Interview with the Authors of “The Convergent Church” Pt.2

The second part of the interview with the Authors of “The Convergent Church” is now available. The first part of the interview can be found here and the book can be bought here.

In this interview, Dr.’s Reid and Liederbach address several issues that we at Baptist21 believe are urgent for Baptists in the 21st Century. In this portion of the interview they touch on the issue of the social gospel, which has become increasingly popular with young evangelicals in recent years. They address the failure of both “mercy ministries” that don’t involve sharing the message of the gospel (Yes, using words!) and those ministries that ignore physical needs, paying attention only to “witnessing” with tracks or a conversation about the need for salvation. They see these models converging into ministries that care for physical needs as well as involve proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, resulting in what they label “convergent evangelism.”

Also discussed in this interview is the failure of what many churches have called discipleship, though often it is nothing more than “a rather mundane Sunday morning classroom experience sprinkled with a touch of behavior modification here and dash of spiritual checklists there,” which fails to produce disciples. They speak to their perspective on the right way for a church to engage in the process of discipleship.

They also highlight some very practical ways for a church to transition from being what they have labeled “a conventional church” into being a convergent church. It would serve us well to read this book and heed the advice of these two men in a time when we are plagued with churches that are anything but convergent. We appreciate the opportunity to sit down with these men and hear what they have to say about serving King Jesus in a way that is faithful to the Bible and winsome to the culture for His glory.

B.W.