What is like to be “sifted” as a ministry leader? Sifted in the Luke 22:31-32 sense of the word? Dave Ferguson interviews Wayne Cordeiro on this podcast and asks that question among many others about leadership trials.
It’s facinating to hear Wayne’s story of building New Hope Oahu in Honalulu. Not because the ultimate goal of ministry is to build a big church, but because Wayne admits that church planting scared him to death. He talks about the spiritual warfare he’s faced, struggling with depression, and other hardships of ministry. Some of what he’s faced has been so intense it’s affected him physically as well as spiritually.
I also appreciated what Wayne says about the result of being sifted. He says that God will “never let go of your hand” and also that you’ll understand the pain of others so much better. He says ”crisis is a terrible thing to waste” because it helps you make changes that God wants you to make.
All this week bloggers will be posting their reviews of Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson’s On the Verge: A Journey into the Apostolic Future of the Church. I’ll be keeping a list right here of all of the participating blogs. I encourage you to read a few reviews and join the discussion!
Over the last week or so I’ve been sending out a lot of copies of On the Vergein preparation for the upcoming blog tour. I’m really looking forward to how people react to this book. It’s a book that Mark Batterson said, “Will make you rethink the way you lead…” Craig Groeschel called it, “pace-setting,” and said it will “change your paradigm.” Check out this video from Alan and Dave in which they discuss these ideas – rethinking, paradigm-shifting ideas.
July 11-15 I’ll be hosting a blog tour for On the Verge: A Journey into the Apostolic Future of the Church by Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson. Our blog tour rules are the same as always: 1) Sign up and agree to posting a review on your blog and on Amazon during the tour week [The blog tour is full. Sorry! Sign up is now closed.] 2) we send you a free copy of On the Verge.
On the Verge is a part of the Exponential Series – a series of books dedicating to telling the reproducing church story. Exponential series books equip church planters with practical steps and innovate ideas to plant churches, and to multiply their ministries. On the Verge casts a prophetic vision for leaders in the church, calling us to return to our apostolic faith with a fresh vision for the future. (read a sample)
Dave and Alan were key speakers at the 2011 Exponential Conference earlier this spring. If you missed the conference, here a clip that gives you a taste of what it means to be “on the verge.”
Nearly 100 bloggers signed up for a the Exponential blog tour this week. As discussions and reviews appear online I’ll add to the list below. You read a sample chapter of Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement here. This is the latest book from Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson, and the first book in the new “Exponential Series.”
I hope you enjoy the blog tour this week. Conversations like these can often be the Catalyst for real change in the body of Christ.
The Exponential blog tour is right around the corner, June 7-11. The guys behind the book, Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson, created a series of videos that introduce each chapter of Exponential and that tell the story of Community Christian Church. Check out the first one here:
Watching this video immediately makes me ask two questions:
1) Do I really think “I can do it”? Even when God has proven himself faithful?
2) NFL Draft Day is a national holiday?! What would an NFL Draft Day tree look like? Or NFL Draft Day desserts? Presents? Stockings?
Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement is the latest book by Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson. In it they communicate a simple strategy that challenges church leaders to become a reproducing follower and leader. Exponential lays out a brief but solid theology for a reproducing strategy, giving practical “how-to’s” for reproducing Christ followers, leaders, artists, groups/teams, venues, sites, churches, and networks of churches.
Weaved throughout this book is the amazing story of Community Christian Church, which was started by five friends who used the reproducing strategies found in Exponential to grow one of the most influential churches in the U.S. and develop a network of reproducing churches.
The week of June 7-11th we will be running a blog tour. Fill out the form here, and if your blog is approved we will send you a complimentary copy of Exponential by Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson. In return for the book, you will post up a review of the book on your blog and on Amazon.com, that’s it. [Since the time of this post the blog tour sign-up has been closed. Sorry!]
In April of 2010, the new book from Dave and Jon Ferguson will be releasing to kick off the new Exponential Series at the Exponential Conference. This book is entitled – what else – Exponential. Exponential: How You and Your Friends can Start a Missional Church Movement is the anchor book in the Exponential Series – a partnership between Exponential Network, Leadership Network and Zondervan featuring several signature books each year to tell the reproducing church story, celebrate the diversity of models and approaches God is using to reproduce healthy congregations, and to highlight the innovative practices of healthy reproducing churches.
We are working through the cover design process and would like your help in choosing the cover design. Below are four cover options. Please leave your top choice for cover in the comments section. As a thank you, if you comment and send your mailing address to multisiteroadtrip@zondervan.com I will send you a free pre-release copy of the newest Leadership Network Innovation Series book, A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip (to the first 50 people only).
The voting and free book offer ends Sunday, 20 September. Thanks!
What is like to be “sifted” as a ministry leader? Sifted in the Luke 22:31-32 sense of the word? Dave Ferguson interviews Wayne Cordeiro on this podcast and asks that question among many others about leadership trials.
