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In
the following Advance
interview, co-authors Jonathan and Jennifer
Campbell take us inside The Way of
Jesus, one of the newest books in the
Leadership Network Publications series,
produced with Jossey-Bass. The Series
delivers innovative concepts from today's
preeminent thinkers, practitioners and
pioneering churches.
ADVANCE: Simply put, how do you
define The Way of Jesus?
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AUTHORS:
The life of Jesus. Living out of my identity in
Christ. To live in communion with Christ and in
community with others who simply desire to listen
and follow Jesus as his Spirit leads.
ADVANCE: What new ideas regarding religion
and spirituality will we find in the book?
AUTHORS: Most who write about the church today
are writing from within Christendom. They are
quick to point out the faults and failings of
the religious system, and then leave it at that.
They do not show another way. We have sought to
offer hope and a pathway toward embodying new
wineskins for the new wine of this generation.
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ADVANCE:
Publishers
always ask, "What is the market for
this book?" What's your answer?
AUTHORS: This book is for spiritual seekers--both
East and West, churched and de-churched--who
long to experience community and a holistic
spirituality. We write for those who are
moved by their spiritual longings and
intuitively know there has to be another
way of growing spiritually.
ADVANCE: What are some of the
groundbreaking ideas that may surprise
readers?
AUTHORS: Hope lies in going deeper than
what most |
religions
offer. We have seen the gospel embodied in a variety
of ways. The more we experience the power of God
at work in Western and non-Western contexts, the
more we appreciate the power and simplicity of
the gospel to take root in any culture or among
any people.
The gospel of Jesus answers the spiritual and
relational longings of all cultures (specifically
the needs for identity, love, community, truth,
and power). Only as the church dies to itself
and lays down the image it thought it was to be
or has become will it have the opportunity to
be organically reborn as the Body of Christ in
new and different cultural realities.
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The
Aging of America
According to statistics published in the July/August
issue of Rev magazine:
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The
number of Americans aged 65 and older climbed
to more than 34.9 million in 2000, compared
with 3.1 million in 1900. |
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The
ratio of elderly Americans to the total
population jumped from 1 in 25 to 1 in 8.
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Friends
and Food Fuel Spiritual Growth
A survey of churchgoers shows that people who
report having strong friendships at church are
26 percent more likely to describe themselves
as having an active faith and a close relationship
to God, according to a Gallup study reported by
D. Michael Lindsay in Friendship:
Creating a Culture of Connectivity in Your Church
(Group Publishing, 2005).
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Most
Influential Churches: Saddleback, Willow, North
Point
The nation's most influential churches are Saddleback,
pastored by Rick Warren, Willow Creek, pastored
by Bill Hybels and North Point, pastored by Andy
Stanley...
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In
Case You Missed It...
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Check
the Leadership Network Advance archives for these
and other feature articles on church innovation:
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Wanted:
Healthcare and
Wellness Ministries
Leadership Network is launching a research project
to discover the ways churches are addressing healthcare
and wellness issues.
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CCN
Special Event: "Becoming
a Contagious Christian"
As part of its "Reaching the Unchurched"
series, the CCN satellite broadcast network is
presenting a special one-day evangelism course
created especially for non-evangelists.
2005 Megachurch Research
A new research project is underway to gather information
on U.S. megachurches.
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Ideas
for Externally
Focused Service
Could you use a jump-start for your community
service |
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ministry,
or some fresh ideas to add variety to existing work
outside the walls? Volunteers from one congregation
created handmade teddy bears to cheer up cancer patients.
The youth group from another church collected 1,200
winter coats for the needy.
In her just-released concept paper, 99 Innovations:
Creative Ideas and Resources to Engage 100 Percent
of Your Church in Externally Focused Service,
Alexandra McNabb taps into 18 churches that offer
insight into their extraordinary methods of serving.
You can get all 99 ideas for $19.95 by downloading
the paper at www.leadnet.org.
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| I
want to personally thank you for the investment
you've made in my life over the past 15 years.
I was first introduced to Leadership Network through
the Large Church Pastors Forums in Glen Eyrie.
We were averaging |
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about
800 Sunday worshipers when I first attended, and
Leadership Network taught me the "how" of
the large church. The Nappanee Missionary Church is
a strange deal. Nappanee, Indiana is a town of just
over 6,000. Our average Sunday morning attendance is
now more than 2,600, and we have opened our second video
venue in the midst of Amish country. |
I
want you to know how much you have contributed to my life.
I'm one of the "hidden" stories! You'll hear
a bunch more in heaven!
Dave Engbrecht
Senior Pastor
Nappanee Missionary Church
Nappanee, IN
www.nmc1.org |
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