History in the Making

Nominations for Top Preacher

Awesome response on the preacher post. Thanks for that. Here are the nominations:

• Tim Keller
• Bob Ely (president of Southwestern Christian University - http://www.swcu.edu)
• Mark Rutland (South Eastern University)
• Ron Carpenter Jr. (Redemption World Outreach Center, Greenville, SC - www.rwoc.org)
• John Piper
• Jeffery Johnson - Eastern Star Baptist Church
• T.D. Jakes
• Ronnie Floyd - First Baptist Church, Springdale Arkansas
• Earle Wilson - Retired Wesleyan Denominational Official
• Rod Parsley
• Crawford Loritts - Fellowship Bible Church. www.fbconline.org
• Matt Chandler - the Village Church
• William Marshall - Trinity Baptist Church, Sikeston, MO
• Mike Housholder - Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, IA.
• Perry Noble
• Mark Driscoll
• Daniel Montgomery
• Steven Furtick
• TD Jakes
• C.J. Mahaney
• Francis Chan
• Tudor Bismark
• Chris Hill - www.chrishill.org/bio.htm
• Bob Russell
• Louie Giglio
• Tony Evans
• Brady Cooper - New Vision Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, TN
• Wellington Boone
• Dr. Steven Smith
• Andy Stanley
• Bryan Loritts - www.fellowshipmemphis.org
• Dennis Kinlaw
• Dan Boone (Travecca University in Nashville - www.trevecca.edu/podcasts/chapel)
• Francis Chan
• Dr. Joel C. Gregory - gregoryministries.org
• Roc Collins - Indian Springs Baptist Church, www.isbc.org
• Larry Rising - www.valleychurchva.com/podcast/feedReader.php
• David Hanke - Northern Virginia
• EV Hill
• Rob Bell
• Chilly Chilton - www.ichilly.com
• Tim Dilena - www.revivaltab.org
• Craig Groeschel
• John Ortberg
• Kelly Green (www.kellygreen.org)
• Gary Lamb (www.Garylamb.org)
• Sal Sberna (themetonline.org)
• Ty Cross - Fellowship Bible Church in Gardner, KS, www.fbc.libsyn.com
• Bruxy Cavey - The Meeting House, Oakville, ON, Canada
• David Platt - Church of Brook Hills in Birmingham
• Erwin McManus
• Robert Smith, Jr. - Beeson Divinity School in Alabama
• Bryan Chappell
• Barabara Taylor-Brown
• Fred B. Craddock
• David Platt, Church at Brook Hills, Birmimgham, Alabama.
• Joel Holmes
• Brian Brennt - Citycentral/Newsong Church in Tacoma
• Max Lucado - Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, TX
• Matt Carter - Austin Stone Community Church
• Stephen Davey
• Tim Lucas - Liquid church, Morristown, NJ
• Pete Wilson - Nashville
  
• Tim Johnson - Orlando World Outreach Center
• James McDonald

Peer Pressure is the Most Powerful Force Outside of the Holy Spirit

John Ortberg said that.

People like to do things with lots of other people. It validates their decisions; helps them feel assured, comforted. Everyone likes a winner. They don't like to waste their time with socially unproven communities.

So is it any wonder that people would rather get baptized en masse than feel pressured to sign up on their own? Is it any wonder that mega-churches become "default churches" for newcomers in a community, while new churches struggle to reach critical mass?

As church planters and pastors, our job is to identify social movements upon which to lay the Gospel.

The Next Great Revolution in the Church

This has been the era of the uber-leader, who possesses a remarkable gift mix of teaching and leadership, whereby the mega-church has resulted. But we are entering a new era. A revolution is ahead. We are about to empower teachers to be teachers, and leaders to be leaders. And churches everywhere will explode in growth.

I'm Looking for a Fight

There's something about risk that makes my relationship with God come alive. When all is safe and routine, my soul starts to atrophy. In 1 Samuel 14:6, when Jonathan puts himself in harm's way with the Philistines, I can't help but think he was reinvigorating his faith... not just carrying out a military exercise:

"Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf."

This time last year, I was signing a contract saying that I would pay $25,000 to use the Reston Hyatt for the Whiteboard Sessions. I didn't have the money. And I didn't have a clue whether anyone would come. But my prayer life had never been stronger. =) I miss that.

All Church Planters Are Not Equal

Not every church planter is the same. I'm calling for full disclosure. A guy that plants in his hometown community, where he was born and raised and then served on-staff at a megachurch is not the same kind of church planter who moved from outside the community to start from scratch.

The former is actually the ideal scenario.

But I want full disclosure about the sociological factors that made a church plant successful. It's so important for planters to have realistic expectations. Until a church planter has a significant core group (deep roots), he is actually a missionary. And his expectations should be the same as one.

Mike Foster LIVE at 11:00 AM

Mike Foster is in the houuuuussseee. 11:00 am EST.
www.mogulus.com/catalystspace

Who Are the Top Preachers?

Help me out here... Who are the top preachers? Not talking about those who give great "talks." I'm talking thoroughbred preachers. Here are the rules: I'd love for you to name one. And you can't repeat a name that has already been mentioned. (That should make it interesting.=)

Louie Giglio Launches a Church

Brad had the scoop on this one, but Louie Giglio's Passion City Church launches at the Tabernacle in downtown ATL on February 15.

Catalyst No Longer Has Offices

It's a corn hole tournament ground... that JUST HAPPENS to function as an office on the side...

Big Interview with Mike Foster Tomorrow

Mike Foster interview LIVE from the Catalyst offices at 11:00am EST tomorrow, Thursday, Jan 15. The video chat will be broadcast from http://ww.mogulus.com/catalystspace.

Can't Have Social Media Without The Social

Yesterday, Brad, Brian and I played around in the ChurchTok.com room by ourselves. But nobody was there! Nobody! Where were you guys??!!! =)

I've Been Moleskinned

Ten years ago, on the first day of my first job at a church, a young grasshopper named Josh Cryer welcomed me to the collegiate ministry and we've been friends ever since. Yesterday, he sent me a WIBO-themed, custom-engraved Moleskine that he etched with a $40,000 epilog laser from work. Totally made my week. Whiteboard was such a huge part of my life last year, and now I've got a momento to remember it. Not sure I can even write in it.

What Kind of Preacher are You?

"The Contemporary"
Sermon prep includes perusing movie clips because, well, there's so much spiritual truth to be found in there.

"The Spirit-Led"
Prepares only one quarter of the message because the rest is sure to come on Sunday.

"The Artist"
Brainstorms what kind of objects can be handed out at the entrance to confuse the attenders until the sermon reveals their purpose.

"The Exegeter"
Uses a dictionary to prepare for sermons because the audience surely wants to know the correct definition of a word before it is expounded upon.

"The Verse by Verse"
It's Easter, but gosh darn it, you're in Habakuk by God's sovereignty, so Habakuk it is.

"The Ranter"
Can somehow insult the congregation week after week, but they like it and come back for more, because of an off-the-charts likability factor.

"The Nooma"
Frequently supplements sermons with melancholy video segments that feature themselves musing on subjects in interesting locations.

"The Visionary"
Somehow every sermon ends with the same application - the church's short-coming to reach the entire city for Christ - regardless of how the message starts out - stewardship, marriage, worry, doesn't matter.

Just having a little more fun today. =)

If You Don't Know This Guy Now, You Will

Had an amazing lunch yesterday with worship leader Aaron Keyes. Such an incredible guy. So authentic. In fact, I have to admit something. I asked Aaron to lead worship on the Friday of Catalyst west... yet I have never actually seen him lead worship. Okay, one time. Acoustic, by himself, for about 20 of us at the Catalyst offices last October. But I missed his set at Catalyst east. I only know his heart. I'd put that on-stage in front of 3,000 sold-out seats any day.

You Can't Have Enough Bad Ideas

Get this - Babe Ruth held Major League baseball's career strikeout record from 1926 until 1964. But what gave him such grief also made him the home run king. He swung at a LOT of pitches... and SOME of them connected! You've gotta love that. You can't have too many ideas because some of them will be great ones!

This year has been a year of strike-outs for me. I've asked favors that only got laughter on the phone. Feels like I've had more unreturned phone calls than answered ones. And I've had e-mail requests go completely ignored. The assistant to a very famous ministry leader wrote, "I don't know who this Ben is, but he'd better learn protocol."

Not easy for me, I'll admit. But I'm in good company. Call me the Benbino.

Book in the Making

I'm biting my tongue on the book coming out this year, but it's all about the sociological factors behind great churches. I'm not downplaying the spiritual component. But it's a great disservice to overlook how social forces impact the church.

Why is it that we have "highs" and "lows" in church attendance? Is it "moves of the Holy Spirit" or are there social reasons why groups of people go and don't go to church at the same time?

Why do churches start to lose people when attendance surpasses 80% seating capacity? Is God moving these people on, or could there be a social factor at play?

Why did a church plant with a high-capacity staff and hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding fail to get off the ground in California several years ago?

Don't get me wrong. I don't believe we wrestle against flesh and blood. But there's a reason why God laid the Gospel on social movements all throughout history. He created them. And he wants us to understand them. The book frames how great churches are made... long before they're started.

Live Video Chat with Mike Foster on Thursday

The author of Deadly Viper Character Assassins. Founder of XXX Church, Junky Car Club and Ethur.org. This Thursday at 11:00 am EST - LIVE from the Catalyst offices. More info to come...

Top 10 Reasons to Rethink Your Involvement in Social Media

Okay, having a little fun today. But I'm thinking through social media strategy for 2009 and this list came to mind...

1. Your spouse discovers new things about you on your blog.
2. You have separation anxiety with your iPhone.
3. You have a Vimeo AND a YouTube account for the SAME videos.
4. You get mad at people who call you when they could've twittered.
5. You think people who "friend you" are really your friends.
6. Your most frequented website is a visitor stats page.
7. Half of your web searches involve your own name.
8. You don't read "the Bible" anymore; you clarify "YouVersion."
9. You see it as a way to vindicate social trauma in high school.
10. If they made a statue of you, it would be you hunkered over a computer.

Worth the Extra $40 You Spend on a Babysitter

Cheesecake Factory. Friday night. Ains and I got to hang out with our long-time friends Ben & Kelly Webb who live in Canton. Ainsley and Kelly became best friends at 14 but were split apart when Kelly's dad (Allan Taylor) went to work as Johnny Hunt's educational minister at First Woodstock. Lotsa good food. Lotsa fun.

Catalicious