Ed Stetzer out loud
Ed Stetzer’s been making the rounds on the speaking circuit this week. You might have heard of Ed for introducing the 3-category understanding of the emerging church: relevants, reconstructionalists, and revisionists.
Ed has a slot at the Resurgence blog, and apparently a more established blog presence at The Missional Network. He recently gave his take on Why cultural relevance is the big deal (also here).
Ed Stetzer spoke on 2/17/07, Toward a Missional Convention at the Baptist Identity Conference (48:57)
[audio:www.uu.edu/audio/baptistidentity/2007/EdStetzer-021707.mp3%5D[cf. TallSkinnyKiwi also noted this; download PDF of address too]
And then he spoke on 2/19/07 on The Future of Church and Mission at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, both lecture and Q&A recorded for you to listen:
[audio:www.agts.edu/podcasts/lectures/2007_02_19stetzer_ed1.mp3%5D
[audio:www.agts.edu/podcasts/lectures/2007_02_19stetzer_ed2.mp3%5D
[update] Ari live-blogged the lecture here and here and a final word.
Ed Stetzer has a new book to be released this June, written in conjunction with Elmer Towns and Warren Bird, 11 Innovations in the Local Church: How Today’s Leaders Can Learn, Discern and Move Into the Future. (You can pre-order it.)
Book introduction from the publisher Gospel Light:
11 Innovations in the Local Church: THEY DARED TO BE DIFFERENT- AND YOUR CHURCH CAN TOO!
The Church of today doesn’t look or act like it once did. Take a look around communities nationwide and you’ll see local churches taking on a variety of forms and expressing themselves in a multitude of ways. Now you can join three seasoned church-growth experts on an insider’s tour of the most exciting innovations in churches today! Throughout this engaging book, you’ll discover multiple profiles of cutting-edge churches that have implemented each innovation in their own way.
You’ll explore churches that have dared to be different, from Ancient-Future Postmodern Churches to Cyber-Enhanced Churches to churches that are intentionally multicultural. More than a show-and-tell tour, each chapter offers a solid takeaway as you learn from the innovative direction that other churches have taken and come up with your own. The authors also provide guidance and wisdom through scripturally based assessments of both the positive and negative implications of implementing innovations for your church.
There are many ways to present the gospel. God is using innovative expressions of the Church today to reach many different types of people. Come discover with Towns, Stetzer and Bird, how God has blessed churches such as yours as they have stepped out to find their unique signature. There’s never been a better time to explore innovative new directions for your church and reach more people for Christ.
