Missional Living in the 21st Century

A few days ago, I finished reading the book, The Convergent Church: Missional Worshipers in an Emerging Culture. The authors, Mark Liederbach and Alvin Reid, are both professors at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. These men have done a masterful job of evaluating both the theological and philosophical framework of the emerging church movement (not an easy task) and the "conventional" church. Reid and Liederbach know what is at stake as we attempt to engage an increasingly secular and postmodern mentality. They understand that a genuine zeal to reach the culture around us must be firmly grounded in the orthodox truth claims of Scripture. The Great Commission compels us to boldly share this amazing news with our neighbors. This means that we must able to testify with our lips, as well as, our lives that Jesus Christ is Lord and the only means of reconciliation to God.

I would highly recommend this book to any pastor that is trying think through these issues biblically.

Advance 09 Conference

My wife and I had the privilege of listening to an outstanding line-up of evangelical speakers this past weekend. It was a good opportunity for me to be encouraged in my pastoral pursuit for a gospel-centered community of faith. The messages really seemed to get at the root cause of why traditional churches around the country are plateaued and dying. I'm sincerely hoping that there will be a fresh movement of God that sweeps through these churches as a result of this conference.

Here is the link to the conference messages: http://advance.vintage21.com/