Current reading list

It has been a while since I updated my current reading list. It is shorter but here it goes! You'll notice that I have been studying church staff/teams.

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Lencioni


• Staff Your Church for Growth by McIntosh


• Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church by Driscoll


• Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument -- not a book but worth your time.


• 1 Corinthians - at least once a week

I honestly do not think I have ever read a Christian book that is as raw, funny, and real as Confessions of a Reformission Rev. You'll either love it or hate it. I love it. I'm looking forward to reading "The Radical Reformission" next.

Jacob and Kate

I had the privilege of officiating a wedding yesterday at Vance Vineyards and Winery in Fredericktown for Jacob Musgrove and Kate Hennrich. All I could think about while officiating the wedding was one Sunday last January. On January 24th, 2010 we baptized Jacob as he publicly professed his faith in Jesus.

Jacob's baptism is about ten minutes and forty-five seconds in. Listen to his response. Glory to God forever!

(embedded video - facebook viewers may need to visit benjamindurbin.com to watch it)



If you are interested in having a full wedding script from their ceremony last night, you can download it here.

When is a generalization about a group racist?

I had this question posed to me yesterday. I couldn't come up with a great answer but John Piper did! Below is an excerpt from an article on racism, stereotypes, and generalizations. Check out the whole article here.

When is a generalization about a group racist? I am using the word racist as something sinful, and the following answers move toward a definition. The following uses of generalization would be wrong (racist):

• When you want a person to fit a negative generalization that you have formed about a group (even if the generalization statistically is true).
• When you assume that a statistically true negative generalization is true of a particular person in the face of individual evidence to the contrary.
• When you treat all the members of a group as if all must be characterized by a negative generalization.
• When you speak disparagingly of an entire group on the basis of a negative generalization without any regard for those in the group who don’t fit the generalization. Or: When you speak negatively of a group based on a generalization without giving any evidence that you acknowledge and appreciate the exceptions. (I assume that Jesus’ generalizations about the Pharisees [Matthew 23] and Paul’s generalization about the Cretans [Titus 1:12] are not sinful because they did have such regard and did appreciate the exceptions.)

Implication for Christians: While realizing that life is not livable without generalizations, be careful not to let your pride lead you to use statistical generalizations in unloving ways.

Pastors are poor repenters. Ironic isn't it? The men who call people to geniune repentance weekly, often fail to deeply repent themselves.

This week I had some of my personal property violated. In my anger, I formed generalizations that led to racist thoughts and complete bitterness. This wasn't towards a people group of a different ethnicity. No, it was towards a people group that are near the low end of the social and economic scale often by their own choice and actions. They need discipline, yes. And yes, I must protect my family, friends, and flock as well.

But....

They don't need me to be racist. That is sin. I don't want to be bitter. I don't want to dishonor God or the gospel. I repent and trust the gospel. They need me to speak the gospel, live the gospel, and keep the gospel at the center of my heart and actions.

The formula of a successful church

Watch this video and give me your honest reactions. '
(Facebook viewers need to visit benjamindurbin.com)

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Here are mine.

I'm afraid that the deconstruction in the video is true. We have the most important opportunity in the world every Sunday. I pray that we don't waste it being consumer driven rather than gospel driven. It is also a gut check to make sure we don't follow routine and trendiness rather than the triune God in our celebrations.

How does The Bridge rate in regards to simply following this formula?

I would of said it was more true of us in year 1 and 2. Now, we plod through scripture making the Gospel the centerpiece of all that we do. The gospel is elevated as the rock star. All of our elements proclaim the gospel and challenge people to move not consume.

We definitely aren't as trendy as we once were, but we do get to spend at least six months in 1 Corinthians soon! :-) We have made it a focused effort for scripture to be elevated to a place of prominence over any of our teachers.

Now, I do believe that there are still abuses in non-contemporary or non-relevant churches.

On the other end of the spectrum, you still have churches stuck in different eras. Often instead of following the Triune God, they would rather follow the good old days. You can find abuses on both sides of the fence.

This video could be shot with hymns, special singing, and old fashioned preaching with three piece suits and still pull out the same reaction in me.

What questions does this video force us to ask?

1. Who are we pleasing? God or man?
2. Who are we following? Our own plans and strategy, or the living and triune God?
3. Are we comfortable and set it something that worked once? Or are we being led by the spirit in faith?
4. What are we growing? Consumers or Gospel-Driven people?
5. What are we imaging? Radical disciples of Jesus? Or man-made systems and strategies?
6. Have we over-contextualized? Have we under-contextualized?
7. Is Jesus the hero of our church? The hero of our leadership? The hero of our celebrations?
   

These are the things I think about all of the time. These are the reactions I had to the video.

If you want to see a video that I believe is in contrast to this one, CLICK HERE.

Building Homes in Haiti

I am heading to Haiti July 5-12 to build homes with Growing Hope for Haiti. As I write this, there are currently 8 spots left on the team. Would you pray about joining?

For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Hebrews 3:4

Growing Hope for Haiti and The Fuller Center for Housing has partnered together to build a community in Leogane, Haiti. This community near the epicenter was destroyed by the January 12th earthquake. Opportunities for building homes for the people of Haiti exist in two ways:

1. Join my team!
2. Sponsor a home. $4,000 will provide a home for a family now living under a tarp, bed sheet, or tent, and contribute to the community well, latrines, and garden.

• We will be there July 5th-12th
• Building skills are not mandatory, but a willingness to work hard and be teachable is
• Cost is estimated to be $1100 including airfare, food, water, and transportation. (subject to change if airfare changes)
• Conditions are tough. You will be exposed to heat, rain, and sleep in tents.
  
• Passport required

Quit sitting on your assets.
Get up off of your blessed assurance.

Put your faith and money where your mouth is and join our team.

I am hoping for at least half of the team to be men.
Email me today!

Your faith doesn't have a speed limit. Quit living like it does and FLOOR it.

Click here for the SHOT list.

Our Story: Gospel Principles for my Missional Cell

Well over four years ago I began meeting together with other adults from St. Francois County in my home. We would meet for the purposes of developing community and spiritual growth. We shared stories, ate together, and dug into God's word together. I have been a part of four small groups of people (we call them cells) during this time period, with three of them being a part of The Bridge Community Church.

These small groups of people (cells) have been instrumental in my life. I have grown closer to Christ and have been moved to gospel maturity much quicker in these small communities, than I ever would have been just sitting in a pew. However, looking back they were missing something. I couldn't put my finger on it until I listened to Matt Carter from Austin Stone speak last year.

I realized that these groups were missing gospel intention. We had always aimed at deep community, but we lacked a focus on common mission and the eventual out-workings of the gospel. Because of this lack of living with gospel intentionality and common mission, our sense of deep community often dwindled over time.

This year my cell selected a common mission. We did this through prayer and cultural engagement. We looked at the specific rhythms of our county with the purpose of finding where the gospel needed to take root and grow. We asked God to open up our eyes to see how we could be missionaries for Him in our own back yard.

We settled on a common people group to whom we have been sent together to in order to make disciples. This group of people for my missional cell are the students living in the dorms at Mineral Area College. We are now working to radically reorient the rhythms of our own lives around loving and reaching these people. This is moving us away from simply focusing on a weekly meeting, and towards living a life together on mission.

We currently are 13 adults who share life and truth, love God and one another, and engage the social and spiritual needs of our county.

Together we ---

Share life and truth.
We are more than a meeting; we are a community that shares life throughout the week: meals, trials, vacation, mission, etc. We are imperfect but are united by the perfecting truth of the gospel of grace.

Pray for one another and St. Francois County
We pray regularly for one another, our neighbors, and our county because we know that it is ultimately God who renews the county.

Engage peoples and cultures.
Our missional cell engages the cultures of the students at the MAC dorms with genuine interest, love, and the hope of redemption.

Love one another.
We are bound together by mutual love and encouragement. We’re a family.

Why do we do this?
Gospel principles that guide missional cell.

We are all broken.
We are all more broken than we want to admit, and God is more holy than we comprehend.

We all need Jesus.
In Jesus we are more forgiven and accepted than we can imagine, and God is more delighted in us than we understand.

We all need one another.
We need each other to share our struggles and joys in following Jesus.

Our county needs the Gospel.
The gospel of Christ changes and renews the peoples and cultures of the county.

Interested in finding out about other missional cells at The Bridge Community Church? Contact Stan Jackson today.

Current Reading LIst

Here are some books I have been reading in the last few months.

1. The Book of Ruth (I read it once a day gearing up to teach it in May)
   
2. Doctrine by Driscoll and Breshears
3. Total Church by Timmis
4. Sticky Teams by Osborne
5. A Sweet and Bitter Providence by Piper
6. Church 3.0 by Cole