Today we're giving away 5 copies of David Platt's new book, Radical (see below)

It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily...

BUT WHO DO YOU KNOW WHO LIVES LIKE THAT? DO YOU?

In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple - then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.

Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment - a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

"David pulls back the curtain on subtle dangers weakening the church in our Western culture ... Radical is the urgent call we need to care more about the spiritually lost and physically impoverished people of the world." - Ed Stetzer, President, LifeWay Research

HERE'S HOW TO WIN:

1. TWEET THIS: Win "RADICAL" - new book from David Platt. Go here: http://bit.ly/9Wygil

2. COMMENT BELOW: with your twitter name (so I know you did step 1) and a book you've read lately (just for fun)

3. At 5pm EST TODAY, June 9, I will choose 5 random comments below & contact the winners!

This June, believers around the world are standing together in unity for One Prayer 2010. Thousands of churches will join forces to share resources, serve our communities, and give to a meaningful cause. As we come together across continents and cultures, we'll have the opportunity to leave a permanent imprint of Christ on the world.

• One Prayer lasts from June 5/6 to 26/27.
• Churches will have access to free video messages from gifted teachers and pastors.
• Other free resources such as graphics and videos will be available.
• Churches are encouraged to team up with other churches in their area for outreach and service projects during One Prayer.
• Churches can collect an optional offering during One Prayer to benefit the organization of their choice.
• There is no cost to participate in One Prayer, though a free registration is required.

Sign up for One Prayer 2010: 2010.oneprayer.com/join

This is a guest blog post from Jenni Catron, Executive Director of Cross Point Church in Nashville, TN. Read more of her thoughts here: www.jennicatron.tv

Trust is one of life's greatest commodities. My friend's 10-week-old baby girl already knows to trust the sound of her mother's voice and the safety of her daddy's arms.

Earning trust and extending trust become a natural part of our life rhythm.

The same is true in our leadership.  Trust is foundational to our leadership relationships.

While there is much that can be said about earning the trust of those you lead, I want to focus for a minute on earning the trust of those that lead you.  Oftentimes I believe we overlook the importance of earning the trust of the person who is empowering your leadership.

To earn leadership trust, I believe you need to display these three things well:

1. Accountability
2. Communication
3. Consistency

Accountability
Leadership is a big responsibility and contrary to what many new leaders assume, it doesn't come with autonomy.  In fact, I believe leadership requires greater accountability.  As a leader you have to determine whom you are accountable to and then find out what accountability means to them.  For some that may mean checking in daily, for others it may mean weekly.  Know their expectation and then live up to it.

Communication
Learn what your leader values and then make sure he/she knows about it.  I suggest you over-communicate first and then get feedback from them on what they really want to know.  The more you are looping them in, the more confident they'll feel about your leadership and the more quickly you'll earn their trust. Respect their time and their schedule and work within that.  And always be prepared for any meetings you have with them.  Unpreparedness erodes trust.

Consistency
Be consistent.  Consistently do what you say you'll do.  Consistently deliver on what is asked of you... and in the time frame it was requested.  Unpredictability erodes trust. If you can't be counted on, you can't be trusted.

Having the complete trust of your leader is an amazing gift, but don't expect it.  Earn it!

Do you agree?  What would you add to the list?

According to new research by Ed Stetzer & Warren Bird, church planting is blowing up! More churches are being started now than ever before, 4,000 every year! (that's one every 2.5 hours!)

So what's the best way to get the word out and let people know about your new church? We have several church planting friends that are asking these questions, and the answers seem to be varied & changing.

So let's use this blog as a repository/brain storm of church marketing ideas so we can learn from each other and cultivate best practices.

Here are a few ideas, share yours in the comments below:

- Facebook advertising: very inexpensive, about $0.30 for 1,000 "impressions." Can be targeted to specific cities, age groups, interests, etc. Have you tried this?

- Door hangers (this is a classic): $0.17 each for 10,000 ($580). Recent innovations let you stick it to the door without putting it on the door handle. Print advertising such as mailers, door hangers, posters etc. have always been used. Have you used these? How did they work for you?

- doing good for the community: This category probably has the largest room for creativity & innovation. One friend of mine rented a hydraulic lift, put it in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and stayed up there for 3 straight days to raise money for school supplies for local kids. What other service campaigns or crazy stunts have you seen (or done) to effectively market churches?

Share your ideas in the comments, and I'll make another blog post composing all the best ideas...

(Thanks to Shaun King, Josh Roberts & Jason Salamun for these initial ideas)

Daniel Pink will be speaking at Catalyst East this year: The Tension Is Good. Here's a really cool animated video from a talk based on his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

If this is true, what are the implications?