the postmodern pop pastor

There is a great new vodcast up on The Resurgence.com from their recent Text and Context conferene. It is Jim Gilmore, Fear and Trembling in the Experience Economy.

He speaks about what makes an experience transformative? That is, what makes it personal.

Labels: church, church planting, experience, leadership, worship

Acting Surgeon General Kicks Off 1,600 Town Hall Meetings Throughout the Nation to Address the Underage Drinking Problem

In response to the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to prevent and reduce underage drinking, more than 1,600 town hall meetings will take place all across the country in March and April 2008. These meetings are designed to raise awareness about new information on the public health risk that this problem poses as well as the steps that communities and individuals can take to combat and prevent it. (Please click on the following link for additional details: http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/0803204849.aspx)


Our town was chosen to take part in this nationwide event. It will be our 4th, all of which has been very successful with hundreds of students, parents and city/ county officials taking part. This one looks to very promising, run mostly by students using the title "Express Yourself."

Labels: social action

I work with the good folks from St Vincent de Paul society in my town. I was reminded of the depth of their history when I saw this old poor box at the San Juan Capistrano mission.

This was taken with my son's nikon coolpix.

Labels: photos, poverty, social action

My friend Brinton has recently returned from his second missions trip to Ethiopia. One the first trip a new church was begun in the village of Ziway. He returned to encourage the brothers and sisters there.


After returning home, he has begun to raise the money for them to have a church building!

Blessings to you Briton, Jesus is honored because of you.

Labels: evangelism, missional, social action

“Your origin and your birth are from the land of the Canaanite, your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.

“As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not rubbed with salt or even wrapped in cloths.

“No eye looked with pity on you to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you. Rather you were thrown out into the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born.

“When I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you while you were in your blood, ‘Live!’

“I made you numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall and reached the age for fine ornaments; your breasts were formed and your hair had grown. Yet you were naked and bare.

“Then I passed by you and saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love; so I spread My skirt over you and covered your nakedness. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became Mine,” declares the Lord God.

“Then I bathed you with water, washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I also clothed you with embroidered cloth and put sandals of porpoise skin on your feet; and I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk.

“I adorned you with ornaments, put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck.I also put a ring in your nostril, earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.

“Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your dress was of fine linen, silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour, honey and oil; so you were exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.

“Then your fame went forth among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of My splendor which I bestowed on you,” declares the Lord God.

Do you remember the beauty of this from Ezekiel or from your own life? Do you remember the grace of God that came in love to you when your life was a filthy,bloody abortion? Celebrate with me the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

Labels: evangelism, gospel, grace, Jesus, love

Our local Chamber of Commerce magazine did an article on my friend Ken Kammeyer, An artist whose canvas is dirt. Ken is wonderful godly man who beautifies his world and serves his community in the name of Jesus.

Labels: art, beauty, community, environment, leadership

St. Patrick revoltionized the world by reaching barbarians with the gospel of Jesus. He did it by bringing communities to the people and the people into community. Here is a quote from George Hunter's book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism.

“In significant contrast to contemporary Christianity’s well-known evangelism approaches of ‘Lone Ranger’ one-to-one evangelism, or confrontational evangelism, or the public preaching crusade, (and in stark contrast to contemporary Christianity’s more dominant approach of not reaching out at all!), … the Celtic Christians usually evangelized as a team- by relating to the people of a settlement; identifying with the people; engaging in friendship, conversation, ministry, and witness- with the goal of raising up a church in measurable time.” (47)

Labels: books, community, evangelism

my boy caleb

I preached this sermon with my friends at Taft Avenue Community Church in Orange, CA during their missions conference. This passage from Acts encouraged them pray that the hand of the Lord would use their ordinary lives to make their churches, in their community, a center for the Gospel mission as he did in the church in Antioch.

They were a great people to be with, eager to hear the Word of Jesus and to live it out.

The Hand of the Lord

on SermonCloud

Labels: audio, pastor, preaching

They post title is mine but the thought that follow are not. It does seem often that we spend our time and money on the institution of the church more than on the mission of the church and we cant always tie the activities of the organization to the mission of the organization. Also, it is often true that we take gifted shepherds and make them administrators. Then we place organizational types over them to make them "more efficient."

This comes from a great piece by Dan Kimbal posted on Out of Ur.

Human beings are the vessels of his Spirit, not organizations or institutions. This would mean asking new questions when the church (the community of believers) seeks to advance the mission of the Gospel:

Not: How do we grow the institution?
But: How do we grow people?

Not: How do we motivate people to serve in the church/institution?
But: How do we equip people and release them to serve outside the church/institution?

Not: How do we convince more people to come?
But: How do we inspire more people to go?

Not: How many programs can the church start?
But: How many programs have other churches started that we can help support?

Not: How many people have a committed relationship with our institution?
But: How many people have a committed relationship with another brother or sister in Christ?

Not: How do we make people dependent on the institution for their growth?
But: How do we equip people to grow independent of the institution?

Not: How much revenue can the institution generate?
But: How much revenue can the institution give away?

Not: How many buildings, pastors, and programs are necessary for the institution to have maximum exposure in the community?
But: How few buildings, pastors, and programs are necessary for God’s people to have time and energy to engage the community?

How these questions are answered will vary from place to place and church to church. How the Spirit of God leads one community of believer to engage the mission will look different than another. I’m not attempting to prescribe a single institutional model as normative for all. What I’m trying to do is challenge the assumptions behind the pervasive belief that sees institutions rather than people as the vessels and instruments of God’s power in the world. Learning to think “man-max, institution-min” may be the first step toward becoming a truly missional, rather than institutional, community.

Labels: authority, church, leadership

Joe Thorn just posted this fantastic piece on the missional vision of his church in St. Charles, IL. Check it out.

The Table - a domestic ministry.

The table represents the Christian home, and more specifically the home as the center for hospitality.

The Pulpit - a liturgic ministry.

The pulpit represents the gathered church where teaching/preaching is central.

The Square - a civic ministry
The square represents the town square; specifically the church’s cultural engagement outside of the first two ministry realms.

Labels: evangelism, leadership, ministry, missional, outreach

Now looking for only 7 more pastors under 40 years old to take my survey. I plan on closing it down in less than 1 week.



Do you know anyone you can forward this post to?

Do you know anyone who might post it on their blog?


Any help would be VERY appreciated. I think I'm on the down hill side of this thing.

Principal Investigator: Robert Campbell, Pastor, Northpoint Evangelical Free Church, a Doctor of Ministry candidate for ACTS Seminaries at Trinity Western University.

Northpoint Evangelical Free Church988 W. Ontario Ave.Corona, CA 92882951.734.1335, extension 2820rcampbell@northpointcorona.org

Advisor: Dr. John Auxier, Dean and Acting President, Trinity Western Seminary.Trinity Western SeminaryPO Box 1409Blaine, WA 98231-1409auxier@twu.ca(604) 513-2019

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to support the spiritual formation of the next generation of ministers by clarifying the values that result in the experience of better relationships and exploring the impact of those values on the manner of pastoral work.

Procedures: This survey involves your anonymous responses to 26 multiple choice questions and 4 open ended questions.. The entirety of the survey should take approximately 15 minutes.

Potential Risks and Discomforts: There are no foreseeable risks to your participation in this survey.

Potential Benefits to Participants and/or to Society: There are potential benefits of this study to the relational health of pastors and to the coming generational transition in church ministry.

Confidentiality: Data will be collected anonymously and names will not be linked with any information. The survey program (www.constantcontact.com) will keep a list including your email until the study is complete.

Contact for information about the study: If you have any questions or desire further information with respect to this study, you may contact Robert Campbell at 951.734.1335, extension 2820.

Contact for concerns about the rights of research subjects: If you have any concerns about your treatment or rights as a research subject, you may contact Ms. Sue Funk in the Office of Research at 604-513-2142 or sue.funk@twu.ca.

Consent: Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary and you may refuse to participate or withdraw from the study at any time.

Labels: community, leadership, pastor

This is from a trail on the ridge of Chino Hills State Park, near our home.