Earlier this year, my friend, Ed Stetzer, planted a Grace Church in Hendersonville, TN. In addition to being a church planter, Ed is a missiologist, research expert, and prolific author and blogger. I imagine there’s added pressure, and not a small amout of scrutiny, when you’re a well-known missions and church-planting teacher, to plant successfully. I wish Ed and Grace [...]

If you thought like a missionary, the word “church” would conjure images of people, not buildings. Your plans for the year would be limited only by your creativity, not your available funds. You’d have a plan for what happens after you’re gone (a plan that could be implemented tomorrow). You’d worry more about getting things right than being right. You’d [...]

Regarding the Upstream Collective’s Jet Set Vision Trip: For some of the participants, this trip to Europe is their first experience of Christianity in context. You see, though they apply to all peoples of all times, the words of Jesus were given to particular people in a particular time. He spoke in such a way that His listeners immediately understood [...]

While I’m on the subject of the Upstream Collective’s Jet Set Vision Trip to Prague an Budapest, I’d like to point something out: this is not more of the same. This trip is different. I’ve already heard from a few workers on the field about the trip. As I mentioned in my last post, many are (justifiably) skeptical. A “Vision [...]

So the Upstream Collective is leading another of its Jet Set Vision Trips, this time to Prague and Budapest. I encourage you to follow along over at the Upstream blog, and on Twitter under #js2011. But I want to mention something that the trip leaders aren’t likely to. Something that most field workers would like to say, if they weren’t [...]

Last year, Francis Chan left the Southern California megachurch that he planted for reasons that weren’t clear to anybody (including Francis). Last Fall, he announced that he and his family were heading to Asia to visit the churches there and to get an idea of what God is doing around the world. Mark Driscoll thinks Francis is crazy for walking [...]

While most bloggers out there are starting the new year with a positive and hopeful outlook, I’m starting with what some may call a cynical (I say realistic) moment. Most churches are woefully unengaged in God’s mission, and this won’t change in the coming year. There are too many “experts” using the word “missional” to refer to traditional missions or [...]

Some churches divide pastoral responsibilities across specialized staff positions. There’s the Youth Minister, the Children’s Minister, the Ministers of Education, Music, and Missions. Many churches have Ministers of Media, Ministers of Technology and Ministers of Parking. There’s a Minister of job for just about everything. It’s like the cabinet of the French government. But when economic times are tight, those [...]

The church on mission has a unique challenge: to be both a model of meeting people where they are (contextualization)  and a picture of what redeemed community should be (a glimpse into the Kingdom). On the one hand, the church must do the work of the missionary, translating message and power of the gospel into local culture. Every local church [...]

At the “amen” of the closing prayer, the man bounded up to the stage with a satisfied look on his face. “Dude, you really brought it just now!” he exclaimed. “That was just what we needed to hear!” The Dude in question was Ed Stetzer, missiologist, author, preacher, researcher, and popular Christian conference speaker. The excited guy from the audience [...]