tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91512523982701302032024-02-08T08:07:01.211-05:00Chris R. FarrellChris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-34287426898512332052010-12-02T10:14:00.002-05:002010-12-02T10:25:58.086-05:00Philippians Chapter 4Paul ends his letter of joy by telling his readers to be united and he commends them for their service to him. In this last chapter some of the most memorable verses in the Bible jump out and tell us how to live with joy.<br /><br />"Therefore, my beloved and longed for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved." (v.1)<br /><br />"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (v.4-7)<br /><br />"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-- meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you." (v.8-9)<br /><br />"But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (v. 10-13)<br /><br />"And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen." (v. 19-20)Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-64669951763116993052010-11-22T09:32:00.002-05:002010-11-22T09:57:34.030-05:00Philippians Chapter 3The third chapter to this letter is packed with great verses about Christ that I hope will help you this Thanksgiving week be more in awe of Christ and thankfully for Him.<br /><br />"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! For we are the circumcision, who worship God in Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:circumcized the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." (v. 1-6)<br /><br />"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." (v.7-11)<br /><br />"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended ; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (v.12-14)<br /><br />"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the workings by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." (v.20-21)Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-31277683205168817582010-11-16T09:35:00.002-05:002010-11-16T09:52:47.849-05:00Philippians Chapter 2In chapter one we see Paul writing to a church he loves and who have shown their love to him. He is encouraging them to press on for the Gospel through their stuggles even as he is pressing on through his imprisonment. In chapter two Paul talks to the about unity and how because of Jesus we should lights in a darkened world. <br /><br />"Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, have the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." (v. 1-4)<br /><br />"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (v.5-11)<br /><br />"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (v.12-13)<br /><br />"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me." (v. 14-18)Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-63974098625370675362010-11-13T12:03:00.002-05:002010-11-13T12:23:08.589-05:00Impact of Philippians Chapter 1Recently I've been challenging myself to everyday sit down and read the whole letter to the Philippians. It has a been a great experience to everyday read and soak in the words of this letter Paul wrote to a church he truly loved and who sacrificially loved him as well. As you read through the letter you can't help but realize how many verses are so well known and impactful to so many lives. What I want to do today is highlight some of the passages that are so impactful in chapter one in hopes that it will stir you to read the whole letter in one sitting for a week so that you can soak in the glory of God's Word.<br /><br />"I thank my God upon every rememberance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;" (v.3-6)<br /><br />"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." (v.9-11)<br /><br />"Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice." (v.15-18)<br /><br />"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith;" (v.21-25)<br /><br />"Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me." (v.27-30)Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-67264943412758742010-08-25T10:05:00.002-04:002010-08-25T10:18:28.725-04:00Appealing To All Five SensesI just finished reading a great book from the Disney Institute called "Be Our Guest" where they talk all about Disney's legendary customer service. There were so many great takeaways in the book for any type of business you're in but particularly for the church there were so many things to think about. One of the sections that was particularly interesting and thought provoking to me was a section where they talk about how important it is to appeal to all five senses while you are in the park and how each section of the park uses differnt means to let all five senses know you're in a different area then you just came from. <br /><br />As a church we usually have different areas (ie. entry, kids area, youth area, main room for service, maybe adult classes) and it made me think "what is the church doing to appeal to peoples sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste senses?" What if depending on which area you were in there was different types of music? What is in the different areas the surface you walk on is different? What is for kids the area smelled like cotton candy or popcorn while in the adult area you have the smell of coffee or pastries? What if as you move from area to area the colors and design changed so that you knew you were in a different area? <br /><br />There are so many ideas we can do as a church to make when we gather a memorable experience and then when you add the Holy Spirit into the mix as the ultimate experience maker then Wow! What are some ways your church has appealed to all five senses or what are some creative ways you can think of to appeal to them?Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-80596665630366853042010-08-17T20:21:00.002-04:002010-08-17T20:27:12.727-04:00Building Bridges at WorkSo I've been working at my new job for about three months now and one of my goals was to build bridges with people who are un-churched. In the job I had before this one I was working on a daily basis with people who are hurting and far from Jesus so it was a great experience to build a relationship with them and share with them the hope of Jesus. In my new job I've already built relationships with two un-churched people and I'm hoping that soon they'll not only come with me to church but come to small group with me. God places us in our jobs for many reasons but I believe one of the greatest opportunities for us is to build relationships with people far from God and invite them to come to church and also share the Gospel with them. I guess the question is then have you built any relationships with un-churched people in your work place and if not when are you?Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-68417864854533813662010-08-15T16:44:00.002-04:002010-08-15T16:55:36.125-04:00MultiplicationIt has been a while since I've blogged but reading "Killing Cockroaches" by Tony Morgan has hopefully inspired me to be more diligent. Basically "Killing Cockroaches" is a book of blogs that Tony has written over the years. I found it really enjoyable and it helped me realize a blog doesn't have to be some professional piece that would be published but it can just be my thoughts on random stuff.So....<br />Yesterday our church, McKinney Fellowship, had a big day called Equipping for Impact where around 400 people who are either already volunteer leaders or are interested in becoming a leader attended. It was a really great day beginning with Bruce Miller, Sr. Pastor, talking about how 14 years ago McKinney Fellowship was a church plant for another church in the Dallas area and now has come the time where God has really been challenging him on how McKinney can multiply into the future. So many churches have the goal of becoming HUGE mega-churches but quite honestly the stats don't bear out that mega-churches can do it all. In Collin County if all the existing churches were filled for three services every Sunday only 40% of the people that live in Collin County would fit. That is amazing!<br />McKinney Fellowship has decided that their new key plan is multiplication...small groups will multiply and so will the overall church through new independent church plants, campuses, and venues in places like prisons, coffee shops, and senior living facilities. <br />Over 42 different cities are represented at McKinney Fellowship and there is no way they could reach all those people in their present facility or in any facility for that matter. I applaud McKinney Fellowship for realizing the only way to reach those 60% of un-churched people in Collin County is the bring church to them instead of the old mindset of you come to us. <br />How is your church doing? Do they realize that they can't reach everyone so they need to think about multiplication or are they satisfied with the status quo?Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-37849697786632158042010-03-16T12:39:00.002-04:002010-03-16T12:51:25.092-04:00Please Lead!Lately I've been talking with different friends who fill all sorts of different association pastor roles, from children's to small groups to you name it roles in the church. Somewhere in the discussion it always comes around to what are the major things that you need from your leader(s). There are many different things that depending on the associates personality they want from those above them but without exception the thing that everyone mentions as top priority is clarity of the vision. I know in the past when I've been in associate level positions the thing that frustrated me the most and made my job the hardest was when I couldn't get a straight answer for where we're going and what we are trying to do. Without the leader or leaders being able to communicate to the rest of the staff and lay people where we're going and why it becomes very hard to get excited and band together for a mission. <br /><br />As a leader we need to spend time communicating to those around us the vision of where we're going and why because if we don't we'll lose people along the way. Now I realize not everyone who is in a leadership position is gifted in creating, developing, or communicating a vision for the future. If you fall into that category of leader then it is important to put into place some people that have that gift. Throughout the Bible we find leaders who could either communicate with clarity the direction of the future or they had someone around them that could communicate it. <br /><br />If you are a leader I encourage you to take the time and talk to all your staff and lay leaders and get an honest assessment of whether you are clearly communicating the vision of where you believe God is calling you to go and if they say they don't get a sense of clarity then take time to work on it because if you don't you'll start to lose people. God has called out leaders and I believe one of the most important things a leader can do is communicate clarity of the vision.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-74978996116712605542010-02-02T12:29:00.002-05:002010-02-02T12:58:25.048-05:00TemptationsIn Matthew chapter 4 we read about how Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil. During His time in the wilderness the devil tempted Jesus in three areas that I believe pastors are tempted today. The Bible talks about how Jesus is our mediator and how He understands our struggles and I believe when you look at these three temptations we can see clearly how He can understand struggles we go through in 21st Century ministry.<br /><br />The first temptation thrown as Jesus was a physical temptation, Jesus was hungry and the devil wanted Him to perform a miracle that would satisfy a physical drive or desire. A physical drive that affects many pastors today is their sexual drive. It is becoming more and more common to hear stories of pastors having affairs with their secretary or a woman in the church. These stories of temptation destroy families and churches but the sexual temptation that the internet provides is even more common and less likely to be found out. Jesus understands our physical desires and is their for us.<br /><br />The second temptation the devil brought at Jesus dealt with pride. The devil took Jesus up to the pinnacle of the temple and told Him the angels would catch Him because of Who He is and therefore nothing bad would happen to Him. In our North American church culture where pastors become celebrities because of books or conferences it is very easy for a pastor to get caught up in how cool he is or how influential he is. Many pastors start to believe the hype and lose track of who they really are and who Jesus is. Pride is what caused the devil to fall originally and he realizes that we as pastors and leaders are so easily caught up in that same struggle. Jesus understands our tendency toward prideful thinking and is their for us.<br /><br />The third temptation the devil brought at Jesus dealt with accumulating material possessions. The devil showed Jesus all of the lands and promised them to Him if He would simply worship him. This temptation follows right along with the previous temptation because for many pastors the material possessions come at the same time pride starts to creep in. We live in a materialistic world where everyone is trying to have the bigger house and the nicer car. So many pastors try to figure out a way to get more money so that they can have the nicer things in life but how many times in order to get more money do we have to sacrifice the truths of Scripture. So many pastors are okay with not preaching the hard things of Scripture so that more people will come and then we'll have more money in the offering. Jesus understands our desire to have more material possessions in life and is their for us.<br /><br />Matthew chapter 4 deals with how Jesus was tempted by the devil and overcame him by speaking Scripture and trusting in His Father but it is also a good place for us pastors to go today and realize that Jesus truly does understand the struggles we go through as pastors in North America today and He wants us to know that we can still go to Scripture and trust in Him for strength through those times when the devil tries to tempt us.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-70831593234054311962009-12-16T14:57:00.002-05:002009-12-16T15:06:15.899-05:00Where is God?Today the pathology reports came back that Matt Chandler, Lead Pastor at The Village Church, has cancer and that it will be a tough road ahead because the doctors couldn't removed it all with the first surgery. Matt is 35 and one of the most influential pastors for the next generation. Where is God? One of my high school friends is still dealing with the fact that on Good Friday her husband fell seven stories and is still in the hospital with sever trauma. Where is God? All over the world families are being slaughtered in the streets, children are being pulled into wars, little girls are sold as prostitutes. Where is God? The answer that we find isn't always the one we want but the answer is He is right here. God is right here for us in all the pain and all the things that are so wrong in this world. God is right here when it isn't fair. Do I pretend to know why God allows these things to happen? No, but I do know based on His Word that He is here and that He is in control. God's ways are beyond our ways and His knowledge is far beyond our knowledge so all I can do in times like these and in a world like this is hold on to the promise that God is here and still in control.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-74995139357495223212009-10-30T13:08:00.002-04:002009-10-30T13:28:04.432-04:00Things I Learned at Disney WorldA couple weeks ago Amanda & I spent a week at Disney World in Orlando. Since we don't have kids and we went in October the lines were shorter and we had more freedom to move around and move quickly from one thing so another without lots of brakes. I haven't been to Disney since I was really young so this was my first time to go and really be able to take it all in and remember things. We had such a fun time and I made a few observations about Disney that I think translate into church ministry. Now before anyone gets all riled up about me drawing any comparisons between the two let me be up front in saying the church shouldn't be an amusement park but I do think we can learn a lot from how they do things. Here are just a few observations I made that I hope to take with me when I, Lord willing, one day start a church.<br /><br />1) the people there are so friendly and helpful. The first day there it was my birthday and so they gave me a button that told everyone I was celebrating my birthday at Disney. I got to tell you that we didn't pass one single employee that day that didn't say "Happy Birthday Chris". I know this may sound silly but someone you don't know smiling and welcoming you makes you feel good. What if the church was made up of people who really believed that showing an interest in a new face was important?<br /><br />2) everything they do is well done. As we walked around and went on some of the kid rides I am blown away at how well and how much pride they obviously take in things being done well. At Disney you don't see trash on the ground, you don't see places that need paint work, you see the detail they put into creating the scenes of movies and stories. Everything they do is done well and people appreciate that. What if the church took as much pride as Disney in doing things well and making their facilities look clean and nice? <br /><br />3) it is a fun place where people are happy. I remember commenting to Amanda one day that I haven't heard a single curse word the whole time we have been here and I can't even remember someone being visibly upset about something (other then little kids crying over something). Now I know that we as the church are called to talk about tough things and sometimes make you uncomfortable about your sin but what if the church was a place people really looked forward to going to and being a part of?<br /><br />4) they make the kids experience memorable. It really was fun to see the faces of kids as Disney and know this was such a treat for them. It is also fun to watch parents and grandparents as the find pleasure in their kids loving their experience. What would the church give to have a Children's ministry that is so exciting and fun that they want to be there? How excited would the parents be if their kids wanted to be in church because it is fun and they are learning about Jesus?<br /><br />5) it is a well run company. If you visit Disney you can't help but notice how well run it is from the moment you walk in. None of the other things could happen if it wasn't run well. The fact that the give you a free pass on your birthday or that prices aren't astronomical (I know they are high but not as bad as I thought they'd be or could be) is because they have a good plan and run a smart business. What is the church had a really good strategy for where they want to go in the future and how the finances play a part in that? What is churches didn't over reach trying to please everyone but instead stuck closely to their vision and goals? <br /><br />Well these were a few of the things I picked up on at Disney but if you have some of your own I'd love to hear about them. Disney is truly a magical place and my hope is that we as the church can learn a few things so that Jesus is loved and is viewed as great as Walt Disney in peoples eyes.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-57850956868890597982009-08-10T22:13:00.003-04:002009-08-10T22:34:03.049-04:00Church Planting Part 5Jeff Foxworthy became famous with his "You might be a redneck if" jokes a decade ago. As you read through these different posts I done on church planting you might be asking yourself if you could be involved in something like that. You might wonder if you are the right type of person to be part of a core team of people that help start a church. Well in honor of Jeff Foxworthy I want to give you some "You might be right for a church plant core team if..."<br /><br />1. if you believe God has still greater things in store for your city<br /><br />2. if you believe that even though your a vital part of a church it isn't about you but about God and others<br /><br />3. if you want to be excited about being a part of something and telling people about it<br /><br />4. if you like hard work<br /><br />5. if you want to pray harder and give more of yourself then you ever thought possible<br /><br />6. if you want to give financially to something that will reap eternal benefits<br /><br />7. if you stick with things through the good, bad, and ugly because you believe God has called you to be a part of it<br /><br />8. if you're willing to do what is needed to make it happen<br /><br />9. if you want to build relationships with people like you never thought possible<br /><br />10. if you believe that the lead pastor is someone you want to follow because he is doing the best he can to be obedient to God <br /><br />11. if you like getting there early and staying late because you're helping set-up and teardown <br /><br />12. if you love meeting new people<br /><br />13. if you love seeing God change hearts<br /><br />14. if you believe that the sacrifice in the short-term doesn't even compare to the possibility of the future for both you and your kids<br /><br />15. if you believe God has chosen for His primary way of reaching un-churched people to be through great churchesChris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-37173337636118439362009-07-30T15:39:00.005-04:002009-07-30T16:48:18.423-04:00Church Planting Part 4Whenever someone is going to start a new church a lot of research goes into the process. Some of the things that are commonly studied are: size of area, median income for area, educational breakdown of people in area, past growth pattern for the area, ethnicity of area, business growth of area, new home construction, how many similar churches to what you're doing, ect. A lot goes into studying an area because you want to make sure that this is the right area for you personally because you're committing a lot to the project. One of the most recent things to come out is research on church planting accross the board in America. This new information is so helpful because it draws correllations between things that happen in a church plant and its likelihood of thriving. <br /><br />Recently Dr. Ed Stetzer (Lifeway Research) and Dr. Warren Bird (Leadership Network) co-authored a paper on the state of church planting in North America. I have read this paper and found it to be incredibly helpful in understanding what are some of the key components to church plants that not only survive but thrive. What I'd like to share with you is some highlights from this paper (if you'd like the whole paper please let me know and I'll email it to you) so that you can better understand what typically is needed for a church plant to thrive.<br /><br /><strong>Background:</strong> This article summarizes salient findings from existing literature(multiple church planting studies, 54 doctoral dissertations, 41 journal articles, and over 100 church planting books and manuals), giving particular attention to a 2007 study by Leadership Network, which itself involved fresh research among more than 200 church-planting churches, over 100 leaders from 40 denominations, 45 church planting networks, 84 organic church leaders, 12 nationally known experts, and 81 colleges and seminaries.<br /><br /><strong>Key Points:</strong><br /><br />*research indicates that a passive approach to ministry is prone to failure; however, church planters with an aggressive strategy for penetrating the community and gathering those who would be leaders for the kingdom more frequently results in successful church-plants<br /><br />*proper site location for both the city and facility is necessary for success<br /><br />*Spousal support is a must<br /><br />*The importance of casting vision cannot be overemphasized<br /><br />*Material resources are less important than one might believe<br /><br />*Coaching plays a significant role in the life of the planter<br /><br />*Have a plan for both developing leaders and involving them as soon as possible<br /><br />*Church planters need to be sure of their calling<br /><br />*research revealed that around 68 percent of church plants still exist four years after having been started<br /><br />*When there is a proactive stewardship development plan within the church plant, survivability is increased by 178 percent<br /><br />*The expectation is that the mean number of baptisms or conversions would have a strong correlation to the evangelistic effectiveness of new churches. The mean number of baptisms or conversions of the participating groups was 10 baptisms the first year, 11 the second year, 13 the third year; and 14 the fourth year<br /><br />*The typical church plant does not pass 100 in attendance after 4 years<br /><br />*In successful (over 200 people within 3 yrs) church-plants: 88% had church planting teams; 63.3% had a core group of 26 to 75 people; 75% used a contemporary style of worship; 80% put ten percent or more of their budgets toward outreach and evangelism; 16.8% had a higher rate of full-time pastors than struggling church-plants; 63% of fastgrowing plants, compared to 23% of those that were struggling, raised additional funding<br /><br />*78.3 percent of fast-growing church planters were full-time rather than bivocational<br /><br />*Only 8.8 percent of fast-growing church planters were given salary support past three years. On the other hand, 44.3 percent of struggling church planters were supported past three years<br /><br />*75 percent of fast-growing church planters were given additional financial support from a sponsoring agency<br /><br />*While receiving additional funding, a majority of fast-growing church plants received from $1,000 to $25,000 extra over a one to two-year period<br /><br />*63.3 percent of fast-growing church planters raised additional funding for the church plant<br /><br />*Planters leading fast-growing church plants were given more freedom to cast their own vision and choose their own target audience, and they had more freedom in the spending of finances<br /><br />*88.3 percent of church planters involved in fast-growing church plants were a part of a church planting team<br /><br />*Fast-growing church plants had multiple paid staff. Two paid staff members was a majority among these church plants<br /><br />*A majority of fast-growing church plants utilized two or more volunteer staff as part of the church planting team prior to public launch<br /><br />*Fast-growing church plants had a larger number of individuals involved in the core group prior to launch. While struggling church plants had twenty five or less in a core group, fast-growing church plants had between twenty-six and fifty.<br /><br />*Fast-growing church plants utilized more seed families than struggling church plants<br /><br />*Fast-growing church plants used both preview services and small groups to build the initial core group<br /><br />*Fast-growing church plants that used preview services used three or more of these services prior to public launch. A large contingent of these churches used over five<br /><br />*75 percent of fast-growing churches had over 101 attendees at their first service. By contrast, 80.4 of struggling church plants had 100 or less.<br /><br />*Fast-growing church plants had children and teen ministries in place at time of ministries and offered at least three ministry opportunities to first-time attendees<br /><br />*56.7 percent of fast-growing church plants taught financial stewardship during the first six months from public launch. By contrast only 38.5 percent of struggling church plants taught financial stewardship<br /><br />*80 percent of fast-growing church plants gave 10 percent or more of their monthly budget toward outreach and evangelismChris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-52960301671405368252009-07-28T12:47:00.005-04:002009-07-28T14:59:41.471-04:00Church Planting Part 3Every church and especially every church plant has to make the decision of what they will do in the area of ministries. In churches all over the country you will be able to find ministries that touch on just about everything under the sun and most of them are great ideas that touch many peoples live but the question that has to arise for me is "how many things can we do with excellence?" If you go to one church you'll find they have tons of ministries (ie. VBS, Sunday School, Men's, Women's, Small Groups, private schools, AWANA, sports, MOPS, ect.) and then if you go down the street you'll find a church that only does a few things. <br /><br />I've always been in churches that do a lot of things, and once again I believe that there is nothing wrong with that philosophy of ministry, but for me as I've studied different churches and different philosophy of ministries and I've come to the belief that the more things a church does the more it tends to not do them as well simply because you are stretching your human and material resources so thin. It isn't a matter of the heart being in the wrong place as much as it is just so much energy spent going in so many different directions. For me I really have gravitated to a more simply church approach where we may not have every ministry under the sun but we really try to be excellent in the few we do and really try to get people involved in those few areas. What I'd like to do here is talk about what those few areas of ministry are that I believe are important for a church plant.<br /><br /><em><strong>**Main Adult Worship Experience</strong></em>-- You'll notice I didn't say Sunday morning service because in churches today the main worship service could not only be Sunday morning but could be Saturday night, Sunday night, or even some other day of the week. Historically church has been held on Sunday to celebrate the day that Jesus rose from the dead conquering sin and death but I'm not sure that it is mandated that you must worship on Sunday morning even though I think it is optimal. <br /><br />I believe the main adult worship experience should be geared towards two groups: 1)believer's- we should never lose hold of the fact that worship is only something Christians can do because you can only worship God when the Holy Spirit has changed your heart. The main worship experience is a time for believer's to come together and celebrate what Jesus has done through song, prayer, tithing, baptisms, communion and the preaching of the Bible. 2)the unbeliever-- this main worship experience is an opportunity for someone who is not a Christian to come and experience what Christianity is all about, it is an opportunity for them to experience the love of God's people, hear the message of salvation in Jesus Christ, and see that the church isn't a scary place. The main worship experience shouldn't be, in my opinion, geared towards the unbeliever but we should make every effort, as long as not contrary to Scripture, to make them feel comfortable. <br /><br />What type of "worship style" a church uses has been a hot button topic for years but I hope that someday it will no longer be. I believe there is a lot of freedom in Scripture about what "style" of worship you can use as long as the focus is placed on God and not ourselves. I believe that you can hold tight to the truths of Scripture and still be keenly aware and appreciate the changes in culture. Because of this belief I have no problem with the use of video, a full array of instruments, the use of drama and other forms of the arts, the idea of preaching both topical sermons and covering an entire book of the Bible. I believe that it is beneficial to use contemporary christian songs, secular songs, and classic hymns of the faith but I would lean towards the music being more "contemporary" then "traditional" in style because our vision is to "be a church where un-churched people fall in love with Jesus" and studies (next blog) have shown that church plants that use contemporary music reach un-churched people easier and grow much better then those that don't. One of the things that I really want to have is an appreciation for different "worship styles" and a flexibility to do different things because I believe that if you become too comfortable in the way you do things we as humans have a tendency to think it is the only right way.<br /><br /><em><strong>**Children's Ministry </strong></em>(Nursery through 6th grade)-- It is imperative for any church and especially a church plant to take seriously the need to keep children safe and also teach them the truths of Scripture from an early age. Studies have shown that one of the most important things in a family deciding on a church is the safety/cleanliness of the children's facilities and we will do everything we can to make sure that when a family drops their kids off they know they are in good hands. Another thing I really want to see happen in a children's ministry is that it is such an exciting place for the kids that they can't wait for the next time they get to go. Think about this...how important to a parent would it be if their kids got them up from bed in the morning so excited to go to church? Wow! What I'd like to see in a children's ministry is a place where they can come together and sing fun songs, learn a Bible lesson, and then break up into small groups based on age to do projects about that Bible lesson so that it is reinforced. I would love from the time kids leave the children's ministry for them to have a great understanding of who God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are and for them to fall in love. <br /><br /><em><strong>**Student Ministries </strong></em>(7th through 12th grade)-- Student ministries are a fun but challenging time because it is during this phase of life that so much changes in hormones, attitudes, and beliefs. Much like the Children's ministry my hope is that we provide an environment that is so exciting to be involved in that they want to go and be involved. My vision is that the Student ministries would work very similar to the Children's ministries in that they would gather in a big group for songs, skits, and a Bible lesson and then break up into specific age small groups to discuss more fully the lesson. My hope is that during the summer we'd also be able to add in Missions Trip and other fun activities. <br /><br /><em><strong>**Service Teams</strong></em>-- One of the big areas that I'm excited about is our Service Teams because I believe that if you want to get connected in a church one of the best ways is to serve. I believe that when you work with people towards a common goal you really begin to bond and form a friendship that can last for a long time. One of the main reasons why we won't be have any type of Adult Sunday School ministry is because I want to free up people to be able to serve. Whether is be parking lot greeters, door greeters, helping with children's or student ministries, set up and tear down, sound, lights, offering helpers, or some other thing that comes up we need volunteers to jump in and serve. One of the things that I want people to know when they come is that we want you to use your gifts and serve on one of our Service Teams, not only so we can have an excellent church experience but so you can meet new friends.<br /><br /><em><strong>**Outreach</strong></em>-- Part of the mandate that Jesus gave His disciples is to go out and share the Gospel with your local community and the farthest parts of the world. My hope is that if we're not known for anything else that we'll be known as a church that shares the love of Jesus with the world. My goal would be to build bridges with other local churches, para-church ministries, non-Christian organizations, and also global organizations. I want for our love to be so well known in our community that if our church were to disappear one day the impact would be felt by both Christians and non-Christians, I want people to be able to say that even though they may not agree with our message they appreciate our work in the community. I want for us to not only send short-term mission teams out into the field but also launch out full-time missionaries. These full-time missionaries will reach not only people groups that have heard the Gospel before but that brave the unknown for Jesus into un-reached people groups. Part of being in love with someone is telling people about that love, part of being in love with someone is showing them how much you love them and that is what we want to do with our love for Jesus.<br /><br /><em><strong>**Small Groups</strong></em>-- I believe that "church" is really about community. I believe that small groups of 6-12 people meeting in homes, businesses, and restaurants are a vital part of what we should be about. I believe that beginning with our kids and working our way all the way up to adults we should desire to be in a group where we can grow in our relationship with God and with each other. I see these groups meeting on a regular basis because we need a place where we can pray together, fellowship together, talk about God's Word together, and support each other through life's ups and downs. Small Group ministry is one of my passions because I've seen what the Holy Spirit can do in that type of environment. <br /><br />My hope is that we would create a small groups ministry where people can come and get plugged in, where they can meet new people to do life with. One of the challenges of small groups is that if you're a growing church, which we want to constantly be, you have to constantly be getting new people who are willing to step up and lead groups so that new people have a place to go. I want to have a culture that values both the need to develop deep, lasting relationships and the need to understand self sacrifice for the betterment of getting new people plugged in. My hope is that our groups will be based on life stage (single, married, and empty nest) so that you can group up with people most like you. We'll have times where the groups will talk further about the sermon and times when they'll talk about other topics. <br /><br />As you can see my goal isn't to do a lot and that is intentional. I believe that if we're going to ask you to be a good spouse, a good parent, a good employee, a good neighbor, and share your faith with friends, family, and strangers that that takes a lot of time and effort. I don't want to pile on top of you more and more stuff. What we'll ask is that on top of that list of things you are hopefully already committed to doing that you do two events for us specifically: 1)join or lead a small group and 2)be involved Sunday morning (or Saturday night or Sunday night...whenever the large get together time is)in a Service Team. My hope is that if you have come from the type of background that I have, where every night there is something to do, you'll find this as great news because our goal isn't to burn you out but to have things that are so much fun that you'll love being a part of them and you'll want to see us reach the vision of "being a church where un-churched people fall in love with Jesus".Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-40610111114568421502009-07-21T22:12:00.004-04:002009-07-22T00:39:42.582-04:00Church Planting Part 2<em>"We want to be a church where un-churched people fall in love with Jesus"</em><br /><br />I've learned that having a good vision statement is important for any organization because it gives people a snapshot of what your organization is all about. When Apple started their vision statement was "to make a computer anyone can use" and that is what they've tried to do ever since. A vision statement should help your organization stay on track to what is was originally created for and when things start to get crazy and expand it brings you back to the fundamental purpose for its being. <br /><br />There are a few things I've learned about what a vision statement should be and should not be that I'd like to share. The first thing is that you want your vision statement to be big and something that might always seem beyond reach because it is striving for the ultimate. Secondly, your vision statement should be easily remembered so that it is transferable to as many people as possible, the longer the statement the less amount of people that will remember it and make it part of their thinking. Thirdly, the vision statement should not answer all your questions and might even bring up more questions. <br /><br />Let me try to breakdown the vision statement I've written and explain to you why I worded it like I did because if you really are paying attention it could seem contradictory. <br /><br />"We"- even though I wrote the vision statement it is a statement that you want all of the people of your organization to embrace as their own. Any organization is about more than one person and even more than its founder.<br /><br />"want to be"- this vision statement is an aspiration that will hopefully happen in the future but will more than likely always continue to be a want. Having a big dream I think is important because if it is easily attainable I think people get bored or complacent.<br /><br />"a church"- there are many different types of organizations in this world and almost all of them have vision statements but what I'm talking about here isn't just any organization but "a church". The church is made up of men, women, boys, and girls who have placed their faith in the saving work of Jesus and have become God's earthly hands and feet. The church isn't some building or piece of property but the people who have come to drink deeply from the spring of eternal life. A church is a unique body of people called by Christ for a purpose and that is what we will be.<br /><br />"where un-churched people"- I believe that the church has the best thing to offer any person in Jesus Himself. I believe that for far too long churches have done everything possible to avoid contact with un-churched people in a religous context. I believe that Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost and that we need to open our doors and invite un-churched friends into the church so that they can hear and experience the love of God. If we have a bunker mentality that only is inward focused we will continue to decline in our influence with the world and therefore draw even deeper divisions. Although the church is called to stand firm in the truth of Scripture and what it says may be uncomfortable, I believe that the church doesn't have to be boring or happen in a way that would make someone feel totally uncomfortable by how we do things. I want to have a church where people come in and their experience is so wonderful that when they walk out they may say "I don't necessarily agree with what they said today but because of the love I saw I'm going to keep listening." When you have a church like that we have done all we can to set the stage for the Holy Spirit to do His thing. The Gospel is a stumbling block enough so we don't need to add stumbling blocks by our unwillingness to love on the un-churched. <br /><br />"fall in love with Jesus"- this is the ultimate goal for several reasons. 1)in order for people to fall in love the must hear the truth about that person, at this church we will un-ashamedly preach the facts of the Gospel of Jesus; 2) you must acknowledge the truth of that person, so we will tell people that you need to acknowledge the truth of Scripture in what it teaches about Jesus; 3) you must trust that person, so we will tell people that you need to trust in what Scripture says Jesus did and live your life for Him. When you fall in love with someone you do things for them, not because you feel guilty or because you don't want them to punish you for not doing things but because you love them and want to show them your love. When you love Jesus you do things for Him, His church, and the world because you love Him. We want people to pray for this church, give of their time and money, and invite new people not out of guilt or to avoid scorn but because they love Jesus. We want people to want to serve and grow in the relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit because they are in love. Feelings come and go but true love lasts through the good and bad and that is what we want for people.<br /><br />As you can see this vision statement isn't just some nice little sentence but a bold leap of faith because what we are hoping to see is a church where people, who are against God, coming and not only tolerating being their but learning to fall in love with Jesus. This is scary because it means you have to get outside of your comfort zone and reach out to people you might never have before because you really believe that God the Holy Spirit can change lives. Going from un-churched to falling in love with Jesus is a big mission but I believe it is the mission of any church and especially should be ingrained in a new church plants DNA.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-3835614123891828862009-07-19T23:56:00.004-04:002009-07-20T01:01:20.409-04:00Church PlantingMany people ask "why would someone want to plant another church since we have so many churches already?" That is a good question and the sad truth of the matter is 85-90% of the churches in America have stopped growing or have started to decline. Most churches just simply add people who have grown un-happy with their current church instead of growing by un-churched people coming to faith in Jesus. Any person that wants to plant a church today must realize that doing things the way they've always been done isn't going to cut it and being more concerned with maintaining the status quo then reaching new people isn't going to work. Almost every person writing about the church today will tell you that our greatest hope for reaching new people is through church planting because there is a correlation between the excitement of something new and people being willing to reach out to their non-churched friends to invite them to church. <br /><br />Church planting should happen not because we need just another church but because we need new churches that will reach the people currently un-reached by the existing churches. As long as there are people that haven't been reached by the Gospel we need to try new things that will possibly reach out to them. Below you will see some of my thought on what a new church would look like. These "statements" are continually a work in progress till God calls me to put them in "stone" but I think you would get the general direction I'm heading.<br /><br />Vision Statement:<br /><br />“We want to be a church where un-churched people fall in love with Jesus”<br /><br />Core Values:<br /><br />Transformational Teaching- We believe that the Holy Spirit transforms lives and chooses to use the Bible as a primary means to accomplish this transformation. We believe we can be creative, innovative, and daring in our presentation but still hold tightly to the never changing truths of Scripture.<br /><br />Purposeful Prayer- We believe that God wants to hear the prayers of His people and that we should seek for God to move. We believe we need to understand God’s plans are not always our plans therefore we need to accept God’s plan even when we don’t understand it. <br /><br />Building Bridges- We believe that Jesus sacrifice demands of us to reach out to those who don’t know Him both locally and globally. We believe we must do whatever we can to help people physically and emotionally, but also help them understand their primary need is spiritual and that the answer is found in Jesus Christ.<br /><br />Radical Relationships- We believe God created humans to live in relationship and not alone. We believe that having radical relationships where you can be real and grow in your faith are essential to being who Jesus called us to be as a church.<br /><br />Simple Strategy- We believe that keeping what we do simple yet strategic will help everyone maximize their ability to become all that God wants them to become and will help our church reach more people with the life changing message of Jesus. <br /><br />Doctrinal Statement:<br /><br />the Scriptures<br />We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible, and God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; Matthew 5:18; John 16:12, 13).<br /><br />the Godhead<br />We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—co-eternal in being, co-eternal in nature, co-equal in power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14)<br /><br />the Person and Work of Christ<br />We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (John 1:1–2, 14; Luke 1:35). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Romans 3:24; 1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3–5). We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry as Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9, 10; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:24; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1–2). We believe Jesus is coming again to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:5; Romans 14:9; 2 Timothy 4:1).<br /><br />the Person and Work of The Holy Spirit<br />We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8–11; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 12:12–14; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 5:18).<br /><br />the Total Depravity of Man<br />We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that through Adam’s sin the race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; man is totally depraved and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26, 27; Romans 3:22, 23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1–3, 12).<br /><br />Salvation<br />We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 2:8–10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18–19).<br /><br />Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers<br />We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37–40; 10:27–30; Romans 8:1, 38, 39; 1 Corinthians 1:4–8; 1 Peter 1:5). We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for the flesh (Romans 13:13, 14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11–15).<br /><br />the Ministry and Spiritual Gifts<br />We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of spiritual gifts. It is, however, the believer’s responsibility to attempt to develop their sovereignly given spiritual gift(s). The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion and is the placing of the believer into the Body of Christ. We also believe that particular spiritual gift(s) are neither essential, nor prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are an indication of deep spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11, 13; Ephesians 4:7–8). We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accordance with His own will, for the sick and afflicted (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14, 15). We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God that is given to him (Romans 12:1–8; 1 Corinthians 13; 1 Peter 4:10–11).<br /><br />the Church<br />We believe that the church, which is the body and espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons (Ephesians 1:22, 23; 5:25–27; 1 Corinthians 12:12–14; 2 Corinthians 11:2). We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 18:22; 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1–3; Titus 1:5–11). We believe in the autonomy of the local churches, free of any external authority and control (Acts 13:1–4; 15:19–31; 20:28; Romans 16:1,4; 1 Corinthians 3:9, 16; 1 Corinthians 5:4–7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1–4). We recognize believer’s baptism and the Lord’s supper as scriptural means of testimony for the church (Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41, 42; Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26).<br /><br /><br />If you have further questions or would like for me to email you an informative paper written about church planting please let me know.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-23337652616739998052009-06-24T13:04:00.002-04:002009-06-24T13:15:16.953-04:00LeadershipI've been thinking about this quite a bit and I've come to the conclusion that leaders can really only work successfully for other leaders. I think if your personality is more of a manager you are able to work for a leader or a fellow manager but if you're a leader you'll become frustrated and stifled if you work under a manager. "What does a leader look like?" you might be asking and believe me if you want to know there are a million books out there that talk about it. Here is a list of some qualities I believe a leader has:<br /><br />A leader...<br /><br />1. realizes God put them in that place for a specific time and reason <br />2. realizes they won't be there forever so they look for pass on things to the next generation<br />3. seeks God's wisdom<br />4. has a vision for the future<br />5. isn't afraid to make tough decisions<br />6. listens to those around him<br />7. communicates the vision to everyone<br />8. isn't afraid to take calculated risks<br />9. will rally people around a big idea<br />10. is constantly asking questions on how things can be better<br />11. isn't satisfied <br />12. loves to see others around him succeed<br />13. wants to be the go to person<br />14. takes ownership of the decision <br />15. is strategic<br /><br />I'm sure you can think of more and I'd love to hear your thoughts as well!Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-43314585862739766192009-05-18T23:30:00.002-04:002009-05-19T00:05:30.297-04:009 Years Later......I'm still thinking about a 5 second statement. In 2000 I was a junior in college and my two roomates and I decided to go play golf. When we got to the course there was a guy who joined up with us to make our foursome. I can't remember what hole it was but sometime into our round the conversation with this guy turned to what I would be doing after college and I told this guy I was going to seminary to study the Bible at the graduate level. I remember asking this new guy if he went to church and if he was a Christian, his response has stuck with me for 9 years. He said "I've tried it and it didn't work for me". Now if I was quick on my feet I would have asked, "what did you expect it to do for you?" but I wasn't so I didn't. Over the years I've thought about this conversation often and wondered how he would have answered my comeback but sadly I think I do know. I think there are probably two things he would have said and both sadden me.<br /><br />The first thing I'm guessing he thought was that if you go to church and you become a "Christian" life will be great. You think at work you'll be promoted and get raises; you think your health will be perfect and nothing bad will appear on those exams; you think your marriage will be great, you'll never fight and have sex every night; and you think your kids will be perfectly behaved and grow up to be successful individuals in life. I'm sure it never crossed his mind that being a Christian doesn't mean those things, in fact it might mean your life appears worse. Right now I'm writing this blog while virtually unemployeed, one of my friends might miscarry a child, another friends husband is in a coma and could possibly die or have his life be totally different when he wakes, my mother has terrible back pain, and thousands if not millions of Christians I don't even know are being persecuted to the point of death. Christianity is not the way to avoid the bad things in life and if you thought that going to church would change that sir I'm sorry we've done or said something to make you think that.<br /><br />The second thing I'm guessing he might have thought that didn't work for him is that if you go to church and you're a "Christian" you always do, say, and think the right things. So many "church people" have this holier than thou attitude that will turn you off. Sir I'm sorry if we have given you the impression that we're perfect people and then we failed. I'm sorry that I still say, do, and think the wrong things...I'm human just like you and I screw up. If someone gave you the impression that we are perfect I'm sorry.<br /><br />Being a "Christian" or going to church doesn't mean our lives are all together and it doesn't mean we should think we're perfect, in fact if you're really a "Christian" it should mean the opposite. Sir if you'd really like to know what being a "Christian" can do for you let me tell you. Being a "Christian" means that you realize you are a person that screws up a lot and that even if you don't screw up as much as some you've screwed up enough that God doesn't have the type of relationship with you He wants. If you're a "Christian" you realize that no matter what you do you can't earn God's favor but that you only get it through His grace.<br /><br />You see sir that by God's grace He decided to send His only Son, Jesus, to this earth to die for us so that if we place our faith in Him we might have an eternal relationship with God the Father. I know this must sound to simple but it wasn't simple on God's behalf, it was very costly. This doesn't mean that life will be perfect and it sure doesn't mean we'll be perfect, but it does mean when we screw up God forgives us because of Jesus. I realize the church and "Christianity" didn't work for you but I'm guessing that is because you expected some genie to grant you wishes and that isn't what God does. God isn't here to make our lives perfect but He wants to make our lives more and more dependent on Him instead of ourselves. <br /><br />If you've encountered "Christians" that gave you the wrong impression I'm sorry because we shouldn't ever give you the impression living the life of following Jesus is easy, isn't easy but it is worth it because you live everyday forgiven and connected to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in a way you never could before you placed your life in the hands of Jesus. So sir I ask you that if in the future I screw up I hope you'll realize I'm not perfect but a work in progress daily being shaped by God because of His love and forgiveness.<br /><br />I wish I could go back in time 9 years to talk with that guy but I can't so all I can do is pray someone else will tell and show him what being a Christian really is because I know that God's love and grace can work for him.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-47506783200680556022009-05-11T11:05:00.003-04:002009-05-11T16:23:48.069-04:00Drive Conference 2009 in ReviewLast week I had the opportunity to go to the Drive Conference in Atlanta at North Point Community Church. As I expected Andy Stanley and his team did a great job of providing a 3 day getaway for pastors where they could have fun, learn, network, and have more fun. Any time you go to a conference like this it is really hard to narrow down all that you want to talk about because there was so much good stuff. What I'll try to do here, because I know you don't want to read for days, is to tell you all the titles of the main sessions and the breakout sessions I went to and then tell you a point or two that really stood out. If you have never been to Drive I really encourage you to go next May because it will be a great experience.<br /><br />Andy Stanley was the speaker for the main sessions and the North Point Staff did all the breakouts.<br /><br />Main Session "Leading in Uncertain Times"<br />* You need to respond to uncertainty with clarity & flexibility<br />* Plans can change, but the vision must remain the same<br />* Die on the hill of vision, but not plans<br /><br />"Connecting Adults into Small Groups"<br />* provide multiple ways for people to take the next step of getting assimilated<br />* realize the joining a small group requires committment and some people just aren't ready for that yet<br />* make the process easy<br /><br />"Developing Group Leaders Who Lead Well: What Every Leader Needs"<br />* simplicity allows for focus, and focus allows for excellence<br />* clarity prevents frustration & self-defining<br />* does your training effectively address the needs of your leaders?<br />* support your leaders<br />* when you trust your system you can trust your leaders<br /><br />"Teaching That Sticks"<br />* you must raise a felt need in the audience<br />* ask yourself, "what is so important about what I'm about to say?"<br />* pick 1 point and build everything around it<br />* the point should be well-crafted, memorable, and as short as possible<br /><br />Main Session "Listening, Learning, and Leading"<br />* creativity is intelligence having fun<br />* leadership is not about making decisions on your own, its about owning decisions once they are made<br />* the responsibility of the leader is not to make all the decisions, the responsibility of the leader is to ensure that all the decisions made are good ones<br />* you are probably not the smartest person in your organization, you are just the leader<br />* leaders are attracted to environments where their ideas and opinions are heard<br />* leaders who refuse to listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing important to say<br />* create a system that allows you to get the brightest and most strategic-minded people to the decision-making table and don't just allow seniority to determine structure<br />* fair ended in Eden, shoot for right<br /><br />"Putting A Creative Idea to Work"<br />* the right people are the foundation of a successful creative process<br />* what is success for your environment?<br />* define your audience<br />* don't kill a bad idea too soon<br />* you have to have permission to fail<br />* give creative people room to fly but build in accountability<br /><br />Main Session "Making Vision Stick"<br />* vision must be transferable<br />* state it simply- the larger your vision and the more people you want to understand it the simpler it must be<br />* cast it convincingly- position and present your vision as the solution to a problem that must be addressed immediately<br />* repeat it regularly- at least twice a year cast vision<br />* celebrate it systematicly<br />* embrace it personally & publicly- tie vision into everything & by everyone<br />* vision requires constant care & attention<br /><br /><br />As you can see there was a lot to take away from this great conference and I only wish I could have attended more breakout sessions because I didn't even get to go to a lot of other great ones. If you haven't spent much time seeing what North Point is doing to fulfill their vision of "creating a church that unchurched people want to go to" I encourage you too.<br />*Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-37815467667961266102009-04-29T00:30:00.002-04:002009-04-29T00:41:39.735-04:00OpportunitiesYou know it is a tricky thing when you're a "professional" Christian. When I worked for an auto insurance company I got to be around a lot of people that weren't Christians, when I worked for the cell phone company I was around a lot of people that weren't Christians, when I worked on staff at a church I <strong>WASN'T</strong> around a lot of people that aren't Christians, and now while I'm working in retail sales I'm once again around people that need to know what a relationship with Jesus is all about. It is crazy that when you are a "professional" Christian you seem to be involved in missions more. One of the things I tried to do my last few months when I was on staff at a church was put myself into places where I'll be around non-Christians. One of the main things I did was join a public basketball league in the town where I live. When you are a pastor you have to make a concerted effort to put yourself into situations where you'll meet non-Christians and be available to what God might do. If we expect for God to do something in this world we can't just sit around and hope God will bring them into our church doors. My challenge to all pastors and to myself when I go back on staff at a church is to put myself into situations where God can use me to show people His love and grace.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-33357391520348138782009-04-12T20:34:00.003-04:002009-04-12T20:42:46.962-04:00Reality CheckThis weekend we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate the hope that we find in Him both in life and death. This Good Friday wasn't so good for one of my childhood friends. Early Friday morning my friend learned that her husband was in a terrible accident and could die at any moment. My friend is eight months pregnant with their first child and just the thought of her losing her husband so early in life and with so much to look forward to is almost too much to handle. Her husband is currently in a coma and on life support but his vitals have improved greatly over the last 48 hours. <br /><br />It is events like this that should and do cause you to stop and think, they make you appreciate what you have in life...health, family, friends. Hundreds of people are praying around the clock for my friend and her husband and we all believe that God has the power to heal but we just don't know if He will. On this Resurrection day we thank God for our many blessing and mostly the hope that we have in life or death because of what Christ has done.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-81583248396832602882009-04-03T13:57:00.002-04:002009-04-03T14:12:37.982-04:00Winds of ChangeThe Maddness of March is almost over as we enter April and the Final Four is this weekend. April is also an exciting time for Amanda & I because I'm talking with six churches right now and half of those six are getting very close to making a decision. Amanda & I are so excited to find out what God has next for us and it has been so exciting to talk with these churches. These six churches are located all over the country and range from 300 to 3000 in weekly attendence but it is amazing to see what God is doing all over this country. Change can be tough but I believe God uses it to mold us and make us strong so I look forward to whatever this next change will bring for us because we know God is faithful.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-74959702156090399362009-03-26T15:50:00.002-04:002009-03-26T15:55:16.604-04:00March MaddnessWe are well into my favorite event of the year...March Maddness. Even though Texas A&M got dumped by UCONN I'm still happy Kansas is fighting. March is usually a really great time for me because of the tournament but this March has been down just a little bit because of my job, or lack there of, situation. March has been maddening waiting to hear what door the Lord will open next but I remain confident that once again He'll show Himself faithful and convince me once again that His plan is better than my plan would have been anyways. If March has been maddening to you as well hold on to hope that God is still faithful and He has a plan.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-47286591610540021922009-03-04T10:51:00.002-05:002009-03-04T11:00:52.314-05:00A Sea of HopelessnessYesterday evening the tragic story of four friends that went fishing in the Gulf of Mexico came to an end as the Coast Guard called off their search with only one person being found. In a report today Mr. Cooper's father talked about how he and his son would go out sometimes 50 miles and he would look all around and all he could see was water and how that was scary for him. I've been that far out once but it was on a cruise ship not a small boat. To be honest I can't imagine how scared and the hopeless feeling they must of had when they went into the water during that storm. I can't imagine floating in cold water with 10 foot waves crashing and looking all around and all you see if water. I really can't imagine a worse way to go. My hope is that these three men knew Jesus and in their final minutes He was able to provide them with what only He can provide. We need to pray for these guys families as they deal with this awful experience and once again be reminded that tomorrow isn't promised so come to Jesus if you haven't and if you have already share Him with as many as possible.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9151252398270130203.post-75594045368715032872009-02-24T17:00:00.002-05:002009-02-24T17:25:07.559-05:00Making It UnderstandableSo I recently got this brand new Chronological Study Bible and I've really been enjoying it as I read through the Old Testament. One of the things I really enjoy about this Bible is that it spends a lot of time focusing on history, archeology, and facts about the culture at the time. So many times when we read the Bible we try to figure out what it means to us, which I think is important, first instead of taking time to try and understand what it meant to the people it was written to originally. It is really fascinating to learn all about how brilliant God was in communicating His truth to the people. He chose to take things from the surrounding culture and tweak it to teach them a better way, He didn't come up with abstract things people had no fimiliarity with but chose to take things that pagan cultures had and so how He was better. <br /><br />Let me give you an example. In Leviticus 16 on the Day of Atonement God instituted the ritual of the scapegoat. In this ritual the priest would place his hands on the scapegoat and confess the sins of the people. The scapegoat was then sent into the wilderness symbolizing the removal of the peoples sins. The interesting thing is this ritual wasn't unique to Israel, both Anatolia and Mesopotamia attempted to appease angry gods by using animals to carry away a plague or other evil suffering. In the Hittite ritual the king even places his hands on the animal. The difference God brought to Israel's ritual was that a second animal was used to be sacrificed to Him as a sin offering.<br /><br />So what does this teach us about today? I think it shows us the a couple things. First, I believe it is extremely important to understand what the Biblical message was to its original readers, you need to understand what God was trying to say to His people. Second, I believe it shows us that God approves of us using the common things of culture to bring His message. To many people today get really upset and accuse preachers of mixing "the world" into their messages but we see that God didn't have any problems taking the things of this world and showing how He is better and that people understand the message quicker when they can relate it to what they experience in life.Chris and Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03724627837495861064noreply@blogger.com0