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.

How America Sees God - USA Today

Am I the only one who thinks that one of the best parts of staying in a nice hotel is the USA TODAY paper that they set right outside your door every morning? As if to say, "Mr. Fisher, we greatly value your choosing our mid-priced hotel and accepting a room on the 5th floor next to a room with a crying baby and not the 6th floor where everything is much quieter. We know you need to stay connected to what's happening in the world, so we went out and got you this - the USA TODAY.

Well, I think it's awesome.

Anyway, one of the cover articles caught my eye.

How America Sees God
Here is what it said. Surveys say that 9 out of 10 Americans believe in God, but the way we picture that God reveals our attitudes on economics, justice, social morality, war, natural disasters, science, politics, love and more (say Paul Froese and Christopher Bader, sociologists at Baylor University). Their new book, America's Four Gods: What We Say About God - And What That Says About Us, examines our diverse visions of the Almighty and why they matter.

The study concludes that Americans have four Gods. They are...

The Authoritative God (28%)
The Distant God (24%)
The Benevolent God (22%)
The Critical God (21%)

And of course, there are those who don't believe in God at all. Atheists and Agnostics make up about 5% of America's population.

What's striking about this study is that only 22% of Americans who believe in God believe that God is all-loving. Whereas 73% of Americans who believe in God believe Him to be Authoritative, Critical, and Distant.

As I contemplate this current reality, I am drawn back to the groundbreaking research presented by the Barna Group just a few years ago, in the best-selling book, UnChristian, revealing the top six perceptions that 16- to 29-year-olds have of Christians. Those perceptions are anti-homosexual, judgmental, hypocritical, too political, sheltered, and proselytizing.

I have to ask, if this perception of Christians is shared by a majority of Americans, how then could we expect Americans to have a different, more positive view of God?

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.

Rock City Lifegroups Launch

Almost a year ago, we sat with a group of friends dreaming about the day we'd launch Rock City Church. We hadn't yet entered into a partnership with ARC. Our relationship with CedarCreek was just beginning. We were fresh on the trail of church planting - learning as we went along, dreaming and praying with a small group of friends who believed in us, in the vision for this new church, in taking risks and believing God for the impossible...

I remember writing a date on the white board. 10-10-10. That was launch day - at least it was back then. It was a goal. And it came as a surprise. I mean, we chose that date pretty much by accident. It was only after we checked the box on the calendar that we realized we had selected such a "buzz worthy" launch date - we called it The Perfect 10. It brought us focus and a sense of excitement and thrill. We were moving toward something big. God was up to something.

Needless to say, the further we continued onward - after forging a partnership with ARC and working closely with the leaders of CedarCreek, launching on The Perfect 10 seemed a bit premature. So we pushed it back. We set our sights on Spring 2011.

Then yesterday happened, 10-10-10. I hadn't thought about that date for almost a year. As a matter of fact, I didn't even realize it had arrived. I was just getting back from the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta with John Ransom and a friend of ours and thinking through some of the last minute details for our lifegroups that were launching in just a few hours.

Then Katie walked down stairs. I was sitting at my computer using Facebook and she said, "You know, we were gonna launch the church this weekend. We're launching lifegroups instead. We launched our website this weekend too."

Whoah! I was stunned.

Some people might look at that and think, so what? What's the big deal? But I say, no way! It's a huge deal. In reality, we launched the church on the very day that a year ago we marked on our calendars. We haven't thought about The Perfect 10 in almost a year. Yet, perhaps the most vital and life-giving part of our church launched, right when it was supposed to. Again, catching us off guard - surprising us. But isn't that God! Isn't that how He works?

God is up to something. He is preparing the way. He is building and connecting a new community. He is stirring in the hearts of many a vision for a new church in this city. He is building His church - on His time, in His way, by His might! And He is using us - by His mercy, according to His grace, through His strength!

By the way - we've launched lifegroups on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights...If you're interested, here's your invitation. Join us. Make a difference. Be the church.

Chad

btw, check out our new site at RockCityChurch.TV

When Words Fall Short

In a well-meaning attempt to spread the gospel, often we've stockpiled for ourselves an arsenal of information and one-liners to combat anyone and anything that could possibly pose a threat to, or disagree with our core beliefs. What gives then, when two people can't agree. For instance, an atheist and a Christian trying to agree on the creation and purpose of creation for all of mankind. Any evidence provided by either side would be quickly discounted by the other. That's an argument going nowhere fast. Yet, both are loaded, heavily armed with facts and figures to prove their point and convert the other. But there's something terribly wrong with that, particularly on the part of the Christian.

I learned something, something that I actually already knew but hadn't quite yet learned, from a book I'm reading called The God Delusion, written by atheist and scientist Richard Dawkins. In his book, on page 130, he makes the following statement, 

"Believing is not something you can decide to do as a matter of policy. At least, it is not something I can decide to do as an act of will."

And there it is!

He says that in response to a very popular argument made by a man named Blaise Pascal, an argument I've heard used, and have used myself, on many occasions. The argument goes something like this:

However long the odds against God's existence might be, there is an even larger asymmetry in the penalty for guessing wrong. In other words, so what if God isn't real? What do you have to lose if you convert to Christianity, believe heart and soul in Jesus as God, and then find out there is no God? Not much apparently. But, on the other hand, if God is real, and your denial of Jesus as God means you'll be eternally punished for your disbelief, why not just believe?

Thus, Dawkin's honest answer.

Which brings me to the point. It's never been about our facts and figures. It's never been about our eloquence or ability to persuade. It's not about us at all. It's about the Holy Spirit.

It doesn't matter how hard we try or how noble our attempt. It doesn't matter how persuasive our speech. It doesn't matter how impassioned our plea. Without the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit, Dawkins is right. One can not believe as an act of sheer will. That's when persuasion fails and words fall short.

Jesus said in John 14:26, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things..." In other words, it's not our job (completely), but His.

And in John 16, Jesus said, "When he comes, he (the Holy Spirit) will convict the world of guilt in regard to their sin and righteousness and judgment...But when the Spirit of Truth (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will guide into all truth."

That should be welcomed news to us all. When words fall short...

Life-Giving Church

This past week was quite the experience as I, along with 5 other church planters, attended Basic Training with ARC at New Life Church in Little Rock. Until my time spent at New Life, "Life-Giving" was just a trendy, over-used phrase thrown around by the ARC staff and emerging church plants. Was I ever wrong! 

It's amazing how I, along with so many others, even in the midst of planting churches, have become so disillusioned with "church" as to think that "Life-Giving" is more believable as a catchy slogan rather than a genuinely "authentic" descriptor. I suppose, there is always a bit of disillusionment for every entrepreneur. It is, in fact, what makes an entrepreneur entrepreneurial: there's a problem; we've got a solution; there is an urgency. And the problem, or in our case, the reason we feel such urgency to plant "Life-Giving" Churches can be seen in every nook and cranny in culture. We need churches. And more than that, we need "Life-Giving" Churches. Everywhere!

So what is a "Life-Giving" Church? What does it look like? Here are two things that I took away from the Basic Training that I believe must shape our church if we are going to be the "Life-Giving" Church God has called us to be:

1. A Life-Giving Church is Relational
   It's about people. It's about connecting people to God. It's about empowering people to be the church. What's the catch? It takes a secure leader to lead a Life-Giving Church. A Life-Giving Church multiplies. A Life-Giving Church promotes. A Life-Giving Church is relational to the core. Loving people. Empowering People. Promoting People to do the work for which they have been uniquely equipped by God to do.
   
   
2.  A Life-Giving Church is led by the Holy Spirit
   What does it look like to be a Spirit-led church? Is it possible to "do church" without the power and presence and constant leading of the Holy Spirit? I'd say so. Is it also possible to neglect the work and leading of the Holy Spirit by refusing to plan, promote, think creatively, innovate and organize? I'd say so. A Life-Giving Church is Spirit-led, completely reliant on the leading and creative inspiration that only the Holy Spirit can bring. That means, church can be creative and innovative, well-rehearsed and organized, all thanks to the Holy Spirit at work in every step of the process. It also means that church can be not only inspiring but powerful in a way that comes only by way of the Holy Spirit. He is, after all, our only hope, the One who leads all men to God.

A Life-Giving Church gives life. It is people driven and completely reliant on the work and leading of the Holy Spirit. 

And if you want to be a part of the launch of a Life-Giving Church in the Columbus area, we'd love to meet you. Email us and let's connect over coffee, on us!

There is Nothing New Under the Sun

One thing I've learned, particularly in this last year, is that there is nothing new under the sun. What I mean is, there's a rhythm, a continuous cycle to things. In Malachi 3 we read, "I the Lord do not change". He is constant. We can see how constant and rhythmic He really is by looking into the heavens. At first glance, everything appears at random. Yet, there is nothing random about it.

Stars are not spread out randomly in space, rather they are positioned in vast groups called galaxies. The Sun belongs to a galaxy called the Milky Way. There are an estimated 100,000 million stars in the Milky Way alone. Outside that, there are estimated millions upon millions of other galaxies. Think about the perfection of that design; the intricacies and details and organization of that system and the unchanging laws that govern it.

And here we are, God's most intricate design, the handiwork of His creation. We were created to know Him, to be in relationship with Him. And when our imperfection in sin created a mass divide between us and God, His perfect plan just continued to unfold, creating a way for us to come back into relationship with him. The plan of redemption was set in place at the moment of creation, not after. God wasn't looking for a Plan B. Everything was prepared from the start.

Funny then, how life can surprise us. I've recently begun to emerge from a most dark season of life; one that I wouldn't wish on anyone. While living through one of the most difficult and trying seasons of my life, I often felt hopeless. I felt discouraged and abandoned, defeated and punished. And most of all, I felt confused.

How did I get here? Why did I get here? What could I do to emerge?

I knew the Bible. I had read the stories and studied the men and women whose lives unfold in scripture, but there was an obvious disconnect. Those people weren't me. My situation was different, unique, complicated. I was treading in new territory. My situation required outside input, from friends, counselors, anybody. As much as I loved and studied the Bible, I was disconnected, at least during this dark season of my life.

Then I read a book, A Tale of Three Kings. For me, it was a moment of divine illumination. The scales fell off, the discouragement scurried away, my defeat turned to triumph. Why? I realized that there is nothing new under the sun.

As I read the book, which was based on the lives of Saul, David and Absolam, I felt like I was reading my own biography. I could see how things happened, why things happened and what it would take to get the results I so desperately wanted without any surprises.

I realized that I was living a story that had already been told. And it repeated throughout all of history, over and over and over again. I realized that there is nothing so unique or overly complicated that we can't plug ourselves directly into scripture and find the answers. I've always known that, but living it is a completely different thing.

We are all a part of a perfect and unchanging system created by God and governed by perfect and unchanging laws, both physical and spiritual, and the outcomes of life's most greatest and difficult challenges depend solely on our willingness to submit to His perfect and unchanging plan. When we do, there is freedom.

There is no use trying to fight our way through life. God's design and plan for us is perfect. Part of His plan requires us to be tried and tested, shamed and rejected. Part of His plan takes us through a grueling detour, through the lonely desert. But it's perfect nonetheless. And the moment we realize and accept God's perfect and unchanging design, the moment we can experience the freedom of life, even in the most difficult and trying seasons.

Our stories play out the same way the stories of the great men and women of the Old and New Testament play out. There is no need for life to completely catch us off guard. Sure, there will be surprises and times when we are blind sided by unexpected challenges, but what shouldn't be unexpected is the resolution of those challenges. Our stories have been told for thousands of years and are intricately recorded in scripture. If you are looking for answers, if you are looking for a way out of the grueling pit you've found yourself in, know this -

God's ways are not our ways; His thoughts are high above our human understanding. He is perfect and unchanging. He loves us. And...

there is nothing new under the sun.

Hello Criticism

Nehemiah had a vision - to rebuild the city walls. Nothing was going to distract Nehemiah from accomplishing that which God had called him to do. Nehemiah had a vision of broken walls restored; a city re-energized, re-focused and re-committed; the weak and vulnerable becoming strong and prosperous; a lost city becoming a city of light and hope.

Nehemiah was in the fight of his life. The critics hurled insults and threats. The distractions mounted. One such distraction came from a king hell bent on destroying Nehemiah and stopping him dead in his tracks. The king's name was Sanballat.

Listen to what Nehemiah 6:5-7 says - [emphasis added for personal interpretation]

"Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same manner a fifth time with an open letter in his hand. In it was written, 'It is reported [rumored] among the nations, and Gashmu says, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel [threaten my position and power]; therefore you are rebuilding the wall [trying to set yourself apart]. And you are to be their king [you are merely seeking power], according to reports [rumors].'"

Rumors were flying. Sanballat was ready to stop any progress Nehemiah and the Jews were making because it threatened his own power. Actually, Sanballat wanted Nehemiah dead. Yet, instead of wasting his time on rumors and critics, Nehemiah threw his focus back on the One who called him to this great work to begin with. And he kept on building.

Nothing brings out criticism like a vision.

"If you are passionate about something that is yet to be, eventually someone will criticize you and question your motives. People will not understand the intensity of your focus. In our society, we are not accustomed to leaders passing up good opportunities for the sake of something that is yet to be. There is a general distrust of those who are trying to do anything new or innovative, especially if they claim to be doing it for a reason other than personal gain." - Visioneering, Andy Stanley

Leadership is painful. Often, a person with a vision is accused of doing the very opposite of what their vision is all about. In Nehemiah's case, he had walked away from a very influential position at the right hand of the king. Then, he refused to exploit his position among the people he was working with to rebuild the city walls. He refused all of the perks and benefits associated with his position among the people and still found himself accused of being power hungry.

Criticism can kill a vision. Many visions are laid to rest because the person with the vision is unable to remain steadfast during periods of intense criticism. Yet, criticism, in fact, is often a great way to verify whether or not your vision is a "God Vision" or not. If it is a "God Vision", one thing you can be assured; there will always be more questions than there are answers. God visions will attract criticism because they threaten the status-quo. God visions will stir up critics who want to keep you in your place, who want to maintain their own power and status. God visions are hard to follow. They require total dependence on the One from whom the vision came.

There is also another dynamic at work - one that can be seen clearly in the life of Sanballat. Not only will you be accused of the very thing you are trying not to do, you will probably be accused of whatever it is your accusers are guilty of.

In the case of Sanballat, he was the power-hungry one. The reason he was so disgusted by Nehemiah's progress was because his own power was being threatened. And he did what so many critics do - He assumed of Nehemiah what was true of himself.

"People with impure motives question the motives of those around them. It's called projection. Since their actions are laced with their own selfish ambitions, they assume everyone else's are as well. These folks will examine your zeal through their self-serving lenses and assume the worst. You can't convince them otherwise. There is no use trying. Again, pour out your frustration to the Father and keep working". - Visioneering, Andy Stanley

The best way to silence your critics is by completing your task, following through with your vision. Don't let anger and bitterness pull you off course. Don't let hurtful critics side track you. To them, say what Nehemiah said to the king who wanted nothing but to criticize, distract and lure him into a death trap -

"I am doing a great work and I cannot come down."

Put your hope and trust and faith in the One who gave you your vision in the first place. You will never be without critics. You will never be without challenges and set backs, but there's a way that runs straight and leads to the fulfillment of your vision, your purpose.

Trust in the Lord your God with all of your heart, your soul and your strength; and lean not on your own understanding, but acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will make your path straight.

The Great Sin

Having spent the last few weeks in Haiti, I've had more time than normal to be still and meditate on God's Word as well as to devour a list of reading material that would have normally taken me a month to finish.

Reading C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity was a breath of fresh air. Not only does he do a great job talking through the basic tenants of the Christian faith as if he himself were the greatest skeptic, he unleashes a fresh perspective on so many topics that have in recent years eluded the Christian Church.

One such topic that caught my attention was of "the great sin".

"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people ever imagine they are guilty themselves". - C.S Lewis

It is a vice that perhaps none of us would accuse ourselves of, while at the same time would show the slightest mercy when we see it in others. It is the vice of pride. It is vice of Satan himself. And it is crippling the American Church.

It is through pride that Satan fell from beloved angel to despised among all generations and cursed to the ends of the earth. It is pride that leads us to every other vice. In essence, it is pride, the self-serving part of man that continues to feed himself and look out solely for his own interest that makes room for sin.

The more pride we have in ourselves, the more we despise it in others.

"Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. Greed may drive men into competition if there is not enough to go around; but the proud man, even when he has got more than he can possibly want, will try to get still more just to assert his power." -C.S. Lewis

There is nothing pride loves more than power.

How is it then that people who are quite obviously eaten up with pride can say they believe in God and appear themselves to be very religious?

[The following is an excerpt from Mere Christianity]

"I am afraid it means they are worshiping and imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of God, but are really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people; that is, they pay a pennyworth of imaginary humility to Him and get out of it a pound's worth of pride towards their fellow-men. I supposed it was of those people Christ was thinking when He said that some would preach about Him and cast out devils in His name, only to be told at the end of the world that He had never known them. And any of us may at any moment be in this death-trap. Luckily, we have a test. Whenever we find that our religious life is making us feel that we are good - above all, that we are better than someone else - I think we may be sure that we are being acted on, not by God, but by the devil...

...Pride can often be used to beat down the simpler vices. Teachers, in fact, often appeal to a boy's pride, or, as they call it, his self-respect, to make him behave decently: many a man has overcome cowardice or lust or ill-temper, by learning to think that they are beneath his dignity - that is pride. The devil laughs."

It appears that many of us, as Christians, have replaced one vice for an even greater one. The danger is that, in the name of self-help and "living our best life now", we've elevated ourselves to a height at which the only possibility of viewing others is "downward". Perhaps we no longer care what people think of us because they are so far beneath us. We are in danger.

The moment we think that certain "sins" are beneath us, we have foolishly elevated our standing. The devil laughs, for he has cured a small fault by replacing it with an even bigger one.

Stories from the Short North

We spent a few days in Columbus this week - Steve, Stephen, myself and a few friends and potential ministry partners...

We set up shop in the Polaris area at a really cool new hotel called Cambria Suites. If you're visiting Columbus, I'd recommend this place.

Anyway, we focused a lot of our time in the Short North arts district. It's situated between downtown Columbus and OSU. Just passing through, it's easy to overlook its glamor and appeal, but after parking our car and trekking through the snow we found it to be everything it's cracked up to be, and then some...

The Short North is overflowing with young, creative and innovative artistic types. Trendy and diverse dining opportunities, impressive art galleries, sweet coffee shops, local boutiques like What the Rock and Milk Bar...Let's just say, Stephen fell in love with the place and was wishing he had worn his blue mo-hawk! It's definitely the kind of place that's thriving with potential - a seemingly untapped market if you will.

As we walked along the street, appreciating the rich, dynamic culture that was oozing from everywhere, a friend of mine said, "Intelligent and creative people just don't like church - Church is just not smart and it's most definitely not creative".

It got me thinking. How can we, as a church, tap into the creativity and artistic passion of a place like the Short North? How can we engage the artistic community and provide outlets for them to use their talent within the church? How can the church partner with these people, these shops and support their creative passion? Maybe it's a lost cause. Maybe they're just not interested in church. Maybe it's like my friend said, church is just not smart or creative enough.

Then we met two guys that ran a sweet fashion boutique right in the heart of the district. As we combed through their unique selection and carried on a semi-casual conversation with the two owners, the question finally came up -

"So what are you all doing in Columbus?"

"We're starting a church", I said.
"What kind of church?", they asked.
"A different kind of church", I added.
"How's it going to be different?", they inquired.

We just kept it rolling. They were intrigued, interested, maybe even a bit inspired.

After a few minutes, one of the owners told us about a very prominent church in the area. He said at least 8 or 9 of his friends went there and that they all played instruments and were apart of bands and stuff in the church. I asked him if he ever went with them. His response -

"They never ask me."

"It's weird", he said. "They go to church all the time. And they're never like, yo, you doing anything tonight? You want to come to church with us? I'm always doing stuff, hanging out. Honestly, I'd go if they asked me to, but they don't. So I don't have any idea what that church has going on."

"We'll, I'm officially and personally inviting you to our church", I said.

I couldn't believe it. We left, I got their business cards. And I was at a loss for words.

For too many churches, community has become the mission. A bunch of people from this church or that church all get together and hang out, in community. They do things with each other, in community. When community becomes the mission, its easy to forget the people who are on the outside of your [church] community.

When community becomes the mission, we lose. They lose too.
We all lose.

Rather, community is a result of mission.

Mission is what drives community. Mission is what creates community. Community isn't then, a bunch of people who just want to hang out. Community is driven by people on a mission, the same mission, which brings them together, in community.

So what kind of church will we be?

Our mission is what drives us - to be a church for God, the city & the world.

Our mission is to see the lost and the hurting, the hopeless and the oppressed, the seeking and spiritually restless meet Jesus. That's our mission. And we should always be doing our mission.

The moment we just want to start hanging out together because its fun and safe, we need to hang it up, close the doors and not pretend to be a church.

A church is a community driven by mission, a mission to seek and save the lost. And the more we do the mission, the more our community will grow!

Divided We Stand

My wife and I had the pleasure of taking a little road trip last week with the newest addition to our family, Macy Lee, who is already almost 8 weeks old! When we got home, a full mailbox and a pile of Wall Street Journals were laying in my driveway waiting for me to catch up on a week's worth of news updates and latest economic sagas. In that pile of newspapers, a particular article caught my attention. At first glance, it seemed like news-filler, but after I began reading I realized that God was showing me something profound and beautiful. So here goes...

It has been 20 years since the Berlin Wall fell. But deep in the forest of Grafenau, Germany, a breed of red deer called Ahornia still refuses to cross the old Iron Curtain. This deer inhabits the thickly wooded mountains along what once was the fortified border between West Germany and Czechoslovakia. At the height of the Cold War, a high electric fence, barbed wire and machine-gun-carrying guards cut off Eastern Europe from the Western world. The barriers severed the herds of deer on the two sides as well.

The fence is long gone, and the no-man’s land where it once stood is now part of Europe’s biggest nature preserve. The once-deadly border area is alive with songbirds nesting in crumbling watchtowers, foxes hiding in weedy fortifications and animals not seen there for years.

But one species is boycotting the reunified animal kingdom: the Red Deer. Herds of them roam both sides of the old NATO-Warsaw Pact border but mysteriously turn around when they approach the since dissolved border, this although the deer alive today have no memory of the ominous fence.

One reason stated by wildlife experts is that the deer have traditional trails, passed on through the generations, with a collective memory that their grounds end at the erstwhile barrier. Females, who stay with their mothers longer than males and spend more time absorbing their mothers’ movements, stick even more closely to the traditional turf. (Excerpts were taken from The Wall Street Journal’s article, “Deep in the Forest, Bambi Remains The Cold War’s Last Prisoner”, November 4, 2009)

In 2002, wildlife experts began tracking the herds of red deer using electronic collars and surveying their movement by satellite tracking and video surveillance at the old borderlines. Red deer born of herds from the West side will venture, nose literally touching the now open air where the wall once stood to divide them, and they stop. They move no further. Neither herd has ventured over the place where the wall once stood, though today, nothing stands in their way from expanding their territory into what is now free land for them to roam.

There are two points I’d like to make.

The first is that most of us have never ventured beyond the wall. For many, we’ve gained collective memory through things learned and things experienced which have become dividing walls for us, blocking us from advancing fully into the territory that Christ has already predestined for us to wholly obtain. Though nothing stands in our way, we limit ourselves by looking at the world through human eyes rather than through divine eyes. We have been called, each one of us, to expand, to grow, to accomplish, to achieve, to take risks, to be great.

We are not limited in what we can do, become or accomplish. The biggest limitation that we face is not the difficulty of what is to be grasped or obtained but our own insignificant view of ourselves. It’s our view of ourselves that blocks us in, keeps us small and limits our potential. What we need is God’s view of who we are, what we are to become, what we are to accomplish.

Genesis 1 recounts the words of God toward mankind before the first man and woman were yet living. God said, “Let us make man in our image, to rule over all the creatures and over all the earth…then God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful [great, successful, strong, influential] and increase in number [expand, grow, create]; fill the earth and subdue it [without fear and without hesitation, everything is yours; as big as you can dream there is yet more for you than that].’” –Genesis 1:26-28

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

We’ve been called to be prophets to the nations. Jesus’ last command to His church as He ascended into heaven was to “Go and make disciples”, not “Stay put and remain in your comfort zones.”

Expand. Grow. Create. Influence.
Yet how do we do that, when we are stuck behind an invisible wall?

(Which leads me to my second point)

The church remains divided. We remain separated by doctrine and denomination. We remain segregated by culture, color and race. We have white churches and black churches. We remain segregated by generation, offering contemporary services for the young and traditional services for the old. We remain divided by the legalism that shapes our worldview and perpetuates the overwhelmingly justified judgment toward those who believe or look or act differently than we do.

The church stands with its’ nose against an invisible wall that was destroyed thousands of years ago by Jesus’ sacrifice to unite all of mankind to its’ creator and return all of creation to its’ fruitful beginnings.

Galatians 3:26-29 says to all of us, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Freedom is ours.

We are rightful heirs to the promises of God.

All we have to do is step across the line.