Gallup: Economic Hard Times Isn't Increasing Church Attendance

"PRINCETON, NJ -- Despite some news reports to the contrary, a review of almost 300,000 interviews conducted by Gallup so far in 2008 shows no evidence that church attendance in America has been increasing late this year as a result of bad economic times. In September, October, November, and so far in December, about 42% of Americans reported that they attended church weekly or almost every week, exactly the same as the percentage who reported attending earlier in the year."

- see the whole article here.

Please pray for David Wayne

Please pray for my friend and fellow blogger David Wayne, who has just learned that he has cancer.

Churches as Strength Based Organizations

If you are aware of a church that would consider itself a Strength Based Organization, would you let me know in comments?

Thanks!

The Origins Project

I promise that my post this weekend questioning continued use of the term "emerging church" was just a setup for this post!

I had read Dan Kimball's post The Emerging Church: Five Years Later about a new network he Erwin McManus, and Scot McKnight were starting. Today, I found Dan's 20 November 2008 post about this new network initiative which is being called The Origins Project. Here's part of what Dan writes about the origin of this envisioned community:

The more I felt myself not connecting to the theological direction and arguments happening in some of the emerging world - the more I felt the natural desire to be formally linking up with these friends who had the same passion. I also kept hearing over and over and over again when I was speaking places around the country, that many people still wanted to be discussing evangelism, especially amongst emerging generations. Yet many people were understandably confused by what was being noticed as streams of "the emerging church" as Ed Stetzer, Scot McKnight and Mark Driscoll were communicating about them in various articles and talks. So it was getting quite confusing as people were hearing all these things with so much variation occuring within the emerging church circles. I just know I was originally drawn into the emerging church world to be in it for mission, for evangelism, for seeing new followers of Jesus and whatever it takes innovatively without compromising the teachings of Jesus and Scripture.

So it just felt right to begin talking together with others to be encouraged, to be reminded of mission, to be fueled in creativity for the mission. Yet we all were theologically committed to the importance of doctrines like in the globally and multi-denominationally shaped Lausanne Covenant. (We are using this covenant as our statement of faith, so to speak, so from the beginning although we are diverse in many things we do, we are in alignment about the things within that).

I am someone who thrives on relationships with other leaders who are in this whole crazy mission together. So I have lately had such a boost of energy being around this group and dreaming about how we could all be partnering together in fueling this passion we all have. We are a diverse group for sure, but I believe there are a lot of people like this. So as we have been praying and thinking, we want to be extending this conversation and community to be together figuring out how to support, energize, dream and forge ahead on this evangelistic mission of Jesus.

The rest of Dan's post is here.

I personally am glad to see the utilization of the Lausanne Covenant as a theological foundation for this new organization and I'm genuinely excited about learning more. Their website is here though it's obvious this network is just now being formed.

Should we still say "emerging church?"

I've been following with interest what seems to be a bit of a trend away from the emerging church/emergent nomenclature (Dan Kimball, Andrew Jones, etc.). I have to say that I find resonance with this discussion. In the past, I've written quite a bit about defining "emerging church." A lot of the ink I and others have spilled on this topic have revolved around the various agendas behind the use of the term. In my opinion, the fulcrum for the controversy is the theological revisionism that's attached itself to the labels. This is in contrast to the essentially evangelistic impulse that was originally - in my judgment - behind the popular use of the term "emerging church."

Now, I'm painting with a broad brush, obviously. I myself am a bit revisionistic theologically, but most of my participation in the movement in my writing, etc. has been along the lines of the "relevants" and the reconstructionists (using Stetzer's famous taxonomy). But I do wonder if the term has lost its punch because of all the confusion.

Some people moving away from "emerging church" are moving towards missional, as in its popular conception it's not theologically revisionist. Many know that for the last year I've been interviewing missional leaders and doing some writing for Leadership Network around this topic (my second piece on this should be out soon). But I think it remains to be seen if this term will take in any intergenerational sense. In the meanwhile, I do find "missional" a helpful term. That being said, I find it highly interesting that no less a missional luminary than Mike Frost recently complained that "missional" also is losing its distinctive meaning as it's increasingly being used as the new, hot buzzword.

Terms are important, but what's more important is the heart and spirit behind the terms. I am deeply grateful for what I've learned from the emerging church and what I'm learning from the missional conversation. Terms come and go - what matters is that we are listening to the Scriptures, to God's Spirit, and to each other and then, as a result, loving God with everything within us and our neighbors as ourselves.

"Pushing Daisies"

Beth and I used our DVR this weekend to catch up on our Pushing Daisies.

The show, which was nominated for 12 Emmys after its first season run, is completely unique. The storyline revolves around

• Ned (Lee Pace) - a pie maker who can bring people back from the dead with a touch, but who then must touch them again to send them back to death before sixty seconds elapse or someone else will then die.
• Charlotte, aka "Chuck" (Anna Friel) - Ned's childhood sweetheart and girlfriend who Ned can't touch because he brought her back to life and kept her there,
• Emerson Code, played by the delightful Chi McBride - a private investigator who has discovered Ned's usefulness in solving murder cases and who insists on continually referring to Chuck as "dead girl," and
  
• Olive Snook, played by the wonderful Kristen Chenoweth, who works at Ned's pie shop and has a crush on Ned.
  

The cast is rounded out by Chuck's "aunts," Lilly and Vivian Charles, played respectively by Swoosie Kurtz and Ellen Greene, who raised Chuck after her mom (supposedly) and her dad died.

I'm blogging about Pushing Daisies simply because the show is so very excellent. The writing is amazing - Beth and I often rewind just to hear such scintillating lines as Emerson Cod's "The mimes just pulled up in a trailer, and they ain't talkin,'" when the team was at a circus attempting to solve a series of murders. The sets and backgrounds are consistently whimsical and beautiful. The acting is top drawer. And the stories and subplot lines are sometimes profound.

I grew sad after the first few episodes of the first season because I did not believe the writers could keep the quality up. But so far this season is even better than last season. I am a longtime fan of Kristen Chenowith (the West Wing, Wicked), but felt that last year she was shoehorned in because of her enormous talent. But this season they are integrating her into the mix of ongoing plot arcs and the separate week-to-week story lines very nicely.

In short, Beth and I are very much enjoying this delightfully produced show and I recommend it.

"ESV Study Bible Goes Back to Press Prior to October 15 Publication Date "

Crossway just issued this press release that reads, in part:

"Wheaton, IL— With pre-publication demand surpassing the first 100,000 printing, the ESV Study Bible has already gone back to press for a second printing of 50,000 copies, with a 50,000 third printing soon to follow.

Mark Traphagen, Web Sales Manager for Westminster Bookstore in Philadelphia, PA, reports record-breaking sales for the new Study Bible, making it “by far the fastest selling new product in the history of our store.” But industry insiders don’t expect sales of the new study Bible to slow down after the publication buzz subsides. “Early results indicate that this is going to be a very key item for Mardel this Christmas season,” explains Dylan Hillhouse, Bible buyer for the key retail chain."

- my "First Look" as the ESV Study Bible

The Future of Smartphones

found a nice article on PC Magazine that I excerpted at Leadership Network's Digital blog.

Light as a Feather

I've been happy the last couple of days and I realized why. Skye's impending surgery had been such a dark cloud. Now it's over and she's fine. She's been recovering beautifully and is going back to school tomorrow, though in a wheelchair. She doesn't really need it; our primary strategy is to protect her from other kids bumping into her!

Thank you all so much for prayers, notes, food, cards, etc.

This surgery is considered 98% effective and we should learn in a few weeks if it worked, i.e., stopped the reflux so that she'll stop getting infections in her one good kidney.

So far so good.

The ESV Study Bible: A First Look

I commented on my initial impressions of the new ESV Study Bible on Leadership Network's Book Blog.

Profane Audacity

In response to my earlier expressed sentiment, I've begun reading again Greg Bahnsen's Van Til's Apologetics and just came across this great John Calvin quote:

"Contentious disputes arise from the fact that many think less honorably than they ought of the greatness of divine wisdom, and are carried away by profane audacity."

from Calvin's Commentaries on 1 Peter 3:15

overwhelmed

Well, it happened again. More people from our church we don't know dropped off more food for us. One myth about megachurches is that they've forgotten how to be church. Surely sometimes that's true, but our megachurch has been taking care of us ever since Skye went into the hospital. Honestly, we're deeply moved.

The New ESV Study Bible

Looks like it's being published Monday.

Lately, I'm reading the NIV and TNIV more, but I'll definitely be picking up a copy of this fine translation and Study Bible.

skye and theology

There's something wondrously clarifying when you have the luxury of just focusing on one crisis.

My wonderful company has freed me to completely focus on the recovery of our dear one.

Skye, by the way, is doing very well. Her pain level since Tuesday's surgery has been far lower than we anticipated. And - more importantly - our surgeon says the surgery went well and he has no reason to think that her recovery won't go well. This surgery is considered 98% effective in stopping reflux which will protect her one remaining kidney. There is even a low probability that her other kidney - currently working at 4% - might improve in its functioning. But if it doesn't, you can live to 100 with one kidney.

Johns Hopkins, the FDA and Q-Med in Sweden, who makes the Deflux Skye received in 2003, are studying the material Dr. Mathews removed, as Skye is the only known case where reflux returned 5 years after the injection of Deflux. And we're only aware of three cases where the Deflux calcified, which we discovered earlier this year when we learned one of Skye's kidneys had failed.

So we're hopeful for Skye and hopefully something will be learned that will protect other children.

But this sudden stopping of my life after nearly four months of intense ramp up in my new job with Gallup has made me want to get back to basics.

I need to read theology again.

Far more foundationally - and more to the point - is that I need to get a fresher and deeper vision of God.

It's so easy to get lost in the wasteland of continuous activity.

Skye Update

Skye went into surgery at 10 AM and was supposed to be done at noon. At 2 PM Dr. Mathews came out and let us know that she had done well.

Thank you for your prayers!

Now we enter the recovery phase. A big milestone will be walking sometime tomorrow. If all goes well, Dr. Mathews says that Skye should be able to go home Thursday or Friday.

She will be in a good bit of pain, but Hopkins will be giving her something for pain management. And we do need all her plumbing to fall back in sync, so please pray about that.

Thank you, everyone; and thank you God.

our dear one

Skye's in surgery tomorrow at Johns Hopkins at 10 AM est.

Dr. Mathews is planning to remove her deflux and to reimplant her ureters in an attempt to stop the reflux and protect her remaining kidney.

Your prayers would be greatly appreciated

- history

Out of Ur Reboots

Jordon Cooper delivers a pointed critique of Christianity Today's Out of Ur blog (and makes a much appreciated and unexpected gracious comment about the faithmaps blog) and, in comments, Out of Ur responds with some news.

Skye - Baby

A most sincere thanks to those of you who have emailed us asking for an update on Skye.

Yesterday as I was flying home from Phoenix, Beth met with Dr. Roger Voigt, getting a second opinion about Dr. Mathews suggestion that we remove the Deflux our dear one received in 2003 and, instead, do a surgery that will reimplant Skye's ureters.

Voigt concurred and speculated that Skye might have lost her kidney due to an obstruction precipitated by the Deflux to begin with. This was very frustrating as we did the Deflux to begin with to protect our little girls kidneys. So we are scheduled for surgery on Tuesday 7 October. I've blocked out 10/7-10/14 as no travel days for Gallup while Skye recovers. Your prayers are appreciated.

It's our hope that this is the end of Skye's kidney problems.

- this history

Churches in the Missional Renaissance

I just returned from a two day meeting in Dallas at Leadership Network with Reggie McNeal, Eric Swanson, DJ Chuang and church, civic, and business leaders representing ten cities.

The group is part of Leadership Network's Missional Renaissance Community which is being co-lead by Reggie and Eric. LN asked me to write up some of the learnings of the gathering for their larger constituency and other interested parties.

They've just published the first paper based on my interviews with nine of the churches participating.

Churches in the Missional Renaissance: Facilitating the Transition to a Missional Mindset

Here's an excerpt:

Some of the leaders in today’s missional churches began moving in that direction as they became increasingly uncomfortable with traditional church-centric ministry.

Greg Bouvier, executive pastor at Sheridan Lutheran Church in Lincoln, NE, explains, “Essentially we realized that we were really consumer-oriented and just helping people get their needs met. It came to feel that we were really just very focused on ourselves. I came to feel that I was doing a fair amount of good for people who already have a lot. I felt that I was providing wonderful services for people who already have a plethora of services at their fingertips. I didn’t feel that I was making their lives better because if they didn’t get what they needed from me they could probably get it from someone else. We felt that the Spirit was calling us to take the focus off of ourselves and to move it out!” Greg feels great about the switch, feeling that they are moving into a position of helping folks who wouldn’t be assisted otherwise. He says that their ministry is “really to the least of these. It warms my heart to know that I’m not just making the comfortable that much more comfortable.”

The second paper I'm working on now will benefit from the further insights of the additional ten churches we've added to the original nine.

Reggie also has a book called Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church that's coming out in February 2009.

These city, business, and church leaders are truly pioneers as they seek to holistically serve the needs of their respective communities.

The New Media Frontier

Just received a box today of copies a new book being published at the end of September called The New Media Frontier being published by Crossway. I had been asked to contribute a chapter on the nexus of social relief/justice and new media in terms of what churches and Christians are doing.

The editors have set up a blog for the book which can be found here.

Roger Overton, one of our editors, has helpfully listed here some outlets where the book can be purchased at a discount.

Here's the full table of contents for the book and a summary:

The New Media Frontier: Blogging, Vlogging, and Podcasting for Christ
edited by John Mark N. Reynolds and Roger N. Overton

will be published by Crossway Books in September 2008.

Table of Contents:

Foreword: Hugh Hewitt (HughHewitt.com)
Introduction: Roger N. Overton (www.ATeamBlog.com)

Part One: The Landscape of New Media

1) The New Media: First Thoughts -Dr. John Mark Reynolds (Scriptorium Daily)
2) The Future of New Media -Dr. John Mark Reynolds (Scriptorium Daily)
3) Three Cautions among the Cheers: The Dangers of Uncritically Embracing New Media - Matthew L. Anderson (Mere Orthodoxy Blog)
4) Beginning Bloggers Toolbox -Joe Carter (Evangelical Outpost)
5) Beginner’s Toolbox Part II: Even Newer New Media — Podcasting, Video Casting and More – Matthew Eppinette (Americans United for Life) and Terence Armentano (TerenceOnline.blogspot.com )

Part Two: Engaging New Media

6) Theological Blogging -David Wayne (JollyBlogger)
7) Blog as Microwave Community – Dr. Tod Bolsinger (It Takes a Church Blog)
8.) Pastors and the New Media -Dr. Mark D. Roberts (MarkDRoberts.com)
9) Navigating the Evolving World of Youth Ministry in the Facebook-MySpace Generation - Rhett Smith (RhettSmith.com)
10) Evangelism and Apologetics - Roger N. Overton ( www.ATeamBlog.com)
11) Professors with a New Public: Academics and New Media –Dr. Fred Sanders (Scriptorium Daily)
12) Virtual Classrooms, Real Learning –Dr. Jason Baker (BakersGuide.com)
13) Politics & Journalism -Scott Ott (Scrappleface.com)
14) Blogging and Bioethics - Joe Carter (Evangelical Outpost) and Matthew Eppinette (Americans United for Life)
15) Social Justice, Social Relief and New Media -Stephen Shields (FaithMaps.org)

Here’s a summary of the book:

We’d like to offer some direction for how Christians can use the new media with discernment and grace. Many of the contributors to The New Media Frontier began using new media at the encouragement of national radio host Hugh Hewitt, so we are delighted that he has provided a foreword for the project. Roger Overton presents a brief introduction to the concept of new media and why Christians should engage it with wisdom. Part One of the book addresses new media in general. Dr. John Mark Reynolds begins with a chapter examining the history of human communication in order to provide a fresh perspective on what new media really is. In the second chapter, Dr. Reynolds looks to the future of new media and stresses the urgency for Christian involvement before the opportunities vanish.

Matthew Anderson contributes our third chapter by looking at what dangers new media pose for those who uncritically dive into it. His chapter advocates the careful use of wisdom in consuming and creating digital content. With the foundation laid by these first three chapters, chapters four and five spell out exactly how consumers can become creators in the new media. Joe Carter explains how to blog in chapter four and in chapter five Matthew Eppinette and Terence Armentano explain how to podcast and vlog.

Part Two of the book looks to specific areas in which Christians can utilize new media more thoroughly and specifically. These areas include: Theology (David Wayne), Community (Tod Bolsinger), Pastoral Ministry (Mark D. Roberts), Youth Ministry (Rhett Smith), Evangelism & Apologetics (Roger N. Overton), Academics (Fred Sanders), Education (Jason Baker), Politics (Scott Ott), Bioethics (Joe Carther & Matthew Eppinette), and Social Justice (Stephen Shields).

While these brief explorations of each topic will in no way say everything that could or should be said, we do hope they can help to start a process of critical assessment so that when Christians use new media they will do so in a manner consistent with the character and quality of Christ. After finishing the book, readers should have an effective understanding of how they can advance, demonstrate, and utilize the Christian worldview through the use of new media.

Though it’s only in the beginning of development, we will have a blog dedicated to the book at NewMediaFrontier.com We also have a Facebook group up and running. I’ll post some of the major announcements regarding the project as they happen here, but you’ll always be able to find out more through the NMF blog and Facebook group. We’ll also do some sort of tie-in with next year’s GodBlogCon, which will be September 18-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.