Merry Christmas

Here is to wishing everyone a very blessed Christmas. May you experience wonder of the shepherds, the awe of the wise men, and the presence of Jesus Himself in new ways in this season.

Thanks also to all those who contributed to the "superintendent's gift" and to all those who gave separate gifts. I am more blessed than I deserve to be able to work with each of you in the Jesus' cause. I am filled with joy when I think of each of you.

I am praying that God's blessing will break out among us in 2008 in ways we have not yet experienced. It is a prayer I know He wants to answer.

Six (OK, seven) books to help understand Rapid Expansion

Since our vision is to create a culture of rapid expansion in the church, here are six (seven actually) key books to help understand Rapid Expansion of the church.

1. "The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church," by Roland Allen. This is THE textbook on spontaneous expansion. Written in the 1920's by Roland Allen a missionary in China and India, this is the clearest explanation of how the church gets to spontaneous expansion.
http://www.amazon.com/Spontaneous-Expansion-Church-Causes-Kinder/dp/1579101984/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197150741&sr=8-2

2. "The Starfish and the Spider," by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom. This is a secular book about creating organizations that multiply naturally through decentralized networking. http://www.amazon.com/Starfish-Spider-Unstoppable-Leaderless-Organizations/dp/1591841437/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197151090&sr=1-1

3. "Let Go of the Ring," by Ralph Moore. The story of Hope Chapel in Hawaii that has now planted over 500 churches all over the world. http://www.amazon.com/Let-Ring-Hope-Chapel-Story/dp/0962812722/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197151309&sr=1-2

4. "Cultivating a Life for God," by Neil Cole. This is the guide for starting Life Transformation Groups of three people each in your church. Life Transformation Groups are one of the few ministries of the church that has been shown to reproduce believers spontaneously. http://www.amazon.com/Cultivating-life-God-Neil-Cole/dp/1889638064/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197151511&sr=1-1

5. "Making Disciples - One Conversation at a Time," by Michael Henderson. Because the Scriptures teach that what brings rapid expansion of the Kingdom is not multiplication of the church but the spreading of the Message (Logos) of Jesus, it is critical that we teach people how to mention Jesus as they share their story in ordinary conversation. This book powerfully teaches that concept. http://www.amazon.com/Making-Disciples-One-Conversation-at-Time/dp/0834123002/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197151861&sr=1-1

6 (and 7). "The Search to Belong: Rethinking Intimacy, Community, and Small Groups" by Joseph R. Myers and Organic Community: Creating a Place Where People Naturally Connect by Joseph R. Myers. Two books with some new thinking on the role of relationships in the church. Since conversation is the key to multiplication, these books provide good insights for the church that seeks to help people shape meaningful relationships.

Check some of these out books. I will post more books at a later date.

The Engaging Church Seminar

JR Rushik sends this link on a one day seminar called,"The Engaging Church." This is described as a seminar about "How to Attract Outsiders, Connect Visitors and Integrate New Members." The seminar will be held in Philadelphia on April 2, Baltimore, April 3, and Richmond, April 4. For more information check out the link: http://www.churchgrowth.net/seminars/index.htm

Annual Reports

The information for completing local church annual reports will be mailed out next week. Annual reports will be completed on the the Internet and are due by January 31. Pastors, please be sure to gather the reports you need from treasurer's and other local church leaders that are necessary to complete your annual report so it can be completed on time.

Rockville begins 100 days of prayer

Rockville, Md has begun a hundred days of prayer. It will end on Palm Sunday. They will be using prayer triplets to seek God's will for the future of the church. The single most important issue in spiritual leadership is to hear from God about His plans for the future. Please spend some time praying that God will reveal His perfect will for the Rockville church.