Mark Driscoll’s The Radical Reformission (which I read last month) served as a sort of manifesto of the mission he set out to follow in the planting of Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  If it was the manifesto, then his Confessions of a Reformission Rev. is the story of how that manifesto was worked out culturally, theologically, and ecclesiologically to bring Mars Hill to where it is today.  Radical Reformission was the “why,” Confessions is the “how.”  While both were great reads and valuable tools for anyone who wants to reach their culture with the gospel, Confessions ups the ante in just about every way and is the best work of Driscoll’s I’ve read yet.

Driscoll tells Mars Hill’s story from its humble beginnings in a borrowed youth room to its current explosion in influence and ministry in America’s least-churched city.  Each chapter of the book details a chapter in the church’s history, marked off by the number of people who made it up at the time.  In each, Driscoll details the struggles that marked that particular stage of the planting process, both for he as a pastor and for the church as a whole.  This structure flows really well and does a fantastic job of communicating to the reader how the church got from A to B. 

Since it’s a history of the church, the book is largely a collection of stories, which causes Driscoll the author to shine like I’ve never seen him before.  His blunt honesty, clever wit, and theological fidelity make him perfectly suited for a book like this.  It’s engaging from cover to cover.  He also seems to have matured a bit since the writing of The Radical Reformission, with more humility and introspection coming through in his words.  While there’s not really much in the way of new content for Driscoll from a theological or ecclesiological perspective, the book’s real power lies in the content of the story itself.  As a pastor, and especially now as a prospective church planter, I’ve often looked at large churches and wondered how on earth they became what they are.  Imagining my little congregation becoming a church like that seemed incomprehensible from a practical perspective.  Seeing the story of Mars Hill’s growth – in spite of Driscoll’s freely-admitted errors – hammers home the point that it is truly only God who grows his church.  Driscoll highlights the decisions that were key moments along the way, dispensing valuable wisdom to those who follow in his footsteps, but not for one moment over the course of the book do we lose the unmistakable impression that he realizes he was just riding along on God’s ride.  This combination of practical advice and strong theological perspective makes for a powerful read.  Church planters, pastors, deacons, and anybody with a pulse for the gospel or their church will find this a great resource.  I commend it to you.

As I prepare to enter the world of church planting, I’m spending my time reading just about everything of use I can get my hands on.  After tackling Ed Stetzer and J.D. Payne at the end of last year, I’ve moved on to Mark Driscoll for the beginning of 2010.  Last week, I finished his book The Radical Reformission, with Confessions of a Reformission Rev. now on the slate.  If the latter is as good as the former, it’ll be a worthwhile read.

In The Radical Reformission, Driscoll seeks to lay out exactly what kind of challenge awaits the modern church.  The culture has moved on without us, seeing the church as an archaic dinosaur from decades gone by with little to no relevance for today’s world.  Much of that, Driscoll argues, is due to the standoffish way we’ve approached our culture over the years.  The temptation, then, is to plunge headfirst into cultural accommodation to try to win back the people we’ve alienated.  Driscoll, however, suggests that will be an empty pursuit, only resulting in winning people back to a worthless and powerless religion.  He argues that we must take the timeless gospel message and change the way we relate it to the world around us.  We must understand the culture in which we live – whether Seattle, Savannah, or Salt Lake City – and contextualize the message with our words and actions so that it can be best communicated to broken people where they’re at.  In his classic raw, witty style, Driscoll offers a way forward to help Christians do exactly that.

From a prospective church planter’s perspective, this was a fantastic “big picture” book.  Driscoll does a great job of spelling out with clarity and precision the cultural picture that we all have to deal with.  He clearly understands modern-day America and he’s got a heart for the people that inhabit it.  Viewing the book through that lens as a “Diagnosing and Reaching Culture 101” text, Driscoll could hardly have done much better.  Older, more tradition-bound Christians should read it as a wake-up call to the realities waiting just outside their church’s door, and younger, boundary-pushing Christians should read it as a strong reminder that the answer to our cultural disconnect isn’t hip ideas and catchy campaigns but rather the timeless message of the Gospel.  The book’s only real weakness stems from the fact that it’s now six years old.  While the culture hasn’t changed that much, Driscoll has, and there were moments in the book where I think 2010 Mark Driscoll might have said things a bit more carefully than 2004 Mark Driscoll.  Nothing glaring, but I can imagine some spots where perhaps someone unfamiliar with the topics could take things the wrong way, seeing Driscoll as more culturally (rather than theologically) driven than he actually is.  All-in-all, though, this is a fantastic read for church planters, pastors, and people who know other people who need Jesus.  Give it a shot.

“The question that arises is whether people do what they are, or if they are what they do.  The answer to this is imperative, because if we are what we do, then all we need to do is train people to act differently, and they will change themselves.  But if we do what we are, then we do bad because we are bad, and we cannot do good until we become good, the very thing which bad people cannot do, no matter how many dollars are spent and organizations are founded to help them.”

- Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission

“One of the underlying keys to reformission is knowing that neither the freedom of Christ nor our freedom in Christ is intended to permit us to dance as close to sin as possible without crossing the line.  But both are intended to permit us to dance as close to sinners as possible by crossing the lines that unneccesarily separate the people that God has found from those he is still seeking.”

- Mark Driscoll, The Radical Reformission

Mark Driscoll posted today reflecting on the 14-year anniversary of Mars Hill Church.  This article was such an encouragement to me.  One of the most discouraging and intimidating things about preparing for church planting has been seeing so many incredible churches and thinking, “There is no way we can do that.”  As I read Driscoll’s look back at the Mars Hill’s humble beginnings, I was reminded that, quite frankly, no one can “do that.”  God alone can, and the same God who has been with Mark Driscoll through 14 years will be with us when we head out to plant.

HT: Vitamin Z

There are few preachers I’m as interested to listen to as Mark Driscoll.  Love him or hate him, the guy has a rare knack for taking classic Christian doctrine and thought and presenting it in a way that is relevant for a young, 21st-century audience – not by watering things down, but by having the guts to just tell it like it is.  I had my first encounter with Driscoll’s writing this past year as our men’s study group back at Hazelwood perused his A Book You’ll Actually Read on Church Leadership.  What he had to say was good and helpful, which I expected.  What I didn’t expect was how well the book communicated to not just the usual Driscoll audience (Gen-X’ers and below) but to older, more traditional Christians as well.  Buoyed on by that, I read through Driscoll’s Vintage Jesus over the holiday weekend, and while it probably doesn’t have quite the cross-generational appeal as On Church Leadership, it was a solid book for communicating the central truths of the gospel to emerging generations.

As the title suggests, Driscoll (and co-author Gerry Breshears) isn’t out to reinvent the wheel here.  His purpose is simple and straightforward – to take the timeless truths about Jesus Christ and apply them to the countless spiritual questions being asked by young postmoderns.  Who was Jesus?  Does it really matter if he was God, if his mom was a virgin, or if he came back from the dead?  Is he really the only way to know God, and isn’t that notion supremely arrogant and bigoted?  It’s questions like these that Driscoll seeks to answer by letting the Jesus of the Bible speak for himself as much as possible.  Through interesting quotes and cultural examples, Driscoll shows that people all around us are asking these questions.  He wants to let Jesus answer them.

I enjoyed Vintage Jesus, and there’s a lot of good stuff to be found.  Look, you either think that Driscoll’s blunt and sometimes crude way of speaking is either refreshing or revolting, and I fall into the former camp.  I’m not defending everything he’s ever said, but I think it’s sad that today we’re much more likely to try to soften the blows of some stark imagery in Scripture rather than letting the hard meaning shine through.  People of our generations can see right through it, and I think that’s why they’re flocking to Driscoll’s Mars Hill Church in droves.  They realize that this is a guy who tells things straight-up.  For the book, this is either a plus or a minus, depending on the reader.  For twenty and thirty-somethings, much of what Driscoll has to say will resonate, but I can’t shake the feeling that older believers will have trouble connecting to his style, even if they’re not offended by it.  The biggest negative I took from the book, though, has nothing to do with the book itself – it’s the fact that I read it just a few months after Tim Keller’s The Reason For God.  The two books share a lot in terms of scope and content (seeking to answer skeptical questions and present the case of the God of Scripture), and frankly, Keller does it better.  That’s not a knock on Driscoll at all, but rather a nod to the fact that I truly think Keller’s book is a once-in-a-generation masterpiece, like C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity was for our parents and grandparents.  However, there are some for whom Keller’s ultra-philosophical approach might not connect, and I think that Driscoll’s approach might succeed in some of those cases.  In the end, Vintage Jesus will be a good read for most people, and if you have friends or family who are more likely to listen to something by Eddie Vedder than read a New York Times op-ed, you’ll find it a great resource as you seek to think through spiritual issues through a postmodernist’s eyes and communicate the wonder of the unchanging Christ.

Mark Driscoll has posted a list of 16 tips for dads to make the most of the Christmas season with their families.  He suggests that dad needs…

1. a plan for the holidays to ensure his family is loved and memories are made. Dad, what’s your plan?
2. to check the local guides for what’s going on to make fun holiday plans for the family.
3. to carve out time for sacred events and experiences to build family traditions that are fun and point to Jesus. Dad, is your calendar ready for December?
4. to not let the stress of the holidays, including money, cause him to be grumpy with Mom or the kids. Dad, how’s your joy?
5. to give experiences and not just gifts. Dad, what special memories can you make this holiday season?
6. to manage the extended family and friends during the holidays. Dad, who or what do you need to say “no” to?
7. to ensure his family is giving generously during the holidays. Dad, who in need is your family going to adopt and bless?
8. to schedule a big Christmas daddy date with his daughter. Dad, what’s your big plan for the fancy daddy date?
9. to schedule guy time with his son. Dad, what are you and your son going to do that is active, outdoors, and fun?
10. to help Mom get the house decorated. Dad, are you really a big help to Mom with getting things ready?
11. to ensure some holiday smells and sounds. Dad, is Christmas music on the iPod, is the tree up, and can you smell cookies and cider in your house?
12. to snuggle up and watch some fun shows with the kids, especially the little ones. Dad, is the DVR set?
13. to take the family on a drive to see Christmas lights while listening to music and sipping cider. Dad, is it mapped out?
14. to help Mom get the kids’ rooms decorated. Dad, do the little kids get lights or a small tree in their room?
15. to read about Jesus and pray over his kids. Dad, how’s your pastoral work going with each of your kids?
16. to repent of being lazy, selfish, grumpy, or just dumping the holidays on Mom. Dad, are you a servant like Jesus to your family?

Number 4, especially, was a much needed reminder for me, but all of these are good ideas to make this month matter for our families.  You can read the full post over at The Resurgence. 

HT: Tim Challies

Last spring during the transitional time at Hazelwood, our men’s study group was going through Mark Driscoll’s little book On Church Leadership (A Book You’ll Actually Read).  We were going through the book chapter-by-chapter as men and leaders in the congregation in an attempt to get a better grasp on what our roles were as leaders in the body of Christ.  The study went very well (who knew that 20-somethings and 70-somethings could come together over a Driscoll book?), but as things started getting busy and hectic with the calling of a new pastor it trailed off and we never actually finished the book.  Over the holiday weekend I finally picked it back up, re-read some early portions and finished it out, and I can safely say that I’d definitely recommend it as a resource for any church leadership team.

True to the title of his A Book You’ll Actually Read series, Driscoll has written a book that is obviously meant to be accessible to the layman.  It’s short (able to be read through in a couple hours), free of complex theological terminology (and when Driscoll does use a term some might find unfamiliar, he explains it), and it clearly and concisely presents Biblical teaching on subjects such as elders and deacons and the roles of women in church leadership.  Despite the book’s simplicity in presentation, its actual content is quite rich.  Driscoll has a gift for clearly presenting ideas that could be quite convoluted in the hands of another author – a skill he’s no doubt honed over years of preaching to Seattle’s largely unchurched population.  As such, the book is a useful tool for exploring ideas like plural eldership to people who have never heard of it outside a Presbyterian context. 

To a seminary grad or well-read pastor, Driscoll’s not providing any earth-shattering revelations, but he has provided  a great entry-level primer into some important aspects of leadership in the local church.  This little volume would be a great topic for a study among men’s groups or leadership teams.  Sure, you could always buy your deacons a big fancy tome with a fancy cover and more material, but why not buy them a book they’ll actually read.

Last night, Nightline interviewed Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll as part of their recent series on the Ten Commandments.  Driscoll was asked to relate the second commandment to modern life.  You can read a summary and watch the interview here.