2 must-reads
2 books that, i believe, explain what has to happen if we are going to reach the post-Christian (newly pagan) North America:
1. planting new churches in a postmodern age by ed stetzer.
an excellent book!
2. the emerging church by dan kimball.
please read them if you are going to minister in America.
1 Say What?
I had some questions regarding these books. I was introduced to them in my Church Planting class taught by Dr. Steve Davis. The major thrusts that caught me were the fact that "something isn't working at this current time." Of course that may seem odd considering the massive amounts of people being won by 'church growth.' In some areas mega-churches are almost commonplace. Yet something isn't working -- the world (the American world) is different. There's a feeling that Christianity is not functioning to (a) make radical changes in the lives of existing believers, and (b) speak understandibly to the post-modern generation. In plain terms, there are more unwitting hypocrites than ever, and our culture is going down the tubes. Not that I expect otherwise, but it is concerning.
The premise of these books is that Pastors and planners need to take a long hard look at everything we do and ask ourselves "why?" It's not exactly a call to deconstruct, as that almost implies no reconstruction. It a call to revisit the spiritual roots of Christianity.
As to the specific methodology promoted in each book, well that could be quibbled over all night. The same would go for a Rick Warren book, etc. The theological underpinnings and practical critiques are where these books happen. The critiques, by the way, are not scathing, but they made me squirm because I saw myself in them at times.
However, why trust my summary when you can read them both in less than 2 days...
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