Thom Rainer is CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources and a reliable commentator on trends within evangelicalism.

Last week, Thom published a two-part article, “Trends in Healthy Churches in 2012” (Part 1, Part 2). Here, Rainer is not setting out what he thinks should be trends in healthy churches, or trends he looks for in order to identify a healthy church. This list is his informed opinion based, in part, on research conducted within the United States among churches that are firmly committed to the gospel.

Here are Rainer’s 12 “Trends in Healthy Chuches“:

1. The churches have a high view of Scripture.
2. A large number of church members read the Bible daily.
3. The churches have a priority and focus on the nations.
4. The churches have a missional community presence.
5. The congregations have membership that matters.
6. The members are evangelistically intentional.
7. These healthy churches have pastors who love the members.
8. The churches allow their pastors to spend time in sermon preparation.
9. There is clarity of the process of disciple making.
10. These churches do less better.
11. The process of discipleship moves members into ongoing small groups.
12. Corporate prayer is intentional and prioritized.

Stated this way without explanation, this list is only so helpful. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of Rainer’s article his expansion and and explanation of each point.

The take away is simple: to praise God that these trends are taking place within the church, and to pursue more fervently these priorities here at DSC.

Several years ago, DSC cast a vision to be a church that plants churches. Some of us are sending, and some of us going, but we’re all excited about DSC’s first church plant, Redemption Church, Rio Rancho.

Today, Redemption’s lead planter, Carlos Griego, published an update on progress toward a new launch date of February 19. Read Carlos’ update here, and take note of Redemption’s specific needs for prayer:

How can you pray for Redemption?

Pray that our leaders and those going to Redemption will continually fix our eyes on Jesus and follow Him. That we would not worry or grow anxious in this, but trust him fully and completely.

Pray that our permits will go smoothly and quickly through the city of Rio Rancho. The only thing that would delay this launch more would be if the city would require more work to be done something we won’t know until we start on the renovations.

Pray that people even in this delay would meet Jesus and be transformed. We are praying for 4 baptisms on our 1st Sunday! We are excited about a new location, not because we want a comfortable space, but because we are excited about the opportunities for more people to meet Jesus, that’s why we exist.

For more information about DSC’s church planting strategy or how to set up your online giving, visit DSC’s Church Planting pages.

Right now through January 12, the Westminster Bookstore is offering 50% off of a number of good books online, many of which we have carried or now carry at the Resource Center here at DSC. So, these titles have our hearty recommendation.

Here are a few highlights from Westminster’s sale:

• Marty Machowski, Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments
• Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
• Timothy Keller, King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus
• Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name
• Timothy Keller, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God
• Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change

In his Christmas Eve message, “Shepherds Who Follow the Lamb,” Ryan unpacked the rich irony of the gospel found even in the announcement of Christ’s arrival recorded in Luke 2:1-20. God sent angels to deliver a lofty announcement to lowly shepherds about the King of Ages lying in a manger for animals.

Here’s a helpful excerpt from Ryan’s sermon to think on this week:

Maybe the best example of God coming to the lowly is the glorious, angelic announcement of Christ’s birth to shepherds. Just shepherds. No name shepherds. And an angel comes to them, with the most important news of all time. Other angels affirm the announcement with nothing less than loud angelic praise. God did not reveal the birth with a message in a bottle; not a singing bush. But angels and an angelic choir. All that for just shepherds. Not for the town mayor; not key religious leaders; not the influential or persuasive; not the famous or the rich. It was shepherds who got the most elaborate Christmas announcement of all.

God does in deed come to the lowly, and that is good news for all of us.

Click here for a catalog of Christmas sermons preached at DSC.

Last week we published a blog detailing a number of Bible reading plans for you to consider ahead of the first of the year. Yesterday, Justin Taylor published what has become an anual post summarizing a number of different plans. If you’re still considering different reading plans or have yet to survey the options, this is a great place to start.

If having too many options is actually a reason for discouragement, that’s understandable. It is difficult to fully evaluate all your options when you can’t actually test them out. If you are happy to decide between two recommendations, consider George Guthrie’s “Read the Bible for Life,” a chronological Bible reading plan, or the Discipleship Journal “Bible Reading Plan,” by NavPress, which takes you through the entire Bible by reading from four different places each day.

Of course, there’s no rule that we should be reading the whole Bible in one year, though that’s a fine and fruitful goal. Whatever our plan and whatever our pace, may our lives resonate with the experience of the blessed man described in the first Psalm:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
– Psalm 1:1-3

For encouragement in grasping the importance of the Word in your life, consider listening to Ryan’s sermon on Psalm 1, “If You Wanna Be Happy for the Rest of Your Life…” delivered at the front of our current series, Pour Out Your Heart to Him.