3 Reasons I believe in online giving

We have been encouraging the people of Grace Church to explore the possibility of online giving. You can set up your online giving to Grace over here. Kim and I have used this method of giving for years and I really believe in it.  Here's why:


1. First Fruits - So many people take care of themselves first financially and then give God the leftovers...if there are any.  Many people approach the offering time at church like they are tipping God after enjoying a good meal themselves.  The bible commands the opposite approach.  God should get our first and our best. The Old Testament talks about the concept of giving God our "first fruits" (a reference that makes the most sense in an agricultural context but the principle still applies to us).  Proverbs 3:9 says Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.  Setting up an online giving account allows us to set aside our first fruits for God; to fund God's kingdom before funding our own. 


2. Intentional Worship - For many Christians, the act of giving in church is an afterthought.  They find themselves rummaging through their wallet or purse in the middle of the service trying to find a few bucks to throw in the plate.  Again - the bible commands a better way. 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. There is a heartfelt intentional decision that is involved in cheerful giving.  This decision should happen in advance of the actual worship service.  Online giving allows us to decide in advance what percentage of our income we will give to God and forces us to be consistent in that giving. Some would argue that the act of dropping a check into the offering plate is the true act of worship and giving online removes this symbolic gesture.  I would argue that it's just as worshipful to intentionally decide up front to give regularly, consistently, and generously.


3. Convenience - And last but not least it is simply more convenient to give online.  It allows us to be most consistent in our giving.  We can be certain that we are giving even when we're out of town for a weekend. It removes the dreaded "I forgot our offering again" moment that plagued Kim and I for many years!  We are an online generation that rarely carries cash or checks anymore.  Most of our financial transactions happen online.  In addition to being personally convenient, it is also more convenient for the church. It is more convenient for the church to process online contributions, it simplifies the financial records the church needs to keep, and it saves time for our volunteers who count and process the offerings every week.


If you have never considered online giving I would encourage you to give it a shot. 

Scriptures to help you prepare for Good Friday

Is. 53:5-6

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

1 John 2:1-2

But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 

Romans 6:3-7, 11

Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin…  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 

We skipped church and did this instead...

Last month our family traveled to Arizona for vacation.  We had never been out west so we took the opportunity to spend most of our time in Sedona with a day trip to the Grand Canyon and sandwiched by a couple of days in Phoenix.  We spent most of our time hiking and climbing which was really fun.  There are some great hiking trails in Sedona that are well marked and have varying degrees of length and difficulty.  Our trip was Tuesday to Tuesday which meant we were in Sedona over a Sunday, and normally we would visit another church when we're out of town.  However, this time we decided to do family church in our room.  Kim quipped that it was one of the advantages of traveling with a Pastor!  Anyway there were three parts to our little liturgy and it was really cool.


1. Discussion of the Bible - We read some scriptures and had a little discussion about how life is like a 'path.'  There is a concentration of scriptures about 'paths' in Psalm 119 and because we had just been hiking so much these were very relevant.  We talked about some of the critical components that made our hikes successful.  Some of the stuff the kids came up with were things like; we had a map, we had a plan, there were some markers along the path, it was light out, we had each other and could talk about which way to go when we got off the path, we had taken the proper supplies with us, etc. We tied these things back into how to be successful as we walk the path of life.  The importance of the Word of God as our map and lamp, the Holy Spirit as our guide, the importance of Christian community to help provide accountability and direction when we lose our way, etc. It was really cool. You should read Psalm 119 sometime and check out how much great advice there is about walking the path of life. 


2. Prayer - I asked Kim to pray as we wrapped up and she offered an amazing prayer that summarized some of the things we had just talked about from the Scriptures. She also prayed individually over each of our kids and over me about specific things that we were each facing. There is something very powerful about a mother's prayer for her family.  It brought me to tears. 


3. Worship - We decided that during the 25 minute drive to the restaurant for breakfast that we would pass the ipod around the car and let each person choose a worship song during the drive. So we blasted With Everything and Your Name and Our God and sang at the top of our lungs driving with the windows down, a warm breeze blowing through the car, with beautiful red mountains on every side and blue skies overhead.  It was a profound time of worship for all of us.   


It was a very special and memorable time for our family. One that we won't soon forget. It also led me to a renewed commitment to having regular family devotional times together.  All our kids are at ages where they can fully participate in an intelligent conversation about spiritual topics. I would never recommend missing church on a regular basis, but on occasion something like this can be really powerful for your family.  


Have you ever had a memorable 'family church' experience?

Where does anger come from?

Christian counselors claim that some 50% of the people who they counsel are dealing with issues related to anger. Anger can shatter communication, tear apart relationships, it can ruin our health.  Some people have left a wake of wounded people in their past because of their anger.  And for some – they’re not the angry outburst type – but they have held on to anger for many years and it’s like a cancer that kills their ability to love people and worship God and it’s rotting away any opportunity that they have at healthy relationships moving forward.  


However, anger is not just damaging, it can also be good; even godly. In fact, Ephesians 4:26 - BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN.  The bible acknowledges that we will be angry and there are things that should fuel a righteous anger in us (when we see cases of injustice for example).  

As best as I can tell there are three major originators of anger (this is not scientific but simply from my experience). 

1. Unmet needs (usually unspoken) – this is prevalent especially in marriages

2.  Feelings of violation/ injustice/ humiliation

3.  Lack of control/ Fear

What are some other causes of anger?  What did I miss?

RECAP: Why is Grace launching a second campus

I just completed a 6 part blog series about why we at Grace Church have decided to launch another location in Harbor Creek on Easter Sunday, 2011.  I just wanted to get some links all in one place for those who may want to peruse the posts. God is at work and we're excited to see what He has in store for us as our journey continues as a community of faith!


Part 1: What motivated us to start a new campus?
Part 2: What are the advantages of starting new campuses?
Part 3: Why did we choose Harbor Creek?
Part 4: What unacceptable realities fuel this effort?
Part 5: What guidelines are we using to help us launch a church from scratch?
Part 6: Why are we using sermons on video?


We're 6 days away from launch and I couldn't be more excited.  The team is ready, the word is out, big prayers have been prayed, now we're just waiting for God to show up in power when this new expression of Grace Church convenes for the first time.  




  

Game Day Thoughts: April 17, 2011

I'm an old football player, and Sunday is like Game Day.  As a Pastor, it's the day the church convenes for worship.  It's the day many of our staff plan for all week.  It's the day our teams at Grace are on high alert and in full-service mode.  It's game day. Here are a few of my highlights from today:

1.  Stories. Our theme this morning at Grace was "the gospel still works in 2011."  There was no official sermon, but at each campus we heard 4 different life stories from people who have had their lives radically changed by Jesus.  It was amazing.  We traced some of Jesus' encounters as he was making his way to Jerusalem to die for humanity.  It has always amazed me that on his way to rescue the whole world, He still had time for individuals.  We read about the woman at Bethany, Zacchaeus, and the 10 lepers who were healed by Jesus.  In the same way - God is still at work in the lives of individuals.  I was so inspired to hear from Michael and Christine Yost, Erika Zerkel, Heiden Ratner, Roy Nordin, Eve Wozniak, and Jon Coyne. (I wasn't able to hear the stories of Penny Roose and Michelle Pfeifel in the Commons but heard they were strong). I love to hear about how God is at work in the lives of our people - and these were powerful stories of the strength of the gospel at work today.  Awesome.

2. Grace Harbor Creek visit - I hosted the service at 9:15 at Grace McKean and then picked up my family and hustled out to Grace Harbor Creek  for the 11:00 service.  It was our last preview service before the official launch on Easter Sunday and it was my first visit since we've been in operation out there.  Wow, was I blown away.  The team was on point - so friendly and energetic at every turn.  The facility was beautiful - totally transformed from a high school into a church. Pastor Mike and Dustin were fantastic - they brought truth and insight into every part of the service.  Melanie and all the support teams were so focused - they were still taking notes throughout the whole experience evaluating and adjusting so that by next weekend all the bugs are worked out.  If you live in Wesleyville, Lawrence Park, North East, or Harbor Creek and you don't have a church home, I want to invite you to join us at Harbor Creek High School next Sunday at 11 AM for Easter Service.  It's going to be awesome.  I was amazed to see years of prayer and planning finally coming into focus at Grace Harbor Creek ... humbling.  

3. Final Preparations - I just sensed a final mood of preparation for Easter.  As I looked at all the cards hanging around each worship space with names of friends and relatives and neighbors on them - I believe the people of Grace are more serious than ever about inviting folks to join them at church next weekend.  There is a prayerful anticipation about what God is going to do in our midst.  I can't wait! This week...

Good Friday Service 

6:30 PM on Friday the 22nd at Grace McKean only

Easter Services

9:15 and 11:00 at Grace McKean (please attend at 9:15 for crowd considerations)

11:00 at Grace Harbor Creek

Click through for some more details here

If you attended worship services today - what were your highlights?

Why is Grace Launching a Second Campus? Part 6

Why video preaching??  I have been posting some thoughts on why Grace is launching a second campus in Harborcreek this Easter.  This is the 6th and final post in the series. Today's post has to do with one of the more progressive decisions that we made about this new campus.  We will do the majority of our preaching through the use of video.  Everything else in the service will be live - we have a full band that will lead in musical worship each week, and service hosts who will welcome people, and a designated campus pastor who will provide leadership, counseling, and supplemental teaching to that congregation.  It will be a live (and lively) worship gathering - and when it comes time for the sermon it will be via video on a large screen.  So I want to answer a series of questions today that flow from the larger question:

Why Use Sermons on Video?  

Isn't video impersonal?
Attending church at one of our campuses will be a very personal experience.  Ushers and greeters will greet personally, our campus pastor (Pastor Mike Watson) and worship leaders will personalize every aspect of the service, and the video sermon will just be another resource that they will use to bring the gospel to every person who walks through the doors. But it's true that video can feel impersonal.  We've tried to counteract that by the way we do video.  I think it allows for the most personalized of all video approaches.  We pre-record the sermon video earlier in the week specifically for our campuses.  I much prefer this method over just recording one of our other services where there are people in the room, because it allows us to personalize the message to the people who are watching via video and to look right at the camera the whole time.  The people watching the video don't feel like they're just overhearing us as I talk to somebody else, but we're talking directly to them.   

Why come watch a screen when I could watch church on TV from my couch?

This question is based on a grossly underdeveloped view of what church is supposed to be.  If someone thinks that the sum total, the sole purpose, of going to church is listening to a 30 minute sermon then Grace is probably not the church for them... we set the bar much higher than that.  The truth is, you can't live in deep community with others on your couch, you can't utilize your God-given spiritual gifts on your couch, you can't participate in life-giving worship on your couch, you can't serve the community with other believers on your couch.  Church is so much more than a sermon!  When we invite people to church we are inviting them into Biblical community and to be part of the great cause of Christ in our generation. The sermon is just one very small component of that experience. If you come to Grace you won't stay a spectator for long - the stakes are too high!

How can you possibly address specific needs of a congregation via video?

This will be an ongoing responsibility of our campus pastor.  He will still be a prophetic voice in his congregation. If there are specific needs that must be addressed in his congregation, he will have the freedom to address them in a variety of ways.  

• There will be mini-teaching moments in each service in which he can address particular topics.  
• He will have freedom to stand up after each video sermon and help the congregation to process through the application of each message.  
• Each campus pastor will be part of our preaching planning team and so the needs of each location will be taken into account as we plan series. 
• He will have regular opportunities to preach live at his location at which time he can craft and nuance the message to the specific needs of his congregation.  

However, all that being said, truth is truth.  The Word of God is the Word of God.  There is a little nuancing that needs to happen based on congregations - but if I write a sermon based on the Bible I could generally take that message and deliver it in Erie, Warren, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Haiti, etc. And the Word of God remains constant and true. It reminds me of a passage in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that says, "no temptation has seized you except what is common to man."  There is a commonality to our experience in this life that the word of God addresses with amazing accuracy.

Aren't you just jumping on the bandwagon and trying every new fangled idea?

We definitely want to utilize all available technology for the advancement of the gospel.  Throughout history, the church has leveraged available technology for this purpose.  The invention of the printing press dramatically affected the Reformation by getting the Bible into the hands of individuals.  The Apostle Paul utilized the latest available technology, letter writing, messengers, and circular letters to advance the gospel.  These circular letters were teachings and admonitions that were intended for multiple different churches (similar to our video teaching).  One church would read the letter and then it would be sent on to the next church in the region. I'm convinced that if Paul had access to video technology he would have used it to the hilt!  If the early church had said, “we’re not going to listen to Paul through his letters, he has to be here in person,” the church would be in a whole different place. 

Isn't this just about Grace or about Derek trying to build an empire?  

This gets a little chuckle out of me because I shudder to think of how pathetic and insignificant a 'Grace Church empire' or a 'Derek Sanford empire' would be compared to the actual Kingdom of God being advanced!  This one is a simple 'no.'  Our goal with this initiative is to reach more people with the gospel - and we believe to the bottom of our souls that this is the best way to do it.  It's important to note that we will still be using a team preaching approach.  So some weeks I will be on screen but other weeks it will be Brian, Mike, Al and others. This isn't about building an empire around one personality, but simply using the technology available to us to reach more people. 

Some benefits of video preaching:

• Unity –it’s important to us that there be a unified preaching voice at Grace.  Nothing will hold us together like the unified proclamation of the word of God. We will be in the same sermon series most of the time, studying the same scriptures and having conversations around the same truths from God's word. This is one of the ways that our church in multiple locations can stay connected with one another. 
• Wisest use of the Campus Pastor's time and energies - video preaching allows the campus Pastor to focus more time and energy on pastoring and leading his new congregation. We want to utilize our Pastors to their full ministry capacity.  The average sermon takes 15-20 hours to study, write, and deliver. So, to have 2 different pastors duplicating efforts each week in sermon preparation isn't the best use of our resources.  There is too much ministry to be done for us to be duplicating efforts.
• Supporting resources - Having all campuses receiving the same sermon content allows us to write excellent materials (small group studies and individual studies) based on that sermon that can then be utilized at all campuses. You can check out some samples of these supporting materials here.  If we had different sermons going on at all of our locations it would be too difficult to keep up with quality support resources.
• Clarity - We currently use video preaching in our Commons Service at our Grace McKean campus and one of the positive responses we have gotten is the ability to see facial expressions and emotion on the screen that you can't see when it's live and in a larger room.  Studies show that over 63% of communication is non-verbal (hands, eyebrows, facial expressions).  So the larger image allows the person watching to pick up on some of those communication cues that they would miss in the larger room.   

We are excited about this initiative. We believe with our whole hearts that this is what God is calling us to do.  On Easter Sunday 2011 - the adventure begins.

Game Day Thoughts: March 27, 2011

I'm an old football player, and Sunday is like Game Day.  As a Pastor, it's the day the church convenes for worship.  It's the day many of our staff plan for all week.  It's the day our teams at Grace are on high alert and in full-service mode.  It's game day. Here are a few of my highlights from today:


1.  It was the last day for our Grace Harbor Creek core team to officially worship at Grace McKean. It's amazing to me that this day has arrived.  Next Sunday this team will be worshiping at Harbor Creek High School for some preview services leading up to our official launch on Easter Sunday. We spent some time gathering around, laying hands, and praying for this team.  I was reminded of this passage of scripture in Acts 13:2-3 and the rich history that is before us as we embark on this new endeavor.  While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.  After the services today, teams moved all of our supplies into storage rooms in Harborcreek and practiced their first setup in the High School.  Next weekend a new adventure begins.  God help us!

2.  Bryan Auton - I always love to see how God brings people to our church.  I'm a firm believer that God knows how to make churches. He brings people at the right time with the right gifts right on time.  Bryan is from Atlanta and he and his family moved to Erie last year.  Bryan led worship this morning and did a great job.  He and his family are headed to Grace Harbor Creek and I'm excited to see what God will do through them.  Bryan and Kaley are an example of a family who came in and sought the Lord and got involved.  I was really proud to serve alongside Bryan and the team this morning as they led the church in worship.


3.  "Step Up.  It really had nothing to do with my sermon this morning but I felt so impressed by God to challenge the church to step up today at the beginning and the end of my sermon.  This is a huge month for us.  We're headed into uncharted waters.  We are going to be sending out up to 100 people to Harbor Creek and we're going to feel a bit of a void when that team leaves.  It's time for the people of Grace to step up. We need to pray bold prayers, make bold invitations to our friends and neighbors, have deep conversations.  Some who have been sitting on the sidelines need to step up and serve, some need to step up and go to Harbor Creek, some need to step up in their preparation and participation in corporate worship, some need to step up and grow in their faith and stop accepting their tendency to coast.  It's time.  And I'm convinced we're ready.


This week we also launched a new website.  Our communications director Danielle did a phenomenal job with this project and re-thinking our web presence while being one church in multiple locations.  


We are heading into Romans 10 for the next two weeks if you'd like to read ahead.  It's going to be a great journey as a church as we head toward Easter.

Some biblical principles about money

Money is a huge issue on the news, in our country, in churches, and in families. Just a big issue. It plays a negative role in greed and pride and comparisons and power and self-worth and well... you get the picture.  It can also have a huge positive impact as it is shared and used for good. The Bible has a ton to say about money and our use of it. There's a cool post over at the Stirred Up Leadership Blog about some principles of the wise and biblical use of money.  I picked my three favorites and you can read the other 7 over there if you'd like. 

1. The ultimate goal of frugality is generosity. It’s wise to save and we’re called to live a lifestyle of moderation and contentment. But it’s not just so we can amass more money. It’s not just to accumulate and consume, accumulate and consume.  It’s so we have more to give to those in need and to give to causes that advance the work of God in the world.
2. Our culture lies – very persuasively! The big 3 lies are: 1) Things bring happiness, 2) debt is expected and unavoidable, and 3) a little more money will solve all my problems. We shouldn’t be surprised by the lies and temptations – they are part of the epic struggle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. Be conscious of the need to refute them – the means to do it is all around us if we look for it.
3. We really are not owners of anything, just caretakers… and all we have is a gift from God. In earthly terms, yes, we own things. We have deeds and titles. But in eternal terms the earth and the fullness thereof belong to the Lord. And the means by which we acquire possessions (our minds, healthy bodies, talents) have come from God. Further, one way or another, we will lose all those earthly treasures, either while we’re here or when we die. 

3 Stages in every great work of God

From the great missionary Hudson Taylor...every great work of God goes through 3 stages:

1. It's impossible
2. It's difficult
3. It's done

What great work is God preparing you for that looks impossible right now?

Why is Grace Launching a Second Campus? Part 5

I have been posting some thoughts on why Grace is launching a second campus in Harborcreek this spring.  Today's post is for you ministry strategy geeks.  It's an inside look at some of the structural grids we have used to think through how our two campuses will operate and how they will remain unified despite their differences.


1. IPOD's
This was a concept that we borrowed from a book that our team read together called A Multi Site Church Road Trip.  It is a grid that helped us to think through what programming we would offer at our Harbor Creek Campus and in what order of priority. The acronym stands for:

• I - Initial (programs that we will offer in full at launch)
• P - Priority (programs that we will offer within the first 12 months)
• O - Optional (programs that we will offer as we are able)
• D - Discouraged (programs that we never intend to offer)

Then we listed out all of our ministry areas and passed them through this grid.  So, we looked at  Worship, Tech, Staff, Guests, Groups, Kids, Students, College/Young Adults, Community/Missions, Facility, Budget, Preaching, Communications, Volunteers, Adult Education, etc. and decided what we needed at launch, what we needed within the first year, what we would offer as we were able and what we would never do.  This construct was very helpful in thinking through the scope of our programming.


2. Alignment vs. Contextualization
This is a grid that we learned from my buddy Dan Nold at Calvary Baptist Church in State College.  It's basically an acknowledgement that when you launch a new multi site campus some energy comes from alignment with the launching church and some energy comes from the freedom in contextualizing ministry for the particular community that you're in.  Some multi site approaches like LifeChurch and Newspring tend to lean toward alignment while others lean toward contextualization (almost to the point of a church plant). We want to walk this balance.  To seek alignment where it makes sense so our campuses don't have to re-invent the wheel in different areas.  But also, to seek contextualization where it makes sense - so that they can use strategies to reach the Harbor Creek area that are different than the strategies we are using to reach McKean/Millcreek.

Alignment and contextualization are two wheels on the same axel.  If you only have one you’ll be going around in circles. Some things that bring alignment are vision, mission, values, whole-church events, and words/names that are used to describe programs and ministries. Some things that bring contextualization are methodologies, community-specific events, worship service elements, etc.

3. The 5 C's of Clarity

This final construct speaks to how decisions are made between campuses. We are very clear that for the ministry staff at Grace Harbor Creek authority flows vertically through the Campus Pastor (Mike Watson), and influence flows horizontally through ministry counterparts at Grace McKean.  But how do ministry decisions get made on a day to day, week to week basis?  We've come up with the 5 C's of Clarity.

• COLLABORATION - the first stop is just to collaborate with ministry counterparts at Grace McKean.  Most decisions will be made at this level.  Children's team leaders from Grace Harbor Creek will meet regularly with Children's team leaders at Grace McKean and most of the week to week decision making will happen at this level.
• CONSTANTS - if there is not clarity on a particular decision from simple collaboration - teams will consult our campus constants.  Each ministry has a list of 3-5 constants which are ministry values that will carry through to all campuses. This constants contain the basic ministry philosophy for each department and should clear up most decisions.
• CHURCHES - we are developing a list of mentoring churches - one for each ministry area - who are also doing multi site church.  If there is still cloudiness about a decision that needs to be made in, say, our guest services ministry department, they will have a mentoring church contact that they can email and ask what that church does in this particular instance.  There is no reason for us to re-invent the wheel when so many other churches are doing multi site ministry successfully.
• CAMPUS PASTOR - there are some decisions that will need to come to the Campus Pastor to make a call on.  He will have a finger on the pulse of both the church and the community and should be able to be a final tie-breaker in any decision that is having trouble coming to resolution.
• CENTRAL STAFF - finally some of our staff will be acting in a central role. That is - they will not have duties associated to only one specific campus but will have responsibilities to all campuses equally.  This small team will serve as a leadership team over the whole multi site movement at Grace. The Campus Pastor will be able to come to this team at any time for counsel or advice on specific ministry decisions that will affect the whole church. There will be times when this team has to weigh in on decisions because they will have church-wide implications.

Feel free to post any thoughts or questions and I'll be happy to interact with you.  And if you're a church leader who is considering going multi site let me know.  We've learned a lot through this process and have gathered tons of information and are very willing to share!


On Easter Sunday 2011, Grace Church will launch a second campus in Harborcreek, PA.  We will meet at the Harborcreek High School at 11:00 AM each Sunday.

  

More than wearing green and getting drunk

Modern day St. Patrick's Day festivities are a reminder to me that our tendency is to take things that are deep and sacred and make them trivial and silly.  The fact that we memorialize an unbelievable Christian saint by pinching each other and getting hammered is just plain stupid.  In an attempt to reclaim St. Paddy's Day I want to suggest a few things that we could learn from St. Patrick.  These are the kinds of things that March 17 should remind us to celebrate and imitate.  I read a book last summer that I would highly recommend called Movements that Change the World.  It includes a chapter on Patrick that is very enlightening.  Addison paints a picture of St. Patrick that is so compelling it made me want to be like him when I grow up! Here is a little background and then three lessons we can learn from Patrick through excerpts from this book by Steve Addison.


Some Background
Patrick lived a privileged life growing up in Britain.  He was born into the Aristocracy and his father was a Roman Magistrate. This meant that one day Patrick would rule a part of Roman nobility in Britain.  When he was 16 though - his village was invaded by raiders and he was kidnapped and taken back to the pagan land of Ireland where he was sold into slavery.   He lived the lonely and difficult life of a slave for the next 6 years. Before his abduction Patrick did not believe in the living God - but as a slave Patrick came to see the hand of God at work all around him.  His land of captivity had become a land of freedom in God.  He would stay out late into the night in the forests and mountains to pray.  He would rise before dawn to pray in the icy coldness of the Irish winters.  This was his delight because the Spirit of God was burning in him.  The rest of his story will be told through 3 lessons I think we can learn from Patrick.


1.  God speaks through whispers if we will listen.  
One night during his captivity in Ireland, God spoke to him in a dream and revealed that there was a ship waiting to take him home to Britain.  There was one small problem - 200 miles of dangerous territory lay between him and his escape. But he made the journey and returned home as a runaway slave. He resumed the life that he once knew with his family.  But again, God had different plans. Patrick awoke one night to the voices of people he had known in Ireland crying out, "we beg you to come and walk with us again!"  Their cries pierced his heart, God was calling him to return to Ireland and he did.  Over time he was ordained as a priest and then as a bishop despite his limited education and experience. God took the initiative to transform a teenager into an apostle compelled by the Spirit to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.  The slave boy had become a slave of Christ and an apostle to Ireland.


2. The work of God can't be contained by religious institutions
Patrick's lack of formal training contributed to his openness to trying new methods that were not approved by the church at the time.  His heart longed to reach the "barbarians" beyond the borders of civilization.  By contrast - the church of the Roman Empire was not interested in taking the gospel beyond their own borders. He traveled throughout Ireland to remote and dangerous places to preach, baptize converts, and raise up clergy for new churches.  Thousands of Irish people turned from their pagan idols to serve the living God. Many of these converts joined Patrick's missionary band. He gave the Irish the gift of non-Roman Christianity.  He liberated Ireland without the backing of the Imperial power. Despite his role in the conversion of much of Ireland, Patrick's worst critics were the bishops in Britain.  Patrick's approach was to de-centralize the church and remove the power from the bishops in large urban centers and give it to the rural and tribal people. The Roman leaders did not approve. Rome had the resources but Patrick's followers had the zeal - and they could not be stopped. 


3. Christianity is a missionary movement and every Christian is a missionary
In the Celtic church life revolved around the monastery. Most monasteries were in remote places and their inhabitants withdrew from the world. Patrick would transform this concept. Under Patrick's influence, wave after wave of Irish youth flooded into monastic life.  Patrick re-imagined the concept of the monasteries and organized them as sending centers. The Irish church took on the character of a missionary movement.  Each outpost made decisions in adapting to local needs and opportunities in their immediate region.  Celtic monasticism was highly flexible, adaptable and transplantable.  Ireland had no major cities, but the monasteries grew rapidly and became the first population centers - they were hubs of unprecedented prosperity, art, and learning.  They were led by young men who once would have given their lives in feuds between clans, but now gave their lives to plant the gospel wherever Christ led them.  For centuries, Ireland became a base from which Christianity spread throughout the British Isles and to much of western and northern Europe as these young monks followed the call of Christ on their lives. 


How this rich history ever turned into shamrock shakes, leprechauns, and getting wasted, I'll never know!  I pray that this day will remind us of these lessons, of the life of this great man of God, and how we might follow Christ more fiercely.

Why is Grace Launching a Second Campus? Part 4

I will be posting some thoughts throughout the next week on why Grace is launching a second campus in Harborcreek this spring.  Today I want to very simply put forward a few statistics that as a Pastor in America - I'm having a hard time swallowing without doing something about it.  These stats come from a class that I took last summer at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago called "Church Planting Boot camp."  

3 UNACCEPTABLE STATISTICS

1. During the past 30 years on average 4,000 churches close their doors each year while only 1,500 new churches start.  This is called 'losing ground'
2. The 3rd Largest Mission Field in the world is the U.S. (next to India and China) with 200,000,000 un-churched people.
3. If we continue to follow current trends, by 2050 there will be half the number of professing Christians in the United States as there are right now.

Not on our watch...

On Easter Sunday 2011, Grace Church will launch a second campus in Harborcreek, PA.  We will meet at the Harborcreek High School at 11:00 AM each Sunday.

Why is Grace Launching a Second Campus? Part 3

I will be posting some thoughts throughout the next week on why Grace is launching a second campus in Harborcreek this spring.  Today I answer the question, "Why did we choose Harborcreek?"  

WHY HARBORCREEK?

1. We believe God is calling us there

Again, not to over-spiritualize, but from the first moment that we began to discuss a second campus, it was as if God was burdening our heart for the Harborcreek area.  So we started the ball rolling.  But any exploration of demographics, community studies, etc. came after we had already decided to go there.  The decision to launch in Harborcreek has been confirmed every step of the way - most recently in meeting with a number of pastors from the Harborcreek area.  The reception from them has been great and the possibility of partnering with some of those churches is strong.  There are a number of good and healthy churches already in Harborcreek, but still loads of people to reach (see #3 below).

2. There are lots of current Grace families who come from there.

Our best estimate is that we have 162 families from the Harborcreek area who call Grace their church home. Currently these families are driving 15-20 miles each way to come to church. Instead we're going to bring church to them!  We're not assuming that all of those people will attend Grace Harborcreek, however many of them will. And it's much easier to fully enter in to the life of a church if you don't have to drive across town to get there!  These families give us a good starting place - and they're also an indicator of the kind of people we might reach out to in Harborcreek.

3. There are too many people in Harborcreek without a church home.

Our studies indicate that there are approximately 25,000 people within a 10 mile radius from the center of town in Harborcreek who don't have a church home.  We're hoping to put a dent in that number...


On Easter Sunday 2011, Grace Church will launch a second campus in Harborcreek, PA.  We will meet at the Harborcreek High School at 11:00 AM each Sunday. 

Game Day Thoughts: March 6, 2011

Sunday is Game Day.  As a Pastor, it's the day the church convenes for worship.  It's the day our staff plans for all week.  It's the day our teams at Grace are on high alert and in full-service mode.  It's game day. Here are a few of my highlights from today:

1. Grace Harborcreek worship launch in the commons - Today nearly 60 people gathered for worship in the Commons at Grace to do church.  This is the team that will launch a campus in Harborcreek starting next month.  They're using this month to continue to build community and camaraderie among the team, practice setting things up and working together, and discover the roles that they will fill in making church happen in Harborcreek.  They had a great launch - the spirit in the room was great - and God is building His church.
2. Stories - today I spoke on the text in Mark 4 where Jesus calms the storm.  You can catch up with the sermon and resources here (will be posted Monday 3/7 sometime due to my coughing fit at 9:15). I got to tell the story of my friend Kristin and her journey through the storm of losing her husband far too soon.  As I preached today, I became aware of deep heart-work going on in the room. Despite the fact that I was really sick, coughing up a lung, and sounded like I had the voice of an ax-murderer - the Word of God did its thing with the help of the Holy Spirit. I found out after the service as people came forward that there are stories in the works through some of the people of Grace that are incredible. People spoke to me about getting clarity on storms that they are navigating, new levels of courage that they are achieving in walking with others through storms, new heights of faith in Christ, and one particular person who recently went through the unspeakable pain of a spouse who committed suicide - approached me to let me know that they are willing to tell their story to the church. So they might help others who are going through difficulties. God is at work in a big way in the lives of people at Grace.  I was also moved by Heiden's introduction to the Lord's Supper today. This college student/athlete is going to have a huge kingdom impact. 
3. Mid-Course Correction - This may seem minor to some but I've been around Pastors enough who have dysfunctional teams to appreciate this little moment. In between services a few of our staff had about a 3 minute conversation about a video element that we did at the 9:15 service that seemed abrupt and disrupted the flow of the service.  We instantly pulled it from 11:00 with no questions asked. No drama, no egos, no agendas, no bickering, just action.  Tomorrow morning the decision will be reviewed to see if it was the right one, but for now I'm just loving the unity and single-mindedness of our team. That kind of stuff makes me very happy ... and grateful.

There was also an amazing thing that happened tonight at GraceYouth. I won't spill the beans here because there is a letter going out to the church tomorrow with all the details.  Let's put it this way - the future of that ministry is a little clearer these days... stay tuned. 

I will post a recap of the sermon and some other stuff later this week.  If you were at Grace this weekend - what were some of your highlights?

Why is Grace Launching a Second Campus? Part 2

I will be posting some thoughts throughout the next week on why Grace is launching a second campus in Harborcreek this spring.  Today I answer the question, "Why would we launch a new campus instead of, say, starting an additional worship service or even planting a church?"  

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF STARTING NEW CAMPUSES?

1. A multi-site approach to starting new campuses leverages our strength. 

We can build on the strengths of an existing healthy church at Grace McKean.  So we will utilize central leadership (Elders), centralized budgeting, centralized preaching and teaching, centralized communications (website, printing, etc.), centralized systems and processes, centralized administrative support (phone, supplies, publications, etc.) while at the same time allowing for freedom in innovation to specifically reach the Harborcreek community. For the new campus, some energy comes from alignment and some energy comes from contextualization.  So where it makes sense, we'll align and where it makes sense we'll contextualize to specifically reach Harborcreek.  Multi-site campuses have a much more healthy success rate (nearly 90% survivability) than church plants. 

2. Starting new campuses is the most effective way to reach new people.  

There is a direct link between the age of the church and the effectiveness of reaching out to un-churched people.  

• 3:1 - In churches 3 years and younger it takes three people to reach one un-churched person on average.  
• 7:1 - In churches between 3-10 years old it takes seven people to reach one.
• 89:1 - In churches ten years or older it takes 89 people to reach one un-churched person.  

On average for established churches (older than 10 years) it takes $100,000, 100 people, and 1 year to reach 1 person for Jesus. They gain the vast majority of new members by transfer growth from other congregations.  By contrast, the average new campus (younger than 3 years) gains most of its new members (60-80%) from the ranks of people who are not attending any other church.  

3. Launching a new campus forces us to develop new leaders

One of the traps a church can fall into - even a growing and thriving church - is to keep asking the same people to do all the work.  The same names keep emerging on every list to lead ministries.  Starting Grace Harborcreek is forcing us to develop leaders.  New leaders will run ministries in Harborcreek and new leaders will need to replace the nearly 100 people who will be leaving Grace McKean in April.  We're throwing ourselves into this new initiative and new leaders must step up and we must equip them for ministry.  Every church labors to develop and disciple new leaders, but new congregations do it faster.  They have to. 




On Easter Sunday 2011, Grace Church will launch a second campus in Harborcreek, PA.  We will meet at the Harborcreek High School at 11:00 AM each Sunday.

Why is Grace Launching a Second Campus? Part 1

I will be posting some thoughts throughout the next week on why Grace is launching a second campus in Harborcreek this spring.  Today I answer the question, "Why?"  

WHAT MOTIVATED US TO START A NEW CAMPUS?

1.  God is leading us to do it.  

The leaders of Grace believe that this is what God is calling us to do at this time.  This may sound overly spiritualized - but it is absolutely the leading reason.  Our staff and Elders have been in a season of waiting prayer for over 2 years now - and we are in 100% agreement that the time is right to take this step.  This move is fully in line with our mission, 'to make and to be fully devoted followers of Christ.' We believe that at this point in time the best way to reach people who don’t yet know Christ is to start new campuses. God has confirmed this decision dozens of times and in amazing ways during the past 6 months.  The time is right. 

2. Grace is ready to do it.

Grace Church is ready – we are resourced to accomplish a new campus on many levels.  The giftings and the spirit of our people are evident.  We have risk takers, many potential new leaders, an abundance of talent, and a church at Grace McKean with solid staff leadership who can resource the ministry staff at a Grace Harborcreek.  Our church stepped up during a fundraising effort this December and raised $100,000 to get this new campus off the ground. Pastor Mike Watson - who will serve as the Campus Pastor at Grace Harborcreek - has been on our staff for nearly 15 years and is so ready to do this!  He will carry the Grace DNA and is ready to lead the charge.

3. We are rejecting the temptation to coast.

Grace moved in to our new facility just over 3 years ago.  It was such a monumental effort and was such a relief when we finally arrived. We took a big risk.  The tendency in churches is to not take another big risk for a while. Just relax, enjoy the fruits of your labors, soak it in for a while and coast. We refuse to coast.  Grace has a long history of playing offense and not defense and we want to carry on that tradition.  We want to keep pressing forward, keep taking risks, keep making sacrifices to reach more people.  The gospel is worth it. 

On Easter Sunday 2011, Grace Church will launch a second campus in Harborcreek, PA.  We will meet at the Harborcreek High School at 11:00 AM each Sunday.

Game Day Thoughts

Sunday is Game Day.  Not because of the NFL or NBA or any other sports. But as a Pastor, it's the day the church convenes for worship.  It's the day our staff plans for all week.  It's the day our teams at Grace are on high alert and in full-service mode.  It's game day. Here are a few of my highlights from today:

1. Baptizing my son Chase - What an honor it was to baptize my 9 year old. He started asking some deep faith questions over the summer - and decided it was time to take the plunge.  I wish you all could have been in my office before the services this morning as we prayed together.  I prayed that God would use this moment and this experience to breathe faith and love into Chase. That no matter what he will go through in his life - the highs and lows, the disappointments and victories - that he would be able to point back to this day as a marker and a reminder of God's love and faithfulness to him.  I'm excited to see what God has in store for his life - he's such a cool and unique kid. Here's the video.  

    

2. Next Step Coaches at work - We had a really cool response after both services today.  Lots of people came forward to take a step in their relationship with God. I'm already getting some intense emails of God at work.  After 11:00 in particular it was so cool to see some of our leaders and Next Step Coaches kick into action having conversations with the folks who came forward to do business. These coaches are part of a new initiative at Grace designed to help personalize the discipleship process for people.  We recognized a while ago that the spiritual journey is an individual one and that God is a hand-crafter and not a mass producer.  We want to provide coaches or personal spiritual advisors at every step of the journey for people.  We need more coaches - if you're interested in serving in this role you can contact Doris for more info.  There is an informational/training meeting coming up this weekend.  This is one of the most important ministries in the church right now.  As we continue to grow as a church - this will help to personalize people's experience at Grace - and help them to progress in their faith journey in a way that makes sense for them.

3. Multi-Site Team lunch meeting - following the service today we had a meeting with all the Grace Harborcreek team leaders and their ministry counterparts at Grace McKean.  I presented some information about the ways in which the two campuses will stay connected at the ministry level and how each ministry (kids, youth, small groups, communications, etc) possesses constants that will keep our ministries on track when we're in two locations and will assure that each campus will still feel like Grace even if there are some differences in how we do things.  It was awesome then to hear the chatter around tables as these leaders interacted and began the collaborative process of starting a new campus at the most basic level.  I'm so pumped for Easter when we launch Grace Harborcreek. The stage is being set for a solid new body of believers who are passionate about doing the work of Christ in this world. 

On to a new week - will be sermon prepping on Monday and Tuesday.  I'm preaching on the Parable of the Sower this weekend.  Sometimes the familiar passages are the hardest ones to preach.  This one has a very difficult section about Jesus teaching in parables in order to cause confusion and not understanding - it will be a challenge to bring meaning and understanding to that concept.  

If you were at Grace this weekend- what were some of your highlights?