Founders Conference: Ed Stetzer

Author: art rogers

Founders Conference: Ed Stetzer

Thursday, June 26th, 2008 @ 8:22 pm

As usual, Ed was his normal, million words a second, self depricating, funny and pointed self.

You can read the outlines from Timmy Brister here: Part 1 and Part 2.

Of course, Ed is a church planting guru of sorts, so it makes sense to have him at this meeting. Well, it makes sense to me, given the topic of the meeting. Ed joked that there were folks who were giving Tom heat for having “Ed Stetzer” in to speak and then assured everyone that he had received similar comments from others (others who happened to invite him to speak at Liberty University) for going. Tom laughed out loud at the Liberty Reference. If you don’t know the history there, we’ll have to save it for some other day.

Concerning church planting, I don’t know that Ed said much that I haven’t heard before. He was typical Stetzer, blitzing away with jokes and daggers to the heart at a speed that rivaled, I have to believe, even Timmy Brister’s typing speed. If you didn’t know, TB can type like a bazillion words a minute, but I’m sure Ed made him work during both sessions.

Ed asked me today if last night’s session was prophetic or pathetic. I wanted to say, “Do you ever speak in the non-prophetic voice?” Instead, I simply assured him it was good.

I’ve never heard him fail to be prophetic, but he gets away with it so much because he is so quick to point out his own deficiencies as well.

And he was prophetic to the Founders Conference as well.

Gently, he pointed out that not all of his reformed friends were as passionate as God about the planting of churches, and that if there were any in the room, then he called them to repent. A little church discipline, on the spot. This drew a chuckle, but I suspect the chuckle covered a groan as the comment cut to the point.

Which is precisely why Tom Ascol wanted him at the Founder’s Conference.

Aside from being in my backyard, two things drew me to the conference. 1) It was about church planting and church restoration, and 2) The speakers, primarily Ed Stetzer and Voddie Baucham.

It helped that it also only cost me $60 + gas for the daily trips. The gas was probably more than the registration.

Anyway, it was worth the money.