Leaving in a few to get Joe Thorn and go to St. Louis. We are checking out the Theology at the Bottleworks tonight, a midrash meeting of The Journey church. If you want to follow the trip, we will both be updating our Twitter often: Steve McCoy and Joe Thorn.
Evangelism & Apologetics
Lots-o-Links 7.9.08
Joe Thorn and I have an announcement coming on Friday. Stay tuned.
Justin Childers has some great questions from John Bunyan. Do these characterize your life?
If you haven't found it yet, Re:Lit (Resurgence Literature) has a new site.
In sports news, I'm enjoying following the Tour de France, though it doesn't come close to the Lance years. And good news for the Cubs comes in a trade for two pitchers.
I remember years ago hearing Mark Dever talk about the book The Gospel Blimp by Joseph Bayly, a book on how to do and not to do evangelism. The author's sons have put up the comic book version for your enjoyment. Well worth checking out.
Andy Davis talks "Dangers in Reforming a Church." Thoughtful.
How can you encourage expressiveness in worship? Some thoughts from Bob Kauflin.
Jonathan Dodson: Help on leading an organic church and Driscoll on movements.
Chuck Lawless on evangelistic goal setting.
Jeremy Pryor: 3 powerful tools for discipleship.
Craig Groeschel: 10 lessons on developing people.
Matt Chandler audio: Creating pathways for spiritual formation.
Quite coddling your kids. Please! And don't miss the excellent TED video in the article.
Tony Morgan: 9 do's and don'ts for ministry growth.
Prepare for Keller's book The Prodigal God by listening to his sermon The Prodigal Sons.
The Big 5: Books for Seekers
Like you, I'm always on the lookout for good books for seekers. You know who seekers are, right? These are the folks who come to your church NOT because they occasionally like to feel less guilty by attending, but because they are actually looking for answers. These are the folks who want to sit down and ask you questions about life, suffering, truth, the Bible, or where is God in all this mess, and seem to genuinely want answers. So...
What are your Big 5 books for seekers?
These will likely be books on the gospel or apologetics. You should try to stick to books that are meant for seekers or books that unintentionally just work very well with seekers. As best you can, stick with general books for seekers and not books on one issue only. If one really stands out to you, that's cool, but I would prefer lists that will help us all with good books for seekers in general. And please don't mention Scripture. We get it, the Bible is good for seekers. :)
Lots-o-Links 5.14.08
Good to hang for a couple of hours with Darryl Dash of DashHouse last night. He is in a city just north of me for a conference and decided to look me up, so we found some time for coffee. Great guy.
Care to buy Scott Lamb's 6,000 book library?
Jonathan Dodson isn't starting new ministries.
Learn how worship teams practice at Sojourn Church in Louisville, KY. They use The Planning Center.
Scott Hodge describes The Orchard's critiquing culture.
Joe Thorn pointed me to this video: "From Russia With Hate." Wow. Awful.
JD Greear is describing the missions strategy of Summit Church: Part 1, Part 2.
Resurgence interviews Matt Chandler.
Important values for Christian artists as summarized by Justin Taylor. The whole PDF.
Jeremy Pryor continues his explanation of The Story-Formed Life discipleship class...
Lots-o-Links 5.6.08
I'm really sick at the moment (102 temp) and I thought a lots-o-links post would be therapeutic. And away we go.
A Cubs website: Just One Bad Century.
Really appreciate Jeremy Pryor making some videos about a discipleship strategy called The Story-Formed Life. First video. Second video. More to come.
JD Greear: Multi-Site = Multi-Opportunity.
From The Economist: Nomads at Last: Wireless communication is changing the way people work, live, love and relate to places—and each other.
The Empire Strikes Barack...
Jonathan Dodson on Buy-Downs
As I do a lot of thinking on evangelism this year, Jonathan Dodson has put up a post on gas buy-downs (etc) that I find very thought-provoking and helpful. Go read it.
Lots-o-Links 4.28.08
I'm on Twitter now. Put it off for many months but am enjoying it so far. Some "essential tools," "twitter links," and "benefits." Twitter in plain English.
I've opened an Amazon bookstore for my blog. I'm building up all my recommended books there. When you buy through it I get something back.
Bob Franquiz: 10 things churches could learn from Disney.
Tim Chester: When Gideon gave a seminar on church planting.
Audio/Video of the Multi-Site Exposed conference in Seattle.
Ed Stetzer Interviews Tim Keller
The LifeWay podcast has Ed Stetzer interviews Tim Keller. Chris Turner has an article on it, and the LifeWay News:blog talks Keller.
Also check out this discussion with Stetzer on the new SBC research.
The Church I Pastor: The Missional Triad
Here is what I call The Missional Triad (a tweaked version of this by Joe Thorn and this that Joe and I fleshed out together). Forgive the handwritten sloppiness, but it's what I have for now. It's essentially a missional paradigm for our church to think through what we do and where we do it. The mission is a very central part of the paradigm. (Click the diagram for a larger version.)
If you are familiar with Joe's paradigm the next few points will help you see the changes I've made for my version, as well as explain a few things I thought you might have questions about.
1. The order of the shapes is different. I changed them to a left to right flow for unbelievers and right to left for believers.
2. I've changed the titles of each shape. I have included something of each shape in the name (example: tri-formed discipleship). I can still use "table, pulpit and square" as designations, and have done that, but I felt it helpful to give each a name that is slightly more descriptive. That also allows my "table" to lose the Lord's Supper confusion.
3. The "Circles of Friendship" is fleshed out so that hospitality is seen in three different spheres:
neutral >> semi-private >> to private
It also moves beyond the home into third places (why?).
4. Under Tri-Formed Discipleship I have used "Equipping Ministries" to explain all discipleship, from one-on-one to seminars, short-term classes, membership class, leadership training, etc.
5. Our small groups are transitioning toward being "Missional Communities." These will be more than small groups but less than house churches.
If you want to know something more, let me know. It's basically still the same three shapes, the same basic approach, the same goal of simplicity.
Lots-o-Links 4.23.08
in Church, Evangelism & Apologetics, Humor, SBC, Sport
Check out Ed Stetzer's post about the current decline of the Southern Baptist Convention. Joe Thorn and I have been blogging on these issues for years, and Ed offers some very good commentary and critique. I'm very thankful for guys like Stet who are speaking to the convention honestly and directly. Here's a snippet...
Baptisms are at their lowest levels since 1970 with seven of thelast eight years showing annual declines. Even though some might hope the decline in membership numbers is due to lack of reporting, the inescapable conclusion is that baptisms by individual churches is falling off. (LifeWay Research will provide more analysis in the next month.)
For now, Southern Baptists are a denomination in decline. Some of you were born into an SBC church; others of us chose it of our own accord. Either way, it is dear to us all. Our responsibility before God is, then, to urgently consider how we should respond.
Also worth checking out is the New Evangelism Research.
Bob Hyatt shares a great photo of what a church that packs out a coffee shop looks like. Love it.
Tony Morgan says that changed lives is what creates buzz about a church (more here).
A Cubs hater (meaning, someone who likes another team) sent me a video filmed from the bleachers of Wrigley Field. In it two fans, who probably had too much to drink (it's a Cubs game, duh), decided to have a hot dog eating context. The result is worth watching. There is at least one word that is not for kids, so please heed the WARNING: Not for kids or judgmental Christians...
New Keller Video
Lots-o-Links 4.9.08
I have now won the second blog voting contest! That has picked me up, between the two contests, $175 in online bookstore gift certificates: $50 for Westminster Seminary bookstore, $50 for Amazon, and $75 for Eisenbrauns. Woohoo! I will order The Reason for God copies from Westminster and Amazon. Eisenbrauns was a late addition to the first place prize and doesn't carry Keller's book, so I will be picking up some books for my personal library. Thanks for all your effort! And thanks to Scot McKnight for his effort to find some votes for me.
On a side note, the total official vote count for all blogs was "666" as you can see by the screen capture. While some might find that a bit off-puttin', I think it's awesomely hilarious.
O Lord, let there be a blog contest for the cost of hotel, airfare and conference fee for the Total Church North America Conference. I WANT TO GO!!!
Carolyn Mahaney: How to Help Your Husband When He is Criticized
John Piper on C.S. Lewis on writing.
Al Hsu on "The New Suburbanists."
Scott Hodge has some advice for those who are thinking about change.
Makoto Fujimura: A Wedding and the City.
10 Questions Every Leader Should Ask
Joe Thorn is now making my voicemails on his cell a matter of public consumption. I want to be upset, but it represents such a positive side of me that I can't help but propagate it...
Lots-o-Links 4.6.08
I won the first blog contest! Thanks for the votes! You have probably just changed the world with a click of the mouse.
Speaking of votes, Greg Gilbert wants less voting going on.
Goodmanson on the issue of alcohol and the gospel. (Sound familiar?) Good stuff. Also has put up a nice contextualization paper from Soma.
Engage Every Domain
This really is the mission of the church: to mobilize believers to engage every domain of society; to set in motion the radical transformation that the gospel brings to every person and sphere of life.
Bob Roberts in The Multiplying Church, p 123.
Lots-o-Links 3.21.08
I'm trying to make time to blog on the changes coming in my local church, and especially focus on some evangelism stuff I'm working to begin soon. Sorry it's taking so long, but it's been a nutty last few weeks. Maybe I'll blog on the nuttiness as well. Might be therapeutic for me.
"Alcohol, Acts 29 and the Missouri Baptist Convention" is a bunch of information put out by some Missouri Baptists that has finally proven, without question, that some people will never get it because they spend all their time trying to get worked up over extra-biblical issues. It's actually a very funny read for those of us who see how ridiculous it all is.
In Timothy Keller news, the Washington Post's Michael Gerson has a review of The Reason for God. It's a good one. USA Today quotes Keller, Driscoll and others on "Has the 'Notion of Sin' Been Lost?" (via Stet)
"Parks and squares aren't a luxury, but an essential feature of the urban infrastructure."
Bob Franquiz is looking to only work 4 hours a week. I've perused the book, and it looks interesting enough.
Speaking of books, how about the 2008 Christianity Today Book Awards. I picked up the "The Church/Pastoral Leadership" category winner The Call to Joy & Pain by Ajith Fernando at last year's Desiring God Conference. I like Ajith's writings and the topic was intriguing. It got buried in a stack of books, but is back on my "to read" shelf.
This looks VERY interesting to me: The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas With Pictures.
The top 80 church websites (because 80 is a nice round number). :)
Oh that more of us would do what they are doing in Austin for city-wide church planting.
It won't be Longfellow until National Poetry Month. It's my Gioia to blog on poetry every April. Keats your eyes open for more very soon.
Strategy of the Neutral
As a couple trying to relate to neighbors and unchurched friends, we have found that even our home is not the first place to begin a relationship. If we invite new people over, it is usually for a cookout in the back yard, not for a dinner inside our home. The initial place is often a local restaurant that is neutral ground. Our church is not neutral ground for the unchurched. Planning evangelistic activities on campus creates and unnecessary barrier for many we are trying to reach. Our strategy needs to include locations that are neutral, common, and natural to the unchurched. We need to ask, "Where would the unchurched feel comfortable?" Rather than our own comfort being primary, we need to apply the attitude of a servant and missionary and remove unnecessary barriers to sharing the message.
Ron Bennett, "Authentic Church-Based Evangelism in a Relational Age" in Telling the Truth, Ed. Don Carson.
Video of Tim Keller at Google
(via the Buzzard)
Keller Veritas Forum at Berkeley
Thanks to a couple of emailers I have found this 1 1/2 hour video of Keller at Berkeley. (Audio here.)
Keller @ Veritas and Google
As Tim Keller continues his book tour and college campus talks (in Chicago last night and tonight), Veritas has put up his Columbia University talk, "Exclusive Religion in a Pluralistic Society: What are the Tensions and How Do We Move Forward?"
I'm sure many of you have seen that Keller spoke at Google. How awesome is that? Justin Buzzard was there and gave us plenty to chew on. Thanks Justin.
I did not make it to Keller's talk last night because I was at the Doctor trying to figure out what is wrong with me. He thinks I may have a touch of pneumonia. Exciting. I'm not going tonight either, unfortunately. If anyone makes it to a Chicago event, I'd love to hear/read how things go.
Plans, Strategies & Fasting
A real quick post tonight to update on some blogging plans and church plans.
I'm pastoring a church that is nearly 50 years old. Some original members are still here. And I just spent two months preaching about some really big changes that are going to start happening very soon. I'm going to share those changes with you in a future post. They are very significant and exciting.
One of the new things I'm working on is an evangelism strategy to reach out to our whole county. It's something that I'm looking forward to explaining here when I get the chance.
Because of those changes I have called our church to fast and pray on Wednesdays for the next 6 weeks. We are fasting from dinner Tuesday to dinner Wednesday. We are having a prayer meeting on Wednesday nights at 6:30pm and then breaking our fast together with a quick meal. We are pumped to see what God does as we seek Him together. Because I've been so sick I'm not going to fast from food tomorrow. I'm fasting from my laptop/internet instead, starting after this post goes up.