Greg Atkinson

If you haven’t noticed, my blog posts have either been brief or copies of someone else’s. This month (March), I’ve committed to write at least one chapter a day for my new book on innovation. I’m putting all my effort, energy and brain cells into that. Honestly, I don’t have a lot left over.

After I write this book, I’ll be back to blogging like  normal, but in the meantime, if you know of a good blog post that you think is worth me reposting or you’d like to do a guest blog, just let me know and I’ll take it under consideration. It could work out to be a win-win for us. It will free me up to write and expose my readers to a new voice. So if you’d like to contribute something, comment here or email me at greg@gregatkinson.com.

Thanks for your continued prayers for me as I write daily. Pray that God would inspire me and give me great insight to the subject of innovation. Thanks!

I’m collecting stories of risk and would love to hear from you. I’d like to hear if you and your church took a risk and what the outcome was and I’d love to hear if you think a Biblical story demonstrates taking risk. You, my friends, are my partners in writing this book. Please share a story of risk with me.

As I’m writing this book on innovation, I’m including a Biblical example in each chapter. I have a lot of Biblical stories that I feel show innovative thinking or action, but I’m always looking for more. If you have a Biblical example of innovation or doing something new or different because God led them to – PLEASE share it with me. I would love your input. Fire away!

After studying, researching and chewing/meditating on innovation for 3 years and traveling the country in 2008 and 2009 speaking to Church leaders in major cities, it’s time for me to write about what I’ve learned. I’ll be taking the month of March to write daily on the subject of innovation in ministry. I sincerely ask for your prayers. Pray that God would write through me. Pray that my writing would be anointed, inspired, potent and insightful.

Renee Johnson is a spirited speaker and writer to twenty-somethings. She graduated from Biola University and has had the pleasure of working with the top nationally-known Christian speakers and writers at Outreach Events. Her devotional blog reaches hundreds of readers.

Renee’s mission in life is to “spur others forward” (Hebrews 10:24) using the lessons learned from her own trials to encourage others in their walk with God. Sign up for weekly devotionals at http://www.devodiva.com. Learn more about Renee and her ministry at www.devotionaldiva.com. For more information on her book, go to the book website: http://www.faithbookofjesus.com.

I had a chance to ask Renee some questions. Take a look:

1. GREG: What led you to write this book? RENEE: When I read through new devotional books year after year I eventually ran out of relevant devotionals. There were the classics such as “My Utmost For His Highest” and “Streams in the Desert” and then the fluffy ones for teenagers or women (or men) only. I decided I had had enough and started to write my own. That was seven years ago and it took me that long to learn the publishing world and to find my voice as a writer!
2. GREG: Why do you think 20-somethings in particular will benefit from reading this? RENEE: 20-somethings will especially benefit from reading “Faithbook of Jesus.” I surveyed over 300 plus 20-somethings and young adults and picked the best quotes for each daily devotional.
3. GREG: Do you think this book is good for people of all ages? RENEE: “Faithbook of Jesus” can be read by people of all ages. However, it is the first devotional book written for men and women, ages 18-35! GREG: I’m in that target age group so I look forward to using it daily!
4. GREG: Tell us a little more about your background in ministry. RENEE: I had the pleasure of working at Outreach for the past two years. I helped pastor’s plan Events and was able to represent amazing speakers such as Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, and Kirk Cameron. For me to work at Outreach was a dream come true.
5. FUN FACT FROM RENEE: My Literary Agency and NavPress found and discovered me on Twitter! For any individuals, pastor’s, or faith-based ministries wondering how to impact young people, social networking is definitely the way to go!

*** I encourage you to pick up your copy HERE.

My friend, DJ Chuang, posted an article entitled “Can the online church really be the church?” Here it is:

This new book by Douglas Estes, SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World, tackles the brewing questions surrounding the legitimacy of an online church. Many church leaders are discerning and discussing the “what is the church?” question that’s been going for years, and now, growing numbers of church leaders are asking it in the context of online worship experiences and forming relationships and communities virtually.

The book’s official website poses the question as: “Church on the Internet? Seriously?” This is the question many people are asking as more and more people chose to congregate online, and more and more churches look to launch internet campuses. But are these internet churches real? Are they healthy? Are they productive for faith? This is a conversation you can’t afford to miss as together we ask, “What does it mean to be the church in the virtual world?”

The official website links to a number of commentaries, including these positive ones: Internet Campuses from A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip, Responses to concerns about online church by Tony Steward, and A lesson from history for doubters by John Saddington; and negative ones:There is no virtual church by Bob Hyatt, Is Online Community real Community? Questions about the Virtual Church by Drew Goodmanson, Limitations of online church by Bobby Gruenewald.

As I’ve started reading through the book, I appreciated the author not taking a cautionary posture, throwing up warnings and fears of how technology could be misused. Estes digs behind the assumptions and cultural lens we have about being present with one another in inter-personal relationships. This is excerpted from page 60-61,

“If we want community to flourish in the virtual world, we’ll need to scrutinize our learned understanding of presence. Most people raised and educated in the Western world think of presence or being present as a physical act… Though defining presence simply as the location of our bodies is one of the foundational bricks of modern Western understanding of the world, itis not a God-given or biblical idea.” [emphasis added]

I think the book makes a compelling case for how relationships can occur through telepresence, and that a biblical community and a biblical church is not limited by the geography of a physical location.

And, last week, a SimChurch blog tour connected bloggers with reviews, commentaries, and interviews:

• Theology and the SimChurch [a chat with Douglas Estes] at Dan King’s blog,BibleDude
• SimChurch Blog Tour Discussion and Can a Church Exist in Cyberspace? at Chad Estes’ blog, Captain’s Blog
• Book Review of SimChurch, plus questions about WikiWorship at Eric Nygren’s blog, Returned Sheep
• SimChurch and Typical Churches at Mark Robert’s blog, MarkDRoberts.com
• Intro to Online Churches at Cynthia Ware’s blog, The Digital Sanctuary
• Discussion on the Advantages of Virtual Churches at Kent Shaffer’s blog, Church Relevance
• Book Review of SimChurch at Dave Bourgeois’ blog, Lessons from Babel
• Plus an unofficial post on the blog tour, my myth-busting In Defense of Virtual Church over at Christianity Today’s blog, Out of Ur

While I’m not so sure the discussions and reviews will change a lot of minds at this stage of the dialogue, I do think this book is one to be reckoned with. Where are you at with your thinking about the church in the virtual world?

Today  I’m a stop on the Whole Church Blog Tour. I asked author Mel Lawrenz 3 questions and he answered them below. I read this book on two flights a week ago. It’s worth your time to check it out.

1) In chapter 10, you talk about the struggles we all face when it comes to change. In your experience, what’s the first hurdle leaders need to overcome to change their culture from fragmentation to engagement?

MEL: Our biggest hurdle to overcome is our obsession with ourselves. All churches (and especially their leaders) tend to be focussed on themselves. We do that because we’re human; and we have fragmentation in our churches because we human beings are fragmented. We should come back to the question: what really constitutes success in a church? What are we really aiming at accomplishing? Whole Church contains 350 practical ideas on promoting cohesion in a church.

2) Is there a linear path from fragmentation to engagement? Or does each church’s individual context influence the steps leaders need to take?

MEL: Churches, like families, grow and improve in an organic way, not in a linear path, in my opinion (at least, with regard to the spiritual dynamics of a church). Engagement (as God’s resources being brought into contact with human need) happens when, in dozens of different ways, we close the God-gap. For instance, re-tooling worship so that it is a true encounter with God in every element of worship, or shaping small groups so that they produce true koinonia (not just gatherings), or getting a congregation really engaged with global needs by connecting with a school in southern Sudan. These are not a few steps along a linear path, but a pattern of a multitude of cohesive experiences.

3) You end the book with a chapter called “Choosing Wise Leaders” – why did you choose to finish with this?

MEL:Wisdom is a neglected theme of church leadership. Get leaders who are wise (in the James 3 sense), and they will know that engagement with God is where the real power of ministry comes from and they will raise the church above small-mindedness.

Mel Lawrenz 
http://www.wholechurch.org/

I had a great Secret Shopper visit yesterday with a local church plant in the DFW area. I look forward to sharing my notes with their senior pastor. I was reminded of how even young church plants can quickly lose their new eyes and start to miss things that are obvious to a newcomer like me.

I came across some good words on Mike Holmes’ blog that I’d like to share with you. He mentioned that a secret shopper or mystery worshipper can do a few things:

1. Assess areas of strength and weakness.
2. See what visitors see.
3. Receive objective appraisal.

He also shares the story of his experiment as a secret shopper, which is convicting and inspiring. He goes on to share signs you need a secret shopper or mystery worshipper:

1. Visitors who don’t return
2. Decreased attendance
3. Lack of influence in the surrounding community

I would add an eye for excellence and an attempt to be better at your “main thing” (Sunday) – as Nancy Beach shares in her book “An Hour on Sunday“. It’s always healthy to look at your Sunday morning experience through the eyes of a newcomer and especially the eyes of a lost person. You may get only one chance to make a positive impression on them.

Mike also cites an article in the Wall Street Journal on secret shoppers and I think it’s worth a read. As the article states: “Department stores hire mystery shoppers. Restaurant chains bring in undercover diners to rate their food and service.” Isn’t what we do on Sundays as Church leaders more important than department stores and restaurants? Seriously, isn’t it???

September is slammed full – right now I’m booking Secret Shopper visits for October and November. I’d love for you to start a conversation with me about visiting your church. I promise: it’s worth the investment. Go HERE for more information and to read endorsements of my ministry.

I had a revelation yesterday. My son and I were hanging out and watching basketball. He asked me who I watched when I was younger. I said, “the Bulls” and then it dawned on me that my son doesn’t know who Michael Jordan is. I was stunned. How can he not know who MJ is? 

I asked him who the best player in basketball is and he said “Lebron James” – not bad, kid. Speaking of living legends, did you see Tiger Woods yesterday? Wow! What a finish! And of course: how about my Tarheels? 

On a serious note, I once got to meet a true living legend. I was in the green room in the backstage of the worship center at Saddleback and met their guest speaker for the day: Brother Yun. If you don’t have his book, The Heavenly Man – you really ought to get it. It’s amazing. He’s an amazing man and a true “living legend”. 

Who do you consider to be a living legend?