Final Reflections on Verge 2010
There are no shortages of conferences for Christian pastors. Instead of Death by Meeting, for me one day it will be death by a conference. I can see it now. It will happen at The Converge Confluence Church Multiplication (Next Gen) Missional Global Awareness Summit™ – Ed Stetzer will be speaking of course – and I will just keel over and die from conference overexposure.
Something about Verge was different – and I want to get it down before I forget. Because I easily forget.
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Verge: Friday Night Sessions
Friday’s night included shorter teaching sessions from George Patterson (who reminds me of a mad scientist) Neil Cole, David Garrison, and Ed Stetzer. Below are the notes from George, Neil & Ed.
George Patterson
The great secret: it’s easier to do evangelism, plant churches, and to make disciples if we do it the way the apostles did.
The way the apostles fulfilled the Great Commission:
1. They presented the risen, living Christ – instead of just telling facts about him.
2. They mobilized everyone to witness – not just paid full-time teachers & evangelists.
3. Who did the apostles go to? Stop trying to shove the camel through the eye of a needle. The camels are the rich and powerful – most of America. The movement is sustained when the gospel is preached to the poor. Go to the people who are receptive – who desperately want change – often the poor and disenfranchised.
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Verge Session #2: Francis Chan
Session 2 on Thursday night was Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley.
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Exodus 33:13
If God’s presence doesn’t go with us – then we won’t go. Is there anything else we want in life besides the presence of the Lord?
My motives in ministry have not been pure. “I want to be funny and engaging – or I want a big church – I want to do that.” All these things enter your mind and you loose sight of what you had at the beginning – where you just wanted to be with God.
Verge: to be on the edge. We really seem to be on the Verge of seeing something happen – more than the traditional “We’re going to change the world” excitement of every other conference.
It seems that the Holy Spirit is speaking the same thing to a diverse group of people. There is no pressure to start a movement – a movement has started – the Holy Spirit is starting it. This is Biblically driven – it’s theologically driven. It’s not just the hip thing.
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Verge Session #1: Matt Carter
This weekend I’m blogging from Verge, the missional community conference. Matt Carter, pastor of The Austin Stone, kicked off the conference on Thursday night with a challenge on Jesus being at the center of our mission. Below is the short form of his sermon.
“Missional community has the potential to be the thing that this generation will be remembered by – that will define this generation historically…”
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Sermon Prep: 7 Questions – Part Two
This is a continuation of a post on seven questions I like to ask myself as I do sermon prep. The first set of questions help focus the sermon and set me up to think about application. This set of questions ensures that I’m speaking to mind, heart, and will.
The questions are simply:
1. What do I want people to know or believe?
2. What do I want people to feel or experience?
3. What do I want people to do or act on?
How to Become a Church-Planting Church
Next month, I get to work with a growing church to help them develop a program for church-planting interns – with the end goal being to start new churches. Granted, what is now a large church was a church plant at some point, so church-planting is a part of who they are.
You don’t have to have church-planting already in your DNA, however, to become a church-planting church. Let’s say that you pastor an established, traditional church & have never planted a new church or supported a church planter. Where do you start?
Make a Year End Donation to Christ City Church
As you know, the McIntosh family is planting a new church in Midtown Memphis in 2010: Christ City Church. If you would like to make a year end gift to help start this new church – there are a few options to make this happen:
1. You can write a check, made out to Christ City Church. Our temporary address is 889 Mt. Vernon Rd. Tupelo, MS 38804. 2. You wire money to the Christ City checking account. Email me for details on how to do this. 3. You can donate now via PayPal using a credit or debit card or PayPal account.
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Do Missional Families Go To Public School?
Yesterday in talking to two different pastors in Memphis, the topic of public schools came up two different times.
One said to me in the context of his church’s and his family’s missional engagement with the city, “We decided to do the opposite of what most have done. People left the city and we decided to move in. People have pulled their kids out of public schools and we decided to put our kids in city schools.” I resonated with his passion.
Another conversation, this pastor, too, with a heart to send people on mission back into the city, but with a different approach to schools. “The main way that I’m going to be on mission is not going to be through my 10 year old. I don’t expect him to be prepared for that. That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.” I was certainly sympathetic.
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Love the City In Front of You
Part of my recent decision to plant a new church in Memphis included the destruction of a personal idol.
I call this “idealized city idolatry.”
You know the people that have an ideal version of some church in their head? They keep waiting for this perfect church that suits them just perfectly in all the perfect ways. They keep waiting for this church that does not exist and so they never commit. They church hop all their days.
I don’t do that. At least not with churches. I do that with cities.
In the past, in processing a call to start a church, I have idolized the idea of what city I would plant in. It’s hard to explain, but if you know me, you might understand that I was waiting for that perfect city. In recent months God has broken me of this.
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We Are Planting a Church in Memphis
After much prayer, fasting, and hours of conversation with mentors and church leaders in the city – my wife and I have decided to begin the challenging but exciting process of starting a new church in Memphis, Tennessee.
Why Memphis?
The short answer is that we love it. For seven years, Ashley & I lived just outside of Memphis, and a lot of the earliest memories of our life together were formed there: Ashley said yes to me as I knelt at the Memphis Botanic Garden. We listened to a lot of jazz & shared romantic dinners at Cielo (now Mollie Fontaine). And whether it was hanging out at Overton Park or movies at Studio on the Square, we found ourselves drawn back to Memphis over the years, specifically an area called Midtown.
Memphis is connected in some surprising ways to St. Louis, our home for the last five years of our lives. The economies of both cities have been shaped through time by their dependence on the Mississippi River, and understanding each includes understanding the racial and socioeconomic lines that divide both cities. Memphis is also the home of the Redbirds, the minor league affiliate of the Cardinals, which means we still get to root for the Cards!
It makes sense, after five years away, that we would come to Memphis to plant.
How Not To Plant a Church
Seven years ago I left my job as a youth minister to gather a core team of friends and start a new church in our town. We launched publicly on Easter Day, 2003. A short year and a half later, my wife and I did the unthinkable – we shut the church down and moved away – one of the hardest decisions of our lives.
There are a ton of lessons I’ve learned over the years about what went wrong and why, but I’ve distilled five of the most important.
Here is How to Kill a Church Before It Gets Off the Ground:
1. Plant for a culture that is different than your setting.
Our new church was oh, so hip. (I’ve said more about The Hipper than Thou Church.) The problem was, this was a small town. In the South. Influenced by what large churches in large cities (primarily in the Midwest & Northwest) were doing, I was more in love with “hipness” than trying to understand the culture I was actually planting in. Thus, in an effort to be relevant, we failed to be properly contextual. If you want to kill your church, don’t study your culture or do the hard work of contextualization. Don’t die to your preconceived notions about what your church has to look like. Plant a church like one you’ve been to or read about, not one that will actually connect with the people in your area. Read More »
Bob Roberts & Ministry Idolatry
This week I’ve been reflecting on this quote by my friend Bob Roberts found in this Christianity Today article from a couple of years ago. (As you know, Bob is a pastor, author, the founder of Glocal.net, friend to world leaders, church planter, and all around crazy man.)
“Years ago, I was at a point of growing our church big. I was concerned about how fast we could get there…
I was walking in a pasture behind my house one day. A pastor not far from me had had affairs with five women; he crashed and burned. Another guy north of me had a megachurch, but he was going to the pen for embezzlement. I told God, ‘God, I’ve got my pants on. I’ve got my hands out of the offering plate. You’ve got these guys over here doing all this stuff. Why aren’t you blessing me?’
All of a sudden this little question came to my mind: When will Jesus be enough for you? Sometimes, I think that’s when I became a Christian. I just began to weep, because I realized he wasn’t. I was miserable because of our attendance the day before. That’s wrong…
Why is my joy based on having to grow my church as big as Rick Warren’s or Bill Hybels’s?”
So, pastor, the question for you & me: what is your joy based on? When will Jesus be enough?
I have given you authority… However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. -Jesus, Luke 10:19-20
Completely. Unplugged.
By Orion Berridge
My family had a chance to use a friend’s lake house, which was a two hour drive south of Kansas City, for a week. As we began to drive, the first half hour was filled with constant phone calls, email and text notifications but soon those sounds stopped, and it was clear we had left the service area. I wasn’t worried because that’s normal as you drive through central Missouri. I knew that as we got closer to Bolivar we would pick up a signal and I could check my email and set my fantasy football roster. No problem. It was true that as we approached the lake my phone found service again but not for long. About three miles from our destination my phone lost its last bar for good.
Seminary Nerd’s Links of the Week- 11/13/09
The Post Where We Link to Stuff You May or May Not Find Interesting and/or Amusing
Well, That’s Depressing…. (John Armstrong)
“Most churches are losing members faster than they are gaining.” Silver lining: This spells the end (I hope) of “cultural Christianity” here in the U.S. Those who remain will be those who are serious about their faith.
A View from the Other Side (Tall Skinny Kiwi)
Much has been said about a new upswing in Calvinism. Articles have appeared in Christianity Today and Time discussing this. Men like John Piper and Tim Keller have an enthusiastic following. Heck, we even celebrated John Calvin’s 500th B’day recently. But not everyone is so taken with the theologian from Geneva (or his theological legacy). Or, are these criticisms unfair? What do you think?
Books Every Church Planter Should Read
It’s time for the results of another Twitter book poll.
What are the key books that every church planter should read?
I wanted one compact yet diverse list that would help equip a new planter in various ways.
As always, you delivered.
Learn About Advent From Andrew Bird
The season of Advent is right around the corner – the first Sunday is November 29th – and many churches have no idea how to help their people experience this season.
In some way, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird gets this better than many pastors do.
This winter, Andrew is doing a small series of special concerts in older church sanctuaries in Chicago & Minneapolis.
What We See Today
Can Be Changed Tomorrow
This is a short video of my friend, Josh Wilson and his team from Mission St. Louis. This is a picture of the way one church or group of churches can impact their city, neighborhood by neighborhood.
What are ways your team is working for change in your city? I’d love to hear.
In Defense of Physical Community IV
by Jake Johnson
In this last post, I want to consider the scriptures and what they say about church. In my study, I’ve come to believe that the church is defined by: The proclamation of the word, the administration of the sacraments (in my view communion and baptism), and the fellowship of the saints. As seen in Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
I don’t think there are too many people who would argue with such a definition. The real debate comes when we start asking whether this type of community can be done in the digital world. Read More »
In Defense of Physical Community III
By Jake Johnson
The Physical Limitations
The last post discussed the cultural implications of the Internet as a communications medium, and proposed that we think more carefully about how it may be a tool that marries Christianity and Western culture, effectively rebirthing colonialism in a new digital format. This post is concerned with the very real physical limitations of the Internet and the growing “digital divide”.
I think most of us would agree that one of the biggest challenges the Western Evangelical church faces is one of comfort. Many of our churches (not all!) are very wealthy and rarely expose themselves to the outcast, poor, and dejected of society. We build large, sickly expensive buildings (compounds) in suburban enclaves and interact with people who are much like us: middle-class.
Seminary Nerd’s Links of the Week
Stop Working For A Living.
From the article: “What makes you happy? When do you feel most inspired? What is it that generates new ideas and fruitful energy in your life? Find those things. Nurture them. Respect them. Being someplace, like in the office, for appearances sake is futile.” But not everyone has this choice.
Where are you most happy/productive?
In Defense of Physical Community II
By Jake Johnson
For all his railing against Western cultural influences, I find it interesting that Doug Estes somehow neglects to acknowledge that the Internet is quite possibly the ultimate Colonial tool, spreading the Western materialistic and consumerist mentality to the masses of the world in the name of democratization of information (which I actually consider the anarchy of information – but that’s for another day), and that online church is primarily a Western phenomenon. Consider for a moment the implications of the Internet.
Where The Wild Things Are
By Justin McLaury
When I was five and in kindergarten, I brought home the Scholastic book order form and began to pester my mom to let me get something, anything, from the so-thin-it-was-translucent, brilliantly-colored double sheet of literary delight. What we settled on, after some persistent persuasion on my part (some would say “hounding”) was a paperback of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, with an accompanying vinyl record that could read it to me even when my parents were exhausted from having already read it countless times any given day.
I loved the book, not only because (despite my lack of a wolf-suit) I could still make “mischief of one kind and another,” but also because, like many children, I dreamed of a place where I was in charge, where the things I was scared of were scared of me and where what I said would go – a place like the one that grows in Max’s room in Sendak’s book.
Sermon Prep: 7 Questions – Part One
You would be surprised how many sermons I listen to and wonder at the end, “What was that about?” Often, especially for guys who preach expositionally, we end up trying to say so many things, that we say nothing well.
To help myself with clarity, to ensure that my sermon has a central cohesive theme, and to focus my application (all things I don’t do well naturally) I’ll take my sermon through these seven questions.
In Defense of Physical Community
By Jake Johnson
“The brave new world of cyber-glop will be an increasingly lonely, isolated and dehumanized word. It will be a place where you can order anything you want online, but you don’t know your neighbors, where your children and your parents will spend evening hours logged into the Net, talking to distant strangers rather than each other.”
-Clifford Stoll, author of “Silicon Valley Snake Oil”
If you are a blog nerd like me, and you have an unhealthy obsession with the implications of technology on ecclesiology, and you were on the Internet on Thursday, you may have come across Doug Estes post on Out of Ur, “In Defense of Virtual Church.” (In full editorial disclosure, Doug mentioned in the comments of his post that his original title was “The Myth(s) of Virtual Church,” which was changed without his consent by Out of Ur’s editors.)
The post has generated quite a bit of discussion and controversy, being called everything from a great post on an emerging topic to an attack on straw men and a cheap plug for Doug’s new book, SimChurch.
Seminary Nerd’s Links of the Week – 10/23/09
Geez, Will You Stop With the Political-Themed Posts Already?
I know, I know, I’ve been asking for it by linking to several politically sensitive posts in the past. But this was too good to pass up. Start with this excerpt: “Rumors… become more powerful when they tap into the hostility and distrust toward government that is widespread among conservative Christians. It’s easy for the average evangelical to believe any rumor that fits this larger political paradigm.”
The Best Books Right Now
Finding the most insightful, inspiring, helpful books out of all the many that get pushed our way is not easy.
So I took a Twitter poll – mostly from pastoral types (you) – on the best books that you had read in the past six months. I got a lot of great responses, but a handful of books surfaced to the top. (Note: not every book made this list; only the ones that received multiple votes.)
Of the books you recommended, two tied with the most number of votes:
A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World
Of all those recommended, A Praying Life stood out simply because those who recommended it were so passionate about it and seemed to be deeply affected by it. This is what you had to say about the book: “An honest, non-formulaic look at the relationship for which we were created.” “A Praying Life helped to push prayer beyond discipline (good) to life (better).” “One of those books you almost forget because it becomes part of your life.”
See more of the Best Books Right Now»
Seminary Nerd’s Links of the Week – 10/16/09
The Post Where We Link to Stuff You May or May Not Find Interesting and/or Amusing
“When I Give Food To The Poor, They Call Me A Saint. When I Ask Why The Poor Have No Food, They Call Me A Communist.”Before you get your panties in a wad, I am not advocating communism. Criticism of certain elements of American capitalism is not a wholesale denial of capitalism itself. I say this because I saw no shortage of Christian bloggers who felt the need to criticize Michael Moore’s latest movie, Capitalism: A Love Story. It was obvious in many reviews that they had not even bothered to watch the movie. Fortunately, Dr. Witherington is not guilty of this sin. For those who have seen the movie (no diatribes on Moore himself or any of his other projects, please) tell me your impressions. Is Witherington on-target or not harsh enough in his review?
Experiences of Beauty
Jon Guerra is the front man for Chicago based band, Milano. He and his compadres also lead worship for a new church plant on the North Side called The Line. Here, interviewed by The Free Road Scholars, he talks about how understanding God helps us understand the nature of beauty.
Seminary Nerd’s Links of the Week – 10/9/09
The Post Where We Link to Stuff You May or May Not Find Interesting and/or Amusing
How Evolved Are You? Can you relate to the progression from a more contemporary “free-form” worship to a more structured and communal liturgical one? The church I currently am a member of is more liturgical than most of the ones in my denomination. That is, quite frankly, one of reasons why I chose to become a member there. Has anybody here “devolved;” that is, gone the “other” direction? Not that there is anything wrong with that…
See more links of the week »
Christians Trying to Convert Non-Christians
I asked my close friend, Aaron, to do a video interview as part of a teaching series we were doing last year at The Journey. After he answered my questions, Aaron turned to me and said, “I’d like to say something about Christians trying to convert non-Christians.”
The rest, well… the rest amazed me.
The Steeplechase Diaries: South Campus Off the Interstate
By Michael David Perkins
I can see them from the bedroom window. Three white crosses, each seventy-seven feet tall, illuminated at night by spotlights and surrounded by a man-made lake and short golf course style hills. People pray along these hills, walk around the lake, look up and see the goodness of the Lord. The trademark symbols of South Campus Off the Interstate guard the back entrance to a warehouse-like structure located next door to our apartment complex. I was curious about a neighborhood church that does not believe in neighborhoods so Betsy and I decided to visit. Read More »
The Church & Artists Part 2
Last week, we started a two part interview with the directors of four different art centers that were started by, based out of, or sponsored by local churches in four different cities: Michael Winters with The 930 Art Center in Louisville James McAnally with The Luminary Center for the Arts in St. Louis Grace Hwang with Salt Art Space in New York Joanna Taft with Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis.
Rethink Mission: What would you say to a local church that had a desire to engage artists in their city or cultivate the arts in their church? Where should they start?
Michael: If a church wants to engage artists in their city, put 2% of the annual budget into visual arts commissions. This might turn into artwork for your sanctuary or the kid’s area, or it might turn into a photography class that focuses on trying to see things as Christ sees them, or it might turn into creating a classroom space with lots of art supplies for the public to come and use one night a week to explore creativity. Read More »
A Theology of Culture Part 2
In part 1, we saw that art produced by those who aren’t Christians is not necessarily “evil.” All artistic output in some way reflects both the image of God and human depravity.
If this is true – then how do we navigate the cultural & artistic forms that surround us?
Many Christians don’t realize that the way they view the world around them is more influenced by gnosticism than it is by the Bible.
Gnosticism (influenced by Plato) says that “the material world,” everything around us, is inherently flawed. The only thing of value is an imaginary “ideal world.” Read More »
A Brief Theology of Culture
In a previous post on the movie Inglourious Basterds, the question was raised: how could a Christian watch a movie like that. Philippians 4:8 was quoted and for this person, the book closed – the issue settled.
I think that what this point of view wrongly assumes is that the culture around us, specifically art produced or created by non-Christians, is evil.
“Well brother, I don’t have to drink out of the toilet to know it’s full of crap.” Meaning – I know my culture and it’s all bad. Read More »
Derek Webb – Black Eye Tour: A Review
By Matthew Robbins
The 930 Art Center | Sept. 17, 2009
My friends and I filed into the 930 Art Center in Louisville’s Sojourn Church, chatting about how Derek Webb would pull off a concert supporting his new album, Stockholm Syndrome. Filled with electronic beats and synthesized sounds, the album is very different from much of Derek’s earlier work, which tended to be more acoustic-based. How would he handle mixing songs from the new album with old stuff? How would he replicate the sound of Stockholm Syndrome live? Like so many others there (most of whom were much younger), we were excited to have these questions answered. Read More »
The Church & Artists Roundtable Part 1
As a local church how do you engage and inspire artists? Today we begin a two part interview aimed at answering that question with the directors of four different art centers that were started by, based out of, or sponsored by local churches in four different cities:
Joanna Taft with Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis, Michael Winters with The 930 Art Center in Louisville, James McAnally with The Luminary Center for the Arts in St. Louis, and Grace Hwang with Salt Art Space in New York.
Rethink Mission: Tell me about the vision or philosophy behind your arts center or gallery. Read More »
Art & Culture Week
As a local church how do you engage and inspire artists?
Tuesday we begin a set of interviews with four different art centers that were started by, based out of, or sponsored by local churches in four different cities.
Why should we engage culture & the arts?
Thursday we begin a discussion on the theology behind art & culture – and why it’s so important for Christians to engage & create culture.
Win a copy of Culture Making
At the end of the week, we’ll pick a winner at random from all comments submitted this week. Culture Making is a must-read for anyone who wants to inspire or be a part of a movement of cultural creativity. Simply comment on any article posted this week, and you’ll be automatically entered.
How One Church Reads Culture
But first, we’ll start with a video that demonstrates how one local church plant, The Line a new church in Chicago, takes seriously the call to be a missionary presence in their culture.
“The church looks like the very best, redeemed facets of that culture. It’s a city on a hill. It’s a redeemed version of that people group, of that tribe. Because it is that, it has a unique voice back into the culture.”
See more from Art & Culture Week »
Seminary Nerd’s Links of the Week – 9/25/09
Should Believers Critize Biblical Texts?
While writing a paper on the passage where Jacob “wrestles” with God, I began to wonder if this biblical metaphor for our relationship with God has been neglected. This post, though from a slightly different angle, has forced me to consider this again. Has an “over” realized understanding of God’s sovereignty caused us to shrink back from what appears to be the biblical notion of “wrestling” with Him?
“Whoever, Whatever, Whenever, Wherever” If you are looking for ammunition to support your side on the health-care debate, you won’t find it in this piece by George Barna. What you will find is a thoughtful reflection on what Jesus calls US (not U.S.) to do, regardless of politics. See more links of the week »
Of Mice, Men, and Christian Community
by Casey Hobbs
Just the other day, I flipped my channel to the original treatment of John Steinbeck’s classic Of Mice and Men, starring the fiery Burgess Meredith. I knew the story from having seen Gary Sinise’s 1992 remake a few dozen times but I was immediately drawn back into this version of Steinbeck’s tale.
The Qualities of an Executive Pastor
Executive Pastor Roundtable Part 3
Rethink Mission: Some people think the exec pastor role is second place for guys who can’t preach. What would you say to an energetic young pastor or church planter who is drawn to the power or prestige of being the up-front leader, but is starting to realize that he’s not that guy? Read More»
It’s Monday & Your Pastor Wants to Quit
Mark Driscoll calls them “bread truck Mondays.” A Sunday that was so difficult or draining that the day after makes a pastor wish he was anything but a pastor – even the driver of a bread truck.
Not every pastor wants to quit all the time, but from time to time discouragement sets in and often it’s hard for pastors to find a safe, anonymous place to talk about it.
I took an informal poll of my friends in pastoral ministry. “What recently has made you want to quit?”
These are their top responses»
Seminary Nerd’s Links of the Week – 9/19/09
A Word to the Wise. Don’t check Facebook while robbing someone’s house. No other commentary needed. Filed under stupid human tricks.
“Too Many People Are Attending College These Days”
A provocative quote from Michael Moynihan contained in this article. Should everyone go to college? Anybody here attend college but later regretted it? Does the U.S., in its effort to be “classless,” provide too many educational opportunities? See more links of the week »
Someone Untied Your Camel
By Johanna Richards
How shall I describe Hafiz? Wikipedia tells you he is a fourteenth century Sufi Mystic who is greatly revered for his poetry, “a poet’s poet.” In the Persian-speaking world Hafiz is still widely read and “generally regarded not only as a great poet, but also as a seer, a “tongue of the mysterious” (lesan ol qayb). During his life, Hafiz was called a lover of God and a heretic. I understand the reason for these titles and say, “all truth is God’s truth,” and enjoy mining it from Hafiz’s ancient verses. His playful prose shouts loudly of… Read more »
Leading From the Second Chair
Executive Pastor Roundtable Part 2
Last week we started a discussion with the Executive Pastors of three very different but fast growing churches: Kevin Peck of The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Steve Miller of The Journey in St. Louis, and Josh Patterson at The Village Church in Dallas. This week we talk about the challenge of leading from the second chair.
Rethink Mission: As an executive pastor, you probably have the least sexy job in the entire church. Everyone wants to be, hear from, or talk to Darrin, Matt, or Chandler. What have you discovered about leading from the second chair and exerting influence without having the benefit of a large platform? Read more »
Clarification on The Gospel & Political Conservatism
Last Thursday I wrote a post called Why Political Conservatism is Dangerous to the Gospel. Without being disingenuous, I was somewhat surprised by the controversy surrounding this post. Push-back is good, and it’s helped me clarify a few of my thoughts:
1. The post was not an attack on political conservatism, per se. My goal was not to attack or defend a specific political viewpoint or ideology in any way, simply to show the danger of one specific ideology being equated and confused with the gospel.
2. With that in mind, a more nuanced title would have been helpful. A slight change, like Why Political Conservatism Can Be Dangerous to the Gospel would’ve been more accurate and less contentious. Read more »
Seminary Nerd’s Links of the Week – 9/11/09
The Post Where We Link to Stuff You May or May Not Find Interesting and/or Amusing
I am WAY out of my depth here, but I think that Hegel was on to something in his “Triad” of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis (explained here). How does this work with the Traditional/Emergent debate? Consider the Traditional as the Thesis, and the Emergent as the Antithesis. Rather than being hopelessly deadlocked at this point, what if this discussion generates a new Synthesis? Jim Belcher calls this Synthesis “Deep Church” as explained by Scot McKnight in two posts below… Read more »
Why Political Conservatism is Dangerous to the Gospel
Please read this post the entire way through before you dismiss it.
This post began in my head just a couple of days ago when I read this from my friend John Bryson on Twitter:
I got excited about this “tweet.” I sent it out to others and posted it on my Facebook page.
Now understand that this was on the day that Americans on both sides of the political spectrum were in a flutter about a speech that the President was scheduled to give to public school children. On this day, on both sides of the political spectrum, many were filled with passion of the political variety. Naturally, calling someone’s passion an idol is controversial.
Political passion is good, but JB called it “the idol of the day.” So, what makes an idol an idol? Read more »
Why I Like Quentin Tarantino Movies
And why you should see Inglourious Basterds - by Nathan Mattia
Disclaimer: Since 1994’s Pulp Fiction made him a cinema sensation for many (you may have been busy watching Forrest Gump that year) Quentin Tarantino has written and directed some of the most innovative, and to some, offensive films of this generation. From Jackie Brown to the Kill Bill movies, he’s not afraid to take risks and shock his audiences with strong (but often hilarious) language, over-the-top violence, drug use, or out-of-order-plots. Here below are the reasons you should see his latest film, Inglourious Basterds, even if you’ve never heard of him before, or you were offended by one of his previous offerings.
I don’t know if he’s ever been into using drugs, but Quentin Tarantino is a man who knows the fleeting happiness of addiction. Whether your drug (or idol) of choice is sweet revenge, heroin, a cigarette, or a five-dollar milk shake, he knows how to capture the giddy joy of the fix. Nearly 3 years have passed since the last Tarantino movie (I refuse to count Grindhouse, thanks) and Inglourious Basterds… Read more »
Executive Pastor Roundtable Part 1
For the next two weeks, we are talking with the Executive Pastors of three different but fast-growing churches:
Kevin Peck of The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Steve Miller of The Journey in St. Louis, and
Josh Patterson at The Village Church in Dallas.
Rethink Mission: A lot of executive pastors work for a chaos-maker or work in a fast-growing church, which of course equals lots of chaos. How do you lead in such a way that brings order to & makes sense of the craziness?
Kevin: Leadership in a fast-growing church is a practice in change-management. One of the first learning lessons at The Austin Stone was learning the difference between chaos and innovation. Read more »
It’s Monday & Your Preaching Needs Help
Maybe not you specifically. And maybe not today.
But I know what it’s like to be so hyped going into a sermon and feel so defeated coming out of it.
I know what it’s like, only hours after preaching, to do a Google search for “[enter your favorite preacher here] bad sermon” just to see if I could find a written record of one of my heroes confessing their preaching screw ups.
Yeah. Just me on that one.
The problem with preaching is this: we love God’s word and feel a call and even a certain amount of gifting to proclaim it. We know that preaching is important in the life of our church and to the vitality of the worship gathering.
Yet there is a creeping feeling that we could be doing it better. Read more »
Seminary Nerd’s Links of the Week – 9/4/09
The Post Where We Link to Stuff You May or May Not Find Interesting and/or Amusing
Introducing the man behind the links: Seminary Nerd.
Seminary Nerd is a student at a respected Midwestern Seminary. He hopes to be a Bible Nerd when he graduates, but for now he is content with going to classes and passing along the stack of empty pizza boxes that are the Links of the Week.
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C.S. Lewis On Broadway (Not Really, But Close)
The works of C.S. Lewis (in particular “The Screwtape Letters”) had an important effect on me in my high school and college years. I feel like he is a kindred soul, though much smarter and with a better accent. Any of you peeps seen this production? Read more »
Help Make Rethink Mission More Helpful
Rethink Mission is a community project.
The heart of this website are the Missional Q&A Interviews, updated weekly, where church leaders like you talk about the issues they face on a daily basis.
Rethink Mission is first & foremost about church leaders talking to church leaders.
In our short two weeks up, we’ve talked about planting in the ‘burbs, preaching in a way that connects with culture, and next week we start a round-table discussion with executive pastors from three young yet influential churches. So the question is this… Read more »
The Troubles with Vlingo
I’ve been trying to use Vlingo on my iPhone recently. Vlingo is a free app that allows you to search the web, dial contacts, and update your status on Twitter and Facebook just using your voice. Wow, huh?
Well…
When I took a long road trip recently, I realized that this was the perfect opportunity to update Twitter without freaking my wife out by typing on my tiny keyboard while in transit. Enter Vlingo.
I am driving this giant moving truck, and my brain, trained by 80’s television starts to think, “You know, there is room back there for a car. And not just a car – but entire office and computer system. And not just any car – but KITT.” Then I imagined KITT flying out of the trailer of the truck I was driving, spinning around on the highway, driving up parallel to me and David Hasselhoff throwing me a big… Read more »
Missional Preaching Part 3 – People
Two weeks ago, we started a three part interview with Darrin Patrick on missional preaching. This week we conclude with a discussion on what groups of people in your church your preaching should address.
Rethink Mission: As you prepare, do you speak with a specific person or group of people in mind?
Darrin Patrick: First, I think about my own objections to what I’m saying. I think about my resistance to the text and how I try to avoid obeying this and my arguments. I think about men. If you’re able to preach to men in a way that they can hear it, everybody’s going to hear it. And then, with all the sexual abuse statistics, you have to think about people who are just sexually broken and abused and sinned against. When you look at the stats and you’re looking out there, every service there’s potentially hundreds of people who have been victims of sexual… Read more »
What Driving a Big Truck Taught Me About Church Leadership
This weekend I drove, from Missouri to Mississippi, the largest truck I was legally licensed to drive (crammed with all my earthly belongings) complete with a car carrier in tow.
Now I know that a Penske truck with trailer is no 18-wheeler, but 10 wheels on the road all told is a big deal for me. Driving something that high off the ground and that long and cumbersome was a new experience for me. In fact, it caused me to look at road trips differently. My perspective on driving was altered.
What changed?
Well for starters, I could not easily accelerate; it takes a while to get something that large up to speed. I found myself for the first time aware of… Read more »
Friday’s Links of the Week
Please: Help us name our weekly link roundup & win a free Rethink Mission t-shirt.
Traditionals, Moderns, And Cultural Creatives The following quote got my attention: “In virtuality, the 10% creative core no longer needs permission from 1% structural gatekeepers.” Do the creative elements in our churches feel constrained by the “structural gatekeepers?”
Is Evangelical Liturgy Like “Jumbo Shrimp”? Helpful thoughts on how a prelude can help focus the congregation into “worship mode.” The big question… Read more »
Wilco & the Bible
Jonathan describes how a review of Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” helped him better study the Bible. How has your favorite music influenced you?
Review: Wilco (The Album)
Rethink Mission is about the intersection of the gospel, the church and culture. Weekly we feature reviews and other interactions with artistic expressions of the culture around us. This week, guest blogger Casey Hobbs reviews Wilco (The Album).
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Wilco’s seventh studio album, the self-titled Wilco (The Album) (Nonesuch Records, 2009) begins with an unusually optimistic declaration of love toward their ever-growing fan-base. Wilco simply promises to “love you” right in the midst of your trying circumstances.
For those familiar with the band, Wilco (The Album) stands as a study in contrast to the previous six studio albums. The band started as front-man/songwriter Jeff Tweedy and bass guitar player, John Stirratt moved on from the groundbreaking alternative-country band “Uncle Tupelo” in 1994. Since that time, both Wilco’s lyrics and music have steadily chronicled… Read more »
Missional Preaching Part 2 – Contextualization
Last week we started a three part interview with Darrin Patrick on missional preaching. This week we pick it up with a discussion on contextualization and the preacher as coach.
Rethink Mission: Lets talk about contextualization. What does it look like for you to preach to your audience: predominantly young St. Louisans?
Darrin Patrick: We have a multi-generational church; more and more I’m not preaching to one generation – I’m preaching to three or four. At the same time, I don’t care how old you are, you have a basic worldview that I would call American, post-Christian, and relativistic. Read more »
Interview with Jared Wilson
Recently I got to sit down in the video studio with Jared Wilson and talk with him about his new book, Your Jesus is Too Safe and why young pastors need to be aware of a new kind of legalism creeping into the church.
I love Jared’s transparency and his passion for churches to live & preach the gospel. For me, the most compelling part of our time together was Jared’s description of what it looks like when pastors and ministry leaders experience what he calls a “gospel renaissance”… Read more »
Missional Preaching Part 1 – An Interview with Darrin Patrick
Darrin is the Lead Pastor of The Journey in St. Louis and Vice President of The Acts 29 Network. He recently completed degree work for a Doctor of Ministry from Covenant Seminary with a focus in preaching to contemporary culture.
Rethink Mission: What makes a sermon or talk “missional?” Darrin Patrick: I think a missional sermon is comprehendible to the people that the sermon is being preached to. Comprehendible meaning not just clear but that the metaphors used, even if they are Biblical metaphors, are explained in a way that people can understand them. The illustrations evoke memory… it’s stuff that’s in their common thought processes and culture. They get it. It connects them. It elucidates the sermon so that they can get handles to grab onto the text, the concept, or point. Read more »
Suburban Church Planting with Trey Herweck
Recently a lot of attention has been given specifically to urban church planting, with conferences, speakers and writers focusing on taking the gospel to the city, for the sake of the city.
That’s good.
But what about the ‘burbs? They need gospel-centered churches, too, don’t they?
With that in mind, we’re talking to Trey Herweck, planting pastor of Refuge Church in St. Charles, an outer-ring suburb of St. Louis.
Rethink Mission: Trey, you yourself are a product of the ‘burbs, but I know that God had to break down some of your misconceptions about suburban life before you could move back and plant in St. Charles. What were some of those?
Trey Herweck: Wow, I could go on for a while on this one. I think the “missional code” of the suburbs is easy to stereotype but extremely difficult to reach with the gospel if you are centered in the suburbs. This was hard for me to learn. Everyone is looking for acceptance. In the urban core, you do that by joining a certain group or movement that secures your identity. In the suburbs, you do it by… Read more »
