What's after the stirring?

I've been stirring the pot a bit in this sermon series "Engagement: Bringing Together God's Supply and Human Need." on the what and how of church. Not because I like stirring the pot, but because I feel compelled by the Spirit of the Lord to do so. This year I turn 45 and am at mid-life... so, evaluating what I have done with my life that has eternal and present implications. As a pastor of a church, I know I will answer to the Lord one day on what I did with that leadership role, thus the stirring...

But what happens after the stirring? Are there next steps? How do we keep it from just being a stirring and move on? Been praying on those questions for a while now and feel led to offer an option...

I have now read twice the book "Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community: The Posture and Practices of Ancient Church Now" by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay. In fact, in recent weeks, I have blogged many times about it. And I have invited the area one pastors of our district in the Church of the Brethren to study it with me. Now I want to offer to lead a book study group at Community of Joy with this book.

For me, next steps are important but having lived most of my life inside a certain box of church, I am not really sure how to break out. That's where the book comes in. It stretches our thinking and shows a model or a way of life that has potential in helping us Engage with God, each other, our community and our world. And I might add ... the authors are actually living out this model quite effectively.

If you would like to be part of the book study, let me know by emailing me or posting a reply here. I am thinking that it will be every other week on Sundays in late April and May.