Missional and Creative

I got the chance to do some more reading during our trip to the beach. I’m about halfway through Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer and David Putman. I have really enjoyed reading through it so far. At first, it seems like such a simple concept, your church should function as a missionary to the culture you live in. Although it is easy to understand, it is hard to implement. I like the case studies throughout the book because they show you how real churches are functioning. I recommend this book to anyone struggling with the terminology of the missional/emerging/emergent church movement. I keep seeing Ed Stetzer’s name coming up in other blogs as well, so it’s good to finally read something by him.

Another book I read recently was The Creative Leader by Ed Young. This was a book that I couldn’t put down. Very easy to read and very informative. The engineer in me likes the practical common sense approach to books. This book was packed full of real life examples and practical ways to become more creative in your teaching. I liked seeing how he used “mind maps” to outline his sermons. I’ve been working on reducing my notes when I preach and teach. I feel like you connect to your audience so much better when you aren’t glued to your notes. The other thing I really liked reading about was having a creative team approach to messages. That appeals to me as well to get more people involved in illustrations, dramas, and other creative elements to the service. My only negative is that this book promotes Fellowship Church and Ed Young quite a bit, although not intentional, it does come across as a little ostentatious at times.