextcoachingnetworks.com.

As a Christian, a researcher, a pastor, and a father I am very interested in the spiritual temperature of the younger generations. In surveys conducted by Lifeway Research we found that many have been getting it wrong concerning the younger unchurched.

In fact, 73 percent of unchurched twentysomethings consider themselves "spiritual" and would like to know more about "God or a higher supreme being." This is 11 percent higher than among unchurched individuals who are 30 years old and older. They are also significantly more likely to attend church or a small group than older, unchurched generations. This research is included in my newest book, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches That Reach Them, co written by Richie Stanley and Jason Hayes. You can get some more numbers and thoughts from the authors of the book in this article at Lifeway.

Below you can check out a podcast where Jason Hayes and I discuss the younger generations and the churches that reach them. Give it a listen and share your thoughts in the comments.

Today I am switching places with Thom Rainer. He was supposed to be preaching in chapel at Southeastern Seminary today, but we switched about ten days ago due to some scheduling conflicts. So, if you were coming to chapel to hear Thom Rainer today you will be greatly disappointed.

In the spirit of switching places, check out the program from this year's Christian Book Association / International Christian Retail Show (CBA/ICRS) in Denver. As you can see (below), I am no longer President of LifeWay Research but am now, according to the ICRS program, president of LifeWay. I am very excited about the promotion.

Oh, there will be new policies, fellow LifeWay employees. Many new policies. And many others will be deleted. I'm currently considering 4 day weekends, and lunches catered by PF Chang's. Please stay tuned.

So far we're getting a lot of positive feedback from our most recent book, Lost and Found: The Younger Unchurched and The Churches That Reach Them. We're grateful that so many ministry leaders from so many different places are finding it to be a helpful resource.

I've talked about my friend and co-author, Jason Hayes, in some past posts related to the book or to "Threads," LifeWay's Young Adult initiative. Jason is a smart guy with a passion for connecting this generation to God and the church. Despite his serious influence in this movement, you'll see below that he's also got a sense of humor and that he knows how to do a blog tour well (with no input from his victims, it appears).

I was going to beat on him like a low hanging pinata on Cinco de Mayo but he used the word "missional" so it was OK. ;-)

Watch the video and then check out Blemished.

Over the years, we have learned a few things about research in SBC life. Research tends to get people in our denomination excited. Many people quote it, most like it, and some despise it. People will quote and misquote statistics regularly to prove or disprove whatever matters to them. Simply put, we are an enthusiastic, passionate, and often imprecise people when it comes to church research.

As such, when we do research, it gets a lot of debate and discussion. We do not mind at all--and sometimes we read a comment and think, "Good point!" or "We should have thought of that." As such, we very infrequently respond to inappropriate uses or criticisms of our research.

However, I do see a pattern developing. It appears that when one of the faculty members at one of our seminaries disagrees with the results of our research, they write a rebuttal or a criticism. We actually don't mind a (good) rebuttal and questioning the wording of questions is normal and expected. However, it does seem that some of the faculty at Southwestern are making a habit of taking time away from their important tasks to critique our research. I thought it would be wise for me to take this opportunity to respond in what I hope is a gracious way.

Actually, our team debated whether to respond (and have not in the past). Since few people have read or commented on the critique, it is regrettable to bring attention to it. However, since these critiques seem to be a recurring (and public) pattern, it seems best to address it publicly.

On to the specifics...

Dr. David L. Allen of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary recently released a white paper entitled, "Calvinism: A Review" at baptisttheology.org. In his white paper, Allen reviews the book, Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue of which I contributed the chapter, "Calvinism, Evangelism, and SBC Leadership." In my chapter, I present results from two recently collected data sources, the North American Mission Board's 2007 New Minister's Study and LifeWay Research's 2006 Calvinism Study.

In his review of the book, Allen presents a critical review of the data analysis done by the North American Mission Board and LifeWay Research. He raises a number of "weaknesses" surrounding the study. Actually, such comments are fine--no study is perfect and this study representing the NAMB and LifeWay surveys is far from flawless due to several factors I will list below. There are weaknesses to this study as in every study. And, we don't mind a good debate on the issues at hand.

However, this is the best, current study on the topic of Calvinism trends in the Southern Baptist Convention. Moreover, the data analysis is sound and accurate. And, in light of the pattern of such critiques coming from the same sister entity, my colleagues and I decided to respond.

The following response to Allen's review will take each of Dr. Allen's points one by one, providing further evidence and clarity for each issue raised by Allen.

We just released some new research on small churches in Facts and Trends. You can read it here.

In the last week, I have visited with hundreds of pastors of small churches-- and I love their passion and appeciate their service. Even though many seem to forget, the vast majority of churches are small. We did this research at the request of a group of SBC small church pastors. We think it will be helpful to small churches of all kinds.

Here are some excerpts:

Brad Waggoner is vice president of B&H Publishing Group, and formerly served as dean of the School of Leadership & Church Ministry at Southern Seminary He holds a Master of Arts degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a Master of Religious Education degree and Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Brad's book, The Shape of Faith to Come: Spiritual Formation and the Future of Discipleship uncovers the ugly truth that many professing Christians live lives that are not qualitatively different in character and practice than that of nonbelievers. Even as many of our churches are growing in number we need to take time to consider what kind of Christians we are actually producing.

In The Shape of Faith to Come, Brad looks at the beliefs and actions of 2,500 active Protestant churchgoers from across the country against seven key standards of biblical spiritual formation: learning the truth, obeying God and denying self, sharing faith, serving God and others, exercising biblical faith, building solid relationships, and seeking God. The research itself is challenging, and Brad pushes back on the apparent weaknesses in our disciple making processes.

This book is one of our first "LifeWay Research" related book line.

I recently had the chance to talk to Brad about his new book. Below is the interview and Brad will be around all day to answer questions in the comments.

Ed Stetzer: What prompted you to write Shape of Faith to Come? What is the book about?

Brad Waggoner: Having been in the ministry for many years I know how easy it is for churches and church leaders to become distracted from the real task of equipping and forming spiritually mature believers. I also know it is easy to fall prey to using other forms of measurement to determine success.

I wrote The Shape of Faith to Come to draw attention to the current crisis: that many of our churches are not using biblical standards to make God-honoring disciples.

ES: Discuss the research. Who/how many sampled.

BW: To address this crisis, we created a study that surveyed 2,500 Protestant churchgoers, people who said they attended a Protestant church at least once a month. Then a year later, we sampled more than 1,000 of the original group to determine if they had matured in their faith over the course of the year.

ES: What kinds of questions were asked?

BW: The survey was designed to determine the degree to which churchgoers believe, think, perceive and act like a biblical disciple. We asked questions about their beliefs and their perspective on certain points of doctrine. Key categories covered: Learning the Truth, Obeying God & Denying Self, Exercising Faith, Sharing Christ, Seeking God, Serving God & Others, and Building Biblical Relationships. We also ask several questions to determine the nature and frequency of many behaviors.

ES: What was the most surprising to you?

BW: I was most surprised by how compromised the belief systems are for many people who claim to be Christians and who attend church on a regular basis. For example, in our survey only 70 percent agreed strongly in the doctrine of the Trinity and only 72 percent agreed strongly that Jesus died on the cross and was physically resurrected from the dead.

ES: What, in your opinion, is the bad news from the research?

BW: That many self-professed Christians and churchgoers hold to beliefs and perspectives that are clearly unbiblical. And that overall the sample of churchgoers did not grow or mature over the course of a year.

ES: What, then, is the good news?

BW: The good news is that many people are interested in spiritual things. They want to know and love God. This study enables us to affirm what many leaders have known for centuries- it is the Word of God that transforms hearts, minds and character. In our study, the number one predictor of spiritual maturation was the daily discipline of reading the Bible. In other words, the most common trait of those who did grow over the course of a year, were those who had the practice of reading the Bible on a regular basis.

ES: What would you say to the pastor who responds, "not in my house," "this is not what people in my church believe?"

BW: Well, I would ask every leader, "Do you know what your flock actually believes and how they act on a daily basis?" From what we saw in our study, I think most pastors would be surprised to discover what their regular churchgoers believe and how they live. For example, 54 percent of those surveyed do not participate in church outside of worship service, and that during worship service 47 percent admit they are only going through the motions.

ES: What hope can you offer for those pastors who think they are fighting a losing battle?

BW: The good news is that God's Word makes it clear how we are to go about making disciples. We are to model and teach His eternal principles. This isn't easy, nor is it mysterious or overly complicated. No human leader can transform another person. But God, through His Word and through the work of the Holy Spirit, does change hearts, minds and character. I encourage pastors to be faithful to what God says we are to believe and how we are to act.

I always find hope in what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:6, "I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

ES: So how can churches become more effective in making disciples?

BW: One of the things I tried to avoid in the book is a "one size fits all" approach to making disciples. But the book does contain prescriptive content that provides practical steps for spiritual formation and discipleship.

We have also provided access to the Spiritual Formation Inventory, the very same survey we used for the book, for both personal assessment and for use by pastors to assess leadership at www.lifeway.com/sfi. Also, several places within the SFI summary report, you will be directed to the SFR (Spiritual Formation Resources) for additional guidance and resources both for personal spiritual formation and for the discipling of others.

Over the centuries many churches and individuals have been used of by God to equip others in their pursuit of knowing, loving and serving God and others. Every church and properly motivated and equipped leader can be a tool in the hands of God.

Be sure to weigh in below with comments or questions.

In the next few weeks, I will be releasing a Bible study with LifeWay's Threads initiative. It is called Sent: Living the Missional Nature of the Church.

I'm hoping that the study will be a helpful tool to put in the hands of church leaders who want to ground their people firmly in an understanding of the mission of the church and what it means for the body of Christ to live together as the sent people of God. The study has 6 sessions, so I'm going to be writing over the course of the next few weeks some summaries of the main points of the sessions to whet your appetite. Today we deal with the title and the idea behind the study.

Jesus said over and over again in the Book of John that He was sent from the Father. Then in John 20:21, He said: "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." We take from that the idea that the very nature of the church is this "sent-ed-ness." It's part of our DNA. The problem is that many churches have the "arrived" mentality rather than seeing themselves as sent out from Christ on mission. It's time for us to reclaim the core of our identity, that we are a people sent by and for God. It's more than a choice or a program; it's about a fundamental understanding of our Savior and ourselves that leads us forward as his people. That's why it's called "Living the Missional Nature of the Church."

Love for you to check out the study; you can download a free sample and get more info here. For people establishing a church's DNA, or trying to reconfigure a group of people to think rightly, you might consider taking your entire church through the study. I think it will provide a good understanding of what the church is supposed to be in the world.

More soon...

LifeWay research recently undertook a groundbreaking study of when, why, and how many teenagers, active in church during the High School years, drop out in the years after.

Find the:
Research findings here.
Lifeway press releases here and here.
USA Today story here.

RESEARCH REFLECTIONS

- Mark Lydecker
- Jim Johnston
- Scott Stevens
- Jeff Schadt
- Ed Stetzer

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.

Recently, I shared some of the places I will be teaching. I am honored to teach at these different schools and enjoy the time to do so. However, I need to focus my teaching so that I can have more interaction with faculty colleagues, ongoing contact with students, and a more focused teaching schedule.

The folks at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School approached me a while back to talk about joining their faculty. The timing was not right as I was heading to LifeWay. However, since I have moved to LifeWay, we have talked again about how we might work together.

So, after recent faculty interviews and discussion with our LifeWay leadership, it was announced yesterday that I will be joining the faculty as Affiliate Professor of Research and Missional Ministry at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (and I have to learn to call it "TEDS" now that I am part of the team there).

I will not be leaving LifeWay, but this will help us at LifeWay Research by having access to students who are engaging in research and also help us connect to evangelicals in need of our research services. .

There are few schools who have assembled the scholars that the have at Trinity. I am currently in the process of co-editing a book with David Hesselgrave, Professor Emeritus of Missions that includes a chapter from Paul Hiebert, the recently deceased missions professor at Trinity. These men are some of the leading scholars in the world... and Trinity has a whole new generation of scholars as well.

Trinity has asked me specifically to help bring a "missional�? emphasis and I look forward to doing so.

I look forward to working with my new friends at Trinity-- world class scholars with a passion for global evangelization.

Thanks for Craig Ott and Tite Tienou for the invitation and their partnership.

Here are the two files from the Calvinism discussion panel. Click part 1 or part 2 for the files.

Nathan Finn's paper is here. And, Nathan also posts a plea for kindness in the debate-- what an idea.

Tomorrow, I will post more information about the Calvinism research.

I will post the written presentations here and then link to the audio presentations as soon as they are up.

Post 1:
Here is the presentation I just gave at the Calvinism Confab at Ridgecrest. Later on, we will post the full report at www.lifewayresearch.com.

Post 2:
Here is the rough draft of Dr. Dockery's presentation on the history of Calvinism. It is a draft, but I have his permission to post it.

Post 3:
Tom Nettles written presentation is now here.. (Thanks for Chris Turner for getting in converted.)

Last week, we finalized some things related to how I will be working for and representing the International Mission Board. Jerry Rankin and I visited a minute and he started the conversation, "Aren't you working for me now?"

Yep. Sure am. The IMB has contracted with LifeWay for part of my time.

And, I am ready to help more and more of our churches be working along with Jerry toward that Great Commission. (Does that make us Jerry's kids?)

While doing this study, we found that many individuals, churches, and ministries are already actively engaging the Church Dropout problem. I think you will see many similarities between the Church Dropout Study LifeWay Research released this week and the experiences of Jeff Schadt from Youth Transition Network. We at LifeWay Research were encouraged to find so many diverse ministries working together to address the transition issue.

Meet Jeff and then visit the Youth Transition Network:

Scott McConnell will participate in a live radio interview on the Church Dropout Study at 2:30 Central Time this afternoon on WMBI. Catch the stream here or tune in if you are within listening range of WMBI 90.1 FM (Chicago area and parts of Indiana and Wisconsin).