Author: Jonathan Dodson

Stetzer on Movements

Ed Stetzer lists at least 10 Elements to Christian Movements:

  1. Prayer Prayer must be a conviction that establishes its priority. Before we see movemental Christianity, we will have to be praying, asking God to change us.
  2. Intentionality: We will also need to show the intention of being movemental (see the next 8 elements). As of now, I believe our focus is primarily defensive and incremental, not intentional and exponential.
  3. Sacrifice: Change will not come without giving something up.
  4. Reproducibility: Movements do not occur through large things (big budgets, big plans, big teams). They occur through small units that are readily reproducible.
  5. Theological Integrity: Churches wanting to be involved in transformative, movemental Christianity hold firm and passionate positions on biblical views.
  6. Incarnation: Movemental Christianity recognizes that the gospel is unchanging, but the expressions and results of the gospel will vary from culture to culture.
  7. Empowerment: Movements only occur when the disempowered are given the freedom, and then take up the responsibility, to lead.
  8. Charitability: A movement of God cannot be contained in a single movement or theological tradition. Therefore, movemental Christianity requires charity to maintain our firmly held convictions while rejoicing for and speaking well about those with whom we differ but are being greatly blessed by God.
  9. Scalability: When God begins to move, and believers allow movement Christianity to begin to grow, structures must be able to rapidly re-size to not stifle such movements.
  10. Wholism: Movemental Christianity will practice wholistic ministry much in the way of Jesus.

Read the whole post here.

New Associate Professor of Theology @ Gordon Conwell

Dr. Adonis Vidu Becomes Associate Professor of Theology at the Hamilton Campus
Dr. Adonis Vidu (Ph.D., University of Nottingham) will move from Romania this August to join the faculty of Gordon-Conwell (Hamilton campus) as Associate Professor of Theology.
Dr. Vidu has written two books: Postliberal Theological Method (Paternoster, 2005; Wipf & Stock, 2007) and Theology After Neo-Pragmatism (Paternoster, 2008), and is currently working on a research project examining metaphors for the atonement. His current research interests include emerging theology, the doctrine of the atonement, ecclesiology, and public theology. He and his wife, Adriana, have a four-year-old daughter, Hannah.

Cutting Edge Magazine

Okay. This issue of Cutting Edge is excellent. Every article is worth reading, which is rare for any publication. Here is the list. Here is the online pdf of the mag.

  • Process Managing Church Growth, Tim Keller
  • Small Group Strategy, Jim Egli
  • Sound Strategy: a few hints from an audio professional about your sound ministry, Lightning Atkinson (yep, Lightning)
  • Strategizing for Diversity, interview
  • Strategic Preaching, John Elmer
  • Getting a Building
  • Web Strategies for Church Planters