Reformissionary

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.

Multi-site Exposed Media.

Top 10 Memory Hacks.

The Empire Strikes Barack...

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 4.9.08

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

Growing Sustainable Suburbs

Top 10 Myths About Networking

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.

Books & Culture on Keller and The Reason for God.

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 3.27.08

Saw Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! with the fam today.  Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  Worth watching and discussing.  Jonathan Dodson weighs in.

Joe Thorn expands on "The Table, the Pulpit, and the Square."  Joe also summarizes Dever on evangelism.

Tom Schreiner, my NT prof from my SBTS days, has been interviewed.  Among other issues, he speaks about his new New Testament Theology.  It will have a prominent place on my shelf.

Monergism interviews Tim Keller.  Keller's next book is listed on Amazon: The Prodigal God.

Scott Hodge shares a bit he is learning from Made to Stick.

After reading an interview with Michael Perry in the April issue of The Writer, I'm intrigued. 

NT Wright says "Heaven is Not Our Home."

Exagorazo is talking about missional communities: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Announcement for SWBTS Students

Some of you remember when I posted about a part-time research position several weeks ago.  I received MANY responses, and passed them on to my buddy, Glenn Lucke, who is helping pastors get some research help.  Glenn emailed about more opportunities, and I told him I would put it out there for you.  Yeah, I'll feed you baby birds.  Glenn writes...

I will be at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on Thursday, March 27, from 10:30am-3pm.

Several Baptist pastors have recently signed on as clients and I’m looking for researchers who can assist them.

Broadly I’m looking for two different categories of researchers to fit these new clients.

Category 1: Acts 29 Network church
 The best candidates for these jobs are current SWBTS PhD and MDiv students who:

- love Jesus
- know the Bible
- consider yourself "missional"
- are Baptist & reformed in theology
- love the lost & enjoy thinking how culture intersects with Scripture
- excellent academic ability and transcript + professor references to prove it
- seminary education a must, first year must be already completed
- swims in popular culture, loves it, knows it, yet resists and critiques aspects of it

Category 2: Ed Young Jr. style church (Fellowship Church of Grapevine)
 The best candidates for these jobs are current SWBTS MDiv students who are gifted storytellers and illustrators, dialed-in to young pop culture, creative, gifted at relating Scriptural concepts to the lives of seekers and new Christians.

- responsible and hardworking, and you can furnish proof of this. No slackers.

Contact Glenn at glenn@docentgroup.com. Mention that you are contacting me because you saw this at Steve McCoy’s blog.

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.

Lots-o-Links 2.13.08

I have two orders pending (Amazon and Westminster) for Tim Keller's The Reason for God.  I have a book and audio copy coming for me, and several copies to give away. Amazon's is on the way!

The WGA writer's strike is over.  I've been following the strike online and through some podcasts, and was hoping the writer's would get a fair shake.  It appears they are content, and now we can get back to watching some well-written new TV and movies.

Al Hsu has enjoyed Juno and reflects on the movie's suburban flair.

I recently rented The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, a documentary of one man's effort to beat the high score of Donkey Kong from a guy who you want to see lose it.  It's a very entertaining movie that I highly recommend.  Rent it and then tell me what you think.  Here's the trailer...

I met Jonathan Dodson, an Acts 29 church planter, at the Chicago boot camp.  Good guy.  Check out two recent articles he has online on Community and Missional Discipleship.

Pitchers and catchers reporting today for the Cubs.  Very good news.  I've briefly visited HoHoKam Stadium, where the Cubs have spring training, in Phoenix a few winters ago when on a golf trip with my dad and uncles.  My rabid-sports-nut-7-year-old, Elijah, reported as a pitcher last Sunday here in Woodstock.  They have a handful of pitcher's and catcher's training sessions at our local rec center.  He's shorter than most kids his age, but has an arm on him.  AND he is accurate.  I often have to encourage him to throw harder because he's afraid the kid across from him will not catch it and get hurt, or something.  And since I'm helping to coach his team this year, I'm considering trading him to another team for a case of Schlitz!

Some of you know I have an autistic son.  My wife enjoyed this video recently, so I thought it was worth sharing...

Missional Help Wanted

Great opportunity guys!  Especially if you are in seminary or need some supplemental income.  If you...

-love Jesus
-know your Bible
-consider yourself "missional"
-are Baptist & reformed in theology
-love the lost & enjoy thinking how culture intersects with Scripture

...then please email me and I'll pass on to you some info on a very cool opportunity.

UPDATE...Lots of folks expressing interest.  Thanks so much.  But the folks involved need to narrow down the field.  Here's extra criteria...

- excellent academic ability and transcript + professor references to prove it
- seminary education a must, first year must be already completed
- swims in popular culture, loves it, knows it, yet resists and critiques aspects of it

Keller Sermons on The Reason for God

On the Redeemer site are free sermons related to Tim Keller's book The Reason for God.  Enjoy!  And go look at the rest of my Tim Keller Resources. (via)

The Trouble with Christianity: Why it's so Hard to Believe it

Exclusivity: How an there be just one true religion?
Suffering: If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world?
Absolutism: Don't we all have to find truth for ourselves
Injustice: Hasn't Christianity been an instrument for oppression?
Hell: Isn't the God of Christianity an angry Judge?
Doubt: What should I do with my doubts?
Literalism: Isn't the Bible historically unreliable and regressive?

Lots-o-Links 1.31.08

Doug Wilson on how friendship evangelism is really about your money and material possessions...

Friendship evangelism rests upon generosity, sacrifice, kindness, openness, hospitality, goodness, and open-handedness. That is to be the texture of your life, and non-believers are welcome to come along with you. In short, is your evangelism giving or taking? Are you a benefactor or a salesman?

Alex Chediak is working through a pre-publication copy of Tim Keller's new book, The Reason for God.  (Amazon)

Steve Ogne on mobilizing leaders (from GCA conference).

Whiteboard Sessions website is up.

Mike Cosper is Worship and Arts Pastor at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY.  In 2006 Mike gave Acts 29 talks on "Missional Strategies for the Arts."  Both messages are here.

Mark Batterson - Four Dimensions of Courage.

Timmy Brister interviews Mark Dever on Richard Sibbs.

I've been looking forward to Son of Rambow for over a year now.  It's finally coming out in May.  Here's the trailer...

Lots-o-Links 1.19.08

Justin Taylor has an interview with Tim Keller about his new book The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.  I think this book will be a great resource for skeptical friends, due in February

OnMovements (first posted by Sam Metcalf) let's us know How to Kill a Movement.

Nelson Searcy's assimilation book is now out: Fusion: Turning First Time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church.  Get some free resources from the Fusion Site.

More free Jerram Barrs' resources (audio, pdf) from Monergism.  Covenant Seminary stuff.

People are talking about Neil Cole's Organic Church (which just came from Amazon today).  Tim Chester has a thought-provoking post, Seven Principles for Planting Organic Churches.  Chester has another great quote on making new believers evangelists and church planters.  Church Planting Novice explains How to Grow a Missional Church.

SUBURBIA: Watch some James Howard Kunstler on YouTube.  He is often very helpful on issues of suburbia.

Lots-o-Links 1.9.08

Sorry for the lack of suburbia links.  I have many to file through and some will be on the way soon.  I'm halfway through The End of Suburbia, which is disturbia-ing.  Ok, not really, but I wanted to try a new word.  It's interesting, to say the least.  Worth watching, no question.

This is why my best friend is better than your honor student.

You need some good business books, via Fast Company.

Brian Hedgeson elder training.

David Fitch: Confessions of a Missional Pastor (Wannabe?)

Carl Trueman: What Can Miserable Christians Sing?

Is Al Mohler the best choice for SBC President this year?  Many think so.  Some don't.  My question is: Should we have the most recognized face and voice of cultural criticism among SBC'rs be the most recognized face and voice of the Convention as a whole?  As much as I love and respect Mohler, I think the answer is clearly no.  What do you think?

2008 is the year of evangelism for me.  It's the year of discipleship for others. 

"The Tyrannus Effect" is a good example of how to get me thinking on issues of evangelism, discipleship and ecclesiology. 

Speaking of evangelism...
Roger Carswell's site, author of And Some Evangelists
BeThinking.org - Engage with Culture
Tim Chester PDF: "The Kingdom of God is at Hand: Eschatology and Mission"
(Chester's blog is one of my favorites.)

Evangelism 2008 books I've picked up...
Questioning Evangelism and Corner Conversations

Lots-o-Links 12.20.07

New Keller audio from City Life Boston: "A Broken Spirit" & "Encounter With God".

Blue Like Jazz the movie.

Time Magazine: Rob Bell is "The Hipper-Than-Thou Pastor."

A Missouri Baptist Acts 29'r talks "View and Brew."  He (Kevin Larson) has also been interviewed by Tom Ascol.

Angela Booth's top writing blogs of 2007.

Scott Hodge talks about "Fuel," leadership training at The Orchard.

Joe Thorn has found the secret to a better prayer life, and it's probably not what you think.

The curse of knowledge is only one great reason to read Made to Stick.

Darrin Patrick Live Webcast

Shapevine has a live webcast with Darrin Patrick at 2:30pm central time TODAY.  There is a registration required, but it's very quick and painless.  Be there.  I'm planning to.

Glocalnet Turbo Training

Glocalnet (Bob Roberts' ministry) is putting on a conference in February.  If I were anywhere near the area I would make the effort to be there, not only because I think Roberts is an important missional leader, but because the other main speaker is Matt Chandler.  Here's some info, but find all of it at Glocalnet. 

What is it?

Glocalnet, in partnership with Glocal Ventures, Inc. and Vision360 DFW, trains Church Planters, Senior Pastors, Mission Pastors, and Business Leaders how to instill a Kingdom mindset in those whom they lead. Turbo Training combine the best of Glocalnet’s Church Planter Training and Glocal Ventures’ Global Engagement training in a two-day intensive.

Who is it for?

Turbos are specifically designed to train Church Planters first and foremost. However, Pastors of existing churches and business leaders have discovered the benefits of the Turbos.

What are the benefits?

Church Planters: Starting your church with a missional DNA that focuses your people not just on their neighborhoods and cities, but their state, their nation, and other nations around the world. (Acts 1:8)

Pastors: Tired of urging your people to get out of their seats and do something, only to have them stare at you like a deer in headlights? Turbos will equip and excite you to move your people forward into their “glocal” community!

Business Leaders:  God called you to use your business to make a Kingdom impact.  We live in a flat world today. With technology and communications making huge strides, there is no reason why you should not be engaging societies around the world with your vocation. We’ll teach you how!

Darrin Patrick on Emerging Church Part 3

Check out Darrin Patrick's third lecture on the Emerging Church at Covenant Seminary: Emerging Church - he Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (includes QnA).

Session 1: The History and Streams of the Emerging Church
Session 2: Popular Terms of the Emerging Church (QnA)

Mission to Suburbia Resource Page

I've started a new resource page called Mission to Suburbia (notice a link near the top of the left sidebar of my blog).  There isn't much there yet, but I wanted to mention it to you all and ask for your help in finding missional, theological, statistical resources (books, articles, blogs, posts, etc) that will help those of us who are striving to bring the Gospel to the suburbs/exurbs.  I hope Mission to Suburbia will be a handy tool for pastors, planters, churches and Christians who

Click the email link on my sidebar to email me info or links.  I'd rather not receive links in comments.  Thanks!

Lots-o-Links 11.15.07

Me and a certain pastor friend are going to see this tomorrow.  I'm pumped! 

-Bob Hyatt is good reading, as usual.  80-20 and the Organic Church Part 1 and Part 2
-Harry Potter as "Shared Text"
-Seth Godin's "Unleashing Your Ideavirus" (Part 1 and Part 2) was an excellent and thought-provoking read.  It's not very new (2000), but it was good.  More Godin here.
-I really dig this creative photography of kids.
-Must reading for those mashing the Thanksgiving potatoes.

A Few Links

Some links I wanted to get out there right away...

Guy Kawasaki interviews Fake Steve Jobs.  Funny stuff.  (FSJ blog)
Resurgence goes Greek: Re:Greek.  Awesome resource.
I don't think I've linked before to Joe Thorn's excellent Six Rules of Cultural Engagement.

My kids can't stop watching this...

More here...

Darrin Patrick on the Emerging Church

Darrin Patrick's message, "The History and Streams of the Emerging Church," is now online.  It's from his lectures at Covenant Seminary on the Emerging Church.

Life and Death of the Missional Leader

I know I posted on this a long time ago, but when my wife and I were at the first Reform & Resurge Conference in Seattle (2006) we heard Darrin Patrick's talk on "The Life and Death of the Missional Leader."  I listened to it again this morning and was struck by how helpful of a message it is right now in my life.  I encourage you to listen to it.

Coming Keller Book

Thanks to Michael Keller we now know that the new Tim Keller book has found it's final name: The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism.  Michael also provides us the Table of Contents.

Introduction – All doubts are leaps of faith

PART 1 - The Leap of Doubt

1. There can't be just one true religion

2. A good God could not allow suffering

3. Christianity is a straitjacket

4. The church is responsible for so much injustice

5. A loving God would not send people to hell

6. Science has disproved Christianity

7. You can't take the Bible literally

Intermission

PART 2 - The Grounds for Faith

8. The clues of God

9. The knowledge of God

10. The problem of sin

11. Religion and the gospel

12. The (true) story of the cross

13. The reality of the resurrection

14. The Dance of God

Epilogue - Where do we go from here?

Rohrmayer: 3 x 5 Rule Ideas

I've been sharing links to Gary Rohrmayer's helpful posts on Engaging in More Spiritual Conversations.  His newest addition provides "Ideas for Practicing the 3 x 5 Rule."  From the post...

The 3 by 5 rule is simple:  A leader seeks to find 5 contacts a day or 35 a week until they get 3 meetings or sit downs to either share the gospel or the vision of the church.  A contact is securing a person's name and contact information (a business card, phone number or email.) A sit down is a follow up appointment with one of the contacts you have generated.

The primary question generated by this rule is "How do you find 35 contacts a week?" There are three sources of contacts we will look at today. 1) Follow-up Contacts 2) Networking Contacts and 3) Cold Calling Contacts.

Read more...

"Engaging in More Spiritual Conversations" (Part 1, 2, 3, & 3x5 Ideas)

A Few Links

You can finally come out of your prayer closet: Joe Thorn is blogging again.

Gary Rohrmayer put up part 3 of Engaging in More Spiritual Conversations.

Drew Goodmanson is Transforming Cities.  Great stuff.

Ligon Duncan on Together for the Gospel, and Sam Storms adds a little more to the baptism/communion discussion.

Every few months I feel like I need this again: John Piper's "Running with the Witnesses."

Keller's Reform & Resurge Article

At the Reform & Resurge conference (2006) at Mars Hill in Seattle Tim Keller gave a talk on "Being the Church in Our Culture."  Now the article, "Being the Church in Our Culture," that Keller gave to conference attendees is online.  Check it out.

Spiritual Conversations

Gary Rohrmayer adds another post on spiritual conversations (I already linked to the 3 by 5 rule).  His four points so far have been...

1. Make it a priority (3x5 rule)

If leaders are going to be serious about connecting with people they need to uncover at least 5 new contacts a day, equaling about 35 a week, which will lead to 3 "sit-downs" for a meaningful conversation.

2. Pray for opportunities

I remember praying one morning, “Lord, it has been a while time since I led someone to you. Open the doors and show me who I need to speak to today.”

3. Get out and into your community

I encourage church planters to think about tithing their time to community service and interaction.

4. Establish routines and cultivate relationships

I encourage leaders to establish routines and patterns so that you build relational presence wit