It's a bit weird...

This past weekend, we made a trip with our team down to Atlanta, GA to see the guys at Northpoint in action. Over the years, the philosophies of Northpoint and some of the leaders there have had a big impact on my life and ministry. I thought it would be vital for our team to see for themselves some of the things I talk so much about.

I knew what I was getting into...

Like I said, over the years I have read everything that has come out of NPCC - the books, the blogs - even made some great friends who help others understand some of what they think. So, I guess it's safe to say that I knew what I was getting into.

But, I never expected this...

Over the last 16 years, I have been in and out of a lot of churches. Sure, I wanted to see what they did in the worship center - I cared how welcomed I felt - I think about how they do what they do. But, over those years, I care most about what they did for students! Every time I have been in a church, I make a bee-line for their youth center!

It was a bit weird for me as I toured the facilities at Norhtpoint's Alpharetta campus to think about things like welcome centers, pre-school check-in processes, greeter placement AND THE WAY THEY TOOK THE STINKIN OFFERING!

I don't exactly know what to do with this!!! I still feel just as much an interest in seeing God do some amazing things in families! I still want to see kids come to faith in Christ and grow because of the significant relationships that they build with other believers! Honestly, now more than ever, I want to see adults who are effectively trained and empowered to serve Christ with kids! IT'S JUST DIFFERENT LOOKING AT IT FROM THIS SEAT!

If I'm honest, the whole thing was a bit emotional... a very big chapter of my life and ministry has drawn to a close... a very big... very important chapter.

Students... particularly at New Hope... I MISS YOU GUYS!!!

Jeremy

What's in a name?

What's in a name? For a church... A LOT! A name communicates a great deal about what a person who chooses to come will find when they get inside. In a way, it makes a promise to people that you best make good on.

For us, the journey to a name has been long. Remember, the vision for this church plant is over 20 years old. So, dreams for the name have been numerous. Today, I am glad to join with our launch team in announcing our official name as Journey Church.

This name comes to our team after a long time of wrestling through mission and vision. We wanted to ensure that our name fit well with the mission that God is calling us to (helping people take their next step toward Christ). We also wanted to assign a name to this local body that doesn't prohibit future movement of the congregation as we settle or expansion as the idea of multi-site church develops in our area.

We did wrestle for some time over the simple reality that there are many churches called "Journey", but the reality is that churches popping up (and pooping out) all over the world and coming up with an original name is a USELESS venture. In all honesty, I wrestled with the mission statement of "helping people take their next step" because it was what we settled on at New Hope (a decision that I played a significant part in) - the truth is that it works now as well as it did then - it's hard to improve on the road that God has brought you down. :-)

Rick Warren said it best telling a story of a man he knew who insisted that he "would be ORIGINAL or NOTHING!" - he wound up being BOTH!

The simple truth is that the most important thing about both mission and name is that we OWN that name. It's not enough to come up with a great marketing brand, we need to WORK to ingrain the name and vision into our Church's DNA... so that the reality of helping people take their "next step" on the journey is both seen on a sign and an "unseen" part of what makes us tick!

Pray for us as we work to that end... (by the way, for the time being please continue to make checks payable to "Fellowship Christian Church" until we get our paperwork back from the state.)

Jeremy

$5000 becomes $10,000!

As many of you know, we are in the HEAT of fund raising. I know that hearing that is not exactly exciting (especially with things they way they are). But, get this - there has never been a better time to bring a message of hope to a lost and hurting world!

As I have mentioned before, due to a generous matching grant we are able to offer a one to one match for every dollar donated right now. To date, we have collected $5000 in cash and commitments that was matched to a total of $10,000! Can you see how important this time is? Thanks to all of you who have sacrificed a dinner out (or one a month) to support building God's Kingdom!

Are you wondering what that money would be used for if you chose to help?

Starting a church is a lot like starting a business - a very expensive business that takes a long time to be self-sufficient!

On top of things like caring for my family, we see a significant need to start off with a strong investment in family ministries. Imagine for a moment how much materials need to be purchased to run a "portable" children's ministry for 100+ kids (nursery, toddlers, elementary)! Think about the toys that little ones play with - think about "transforming" a hallway at a theater into a nursery that is safe enough for a new parent to trust us with their newborn baby. Here's an example:

And don't forget about equipment. The temporary homes of churches aren't set up for things like stages, lighting, video equipment (projectors and screens) and sound.

Not to mention all of the things that every church takes for granted - things like communion ware, offering plates (so we need to do less fund raising :-), coffee makers, tables, chairs, signs telling people where the restrooms and children's classes are, office supplies, office equipment all the way down to paper cups and napkins!

Another expense is transporting all of that equipment... where do you put all of that stuff so that it's safe and easily transported back and forth to our temporary home? TRAILERS!

BUT, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THIS: Everything from napkins and toddler toys to video projectors and sound equipment are purchased and in their place to HELP PEOPLE TAKE THEIR NEXT STEP TOWARD JESUS!

So now the question is this... How can you help? Remember, every single dollar will be matched 1 to 1! No contribution is too small. $5 becomes $10 - if 100 people gave just $5, we would raise $1000! That would be enough to help our nursery have a clean floor to sit on!

A little bit goes a long way with church planting!!

Consider how God might use YOU today!! (Click the "Donate" button below to help via Paypal!)

Jeremy

This is the way Church should be!

For the past couple of weeks, I have used the local "Books-A-Million" store as my temporary office. It has just the right balance of noise, people and coffee for me to be able to concentrate and stay on task.

Each time I have been in, there have been a number of different "Barista" in the "Joe Muggs" coffee shop... some more helpful than others. But there is one in particular that has stood out among the masses... Ambrosia.

Now, serving specialty coffee to the public cannot be one of America's most desirable jobs, but you can't tell it with Ambrosia - every single customer - young, old, picky or kind gets the same huge smile and personal attention. I don't know what goes on in her head - I don't know what is happening in her life, but when she is behind the counter - her attention is on her customers!

Dream with me for a minute... WHAT IF church was like that? What if you walked into a church and every single person who has been there more than twice started catching on that THIS was a place to SERVE people. Not just the greeters - not just the ushers - not just the people who serve communion - AND NOT JUST THE PASTOR!

WHAT IF church had a CULTURE of putting other's needs before your own? WHAT IF, when the person on the platform told you to greet the people around you and he had to STOP you from talking to a person you didn't know?

Th reality is, Ambrosia has dedicated herself to serving the public - and she serves COFFEE!

The CHURCH should have a culture of service - and it starts with ME!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!

We are VERY pleased to announce a special opportunity to help support all that is happening (and will be happening) here in Tennessee!

I have mentioned this before, but a special contribution came in that would allow a ONE TO ONE MATCH for every dollar contributed!

I know that when Sheila and I have considered contributing toward a project, we have at times felt like what we were able to contribute was so insignificant that we were embarrassed. We want you to know that every single dollar contributed is placed exactly where God has it... $1... $10... $100 or more... it doesn't matter to us! At this point in the ministry, we are trying to scratch together every single penny to cover my salary and the start up costs involved in this new project.

So, here is a challenge: For the cause of Christ, could you skip going out to dinner one night and send the money to the church plant? Just getting a stamp on it will cause it to double given this matching grant! I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but $10 becomes $20... that is a great deal of help to us!

So, if this is something you want to do, just make out the check to FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN CHURCH (our temporary name) and send it to PO BOX 561 MEDINA, TN 38355.

For the glory and renown of the King!

Jeremy

A million miles an hour!

What a week! My first official week as a full time church planter is officially over. Right now, I am in the thick of making sure that our little project is firmly seated on a firm foundation of discipleship. I want to make sure that while we will put a large emphasis on the weekend, our church has a desire to disciple people firmly placed in its DNA (something that has been heavily invested in my life and ministry over the last 7 years... Thanks, George!!)

Amidst all of the reading, studying, thinking and talking, I am producing a philosophy of ministry paper that I will need to present at church planter's "boot camp" next week in Johnson City, TN. I am glad to say that Andy DeGroff is taking the time off work and making the trip down for the week! (for those of you who don't know, He and his wife Rachelle are doing everything they can to move to this area from Bryan, OH to be our Worship Pastor). It's going to be a great week (a bit overwhelming, but great!!!)

This week, I will attend a "webinar" that will spend 4 hours walking myself and a number of other planters through the theology of the restoration movement to ensure that our philosophies of ministry make a big deal out of the things that Bible makes a big deal... I know it sounds boring, but it is both helpful - - and very sharp!

I am also hard at work developing our launch/growth strategy that should be done within the next few weeks... along with a timeline that you can all pray through!!!

Thanks, everyone!!!

Jeremy

Real life is about to start...

Over the past few days, we have had the privilege of having my parents down to help (enormously) with the unpacking and decorating. We are LOVING the new house and are looking forward to many years of effective ministry in and through it!

With my parents now on their way back to Indiana, the transition begins to draw to a close and real life is about to begin!

The girls hit the ground running and start school on Monday morning and Sheila will be working to get Myah registered for a pre-school. While school is going, I am sure that she will continue to work hard on all of the transition related items (including taking the dreaded written driving test to transfer our licences.)

On Monday morning (and again next Monday), I have a 4-hour "webinar" with a number of other Stadia Church planters from across the nation and Jim Putman (a guy who planted and saw the church grow from 0 to 8,500 in five years!).

The information we will be working through relates to the development of our "Philosophy of Ministry" (particularly the development of our Discipleship process) paper that I will present at our Church Planter's Boot Camp (a five day intensive training event in Johnson City, TN) in two weeks! WOW!!!

This kind of thing is the reason that we chose Stadia - can you imagine how easy it would be to overlook the development of critical systems (like the discipleship process) because of the more immediate, relational demands of church planting? With this kind of support, we will be able to manage the critical components of relationships on the ground here in TN as well as the vital systems development that will sustain the church once we launch!

In addition to the webinars (and the hundreds of pages of reading that I need to complete before them), I will spend a number of critical hours connecting with our "launch team" that exists here in the Jackson area (many of these people were very helpful in getting our stuff off of the truck, settled in the house and helping us with meals and generally feeling loved!). I look forward to developing this team over the coming months as we work toward LAUNCH SUNDAY!!!

Much more to come soon as everything transitions (including the content of this blog...)

Jeremy

Settling in... sort of!

OK... it's been a CRAZY couple of days!
-

We drove in and went almost directly to the closing on our new house (everything went well!!!)... then a quick bite to eat and camped out one more night on an air mattress (Myah kept us both up all night).

The truck with everything we own showed up at 7:00 this morning and everything was unloaded (onto the driveway and into the house) by 11:00 AM!

After that, it has been a barrage of good ole' Southern hospitality! New friends who are giving their heart and soul to the plant helping unload the truck - brand new friends (who we have never met before) helping us unpack boxes - one of our planting partners brought pizza for lunch another brought pizza for dinner - and get this - - our new neighbor from across the street surprised us and ordered pizza for us (and then came over to introduce himself). It's a lot of pizza, but it's UNBELIEVABLE to be supported and welcomed like this!!

Toss in a couple of mishaps with local utilities (like water not being on), traveling all over to put deposits on the rest of utilities and the girls toggling back and forth between playing with new friends and crying because they are tired and here we are waiting for my parents to arrive (they are coming to help unpack for a few days).

One other thing: a special thanks to all of the guys who helped PACK the truck in Bryan! Everything arrived fine and relatively unscathed!! You guys ROCK!!!! Also a big thanks to Jason Kreger for hooking us up with a great deal on the semi that drug our stuff down here and for sending a great driver who was willing to work his stinkin tail off instead of just sitting around while we worked - Chad was a great help!!

We are anxious to get settled, load up the squirt guns and storm the gates of Hell!!!!

Keep praying!!!!

Jeremy and Sheila

125 Arbor Oaks Cove

Medina, TN 38355

'twas the night before the move...

'twas the night before the move and all through the house, not a creature was stirring (and there better not be a mouse). The children were snuggled tightly into their beds with threats of spankings looming over their heads.

Mom has chosen wisely and headed to sleep while Dad updates his ipod and inventories the Jeep.

So much is bouncing between these ears of mine (there's plenty of room), but most of all tonight it's fear of what is not in sight. It's moments like these where the wise are reminded that FAITH steps in and calms 'till all is subsided. But since "wise" has never been something that has been assigned to me, I have to be honest - - I AM PRETTY FREAKED OUT (that didn't rhyme at all, but it was honest).

(lame attempts at poems end here)

Everything is packed... we head out at 7 AM to Jackson, TN. I am completely terrified of everything that lies before us... so many questions (and even a little doubt if I am being honest). But, it's moments like these that I am reminded (AGAIN AND AGAIN) that God has gone before us and that Scripture promises us that the gates of Hell will not stand against us.

Just thinking about that phrase... "the gates of Hell" - last I checked, gates were DEFENSIVE - that means that WE are on the OFFENSIVE (now THAT is something I have been accused of!!!)

Starting tomorrow, we are storming the gates of Hell - laying down a front-line initiative that will cost us all dearly - there will be casualties - there will be fear (and a healthy amount of terror), but make no mistake, I have read the back of the book... WE WIN!!!!

Fear? sure - - Faith? YES!!!!!!

Let's give 'em HEAVEN!!!

Jeremy

You don't realize how deep your roots are until you go to dig them up!

A friend of mine (and my management chair for our church plant) is also in the process of moving his family from Nashville, TN to a suburb of Atlanta. A couple of weeks ago when we were talking about how difficult it was to take the friendships that we have and walk them through this necessary, but amazingly difficult transition, he said these words that stuck with me. "You don't realize how deep your roots are until you go to pull them up"

Those words resonated with me over the past few weeks as we started the final days of our tenure in Bryan, OH. I cannot begin to express the unbelievable significance that each of you have played in the lives of my family. Over the past 7 years, you have been our surrogate FAMILY! You have invited us over for holidays when we had nowhere to go. You have helped us care for our sick children when we didn't know where to turn. You have given us advice when we were lost. You were there for us to build memories. You were willing to forgive us when we made mistakes. Our roots in Bryan must have been fed some amazing fertilizer (I am refraining from jokes for this ONE moment - you cannot understand how hard it is to refrain from making a fertilizer joke right now... you know - something about being fed poop... BUT I WILL NOT!!!)

Here is the thing... I think the analogy is simply perfect... we never intended to take a shovel and cut off those roots - we never desired to kill the plant. We intend (and continue to do so) to pull those roots up and take them with us!

We were overwhelmed Sunday (and the weeks leading up to it) by the number of people who expressed their sorrow upon our departure. But we all need to understand something VERY IMPORTANT.., OUR MINISTRY YEARS (and friendship years) ARE NOT OVER!

WE NEED YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP NOW MORE THAN EVER!!! Please know that things will undoubtedly change, but we still care deeply for each of you as you ARE a significant part of our lives!

Many of you have asked what you can do to support us in this next phase of Kingdom Building. Well, since you asked (and for those of you who didn't - this is the part where you are more than welcome to stop reading because our friendship is about to get to the part where YOU come in.)

PRAY LIKE NEVER BEFORE!!! Church planting is a spiritual effort! The enemy is already starting to throw doubt and turmoil into the picture. Every single day brings new challenges and problems into the scope.

• Pray that our team maintains a high level of purity and focus - Satan would love nothing more than to distract us with failure - WE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!
• Pray for our team to build relationships! God has provided us with a team on the ground in Jackson that is capable of AMAZING things on a human level. I am unbelievably excited about what GOD will do when He adds His SUPER to our NATURAL!! This unbelievable asset will be a detriment if we cannot build this into a TEAM!
• Pray for my family! This is obviously a very difficult time for all of us. We leave behind all that we know and love. Pray for Sheila and the girls as they work towards settling in to the new area and developing friendships with some of the amazing people we have already started to get to know.

Also, as you might expect, we can always use financial support! I do have an incredible opportunity (one that you will hear much more about in the coming days). Over the past couple of weeks, I was made aware of generosity that allows for a MATCHING GRANT for THIS PROJECT! Because of the amazing generosity, every dollar that is donated between now and the end of January will be matched ONE TO ONE!!! That means that if you are able to send $10, it becomes $20. $100 becomes $200... $500 becomes $1000... and yes :-)... $5000 becomes $10,000!!!!

Listen, I know how many of you are feeling - Sheila and I have felt that way too - I have sat and thought "It's easier to ignore it than to send in $10- it's too small an amount to bother to send." Let me tell you something from the other side now... NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL. We are serious about this... We are excited to see the Body of Christ do its' thing... God provides from every possible angle! I would encourage you to do this: Take a moment and pray asking God to give you a clear understanding of how He would have you be involved in this project - if financial support is a part of that leading, the amount does not matter - faithfulness is what matters!