Recently we had our first “Official” membership class at the Crossings and it was a lot of fun. It was just neat to see so many new and old faces excited about what God is doing in our own little part of the Kingdom. It was neat to see people stepping up to the plate in heartfelt commitment. Now I understand that in the greater body of Christ there’s been some debate as to what to do with Church membership. Some claim it is not a Biblical principle and others hold the opposite position and see it as a great practicality for our day. On my part I lean toward the second camp, so I’ve listed 7 reasons at the bottom of the post as to why we’ve gone with a formal membership at The Crossings. But I think the greatest reason why I fall on the side of a designated church membership for the located body of Christ actually comes from a true story from our time in the former Soviet Union. Read the rest of this entry »
Church Planting
My oldest son was reading an article the other day in the National Geographic about a city in Siberia which has exploded in growth over the past few decades due to its growing oil production. Because Debi and I lived in the former Soviet Union for two years after college, I’m always drawn to things happening in that part of the world. This article was particularly interesting as it seems that nothing ever really happens in Siberia, especially growth. But because of the natural resources and great leadership, this town which used to be not much more than wooden shacks 40 years ago has grown into a modern city of some 300,000 people. But the one thing that really ran through my head was, “Wow, someone needs to move there to plant a church.” If I were in another stage of my life, I would probably; (definitely) have looked into that possibility. But then it happened; the flesh fought back. Read the rest of this entry »
To Tell the Truth?
Nov 16
I got a link from a friend the other day to another church planter’s blog and in one of his recent posts he talked about what kind of church he’d like to be a part of. I’ve read a lot of similar things in the past and can see where this guy is coming from. He’s got a lot of good ideas and shares his heart well. But I have noticed something that’s missing a lot these days, especially with anything connected with post-modern, emerging, or emergent churches, and that’s the issue of doctrine. (Dan Kimball seems to be a great exception to this tendency) While I understand that doctrine by itself is dead, I get the feel that there are a lot of folks who are throwing out truth for the sake of emotion, relativism, and pragmatism. But what we find in the first church is that they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” (Acts 2:42) In other words, they were concerned about truth and it seems that if we’re going to be authentic church today and not simply new clubs, then we have to seriously pursue the apostle’s teachings ourselves. In short, truth really does matter.
Looking Forward to Turbo!
Sep 29
I’m excited about attending an upcoming “Turbo” church planting event at NorthWood Church in Keller this Thursday. The lead presenter is a guy named Bob Robertswho has been used by God in a great way not only to plant NorthWood over 20 years ago, but to assist in and send out over a hundred planters. I’m looking forward to gleaning some more wisdom on the subject and exploring more into the future direction God is calling us to. One thing that I am convinced of is that we are going to be involved in church planting whether that’s doing another plant or leading an established church into this realm of service. Along those lines, I’ve been asked a few times if there’s really a need for such a thing, especially in an area like DFW which has “tons of churches”. I’ve always told folks asking that it’s a good question and then given them some things to chew on. Without too much research, here are just four reasons for planting that immediately come to mind. Read the rest of this entry »
One of my true heart passions is world evangelism. In tune with this, I’ve pasted below a recent post from one of my favorite blogs to keep up with. The guy’s name is Bob Roberts and he’s got a lot of experience and insight to consider. The link is at Glocal.net and the post is below. Enjoy.
To See a Transformed World – or NOT!
When we go into ministry it is driven by passion, love, vision, and determination to see God work in our lives and see radical transformation through Jesus Christ in our local ministries and throughout the world. Too often it ends in frustration, disappointment, and defeat. The problem is not our heart or desire or even willingness – it’s our paradigm and understanding of our world. If we would see transformation:
1. We need a clear understanding of what the Great Commission is and what it isn’t. In my upcoming book that will be out in a few months I deal with what the Great Commission is – and move it from religious preacher work to disciple society engagement. Our current western understanding of the Great Commission is limiting us in being able to be a part of things where the Gospel is going viral. Read the rest of this entry »
Church Planting
Sep 3
For Starters.
A huge lesson that I picked up over the past couple of years in the church plant that we did in Nor Cal is that the “Great Commission” of Christ was not to plant churches, but to make disciples. (Note Matt. 28) It’s real easy if you have enough money to draw a crowd. (unfortunately we never had enough money anyway) But it’s another thing to really bring people into discipleship with Jesus Christ. That’s the key. When that happens, then you really reproduce and multiply at exponential levels. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about Church Planting and hope to encourage a whole lot more of that. But the point is discipleship, not the institution.
Aug. 17th. Two great opportunities for potential church planters:
Endure Boot Camp, September 15-16, 2009 with Acts 29 Network.
Glocalnet. Church Planting Turbo with Northwood Church in Dallas. October 1st.