Off-Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders

This book was an excellent must-read for anyone serious about reaching those Christ came to seek. Earl Creps has hit the proverbial nail on its head in describing the condition of the church in America, where I have grown up, and in the same denomination which Creps now works. In this book I find all my thoughts, feelings, and frustrations about church, the things I have wanted to scream out and have cried over. But I also find hope that there are those willing to try and translate the message of God into a language that the world of today will understand. Creps talks of many things on a personal and institutional level. He challenges young and old to embrace humility, supporting one another, and focusing on the mission of Christ instead of our own preferences. If you want to learn more about what it will take to fulfill Christ's mission today, this book will be a great asset to stretch and grow yourself. Go, read it! Grace is free, but missional living is not.

"off Road Disciplines" is a book that is challenging, but offers solutions and insight to living a missional life. Even though there are several thoughts that can be highlighted in the book, I think the reoccuring theme was discovering how God want to use you individually to bring about necessary change to the body of Christ. This involves removing ourselves out of the "center" and allowing Christ to really be the "center" of what we do. There is a tendency to imitate success in our culture, but this book challenges you to take a different approach. The book makes the point that the generational gap between "boomers" and "postmoderns" has to work together in order to make the church what Christ desires it to be. Thank you Dr.Creps for taking a positon of humility and hope in which we desperately need.

Earl Creps, a very proficient speaker who specializes in challenging ministry leaders to question how cultural mores are shaping the church today, has produced a tome that encapsulates this discussion and brings it down to the individual level. The reader is left to posit, "What is my part to play in this unfolding clash between generations and worldviews?" I have seen leaders fidget as Creps poses questions, presents well-documented research, and allows the awkward silence for self-discovery. In Off-Road Disciplines, Creps makes me fidget, but I sensed it was Another who was using the issues he raises to make me rethink how we "do church" and how much our generational biases affect the outcome. The chapter on Witness forces me to differentiate between the "sought" (placing the onus of seeking on God and not on humans) and the popular term today, "seeker." His chapter on Harmony could breach the strained/stalled talks between pastors of at least three generations.

Of the dozens of books I've read pertaining to emerging church/postmodern ministry/missional leadership, "Off-Road Disciplines" is the one that makes real-life application in my ministry context. It's not another hollow theoretical treatement on ministry philosophy, nor should it be mistaken for another "how-to" book on character development through spiritual disciplines. This book gave me real, thoughtful direction in formulating a plan for teaching/doing ministry in this ever-changing culture. If you are a highlighter (as I am), you may be frustrated with "Off-Road Disciplines"...you can't pick out a single line! Each chapter points to a central thought that leaves the reader with sense of connection, rather than a quotable bullet point. Dr. Creps has drawn on decades of observation, as well as research, to produce an exceptionally well-written, witty, reasoned work that I will recommend to my peers. As I closed the book after reading the last page, my initial impulse was to applaud. I suspect that anyone who reads this humble man (whose definition of true spirituality always includes a good cup of coffee) will enjoy a similar response.

Earl Creps is a splendid communicator. I have often admired his verbal acumen and ability to engage my imagination and emotions with a carefully turned phrase. His literary skills are equally impressive. "Yet, though Wanda was spiritually transparent she was religiously opaque" flies off the paper on page 19 and lands on the canvas of my mind, painting a picture of Wanda I might not have otherwise contemplated. When Earl speaks, I listen. Not because he is a clever communicator, but because when Earl speaks, he has something to say. Earl believes that missional leadership is the defining issue as the church explores the twenty-first century topography. His simple but profound observations capture what the Spirit seems to be saying in many ways about the importance of keeping our compass pointed on the main thing, both individually and organizationally. I'm personally tired of "how to be successful" tomes of the religious leadership genre. Earl goes beyond the typically medicinal "ten easy steps or five hard ones" to provide a refreshing blend of authenticity, humility, humor and insight. Off-Road Disciplines reads less like a road map and more like a Rick Steves travel narrative. Earl is a fellow pilgrim on the journey, simply pointing out what he has learned along the way and passing his experiences for the benefit of all. It deserves a read with a highlighter in hand. Buy it; you'll be glad you did.