We’re back in Vancouver, and strangely enough the hot humid weather of central Florida seems to have followed us home.  It wouldn’t let us go in fact, as our arrival in Toronto was swathed in the same kinds of massive downpours we saw several times in Florida (which caused our flight to be delayed by an hour, leading to our homecoming at 2am!) Daytime highs today around 33 (about 90 for any American visitors!), but with two blessed differences: first, I got up this morning and it wasn’t that hot… more like 19C or 70F.  Having an evening heat respite is a big deal for me.  Second, it ends now!  Tomorrow’s high is more like 78-80F or 27C.  That will be absolutely beautiful after 5 days in the parking lot that is Orlando’s theme parks.

I’ve been twittering the odd thought that crosses my mind today.  So watch that if you like, but we will be writing more thoughts as we digest our experience down there.

Of course, that will be all mixed in between the burning needs to:

• Get in contact with my academic advisor re: grad essay (haven’t heard from him since May, and he finally emailed me while I was gone of course!)
• Call all our small group people for this fall to arrange to invite them out,
• Call all our Awana leaders to make sure they come to the tour this Saturday and block off the time for the Awana orientation next Saturday
• Call all our small group people from last year to arrange to meet and finish off our outreach event planning

Good thing some of those people overlap…

PS.  shout out to Zach, pastor and blogger out in PA that I met at iGo!  Great meeting ya!

I’ve been reading Ed Stetzer’s Planting New Churches in a Postmodern Age lately.  It is beastly-long as compared to the quick read that Launch was.

I was trying to catch some rays and darken the skin a little before we head to Florida at the end of the month for a little iGo action and a round of Disney.  I made the mistake of leaving the book on my lawn chair.  The boys got out the sprinkler and turned it on full-blast, drenching my lawn chair and my book, borrowed from TWU.  Because of its saturation, I think I’ll be buying the library a new copy, so I’d better enjoy this one!

In that light, I’ll say this: the chapters do go by quickly, and Stetzer does a good job of listing references on each chapter so you can do further reading.  In a lot of ways, since I am 3/4 of the way through the book, I have been disappointed thus far.

I actually started to comment on this book before.  I initially like some of his insights, early on, but as the book moves along, it gets more ordinary.  Not a lot is new in fact.  It is more a synthesis-type book than a new approach.  I find myself in later chapters reading his words which openly rehash material from a variety of other resources.  Not plaigarism - he cites his sources clearly - but just disappointing.  Like if I had read something else I’d get more.

The most recent couple of chapters I read were on building launch teams and on small groups.  The small groups chapter was actually weak.  He only discussed small groups of one model type - and I am not even sure I agree that it’s a good type.  It’s a jack-of-all-trades small group - one that is designed to provide fellowship and community, but also worship, Bible study, and evangelism.  I have become convinced in my time in different small groups that it is impossible to do all these things well when you try to do them in a small group.  Stetzer himself points out all the pitfalls of bringing non-Christians into a group full of Christians - the Christianese that gets flung around, the discomfort of being the “new guy”, the culture shock are all not good things for someone you are trying to introduce to the Gospel.  Not only that, but it also hurts the relationships of the people already there.  To “go deep” and really open up your heart in the safety of Christians is hard enough.  What chance does your group have of real authentic community when strangers keep appearing and disappearing, who could do anything with your deep secrets and fears?

The chapter on building a core did hold some useful discussion, but I was at a loss as to understand how his description of various means of teambuilding reflected unique approaches specifically for the postmodern crowds.  Maybe it’s because I see a much more intensive variety of postmodern people in Canada - specifically in my workplace at a technology company, and also in my studies of Whistler’s church planting challenges.  These people are not just people who don’t believe in existential truth, but live according to that reality.  These are people who have not heard a single positive message about authority, church, or traditional structures like marriage in 30 years - which is the lifespan of the majority I work with.  These are hard-core people.  It’s almost easier to reach new immigrants with a completely foreign paradigm and religion, because at least they believe there is truth out there, and have a greater connection and understanding of family and structure.

For all of its weight, this book feels light.  Too light to be very useful but I will finish it out before passing final judgement.

Another thought by someone else:

• Matt Jones’s glowing review.  I’d actually agree there are lots of good points.  How many are original to Ed?  I don’t know.  Maybe I am being spoilt by how much reading on the internets and such on missional ideas and church planting methods.  Since I had already read these ideas, I wasn’t as blown away by Stetzer’s presentation.