Band of Bloggers

The purpose of Band of Bloggers gatherings is to forward the discussion on gospel-centered blogging and leveraging our online influence for the glory of God.  On the side, we have been able to enjoy a great relationship with publishers and various ministries who are happy to give away copies of their newest releases to our bloggers and attendees who in turn promote, excerpt, and review them in the future.

When we began Band of Bloggers in 2006, we were thrilled to donate one book per person.  Since then that number has continued to increase until last year where we were privileged to give away 12 books per person. As we started planning this year’s gathering, I was very skeptical about the possibility of increasing that number. Fortunately, we received great assistance from John Starke of TGC Reviews, and together we were able to secure a total of (wait for it) . . . 17 books ($237 value) for all everyone attending this year’s gathering!

Here’s a complete listing of the books for this year’s giveaway:

1. Counterfeit Gospels: Rediscovering the Good News in a World of False Hope by Trevin Wax (Moody)
2. Don’t Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day edited by Kevin DeYoung (Crossway)
3. Reverberation: How God’s Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People by Jonathan Leeman (Moody)
4. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (25th Anniversary Reference Edition) by John Piper (Desiring God)
5. Taking Hold of God: Reformed and Puritan Perspectives on Prayer by Joel Beeke (RHB)
6-10. The Essential Edwards Collection (5 Books in Set) by Owen Strachan and Douglas Sweeney (Moody)
11. Christ Formed in You: The Power of the Gospel for Personal Change by Brian Hedges (Shepherd Press)
12. Faithful Preaching: Declaring Scripture with Responsibility, Passion, and Authenticity by Tony Merida (B&H)
13. When the Word Leads Your Pastoral Search: Biblical Principle and Practices to Guide Your Search by Chris Brauns (Moody)
14. Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself by Joe Thorn (Crossway)
15. Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care by Tony Merida and Rick Morton (New Hope)
16. The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies (Zondervan)
17. Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purposes of God by David Platt (Multnomah)

As of March 27, 2011, we have reached our maximum capacity for the 2011 Band of Bloggers gathering and have closed registration.  For those of you who could not join us this year, we hope to connect with you again soon.  In the meantime, we plan to unveil the 2011 BoB Swag in the coming days leading up to our gathering on April 12.  If you are registered, we hope to see you there!

Last week, we announced the 2011 Band of Bloggers taking place in conjunction with The Gospel Coalition National Conference.  One of the significant changes we are taking this year is the format of our gathering being more “flattened” and intimate.  Our goal is to engender meaningful participation from all attendees in the spirit of our theme – The Gospel Procession.

Having said that, the 2011 BoB Gathering will be smaller than previous years with a capacity of 150 attendees. That means registration will likely fill up fast (registration is now closed).  Aside from the free books and dinner, we believe this event will be one you will find profitable for the kingdom of Christ as it relates to intentionally leveraging our online influence for the advance of the gospel.

Registration for this year’s event is $25.  Once we have reached 150 attendees, we will unfortunately have to close the registration for this year’s gathering.