David Dockery has recently written a fantastic book called “Southern Baptist Consensus and Renewal“. I enjoyed having the opportunity to read it over the past couple of days.

Dockery is the President of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee and the former Dean of the School of Theology and Vice-President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. This book is an effort on Dockery’s behalf to propose a path for Southern Baptists to take which will lead to a renewed sense of unity and cooperation. Through the use of history, both Baptist and Theological, Dockery establishes an understandable foundation to describe how we got to where we are today. Through the use of easy to understand writing, however, Dockery also proposes a series of steps that we can take to build a new consensus. In a bit of a sense, this book is a response to the efforts of those involved in the recent “New Baptist Covenant” while at the same time retaining some of the necessary Biblical parameters that make us Southern Baptists.

If you are a pastor or layman who believes that there is hope that our SBC can be even greater in the future than she has been in the past, this book should be on your short list of books to read. I would strongly encourage you to pick this up and enjoy.

Following up on the book release, Dockery has also participated in an interview as well. I would recommend that you consider listening to the interview if you have opportunity as well. You can do so by clicking here.

On nights like this I wish I could just stop being a Royals fan. We’re winning by a score of 8-3 in the 9th inning and we have one of the top bullpens in all of baseball. So, what do we do? Well, we proceed to lose on a home run in the 10th inning. This 10 game losing streak is as bad as I can remember any losing streak in recent Royals history, and that’s saying something. I still love the Royals, but tonight I wish I didn’t.

Ugh.

Last night I got to go out and spend a few hours with my daughters. Spending time with them alone is a wonderful benefit of being a Daddy. A McDonald’s Happy Meal, ice cream, playing on the playground and a visit the to pet store made it a good night for them as well.

The other day I posted a good example of theology gone horribly wrong. Today, though, I want to put up a video that is wonderfully right. This is good stuff. Louie Giglio is one of my favorite preachers in American right now. He is a wonderful communicator who does a phenomenal job of making much of God and pointing people to Christ. As an aside note, it was announced yesterday that he and Worship leader Chris Tomlin are going to plant a church together in the Atlanta area. Talk about a dynamite tandem!

Anyway, you need to watch this short clip from a Giglio message about God’s wonderful work in creation. A couple of folks from Frederick pointed me in this direction and I’m really glad that they did.

At Frederick Boulevard we like to say that, “We exist to Reach, Teach and Unleash committed followers of Jesus Christ.” This passion drives everything that we do. When we look at our metro area we know that we have approximately 105,000 people within 15 miles of our facility. Of those 105,000 approximately 80,000 are disconnected from any church. Our goal, then, is to connect those 80,000 disconnected people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As we think about new ways to effectively reach those 80,000 we are constantly challenging ourselves to do whatever it takes to reach them.

Our newest effort to reach the 80,000 disconnected people was announced this past Sunday in worship and I am so excited about it! One of the most significant populations in our community that are dramatically unreached is the Hispanic population. We also know, however, that they are probably not going to come to our facility. We have tried over the years to use ESL, as well as other ministries, and have not successfully brought them to our facility. So, in order to reach them with the gospel we are going to go to them rather than ask them to come to us. As Elders, we recently agreed to move towards the planting an additional campus of Frederick Boulevard that will be on the south side of St. Joseph and will be a Hispanic campus. We are moving towards becoming more of a multiplying church than ever before. This should be one of the most significant efforts we’ve ever been involved in as we try to take the gospel to those who do not have it.

So, please be praying for us as we move through this process. Our hope is to begin small in-home Bible studies over the next few months until our campus pastor is here and on staff with us. We then hope to move towards actual services beginning after the 1st of the year. It should be a lot of fun to be a part of.

If you are a part of Frederick Boulevard and you feel like God is moving you towards missions involvement, I would highly encourage you to consider volunteering to be a part of this new campus. We need families who are willing to engage in this new ministry. By the way, Spanish proficiency is not necessary. We have found that we are in need of bi-lingual ministry. Many of the parents speak Spanish as a first language and many of the kids are speaking English as a first language and so we need people who speak either English or Spanish (or both) to be a part of the ministry!

This is an exciting time to be a part of what God is doing in St. Joseph through Frederick Boulevard.

Also known as bad theology captured on tape. If you’ve ever wanted to see a good example of bad theology, this from a recent meeting in Lakeland, FL is a perfect example of theology run amok.

HT: MMI

Dr. Joel Rainey has written a new book, Planting Churches in the Real World, that is a fantastic find if you are planting a church of thinking of planting a church. What’s more, if you are in a traditional church I am convinced that much of the material in the book can be helpful to you as well. Rainey has helped plant over 30 churches and is currently the Director of the Mid-Maryland Baptist Association outside of Washington D.C.

I first began to read some of Rainey’s writings over the past few years online through various blogs and found his writing to be very thoughtful as well as insightful. This past February, however, I finally had the privilege of meeting Joel in person and found him to be even more enjoyable in person than he is online. Joel forwarded a copy of this book to read through and review.

What makes this book particularly unique is that Rainey makes no attempt to mislead planters by highlighting the exciting, but statistically rare, church plant which skyrockets in attendance right from the beginning. Instead he considers what is the vast majority of church plants, that being plants that grow slowly, yet consistently, but who will probably never grow to “supersize” church status. What also sets this book apart is that it is extremely practical. Rather than give abstract, ethereal wisdom or advice, Rainey sticks to practical wisdom supported by real life experience which lends itself to simple application on the part of the church planter.

If you are a church planter, or a wannabe church planter, I would really encourage you to spend the few dollars and pick up this book. It’s simple, easy to read, practical advice from someone who has been there and done it when it comes to church planting and I think it could be priceless for your ministry.

You can purchase a copy using the links found by clicking here.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Church planting is not for the easily discouraged. The average new church is less than 100 attenders after four years, but most conference speakers and book writers tell stories of hundreds after the first year– a reality few church planters experience. Rainey paints a picture of reality, including both the difficulties involved in starting a new church, and the evidence that planting a church is worth enduring those difficulties. If you are a planter drunk with vision, this will sober you up. But, it is more than that. It also shows that church plants make a difference whether they are thousands or dozens after the first year. I’ve known Joel for years, and he tells the stories from his own journey– telling lessons he learned the hard way. It’s real world church planting and it is worth your time.
Dr. Ed Stetzer, author of Planting Missional Churches. Director of Research, Lifeway Christian Resources, Nashville, TN

“Dr. Rainey amuses the reader with countless stories of life on the field. His “lessons learned” approach to the book serves as a clear warning for future church planters: “The Kingdom of Heaven is near you, but this won’t be easy!”
Dr. Jack Allen, Director, The Day Center for Church Planting. New Orleans, LA

“Candid, winsome, thoroughly biblical, keenly missional, and sensibly linked to the real world. Don’t be fooled. The weightiness of this little book is inversely proportional to its size, and its wise counsel will help point a safe way through the tangle of neglected assumptions, misguided strategies, ill-founded hopes, and unintentional blunders that accosts the unwary planter on the way to church. Well done!”
B. Spencer Haygood, Senior Pastor, Orange Hill Baptist Church. Marietta, GA

“Born in the ward of real world experience, Planting Churches in the Real World is theologically sound, theoretically tenable, and practically accessible. During a time when starting a church can be faddish, Rainey’s work is a dose of both Biblical wisdom and common sense that will stop many would-be church planters before a frustrating failure, and direct many others onward toward biblical success.”
Marty Duren, co-author of Journeys: Transitioning Churches to Relevance. Lead Pastor, New Bethany Church. Buford, GA

“Reality bites, as the saying goes. Yet in the age of incredible lostness in America, we must see church planting for what it is . . . a way to spread Gospel influence to every, man, woman and child. High birth weight churches, although fun and influential for the Kingdom, are not the norm, nor are they the answer. Joel Rainey has captured the reality and yet the incredible potential of church planting. New churches running less than 100 are key players in the Kingdom. Small does not have to mean ineffective. Small groups of missionary Christians are critical to our mission and our future. Way to go!
Dr. Dino Senesi. Church Planting Movement Leader, Columbia, SC