Influences and Recommendations

Over on www.philocrites.com I have listed my main theological influences of late, and though it was an off-the-top of my head spur of the moment posting I am still feeling pretty satisfied with it. Looking back over the list (and I can't believe I didn't put in Moltmann, thanks to those who did so, as well as Rahner), it strikes me how influential these theologians also have been to my passion for church planting. Note that St. Paul is at the top! But each in some way have been engaged in the ways that the church and culture intersect and pull apart and remake each other. It will be fun to develop up a deep theological root for church planting which can get carried away in the moment to moment of inspiration from the latest trends. Ah summertime for that endeavor!

Here is the list I posted:
St. Paul, Schleirmacher, Frederic Henry Hedge, Peter C. Hodgson, Kathryn Tanner, Carl Scovel, David Tracy, Rodney Starks, Stanley Grenz, Stanley Hauerwas, Stanley Stowers---
and a host of postmodern ecclesial writers such as Bill Easum, Thomas Bandy, Leonard Sweet, Brian McLaren, William Tenny-Brittain, Michael Slaughter, Dan Kimball, Eddie Gibbs/Ryan K. Bolger, Lyle Schaller (recent stuff), Aubrey Malphurs, Ralph Moore, Neil Cole.

Some quick links to church planting resources

While I am building the basics of this site, here are some of my recommendations of good links for church planters. As always let me know what you find useful, debatable, etc.

1. the church planting resources at Bill Easum and Tom Bandy's consulting site. Get on the free church planters email list too.
http://www.easumbandy.com/resources/index.php?action=searchresults&pl_option[1]=3

2. Natural Church Plant Development
http://www.youresource.com/natural_church_plant_development1.htm

3. Multiplying Church
http://www.multiplyingchurch.org/

4. Networking Church
http://www.acts29network.org/main.html

That's a start. More to come.

PCP ...Progressive Church Planting

This blog under slow construction by Ron Robinson will provide a space for networking, resources, events, and deep conversation on these two questions:

1. What all can and should "church" be today?
2. How all do we plant the seeds of that church?

A corner of cyberspace for considering particularly all things emergent, post-modern, quantum, liberal, progressive, generous, relational, beyond-the-box.

With a few detours into The New Perspective on Paul and other biblical forays, ancient-future liturgies, and...just for good measure...the intersection of "God's gatherings" with the worlds of design, ecology, classism, new american gardening, business entrepenuerism, and the arts.

You can also catch me, in the mean time, at www.epiphanyspirit.org and www.uuchristian.org and the online communities of the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship.