Bill Easums Observations

I’m reading a fascinating book, Preaching and Preachers, by Lloyd- Jones.  I must confess I’ve never read anything by him before and that’s a shame.  The book is an excellent read.  His premise is that Preaching is the primary thing a minister does. He gives three reasons: One, because preaching is primary in the New Testament from Jesus to the Acts of the Apostles; Two, because every major revival in Christian history has been accompanied by great preachers; and Three, because man is a rebel against God and needs the salvation that only preaching can bring.

In making his case the author bangs away at the denigration of preaching by relegating it to a back seat to counseling, small homilies, lectures, conversation, and dialogue. The author would have a hard time with the philosophy of the Emergent movement that puts relationships and conversation before the act of preaching.

He goes on to show how the central pulpit has been moved to the side allowing the elements of ritual to move to center stage.  He calls this “an abomination.”

I may not always agree with the author but I have to admit that I agree with his major premise. I’ve seen preaching denigrated over the span of my life time.  Let me give you two reasons for saying this.

First, when I was in college and seminary I was required to take a CPE ( I think that stood for Clinical Pastoral Education)  course but I was never required to take a preaching course.

But there is a more telling reason for agreeing with the author. Over the past 20 years of consulting I’ve sat in hundreds of worship services listening to hundreds of sermons.  I doubt if I’ve heard more than a dozen great preachers. So I think Lloyd-Jones is one to something.

Of course we all know the common antidote that we all joke about -”it’s Saturday and I have to write my sermon.”

Maybe Lloyd-Jones is correct – maybe Christianity is in trouble because preaching is no longer central to the church. There is certainly ample evidence that preaching does not get the attention it should either by the preacher or the person in the pew. Pastors are more likely to get fired over not visiting in the home or being in the office when needed than because they preach bad sermons.

Maybe one of the answers to the decline in Christianity is not the Emergent movement, or organic movement, or any other movement.  Maybe one of the primary solutions is to regain the primary of preaching.

Pastors, it’s time to make your weekly message the most important thing you do during the week and not something you put off till you can find the time.  It’s time to make it the first thing you do each week.

After my post yesterday on the Best Book of the Year, I received an email asking how many books I’ve read so far this year. I’m not sure if the email was tongue in cheek or serious, but either way, it is a legitimate question. So here goes the list of books Ive read so far this year with rating (all the books were published in 2011).

Ministry Velocity, Wayne Schmidt ++++
Journeys to Significance, Neil Cole” ++++
Organic Outreach, Kevin Harney ++
The Dangerous Church, John Bishop
The Walking Dead Church, Jimmy Dorrell
The Nuts and Bolts of Church Planting, Aubrey Malphrus ++++
The Gospel Commission, Michael Horton
The Missional Church, Reggie McNeal +++++

Well, I finally found time to finish “On the Verge” by Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson.  So I thought I would update my earlier post

It’s a jewel.  Obviously by the title one can assume they sense Western Christianity is on the verge of something big- an apostolic movement of gigantic potential for the Church in the West.

What I like about this book is the blending of a systematic dreamer (Alan Hirsch who has a brilliant mind) and an effective practioner (Dave Ferguson who has an impeccable track record). I’ve known both of these guys for more than a decade and I’ve never been disappointed by either. In fact it’s their coming together that excites me. The collaboration has produced a book you must read at least once and then implement.

I first met Dave in 2000 when one of the stops on our tour was held at his church.  I was impressed with his passion for transformation and the development of the Big Idea which has become the backbone of their multisite and church planting efforts.

I first met Alan in 2002 when he attended an event I pulled together on our island with twenty or so people who were probing the edges of what has become a push for an apostolic movement.  Among the group were such notables as Len Sweet, Ed Stetzer, Mark DeYmaz, Carl George, George Hunter, Bob Roberts, Dave Travis, Reggie McNeal and a host of other folks you would recognize.  I remember talking with Alan during the event and it was clear he had little use for any forms of institutional Christianity.

Since then Alan has moved more to the middle and now accepts the role the institutional church could play in this apostolic movement. At the same time Dave has become one of the leading voices in this movement which appears to be taking shape at this moment. Notice I said “appears.” It’s still too soon to say anything with certainty.

The book is divided into four parts- Imagine, Shift, Innovate, and Move.  Imagine a new form of church that is truly Apostolic. Make the Shift to this new form of church by embodying “movement practices.” Let your imagination run wild dreaming about this innovating paradigm. And then move to make the movement happen.  The first two sections are written by Alan with a response from Dave; the second two sections are written by Dave with a response by Alan.

The heart of the book is what the authors call the “Apostolic Genius” which every church has within its DNA.  The Apostolic Genius is more than just a way of thinking; it is also the intelligence that is found throughout the system the New Testament calls the “ecclesia.” The Apostolic Genius consists of six parts:

• Jesus is Lord is the capstone of the movement and is the only element of this intelligence that isn’t found in every other religious movement.
• Disciple making is essential because movements grow only in proportion to the number of new disciples. Apprenticing people into the way of Jesus is what defines the Christian movement and what is lacking in so many institutional churches.
• The missional-incarnational impulse means that mission is the catalyzing principle of the church and permeates everything the church does and is not just one department among many.
• An Apostolic environment is essential for any missional church and movement which means the primary ministry of a church is mission not maintenance.
• Organic systems point up our need to return to a people-centered understanding of ecclesia which has been lost in most institutional forms of Christianity.
• Communitas doesn’t refer to mere community as we are prone to think of it but more to a profound bond that moves participants from acquaintances to partners and from associates to comrades who are will to risk exploring the edges together.

The last chapter of the book is a thriller that you simply don’t want to miss. Dave shares the nitty-gritty of moving from the status quo to an apostolic movement.  Just to give you a taste here are four questions he asks:

• “Is your church more interested in quality programs or quality people?”
• “Is your church as passionate about sending people out as they are about bringing people in?”
• “Is your church content with addition, or does it long to see exponential reproduction?”
• “Is your church holding on to control, or are they leading with a harmonious blend of order and chaos?”

While Alan thinks the institutional local church can reach only 35-40% of a population, I’m convinced that missional communities will never reach more than 5 to 10% of the population unless, because of persecution, the Church has to go underground. However, when you couple outward focused churches with small groups that function like missional communities, you have the seeds of an Apostolic, missional movement that has the possibility of reaching more than 60% of the population.  This is my hope for the truly New Testament missional movement that may be underway today.

Bill Easum
www.churchconsultations.com
www.Billeasum.com

On November 11, Leadership Network is hosting a live, online event on the topic of Leaders & Readers. Six authors will share their thoughts on the role that reading has played in their leadership experiences, drawing content from their latest books. On that day, the audience will be able to participate in the conversation through live Q&A.

I was invited to share my thoughts on the following three questions…

1. “I feel that reading is valuable to leadership because…”   the worst thing that can happen to “would-be” leaders is to get cloistered away in their church to the point that they never are challenged beyond their own small world.  Reading opens up a much wider range of experiences and opportunities and exposes readers to ideas and issues they might not have on their own.  Reading is crucial since most leaders are what I call “adaptive leaders.” Adaptive leaders can see what others are doing or thinking and adapt it to their situation. I’ve found over the years that if I don’t read at least two hundred books a year I get behind in the thinking and practices of world class leaders. 
2. Do leaders read differently than non-leaders? How?  Yes. I don’t know about other people but I never read for fun. Since I’m dyslexic I have to really focus on keeping the words from flying off the page.  Still I think even if I weren’t dyslexic I would read more out of curiousity than fun or enjoyment. I think most non-leaders are more likely to read for fun or enjoyment than are leaders.  The same is true with most life experiences.  Most leaders never see a book, a movie, a TV show purely from the standpoint of enjoyment, although that is a part of it. Instead, they are always asking how what they are reading or seeing can be used as a cultural window into the lives of the people in their community who either need God or need to grow in their faith.
3. What are 3 books that have most influenced your leadership and why?  This is the hard question. Lately their have been so many books it’s hard to list only three, but here goes.  Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal, Exponential, by the Fergusons, and Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne.  

Of course I would be amiss if I didn’t mention my latest two books, Ministry in Hard Times and Preaching for Transformation, both out within the last 12 months.

Be sure to join us on November 11 for Leaders & Readers, you can register free at http://leadersandreaders.leadnet.org

Leaders and Readers

For a long time I’ve taught there are only two critical questions facing humankind:

1. What is it about my relationship to Christ that my neighbor needs to experience;
2. How can I rabidly share that relationship without coming off like a bigot?

Len Sweet and Frank Viola have made a major contribution to these two questions in their book, Jesus Manifesto. It’s a brilliant work of art.

The best way to know to showcase this art is by sharing a few of the quotes that captured my heart.

“The best way to combat conflict is to preach the unspeakable riches of Christ.”
“Jesus is seldom the main course (Speaking of most Christians).”
“Our goal is not to imitate Christ but to acknowledge that he dwells in us.”
“It’s not what Jesus would do but what is Christ doing through me.”
“Christlikeness is too small and cheap a dream.”
“The gospel is not the imitation of Christ; it is the impartation and implantation of Christ.”
“”Follow me’ is what separated Jesus from the other world religions.”
“Jesus did not come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live.”
“Jesus Christ has never been a social activist or a moral philosopher. To pitch Him that way is to drain His glory and dilute His excellence.”
“We must never avoid social issues. But the distinctive mark of a Christian is that you don’t begin with a social or moral issue.”
“Jesus is never a cause.”
“But the social and political reform of the world through the powers that be has never been the agenda of the body of Christ.”
“We have too many people loving justice when they should be loving mercy – and doing justice.”
“Jesus was not known for His love of justice but for His love of mercy.”
“We would be wise to remember that the best we can do is change the world; only Jesus can save the world.”
“Our ‘hunger for justice’ is best turned into a hunger for the Just One, and going deeper in Him and in relationship with others.”

I could go on but you get the picture- the gospel is not about causes or imitating Christ or even being like Christ.  The gospel is about falling in love with the crucified beauty and glory of Christ in such a way that he lives in us. It’s not a matter of imitation- Christ actually lives in us- that is the hope of glory. It’s one thing to be on a crusade or to beat the drum of a cause or even to be in ministry because of some ill-founded belief that a cause is worth giving one’s life for; it’s a far different thing to give ones life to a love that is profound that it consumes the self with the presence of Christ.

This is a excellent book that could change the hearts of even the most calcified church member.

Bill Easum
www.churchconsultations.com
easum@aol.com

I just returned from speaking to the Presbyterian Church of Canada.  While I was there I learned from one of the bookseller that my book, A Second Resurrection, made the best seller list of www.Amazon.ca.

This is good and bad news.  Good that this book is selling; bad that so many churches are in such trouble that they would feel the need to read this book.

The essence of the book is that we are beyond reformation, revitalization, and renewal in 85% of established churches and are in need of resurrection. You can’t revitalize a dead corpse and most of our places called church are really more like hospices or hospitals, both of which are needed for those ill and dying but certainly aren’t what God intended when God said, “Go make disciples of all people groups.”

I pray that God will use the book to resurrection enough churches to make a difference in the Kingdom.

God bless those pastor who have the courage to try to raise the dead.

Bill Easum
www.churchconsultations.com
easum@aol.com

Sometimes I go several months before running into what I consider to be “great books.” Then out of the blue, several such books will fill my “to do” pile. I thought I would share a few of the books that I read this month I consider to be great books.

Untamed, by Alan and Deb Hirsch, may go down as a raw classic in how to change our domesticated view of Jesus.

And, by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay is a long over-due missional directed book showing us one way to bring together all the various church models on behalf of the Kingdom.

Exponential, by Dave and Jon Ferguson, not only tells the story of Christian Community Church and the pilgrimage of Troy McMahon, but it also lays out the principles for starting a church planting movement.

Viral Church, by Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird, has to be one of my all time favorites because it lays out the potential for church planting movement in such simple terms that even I can get it. It’s message is “multiply everything.” Told you it was simple, but another classic.

Trust Agents, by Brogan and Smith, is a secular book showing how to build influence  and improve your reputation on the web.

It’s not many a two week period when I run across this many books of this calibur. I hope you can grap a copy of each and devour them

I wish this had been Alan’s first book. It would have eliminated some of people’s misunderstanding of his message- namely did he believe at all in the institutional church. After reading this book there is no doubt- he does believe in the institutional church, just not as most institutional churches live out their faith.

This book destroys any sentimental, sterile, sweet, nice, domesticated view of Jesus and the church.  He challenges most of the practices of modern day Christians and congregation. He re-introduces us to the wild, untamed, radical Jesus we all are suppose to be like. He and his wife challenge us to live a reckless life worth telling stories about. They ask us to “abandon the domesticated faith of suburban consumer Churchianity in order to live a life of risk for the love of a savior….”

This book will rock the very core of a safe, consumer oriented faith. If you can read this book without feeling uncomfortable and moved to make some changes in your life and ministry something is radically wrong with you.

Grab a copy now and watch it change your life.

Bill Easum
www.churchconsultations.com
easum@aol.com

Alan Hirsch continues to give us much to think about.  His new book Untamed is a book you must get and not only read but make sure you key leaders read it and have a group discussion on it.  It has the potential to revolutionize the way your leaders think about Jesus.

Here are some quotes to give you a taste of what awaits your reading.

“You simply cannot be a disciple without being a missionary- a sent one.”

“Jeebus made me do it”

“A sanitized Jesus is a misrepresentation of him and leads to sterile lives.”

“Allow Jesus to offend you again!”

“Your God is too sick.”

“If your conception of God is radically false, then the more devout you are, the worse it will be for you.”

And that’s just the frist 60 pages. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next. Grab a copy now.

If you can read this book without feeling uncomfortable and moved to make some changes in your life and ministry something is radically wrong with you.

My reading this summer hasn’t produced a lot of excellent books, but it has produced three excellent books that are worth purchasing.

Perhaps the best book of this summer and perhaps this year is The Age of the Unthinkable, By Joshua Cooper Ramo

If you’re ready to stretch your brain and learn from a wide variety of disciplines then this is the one book you need to read this week. If you want to have insight into why few organizations or governments or churches or denominations don’t work anymore, this is a must read. And it is a fascinating read. So fascinating that you might be tempted to read it just for the pure pleasure of what it contains and miss the implications for your ministry.  For more click here.

The second book is The Great Emergence, by Phyliss Tickle

 If you’re looking for a well written summary of the cultural factors behind the emergence of the Emergents (no pun intended) this book is for you. Tickle couches the entire drama within the context of “who or where is the authority?”

I have two problems with the book. For more click here.

The final book is A Multi-Site Church Road Trip, by Surratt, Ligon, and Bird.  The authors visit some of the best known and some not-so-known multi-site churches and record their findings for us. Like all Leadership Network books the book is excellently researched and written.

The one chart that caught my attention was the one showing the recent exponential growth of the multi-site movement. In 2000 there were only 300 such churches.  In 2009 there are over 3,000 multi-site churches.  Their conclusion – multi-site is becoming the norm.  Look for the book to be released soon.

Bill Easum
www.churchconsultations.com