Your Journey Blog

Cool Idea

Chris Brown of Life Connections Church in Montgomery, IL is doing a fall impact series on parenting called "Raising Great Kids."  He is using the "Life's Biggest Adventure: Guiding Your Child on Their Spiritual Journey" book as a free give away.  We are offering a special price to make this affordable for all churches. Email us if you want more information.

Here are the details:

1. Place the offer in your marketing vehicle - post cards, personal invites, newspaper ads, etc.  Email us for art work.
2. Order 50 books or more and receive a 50% discount, $1.50 per book.
3. Send us a sample of your marketing vehicle.
4. Report to us how it worked.

Five "Quick Hits" on Five

Here are five more "quick hits" for Friday.  Enjoy!

1. Allan Hirsh's post on passing the batton is right on!  Here is a portion.

He writres, "To be effective, movements, and the central ideas associated with them, must take root in the lives of their followers. If this does not take place, the movement will simply not ignite. And again, it’s not just an issue of personal integrity alone, it’s also about patterning. The pattern of a movement is usually set in a definitive sense, by its founder. Therefore in terms of the movement dynamics and mission of the Christian church, this notion of modeling the message is therefore absolutely crucial to the transmission of the original message beyond our Founder to that of subsequent generations."

2. Darryn Scheske offers some great remarks on his grandparents celebration of 67 years of marriage.  Together they spent 43 years in East Africa as missionaries.

3. Steve McCoy's post How I Study the Bible for a Sermon is a insightful and helpful post.

4. George Bullard's post on Do You Blog provides some insights on how other pastors use blogging in their ministry.

5. Guy Kawasaki's blog has great tips on public speaking Must Read

The 3 x 5 rule Worked Out!

Jer Dunlap, of Storyline Church in downtown Nashville, is working the 3 x 5 rule!  Jer is a pioneer planter pushing himself every day to get those contacts and make meaningful connections.  In his latest post there are great insights and ideas for planters and pastors to connect with their communities.

"I am not naturally a person that will just walk up to anyone on the street and say, 'Hey you, I'm launching a church - be there' ... and have them respond positively. Though I meet people well and have met many people, via Fidos, I want to meet and network at a faster pace. Through the Meetup Website, I was able to find a meetup group for entrepreneurs. (Also, google your area, you may find a local page that functions in the same manner: www.linktonashville.com)

This past Tuesday evening I attended my first Entrepreneur Meetup here in Nashville. During a networking exercise we had the chance to hear and share vision. After I was finished sharing, I was flooded with "see me" and business cards! In total I walked out with twelve contacts!"  Read the entire post

Here are a couple of thoughts on Jer's experience:

1. You don't have to be a flaming extrovert to be good at networking.
2. Every leader needs to push themselves internally to get out of their comfort zone and into deeper connections.
3. There are great network opportunities right around the corner in your neighborhood.
4. Be ready to tell your story in a compelling manner within two minutes or less.
5. Use technology to open doors and make meaningful connections.

Ray Bakke writes, “Pastors who network their communities, especially in the first year of a pastorate, may end up knowing that community better than any other person.  This upfront investment of time should pay rich dividends and provide the opportunity to help people…” (The Expanded Mission of City Center Churches, p 53-4) 

Share some ways you are making meaningful connections in your community.

Five "Ouick Hits" on Friday Oops Saturday

It's Friday and time for another set of "Quick Hits."  Enjoy!

1. Download the BGC Church Planting Survey.pdf available thanks to the hard work and generosity of Ed Stetzer and the North American Mission Board.

2. Tim Keller's New Book The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. See the Table of Contents on the Reformissionary Blog.

3. Guy Kawasaki offers The 10/20/30 Rule of Power Point ... interesting rule that will serve as a guide for your presentations.

4. Jim Botts' post on Getting Your Hands Dirty in Jesus' Mission.

5. Confessions of a Happy Pastor from Monday Morning Insight ... helps with the perspective issue in ministry.

Extra: Pictures of the Week  For all my TeAmerica Buddies who saw the best Cubs game I've EVER attended.  You had a true Chicago experience.  Even you Brewers fans would have to say it was great.

Spiritual Conversations - My Paradigm Shift - Part 3

One night, about a year later, it started to all come together.  I was following up on a couple who had just attended our first Easter service.  I was praying, "Lord, show me how to discover where this couple is on their spiritual journey."  I thought to myself...just ask them!  After getting acquainted, I asked them, "Do you believe that everyone is on a spiritual journey?"  To which they said, "Yes, of course."  Then I began to paint a verbal picture of that journey.  "There are basically two groups of people.  There are spiritual seekers and active followers of Jesus.  Within each group there are many different types of seekers and followers.  There are those seekers who casually approach spiritual things and there are those who are really intense in their search for true spirituality.  On the other side, there are those who have discovered the liberating joy of Christianity and are brand new in their walk with Jesus.  There are also those who are growing deeper in their faith and those who are maturing in their walk with Jesus.  But the thing that separates seekers from followers is a faith commitment.  A faith commitment is that defining moment when a person admits their spiritual need, discovers all that Jesus did  for them and has said 'yes' in their spirit to following Jesus as their risen Lord and only Savior."

When I finished I asked them a simple, but very direct question, "Where would you say you are on your spiritual journey tonight?"  The wife spoke first and said, "I'm just a brand new Christian."  To which the husband gasped and replied, "If you're just a baby Christian, then I am just a seeker and a casual one at that!"

I asked her to share with me where and when she made her faith commitment.  She said, "It was about a year earlier through a friend from the town we just moved from."  Then I followed up by asking her, "What is standing between you and becoming a mature follower?"  She said, "I just don't know enough about the Bible."  So I invited her to attend a new Bible study we were starting.  Then I turned and asked the husband, "What is standing between you and making a faith commitment to Jesus?"  He paused and thought a minute, then said, "I guess I am just content.  Things are going well right now.  So I quess I am just casually seeking.  Bringing the family to church is enough right now."  I encouraged him to continue bringing his family to church and to open himself  up to God working in his life.  I said, "We have many opportunities for you to get involved or to join a Bible study designed just for you.  We call it Bible 101."

That night changed my life!  I experienced a paradigm shift in my thinking.  I moved from a mindset of decision-making evangelism to conducting a spiritual diagnosis.  I went from doing the work of God to watching God at work!  I changed from feeling the pressure of seeing people pray a forced prayer of repentance to experiencing the joy of seeing them discover their own barriers and issues that stand between them and Jesus or spiritual maturity.  Please don't misunderstand me.  There were many times I led people through a prayer of repentance who were crying out to be connected with Christ but there were many more occasions that I left people with a prescriptive plan for their own spiritual discovery and growth.

Next week I will share with you how I took these God given events and developed them into a reproducible "Spiritual Conversational Tool."

Five "Quick Hits" on Friday

Hope you week is going well!  Here are the five quick hits for this week. Enjoy!

1. Need to watch the D.James Kennedy memorial video.  A man who finished well, whose theological depth fueled his evangelistic passion.

2. My friend Lou Petrie shared with me this great story about a bull running through a crowd and then running into a car.  I am sure you can make a great illustration out it.  Thanks Lou!

3. Ed Stetzer's post on "Beginning a Conversation about Christ" is very helpful.

4. Seth Godin's post on How to make a Power Point Chart is very helpful ... pass it onto your assistants.

5. For the last six months I have been using these Talks for Growing Christians in my devotional life.  These 15 minute talks through the Bible by a former professor of mine, Dr. David Reid, forces me to slow down and reflect deeper on the parts of scriptures I normally scan over..

Extra: New Church Launched in Nashville Suburb pics and comments from Jer Dunlap.  NorthPointe Church was birthed under the leadership of Todd & Yolanda Bush.

Taking the Mission to the Coffee House

Here is a great post from Jer Dunlap a pioneer Church Planter in Nashville, TN. He offers seven insights for taking the mission to his local coffee house:

1. Always tip. No matter what you purchase. The best money I spend is the .50 added to the $1.42...for the employee to get my coffee mug. (If you get a speciality coffee, minimum tip is a buck!) Why? Many people behind the coffee bar at your local artsy coffee house are struggling artisans who appreciate the extra cash.

2. Be you. Fakes are sniffed out the moment they walk through the door. Do not attempt to be an artist, musician, or comment on things you do not know. The most annoying person in a coffee house - someone who has an opinion on everything (and does not know much of anything).

3. Do not use the coffee house to "build your church". It annoys people...and can ruin a good cup of coffee. Make friends to care about, minister to, and then invite them into your journey. It will take time. Do not start off any conversation with, "you should come to my event" verbiage.

4. Listen more than you talk. At first, questions should outnumber answers and opinions three to one. Earn the right to "say what you think."

5. Engage the people behind the bar. Do not simply pay for your coffee and move on. Talk to them. Many of them - want to talk to you.

6. Judge not. Artistic coffee houses attract many types of people, backgrounds, sexual orientations, and social demographic levels. Treat no one with more time...than anyone else based upon the "type" of person... or worse - what they could offer you.

7. Learn to appreciate all kinds of music. I am naturally a fan of all types of music. If you're not - learn. In an artistic coffee house you will hear every and any style. (Particularly in Nashville) It is not smart, unless you are known there, to criticize what is playing over the public speakers. There is a good chance that someone behind that coffee bar chose the music playing for a reason. (Even worse: the music may be the creation of someone behind that coffee bar. Offending the art of an artist...is never good.)

Read the entire post

Spiritual Conversations - My Paradigm Shift - Part 2

How do you find a man or woman of peace in your sphere of influence?

Jesus instructed his disciples, "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.'" (Luke 10:5 NIV)  Apparently there was something in the way a person responded to the blessing "Peace to this house" that revealed the level of receptivity in that house.  I would contend that it is our duty to discover the "peace to this house" statement for our generation.

Early on in my church planting adventure, God took me through an interesting process to discover what the "peace to this house" statement for the community I was planting a church was.  Here's my story:

I had just moved into our new community with the intention of pioneering a new church and my family and I were getting settled in, making all the necessary adjustments of new schools, new friends, finding part-time employment, etc.  One day two men knocked at my door.  Both were in suits and I immediately thought they were either Jehovah Witness or Mormon Missionaries.  But to my surprise the older of the two men said, "Hello.  I'm a pastor from the local church in town and this is one of our members.  We are just out welcoming new people to our town.  Do you have a few minutes?"  I invited them in and they began to tell me about their church.  I told them that I had just graduated from Moody Bible Institute and was appointed by the Baptist General Conference to plant a church in this city, to which the pastor sat up, looked me straight in the eye and firmly said, "so are you born again?!"  After I recovered from the blast of his "spiritual shot gun" I replied with a definite "yes" and began to share how Jesus changed my life.  From his reaction, I think he doubted me and I never saw that pastor again, even during the ten years of serving in the same town together. 

When they both left I remember just feeling dirty...like I had been violated.  I remember praying, "Lord, let me NEVER do that to someone else."  From that moment on I resolved in my heart to never do that to anyone and I began asking God to show me how I could find out where someone was in their relationship with Jesus without violating them by being cruel, combative or confrontational. (Excerpt rrom: FirstSteps for Planting a Missional Church)

Are you frustrated enough to pray for a solution, a breakthrough or an insight to take your evangelism effectiveness to the next level?

Next week I'll share the rest of the story along with the event that changed my life and increased my evangelism effectiveness a hundred fold.

Five "Quick Hits" on Friday

Here are the "Quick Hits" for this week:

1). Darryn Scheske wrote a great post on Evangelism Exposing The Enemy's Lies: "You'll look like a fool if you talk about Jesus."

2)  How to get a free, autographed copy of Guy Kawasakl's "The Art of the Start" This is a great book for church planters and those starting new ministries.

3) Top 100 Christian Blogs.

4) Check out Ed Stetzer's post on Mark Driscoll's Christianity Today Article.

5) Leadership Network's Free Download - Online Social Networking Tools for the Church is a must.

Have a great weekend!

Midwest is Lauching Five New Churches This Fall

Midwest Church Planting is proud to help give birth to five new churches this fall and very proud of each church planting couple for their courage to enter the harvest field!  Check each website and pray specifically for each church to have a high impact Sunday this fall.

Todd & Yolanda Bush - NorthePointe Church - White House, TN   Update on New Church Launched in Nashville Suburb pics and comments from Jer Dunlap.

Rich & Heather Budwell - The Mission - Edwardsville, IL - (Check out the video they made for their parent church - The Journey - St. Louis)

Jon & Erika Cawston - Rock Creek Church - Naperville/Plainfield, IL

Kenny & Nellie Ruiz - Urban Rock Church - Chicago, IL - Logan Square Area

Josh & Aiyana Taylor - CitiChurch - Chicago, IL - Wicker Park Area