Albuquerque - Day 2

Our speaker today (Thursday) was Ed Stetzer, author and pastor. His topic was 'The Emerging Church' which has been the subject of a number of books and articles he has authored or co-authored. I've read his book 'Comeback Churches' and his writing style and speaking style are similar.

Ed was engaging and informative throughout the entire day. He spoke for 5 continuous sessions beginning at 9 AM and ending at 8 PM this evening. Now, folks, that's a long time to be at the podium. I have to say, he did a great job of it blending humor, objectivity and a casual style that brought clarity to a difficult and controversial subject. He managed to fill a long day with a ton of information but kept things moving along in a way that grabbed my attention from the first session through the last.

Shortly after he began in the morning, it became clear that Ed had a strong, Evangelical theological background (one that I readily agreed with) and a deep respect for much of what is transpiring in the emerging movement and the people involved in it.

I have to admit that I came here with a skeptical attitude about this whole issue but am now convinced that, even after following it closely for two years now, I knew very little about its' scope, complexity and depth. Rather than try to restate everything Ed shared with us, I will redirect you to his blog, Ed Stetzer.com. He will have it updated within the next few days and you can peruse all the materials there. It will be worth the time you spend!