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Love cannot exist in isolation: away from others, love bloats into pride. Grace cannot be received privately: cut off from others, it is perverted into greed. Hope cannot develop in solitude: separated from the community, it goes to seed in the form of fantasies. No gift, no virtue can develop and remain healthy apart from the community of faith. "Outside the church there is no salvation" is not ecclesiastical arrogance but spiritual common sense, confirmed in everyday experience. (Reversed Thunder)

Richview is looking for a couple of students to do some community research, and to help prepare us to serve the community. More info here.

If you know of someone who might be interested, please let them know.

Some reflections on Dwell:

• The strong emphasis on missional theology and practice was refreshing. You should really have theology without mission or mission without theology, but not many conferences balance the two well. Dwell Conference did.
• They also found a good balance between divine activity and human agency. Again, it's hard to get this right.
• I have to repent - at least in part - about a couple of things. First, about vision: Stetzer said that the pendulum has swung too far as a reaction against CEO leadership, and suggested that we need to relearn vision-casting that avoids the extremes. Second, about pragmatism. Driscoll talked about the three worlds he lives within: megachurch guys who focus on methodology (kings), Reformed guys who focus on theology (prophets), and missional guys who care about people and justice (priests). Each group tends to distrust the others. Driscoll says we need all three. I guess you could say we still need vision and we need theologically informed pragmatism. I probably needed to hear this.
• Keller's talks on gospel and persuasion were excellent. Run, don't walk, to get a copy of his article in Leadership Journal if you haven't already, or at least read my very short post on it. I hope that Keller's work on the gospel will have a huge influence. We need it.
• Keller recounted the advice given him by Ray Bakke: Don't try to create a great church in the city; aim for a great city. Aim at a great city and you'll have a great church; aim at a great church and you'll have neither.

There's much more but that's all I'll share for now. You can read more about the conference at Ed Stetzer's blog, or through Google Blog Search.

Tomorrow I plan on spending some time reflecting on how to apply what I learned at the conference. I sense some new changes and initiatives that will be coming out of my experience at the conference. I'd appreciate your prayers as I work this through.

I'm sitting in my hotel room at the end of the first day of the Dwell Conference, although I have no idea when I'll be able to post this. The room comes with free high-speed Internet, but it's pretty sporadic.

The measure of a good conference is that you can walk away with one thing that you needed to hear and that will make a difference. The conference is only half over, and tomorrow looks to be even better than today, but already it's been a good conference. We've had C.J. Mahaney talk about watching our life and ministry; Ed Stetzer talk about Kingdom mission; Eric Mason talk about incarnational ministry; and Mark Driscoll talk about dwelling in the text.

I also went on a trip to the Redeemer offices for a session on how people change, taught by Lois Kehlenbrink.

Tomorrow we have some sessions with Darrin Patrick, Tim Keller, and Mark Driscoll.

Some observations:

• These guys get it. It's the best blend of gospel doctrine and mission that I've encountered at a conference, and it's contagious.
• There's been a good emphasis on not running down other ministries. It's been taught and practiced. These guys have their convictions, but it's been expressed with humility and charity toward others. I should say that this is true of Mark Driscoll as well, whose message tonight on dwelling in the Word was excellent.
• I'm not a church planter, although I'd love to be. Another day or two of hanging out here and I think I'd be in.
• Ed Stetzer once planted a church in Buffalo, where he paraphrased an old prayer: "Give me Buffalo or I die." I figured that if Stetzer could say this about Buffalo, someone needs to say it about a place like Toronto. I'm increasingly burdened to see something happen in that city.
• I love New York. I need to visit here more. I still hope to live here for a year one day.

People occasionally ask me if I would like to move on to a different church, into denominational life, or even to do more teaching. This conference reminds me why I love pastoring, especially in a place like Toronto. I've written down a number of things I need to go home and work through. Even though I'm not currently a planter, I've been challenged in very helpful ways today.

One more side note, but an important one: I've been challenged about being critical. I don't know exactly why, since it's not a conference topic. Some of the speakers here are unfailingly gracious toward others, and it looks and smells good. Mahaney and Keller are two examples. It's so easy to blog about things we don't like, and to tear down the ministries of others, but it comes at a cost and it detracts from mission. You can have doctrinal convictions and still show humility and grace to others. These guys model it.

I've rarely encountered what seems to be present here in spades: strong, missional theology, gospel and Kingdom focus, and humble orthodoxy. Exciting to see. It makes me hungry for more.

I've wanted to attend a service at Redeemer Presbyterian in New York for the longest time. Yesterday it happened. I preached at Richview in the morning, then got on a plane and arrived in Manhattan with plenty of time to make it to the 6:00 service. When I made it to the service, I thought that I had the wrong place.

Turns out I was in the right place. Redeemer put on an abridged performance of the opera Rigoletto, followed by a lecture by Tim Keller and a time of Q&A. They call this an open forum, which is something they do a couple of times a year. It's designed "specifically for those who are exploring the claims of the Christian faith."

At first I was disappointed not to catch a regular service, before I caught myself. What's not to like about a performance with singers from the Metropolitan Opera, followed by a time of reflection by Keller? I settled in and it was amazing.

I'm going to have to come back another time for a regular Redeemer service, but last night was outstanding.

Today a group of us are meeting with Ed Stetzer for the day. Tonight we have tickets for Letterman, and then tomorrow we're at the Dwell Conference. Looks to be a good few days.

My latest column at Christian Week:

When Dan MacDonald was a law student living in London, Ontario, he attended his first church. The church was traditional, both culturally and theologically. They taught the Bible, but the church had its own culture. MacDonald had to learn that culture before he could fit in.

MacDonald later moved to Brampton, Ontario, and joined a church that was shifting from a traditional model to a seeker one. This church remained conservative theologically but became more flexible in its methodology. It became less theological and more pragmatic. It was easy for those who were not used to church to fit in.

I've been inspired by people like Tim Keller on the importance of urban ministry. Next week I'm off to New York City for Dwell Conference, and I expect I'll only become more pumped about holistic ministry and church planting within the city of Toronto.

Our Toronto Association of churches is holding an event in a few weeks to begin a new focus on loving and serving our city. If you're around, come; if not, please pray for us.

The "Love Toronto" theme, by the way, recognizes that love is not always the verb that comes to mind. People love to hate Toronto. It's easy for our churches to pick up on this as well - but that would be a huge mistake.

Here's the info for the night:

Motivated by our vision for the City of Toronto, we are calling all Fellowship Churches to join together in a night of worship, challenge, and prayer as we seek the peace and prosperity of our city.

Love Toronto

Toronto Fellowship Churches
United for the Good of Our City

Wednesday, May 21st at 7:00 p.m.
Willowdale Baptist Church
15 Olive Avenue, Toronto
(1 street south of Yonge and Finch)

Join the Fellowship Baptist Churches of Toronto in this night of worship, challenge, and prayer as we seek the peace and prosperity of our city.

Speakers:
John Kaiser, President of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches,
and the Choir and Orchestra, Morningstar Christian Fellowship, Toronto

“But seek the welfare of the city...and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7)

A couple of years ago, the emerging church was getting all the attention. That changed when Collin Hansen wrote an article for Christianity Today called "Young, Restless, Reformed." Hansen wrote:

While the Emergent "conversation" gets a lot of press for its appeal to the young, the new Reformed movement may be a larger and more pervasive phenomenon. It certainly has a much stronger institutional base. I traveled to some of the movement's leading churches and institutions and talked to theologians, pastors, and parishioners, trying to understand Calvinism's new appeal and how it is changing American churches.

The article, and this book, are the result of a two-year journey to learn about what appeared to be a resurgence of Calvinism in America. Hansen traveled to Passion Conference in Atlanta, John Piper's home and church in Minneapolis, The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and more.

more

It's my last night in Louisville. Tomorrow we have two more sessions, one more set of free books, and then a long ride home.

I've really enjoyed my time here. I expect that we'll have some very interesting discussions tomorrow in the van.

The Good

• I love the type of theology being practiced here. I am really tired of purely pragmatic conferences, and this is a welcome change.
• I love the focus on Gospel. It's exactly where we need to be focusing our attention.
• The books. I don't need to say anything else.
• I also like the guys I've been hanging out with.
• The messages have been focused on some important issues.
• There are lots of people here I've met and would like to meet. Some I haven't yet met are Trevin Wax, Justin Buzzard, Timmy Brister, and Kevin DeYoung (author of Not Emergent) - but I know you're out there.
• The singing has been incredible.
• I've enjoyed getting a sense of who the speakers are. There's something different about hearing them live and seeing them interact.

What I Long For

I love Reformed theology. But I'd hate to think that we were preaching to the choir, only focusing on areas of controversy. We truly need a Gospel movement that goes beyond Reformed categories.

I think the Reformed movement has lots to offer here. Tim Keller writes:

Reformed theology has always had great resources within it for missional work. For example:

1. Stanley Grenz credits Calvin for teaching on the Trinity that stresses the communal aspect of God's nature
2. Richard Muller points out that Post-reformation Calvinist theologians forged a theology that wasn't 'modern' and based on traditional rationalistic proofs of God,
3. Jonathan Edwards provides theological resources for profoundly mystical personal experience of God,
4. Geerhardus Vos and Herman Ridderbos stress that the Bible isn't a systematic theology textbook but rather a narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration,
5. Kuyper and Wolterstorff give resources for working on justice and renewal of culture.

There's lots to work with! That doesn't mean that many or most Reformed churches have used these resources that well in mission, however.

I long for these resources to be used well in mission.

I think it's Keller who has said elsewhere that we're still waiting for a Gospel movement that includes both a focus on the trajectory of the gospel (a renewed material creation) and the means (sheer grace, not works). "One of the biggest problems we’ve got is that the older evangelicals are really great at the second aspect of the gospel," Keller says. "The newer younger evangelicals are fairly good at the first. But I don’t know yet of a movement that seems to be bringing these together properly." (More on this here, and more on The Gospel Coalition vision for ministry here.) I've missed a Kuyperian vision for the renewal of creation at this conference, even though it's been hinted at a few times. I'd like to see this teased out some more, as well as some engagement with the cosmic implications of the gospel.

For instance, is it possible to have a T4G-like focus on the salvation of individuals, and an N.T. Wright-like vision for the renewal of the material world at the same time? I'd like to see this explored.

I've loved this conference, but it's only whetted my appetite for a Gospel movement that is broadly evangelical, theologically astute and engaged in mission and renewal. I've seen glimpses but I want more. Should provide some good fuel for prayer and thinking.

I'm indebted to Greg Paul and Sanctuary Ministries. They let a group of us from Richview come last night and learn from them. I'll be writing about some of what we learned in coming weeks, but for now I'll say it was well worth the trip.

Tim Keller has said that being outwardly focused requires two skills that aren't often found together. One is to listen to the community, and to be taught by them the best way to serve them. The other is to announce the good news of Jesus. Churches that listen to the community are often good at serving the community but not very good at evangelism; churches that announce the good news are often good at evangelism but very poor at community service. It's rare to find the two skills together because they are so different. It's relatively easy to do one or the other but not both.

At Sanctuary you get the sense that they have learned to do both. They are with people and provide a safe place for them, and offer community. Yet last night when we worshipped, it was all about Jesus.

Greg Paul, the Executive Director, has written a book called God in the Alley: Being and Seeing Jesus in a Broken World, which I reviewed here. Last night he mentioned that he has a new book coming out in August called Twenty-Piece Shuffle: Why the Poor and Rich Need Each Other. Looking forward to it.