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I am the pastor of Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Chandler, IN. All opinions or views expressed here are solely mine. To find out more about me check the profile page.
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Multi-Site Church Roadtrip, My Review

By Daniel Edwards | March 12, 2010

I have been very curious about the proliferation of multi-site/multi-campus churches, so when I saw a chance to get this book* and review it, I jumped at it. I just finished the book and I am anxious to share some of my observations.

  • Multi-Site Church Roadtrip is definitely an “Ah!” book.

The purpose of the Multi-Site Road Trip is to provide snapshots of several leading churches that have gone to (or started as) a multi-site model. By visiting these different churches and interviewing their people, Geoff, Warren, and Greg are able to give a “nuts and bolts” look at each of the churches.

I would guess that many people in ministry are like me, they are students of ministries. I always want to know what other churches are doing, how their doing it, and what the impact looks like. This is due to a desire to find strategies that would have an impact in my local community and a dose of nosiness. This books definitely satisfied my curiosity. Though the book speaks to the “why?” of multi-site ministry, it focuses mainly on the “how?”As you read, you often find yourself saying, “Ah! That is how they make it work…”

I found answers to questions like:

How do they provide live video of the main campus?

What is the organizational and financial structure of these churches?

How and when do they decide to expand to another campus?

  • Multi-Site Church Roadtrip is a well organized book.

The authors do not simply roam from church to church, but they focus on the strength or unique feature of the different churches. They are also sure to include examples and contrasts from the other churches that fit the theme of the current chapter. As you read, you don’t feel like you are reading a bio on a dozen churches, you feel like you are learning the building blocks of Multi-Site from the leaders or originators of the concept.

In addition to this, there are practical resources like starting each chapter with a basic bio sheet on the featured church, websites for all the featured churches, campus pastor job descriptions, and discussion questions.

  • Multi-Site Church Roadtrip is not just a book for multi-site leaders.

Our church is not multi-site and we currently have no plans to be one. However, as I read the book I found a lot of practical ideas that can easily be incorporated to a single campus church. Most of these churches started off as single site churches, but because of their growth and vision they shifted to multi-site. The elements that brought them to that point are ones that I want in my church.

I was especially challenged by chapter 13 which focused on the necessity of a constant reproduction of leaders. Leadership reproduction is needed in a church that grows spiritually and numerically. I got some great insights on how Lake Pointe Church does this to facilitate growth to new locations that I can use to facilitate growth in one location.

Plus, reading about the big visions these churches have and the risks they take to accomplish their mission, challenges me to think dream bigger.

  • Multi-Site Church Roadtrip does not settle the argument on whether the model is sustainable.

If (like me) you question whether multi-site is the right direction for the church to go in, you will still have some questions after reading the book. The book includes some arguments against the model from some of the foremost critics (kudos to the authors for including them).

They even admit that we can’t know where all of this is heading. They say “Some of the hardest objections to address are those based on the reality that we simply don’t know what the long-term effects of the multi-site movement will be.” Of course, we wont/can’t find out until we get there.

The book doesn’t settle the argument, but I don’t think it was intended to. This book provides info on how it is being done, which gives all of us more information to help us decide or form an opinion. For example, I personally lean toward the idea of letting secondary locations become their own church. That is the strategy that New Hope Christian Fellowship Hawaii is pursuing. The book covers their approach in chapter 2 “The Church Planting versus Campus Launch Dilemma.”

In summary: I recommend the book and I will put what I learned into good use in my own church as well as in future conversations about multi-site ministry.

*I received the book for free by committing to review it on my blog.

Topics: All, Evangelism, General | No Comments »

Favorite Tweets of February

By Daniel Edwards | March 8, 2010

Enjoy the latest roundup!

Follow me on Twitter.

Follow our Church on Twitter.

Check out previous favorite Tweets.

Topics: All, General | No Comments »

Responsible Email

By Daniel Edwards | February 11, 2010

We have all gotten them. The emails that tell us that the President is actually an alien, that congress is about to pass a law banning Christianity, or that by forwarding an email you donate money to cancer research.

There have been numerous occasions of a friend, family member, or fellow church attender sending me information that is baseless and misleading.

These emails are junk. I hate receiving them.

I think passing them along without researching their validity is more than just annoying, it is unwise.

All that being said, this past week I got an email that I feel is worth sharing.

Subject: Lie not one to another - Col 3:9a

Dear Friends in Ministry,

I recently received an email that asked me to sign a petition to help stop the Removal of Pastors from Television. I didn’t sign the petition mainly because I assumed email petitions do not mean much in a court of law and because I researched the story and found it to be untrue. Below you will find a few links to Focus on the Family’s website. There is an article about bearing false witness through internet hoaxes and also a link to the Q&A portion of Focus on the Family’s website that dispels a few myths (the Pastor removal hoax is included).

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/focusmagazine/christianliving/A000000143.cfm

http://family.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/family.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=489&p_created=1037383326

It is my personal standard that FW: emails are guilty until proven innocent. If I receive an email and the original author is not a personal friend, my conscience will not allow me to forward it until I have gone to the original source and found it to be true… with this being said. I rarely forward emails, because I seldom find them to be accurate.

May we not be guilty of promoting agendas (personal, political or religious) with falsehood! Our responsibilty to search for and desire truth does not end at church but extends into cyberspace. With so much dishonesty in our world, it is important that we search out the truth before we send emails to the ones we minister to and with. Colossians 3:9 states, Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds.

I hope this has been received well. May God bless your service for Him.

Daniel Webster

This latest email hoax has resulted in thousands of calls to Focus on the Family. I am sure these calls have wasted hours of time and lots of ministry money.

More damaging is the loss of credibility that we all suffer when the causes and movements we support are tied to malarkey.

Don’t spread rumors! In conversation or email!

Topics: All, Apologetics, General | 1 Comment »

Favorite Tweets of January

By Daniel Edwards | February 10, 2010

I have been doing favorite tweets for a year now! I am unsure if people get any enjoyment out of this besides seeing their name on the list…. but I like going back and seeing the lines that made me click the “favorite star.”
I hope that if you read these, you will find some good/funny/weird people to follow on Twitter. We have learned that Twitter isn’t about having a lot connections or followers, it’s about having good connections. Quality trumps quantity is most areas of life.
Hopefully you have found this funny and thought provoking, found some good people, or maybe I helped you with your Physics test score.
Here is to another year of Favorite Tweets!
Follow me.
Check out other favorite tweets from the past year.
Gander at my twitter list for people who have been “faved.”

I agree! Quality of sketch should determine if the student get half credit or full credit.

  • Jeff Postlewaite jeffpost

    Answer on a physics exam I’m grading- “Since I am unsure of the answer, please accept this magical unicorn instead” *sketch of unicorn* 8:03 AM Jan 27th from txt

  • Jeff Postlewaite jeffpost

    My children are terrorists. Along with causing economic turmoil, they are highly skilled using sleep deprivation and chemical warfare. 7:38 AM Jan 24th from web

  • Rachel Lamour Minter rachmint

    Today is Africa Day for the 5th grades. I look pretty funny in my African garb, but I’m one of the lucky Africans who has received TOMS. 7:44 AM Jan 22nd from txt

Apparently Africans have fads too! ;-)

  • Jeff Postlewaite jeffpost

    For a complete transcript of Troy Aikman’s comments, randomly drop small objects onto your keyboard for three hours. 12:36 PM Jan 17th from web

Thought of this yesterday when I heard a reporter in DC use “Snowmageddon.”

Topics: All | No Comments »

Our Response to Earth Quake in Haiti

By Daniel Edwards | January 13, 2010

Faith Church Family-

The earthquake in Haiti has brought horrible amounts of death and destruction. It has also come close to some personal ties for our church.

My grandfather arrived in Port Au Prince, Haiti with a mission team yesterday just before the quake began. The team, which includes Kevin Bass’ parents (Howard and Phyliss Bass), were on their way to the local mission compound when buildings and walls around them began to crumble. They saw bodies in the streets and demolished homes. When they arrived at the mission clinic they found it in mostly good condition. The missionaries (Joel & April Hess who visited our church with their daughter Emma a few years ago) were already helping people with injuries.
Also with the team is Dean Bullard who came to our church around Thanksgiving of 2006 to hang and finish drywall in the classrooms for free.

The team has been able to send text messages, pictures taken with cell phones, and even send updates to FaceBook.

An orphanage nearby suffered severe damage, so there are about 20 orphans at the compound where the team is working.

The original destination was elsewhere in the country to provide training to some of the local pastors that are associated with the mission work my grandfather has been a part of for several years. Their plan was to stop in at the mission clinic for a day to drop off supplies and meet with other local pastors. Because of the earthquake, they will be staying in Port Au Prince to continue to minister, help, and demonstrate Christ’s love.

I am asking you to respond to this catastrophe in the following ways:

  • Pray: Pray for continued safety for these missionaries and others. Pray that they will be able to get supplies like clean water. Pray that in the wake of this devastation, the love and grace shown by our missionaries will spark revival in this broken country. Pray that Voodoo will no longer be the national religion.
  • Give: We will collect offerings at our church that will go to help the mission clinic, orphans, the local pastors and their churches.

You can follow updates about the missions team here.

-Pastor Daniel

This video is from a Virginia Beach news channel. It includes the story about the team in Haiti and an interview with Pastor Karl Sexton (it starts at about the 2:25 point).

Topics: All, General | No Comments »

By Daniel Edwards | January 11, 2010

We are reading through the Bible (or at least the New Testament) at our church. I am even blogging/journaling through the New Testament portion here.

I thought it might be helpful to share some of the tips that have helped me read and study the Bible, so here are some Bible study tips. Please share your own in the comments.

  • Pray

When we study the Bible, we should start and end with prayer. Ask God to help you understand what you are reading. Pray for God’s help in applying what you have read.

  • Read with a plan

Do not approach Bible study randomly. Read with a plan like the one provided on this site or the many others that are available (see a list of different plans here). When you have a systematic approach you will not only cover more of the Bible, you will also follow themes which will aid in your understanding.

  • Get a new Bible

There is probably nothing wrong with the Bible that you have, but my guess is that your Bible is perfect for study at church and less than ideal for personal study and reading. Here is what I mean:

1. Get a Bible with paragraph style organization.

Most likely, the Bible you read is listed verse by verse like the one pictured on the left. This is great for group study or church because when someone calls your attention to a specific verse, you can easily find it. However, this is not as helpful when you are reading privately. While I use a Bible that is separated into verses for preaching and teaching at church, I have a Bible (pictured above) that I read in personal study that is broken into paragraphs.

When you read a book, magazine, or blog, the thoughts are broken into paragraphs. This aids your understanding of what you are reading. A paragraph Bible will do the same.

2. Get a Bible you can read easily.

At our church we currently use the KJV version in our worships services. I keep this consistent so we are all on the same page. In my personal study, I have enjoyed reading other versions of the Bible. I can recommend the NASB, ESV, and NKJV without hesitation. There are versions that I do not recommend and there are even “versions of the Bible” that are published by cults and you definitely need to stay away from them.

3. If you get a Bible with study notes, learn how to use them.

Do not got get a Bible with lots of notes and reference markers without learning how to use them. Take the time to read the introductory pages in the front of the Bible to learn how to use the cross references, notes, concordance, etc. You will get the most out of your Bible when you understand the notes.

  • Read with a pen in hand but do not write in your Bible.

There is nothing wrong with writing in your Bible, so do not feel guilty for underlining your favorite verses etc. While I think it is very helpful to journal or take notes while you read, I encourage putting these notes on in a notebook (or on a blog) and not in your Bible. I had a Bible teacher point out that when you write notes in your Bible, you trap yourself into a specific vein of thinking every time you read that passage. If you write a quote that I say next to Psalm 23 in your Bible, whenever you read over Psalm 23 you are going to think of me and that quote. If you write that quote in a notebook, you can look back over it in the future and your mind will be free to focus completely on Psalm 23 the next time you read it. Plus, in a notebook or on a legal pad you will have much more room for your notes (and doodles).

What are some Bible reading tips that you could share?

Topics: All | No Comments »

Favorite Tweets of December

By Daniel Edwards | January 9, 2010

This is a pretty long list for Favorite Tweets. I am not sure if that means we tweet better when we are excited for the holidays or I am more generous with the “honor” around Christmas.

They were delicious! -Daniel

  • Rachel Lamour Minter rachmint

    Passing the daycare I heard, “we have Santa’s number, and we can call him and tell him to put you on the naughty list if you don’t listen.” 4:02 PM Dec 10th, 2009 from txt

Take the time to click the link and read the post, very funny! -Daniel

  • Rachel Lamour Minter rachmint

    You know you go to a certain restaurant in a small town too much when they give you Christmas cookies in appreciation with your name on it. 2:13 PM Dec 5th, 2009 from txt

Topics: All, General | No Comments »

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