These days one can find bad news with little effort: economic recession, ongoing terrorist threats, not to mention the obvious effects of sin all around (and in our own hearts). The news extends to the Church, including the figures that point to decline in once robust traditions like my own, the Southern Baptist Convention. Good news exists if we look closely, however: the gospel still changes lives, the Spirit still works in our time, and more than a few of … →

I am convinced more than ever that the effective evangelization of the West in our day must be tied closely to church planting. One of the best networks for church planting is Acts 29. I have had the honor of speaking at a Boot Camp in the past and found it to be a remarkable opportunity to mingle with passionate Christ-followers who want to take the gospel through church planting to the lost, especially in the cities.  The Boot Camp … →

Today Mark Liederbach and I had our first blog interview for our new book The Convergent Church: Missional Worship in an Emerging Culture.  If you are not familiar with the site, Baptist 21 is an outstanding website operated by some young men with great minds and hearts who believe in the ideals of the Southern Baptist Convention and yet are unafraid to move into the future in ways that are both biblical and effective. Nathan Akin and Brandt Waggoner conducted … →

This is the title to the new book co-written with Ethics prof (which is in itself a convergence!) Mark Liederbach. Here is the back cover info FYI: Countless followers of Christ find themselves restless. They wonder if there is more to Christian faith than compulsory church attendance and rigid moral standards, and they wander in search of what they hope will be a better form of Christianity—if such a thing exists. The Convergent Church, brings together conventional Christianity and the emergent … →