Meetings, and lots of work to be done....

This is not the typical Monday/Tuesday blog update because I wanted to get two meetings in this post that I had with two different people. So let me start with a summary of the interview/meetings that I had had:

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Brian Wells:// teaching pastor @ Crossroads Community Church in Cinci.

The last blog post I was running off to go meet with Brian and the talk/interview went very good. I shared with him who I was and how I got to KY/Cinci. and a little about what we are attempting to accomplish in the tribe extension. And then he basically shared the history of their church and I would but in and ask questions that might be related to what we are doing and see if I can gain some insights.

basically the history of Crossroads is 11 people that most or all of them worked in P&G in Cinci. and were are attending different churches and had a single Bible study going on. Eventually the Bible study turned into about 150 people attending a Bible study and one of the men involved asked another one who was Brian (in Marketing and a Preacher's Kid) if they should just start a new church instead of just doing the Bible study. Bryan having no idea what to do...assumed that you had to get permission or a grant or something just prayed about it and eventually they decided that may be that was what God was desiring for them to do. So 11 of the core team went to a Willow Creek seminar and found out that even though some of the stuff they were doing was cheesy that maybe it did have lots of power in it and possible could actually reach their friends that did not know Christ. So in March of '96 those 11 guys after gaining the blessing of the pastors in the churches they were attending decided to put their 6 figure tithes into the new "church" and put a want ad in a Willow Creek publication. Well, they got around 40 responses and finally found the current Sr. Pastor of the church.

And with-in one direct mailing and the current average 150 in attendance already they had around 400 in attendance right off the bat. They purchased a old Home Depot competors warehouse building and created the church in that building. I have no idea how many are in average worship but lets just say it is a lot. The advice he gave me when it came to planting a church was: The thing that most suprised him was the amount of conflict. The number of people who what worship and the church to be exactly what THEY want instead of keeping to the vision to what God desired for the church. I summed that advise up as EXPECTATIONS. I personally believe the great difficulty that everyone deals with are expectations. expectations of what the church should look like, and how children should act, and what should happen in each worship service, and how everyone should dress including the pastors...Expectations....and how our own expectations might not be the same as those of God.

He also in looking back said that he really wished that the development of small groups would have been a natural progression and an organic ministry growth of small groups......instead of making small groups a "launched program".

The church was created for the purpose of reaching people who are not Christians. So a lot of the conflict that they had to address was Christians looking for a cool church to attend but wanted that church to be just like the church they think is good...but some of those things are not effective at reaching non-Christians. So they would have to turn down large sums of money in the form of a tithe...because those people could not see that this church exists for those who do not know Christ....not those who do.

So.....this church is very open and up front about reaching the 30 year old male. This is the one group of people that you rarely find in large numbers in church...and actually it is the greatest challenge to all marketing firms. the 30 year old male. So this church will always try to cater to the lifestyle and mentality of the 30 year old male. If they build a building then it will be attractive to a 30 year old male....they they use language then our language will be their language. Music is their music, etc..... He example was that the church has become very feminine. For example...he says...when is the last time you heard a male gangster in a movie that is sitting around his gang members and turns to one of his friends and says, "Hey Guido, SHARE with us how you jacked that Lincoln and stripped it". So, they focus on trying to reach the non-Christian 30 year old male.

He also says that when it came to finding servants to be in charge of ministries that they had to learn over time that they had to value character over competency. There are several competent people out there....but if they did not have the character of Christ then it would get them into major problems.

He believes that they are, and always will be in the battle to make sure the church continues to be a revolution verses an institution.

Then lastly I asked if he had any books that he would consider would be helpful to us and he suggested:

Repenting of Religion by Greg Boyd

Why Men Hate Going to Church by David Murrow

I guess I can add these to the list of 100 that I need to read.

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The next meeting

Bryan Sims:// Leadership Coach with SLI:

Bryan is a personal friend of mine and I actually am meeting with him first and foremost as a personal prayer and accountability fellow tribesman.

But, we played catch-up and Bryan considering what he does for a living offered support and guidance as much as he could and of course in his support we are considering bring Bryan along side us to help with the strategic understanding with the Tribe Extension as well as help develop and form a second 1st start development team that would be made up of people that will make the commitment that they will start and stay on board the entire time and allow this new ministry to be their new home after it is officially "launched" (please notice the emphasis on the quote marks!). I believe this team would be extremely beneficial and would include members of the already formed prayer team, current 1st Start development team, the possible starting "sample" home church, and maybe even possibly one or two from the Florence UMC FOCUS team.... This idea is no where but in the conception understanding of its life...and this is different then the first thoughts of starting the 1st start Dev. Team and eventually finding new members to form a team like I am suggesting...but current the 1st Start Dev. Team is primarily consisting of a report time and time and energy accountability of me (which is greatly needed and a must have in the process)....But, they are not part of a team that is helping developing vision and living out the actual ministry (one or two are, but the meetings are currently not set up to be that way). Anyway, the meeting was very beneficial to me to my personal growth of course to include prayers for one another, but also for the possible future relationship of the Tribe Extension and SLI.

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the next meeting:

Markus:// Associate Pastor of Union Pres. Church in Union

This was a very exciting meeting with Markus! I had previously met with the Sr. Pastor there and during the entire meeting the Sr. Pastor kept reminding me to meet with his associate and that we would have lots in common to talk about. Other than the fact that we both have a lot in common individually, love movies, worship, etc....) we found that we both had a desire to reach non-Christians and that we were both disappointed in how the majority of both of our denominations have attempted to develop relationships with non-Christians. He told me that he was brought on board there @ that church to start a contemporary worship service for the people in Union and of course just like all churches (that I have talked to except one) their understanding of Associate Pastor also includes Youth Ministry......so, when he heard what we are doing and our immediate plans for the future (i.e. block parties to find out the needs of the people in Union) he was very excited and so was I . I offered that we could some how develop a relationship that would go beyond denomination's walls and was focused on people's lives and would be centered on Christ focused transformational community relationship he was excited about the chance to dream with God. So, right now he is trying to see if I can come and share the current vision for Union to his A-Team of the contemporary worship service...and we are seeing how God might be bale to bring our hearts together to reach deeper relationships with the people in Union. Great meeting!!!

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Well, the prayer team met for the first time last Sunday and they are going to start out meeting on a monthly basis for now, and hopefully when they meet again they will return with the acceptance of the name of the ministry, as well, as how often they feel from God that they should be meeting and forming some kind of covenant between them and God. The meeting was wonderful and the people who make up this group are wonderful and excited prayer warriors for God's desires for this ministry! A wonderful praise indeed!

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Now that the Union map is full of house locations that have been pinpointed this week I plan on developing a contact list in geographical groups that I can start to call and have local house meetings with the possible supporters of the block parties and determine the amount of support they would be willing to give and who might possible offer their house as a possible block party location....Please be in prayer for their support and to catch the exciting vision of this possible new ministry.

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Please continue your prayers for God to keep sending us people who can grow with us in this ministry and our relationship with each other and God.

Next steps:
1. Develop the geographic specific phone and contact list of houses in Union
2. Work with FUMC outreach team to start a recurring consistant Living Out Loud Ministry to train relational evangelism for existing members of FUMC.
3. Set-up meeting with Markus and Union Pres. Contemporary Worship Team.
4. Continue to red and finish the books I am reading:
Organic Church by Cole
The Naked Christian by Borlase

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"Y'all got on this boat for different reasons, but y'all comin' to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you, than I have before. Sure as I know anything, I know this. I aim to misbehave."
--Capt. Malcolm Reynolds in the new movie Serenity