Church Planting

Impact Christmas

2011-01-18T15:40:00.002-05:00

People from Westpoint Church joined with others in the community to celebrate Christ in East Winter Garden. This video tells the story.

Discount Rate for Catalyst Orlando Feb 17

2011-01-12T09:26:00.001-05:00

Experience the Catalyst Leadership Conference one day event in Orlando on Feb 17th. Get a discounted registration rate of $79 when you use rate code "GOBA" before Jan 27. Click the link below to register.

Catalyst One Day

www.catalystoneday.com

The Grace Card

2011-01-12T09:20:00.000-05:00

Free movie night for you and your sweetie Friday, January 14 at 7pm in the Winter Garden / Windermere area. Call Sharon at 407-293-0450 for details.

ReproducingChurches.com January Gathering in Lakeland

2011-01-12T09:17:00.001-05:00

Join missional leaders who are passionate about church multiplication in a reproducingchurches.com regional gathering in Lakeland, FL on January 27. The details are coming together. Read the reproducing churches update for more info.

Set a GOAL for leadership multiplication

2010-12-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

Greater Orlando Adventures in Leadership is a growth journey based on relational peer groups that focus on leadership multiplication. Making disciples involves growing the next generation of leaders. Leadership does not take place unless new leaders are equipped and empowered. It should be the GOAL of every church leader to give all of their leadership responsibilities away to apprentice leaders. Church multiplication is dependent upon leadership multiplication. If you don't have the leaders that you need to start new teams, groups, or churches, there is a clog in your leadership system. GOAL helps you to regain focus on your primary responsibility through a journey along four paths: personal leadership, interpersonal leadership, team leadership, and organizational leadership. Why not set your GOAL for 2011 to be a better leader?

Does an organic church need a website?

2010-09-27T09:02:00.002-04:00

About two weeks ago, Bill and Wanda Tummons started an organic church just outside of Orlando in Wedgefield, Florida. They were able to get a good-looking 3 page website for 0 dollars and absolutely no monthly cost. It took just a few hours to get content loaded and a couple of days to get the site up and running. The website is now searchable on Google. Check out the Wedgefield Community Church website at: http://www.wedgefieldcommunitychurch.org.

Since organic churches are primarily relational, do they need websites? I would say yes, because a website is a great way to tell your friends about your organic church. Sometimes it's hard to explain what you are doing or hard for people to remember when and where you are meeting. So, why not just ask them to check you out on the web? A website is a great place to share your values and beliefs while letting people get a feel of what your gatherings are like. You can post a link to your Facebook page and send out Tweets with links back to your site just like any other church. You can also link to or list other organic churches in your network. If you could get a low-cost or free website for your organic church, why not let the www know that you exist?

Help me solve a mystery

2010-09-26T17:04:00.001-04:00

What is Paul talking about in these seven verses. What is the mystery?

Ephesians 1:9
And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
Ephesians 3:3
that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
Ephesians 3:4
In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into themystery of Christ,
Ephesians 3:6
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:9
and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
Ephesians 5:32
This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.
Ephesians 6:19
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,

The Jesus Model of Disciple Training

2010-08-31T08:02:00.002-04:00

We hear a lot of criticism today about the Western ideal of discipleship. We have poor discipleship models where the emphasis is on knowledge rather than living sent. Instead of following our modern models of discipleship, why don't we examine how Jesus did it and follow him? Here is a great post from Felicity Dale:

How did Jesus train his disciples?

· He shared the rough and tumble of everyday life with them (Luke 8:1-3)

· He asked them questions to show them what they needed to learn (Matthew 16:13-20)

· He answered their questions (eg Matthew 17:19-20)

· He demonstrated the practical skills they needed to know (Luke 11:1-3)

· He used teachable moments. Consider, for example, the occasion in Matthew 20 when James and John persuaded their mother to approach Jesus about letting them sit next to him in his Kingdom. Jesus used the opportunity to compare the world's style of leadership with his Kingdom way of leading. (You know how leadership is done in the world--rulers lord over those under them. But with you it is to be different. If you want to lead then become a servant and slave.)

· He gave them assignments and had them report back, using their reports to bring fresh insight and teaching. (Luke 10)

· Jesus didn't give his disciples a body of knowledge, but the experience of living with him.

Sabbatical Ramblings

2010-07-08T11:25:00.002-04:00

I have started a coaching relationship with Gary Reinecke. Gary co-authored Developing Coaching Excellence with Bob Logan, the founder of CoachNet. Although I've been actively coaching church planters and other ministry leaders for several years, I recently completed my coach certification through the Office of Leadership Development of the Florida Baptist Convention.   Gary is coaching me through the Leadership Effectiveness Process. We had our first phone+CoachNet coaching session on Tuesday. I am looking forward to getting to know Gary better, learning to be a better coach from his modeling and evaluating the the Leadership Effectiveness Process as a potential tool for leadership multiplication in organic churches.

I've just finished reading Marketing in the Age of Google by Vanessa Fox, a former Google employee who helped to develop Google Webmaster Central. She advocates using search engines to discover what people are thinking by using Google research tools. This book has tons of helpful information for missiologists and church planters.

Currently, I am reading The On Purpose Person by Kevin McCarthy.   Kevin is one of the guys in my Dream Builders group. The books is a parable about a guy who is searching for order and clarity in his life. Kevin was talking and writing about on-purpose living before the concept was popularized by Rick Warren in his forever best-seller - The Purpose Driven Life. Kevin has a huge dream that I hope to be able to share with you soon.

I am also reading the digital version of Web Analytics: An Hour a Day byAvinash Kaushik. Avinash is the analytics evangelist for Google. I am a little disappointed in the lack of usefulness of this book. Avinash says that he wrote it over 5 weekends while consuming Red Bull. I believe him! However 100% of the proceeds are going to charity, so that makes me feel a little better. This is the my first read on the Nook that I got for my birthday. I am enjoying my Nook so much that I may never buy another hard copy book.

One of my sabbatical goals is to spend more time with my family, especially with my wife.   I want to spend at least two hours of un-interrupted time with her each morning.   We are trying hard to do that, but it is not happening every day. However, it is a worth-while goal. We are deepening our relationships as a family and I've been able to spend extra time with Matthew before he starts college in the fall.

Organic church question: What do we do with the offering? Here's one example:

2010-06-28T15:19:00.002-04:00

The Food Box - Touching Lives from Jonathan Blundell on Vimeo.

Read more about the parking lot church and her food box at http://www.greenchurch.info.

Church Web Coach

2010-05-28T11:02:00.001-04:00

Last spring, Nielsen surveyed 25,000 Internet consumers from 50 countries to discover the most trusted sources of advertising. What they found is that 90% of those surveyed trust recommendations from people that they know and 70% trust consumer opinions posted online. Interactive websites that allow friend recommendations and user comments are much more likely to create personal connections that result in real interaction.

Last month, Facebook made available simple code that allows any website to incorporate Facebook "like" buttons that encourage friend recommendations of website content. Now any website can incorporate Facebook-like features that encourage social interaction. For more info on how to create community through the web. Check out the Church Web Coach at ChurchWebCoach.com.

Free technology seminar and lunch for church planters this Friday in Orlando

2010-05-17T10:56:00.000-04:00

Tony Arango, a doctoral student at the NOBTS seminary hub in Orlando will be sharing what he has learned while working on his Technology for Church Planters project. This is a free seminar with lunch provided by the Florida Baptist Convention. Here are the details...

Friday, May 21, 2010 from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
First Baptist Church-Orlando
3000 S. John Young Parkway, Orlando 32805
Student Annex (NOBTS) Room 112
Lunch Provided
more info at http://orlandochurchplanting.com

Live Sent / reSymbol Workshop with Jason Dukes and Doug Dees April 29 in Orlando

2010-03-29T08:35:00.003-04:00

We are excited to partner with the Florida Baptist Convention to bring Jason Dukes and Doug Dees together in a single day workshop. Here are the details...

LIVE SENT/reSYMBOL Workshop

North Park Baptist Church, 2047 Prospect Avenue, Orlando, FL

April 29, 2010 * 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

*Cost: $20.00 (PER PERSON)

*The registration fee includes a copy of the books LIVE SENT: you are a letter and

reSymbol: A Guide to reThink, reDefine, and reLease the Church, on-site lunch and breaks.

Come and join us for a conversational workshop about living and communicating the mission of Jesus among our neighbors. Jason Dukes and Doug Dees will be sharing what they have learned about being the church.

The deadline for receiving registrations is Tuesday, April 27, 2010.

Orlando area organic church planters getting together this Thursday night at 7...

2010-03-24T12:15:00.000-04:00

We call them house churches, simple churches, multi-housing churches, marketplace churches, but it does not matter where they meet or how they are structured. So for now, we are going with "organic churches". These are churches that are not defined by style, structure or location. Their focus is discipling, evangelizing and multiplying. If that hits you, then you should join us at Panera Bread on SR 434 at 436 (next to Wal Mart) this
Thursday (March 25, 2010) at 7 p.m. We will meet to pray for one another, encourage one another and give ourselves away.

Panera Bread

- www.panerabread.com
West Town Corners, 200 S State Road 434, Altamonte Springs - (407) 831-3741

Not letting the fear of heresy keep you from releasing leaders and multiplying churches

2010-03-01T09:39:00.003-05:00

But when I saw that they were not maintaining a steady, straight course according to the Message, I spoke up to Peter in front of them all: "If you, a Jew, live like a non-Jew when you're not being observed by the watchdogs from Jerusalem, what right do you have to require non-Jews to conform to Jewish customs just to make a favorable impression on your old Jerusalem cronies?" (Galatians 2:13, The Message)

Paul used this real-life parable to demonstrate for the Galatians the actions that he was requiring of them. When Paul encountered heresy, he dealt with it directly and immediately. He took a great risk by appointing new believers to be elders of the Galatian churches as recorded in Acts 14:24. Knowing that he had to leave them so quickly, he certainly must have been concerned about doctrinal purity. However, he did not allow that to keep church planting from taking place in the cities where he preached the gospel. When he gave instructions to Timothy on selecting elders for the church at Ephesus, Paul encouraged him not to select recent converts to serve as elders, because they may "become conceited " (I Timothy 3:6 NIV). In Galatia, however, Paul had no choice. He had to trust these men and the Holy Spirit. Many pastors that I have talked to personally have allowed the fear of what may happen keep them from developing new leaders and releasing them to live sent. Paul's strategy was to preach the gospel, teach disciples, release leaders, and correct heresy whenever it cropped up. Paul dealt quickly and publicly with Peter when he led the Antioch disciples astray. He expected the Galatian elders to do the same in their churches.

Please don't let fear keep you from fulfilling your assignment. Jesus will not reward servants who bury their talents out of fear. Remember Jesus actually sent out Judas, knowing full well that he was a heretic. I don't think he would fault you for doing it accidentally. There have been many heretics since Judas and none of them have been able to wreck the movement that Jesus started.

Discovering Church Planting: Seminar for New Church Planters Feb 22

2010-01-14T13:34:00.004-05:00

My friend, Hal Haller is a strengths consultant with the Gallup organization. Hal is leading one-day Discovering Church Planting seminars for the Florida Baptist Convention. These events are perfect for guys who are thinking about starting a new church but need more info. The first one is coming up Feb. 22nd. Here are the details from Hal...

Discovering Church Planting is one day event that helps prospective church planters understand and clarify their gifting, calling, and interest in church planting. They will learn from field-tested church planters as they share their insights and lessons from church planting. Each participant will engage and interact with the following:

Best Fit: My Calling and Wiring

This session will emphasize the importance of a person’s call to planting a church. How do I know God is calling me to start a church? Calling is what sustains a church planter through difficult times and gives him a vision for the future. Also, understanding how a person is wired (personality and strengths) is key to a person’s success in starting a new church or being a part of a church planting team.

Living Sent: God’s Mission of Making Disciples

This session will establish the foundational ethos of church planting. Starting churches is a part of fulfilling the mission of God. Starting churches is reaching lost people and developing them into committed followers of Jesus. Starting churches is a part of mobilizing and engaging every person to live sent in their sphere of influence. Starting churches is about disciple making.

Practical Tips: Nuts and Bolts of Starting a New Church

This session will talk about practical starting points for someone who is starting a new church. How do I intersect with lost people in the community I am to reach? How do I build community partnerships? How can I sustain myself financially? How will I involve my wife in this new church? How will I establish a group of people for the planting of this new church?

Coaching 101: What Every Church Planter Needs

This session focuses on the importance of having a coach/mentor/advisor. Where do I find a coach? What should a coaching session look like? What is the relationship between those being coached and those receiving coaching? What are the benefits of coaching?

Next Steps: Where do I go from here?

This is a breakout session with coaches/church planting strategists/denominational advisors to determine what the next steps might be for the person who is considering planting a church or a church that is considering supporting a new church.

When: Monday, Feb 22, 2010 from 10am – 3pm

Cost is $49 (Free for prospective church planters affiliated with Florida Baptist Convention)

Location: Reproducing Churches Training Facility, 2405 EF Griffin Road; Bartow, Florida 33830

Click here to register online.

Each registrant can purchase ‘Living Your Strengths’ and ‘Uniquely You Spiritual Gifts/Personality Profile’ ahead of time online ($25). Books are distributed at the seminar.

2010 Happenings in Central Florida

2009-12-21T13:23:00.000-05:00

Central Florida has become the hub for several church planting events. Here are a few slated for 2010:

Global Church Advancement (GCA)
North American Church Planting Conference
Orlando, FL: January 26-29, 2010 (Tues-Fri)
http://www.gca.cc/Seminar_Overview.htm

ReproducingChurches.com
Discovering Church Planting One Day Events
Lakeland, FL: Feb 22, 2010
Miami, FL: May 11, 2010
Lakeland, FL: August 16, 2010
Tallahassee, FL: November 16, 2010
http://acteva.com/go/rcn

Florida Baptist Convention Church Planting Course
Mariana, FL: February 15-18, 2010
Gainesville, FL: April 26-29, 2010
Ft. Myers, FL August 9-12, 2010
(Lake Yale) Leesburg, FL: October 4-7, 2010

To Register for Florida Baptist Convention Events: Call the Church Planting Department at 800-226-8584, ext 3117

Exponential Network
National New Church Conference
Orlando, FL: April 19-22, 2010
http://www.exponentialconference.org

ReproducingChurches.com
The Live Sent Conversation
Lakeland, FL: September 17-18, 2010
http://reproducingchurches.com

Reggie McNeil: From What to Who

2009-11-17T12:02:00.004-05:00

The Church is the body and the bride of Christ. She is a Who and not a what or an it. We can't go to church, have church, or do church. We are the Church. Check out this video from Reggie McNeal...

Reggie McNeal // Moving from the "What" to the "Who" from Todd Rhoades on Vimeo.

Have we gotten too complex?

2009-11-02T13:36:00.003-05:00

I am looking forward to a time when simplicity returns to church or the Church returns to simply being who she was created to be. I am tired of seeing people burned out and becoming cynical toward God and others while trying to make the Bride of Christ look like a model. Christ loved her and died for her in her inglorious state.

Check out the following quote from Linda Berguist and Allan Karr in their new book, Church Turned Inside Out

How about church that prays without ceasing, worships daily and gives 100%.

Let's Get Together on Tuesday at 6 pm

2009-10-15T09:56:00.002-04:00

Ride Discounts and Free Grub for Church Planters and Their Families...

A group of church planters from ReproducingChurches.com and their families will be hanging out together at Fun Spot in Kissimmee on Tuesday, October 20th. There will be free pizza and drinks for those who RSVP at http://orlandochurchplanting.com. Fun Spot is offering discounts on their unlimited ride arm bands for those who serve on a church staff (proof of church employment is required).

Learning to love

2009-07-01T08:06:00.001-04:00

Christoph Schalk talks about improving loving relationship as a church...

Love is not a romantic feeling, it is a decision.
Love doesn't happen automatically.
Christ commands us to love God, one another, and even our enemies.
Love can be learned. Discipleship is a learning to love process.
Loving relationships can be cultivated

Listen to Christoph talk about improving loving relationships: http://www.coachnet.de/ncdvideo/audio/lr.mp3

Blogging Facebook and Twitter Oh My!

2009-06-01T13:16:00.002-04:00

I am creating a new website that brings together blogging, facebook and twitter in one place. Check out OrlandoChurchPlanting.com and join the More than Mickey movement.

'What Would Google Do?'

2009-02-18T07:42:00.002-05:00

Search engines are changing the way people find, collect and share information. Online search is also affecting the way people interact and do business offline. In his new book, Jeff Jarvis asks, 'What Would Google Do?':

Give the people control. Do what you do best and link to the rest. Small is the new big. The mass market is dead; long live the mass of niches. There is an inverse relationship between control and trust. Be honest. Be transparent. Free is a business model. Middlemen are doomed. Simplify, simplify. Don't be evil.

Sounds like good church planting advice. I would like to translate it this way:

Start small with little to no overhead - no rented buildings and no paid staff.
Decentralize - pastors should act like trainers and not priests
Network with other churches - you can't do it all alone, but together we can reach a region
Be real - let people see you for who you are, warts and all
Be relational - let evangelism flow out of love
Be flat - no hierarchial leadership
Take it easy - don't over complicate things
Don't be evil speaks for itself

Keeping up with the Joneses

2009-02-08T21:45:00.002-05:00

I saw this commercial on tv and immediately thought about church planting. If this commercial is reflective of what people really want, then there should not be so much disconnect from the culture and the church. The problem is when the church trying to market itself as keeping up with the Joneses.

Just Normal People

2009-01-29T09:13:00.000-05:00

If you were on a church leadership team and had to prioritize spending cuts, which would you cut: seminary trained pastoral staff or lawn and maintenance services? I am aware of lots of churches that are laying off “professional” ministers. Lawn and building services seem to be a higher priority. Why? Couldn’t these services be provided by volunteers? Evidently not, it seems that lawn and building maintenance requires the work of highly trained technicians. Ministerial services do not require as much training and can more easily be handled by volunteers. Do you find that to be the case where you are?

Mill Town Cowboy Chruch

2008-10-08T13:30:00.002-04:00

Jay Avant, church planter and pastor of Mill Town Cowboy Church announces the beginning of a new church for the cowboy culture in St. Cloud, FL.

Basic Training: Developing a Core Group

2008-10-08T10:57:00.002-04:00

I just downloaded Vidnik - software that lets me record on my mac and instantly post to YouTube. Here is Adam Mayfield from 5 minutes ago. He is talking about enlisting core group members.

Church Planting Course

2008-10-07T11:55:00.004-04:00

This week, we are training a new group of church planters at Wycliffe Bible Translators in Orlando. We are using the Church Planter Basic Training materials developed by North American Mission Board.

If you missed it, check out the online webcast at www.churcplantingvillage.net.

Getting off of the internet

2008-08-06T07:35:00.003-04:00

The web is a great tool for connecting with people online and face to face. One of my favorite tools for getting people together offline is meetup.com. Check out this short video intro...

Volunteer Church Planters Wanted

2008-07-08T10:44:00.003-04:00

You don’t have to quit your job to serve on a church planting team. In fact, intentionally entering the marketplace in order to develop an understanding of the culture, cultivate relationships, and foster a sense of legitimacy in the community is a sound missiological strategy. Phillip Connor in his book, Who is my Neighbor, explains:

How could we encourage these new disciples in Christ to live their lives as
witnesses in their work life, when we had little experience or knowledge as to
how that practically happened? And, as churches began to emerge, how could we
model newly appointed elders to lead the church while simultaneously meeting
their financial needs by working a full-time job outside of their ministry?
After our two-year commitment with the missionary agency was complete, we
continued on in a volunteer capacity. This permitted us to still be connected to
the greater work for reasons of accountability, encouragement, and prayer
support…. Not only did we now approximate better the lifestyle of those we were
trying to reach, but we also were now interacting with new groups of people,
many of whom were internationals. This provided us with even more contacts for
ministry.

We are looking for missional Christ-followers who will strategically stay in or enter the workforce in order to more effectively build relationships with people, serve their communities and provide for their families while starting indigenous churches. If this is you – get in touch with me at 407.293.0450 or mweible@goba.org.

Hospitality Industry Meeting

2008-06-25T15:53:00.006-04:00

Here are some pics from the HSMAI luncheon at the Rosen Shingle Creek resort today. Harris Rosen was the keynote speaker. Robert and Glynda Gordon, church planters in the I-drive area, joined us for a wonderful lunch and interview with Harris Rosen.

Open Source Leadership

2008-06-24T15:58:00.003-04:00

Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, is an example of an open-source leader. Take a look at the following video and compare android with iphone....

Which platform is better? Which has the greatest potential and Why?

I will post my answers later, but right now, I am interested in your thoughts. Whadayathank?

worship team training

2008-06-19T13:10:00.007-04:00

Check out these resources for worship arts teams from Brannon Dempsey:

PraiseCharts Live - blogs and news articles of interest to worship leaders

Worshipteamtraining.com - articles, downloads and info. about worship training clinics

Brannon is available train worship leaders and teams in weekend clinics. Feel free to email him at branon@worshipteamtraining.com if you have questions.

Planter Profile: Billy Rollins

2008-06-19T10:10:00.002-04:00

Billy Rollins is a 37 year old family man, church planter, and business entrepreneur. He was raised and called to ministry in a Southern Baptist Church in Texas. He and his wife Dana have three kids, Madison (7), Preston (5), and Mason (2). Their family and church emphasis is being at peace and on mission with God and one another. This focus is bearing a type of fruit in the Kissimmee/Poinciana area that is intentionally influencing people’s heart, home, workplace, and world. Their congregation, Church@TheVine, is a multi-cultural, multi-socio-economic, and multi-generational church.

As a speaker, Billy is authentic and passionate. His vision of heart essence equips the body for a missional life. This is your church’s chance to see from the transparent eyes of a church planter. We encourage you to invite Billy to speak to your congregation on either a Sunday or Wednesday evening. They will enjoy the breathe of fresh air he brings. His cell phone number is 407.729.2645

I-drive Church

2008-06-12T14:31:00.003-04:00

Here is an update from Robert Gordon...

We are only a few days away until we have the first officially – unofficial, mini-service of our pre-launch phase. We are doing our best to keep up with God’s will. It has been so busy lately just doing all the ground work as we execute the plans we have established over the past two months. Interestingly enough God has been reminding me, through friends and pastors, of Jeremiah 29:11, in which He states that He knows the plans/thoughts He has for us…and then God continues saying in my spirit… “You keep working your plans out, but don’t forget I know ‘The Plans’ I have for you!” This has sort of been scaring me because I wonder “How close are my plans to His plans?”, because I thought I was working His plans that he had given me. But I quickly realize that He is talking about the “Big Picture” plans and that I have no true idea of how they are going to turn out. So with all this in mind, we keep walking and talking with Him and wait with a peaceful and expectant heart.

Here are a few recaps of where we have been and where we continue planning on being…

Current Accomplishments & Processes…

Pastor David Uth, from First Orlando, has agreed to “Partner up” with us by becoming the primary “Sponsor Church” and has pledged a commitment for a three year period. We praise God for their commitment and we thank them for their allegiance and pledge to the cause!
WestPoint Fellowship Church has also decided to be a “Co-Sponsor Church” and will be working side by side with First Orlando, helping us through this “Church Plant” process. We are very grateful for their willingness to help! The Florida Baptist Convention has pre-qualified Glynda and me to receive church plant support for a period of two years. Greater Orlando Baptist Association has been so crucial in all of this process, especially Mark Weible and Suzette Woods. Just this past week we had Suzette organize a team of High School missionaries from a church in Jefferson City, Missouri, and they helped us kick off the progressive movement and presence of the church on International Drive this past Monday and Tuesday (June 2nd and 3rd). In order to help us determine the needs and church reception on I-Drive, we conducted a simple 3-5 question survey directly to the hospitality industry.
We have concluded, for the time being, based on the results of the survey, that we will be gathering at the YMCA on Fridays at 8:00am – 8:55am 2:00pm – 2:55pm 5:30pm – 6:25pm 6:30pm – 7:25pm
o 26% preferred meeting at 8:00am
o 11% preferred meeting at 2:00pm
o 45% preferred meeting in the late afternoon hours…

How to Support:
1: First & Foremost – PRAYER
2: Pray about your involvement with this church plant
3: Pray about your possible Kingdom investment in this church plant
4: Talk to others about this ministry and let them know that we need people to help lead this thing, and to grow it, by helping others grow in their knowledge of Christ…

The Church of LIFE P.O. Box 249 Ocoee, Fl 34761 http://www.thechurchoflife.com/ P: 407-616-0963 F: 407-656-5119

church planting missionaries

2008-02-28T14:35:00.013-05:00

I am attending the NAMB church planting missionary forum in Atlanta. Geoff Hammond has just finished describing the role of a missionary. Here are his talking points:

What is a MISSIONARY?

A missionary is a born-again Christian who is called by God to transcend significant cultural barriers and work through relevant cultural channels in order to share the Gospel.

What do missionaries do? They:

1. Recognize their own culture and adapt to other cultures
2. Network for evangelism
3. Start new things
4. Go where the people are
5. Gather small groups
6. Partner with sending churches
7. Engage in peacemaking/conflict resolution
8. Exhort, evaluate, and correct
9. Build relationships
10. Work as a team
11. Engage in indigenous work
12. Multiply themselves
13. Focus on principles
14. Identify and equip new leaders
15. Write

2008-02-14T15:25:00.002-05:00

Can institutional birth organic?

Last month Margaret Slusher made a presentation on the State of the Church in North America. Without going into detail, let me just say that she presented a grim picture of our current situation. Now, Margaret didn't ask for the assignment, it was handed to her by the organizers of the International Church Planters Summit, which was held here in Orlando.

I remember asking myself, Why are we talking about the current state of churches in North America at an international church planter's meeting? I imagined what it must have been like standing with Jesus next to the temple in Jerusalem and hearing him say that this impressive structure was going to be torn down. Then I could imagine myself standing with him as he directed his apostles attention to the crowds of people, demonstrating his compassion for them and their overwhelming needs. I could almost hear his voice say, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."

We love to focus our attention on magnificent structures. Physical structures can be quite beautiful and historically significant. Organizational structures can be impressive and can generate loyalty to an institution. However, Margaret's presentation made it painfully obvious that we have to turn our focus away from structures and see the people that Jesus died to redeem. Structure is supposed to support mission, not the other way around. So, how do we do it? I just read an interesting statement from Tom Billings in Daniel Sanchez's reader - Church Planting Movements in North America. I think Tom expresses well the need for a bridge between technocratic and organic, see what you think:

The institutional church can be a bridge or a barrier to successfully implementing a people group and church planting strategy. The idea of
"church planting" connotes competition and diminished resources for the institutional congregation. Many congregational leaders will be apprehensive or even fearful of such a strategy. Still the institutional church can be a tremendous resource of trained leaders; mature, passionate believers; prayer support; resource development and financial strength. By keeping the focus on penetrating lostness and making disciples, the fear of competition from starting other churches should be lessened.

Do organic churches need institutional structures? The answer is no. But, institutions can help fan the flame of organic movement. More importantly, the new must reach out to the old to help develop new structures that support the mission of the church. What do you think?

2007-11-26T21:56:00.000-05:00

Churches that start churches that start churches….

The cover story of the Winter 2008 issue of On Mission magazine asks the question: “Where do churches come from?” The answer is that churches come from churches. It is a normal and healthy thing for churches to reproduce themselves. New churches that are geared toward reaching new communities, people groups and population segments are the by-product of effective disciple-making.

Healthy churches continuously grow new disciples and leaders from the communities that they reach. New leaders need new opportunities to grow in the use of their spiritual gifts and churches need to keep an outward focus to avoid conflict and mission drift. It simply makes biological and Kingdom sense that healthy organisms and churches grow and reproduce.

Southern Baptists need to double the number of churches in the Greater Orlando area just to catch up with the rest of Florida. That can be accomplished fairly easily if each church that is a part of GOBA would start at least one new church in 2008. However, catching up is not enough because Florida is behind the curve when compared to the rest of the country and especially southern states. To keep pace with population growth, we need to start a least one new church each and every week in Central Florida.

The housing slump of 2007 is not expected to have a long-term impact on the growth of the region. According to myregion.org, the seven county Central Florida area is expected to double in population by 2050. The new growth will occur in population centers of smart growth where people can live, work, play, shop and worship together within their own neighborhoods. Areas like Horizons West and Lake Nona will bring tens of thousands of new residents to Greater Orlando.

Not only do we need to catch up and keep up with population growth, we need to focus on community transformation. Church planting is a bi-product of making disciples and releasing leaders. It is a means to an end - changed lives, changed communities and changed regions. In Acts chapter 19 we see the beginning of regional transformation as a church was started in Ephesus. This church trained missionary church planters and sent them to start churches that started churches that started churches. The result is that everyone in the Roman province of Asia Minor heard the message of the Gospel (see Acts 19:10). Imagine what Central Florida would look like if every man, woman and child had the opportunity to respond to the Word of God in their own context. It is possible that this place will one day be known more for Jesus Christ than Mickey Mouse. It starts with you and your church.

Innovation Church

2007-11-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

Innovation Church officially launched last month. They meet on Sundays at the University Inn on E. Colonial @ Alafaya Tr. David Baxter is the lead pastor and they are sponsored by Eastside Baptist Church of Orlando. If you would like to get in touch, you can contact them at connect@innovationchurch.com.

blossoming a new blog

2007-10-16T18:52:00.000-04:00

These are pics from blossom 2007.

Blossom and PowerPak were two powerful events relating to church planting that took place in early October. I am grateful to Jason Dukes, Mike Kimbrough and all of the guys at reproducingchurches.com for how they live sent. The blosom experience continues at www.livesent.com. Stay tuned for details about blossom 2008.

A Regional Vision

2007-08-30T09:21:00.000-04:00

Over the past 18 months, thousands of Central Florida residents and community leaders have worked together to develop a shared vision for the seven county region that includes Orlando. The result is a commitment to work together to preserve the natural beauty of the area, encourage economic development, and concentrate on centers of growth that are connected by transportation corridors. If you would like to imagine the future of Central Florida, take a look at this video clip:

Click here to download the full report.

The population of Central Florida is expected to double by 2050. However, we are not expecting to see continuous urban sprawl. New population centers have higher density with a mixture of retail and commercial. The way that we plant churches is also changing as we adapt to our context.

reproducingchurches.com

2007-08-12T22:28:00.001-04:00

Some of my buddies got together and bought me a new MacBook. Here I am looking suprised. Jason and Eric had already let the cat out of the bag. Thanks a bunch guys, you are the best.

Last week, I spent a few days hanging out with the founders of reproducingchurches.com at a leadership network meeting @ FBC Orlando. Pictured here are Jason Dukes, Keith Lancaster, Hal Haller, and Robert Beckman.

The above pics were lifted from Eric's blog. Eric and Mandy are out to change the world, starting with NYC.

An enviornment for reproduction

2007-08-09T16:25:00.000-04:00

At a recent gathering of reproducingchurches.com the question was asked, "What are key elements needed to create and have a culture for reproduction?" Here is a summary of what was discussed:

_each person's gifts and passions are valued, and it is emphasized how much value each person has to give away.
_people are relating closely to one another, doing life together, not just gathering on Sunday.
_leaders aren't kept to preserve the organization. They are sent to spread the DNA.
_the strategy for the church does not just revolve around activities central to the church facilities.
_the vision to reproduce is more than talked about. It is lived out.
_tasks aren't delegated, they are decentralized. People are given authority to actually live sent without their pastor.
_giving away/reproducing is not just about church plants. It's about everyday living.

Church planting movements happen in environments where disciples of Jesus Christ are free to reproduce themselves and their faith communities.

People of the Book

2007-06-20T09:03:00.000-04:00

Adam Mayfield is trying an approach to Life Groups that goes contrary to what he's been taught - reading the Bible...

We sent the kids to the front room with their Bibles, journals, and pens. The adults sat in the big room with their Bibles, journals, and pens. I led the meeting and said "Ok, start reading." We all started reading from the Bible. We were reading the same passages, basically a Bible reading plan that allows you to read through the whole Bible in one year. For the next 15-20 minutes no ones said a word, the kids in the front room weren't talking either.....everyone in the house (except my dog Tanner) were reading their Bibles. It was a beautiful silence. As people starting finishing up their reading they turned in their journals and started writing, during this time I walked to the front room to check on the kids and they were writing away, A big sister was helping her little sister fill out her journal.....IT WAS AWESOME. As people were getting done I went and got the kids and brought them into the room with us. When the last person finished up, I spoke again. I said, "I don't want to lead this time so you guys tell me, what did God show you." I sat in the room and listened as God's people told us what God had shown them from His word. It was refreshing, encouraging, and challenging. We then discussed prayer requests which everyone (including some of the kids) were writing in the front of their journals. IT WAS AWESOME!

It was INCREDIBLE. I loved it, God's people being His people, and teaching me His word. Yeah that isn't what I learned in Bible College.

Thanks, Adam, hmmm.... the Bible as life group material - great idea!

Riding a Movement

2007-06-19T15:48:00.000-04:00

Right now I am reading two books: Be Fruitful and Multiply by Bob Logan and The Silent Transformation by Christoph Schalk. Schalk is sharing stories from churches around the world that are transforming culture through the application of organic principles. Logan is focusing on cultivating church multiplication movements.

A common theme among both of these authors is that church is not something to be manipulated. Church planting is a partnership with God – He does the bulk of work and equips His people to do the little things. So many churches are struggling today because they are paddling upstream in human strength instead of riding a wave of the movement of God.

Sometimes we make things so complicated that in order to get more done, we have to learn to do less. In some situations, it may be necessary to deconstruct, downsize, or simplify in order to move to the next level. For example, in order for church multiplication to take place, we must employ reproducible methods. Much of what we do is not reproducible because it is too complicated. Before we can do what God has called us to do, we need to undo the things He has not called us to do.

If you are doing things that cannot easily be passed on to someone else, then you have probably over-complicated the task or process. If you think you have simplified and yet are not mentoring anyone, then you are probably still working too hard at the wrong things.

Take a look at Ephesians 4:11-12 and ask yourself the following questions...
1. What is my gift?
2. How am I using it?
3. How am I equipping the next generation of leaders?

Launching Large

2007-04-05T11:09:00.000-04:00

I’ve been focusing on starting churches with little or no money. It can be done and it has been done since the beginning of church. Small, reproducible churches are relevant in any context.

However, I am by no means against starting large churches. Very few people have been able to successfully launch and sustain large churches in the Orlando metro. A few have done very well. If you want to launch larger (100+ people), let me encourage you to do the following things:

• Fast and pray, go on a spiritual retreat... cry out to God... beg and plead with Him to let you do something else
• Keep your day job as long as possible
• Kill your ego
• Listen to your wife
• Define church
• Read, attend seminars and interview respectable people who know church planting
• Do an internship under a successful church planter (6 mos. – 1 year)
• Get to know… really get to know… fall in love with … be willing to die for your community
• Build a team that compliments your weaknesses
• Focus on mission, not launch
• Don’t be driven by calendar – establish critical milestones instead
• Enlist as many partner churches as you can – at least 3, preferably 5 or more
• Start and multiply missional small groups before renting, building or buying a building
• Don’t launch publicly until you have 50-80 committed adults
• Raise 2x the money you think you will need, no 3x and don’t stop
• Commit to nothing less than regional transformation... develop a Biblical view of what a transformed region will look like... find your part in it and communicate it with passion

Let me know if you have anything to add to this list

Whispering Pines Community Church

2007-04-03T08:51:00.000-04:00

Billy and Ellie Mitchell were forced out of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina only to face another hurrican in SE Florida a month later. Now, they are planting a church in Port St. Lucie. Check out this video of Whispering Pines Community Church.

Church of the Highlands Port Orange Launches April1

2007-03-28T09:23:00.000-04:00

My good friend, Hal Haller, is a serial church planter. He has a catalytic gift that suits him for starting and multiplying churches. Hal is a passionate evangelist, prayer warrior and multiplying leader. This Sunday, April 1st, he and his team will watch God launch Church of the Highlands Port Orange. If you are free any Sundays in the coming months, I am sure that Hal would love your help and encouragement.

Don’t quit your day job

2007-03-26T13:03:00.001-04:00

If you are thinking about starting a church, I want to encourage you to keep working as long as you can. If you quit your job in order to plant a church, you will soon start asking yourself two questions; “How can I raise money?” and “How can I meet people?” You don’t have to leave the marketplace to enter the ministry. Try not to think of church planting as a career change and the church as an economic system.

A New Testament church is a community of disciples of Jesus Christ who are living missionally 24x7. Therefore, it is not necessary for someone to leave a marketplace mission field in order to start or pastor a church. A church planter here in Orlando recently entered the work force to (as he put it) “fund my church planting habit.” Although economics was his primary reason for going to work, he quickly found that his job gave him plenty of opportunities to develop relationships with people who are spiritually seeking.

It has been my observation that most failed church starts in Central Florida didn’t die, they were killed. Most of them simply ran out of money. Their outside support dried up and the young congregations could not cover the overhead of rented facilities, advertising expenses and staff salaries. So, someone made the determination that “we are no longer church” and told everyone to go home. This has been such a pervasive problem that Orlando has developed the reputation of being a church planting boneyard.

What if you could start a church with 0 start-up costs and no monthly overhead? What if you could do it without wondering if you were going to get paid or could afford medical insurance for your family? What if spent your week-days in an environment filled with hurting people searching for answers and got paid to do it? What if you planted a First Century church in the Twenty-First Century?

You can keep your job and start a church. You don’t have to rent a building to be the church. You can gather small groups of people in your home, community center, break-room, a coffee house, restaurant, etc. You can be the church wherever God plants you.

Myth Busters: New Church Survivability Rate

2007-02-20T10:12:00.000-05:00

Ed Stetzer and the North American Mission Board have busted an urban myth about new church survivability. We’ve all heard the statistics, but few have offered any research to back it up. According to Stetzer’s research, the survival rate of new churches is much higher than has been rumored.

Download Report

Early or Probably Never

2007-02-15T09:14:00.000-05:00

Erick is a young church planter in Lakeland, FL and member of reproducingchuches.com. He has discovered a central truth in church multiplication – build reproduction into the life-blood of the church early. Check out his entire post at muse.voxtropolis.com:

The DNA of a new church plant, even before its launch, should be actively
seeking to identify new leaders in other areas within the same geographical
location or abroad to help support financially and with sweat equity. Reason
being that a healthy church plant gives itself away, not the other way around.
It doesn’t take a few years to establish itself, but at its conception it is a
selfless entity. The organization of the church plant should model to it’s
constituents that they too are a temporary resource for that gathering and
ultimately as much responsible for leading and furthering the kingdom.
Furthermore, every person who has connected in a love relationship with Christ
should be viewed as a potential church and sending agent, not a faithful member
or contributor.

Good stuff, Erick, I couldn’t agree more!

Connect them or lose them

2006-12-19T11:13:00.000-05:00

Creating community and serving people are keys to reaching young adults. This is according to new research released by LifeWay:

Churchgoers or not, the study results indicate young adults are longing for community and fellowship with peers, looking for ways to reach people in need and circling the church but not always finding a home in it. Seventy-three percent of church members and 47 percent of non-affiliated young adults indicated that community with other young adults is extremely important in their lives. …The study indicates that social action is a big entryway to the church for young adults. In fact, social action is cited as the major reason unchurched young adults would consider being part of a church.

Read: LifeWay Research Examines The New View Of Young Adults
Listen to the Podcast: The Leaving Generation

Church of the Highlands Four Corners

2006-12-18T12:51:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of Church of the Highlands Four Corners. I enjoyed worshipping Jesus with them yesterday. Ricc Conner is lead planter.
Click image for more...

Highlands Four Corners

Humana 2.0

2006-12-17T21:10:00.000-05:00

Coming to Orlando February 7-8 2007. Register before the New Year and save. More info: http://fight4humanity.com/

Your Greatest Work

2006-12-14T08:41:00.000-05:00

My friend, Lindsay cofield, sent this to me...

YOUR GREATEST WORK…“In work, in ministry, or in any other endeavor, imagine everything you've ever accomplished up to this point. Visualize every obstacle, every failure, and every success as nothing more than preparation for what you will one day accomplish. In one moment, one day, one week, one month, or one year, you may accomplish more - and have greater impact - than all your previous years combined. And that one incredible season of fruitfulness would not have been possible, but had it not been for all the years of toil that prepared you for your greatest work. Particularly in service to the Kingdom of God, by His power and His indwelling Holy Spirit, always be aware that years you spend in seeming futility may one day yield a harvest of staggering proportions, not to mention eternal reward and commendation from the…KING.....” W.J.Ericson

2 Timothy 2:1-7 Accountability

What is your highest God-Calling in this chapter of your life?

What has helped you stay focused & God dependent this week?

What Bible person/circumstance best describes you this week: Joseph, Daniel, Job, Paul, other_____________
~pit, prison, exile, mountain top, promised land, desert, pilgrimage, other________
Who is your Timothy? Barnabas? Paul?...and how have you invested in them lately?

What is hindering, distracting, blessing, or multiplying your Kingdom work lately?

What are you building now for future fruitbearing?

What is your #1 prayer support need today?________________________

Church Planter’s Christmas Party

2006-12-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos from our church planter's Christmas party on Dec. 4.

Message or Relationship

2006-10-29T21:37:00.000-05:00

We are bombarded by messages each day: email, commercials, billboards, sales pitches. We know how to spot hype and mile a way. We get a sense that something is wrong when someone misuses our relationships to lure us into multi-level marketing scams. So, why do we try to start churches the same way? Relational church planting is about building authentic relationships with people because God loves them and we are trying.

Please listen to the following podcast and post your comments regarding "Message or Relationship"

Gabcast! The Church Planting Podcast #5 - Message or Relationship

20th Century churches focused on the message. Twenty-First Century humans are bombarded with messages everyday. We delete or ignore most of the messages that are sent to us, except for the relational ones.

For more on relational church planting, check out: http://everywherechurch.com/ and Hanging out on the EDGE

Mega or Micro?

2006-10-23T08:20:00.000-04:00

So, are we advocating mega churches or micro churches? Yes!

Alex McManus has an excellent post on his blog: Mega Church and Home Church Networks: Twin Trajectories and Why We Need Them Both.

So, What is a Simple Church?

2006-10-19T10:16:00.000-04:00

November 1, 2006
10a.m. -3:00 p.m.
Apopka, FL
Free Event
Register Online

Quite simply, a simple church is one that focuses on loving God, loving people and making disciples of Jesus Christ. Simple does not necessarily mean small. Some simple churches are small and some are quite large. Simple does mean uncomplicated.

Sometimes we get so busy doing church that we fail to equip people to be the church in daily life. Simple churches evaluate all that they do in terms of loving God, loving people and making disciples. They stop doing or don’t do things that hinder them from fulfilling the mission of Jesus.

Simple Church Planting is all about intentionally multiplying churches that focus on keeping the main thing the main thing. In some contexts, simple churches will launch large with a paid staff and a full slate of mission opportunities. In many others, they will start as single-celled organisms that multiply quickly. Regardless of size, the principles are the same.

You are invited to spend 5 hours on November 1st with some simple church planters and others who want to learn. Simple Church Planting is not an event, it is a collaboration of people on mission together to evangelize Central Florida and the world with the good news that God came near. If you are interested in joining us click here for more details.

Marketplace Networking/Training Opportunity

2006-10-12T11:12:00.000-04:00

Westpoint Fellowship Church is hosting their 1st business leadership conference to connect with and serve the business leaders of the Central Florida region. On November 14th, participants will get to sit in on a live simulcast as though in a board room doing Q and A with Jack Welch, Marcus Buckingham, Stephen R. Covey, and Ken Blanchard. This is a one-of-a-kind event that will have thousands of participants all across the country and in 32 countries. Westpoint is the host for Central Florida.

If you would like to participate, you have 2 options:
· You can view it live @ St. Paul's Presbyterian across from West Oaks Mall from 11 to 5 on November 14th. The cost is $100 per head or $75 per head for a group of 10 or more. Admission includes the in-depth learning experience, networking discussions and opportunities with other business leaders, an application workbook, lunch, a free gift, and the change to win a door prize.
· You can pay to have the feed streamed into your own conference room and have a private day with your own team.
This is an awesome chance to network with other business leaders in the community, as well as be challenged by 4 premier and proven national business leaders. For all the details, go to www.higherlevel2006.com. All proceeds go toward WFC being the church in the marketplace.
To find out more about how WFC is being the church in the marketplace, surf through Restoration Concept's website and share the vision with your friends in the marketplace.

2006-10-11T21:41:00.000-04:00

Collaborate with Google Docs

OK, this is really cool and revolutionary. Google has released their online word processor aka writley. The new release, known as Google Docs is integrated with Google's online spreadsheet. With docs and spreadsheets, you can invite others to collaborate with you on a project and keep the project private. Each user logs in with their own Google account. Revisions are tracked, so it is easy to revert to previous versions. You can also publish your work to a unique url so that it can be viewed by anyone online, but not changed. The really cool thing is that you can track all changes via rss feed.

Simple Church Planting

2006-10-05T10:56:00.000-04:00

Simple Church Planting Conference
November 1, 2006 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Camp Joy Chapel

I am excited to announce the line-up for Simple Church Planting at Camp Joy on November 1st. Alex McManus will get us started at 10:00 with “Effective Evangelism." He will be followed by Neil Hughes with a session on “Reproducing Disciples.” During lunch, we will hear testimonies of some local guys who are planting simple churches in Central Florida. The afternoon session will kick off with none other than our own Jim Collins talking about “Multiplying Leaders.” We will wrap things up with Mark Weible and Mike Hoffmann encouraging “Organic Development.”

We will have a cash book table with copies of Beyond Church Planting by Bob Logan, Organic Church by Neil Cole, Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Revolution by George Barna. These resources will be available in limited supply at 75% off the retail price.

We have a limited number of spaces available for this free event. If you would like to know more or wish to register online, visit www.goba.org/cpn.

What is a Baptist Church?

2006-10-02T11:50:00.000-04:00

Not all New Testament churches belong to a denomination. Denominations are organizations and they have the right to choose their membership. Denominations have specific requirements for membership. Here is the basic definition of a Southern Baptist Church form the 2000 SBC Baptist Faith and Message…

A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3.

Denominations have other requirements for membership such as financially supporting the organization and physical participation.

What is a church

2006-10-02T11:22:00.000-04:00

A good friend of mine will tell you that I am asking the wrong question. My buddy would suggest that “Who is a church?” is a better way to phrase that question. I like it, but find it awkward. I wouldn’t ask “Who is a family” or “Who is a country.” It should go without saying that a church is people. We know that, but tend to act as if a church is an organization.

In its simplest form, a church is two or three people who follow Jesus. North Americans have a hard time getting this concept, because we often look at the Bible through western, modern lenses. I was always taught that the church of Jesus began on the day of Pentecost. You know… when there was a large crowd gathered, a sermon preached and a public invitation given to follow Christ.

I have grown to understand that church began when Jesus said “Come follow me…” and a couple of guys did. Jesus modeled church with his first crop of disciples. His emphasis was on growing and multiplying disciples and not gathering crowds. Now don’t get me wrong, crowds gathered but He didn’t gather them. I’ll blog more about this later, but I have an agenda….

I want plug our conference called Simple Church Planting. On November 1st, a small group of revolutionary church planters will gather to discuss church planting principles gleaned from the New Testament. We'll meet for 5 hours at Camp Joy in Apopka, FL. This is a free event including lunch. We will interact with practitioners who are old school church planters – way old school. We will talk about how to plant churches without money, public facilities, advertising and pyrotechnics. We will discuss the issues I’ve raised in this blog and we will build lasting relationships as gospel partners. You can come to this event if you Register Online before space runs out. BTW, I have confirmation that Alex McManus will get us started in the morning session with his thoughts on effective evangelism.

Quality vs. Quantity

2006-08-15T11:32:00.000-04:00

How do you measure excellence in a local church? If you have a cool gig on Sunday, a flash-driven website, and mailers that proclaim that you are not as boring as other churches, does that mean that you are a quality church?

Ask yourself, “Why do we exist on planet earth?” If the answer is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, then your standard of evaluation should reflect that. One measure of discipleship is the use of spiritual gifts. NCD* research indicates that small churches tend to provide more opportunities for followers of Jesus to use their spiritual gifts on a regular basis than larger churches.

Does this mean that megachurches are bad? Not at all, it simply means that large churches have to work harder not to let people slip through the cracks. However, we need to take a strategic look at intentionally planting more small churches. Starting small, indigenous churches that are intentional about reproducing themselves is the missional strategy of the SBC International Mission Board and many other mission organizations. These organizations are reporting exponential gospel expansion in various hot spots around the world as the result of small church multiplication. Meanwhile, North America remains the only continent in the world where the gospel is not spreading.

Over the past 40 years, our focus has been on church growth. Success was determined by size. Our bigger is better thinking has left many small churches with an inferiority complex. I’ve even met some folks who would declare small churches illegitimate- the solution being to shut them all down and combine them with larger churches.

Granted, many small churches are struggling just to survive and most have not reproduced themselves. But, let’s not overlook the value of helping these churches to develop a missional paradigm and encouraging them to reproduce themselves into even smaller segments. And let’s not forget to encourage large churches to value their smaller siblings and to consider starting a few themselves.

I am interested in your thoughts…

*The Institute for Natural Church Development spent the past ten years researching church health and growth in 70 countries and 40,000 churches.

More or Bigger Churches?

2006-08-10T09:26:00.000-04:00

Watch Video

According to new information released by Natural Church Development, small churches grow faster than large churches. Over the past five years, churches with an average attendance of less than 100 added an average of 32 people each (38%) while churches over 1,000 added an average of 112 people each (4%).

The smallest churches averaged 51 people in worship attendance while mega churches averaged 2,856 people. So, if 56 new churches were started with 51 people each… 1,792 new people could potentially be reached within five years. One megachurch of 2,586 people would tend to reach 112 new people. NCD author Christian Schwarz claims, “Thus we can conclude that the evangelistic effectiveness of minchurches is statistically 1,600 percent greater than that of megachurches!” (Christian A. Schwarz, Natural Church Development: A Guide to Eight Essential Qualities of Healthy Churches, Revised. Carol Stream, Ill.: ChurchSmart Resources, 2006 p. 50).

What about quality? Can small churches provide a "quality experience" for their members? Perhaps a better question is... Are small churches effective at making and multiplying disciples? What do you think?

Church Planting Intern

2006-07-24T11:30:00.000-04:00

This summer, we had the privilege to get to know Laurie Hughes. She is a freshman college student who served as an intern with Rising Sun Baptist Church. The Florida Baptist Convention provided Laurie’s stipend and Greater Orlando Baptist Association provided housing and local travel expenses. Read in Laurie’s own words what God did through her life in the summer of 2006….

“God uses those who are ready and eager to serve Him. I have learned this in many ways this summer. Coming to Orlando with an open mind, empty schedule and flexibility has allowed me to see God’s hand in the work all over Orlando. Each person that saw the love of Jesus Christ and His glorious plan for their life through my service has made this summer more than worthwhile.
I was given the opportunity to partner with Rising Sun Baptist Church and minister to the children in the Pine Hills community. This ministry began through outreach to the community at a Block Party. This one event energized the church body as well as the neighborhood. Over 150 attended the event, and 45 made decisions for Christ. With this amazing beginning and overwhelming response, I was assured that God had great plans for this summer. Discipleship of the community became my goal and my mission for the summer.
One way that God used me to mentor and disciple the children was through a weekly Kids Club at an apartment community. This time began strong and has run consistently over 40 in attendance. The children come regularly, always hungry and consistently learning and growing. As I have been able to build relationships with these wonderful kids, the doors have been opened to minister to the families as well. Not only has the community benefited, but whole families are coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!
Several events have also taken place this summer of which I have been a part. These have strengthened the relationships and ties between the community and Rising Sun Baptist Church. A concert in early June, a weeklong sports camp, a pool party in late July as well as an evening Bible Study series strengthened the foundations of the relationships formed. This partnership leaves a lasting impression and has opened many doors and witnessing opportunities. For example, an employee of the apartment community was compelled to ask us to visit a family in need of encouragement as well as groceries. During this divine appointment, God spoke through us; both the man and his wife became Christians that very afternoon. They share freely how God has set them free from their burdens, and provides for their needs. This one story is just a testament of how great a God we serve, and how he uses every moment to show His glory.
This obvious movement of the Holy Spirit has been a lesson for my own life. It has been so easy to follow His leadership by offering up my time and summer to working in Orlando. God has taught me to love genuinely, giving of myself to the ministry. Those who are lost and hurting do not need a lot of fancy words or designed programs. The gospel, my privilege to share, is simple and true. I have shared the Good News, coupled with love and concern, to whoever will listen. God has not only blessed my life through this ministry, but has also become real to so many others. I have great joy knowing that I have been used by Christ to plant the seed of His love in many hearts.
This ministry is now grown and developed, holding an abundance of hungry seekers of the truth of the gospel. My work in Orlando is completed, however, there is still much harvesting left to be done. Many have come to know Christ, but they need mentorship. Opportunities for the church to step up and raise these babes in Christ abound. My prayer for the Orlando area is that many will rise up and continue this ministry. I am in constant prayer and have complete confidence that God will utilize those with passion for the lost, completing the work that He has begun.”

Cowboy Church

2006-06-22T10:45:00.000-04:00

NBC Nightly News ran a story about cowboy churches last night. You can watch the video on MSNBC and post comments on the Daily Nightly Blog.

Gene Blankenship, a cowboy church planter in Central Florida, gave me the heads up on this.

Outward and Upward Leadership Teams

2006-06-21T16:03:00.000-04:00

You know you are supposed to have a leadership team; you have one, now what?

Is your vision team too “pie in the sky” to get anything done? Is your pastoral advisory team too “chicken” to try anything new? Is your sounding board made up of a bunch of “yes men?” It doesn’t matter what you call them; if your team members are not leading in personal and corporate growth, they are a crisis management team. You may know that already, but how do you lead your team to shift its focus away from today’s pressing needs to working toward vision fulfillment?

Adam Johnstone has developed a practical tool for Natural Church Development that is designed to help church leadership teams to personally and corporately grow outward and upward. This non-linear approach to principle-based strategic implementation is what Johnstone calls The Three Color Spiral. Although it is designed for churches that are going through the NCD process, the principles can be found useful by any ministry team. A free PDF version of The Three Color Spiral is available from NCD Australia. Permission is granted to reproduce for local use.

Creating community among apartment residents

2006-05-17T09:25:00.000-04:00

Rebecca McLean knows the importance of creating community face to face. She encourages apartment management companies to develop a community bond by getting to know their residents and encouraging them to interact with each other. Management companies are encouraged to provide recreational areas and community facilities to help bring people together. Apartments that enjoy a true sense of community often have more stable tenancies and lower crime problems than comparable communities that are not organized. Rebecca is Assistant Vice President of the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Apartment Association.
From Key Magazine,
Apartment Association of Greater Orlando
, May, 2006.

If you live in an apartment or condo community, you could become the catalyst for bringing people together by volunteering to organize parties and other fun events. Check with your property manager or association president for ideas on how you can help create community where you live. How could you use social networking technology to foster community building?
This entry linked to Wikispaces page (multihousing)

Podcasting 101

2006-04-29T16:54:00.000-04:00

Listening to Podcasts
Podcasting is the process of syndicating audio and video content over the internet. The content can be accessed via a website, an aggregator like itunes or ipodder, or a portable media device.

To find podcasts on the internet, one could simply conduct a web search with the word “podcast” included (try “church planting podcast” on Google) or browse any number of podcast directories such as christianpodcastdirectory.com or christianpodder.com.  Most podcasts allow users to listen or view at least a sample of the content using a web browser.

Apple ipod users know that the easiest way to find and subscribe to podcasts is through the itunes software.  Itunes is used to synchronize ipod devices with content that is stored on a computer hard drive, thus allowing podcasts to be heard and viewed anywhere.

The new Internet Explorer7  browser has an rss subscription feature built in.  Podcasters use rss 2.0 to syndicate their content across the internet. IE7 allows the user to subscribe to podcasts directly from the rss feed source.  An rss feed has a url address like a webpage (see http://feeds.feedburner.com/churchplantingpodcast for an example), but most current internet browsers are not configured to read the rss code.

Recording Audio Podcasts
Audacity is free multi-track digital recording software that is very popular with podcasters.  The software with the optional Lame plug-in converts digital audio to the mp3 format necessary for podcasting.

Recording a Video Podcast
A simple video tutorial on creating video podcasts is available at freevlog.org.

Uploading Podcasts
A podcast is comprised of two files which are hosted on the internet.  The mp3 audio file or mpeg video file needs a home on the web.  Some web hosts will allow a limited amount of storage and bandwidth suitable for storing a few podcast episodes.  However, additional website resources may be needed and can be expensive.  A number of websites (such as christianpoddcer.com and Ourmedia.org) provide free media storage and distribution.

Rss files take up very little space and can be hosted on most websites.  Feeds can be created and uploaded with software such as Feedforall.  However, the easiest way to create rss feeds is to use free blogging software such as blogger and the smartcast feature of feedburner.com.  A complete tutorial on how to turn a blog into a podcast is available at podcastingnews.com.

Podcasting by phone
Podcasts can easily be recorded from any telephone by using audioblogger.  Audioblogger works in conjunction with blogger to provide a simple solution to podcasting.   Audioblogger automatically turns telephone calls into mp3 files and makes them accessible on blogs hosted by blogger.  Except for the cost of the phone call, audioblogger is a free service.

Clermont Fellowship Church

2006-04-17T13:04:00.000-04:00

Here is an update from Tom Casolaro, lead planter for Clermont Fellowship Church. Tom and his team are doing a great job of connecting with people in Clermont and partnering with other church planters...

Imagine a football field, hotdogs cooking on a grill, more than 700 Easter eggs stuffed with goodies, and a truckload of kids! Got the picture?! What a wonderful evening of worship as families joined us for Easter on the Citrus Tower lawn! We could not have asked for better weather, fun, games and time with the entire family.

There are so many things to praisedate but I want to share the meaning of belonging …
We have seen the doors continue to open to share the gospel. We have been reaching out and ministering to families from all walks of life. One such family brought five adults and two kids to our celebration tonight. They are very open and want to learn, grow and be involved. They are searching for meaning and earnestly desire to “belong.” They are drawn to the life and excitement the life we share in Christ. One of the fathers is giving KidStuf tickets to 85 of his daycare kids this week because “I really want them to come, get it and experience it for themselves.”

I had the opportunity to share the good news with a young couple who are truly seeking to belong to a community of faith. They have many questions but were very open to discuss their journey. They know they are not satisfied simply with having jobs and going home at the end of the day. “We want to belong to a community where we can all grow and raise our family.”

Lastly, we witnessed a family on the distant edge of our community come a bit closer tonight. We experienced tremendous joy in hearing them laugh, asking questions, engaging in conversation and expressing their interest to “be a part of what you’re doing here” … it is both thrilling and humbling. We know their “skepticism” is changing to sensitivity … openness to hear the good news! They made a huge sacrifice to come back from their vacation just to come tonight.

We are speaking to so many people in this area that are yearning to belong … belong to the Fellowship … Fellowship with God and fellowship with the family of God. We spoke with a Boys Scout troop leader we met in “passing” today. He is excited to hear about KidStuf coming this coming weekend. “I am always looking for a place where our kids can learn solid values,” he says.

Will you join with us in praying for so many people that will be helping us this week? Will you join us in praying for so many people that do not know Jesus? Will you pray their lives will be changed for all eternity? Will you invest your time and talents with us? We need others to partner with us to make reaching Clermont and beyond a true reality with the life-giving power of the gospel.

Please pray for the Vine. They are a new church plant with limited resources. They are committed to partnering with us in Clermont to further the Kingdom of God and spread the transformational truth of the gospel. They are an example of sacrifice and love as they minister to us and along with us. Their pastor, Billy Rollins, baptized two new believers in their Easter worship service this morning. Billy is a loving and incredibly Kingdom-minded brother in Christ. Please pray for him.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We are in the process of updating our e-mail lists and website. If you would like to be on our e-mail, e-news list or future podcasts, please contact us at info@clermontfc.com. Please forward this e-mail to any of your friends or family who might be interested in hearing and reading our updates too.

For your continued reading pleasure and for those of you who are looking for something to shout about … I have included A MONTH IN REVIEW …
Although I can be prone to ramble … I will give you a quick glimpse of our previous month and a quick forecast of upcoming plans …

Nearly one month ago (3/19) we had our last preview celebration gathering. It was well attended but provided a much needed “picture” and preparation for our birth Sunday. We called it “sonogram of the future” playing off our birth date celebration. Our community could get an idea of the sound and sight of the “baby” to come …

Two weeks later we gave birth to a wonderful child … after labor pains for nearly nine months (ready or not) we celebrated our birth! For those of you who know me very well … I am not a big numbers guys … but let me say that the theme after our evening together was “and the chairs keep on coming!” We continue to set out chairs and use all we had available after the initial amount of 75 in the room. We were packed in the “delivery room” and well attended by many in the community. We had the blessing of some friends from Birmingham assisting with the birth. We were also honored to have Don Miller, DOM (Director of Missions), attend with his wife Yvonne and our good friends and pastors Michael Hopewell (New Waters Church) and Lewis Ecker (Assoc. Pastor, First Baptist Clermont). We shared the message of “GOT LIFE” translated “GOD LIFE!” Great time of celebration!

We have been steady planning for our partnership and show with the Vine for KidStuf. We are ecstatic about the possibility that doing KidStuf will provide for us in building relationship in our community. We have a desire to reach out to families in our area … KidStuf is one way we will be able to connect, build relationships and trust and share God’s message with the whole family in a new and exciting way. We are establishing our website for KidstufClermont. We are sending many invitations this week with the help of many and special thanks to dear friends, like Carolyn Walsh (new entrepreneur with husband Sean) and Mark from the Vine.

We have had many meetings with local leaders: politicians, business owners, educators/administrators and community leaders. Many of our meetings have proven to be invaluable as we take steps forward to building a faith community where “you” belong as well as participate and partner with the greater community where we belong … One example of our relationship was praying at our Chamber breakfast this month with over 300 community leaders present for the meeting.

We have worshipped with several new faith communities (local places of worship) to us in this general area. We have continued to pursue a relationship with several missional networks, local associations and local churches. Jason Dukes continues to be very supportive of us on this journey along with Renaut van der Riet. We are very hopeful in our relationship with Chan Kilgore too.

Dianne and I took a brief trip for a wedding which I was a part of in Birmingham. Dianne worshipped at Brook Hills and I attended a new church plant of a prayer partner and dear friend and later that evening had a phenomenal time of worship and fellowship as well at Tapestry of Hope. Dianne spent a couple of days with her family while I attended meetings, enjoyed time with “old” friends and made some new friends.

We will gather for celebration every two weeks with a KidStuf, coupled with adult celebration and kid’s Bible study, on the alternate weeks. We will be making a shift to utilize Sunday morning for training, discipleship and additional outreach in the next few months. EXCITING!

We will be having several new community groups start this week! Please pray as we build relationships with our neighbors and those in the community. We truly want to serve them.

We are updating our website with the help of some friends (like Eric Fuller) and the steady dedication of JV! Please be patient with us as we develop a design that is more consistent with who we are as a faith community. You can always send general questions or information to info@clermontfc.com.

Our financial needs continue to remain a matter of prayer and tender reality as we continue on our journey. Again, we are grateful for your support. Please continue to pray for us.

We will be promoting our summer “mission” trips in June and July. This will be a great opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good … an opportunity to experience Clermont up-close and personal … an opportunity to serve and use your gifts, talents and passion for the Kingdom! June 9-17 will be a huge harvest as we plan, prepare and put into practice the love of God through vacation Bible school for kids, sports camps, random acts of kindness, minor construction and home repair, and a community celebration. We have cookouts, block parties, breakfast and luncheons planned for community leaders and other extraordinary opportunities to get involved and make a difference!

Likewise, we will be promoting some other ways you can get plugged into this mission field from where you reside. We need help with graphic design, promotional events, support raising, web design, and so much more!

Again, please feel free to send any questions, ideas or comments to us. We welcome your input, feedback and involvement.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about a wonderful event that we helped “sponsor” … we helped a local business with a frozen custard eating contest at a local event (29,000 people come to our lakefront for this special occasion) … it was a blast … we got nothing other than the pure joy of helping others promote their business to a place of success and seeing the faces of kids smothered in ice cream! Priceless!!

God bless you and have a Christ-centered day and week …

Tom

Tom Casolaro
Clermont Fellowship Church
Suite 107-303
13900 County Road 455
Clermont, FL 34711
352-638-1488 (cell)
www.clermontfc.com

Is it time for a vision check up?

2006-02-22T14:44:00.000-05:00

When is the last time you had your vision checked?  Did you try to do it yourself?  Wouldn’t it be better if you asked an objective person (preferably someone with experience) to help you?

Community leaders need to have their vision check periodically.  It only takes 30 days for vision drift to occur in leaders and much less time for followers.  It may be time for you to evaluate where you are in light of what you originally set out to do.

Get someone to help you ask the hard questions like:  What is our dream? What have you sold out to?   What are you afraid of? What are you ashamed of?  How are you changing the world?

Not only is it important to check your vision, you must use it or loose it.  Constantly communicate your vision to others so that they can communicate it as well as you.  Paint mental pictures to help the non-visonizing people you are walking with.  Begin with the end in mind and illustrate for them how your community is going to transform lives, communities and the world.

I
C A
N S  E  E
B I G G E R
T  H  I  N  G S
S  W  H  E  N  I
A M  L O  O  K  I
N   G    U    P

Check out the Church Planting Podcast

2006-02-02T11:41:00.000-05:00

Being the Church Online

2005-12-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

Westpoint Fellowship Church is utilizing discussion boards to engage people in spiritual conversation. People from all over the world are responding including some who have tried to hijack the boards. There are some interesting threads taking place right now.

No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. (Luke 8:16 The Message)
This entry linked to Wikispaces page (Evangelism)

Christmas at Seaworld

2005-12-21T07:33:00.000-05:00

Last night, I took my family to Sea World here in Orlando. We enjoyed the Shamu Christmas show. Yes, I said Christmas. Included in the program were the songs “Away in a Manger” and “Oh Holy Night”. It was a beautiful and inspiring presentation. I am glad to see that Anheuser-Busch is not afraid to say” Merry Christmas”.

Business Gets Evangelsim

2005-12-12T20:43:00.000-05:00

Check out this excerpt from US News and World Report:

"Evangelism is about selling your dream so that other people believe in it as much as you do," says Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist for Apple Computer and one of the key people responsible for marketing the Macintosh in 1984. "Those people then, in turn, get even more people to believe. Just like Jesus was an evangelist who recruited 12 more evangelists." With corporate evangelism, the goal is to find and identify those customers who are already crazy about your product or service--who are actively talking it up in blogs or Web forums, for instance--and turning them with loads of personal attention into "customer evangelists" who then spread the word to others, who then--well, you get the idea.

Business has learned the value of word of mouth evangelism while church planters try to discover the latest advertising gimmick. What’s wrong with this picture?
This entry linked to Wikispaces page (Evangelism)

Planting Revolutionary Churches

2005-12-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

Revolutionary Christians don’t want to go to “church,” they want to be the Church, the body of Christ, in every day life. New research by George Barna shows that if current trends continue, one-third of Americans will express their faith through alternative forms of church by the year 2025. These new expressions of church are meeting in apartment, condo, and manufactured home communities; they meet in houses, in restaurants and coffee houses, in work places and on the internet. Many Christian leaders have identified this radical shift as a new Great Awakening that is sweeping the planet. Church leaders have a choice to ignore the movement, stand against it, or embrace it.

You are invited to attend a Free half-day conference in the Orlando area on Saturday, February 11, 2006. This event is made possible through generous contributions Greater Orlando Baptist Association, Cooperative Program gifts to the Florida Baptist and Southern Baptist Conventions.

For more information, contact Mark Weible at 407-293-0450, mweible@goba.org or register online at www.goba.org/cpn.

Orlando could soon be known more for Jesus than Mickey!

2005-12-05T11:37:00.000-05:00

There is an interesting statement in Acts 19:10 that often goes unnoticed: This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. Did I read that right?  Did everyone in Asia Minor hear the gospel? How did it happen?  Can it happen in Central Florida?

When we read the rest of the chapter, we discover that Paul was in Ephesus, teaching at the school of Tyrannus.  It is not likely that everyone in Asia Minor had the opportunity to go to Ephesus to hear the gospel directly from the mouth of Paul.  They heard it in their own communities from people connected with local churches that were planted by the church at Ephesus and her daughter churches.

A church planting movement was sparked in Ephesus, a key metropolitan for reaching the entire region.  Paul and his team discipled missionary church planters in Ephesus and sent them out all over Asia Minor.  The result was that everyone in the province had an opportunity to hear the gospel.   What about Central Florida?  Could everyone here have that same opportunity? Absolutely!

Our theme for 2006 is “Acts 1:8, Who will it take?”  It will take Visionary Leaders who will pour themselves into empowering others to take the gospel to unreached people groups right here in Central Florida. It will take Engaged Churches that birth new churches in new and transitional communities.  It will take Transformed People who continually give themselves away so that others can come to know Christ.

It is possible that we will one day be able to say that all of Central Florida, both Christians and non-Christians heard the word of the Lord.  That means that Orlando could soon be known more for Jesus than Mickey.  In order for that to happen, there must be enough churches in every community to makes disciples of those who accept the message of the gospel.  That is why we are passionate about  planting churches.

This entry linked to Wikispaces page (Vision)

Do you Wiki?

2005-12-01T11:15:00.000-05:00

The information reformation is making new strides with the rising popularity of wikis.

The term wiki generally refers to a collaborative effort to assimilate information on the internet. The best known wiki is wikipedia.com, an online encyclopedia written and edited by its readers. Anyone can create and edit wiki entries. A relative newcomer to the waki wiki world is wikihow.com., a collaborative online how-to guide for anything from stopping a dripping faucet to becoming a Christian.

Wikis (along with blogs and podcasts) are just one aspect of what is being called Web 2.0. If the first generation of the internet was all about the dissemination of information, web 2.0 is about the collaboration of information. What Gutenbergâs printing press did for the modern period is nothing compared to how web 2.0 will shape postmodernity. (Checkout the ZDNet article on the impact of wikis).

A rapidly growing and powerful reformation is changing the way information is shared. It is conceivable that before this decade is out, information communities like wikis will replace traditional media as authoritative sources of information.

Web 2.0 will create great opportunities and challenges for Christ-followers. Some will feel threatened by the relativization of information. Others will realize the potential of communities of faith sharing the Truth with the world in the open marketplace of ideas.

Join me at
churchplanting.wikispaces.com
as we explore the waki wiki world together.
This entry linked to Wikispaces page (Welcome to Church Planting Wiki)

This entry linked to Wikispaces page (home)

2005-11-30T17:24:00.000-05:00

Mission Pine Hills Thanksgiving

2005-11-29T10:19:00.000-05:00

We had a great time at the Central Florida fairgrounds on Thanksgiving Day. Here is a photo of volunteers sorting clothes before the big meal. Thanks, Mike Kimbrough for casting the vision and inspiring so many to serve others.

Check out the videos of the Mission Pine Hills Thanksgiving Fest.

Dad Time

2005-10-29T09:30:00.000-04:00

I am hanging out with my son Zach and we are talking about online communities. Zach wanted to do a podcast to tell you about his new website.

...here is Zach just after launching his home-made rocket later in the day.

Billy Rollins

2005-10-27T16:24:00.000-04:00

I am having coffee with Billy Rollins. Billy is planting a new church south near Kissimmee called The Vine.

Throwing Parties

2005-10-27T08:26:00.000-04:00

Church planting is about creating communities of faith. Since communities are made up of people, doesn’t it make since that church planters need to meet people, a lot of people?

Church planters often use parties and events as a means of getting to know people. Derrick Shirley and Orlando Journey throw a big party for children and their parents once a month. Derrick is finding that Kids Stuff is an effective means for drawing a crowd.

Check out the comments on Alex McManus blog regarding throwing parties and spiritual conversation.

voxtropolis
This entry linked to Wikispaces page (Throwing Parties)

Relief crews respond to Wilma

2005-10-25T13:03:00.000-04:00

John Watkins and a crew from First Baptist Church of Kissimmee are headed today to Naples with the GOBA clean-up and recovery unit. At this time we do not know where they will be staged – will keep you posted as we get information.

Sam Walker from First Baptist Church of Central Florida will be leaving to go on Saturday.

Read Florida Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Update

Waiting for Wilma

2005-10-24T00:45:00.000-04:00

Please pray for the people of South Florida as they brace for Wilma. I am hanging out with my family in the living room of our home as we anticipate the arrival of yet another hurricane.

We are way north of the strike zone for Hurricane Wilma, but we are beginning to feel the effects of the outer bands. We expect to have winds of 40-60 mph in Orlando. All area schools and several businesses will be closed on Monday. We will enjoy an extended weekend with our family.

I’ve been involved in several discussions lately regarding the extraordinary number of deadly natural disasters in the past couple of years. Some people claim that God is exercising a temporal judgment on sinful people. Others blame global warming. Still others say it is just a natural cycle. None of these view points offer much hope to people who are suffering from the affects of these disasters.

While helping with disaster relief work in Orlando last year, I realized how fragile humans really are. When a person looses their belongings due to a disaster, the media often reports that the person lost all that they had. I’ve often thought, “No they didn’t… they still have their lives, their families, other relationships, fond memories, etc”. However, I’ve noticed that even minor disruptions in a person’s life can make them feel like their whole world is falling apart. Jesus spoke of building one’s life on a solid foundation so that it would stand up against the storms of life. A person whose life foundations are shaken needs to know that there is hope.

There were no hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes or wildfires in the Garden of Eden. God created a perfect place for humans to live, but we rebelled against him. The natural consequence of our sin is that the earth received a curse (see Genesis 3:17). Natural and man-made disasters are indirect results of the curse.

Jesus came to earth to restore humanity to perfect humanness and promised that he would prepare a perfect place for us so that we could go to be where he is. When everything is fully restored, there will be no more curse (See Revelation 22:3). There will be no sorrow, sadness, pain, or death in heaven and Jesus will wipe every tear from our eyes.

This promise brings hope. But, hope can only be wishful thinking if there is no basis for it. Those who become followers of Jesus Christ can know for sure that their hope is real They can know that they are building their lives on a solid foundation that will withstand the storms of life. This is an unmerited gift from God that comes through faith and not by working for it.

Sharing this message has brought more hope to people than anything else we try to do. Sure, there is comfort in giving a cup of cold water or a hot meal in Jesus name. Many people have been encouraged by a listening ear, a kind word and a compassionate prayer. But, nothing beats resting on the solid foundation that is Jesus.

GOBA Annual Meeting

2005-10-18T20:54:00.000-04:00

Here is a review of the GOBA annual meeting from a non-baptist. Harambe

Camping

2005-10-18T20:25:00.000-04:00

The kids were out of school for a couple of days last week, so we went camping in the Ocala National Forest. My 9 year old son shot this video (click image). What does this have to do with church planting?

Surviving Storm Stress

2005-09-05T17:53:00.000-04:00

Here is a helpful guide for dealing with storm stress written by Dwight Bain. This guide was extremely helpful to many folks here in Florida during last year’s heavy storm season. You have permission to pass this on to anyone who can use it. See Redistribution Notice at the end of this blog.
Surviving Storm Stress
A Guide to Dealing with the Psychological Trauma of Natural Disasters
By Dwight Bain, Nationally Certified Counselor

Table of Contents

Guide Preface

Storm Stress

The emotions which follow the storm

Don’t make a bad situation worse

Big storms require a lot of time to recover and rebuild

What are the dangerous warning signs of “Storm Stress Syndrome”?

Storm Stress Responses

Physical

Emotional

Behavioral

Cognitive

Getting back to normal

Immediate tips which help bring calmness

Reconnect in relationships

Rebuild your routines

Reach out for faith

Retell your story

Storm stress and kids

How does a critical incident like this affect kids?

What are some ways to help our kids talk about storm stress?

Are there “hidden dangers” the in media that parents should be concerned about that might make storm stress worse?

What can people expect in the weeks ahead?

The Formula to Recover Faster

Patience

Attitude

Trust

Is it wise to involve kids in the clean up and recovery process?

Is it okay to talk about what happened to our family with others?

Why do some people become bitter or hateful after a crisis like this one, instead of just being grateful to be alive?

What is survivor guilt and how does it negatively impact people?

So many people are worse off than me— so how can I decide who to help?

Evaluate Relationship

Measure Resources

Do the Right Thing

Is there a Rule?

Is it Responsible?

Is it Reasonable?

What should people consider when first returning to their homes after being evacuated before the storm?

Final thoughts to encourage you through this recovery process

Continue reading…
About the author
Dwight Bain is a Nationally Certified Counselor in practice since 1984 specializing in solving crisis events and managing major change. He serves on the Critical Incident Stress Management team of the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando, FL where he lives with his wife Sheila and their children.
Redistribution Notice
You have the permission to copy, pass along or post this material in print or electronically if you believe that it will help others in your family, workplace, church or community; providing that you leave the authors name and contact information attached as follows. For more counseling strategies from Dwight Bain on solving conflict, managing major change or rebuilding after a crisis check out the counseling blog at http://www.LifeworksGroup.org/ or call the LifeWorks Group in Orlando at 407.647.3900.

Tom Billings on "What Allison Taught Me About Katrina"

2005-09-04T23:21:00.000-04:00

June 8-9 2001, Tropical Storm Allison dumped over 40 inches of rain on Houston and the surrounding area. The bayous overflowed their banks and much of the city of Houston was flooded. Tom Billings, Director of Missions for Union Baptist Association, learned more than he ever wanted to know about rescue and recovery. At ubahouston.org, Tom shares from his wisdom of experience...

Tom Billings on "What Allison Taught Me About Katrina"
"Tom, the office is flooded," she said. "You won't believe it." Sharon, our office administrator, called me late Saturday night June 9, 2001. Like many folks in Houston I had watched the rain from Tropical Storm Allison fill the streets of Houston. I heard reports of flooding across the city but never dreamed it would affect the UBA office.

I had no idea what to expect when I stopped by the office on the way to preach the next morning, but I certainly wasn't prepared for what I saw. It was devastating. The sights, the smells, the feel as I walked among the soggy debris … those are sensations that will be with me the rest of my life … sensations that come flooding back when I think of all that's happened along the Gulf coast this week.

The experience with Tropical Storm Allison taught me a few important lessons that I think will help me - and maybe you - as we reach out to folks impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

(1) No matter how bad you think it is, it's worse.
Folks fled the storm thinking they would return in a day or two. Now they know it will be weeks, maybe months before they can go home. Some never will. They thought they might lose their homes. Now many realize they've also lost their jobs and their livelihood. It takes a while for these things to sink in. That's good. If it all hit at once, it might be too much. To the folks going through it, it will seem like things just keep getting worse. Understand their grief and provide appropriate support.

(2 )No matter how long you think it will take to recover, it will take longer.
The day after the flood I received calls from folks wanting to help. In a classic example of understatement I said, "We'll be back up and running in a couple of weeks." At one level, we never missed a beat. One day to sort through the rubble and we were back at work helping others. But in reality it took several years to get back to where we were in 2001, and in some ways we are not there yet. These folks will need help for months to come!

(3) Helping needs to be a long term commitment.
There are two primary phases to disaster relief: rescue and recovery. We are in the rescue phase now. Folks need food, water, a place to sleep, health care, money … the basics. It is easy to respond now. But I want to encourage congregational leaders to think of helping as a long-term commitment. Remediation teams and construction teams will be needed for many months to come. We need to do what we can to help now AND we need to anticipate how we can help next year and the year after.

(4) God is gracious and his people are generous.
I am so glad. UBA could not have helped the churches we did or rebuilt our own offices without the very generous financial support of folks all across the nation. Now is the time to be generous. I commend all those who are donating time, food, clothing, toys, and money to help those in need.

(5) Use the established systems in place to help.
When Allison came I had a chance to see first hand how disaster relief agencies work and how they work together. One of the best things we can do is work with them and through them - Texas Baptist Men, Somebody Cares Houston, Red Cross, Salvation Army, and others. This is what they do. Let's help them do it.

For the latest information on what needs to be done and how you can help, visit our website at http://www.ubahouston.org/ and click on "what's new."

Westpoint Worship Gathering

2005-09-04T15:46:00.000-04:00

Here is a video clip of today's worship gathering of Westpoint Fellowship Church near Winter Garden. The church which is sponsored by Church at the Mall in Lakeland and First Baptist Church of Orlando celebrated their grand opening in September of 2004. Jason Dukes is the lead church planter. Jason graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where his father serves as a Dean. At worship gathering this morning, Jason shared how the church can reach out to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Click the image to view download the video.

Louisiana Church Learns How to Be the Church During Diaspora

2005-09-03T10:11:00.000-04:00

Paul Smith, pastor of Life Church of Mandeville, Louisiana is learning how to be the church when you can't do church in the usual way. He and his family along with several from his church relocated to Houston while they wait for flood waters to recede. Entire life groups have had to find temporary shelter in other cities. However, they are still ministering in their home community as well as their temporary communities. It is awesome to see how God is working through them. As you can imagine, their financial needs are overwhelming. Cash flow has become a problem. Please consider making an online donation to help this church so that they can share the love of Jesus with other evacuees and folks back home. Check out Paul's Blog at lifechurchinfo.com.

Disaster Relief

2005-08-31T15:27:00.000-04:00

The GOBA clean-up and recovery unit has been mobilized. The volunteer crew will leave for Hattiesburg, Mississippi on Sunday, September 4. Please pray for our crew as they join SBC disaster relief efforts along the Gulf coast.

Storm Refugees

2005-08-31T11:39:00.000-04:00

Good News!

I just got off the phone with a pastor from Houston. Their church family is offering to provide housing for Paul and his crew. Praise God!

Displaced Families Need Help

2005-08-31T09:53:00.000-04:00

Many of us know of people who have been displaced from their homes due to the effects of hurricane Katrina... I’ve been in touch with a friend who is a pastor in Mandeville, LA and has relocated to a hotel in Houston, Texas. There are 20 adults and children with him from his church. They are in need of temporary housing and basic necessities. I am attempting to connect them with churches in the area. Please pray for Paul Smith, his family and those with him.

Our hearts are heavy burdened for those who have been affected by this storm and its aftermath. We can pray, give and volunteer to help those in need. Here are some suggested prayer items:

Healing and health for the injured.

Wisdom and strength for relief workers.

Consolation for those who have lost loved ones.

Peace and comfort for those who are displaced, particularly those housed in the Superdome.

Cessation of looting and a spirit of lawfulness on the part of all.

Restoration of power and water supplies.

Food and water to come quickly to those stranded and homeless.

Swift and efficient implementation of aid by government agencies.

If you would like to make a financial contribution to the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Fund, make checks payable to the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and mail to: NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543.
To make a donation online, Click here.
For volunteer opportunities, check the following websites:
SBC Disaster Relief Operations
Florida Baptist Convention Disaster Relief

Godcasting and Spirtuality

2005-08-30T08:58:00.000-04:00

Today, I would like to draw your attention to a couple of news article that I think are relevant to reaching our culture.

The first is the cover story of last week’s Newsweek magazine about Spirituality in America.  The “God is Dead” movement has been dead itself for a long time.  Americans are seeking experiential relationships with God, while most churches are still trying to prove that He exists.

The second is the International Herald Tribune’s article on “Godcasting.” Podcasting is proving to be an effective medium for reaching busy people with the message of Christ.

How are you changing your message delivery system to reach a changing culture?

Odyssey Worship Gathering

2005-08-28T16:46:00.000-04:00

I had an awesome time with Odyssey Community Church today. Here is the video I shot while I was with them in worship. Odyssey is sponsored by East Orlando Baptist Church. Byron Kirkpatrick is the church planter.

If the video does not play immediately, rick click on the link and save it to your hard drive. This is a 160MB file.

Visionary Leader

2005-08-23T07:27:00.000-04:00

I am enjoying a couple of days with the NAMB church planting mentoring team here in Atlanta. We are considering revisions for Church Planter Basic Training for 2006.

After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:10)

It is the leader’s job to cast a clear and compelling vision. If he can’t do that, he should consider letting someone else lead. Paul received the vision and shared it with his team. The team discerned that the vision was in line with God’s character and that Paul wasn’t off his rocker. Once the vision was confirmed, they acted on it immediately.

Followers are looking for leaders to set the agenda, to have direction and to present it in a clear, consistent and compelling manner. Nobody wants to gamble their precious resources on a leader who doesn’t know where he is leading. However, team members want to be consulted, included in the decision making process and have an opportunity to weigh in on the vision.

A Godly vision becomes obvious to followers of Jesus Christ. Those who live by faith don’t need much time to respond to God’s call for a change in direction. To borrow a phrase... they Just Do It! Make sure it’s real… make sure it’s clear… make sure it’s from God.

Vision Harmony

2005-08-22T15:28:00.000-04:00

I am in the Orlando airport waiting for my flight to Atlanta. I will be participating in a workgroup with the Mentoring Team of the NAMB Church Planting Group. We are in the process of developing a Basic Training resource for sponsor churches

Re: Vision - A clear and compelling vision is what unites team members, core groups and congregations. In Acts 16, Paul received a revelation from God. The vision came from God to Paul, he shared it with his team, they concluded it was from God and they adjusted their plans immediately. It is interesting to note that Luke uses the word “we” for the first time in this passage. Obviously he bought in to the vision and made it his own. The result – the gospel was introduced to Europe!

Check it out…

During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:9-10)