Faith of My Fathers was a very interesting read and concept for a book.  Chris Seay sits down with his brother, worship leader Robbie Seay, his other brother, father, and grandfather to discuss life, ministry, and everything in between in a very conversational style book.  Donald Miller also helps to facilitate discussion and also throws his opinion in when he gets the opportunity.  The conversations in this book tend to keep coming back to the point that though people may differ on views regarding life, ministry, and politics they still must love, accept, and be authentic with eachother.  The main point that the pastors in this book agree on is that the church and Christians must be authentic in the fact that we are not perfect.  They believe that we as a church have failed on our impact on the world because we are not willing to admit that we have failed in areas and continue to fail in some areas.  The discussions on culture and the church were very interesting also.  The pastors discussed the changes in culture and yet ministering to hurting people in the midst of that.  This is a very interesting read in seeking to have a real and relevant ministry in the midst of an ever-changing culture.

Steve Saint, the son of missionary martyr, Nate Saint, brings some fresh ideas that can not only be used the field of international missions but in any place of ministry in The Great Omission.  The premise of the book is that we have left a crucial part out of our methods of missions and church planting.  The omission that we have been leaving out is discipleship and empowering others to minister.  Steve proposes the idea that missionaries should be launchers and catalysts that empower and disciple local believers to be the ones who continue in evangelism and ministry.  A missionary should go to a people group or a place that has never heard the Good News of the grace of  Jesus Christ and share that Good News and then empower the new believers to communicate that message to others.  The missionary should not stay permanently in that place in order to run and facilitate that church, but they should move on to another people group and start the process over again.  Steve’s book builds an outline of what this idea looks like by sharing about what God has done in this area with the Waodani tribe in the Ecuadorian Amazon.  I think that Steve is onto something that we not only fail to do in international missions but also in America.  The church as a whole fails to disciple and empower believers to go out and reach others with the Good News.  This book does an excellent job of raising questions about the great omission not only in international missions but in the American church.