The 5 Agreements

This past Sunday, we had the incredible honor of hosting Lee Powell, Pastor of CedarCreek.TV. For the past several years, CedarCreek has been listed by Outreach Magazine as one of the top 100 fastest growing and largest churches in America.

When Rock City was no more than an idea, CedarCreek came along side of us and our team. They believed in us and in the vision of Rock City Church while still in its infancy. They've become a true and trusted friend. They've supported us, mentored us, and continue to stand beside us as we navigate our way from launch to a healthy and growing church.

On Sunday, Lee shared with us 5 Agreements that have, over the years, helped to guide them and keep them on course. I think they are worth mentioning here. The commentary after each Agreement is my own.

First, We Agree that the cause of the church is our greatest cause on planet earth. If you believe this, it changes everything. It only takes a few to ignite a movement. A few who are willing to sacrifice, to serve and commit themselves wholly to the cause of Christ, to faithfully support the mission of the local church... If it's the greatest cause on planet earth, what are you waiting for? What's our cause, you ask? Taking the message and hope of Jesus to the lost, the hurting and the oppressed in our cities and around the world. That's it.

Second, We Agree to do anything short of sin to reach people who don't know Christ. We're not bound by some rigid set of rules or tradition. The Message never changes, but the method by which the Message is delivered has to change in order to reach an ever-changing culture. What exactly does this look like? Watch Rock City, and you'll see.

Third, We Agree that the church can never get to big. What does big mean? Why focus on numbers? Well, for starters, there's an entire book in the Bible called "Numbers." And God uses numbers over and over in scripture. Pertaining to the early church, read Acts 2:41. Three thousand people were added to the church that day. Someone must have been counting. Someone must have been measuring that kind of growth. Numbers are a good indication of health. If we believe the church is the greatest cause on planet earth, and we're telling people about Jesus, the church grows. It has to. Healthy organizations, healthy churches grow.

Fourth, We Agree to be an example of Jesus' love behind and beyond the walls of our church. Simply put, we're not inward focused. At least, not totally. If our heart breaks for what breaks God's heart, we won't stay confined to our four walls. We'll be in our communities, in our cities, making a difference. Our hands and feet, our dollars, our work will be on foreign soil as in our own backyards. People are people. And people matter to God. And where there are people, there is the mission of the church.

Fifth, We Agree to do more with less. Nobody wants to throw money away. Nobody invests in something that isn't producing results. We are committed to being financially frugal, to make every dollar stretch. To do more with less.

Thanks Lee, for casting that vision for us.

Where's the Salt?

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus says, "You [we] are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

I was reading a book called The Message of the Sermon on the Mount by John Stott and was completely halted upon reading the following statement:

"When society does go bad, we Christians tend to throw up our hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should we not rather reproach ourselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: Where is the salt?"

Take a minute and reflect on that.

Catalyst 2010 - The Tension is Good

The Catalyst Conference is always a worth-while investment. This year was no exception. Something incredible happens when twelve-thousand leaders converge in one place - God speaks. For instance, just standing during one of the many times of worship, looking across the convention center at nearly every hand raised, twelve-thousand church leaders crying out in one voice,

"There is no one higher, no one greater; no one like our God! There is none more able, Christ our Savior, Great and Glorious."

The hair on my neck stood straight in the air. God was speaking in that moment.

"You are not alone. Look around you. I am raising up the next generation. I am with you. There is none more able. There is no one greater, no one higher. You are not alone."

It's always something when God speaks. It's something to think that, this vision that He has given Rock City is part of something so much greater, so much bigger...that Christ Himself is building His church, placing all of the pieces in perfect order, in perfect harmony.

God also spoke this year through the theme of the conference - through every speaker and guest that graced the stage -

"The Tension IS Good; The Tension IS Necessary."

Every wish the tension would just "go away?" Ever wonder what life would be like, what ministry would be like without the tension? Listen to what Reggie Joiner says of tension -

There is not one aspect of life where tension doesn't have critical value. Tension between the parties and branches of government creates a needed system of checks and balances. Tension in science can lead to remarkable insights and discoveries. Tension in the family provides an opportunity to demonstrate commitment and unconditional love. Tension within a team pushes them to better perspectives and deeper relationships.

Tension is good. It is absolutely required if you want to have an authentic faith. It is critical if you hope to engage in God's story of restoration and redemption. Tension compels us to respond to a higher calling. Tension helps us face our doubts. Tension challenges who we think we are. Tension clarifies what we believe about God. Tension prepares us to live our lives with a deeper message as a part of a bigger story.

So invite it. Create it if necessary. If you avoid tension as a leader, you are potentially robbing yourself and your team of the kind of defining moments that shape their character, stretch their faith, and clarify powerful insights. So choose to embrace it, even pursue it. By doing so you add an essential ingredient to your team that will give them the potential to change the world around them.

So here we are...living in the tension. We love the church, but at the same time, we want to reclaim it, redefine it. We want to build a community committed to loving and serving one another, but at the same time, we want to build a community that is focused on taking the love and message of Jesus to the lost, the hurting and the oppressed in our cities and around the world. We want the Spirit of God to lead us, but at the same time, we resist Him when it disrupts our schedule or becomes too uncomfortable. We want change within the church, but at the same time, are we willing to do what it takes, to sacrifice everything, to have skin in the game?

It's the tension that makes us. It's the tension that creates our need to rely on God.

Andy Stanley says that "there are problems that shouldn't be solved and tensions that shouldn't be resolved. Progress depends not on the resolution of those tensions, but on the successful management of those tensions."

The Tension is Good.