My very own copy of Beyond Megachurch Myths by Scott Thumma and Dave Travis arrived in the mail today. I’ve just scanned the pages and found that some of what I think about big churches…well…I probably shouldn’t think. I can’t wait to dive in.

The book comes with a very comprehensive index in the back. Just about every large congregation that you could think of is probably mentioned someplace in this book. I just did a quick review and found some of my favorites churches to watch including Healing Place, North Point, Granger, North Ridge, Kensington and Seacoast. NewSpring is mentioned six different places in the book, and Perry’s blog is also quoted.

I’ll get you the full review in the coming days, but you’ll want to check out this brand new release from the Leadership Network and Jossey -Bass.

This coming Sunday, Perry will be hitting a very hot topic to open the new series, Illuminate. During this series, he’s going to be addressing some challenging questions. And, let’s just say, he picked a doozie for the first week. I caught up with Perry earlier today, and asked him to preview what’s coming this Sunday.

Tony: Is it true that you’re teaching about Hell this weekend? Have you ever taught a full message on that topic? 

Perry: Yes, I am teaching a message on the subject of Hell. In leading and teaching at NewSpring the past seven years I have talked about Hell on numerous occasions, but have never dedicated a full message to it—this will be a first.

Tony: Why are you doing it…because this doesn’t sound like a feel-good topic? 

Perry: You are right. It does NOT feel good. In fact, in studying and preparing for this talk, my heart has grown VERY heavy. BUT…the Bible is very clear that Hell is a literal place. And, because Scripture (AND JESUS) talks about Hell, then I must as well.

Tony: You don’t seem like the "fire and brimstone" type. Has something changed? 

Perry: Nope, I am not the typical fire and brimstone preacher who holds people over Hell every Sunday. To me, scaring the Hell out of people just isn’t the way I believe Jesus taught us to do evangelism. However, as a minister it is up to me to preach what the Bible says, and with Hell being a pretty important doctrine, I think that this will be the weekend we need to cover it. This will be a very straightforward presentation…very little fire and brimstone.

Tony: On the topic of Hell, how hot is it? Does it ever freeze over? 

Perry: Hell does freeze over…and we have the video-taped testimony to prove it! We actually pulled off something amazing for this Sunday. We literally sent a video crew to Hell. You will have to check out our service on Sunday to see what it was like.

For the rest of the story, you’ll have to join us on Sunday or catch the video next week. Rats. I forgot to ask Perry one very important theological question. I’ve always wondered if they play country music in Hell…

"No one ever drifts to greatness. Want to be a great musician? Methodical practice is required. Do you long for athletic prowess? You must train, and train methodically. Building a great marriage, a great family, a great friendship or a great career requires the ongoing discipline of methodical effort. Wesley had it right; the methodical practice of scriptural holiness is the way to maturity.

"Just as God calls us into community, Wesley called his “awakened” to live in community. Iron sharpens iron and Wesley knew the best strategy for discipleship included the honesty (and sharpening effect) of Christ-centered friendships." –Mark Beeson, senior pastor of Granger Community Church as quoted on LeadingSmart.com

In case you’ve missed it Tim’s blog has a series of posts taken from an interview with Mark Beeson that will challenge your personal spiritual development and your ministry strategy.

I know–megachurch pastors aren’t supposed to talk about discipleship and holiness. Let’s just pretend this didn’t happen that way we can continue talking about how big churches water down the Bible to grow their crowds. That’s a lot more fun.

Here are some highlights from blogger world and my brain from the last few days.

• Penelope Trunk has 10 Tips for the New Workplace Etiquette including, "Forget the exit interview."
• The Creative Pastors blog recently featured a very informative Q&A with Ed Young on encouraging staff to take breaks, growth plateaus, altar calls and working with volunteers.
• I absolutely can’t wait for football season to start.
• David Foster is in a blogging winning streak. Here’s another great list of how nonreligious people view a service experience.
• I think it was Bill Hybels who originally encouraged us to consider character, chemistry and competence when it comes to hiring staff. Of the three, I used to think I could take someone with character and chemistry and work around competence. I’m learning, though, that as the church grows, competence can’t be overlooked…and it’s harder to find. Michael McKinney takes an interesting look at the importance of competence.
• Tim Sanders has a solid post on how we treat our staff (and volunteers). Don’t wear out your people.
• My cell phone is better than an iPhone. I can actually change my own battery.
• I’ve added 13 of my favorite "songs to blog by" to my music playlist on Facebook. You can listen to the entire playlist if you become my Facebook friend. If you do, please don’t "poke" me.

Here are my thoughts and highlights from Nahum as I continue my journey through the Bible:

• "God is serious business. He won’t be trifled with." We tend to only think about the "loving" God when in reality he’s also powerful and just.
• "God doesn’t lose his temper. He’s powerful, but it’s a patient power."
• When it feels like no one is there, God is. "God is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help."
• When Kayla first started playing soccer, we thought it would be funny if the team was nicknamed the juggernauts. She convinced her teammates to do it. Because of that, I smiled when I read, "The juggernaut’s coming!" in chapter two.

Brad Lomenick, the executive director of Catalyst, interviewed Perry and me for the newest Catalyst Podcast. We talked about ministry strategy, leadership, my transition to the NewSpring team and lots of other fun topics. You can also download the podcast from iTunes.

While you’re there, check out the speaker line up for Catalyst Conference on October 3-5.

Believe it or not, that’s one of the most frequently asked questions I get from my blog. With that in mind, here’s how we count at NewSpring:

• Our ushers go into the balcony and do a head count in each section of the auditorium.
• Some of the services are full enough that it’s easier for them to count empty seats. In that case, we subtract the number of empty seats from the total number of seats in those sections.
• The usher leader combines all the totals for each section into a spreadsheet at the end of each service.
• For children’s ministry, we don’t do head counts. Instead, we run reports from FellowshipOne, the automated check-in solution we use from Fellowship Technologies. The check-in solution allows us to run reports that identify precisely how many children are in each room.
• The total attendance is determined by adding the number of adults in the auditorium with the number of children in our children’s ministry center.

Attendance numbers are important for a number of reasons. Here are some examples:

• They help us monitor the health of our worship services. If attendance starts to plateau or drop, we want to know that so we can try to figure out what may need to change so we can continue impacting people’s lives for Jesus.
• Monitoring trends also allows us to prepare for future growth with volunteer support, facility space, children’s ministry, parking, etc. It allows us to be more proactive about how we’re going to reach our community.
• It provides a benchmark from which we can monitor the health of our other ministries in the church. For example, our hope is that folks will be connecting in discipleship, relational and serving opportunities at a similar rate to the growth we’re experiencing in worship participation.

Attendance isn’t the only measurement for church health, but it’s certainly a key indicator.

It’s been a while since I downloaded what’s been on my mind. Here’s the scoop:

• Five wood out of a fairway bunker. One putt for eagle last night at Brookstone golf course. Jason was there to see it and celebrate with me.
• I believe constraints–financial or otherwise–make organizations more innovative. Mark seems to agree with that. He shared, "Choosing what not to do, the concept that you can’t do everything (or
  at least not successfully), is at the heart of a good strategy."
• Saddleback Church is launching 10 regional campuses by 2010. Looks like the first campus will be in Irvine. (via Josh)
• Being new to Facebook, I’m on the lookout for new, cool apps. Read/WriteWeb has a top ten list.
• I’m considering a switch from TypePad to WordPress. This must be what it feels like to get caught with "the other woman."
• I’ve operated without Microsoft Office at the home office for quite a while now. Too many other options that are free…and sometimes better. Metacool has some reasons why he prefers Google Documents.
• David has a list of questions he considers when finding a church to attend. I love it that his first question is, "When I enter do I hear laughter?"
• National Community Church (Mark Batterson) is launching their fourth campus in Georgetown. News like this makes me want to open the Greenville campus tomorrow.
• I’m craving a Barnes & Noble with a Starbucks. If you want to know how to pray for me, now you know.