Every man needs to watch this video. The takeaway idea for me is this: I don’t want there to be another man who has a bigger dream for God’s work in my city than me. Watch it and see what I mean.
Acts 29
Helpful Summary of “New-Calvinism”
Here’s a helpful summary of New Calvinism from the resurgence website. New Calvinism is more than a view of how people become Christians, it is a complete worldview which acknowledges God’s total control over the universe. Read it here.
Worshiping Jesus, Jr.
The Acts 29 blog (Acts 29 is a church planting network of which I am a part), posted this summary of American Christianity from Ray Ortlund, Jr. Ortlund describes our American idolatry, which not the real Jesus, but a shallow phony. Our local deity is not Jesus. He goes by the name Jesus. But in reality, our local deity is Jesus Jr. Our little Jesus is popular because he is useful. He makes us feel better while conveniently fitting into the margins of our busy lives. But he is not terrifying or compelling or thrilling. When we hear the gospel of Jesus Jr., our casual response is “Yeah, that’s what I believe.” Jesus Jr. does not confront us, surprise us, stun us. He looks down on us with a benign, all-approving grin. He tells us how wonderful we really are, how entitled we really are, how wounded we really are,…
Cocky, Obnoxious Jerks Make Great Church Planters
To what extent is the calling of a church planter connected to personality? I recently attended an Acts 29 boot camp that also included an assessing process. This process included two personality profile tests, several questionnaires regarding doctrine and personal history, and 3 references. After the boot camp, Laura and I spent two hours in a dimly lit room in an abandoned warehouse filled with Gestapo types who asked us about our personal lives, ministry experience and whether or not we knew a certain “Morpheus.” Most importantly, they were interested in discerning a definite sense of calling. What I found quite interesting in all of this was the notion that certain personality types make better church planters. The bar-fighting hothead who was a cheerleader dating running back in high school seems to be a good fit for church planting because these guys score high on qualities of entrepreneurship. This was…
I Got My Money’s Worth
The Acts 29 boot camp gave me what I paid for. I went there hoping to be told about (1) Me and (2) my aim to plant a church in Cincinnati. God used them to provide me with both.
Driscoll and Stetzer on Church Planting Partners
The Acts 29 Boot Camp in Raleigh concluded this afternoon with a great Q and A session from Stetzer and Driscoll. They were off the cuff and unscripted, and clearly these guys have a Bert and Ernie love for each other. Stetzer would be a great guy to have your back in a church plant or a bar fight. This guy is a beast. Though they don’t agree on everything, there is clearly a love and mutual respect. Thankfully, they answered the question I submitted regarding planting churches as a team. Although A29 is committed to the leadership of elders in a church as opposed to the senior pastor as CEO model, they also recommend a single church planting “lead pastor” rather than a team of several lead pastors.
Boot Camp is Done, What Now?
I’m in Raleigh, NC, right now, and the Acts 29 boot camp just finished up yesterday. The speakers were Scott Thomas (A29 director), church planters Chan Kilgore, Tyler Jones, Daniel Montgomery, A29 president Mark Driscoll, and church planting genius Ed Stetzer. The purpose of the boot camp is to provide theological and practical training for church planters and potential church planters.