- livingthedash.tv

I tuned in last night for some of North Point Online’s first online gathering. North Point Online officially launches on Sunday, August 16th.

Senior Pastor Andy Stanley and Campus Pastor Jeff Henderson introduced the new online community and talked a bit about the strategy, mission, and vision for this new experience.

North Point Online “will offer live worship, practical teaching, online discussion groups and much more.”

So exciting to see churches like North Point, Lifechurch.tv, Newspring, my own church home, Woodlands Church, and many others leveraging technology to….

1) spread the message of Christ

2) connect the members of the body of Christ

3) communicate with church members and attenders

Here is a video introducing North Point Online…..

North Point Online – Promo 1 from North Point Media on Vimeo.

The Ipiphanist (Show + Tell) blog by Nick Charalambous (@ipiphanist) is fast becoming one of my favorite blogs.

Nick, a former journalist, is now the Web Campus Pastor at Newspring Church. (read more here about how that happened)

Nick’s blog is full of…

thoughts

ideas

questions

challenges

conversations

about how the church can more effectively use technology and the internet.

His latest blog post on Christian community is one of the best I’ve read on the subject.

Here are a few quotes from the post…..

What is unique about Christianity is the church. The church, the body of God, the community of God, gives Christians the power to move beyond mere human “community,” and generally do things that are not in what a typical person would consider their best interests.

The goal of the church isn’t a community or a better community. It is being the church: the field hospital, kitchen and armory of always-continuing skirmishes on the battlelines of a war between good and evil.

Community, as with church, is not a destination. It is not an origin. It is a camp. A fort. A refuge.

And if we’re going to defeat the enemy’s strongholds where they are now – in the web, the living network – maybe we need to start building our “shining cities on a hill” there, just as we built our cathedrals in centuries gone by.

You can should read the rest of the post at Nick’s blog here.

I recently finished reading an early copy of Tony Morgan’s new book, Killing Cockroaches.

Here are 10 reasons you should read this book…….

1) The book contains lots of Top 10 lists

A few of my favorites…..10 Stupidest Leadership Mistakes I’ve Made, 10 Signs Your Not Ready For Change, & 10 Easy Ways to Make Church Services More Boring

2) Andy Stanley wouldn’t write the foreward for a bad book

3) The foreword is sandwiched between ‘Enter at Your Own Risk’ and ‘Prepare for an Adventure’

4) The book actually contains 4 easy steps for killing cockroaches

5) Tony is not your ordinary pastor

Tony rejects the status quo and takes an innovative, creative, and cutting-edge approach to ministry.  Naturally, that makes some in the church world a little uncomfortable.  Seth Godin might even call him a “heretic”.  Fortunately, in today’s world “heretics” have popular blogs and get their books published.

6) Tony’s church is not your ordinary church

Newspring Church, led by Senior Pastor Perry Noble, exists for one simple mission:  To make Jesus famous, one life at a time.  Perry and Tony have a passionate and strategic laser-focus on that mission and, as a result, Newspring Church is making a big impact in Anderson, SC and beyond.

7) All of the 100+ blog post-like chapters are in alphabetical order

How did he do that?  Also, many of the chapters are creatively titled.  The titles make you want to read more.  A few of my favorite titles…….Actions Speak Louder Than Advertising, Christians Sound Different, Giant Inflatable Blue Monkeys, How Would Apple Do Church?, and I’m Just Not That Interested In God

8) Tony has a great blog.  This book reads like a series of blog posts.  That makes for a great book.

9) This book has lots of great interviews

A few of my favorites……..Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Penelope Trunk, Mark Batterson, Steven Furtick, and Craig Groeschel

10) This book is not just for church leaders

Tony is in the church world, but he keeps a close eye on the strategies, marketing, branding, communications, and innovation of America’s businesses.  I’m in the business world, but I keep a close eye on what is happening in the church.  I believe the business world and the church world still have lots to learn from each other.  The “scattered musings on leadership” contained in this book are for leaders of all types.

Get your copy of Killing Cockroaches here.  Also available on the Kindle here.