This is what happens when you attend too many lectures in a single day. I think it’s a good look.

I haven’t seen my parents for 3 years and I’ve finally made it out to good ole Council Bluffs, Iowa. My side of the family lives out here (sisters, parents, aunt, uncle, cousins, etc.) and I learn more about my own story and theirs every time I visit. I’m reminded of my past and it helps me to understand how I’ve come to be who I am by God’s sovereign hand. It also allows me to love my family with my hands rather than just my lips. The older I get, the more I realize how good God is in the giving of our family members. They shape me to be a better son, brother, and uncle and I pray that in some way I display Christ to them and make Him look really good in the process.

I’m off next week to Covenant Theological Seminary for my residency. I’m praying I don’t get too wound up since this is supposed to be a relaxing time.

I probably won’t post much unless I’m compelled to do so.

Till August 2nd!

Outreach Magazine listed the top church planting churches in America. What I found so incredibly refreshing was that each of the top 5 churches were reformed. To have Tim Keller with Redeemer #1 and Mark Driscoll with Mars Hill #2 is pretty amazing considering both have helped our ministry considerably. Also, #5, Spanish River, was instrumental in planting #1, 2, and 21. David Nicholas was part of launching A29 in the very beginning and we made three trips out to Boca Raton for our initial meetings. #21, CrossPointe Church in Orlando is our dear friend Chan Kilgore who is also on the board with me for A29.

What does this say about the concern most church planting strategists have when they tell us to shy away from strong theology? I believe it shows us that without a good theology of God, the world, and the self, we really can’t call others to mission if they aren’t sure who they are or who God is. The gospel is the driving force behind church planting, not pragmatic structures disconnected from the nature, character and work of God.

Also, their theology is a particular kind of reformed theology, it is reformational not just reformed. This distinction is important. To use reformed theology as a cul-de-sac in our churches is to move against the entire point of God’s work in this world. Good reformed theology is going to be church planting, kingdom driven, multiplying, culture engaging, and grace centered or it is not good reformed theology.

Here’s the list:

1-Redeemer Presbyterian Church (New York, NY) :: Timothy Keller
other achievements include:
>> #15 on America’s 25 Most Innovative Churches of ‘07
>> #16 on 50 Most Influential Churches of ‘06
>> #26 on 50 Most Influential Churches of ‘05
2-Mars Hill Church (Seattle, WA) :: Mark Driscoll
other achievements include:
>> #9 on America’s 25 Most Innovative Churches of ‘07
>> #15 on 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Churches of ‘06
>> #22 on 50 Most Influential Churches of ‘06
>> #54 on 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Churches of ‘05
>> #23 on 50 Most Influential Churches of ‘05
3-NorthWood Church (Keller, TX) :: Bob Roberts
4-Perimeter Church (Duluth, GA) :: Randy Pope
5-Spanish River Church (Boca Raton, FL) :: David Nicholas
6-East 91st Street Christian Church (Indianapolis, IN) :: Derek Duncan
7-Community Christian Church (Naperville, IL) :: Dave Ferguson
other achievements include:
>> #7 on America’s 25 Most Innovative Churches of ‘07
>> #13 on 50 Most Influential Churches of ‘06
>> #48 on 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Churches of ‘04
8-Fellowship Bible Church (Little Rock, AR) :: Bill Wellons
other achievements include:
>> #26 on 50 Most Influential Churches of ‘06
9-Kensington Community Church (Troy, MI) :: Steve Andrews
10-Church at the Springs (Ocala, FL) :: Ron Sylvia
11-Summit Church (Bonita Springs, FL) :: Orlando Cabrera
12-Vineyard Christian Church of Evanston (Evanston, IL) :: Steve Nicholson
13-New Life Christian Church (Centreville, VA) :: Brett Andrews
14-Owensboro Christian Church (Owensboro, KY) :: Myke Templeton
15-Elmbrook Church (Brookfield, WI) :: Mel Lawrenz
other achievements include:
>> #66 on 100 Largest U.S. Churches of ‘06
16-West Ridge Church (Dallas, GA) :: Brian Bloye
other achievements include:
>> #91 on 100 Largest U.S. Churches of ‘06
>> #68 on 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Churches of ‘05
17-Journey Christian Church (Apopka, FL) :: Dan Donaldson
18-Grace Fellowship (Brooklyn Park, MN) :: Dave Reno
19-Columbia Crossroads Church (Columbia, SC) :: Jeff Shipman
20-Atlanta Vineyard Church (Norcross, GA) :: Johnny Crist
21-CrossPointe Church (Orlando, FL) :: Chan Kilgore
22-Set Free (Yucaipa, CA) :: Willie Dalgity
23-First Southwest Baptist Church (Alief, TX) :: Rickie Bradshaw
24-French Speaking Baptist Church (Brooklyn, NY) :: Jean Baptiste Thomas
other achievements include:
>> #87 on 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Churches of ‘06
25-Vineyard Church (Westerville, OH) :: Rich Nathan
other achievements include:
>> #67 on 100 Largest U.S. Churches of ‘06

Over the last several months Drew Goodmanson and I have been working through the implications of multiperspectivalism in the context of leadership, preaching, apologetics, hermeneutics, missiology, ecclesiology, and masculinity.

Christ has chosen to exercise His offices of Prophet, Priest, and King through the church for the hope of the world. In doing so, the church should continuously reflect upon whether or not what Jesus began to do and teach (Acts 1:1) continues through our local body. The need to see the church and her activity as directly related to Christ’s offices and ministry gives us an appreciation of the multiple perspectives necessary when considering not just if but how Jesus is working through His bride.

This post attempts to give a brief explanation of what I believe are the errors of a uni-perspectival ministry. In other words, these are ministries which focus on one perspective or office of Christ to the detriment or exclusion of the others. Read the rest of this entry »

There are several components of a church that seeks to relate appropriately to God’s Word, God’s world, and God’s people. As we’ve been meeting with Harbor Presbyterian Church it has spurred into thinking through how this would play out in our context. We’ve come to some conclusions that we believe are important.

We desire Kaleo to be Gospel-centered with a missional-ecclesiology that seeks heart transformation and renewal rather than just moral reformation.

*In relation to God’s Word, Kaleo seeks to be a Gospel-centered church.
*In relation to God’s world, Kaleo seeks to be a missional church.
*In relation to God’s church (ourselves), Kaleo seeks to be a grace-renewal church.

A Gospel-Centered Church is committed to:
-Reading the whole Bible as the Gospel (Luke 24 hermeneutic)
-Preaching and teaching the Gospel to believers, not just unbelievers
-Preaching and teaching the Gospel in every sermon and every lesson
-Seeing the Gospel as the “milk” and “meat” of God’s Word
-Studying theology/doctrine to better understand the Gospel, not simply for more facts
-Viewing the world, the church, and ourselves through the lens of the Gospel

A Missional Church is committed to:
-Living in mission “for” the city in which God has sovereignly placed us
-Learning to speak the language of our culture to make the Gospel as clear as possible
-Listening to people and their ’stories’
-Being a community that is counter-cultural rather than merely a Christian sub-culture
-Working in such a way that we live out the Gospel in our work and recreation
-Demonstrating the unity of church in our city
-Showing off the beauty of the Gospel by helping others in need through acts of mercy and generosity
-Seeing every believer in Christ as a missionary
-Understanding the flow of history is the activity of our missional God at work restoring all things to himself by His Gospel (Luke 24)
-Structuring every ministry with a missionl texture towards the world for the sake of the lost

A Grace-Renewal Church is committed to:
-Being renewed by grace every moment
-Becoming “new” people, not just “nice” people
-Believing the Gospel can change anyone, including ourselves
-Motivating others with grace, not guilt
-Solving all problems (personal, familial, church, social) with the Gospl
-Learning how the Gospel changes us and others (transformation vs. reformation)
-Loving others through the Gospel
-Community that seeks to “gospel” one another in love

Many thanks to the Harbor brothers for helping us see the pervading beauty, power, and hope the Gospel brings us and this world.

The church is a Cause (normative), Corporation (situational), and Community (existential) in which Gospel Proclamation (prophet), Gospel Renewal (priest), and Gospel Mission (king) are exercised. We’ve been saying that all three of these are essential for the church to be who she is called to be.

So what leadership qualities are essential for a church to flow in the movement of God’s mission, to the praise of His glory, and the joy and renewal of the saints? I believe there are three things for elders and leaders to consider when looking to develop leaders. We’re going to look at competency, character, and compatibility. Read the rest of this entry »

-Who are we? (What is the essential nature of our humanity?)
-Where are we? (What is the nature of the world around us?)
-What’s gone wrong? (Why is the world in such a mess?)
-What is the solution? (What can we do about it?)

All of us see life through our worldview which interprets major life questions. Most of us are not aware of how we’ve come to believe what we do, and yet this lens colors how we think, feel, and act. Here are some questions to investigate what your worldview is. These seem simple but they are far from simplistic. When we answer such questions it’s good to keep in mind whether or not our lives are affected by our answers.

If you’re tempted to give a quick and simple answer, try to walk through why you believe this to be true. For instance, if you say that the solution is Jesus, draw out why and how Jesus is the solution. If your answer to who we are is “image bearers of God,” why does this matter, why should anyone care? What does it all mean? I’ve found if we can think these thoughts through we are in a better position to help others do the same. If we are fuzzy in our thinking how will we help those who come to us with these same questions?

Preaching the gospel to yourself and to others is an art that all of us must grow in if we seek to see real and lasting change in our lives. It is often assumed the gospel is only for those who have not yet trusted Christ. As we know, this is a faulty view of the gospel and limits its work to a personal salvation experience rather than the explosive power and catalytic dynamic for renewal in our hearts on a continuous basis. To sum up, the life of the Christian is one of continual repentance and belief, without which we slip into a boss/employee, earn/wage, work/rights relationship with our God.

It then becomes the loving responsibility for each of us to run gospel diagnostics to determine whether or not what motivates our heart and lives is “in step” with the gospel (Gal. 2:14).

Here are some gospel questions to ask ourselves: Read the rest of this entry »