Can your church be both seeker-friendly and Spirit-filled?
In Clear the Stage, Scott Wilson and John Bates share how God gave them a vision to marry these two divergent streams of church practice. You don’t have to choose between the old revivalist mentality and the more recent seeker-friendly plan. Instead, the authors present a whole new way of doing church that clears the stage so the Spirit of God can do what only He can.
Based on their own life-changing experiences, Scott and John share how you can use the sacred traditions of the Pentecostal experience to reach out to the lost while also discipling believers in a new and relevant way.
Scott Wilson has been in full-time pastoral ministry for more than 25 years. He is the senior pastor of The Oaks Fellowship located in Dallas, Texas, and is also author of several books, including Ready, Set, Grow: 3 Conversations That Will Bring Lasting Growth to Your Church; The Next Level: A Message of Hope for Hard Times; and Act Normal: Moving Compassion from Niche to Norm.
An international speaker and teacher, John Bates is the lead pastor of Freedom Fellowship International in Waxahachie, Texas. He also serves on a variety of nonprofit boards. He has completed post-graduate studies at the University of Houston, Texas A&M, and the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Shelli, and their children currently reside in Waxahachie, Texas.
“Clear the Stage isn’t just another how-to book for pastors. It has plenty of practical suggestions to apply in leadership and worship. What deeply inspired me is how Scott Wilson and John Bates pointed me to the Lord, reminded me of His power and glory, and encouraged me to let God be God in our worship services. This is a must-read for pastors and leaders.”
Reverend Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús Senior pastor of New Life Covenant Church, Chicago, IL, and author of Amazing Faith and In the Gap“Quite often, pastors are looking for the next big thing to implement in their churches. In Clear the Stage, Scott Wilson and John Bates look backward and forward. They point us back to the beauty and power of our traditions, and they show us the necessity of trusting the Spirit’s leading in worship today.”
Mark Batterson New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker“What I like about Clear the Stage is that it encourages the both/and model rather than the either/or church in which I was raised. I remain unashamedly Pentecostal and agree wholeheartedly with the message of this book—how to have a healthy biblically based Spirit-led and Spirit-filled church. Many of these experiences will parallel yours and many will be unique—but they will all be encouraging and enhancing.”
Dr. Sam Chand Author of Leadership Pain: The Classroom for Growth, www.samchand.com“With passion, clarity, conviction, and unwavering truth, Scott Wilson and John Bates point us back to Spirit-led services that produce Spirit-led lives and to a cause worth giving our lives to. Clear the Stage will enlighten you to truths that unleash a world-changing adventure with God and His church.”
Obed Martinez Lead pastor, Destiny Church, founder of PassionatePastors.com“I know firsthand how essential it is to be open to the work of the Spirit of God in ministry. If you’re a pastor or leader looking to let go of the heavy burden of playing the central role in planning and orchestrating worship experiences, Clear the Stage is for you. This timely new book by Scott and John is full of biblical insight to restore Spirit-empowered distinctives to modern worship—encouraging all those involved in ministry to let go and let God move in the hearts of His people.”
Rob Hoskins President of OneHope“Clear the Stage is not for pastors and leaders who are content with the status quo, it’s for those who carry the burden to see God move in our everyday through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. This book is quantifiably practical yet truly inspiring. It sets a new bar for all leaders as we face the fact that to be truly successful, we must make space for God in every facet of our lives. I highly recommend this terrific, easy-to-read book to those who are interested in kingdom work and are busy about the mandate presented by Habakkuk ‘to see the knowledge of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the seas.’”
Ossie Mills Global director of Empowered21“Today’s trend of highly creative and well-produced services can often work against moments of spontaneous and sovereign moves of the Spirit. If there’s anything our churches need today, it’s the manifest power of God moving supernaturally in our services. Scott and John speak honestly about the journey of stripping away anything and everything that could potentially distract from the main thing. Clear the Stage will challenge you to yield to the whispers of the Spirit and enjoy the freedom that comes from keeping Jesus at the center of it all.”
Scotty Gibbons National youth ministries strategist for the Assemblies of God/My Healthy Church“When an author writes from the perspective of personal encounter, the pages of the book not only hold valuable information but, more importantly, serve as a compass for all who walk the same path. The message within the pages of Clear the Stage has dramatically moved me, and I pray for a generation of believers to take the unchanging character of God, the inspired Scriptures, and the fluidity of encounter based in culture and run with it. Scott and John model the sacrifice some will make and the hunger all should have to see the presence of the Spirit impact multitudes in very practical ways.”
Heath Adamson Senior director of youth ministry for the Assemblies of God/My Healthy Church and author of The Bush Always Burns.