Book Review: "Planting Missional Churches"

In his book “Planting Missional Churches,” Dr. Ed Stetzer gives church planters a seminal work on church planting in a practical and yet detailed how-to format. There is no wonder why this book has received such high praise from such church planters as Steve Sjorgen, Mark Driscoll, and David Putnam. Stetzer covers material from “The Basics of Church Planting” all the way to “Churches Planting Churches,” which is the reproduction stage, in chapter twenty-eight. He also covers almost everything else in between. The best part is that this book is from a successful church planter, not a theoretician.

“Missional” is the key word in chapter one. In fact, it is the main idea throughout the book. Dr. Stetzer states on page one, “Establishing a missional church means that you plant a church that’s part of the culture you’re seeking to reach.” He further states what is so often overlooked by spectators of church planting, “The goal of church planting is to reach people .” The author points out the clear need for new churches in North America and the fact that those who do this work need not have formal training.

Chapter two discusses the need for “Developing a Missional Mind-set for North America,” as is indicated in the title. Dr. Stetzer points out the need for theologically sound churches, not just a replication of methods that have been successful in church planting in the past. He writes that we do not need new churches because they are trendy but because they are “fresh expressions of the unchanging gospel .” Stetzer further points out that there is a difference between contextualization and compromise and he explains the difference. In fact, he says that new churches are needed because many already-existing congregations are unwilling to contextualize and thus reach people where they are at. New churches are needed to reach people outside of the cultural context of those churches not willing to take the risk of meeting people in a way that engages them.

In chapter three we are shown the “Biblical Basis of Church Planting.” The Book of Acts is set forth as a Biblical pattern for church planting. The Lucan account of the Great Commission is also addressed as a biblical authority for evangelizing unbelievers.

For more, don't be cheap...go buy the book. You won't regret it!

King James Only?

One of the faculty members at my seminary graciously pointed out to me that the translators of the King James Bible were not King James-Only types. He encouraged me to read the preface by the translators to the 1611 KJV Bible.

Two snippets follow for your consideration:
“• 1 Now though the Church were thus furnished with Greek and Latin translations, even before the faith of CHRIST was generally embraced in the Empire: [S.Hieronym. Marcell, Zosim.] (for the learned know that even in S.Hierome's time the Consul of Rome and his wife were both Ethnicks, and about the same time the greatest part of the Senate also) yet for all that the godly-learned were not content to have the Scriptures in the language which themselves understood, Greek and Latin, (as the good lepers [2King.7:9] were not content to fare well themselves, but acquainted their neighbours with the store that God had sent, that they also might provide for themselves) but also for the behoof and edifying of the unlearned which hungered and thirsted after righteousness, and had souls to be saved as well as they, they provided translations into the vulgar for their countrymen, insomuch that most nations under heaven did shortly after their conversion hear CHRIST speaking unto them in their mother tongue, not by the voice of their minister only, but also by the written word translated.”

“• 21 So that to have the Scriptures in the mother tongue is not a quaint conceit lately taken up, either by the Lord Cromwell in England, or by the Lord Radevil [Thuan.] in Polonie, or by the Lord Ungnadius in the Emperor's dominion, but hath been thought upon, and put in practice of old, even from the first times of the conversion of any nation; no doubt because it was esteemed most profitable to cause faith to grow in men's hearts the sooner, and to make them to be able to say with the words of the Psalm, As we have heard, so we have seen. [Ps.48:8]”
(Above from http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/pref1611.htm#s9)

So what we see is that the KJV translators wanted to have a Bible in the common language of the people just as had been done for centuries before them. If THEY wanted the Bible in common English, then we TODAY also ought to have the Bible in COMMON ENGLISH TODAY. It is with this that I recommend to the reader the ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION (ESV).

If that doesn’t convince you, notice that the spelling has changed from Elizabethan English to more Modern English. Even your King James Bible has been changed since 1611 (unless you have a reprint which would be very difficult to read).

More info can be found at www.esv.org (where there is also a complete FREE audio Bible).

Slaves of a Different Sort

Slavery is alive and well today! No, not Africans fresh off a boat on a plantation in the United States, but men and women and children from all over the world enslaved for the purposes of sick men gratifying their filthy desires and gross lusts.

Thousands of people are sold as property and sexually abused every day but there has been no emancipation proclamation, no Civil War, there is not even an Abe Lincoln in site.

Who will speak for these? Who will rise up to defend the poor and oppressed?

Let's not just pray about this-LET's EACH DECIDE WHAT WE CAN DO TO END THE SEX TRADE!

Christ Died, Was Buried, and Rose Again

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”
(1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

Good Friday-Jesus Died and was buried
Saturday- Christ was in the tomb
Easter Sunday- Christ Rose from the Dead!