Here is an update on some books I am currently reading.

The NY Times Magazine article on Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church in Seattle explores this unusual form of Christianity, neither liberal nor conservative, yet “hypermasculine” and Calvinist. An excerpt:

Driscoll disdains the prohibitions of traditional evangelical Christianity. Taboos on alcohol, smoking, swearing and violent movies have done much to shape American Protestant culture — a culture that he has called the domain of “chicks and some chickified dudes with limp wrists.” Moreover, the Bible tells him that to seek salvation by self-righteous clean living is to behave like a Pharisee. Unlike fundamentalists who isolate themselves, creating “a separate culture where you live in a Christian cul-de-sac,” as one spiky-haired member named Andrew Pack puts it, Mars Hillians pride themselves on friendships with non-Christians. They tend to be cultural activists who play in rock bands and care about the arts, living out a long Reformed tradition that asserts Christ’s mandate over every corner of creation.

The article appears to be pretty even-handed except for the part on church discipline. However, the journalist closes with a pretty hard commentary on Calvinists:

Mars Hill — with its conservative social teachings embedded in guitar solos and drum riffs, its megachurch presence in the heart of bohemian skepticism — thrives on paradox. Critics on the left and right alike predict that this delicate balance of opposites cannot last. Some are skeptical of a church so bent on staying perpetually “hip”: members have only recently begun to marry and have children, but surely those children will grow up, grow too cool for their cool church and rebel. Others say that Driscoll’s ego and taste for controversy will be Mars Hill’s Achilles’ heel. Lately he has made a concerted effort to tone down his language, and he insists that he has delegated much authority, but the heart of his message has not changed. Driscoll is still the one who gazes down upon Mars Hill’s seven congregations most Sundays, his sermons broadcast from the main campus to jumbo-size projection screens around the city. At one suburban campus that I visited, a huge yellow cross dominated center stage — until the projection screen unfurled and Driscoll’s face blocked the cross from view. Driscoll’s New Calvinism underscores a curious fact: the doctrine of total human depravity has always had a funny way of emboldening, rather than humbling, its adherents.

What do you think? Do you find this article compelling? Is the Calvinist critique fair? Read the rest of the New York Times Magazine article here.

Plant & Thrive looks like it will be an immensely practical conference for guys checking out planting or already several years in. Check out the speaker line-up and topics:

Track 1 – For all potential A29 church planters

• Mark Driscoll
• Wayne Grudem – Gospel Centered Reformed Theology
• Danny Akin – Preaching the Gospel
• Scott Thomas – The Biblical Mandate on the Man
• Andreas Kostenberger – The Effects of Planting on Family & Self
• Mark Driscoll & Wayne Grudem – Q & A
• Tyler Jones – Mission Rises out of Community
• Ed Marcelle – Mission Rises out of Discipleship
• Daniel Montgomery – Our Mission
• Mark Driscoll

Track 2 - For planters in years 1-4

• Jason Roberts and Chris Atwell – Coaching Introduction
• Elliot Grudem – Leadership Development: Elders, Deacons, Volunteers
• Mark Driscoll – Q & A
• Jamie Munson & Nate Williams – Systems & Structures
• TBA – Strategic Planning
• Jamie Munson, et al. – Q & A
• TBA – Small Groups
• Chris Atwell – Assimilation to Membership
• Wayne Grudem – Q & A
• TBA – Children’s Ministry / Funding / Holistic Justice
• Jason Roberts – Debriefing: Long Term Implementation
• Mark Driscoll

Feb 4-5. More info here.

A couple of weeks ago Acts 29 hosted a Church Planting Bootcamp in Dallas, hosted by the Village Church. The aim of these bootcamps is to assess, equip, and release church planters into planting gospel-centered, missional churches that plant more churches. The theme of the Dallas Bootcamp was Depth.

The were a number of plenary speakers and a variety of breakout sessions (see schedule here). Audio and electronic resources are being released as they are ready (I am trying to figure out how to upload my audio to wordpress). Mark Driscoll’s talk on the Mission and Vision of Acts 29 includes a clear and compelling vision for a church planting movement that keeps Christ at the center and takes the gospel to periphery of the world. My session was Spirit-led Ecclesiology: Following the Spirit thru Church Planting, which critically examined motives and methods of church planters that lean away from the Spirit-led center of church planting. This was followed by a brief biblical theology of the Spirit and practical reflections on how we can follow the Spirit through unplanned change, resistance and barriers. In short, it was a plea to not replace the Spirit with the gospel in church planting.

For now, here are the resources I have gathered:

• Driscoll on Mission & Vision of A29                                 audio manuscript
• Dodson on Spirit-led Ecclesiology                                    audio manuscript
• Dodson & White on Building Missional Core Teams                notes

Mars Hill Church has made a booklet on masculinity called Porn Again Christian. I read the first copy Reforming Male Sexuality, and it was really good. This booklet is edgy, in your face, and worthwhile. Apparently, the publishers wouldn’t accept it because of the controversial topics it addresses. Here it is for free.

Tonight we had our first of three sessions on deacon training. I was moved by the number of quality of potential deacons sitting in our house. God has been so kind to Austin City Life! In preparation for training our deacons, I did the following:

• Studied the deacon passages of Scripture
• Read Alexander Strauch’s Ministers of Mercy and re-read Mark Driscoll’s A Book You’ll Actually on Church Leadership.
• Re-read Darrin Patrick’s notes on developing-elders-deacons-members.
• Read Bob Thune’s paper, Deacons: A Theological Study
• Read Tim Keller’s section on Leadership Development in the Redeemer Church Planting Manual
• Oh, I found this deacon outline after the training, which is quite good. I agree with most of it.

Then I wrote and mailed a letter of invitation to potential deacons, gave them a copy of Driscoll’s booklet, and developed a teaching outline for our three session Deacon Training. In all of this I borrowed heavily from Bob Thune and David Fairchild. Thanks guys! Here’s the list of topics we are covering each month:

October 5, 2008 1^st training meeting @ Dodson’s house

Discussion topic: A Theology of Deacons

Assignment: One Page Reflection Paper on 1 Tim 3:8-13

November 2, 2008 2^nd training meeting @ Dodson’s house

Discussion topic: The Practice of Deacons

Assignment: One Page Dream Ministry Description

December 7, 2008 3^rd training meeting @ Dodson’s house

Discussion topic: Holding to the Mystery of Faith

Next Assignment: One Page Summary of the Gospel

December 8-14, 2008 Interviews and Installation

In case you don’t know, Acts 29 is hosting a Church planting Bootcamp in Dallas Nov 19-20 at the Village Church. Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll and Scott Thomas will be speaking.

Chad Hall offers a critical review of Driscoll and Jones’ new books, books from the right and left wings of the Emerging Church.

Mark Driscoll has written a series of booklets called A Book You Will Actually Read. The one on Church Leadership is a gem–concise, biblical, informative. We ordered a bunch for our leaders and will distribute them at our next leadership training.

At the recent Acts 29 Pastors and Wives Retreat, Mark Driscoll spoke on Movements and Renewal, pointing out that Acts 29 has moved from being a Network to becoming a Movement. Of course, time will tell. My respect for Driscoll and Acts 29 shot through the roof over these four days. Driscoll’s address was a significant part of that. He addressed Movements & Renewal, littering his talk with pastoral exhortations. Hopefully the audio will be up soon.

For now, I’d like to highlight some of his remarks that are well worth considering. Note this a personal summary; quotations indicate direct quote from Driscoll. In classic Lovelacian form, Driscoll avered that Movements of God are precipiated by the whim of the Spirit and personal and communal renewal (if you haven’t read Dynamics of Spiritual Life by Richard Lovelace order it now). From what I can recall, Driscoll noted seven characteristics of lasting movements:

1. Lasting movements can only ultimately be attributed to a unique work of God. “Movements are fueled by a passion to increase the number of people worshipping Jesus Christ as God.”
2. Lasting movements are typically strated by a movement leader who faces controversy and criticism.
3. Lasting movements are characterized by “lives transformed in larger than typical numbers not unlike a revival…”
4. Lasting movements are frequently started among young people.
5. Lasting movements plant churches.
6. Lasting movements use new technology to communicate the gospel (Horseback/Great Awakening; Printing Press/Reformation; Internet/Acts 29) . “Something in the culture has changed and a new model ministry is leading the pioneering of a solution.”
7. Lasting movements exert an external influence that is beyond measure.
8. Heretics are good for lasting movements; they help clarify what is central to the movement and develop theological precision.
9. Lasting movements produce auxiliary organizations to manage growth.
   
10. Lasting movements inevitably leave behind doctrinal and practical clean-up.
    

Pastoral Exhortation: “Shoot the wolves, not the shepherds, sheep or goats.”

Driscoll exhorted A29 pastors to not become embroiled in in-house debates, shooting fellow shepherds over best missional practices. This happens way too much among missional planters and blogosphere addicts. Younger planters tend to think they have the latest and best form of missional communities or whatever. At one point said something to the effect of: “Some of you don’t like that I do video venue. Well, i don’t care. I don’t like your band. Some dude strumming an acoustic instead of rockin out. It doesn’t matter. If we are going to be a movement, we are going to have stop shooting one another.” As churches grow there will be plenty of critics, fellow shepherds need not be among these. Rather, shepherds should encourage one another, guard the sheep, win the goats, and shoot the heretics. Mark obviously wasn’t suggesting that we literally shoot anyone, but rather that in assuming the task of watching our life and doctrine closely and shepherding the flock of God, we clearly mark out heretical teaching.