This is my most unusual post to date. I have refrained from writing it for several weeks. I am not certain why. It just feels strange.
I have a question for you: What should be the topic of my next book? I truly want to hear from you guys and get your input on the needs out there.
While I have a list of potential topics I have been praying about, mulling over, and researching from time-to-time, I also want to ask for your assistance in this endeavor. Is there an area(s) that needs to be addressed in a book, and that you would feel comfortable sharing your thought with me for possible use?
No, I will not guarantee that I will use it. And if I do, I will not share any royalties–it is hard to split the three pennies I get every year for my book sales. 🙂 I would most definitely say thank you and give you a shout-out.
So, if you feel comfortable, send me an idea. You may write a public comment in the comment section for this post. Contact me by Twitter, if you desire. I’m not a good FB friend, so it is not best to write me there. I am old school and still like email. Here is my personal email: jpayne@brookhills.org
As always, thank you for taking time to read my posts at Missiologically Thinking and other writings. I pray for the Lord’s blessings on you as you labor for His glory.
JD, I’d love to hear more from the rarely heard from global voices in mission today. I believe there is a wealth of fresh perspective that the world needs to hear from the global church, from global leaders, from leaders outside the west. It seems so many books highlight the work of famous pastors or leaders from the English speaking world, I would love a book that gets to the heart of what global leaders have to say and what we could learn from them. They could teach us so much about Christ, about discipleship, about church planting, about holistic mission. I’d love to see more books tackling this arena!
I am not sure if it would fit your research interests or not, but the recent discussions about the Strange Fire conference have made me question to what degree prosperity gospel teachings are influencing charismatic & Pentecostal churches. Michael Brown says that prosperity teachings are just a small minority of the overall Pentecostal movement, whereas MacArthur says that prosperity gospel represents the majority of charismatic churches (I am using Pentecostal and charismatic interchangeably here). So who is right? Is this a minor problem or major problem? Is prosperity gospel the minority report in American charismatic churches but the majority report in the global south? Finding out the answer to this question would help to identify whether pouring time and resources into opposing such teaching is making a mountain out of a molehill or is a vitally necessary task. In all the recent discussions, I don’t think the global context was sufficiently considered. In any case, you are obviously welcome to take or leave this suggestion to research & writing but I wanted to through it out there as I think it has great relevance to the state of global mission today.
Hi J.D.,
I know you have written briefly and taught elsewhere about how the greatest issue in N. American Missions and Church Planting today is an Ecclesiological issue. Would you consider writing a more in depth book on Ecclesiology as it relates to North American Church Planting and Missions (maybe from the perspective of the Irreducible Ecclesiological Minimum, in which you laid out your beliefs on what the IEM is and how this effects N. American Missions). An in depth book on Ecclesiology from a Missiologist perspective might be helpful in encouraging Pastors, Church planters, Mission Agencies, Missionaries, and Lay people to see that the Great Commission as it relates to church planting is not something for only the elite among us.
Thanks Seth, Karl, and Joseph!
Have you written or researched any on personal disciple-making (as in Ch 7 of DCP)? I see personal discipleship as the heart of my ministry, yet rarely see it practiced in American churches.
I have not, Lesley. You make a good point. I have noticed that there seems to be a growing number of related titles coming off the presses in the past few years.