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Earl Creps
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Earl Creps (email)
Professor of Leadership and Spiritual Renewal
B.A., University of Pittsburgh
M.A., Ph.D., Northwestern University
D.Min., Assemblies of God Theological Seminary |
Dr. Creps is a specialist on missional Christianity, postmodernism, communication and leadership. He brings a rich background in communications and pastoral ministry to his teaching. He has served as a pastor in Vermont, Maine, Florida and Missouri—often utilizing radio and television as well as blogging and podcasting. He has been active in district ministries, serving as a sectional presbyter in the Northern New England District Council. On the national level, he served as adult ministries consultant for The General Council of the AG and has been a member of various General Council committees.
Dr. Creps began his teaching career in the state university system of Vermont and has also served as adjunct faculty for several Christian institutions. Dr. Creps is a frequent speaker at conventions, seminars and retreats with special interests in the missional church, communication , and leadership training. He has published a well-received book, Off-Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders (Jossey-Bass Leadership Network Series) and a second book entitled Reverse Mentoring for the same publisher.
Books
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- Audio
- "Changing My Plans to God's Purposes,"
audio from Hope Community Church, December 4, 2005, Springfield, MO (Posted 12/14/06)
- "The Other Discipline,"
audio from Northwest University Chapel, November 14, 2005, Kirkland, WA (Posted 12/13/05)
- "The Peculiar Afflictions of High-Functioning People,"
audio from Stanford University Chi Alpha, November 10, 2005 (Posted 12/13/05)
- "Baton Passers,"
audio from The Oaks Fellowship, November 6, 2005, Red Oak, TX (Posted 12/13/05)
- "Finding the Prophetic Voice,"
Chapel, March 18, 2003 (Posted 4/11/03)
- "Is Jesus the One?,"
Riverside Community Church, October 19, 2003, Oakmont, PA (Posted 6/21/04)
- "Postmodernism 101,"
2004 Women in Ministry Conference, March 11, 2004 (Posted 6/21/04)
- "Singular Freedoms,"
First Assembly of God, June 15, 2003, Bentonville, AR (Posted 6/21/04)
- PowerPoint
- Ohio District Council, May 2007
- The DNA of Evangelism in Emerging Culture (PowerPoint file, 9.3 MB, Download
Help, Download Time Calculator). If
you don't have Microsoft PowerPoint you can download the PDF
version (1.2 MB, Download
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- What's Emerging in Emerging Culture? (PowerPoint
file, 9.3 MB, Download
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you don't have Microsoft PowerPoint you can download the PDF
version (368 K, Download
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- Resources
- PDF Article: "Meaning
Well," A Biblical Outline of Human Communication. It's a simple, non-technical
presentation of a lot of scripture on this subject.
- The Leading Edge«A monthly newsletter
from Earl Creps and the AGTS Doctor of Ministry Office (email or small PDF formats).
Offers quotes, articles, training opportunities, tools, news as well as recommended
books, websites, and other resources.
- PDF Article: "How
to Have a Terrible Marriage," The Times Record, Brunswick, ME, March
25, 1988
- Abstract: Having spent hundreds of hours working with couples, I've seen
enough terrible marriages to test my faith in the institution. But marriage is
good because God made it. The problem is that men and women do their marriages
so poorly that the relationship sometimes never has a chance. This article supplies
some preventive medicine (and hopefully some therapy too) by looking at marriage
issues in reverse. The premise is simple: if we understand how marriages become
terrible, we can avoid those dynamics and have a good one instead.
- PDF Article: "It's
Just a Piece of Paper: Look at the three myths—and the truth—about living
together," Pentecostal Evangel, August 9, 1992
- Abstract: Millions of people are cohabiting in the United States. They
are motivated by a combination of fear, misunderstanding of marriage, and a genuine
desire to develop the healthiest relationship possible. Living together seems
like the best option to many, a way of testing a relationship before making the
ultimate commitment. If only this were true. A marriage license is more than a
piece of paper, and marriage is more than legalized cohabitation. This article
makes the case for marriage based on experience, research, and Biblical teaching.
Living together is simply an inferior relationship.
- PDF Article: "Ministry
to the Nouveau Family" . This article was published in Enrichment,
Spring 2000. Used with Permission.
- Weblink Article: "My
House—God's House: Family Days at Church" (with Lon Flippo)
- PDF Document: Gaylor, Dennis. "Generational
Differences," Dennis Gaylor is Director, Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, USA,
April 2002 (Posted 4/18/02)
- Web Article: "Editorial: Is Christian Leadership Unique?" Encounter Journal Fall 2004, Vol. 1, No. 2
- Audio Sermon: "The
Seductions of Leadership," by Chip Espinoza-Johnson
- Chip Espinoza-Johnson is Executive Pastor leading the
ministry team at Newport-Mesa (CA) Christian Center. He is also a college teacher,
an organizational consultant, and a fan of really strong coffee.
- Chip recently adapted an outline from Patrick M. Lencioni's
book, The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable (Jossey-Bass, 1998)
to make some critical points about the dangers leaders face. Chip sees the "Five
Seductions of Leadership" as:
- Choosing status over results: who is going to get the
credit?
- Choosing popularity over accountability: can you lead
when people are unhappy with you?
- Choosing certainty over faith: can you walk by faith?
- Choosing conformity over healthy conflict: do you avoid
pain at all costs?
- Choosing invulnerability over trust: do you try to
keep your weaknesses a secret?
- This stuff not for the fainthearted!
- You can get the Lencioni book at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form
/ref=s_sf_b_as/102-0288110-4486538(Posted 8/13/2001)
- Weblink: "In the School of Death," by Earl Creps, Enrichment, Fall 2004.
- PDF Article: "But
How Can I Forgive"
- Abstract: Letting go of past hurts can be a big problem for all of us.
This article tells the truth about forgiveness--it's about making decisions, not
about having feelings. The beginning point is understanding why forgiving is so
tough is. Without pulling punches or suggesting easy, cliché answers this
piece describes the biblical decisions that can create the foundation for forgiving.
- PDF Article: "God’s
10 Words: Have the Ten Commandments lost their value in a modern world… or
are they still words of life? " Pentecostal
Evangel, March 11, 2001, pp. 9-14.
- PDF Article: "Mr.
Average," Pentecostal Evangel, March 7, 1993
- Abstract: The American male is under fire. He experiences his life as
a set of constantly escalating demands at both work and home, some of which he
does not understand. Often he hides his insecurities under a mask we call "macho."
Beneath this façade is often a mass of pain and insecurity. This articles
takes a good look at "Mr. Average" and encourages him to embrace who
he is, and who God has made him to be.
- PDF Article: "Overcoming
Opposition: Nehemiah succeeded because he knew how to recognize and defeat the
tactics of the enemy. His strategies will work for Christians facing opposition today."
Pentecostal Evangel,
June 10, 2001, pp. 12-15
- PDF Article: "What
Suffering Tells Us About Ourselves," Pentecostal Evangel, April 25, 1993
- Abstract: To some people Christianity seems like an insurance policy,
a guarantee that little will go wrong with their lives. If only this were so.
Using the book of Job, this article examines the role of suffering in the lives
of believers. Pain challenges everything about our faith and our attitudes. Allowed
to do its work, however, the discomforts of life can tell us things about ourselves
that we could never know otherwise.
- PDF Article: "When
Dreams Become Nightmares," Pentecostal Evangel, November 14, 1993
- Abstract: Almost everything done in the church is done in the name of
someone's vision. But how are we to tell whether a dream about the future is credible
and wise? This article describes several criteria that can be applied to a vision
to aid in discerning whether it represents God's mind, and whether leaders are
being good stewards of it.
- Weblink: "Premarital
Coaching," by Earl Creps, Enrichment, Fall 2001.
- Weblink: Empower,
Selected articles and resources on Assemblies of God Online
that will help you in your local church.
- PDF Article: "The
Cable Church: Using Public Access to Reach Your Community," Ministries Today,
July/August 1991
- Abstract: Sometimes the right answer is right in front of your face—in
your television screen. Media ministry is usually thought of as an extremely expensive
undertaking reserved only for megachurches. The truth is that most communities
routinely make public access cable TV available to non-profit organizations. This
can be a powerful outreach tool for churches large and small. You just have to
use it.
- PDF Article: "Confessions
of a Church Hopper," Advance, August 1993
- Abstract: During one of those times "in between" pastorates,
my wife and I had many Sundays off. We used this time to visit lots of congregations.
After years of pouring our lives into others we needed a season to be replenished
ourselves. In the course of our travels we got back in touch with how it feels
to be an outsider to the church experience. This articles passes along those learnings.
Losing contact with the newcomer's perspective is fatal to church ministry.
- PDF Article: "Confessions
of a Professional Interviewee"
- Abstract: During a time of transition I became a "pro" at interviewing
for church transitions. How? By going through at least part of the pastoral selection
process at over a dozen churches in less than two years. These experiences taught
me some lessons about what the interviewing process means and how it can assist
a candidate in determining the degree of "fit" with a new pastoral position.
- PDF Article: "Leading
the High Turn-over Small Church," Leadership, Spring 1993
- Abstract: During the 1980s I pastored a church in coastal Maine that
was highly transient. This drove me crazy. My efforts never seemed to add up to
anything. I lived at square one. This article reflects on that experience, points
to the significant positive features of an transient congregation, and offers
suggestions for maximizing the potential of this very common and very important
type of church.
- PDF Article: "Without
People My Visions Perish," Advance, January, 1995, pp.12-13
- Abstract: Ministry failure has taught me more than success ever has.
During my early years of pastoring I learned a lot of hard lessons, many of them
by scheduling activities that no one attended Without people my visions perished!
But in every case the learning that took place was well worth it. This 1995 article
summarizes three of my most significant learnings. I believe they apply to pastoral
work everywhere.
- PDF Article: "Why
Can't Preachers and Psychologists Get Along?"
- Abstract: The validity of Christian Psychology became a hotly contested
issue in the 1980s. While these tensions have abated somewhat, an underlying disconnect
between the pulpit and the therapy room remains in the church. This article explores
why Preachers and Psychologists don't always get along, and how a new cooperative
relationship between the pulpit and the behavioral sciences could be developed.
- Weblink: ""What Is the Future of Ministry in the United States?", Church Executive, June 2005. (Posted 6/21/05)
- PDF Article: "Pentecostal Potential
in Postmodern Times,"Rapport, Winter
2005,Vol. 22, No. 1.
- Weblink: ""New Wave of Pastors Minister to Emerging Adults", Pentecostal Evangel, 18 July 2004.(Posted 9/10/04)
- Weblink: "Taking the Church to Today's Culture: An Interview
with Don Miller and Richard Flory," Pentecostal Evangel, 11 July 2004.(Posted 7/16/04)
- PDF Article: "Communicating with Postmoderns: A Doctor of Ministry Elective Class on Ministry in the Postmodern Context." Earl Creps, March 2002 (5.3 MB,Download
Help, Download Time Calculator) (Posted 6/7/04)
- Emerging
Culture/Emerging Church: A Selected Resource Listing v3.0. Approximately 1700
resources compiled by Earl Creps to help leaders enhance their relevance in a rapidly
emerging culture. Endorsements: "I have instructed my
web people to link to your marvelous resource. There is truly nothing out there like
it. I can't thank you enough." —Leonard Sweet (www.leonardsweet.com/).
"What a wonderful resource. I will be featuring it shortly in the Web Evangelism
Bulletin! And making a link too."—Tony Whitakker of the Web Evangelism
Bulletin (www.web-evangelism.com).(Updated
1/27/03)
- PDF Article: "A
Dialog With Brian McLaren and Paul Drost About Doing Ministry in a Postmodern Matrix,"
Liaison (AGTS Continuing Education publication), 2001, Page 1.
- Weblink: "Disciplemaking
in a Postmodern World." "The postmodern is biblically illiterate,
skeptical, unconvinced that truth exists in absolute terms, and personally adrift,
but it is possible to reach and disciple these new kinds of people." Enrichment,
Fall 2002. Spanish
Version. (Posted 8/20/02
- PowerPoint: Emerging Church Geography, Earl Creps,
Power Point Presentations from the Leadership Roundtable, November 2002. (3.9 MB, Download
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Calculator)
- PowerPoint: Emerging Ministry Models: A Field Report, Earl Creps,
Power Point Presentations from the Leadership Roundtable, November 2002. (8.7 MB, Download
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Calculator)
- PDF Document: The
Personal Pomo Profile is an informal self-evaluation questionnaire designed
to help you understand the relative influence of postmodern culture on your life.
For best results, fill out the questionnaire before reading any of the supporting
material at the end of this document. (Posted 2/26/02)
- PowerPoint: Reaching
Postmodern Women—General Council 2003 (Posted 8/19/03)
- PDF Document: Select
Bibliography on the Practice of Charismatic Ministry
(Posted 12/11/02)
- PDF Article: "The
Charismatic Renewal at Midlife"
- Abstract: This article presents a snapshot of the North American Charismatic
movement in the mid-1990s just prior to the onset of renewal at Toronto Airport
Christian Fellowship, Brownsville Assembly of God and countless other places.
Comparing the plight of the renewal to that of Gideon, I reflect here on what
went wrong with the movement and what it would take to put things back on track.
- PDF Article: "Power
and Process," from, Revival Sermons, Ken Horn, editor. Springfield,
MO: Onward Books, 2000.
- PDF Article: "More:
First Impressions of a Secondary Revival"
- Abstract: Local church renewals centered at Brownsville Assembly of God
in Pensacola, Florida and the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship in the mid-1990s
have had a global impact. This 1998 paper, written while pastoring a renewal church,
reflects on my early encounters with the Toronto "stream." While hundreds
of thousands attended events in both locales, many millions more have been influenced
by what I call "secondary" exposures in the thousands of churches touched
by "the river of God." In this essay, I reflect on my own "secondary"
experiences, and suggest possible guidelines for pastoral leadership in a season
of renewal.
The Leading Edge
A monthly e-newsletter from Earl Creps, Professor of Leadership and Spiritual Renewal. Offers
articles, training opportunities, tools, as well as recommended
books, websites and other resources. Click here to subscribe to The Leading
Edge and view archived issue from Oct. 2007 to the present.
Issues older than October 2007 can be download as
files from the archives below.
Awards
- May 2007— Earl Creps' article "Azusa Effect" published in the May/June 2006 issue of Ministry Today received first place in the General Article section at the 2007 Higher Goals and Awards of Excellence ceremony during the Evangelical Press Association's annual convention held in Colorado Springs, Colo. on May 2-4, 2007.
Visit Earl's personal
website for additional resources
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Engagements
Updated:
Friday, April 8, 2011 3:46 PM
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