4 Challenging Books (part 2)

Continuing from last week's post, I would like to share a few books that have forced me to reevaluate aspects of my life and ministry.

If you're looking for a book that will push your boundaries, I highly suggest the following:

• "Permanent Revolution" by Alan Hirsch & Tim Catchim
  • QUOTE: "We believe that in order to be a genuinely missional church, we must have a missional ministry to go with it, and that means putting this issue of the apostle, prophet, and evangelist roles back on the table. If we do not, we believe that there is no real possibility of becoming truly missional." (Hirsch & Catchim)
  • IMPACT: Don't worry, no one's going to be calling themselves an apostle (although a true understanding of the role would help remove the negative stigma of the title). Reading this book has helped in understanding Ephesians 4 and the five-fold ministry. We are now better equipped to help students in our ministry identify and grow in their giftings as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and/or teachers.

• "Leading Cross-Culturally" by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter
  • QUOTE: "Leading cross-culturally, then, is inspiring people who come from two or more cultural traditions to participate with you (the leader or leadership team) in building a community of trust and then to follow you and be empowered by you to achieve a compelling vision of faith." (Lingenfelter)
  • IMPACT: What we (as Westerners) understand as Biblical leadership is saturated with cultural influences that we will most likely never come to see. The author address a few of these misunderstandings and helps the reader understand leadership dynamics in multi-cultural ministries and in an ever-changing world.

My hope is not to offend, but to challenge. May we always be quick to self-evaluate, growing ever closer to the people God created us to be.

4 Challenging Books (part 1)

For this post (and the next), I would like to share a few books with you that have deeply impacted me in recent months. These books have forced me to reevaluate aspects of my life and ministry.

If you're looking for something challenging to read, I highly suggest the following:

• "The Master Plan of Evangelism" by Dr. Robert E. Coleman
  • QUOTE: "...the Great Commission is not merely to go to the ends of the earth preaching the gospel (Mark 16:15), nor to baptize a lot of converts into the name of the triune God, not to teach them the precepts of Christ, but to 'make disciples' - to build people like themselves who were so constrained by the commission of Christ that they not only followed, but also led others to follow his way. Only as disciples were made could the other activities of the commission fulfill their purpose." (Coleman)
  • IMPACT: Master Plan of Evangelism is an important book for our ministry. The author looks at Jesus' ministry, helping us to understand the strategies that Jesus prioritized and valued for maximum eternal impact.

• "Communication Theory for Christian Witness" by Charles H. Kraft
  • QUOTE: "So often the preacher as propagator of information has replaced the relational pastor. The lecture (we call it a sermon), an efficient means of presenting sizable amounts of information, has replaced the participation-centered worship that characterized the early Christian churches." (Kraft)
  • IMPACT: This book is one of the most challenging to today's Western church that I've ever read. The author looks at the modern approach to communicating for life-change, helping us understand appropriate expectations based on Biblical models. He takes a hard look at the topic of preaching as well as other tactics of communication, revealing what is modeled in the Bible compared to what we have standardized for today.

Next week I'll share two more books that have recently impacted my life.

Baby Shower Suitcase

Last week a missions team from The Bridge AG (our home church) came to help with a Kids Week event at St. Mark's Church. It was so great seeing a few of our church family from Oklahoma, even if it was for just a few days.

We were surprised to learn that people from The Bridge had organized a surprise baby shower for us, packed it all in a suitcase, and sent it with the team. I can't tell you the emotion that came over me when we opened it seeing all the great gifts and giant picture of our baby boy. We were reminded how much we miss our home church in Mustang, Oklahoma. We are blessed we are to be in Ireland as an extension of The Bridge's missions efforts.

We have a large and amazing team of supporting churches and individuals from all over the US, and you all are a major blessing to us. I just wanted to take this post to thank our home church for the love, support, prayers, and gifts.

Thank you Sherri McClure for organizing it, and thank you to everyone who participated. You have no idea how much it means to know you think of us. We think of you often.

Blessings.
Blake, Katy, and Eden