New Book: To the Edge 5

To the Edge: Reflections on Kingdom Leadership, Mission, and Innovation is a book I have been working on for a few years. It has been fun to write. And, Lord willing, it will be released this summer. I am very excited the time is near!

Since you are a reader of this blog, I want to provide you with a glimpse of the nature of the book before it goes to the masses.

To the Edge is a collection of my thoughts written over five years on matters related to leadership, mission, and innovation. This book is written to inspire, encourage, exhort, provoke, challenge, and equip you for our Great Commission task. Hopefully, these writings will nudge—and even push—you to the edge where change happens. And change must happen. The 4 billion remain without Christ.

Many people fear the edge. They try to stay as far from it as possible.

However, being on the edge means being on the frontiers of Kingdom expansion. And going beyond the edge means you are blazing new directions. You are innovating as the dynamic Spirit leads (Jesus did promise to build His Church.). You are seeing things that few people have seen.

This comes with risk. Peter, Paul, and the other early believers were not immune to persecution from unbelievers. They also experienced conflict within the Church as they went to the edge and beyond (Acts 11:1-3; 15:1-5). It is no wonder people try to stay as far from the edge as possible. But even with external and internal risks, the Church must keep going to the edge and beyond.

While evangelicals have a history of innovation and change (e.g., radio, print, unreached people groups, contemporary music, agricultural science, medicine, Jesus film), progression has never been a widespread value among our churches. More Spirit-led innovation is needed for gospel advancement and the multiplication of disciples, leaders, and churches.

This book is written to help take you, your denomination, seminary, mission agency, staff, network, or church to the edge in your context. But you will have to take the steps to get there and that important step beyond the edge.

I hope you will get this book and share it with others. Use it as a catalyst to start talking about needed changes. Use it it stir the waters of conversation among your leaders. Use it as an opportunity to lead the timid to the edge by blaming me and taking the pressure off of yourself: “Hey, do you know what crazy stuff this Payne guy is saying? I read this book. Check it out and tell me what you think!”

Stay tuned.

(For those of you wondering, yes, I did refer to this book back in February by a different title and cover. Same content. New title. New cover.)

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Oral learners is one of the most significant global pressures shaping the face of the Church today. Last week on Strike the Match, I spoke with author Samuel Chiang, former Executive Director of the International Orality Network, about this topic. Check it out: iTunes | Android | RSS