Books @ Leadership Network

Quick start on Blogging

Have you noticed those Quick Start Guides that come with new consumer electronics these days? I sure appreciate getting up and running quickly, and if I need to customize and tweak, I can always do that later and read the technical manual.

Now that you have The Blogging Church book as your companion, it's time to get started. Here's 3 quick links to get you blogging -- just one click away:

• Wordpress.com
• Blogger.com
• PastorBlog.com

Any of these links above provides free blog hosting and gets you started in (almost) no time! As they say, you learn to teach by teaching, preach by preaching, and, blog by blogging!

For those of you still curious about the book, here's 3 more sneak peeks into the book's content from the publisher Jossey-Bass:

• Read Excerpt: Chapter 1 - The Story of Blogging (PDF)
• Read Excerpt: Table of Contents (PDF)
• Read Excerpt: Index (PDF)

And this excerpt from Ministry Today magazine's review gives you the book's essential bottom line:

Quote: "There is no blogging revolution without others. The heart of a blogging church is passionate pursuit of people who matter to God. Blogging is an incredible way to start conversations, reach out to others, develop relationships and build community."

Ideal Reader: Church leaders and followers of Christ who hope to find simple, practical and successful ways to use blogging for promoting a local church and reaching the lost.

Talking with Dave Ferguson

During the recent Coast-to-Coast Multi-Site Conference, I found a few minutes to talk with Dave Ferguson moments before his closing keynote. We chatted about the new book, The Big Idea, of course. Listen in on the latest feedback they're hearing and what is next for the Big Idea team.

[Download MP3 audio of this interview]

Show notes: New Thing www.newthing.org; Big Idea Online www.thebigideaonline.org; Dave Ferguson's blog www.daveferguson.org .

[update] Pat Masek (of Community Christian Church) enthusiastically typed up a fast transcript of the interview, and you can read it online. Thank you, Pat!

As an aside, one of the recurring questions about church life is: what about the children? Whether your church's approach is more programmatic or more organic, adults and children have different ways of engaging and processing content. The Big Idea provides a powerful way to naturally connect family members, according to the raves at the Multi-Site Kids blog:

What excites me most about THE BIG IDEA is how it naturally creates teachable moments for the family. Here at CCC, the entire family experiences one BIG IDEA each weekend. Hopefully this alignment increases the chances of families having spiritual conversations at home. THE BIG IDEA sets parents up for success as they take ownership for the spiritual development of their children.

Be sure to visit the Multi-Site Kids blog for more insights about children's ministry!

Blogging Church on Tour

As The Blogging Church book was being released, it went on tour around the country, ending its 2-month tour in Canada! It visited with these bloggers along the way: Jason Boucher, Ben Arment, Tally Wilgis (with video too), Tadd Grandstaff, Gary Lamb, and Perry Noble.

And, they're keeping track of all the comments and reviews about the book at this wiki, as well as keeping an updated list of pastors who are blogging. If you're a pastor who is blogging, be sure to get yourself added to that list!

One of the most recent book reviews by Bombay Creative noted this about The Blogging Church:

It is the perfect book for church leaders who are wanting to learn how to use blogs to enhance their ministry but don’t know where to begin.

We'd love to hear if your church starts blogging as a result of reading The Blogging Church -- add a comment here!

new buzz. new blog.

My intuition signaled me recently that in our information-overload kind of world, what stands out are things that are profoundly clear and simple. It looks like it's happening for The Big Idea.

Dave Ferguson reports The BIG IDEA Sells Out at National Pastors Conference!

First, my workshop on The BIG IDEA was completely packed! In fact it was so full that people were listening in from outside the door. ... Zondervan sold out all The BIG IDEA books they brought to the conference. Paul Engle our editor said, "Sometimes a book just really takes off".

Scott Harris adds a review:

It was well laid out and thought through. Tons of stories and emails that really made the principles and disciplines of the Big Idea come to life. ... This book's worth is in the practicality of making it happen. Christian Community Church (the church Dave pastors) has a system that works for them and this book is the best "one-stop resource" that I have found on this subject.

Chris Marlow blogs over at Simply Missional:

I had a hunch that this book would be good. Especially from a “practical” standpoint. But I was taken back how the authors were able to weave theology & missionality within the context of The Big Idea. Therefore the book, in my opinion, had an even a deeper impact than I was expecting.

Christian Book Lounge chimes in too:

This book is, as the title suggest, about focus — a message that I think nearly every church could benefit from. The back cover says, “Churches that bombard people with too many ‘little ideas’ can miss the BIG idea.” So true … too often, I think we try to do too many thing … and go in too many different directions.

Plus, this week we (Leadership Network) have launched a new blog called Leadership Network Learnings! Leadership Network learns a lot of things from innovative church leaders and churches around the United States, Canada, and Europe. We want to share those learnings with you via this team blog. Geoff Surratt kicks it off with an update on the latest storm brewing about Multi-Site churches.

The Blogging Church - an inside look

The Blogging Church offers church leaders a field manual for using the social phenomenon of blogs to connect people and build communities in a whole new way. Inside you will find the why, what, and how of blogging in the local church.

Filled with illustrative examples and practical advice, the authors answer key questions learned on the front lines of ministry: Is blogging a tool or a toy? What problems will blogging solve? How does it benefit ministry? How do I build a great blog? and For whom am I blogging? The Blogging Church is a handbook that will inspire and equip readers to join the conversation.

Click here to view this dynamic presentation featuring Brian Bailey and Terry Storch as they give an inside look into The Blogging Church.

the big idea behind The Big Idea

At the Coast-to-Coast Multi-Site Conference this week, I interviewed 2 of the 3 authors of The Big Idea. First, I chatted with Eric Bramlett, and then next week I'll post an interview with Dave Ferguson.

Listen to this interview with Eric Bramlett to get the big idea behind The Big Idea. [update: apologies for the technical difficulties, the audio is fixed now.]

[Download MP3 audio of this interview]

Live from Multi-Site Conference

Less than 1 hour away is the Super Bowl. Less than 1 day away is the sold out Coast-to-Coast Multi-Site Conference in Vista (San Diego), California! Many of the Leadership Network staff will be there, along with the author of (one of) our February book of the month, Dave Ferguson, who co-authored The Big Idea with Jon Ferguson and Eric Bramlett. I'll try to get an interview to check-in about the book and what he's thinking of lately.

Tune in to the action with Stephen Shields, who'll be live-blogging the event at his blog. (Live-blogging is kind of like an embedded reporter typing up the on-the-scene report from time-to-time.) [update 2/9/07: Jeff Leake posted 4 great summaries of the Multi-Site Conference's plenary sessions from Greg Surratt, Larry Osborne, Mark Driscoll, and Dave Ferguson. [ht: emergesque]

Two for February

We're 2 months into the year 2007, and we're doubly excited to feature 2 books for the month of February! The Big Idea and the Blogging Church!

The Big Idea: Focus the Message -- Multiply the Impact was written by Dave Ferguson, Jon Ferguson, and Eric Bramlett, and zones in on this: Nothing is more dangerous than a single compelling idea that is lived out and nothing is more harmless than lots of little ideas never applied. By creatively communicating one Big Idea every week your church will transform people into genuine Christ followers who live out the mission of Jesus. Less is more!

The Blogging Church: Sharing the Story of Your Church Through Blogs was written by Brian Bailey with Terry Storch, offering church leaders a field manual for using the social phenomenon of blogs to connect people and build communities in a whole new way. In this book, you will find the why, what, and how of blogging in the local church. The book is filled with illustrative examples and practical advice, plus contributions from five of the most popular bloggers in the world!

Similarities between the 2 books:

• both have websites - www.thebigideaonline.org and www.bloggingchurch.com, respectively
  
• both authors are active bloggers (here and here)
  
• both are published in partnership with Leadership Network
  
• both describe how a church can communicate more effectively
  
• any other similarities you've noticed?
  

Get your copy and come along with us as we dig into these books this month!