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!

Looking for a place to live... but so much more!

Sunday morning, we will head out to Tennessee to see as many houses as possible in a two day span of time.

In any situation, picking a house out in a short time frame is stressful. But we want much more than just a house to live in, and I'm not talking about some hallmark idea of wanting a "home."

For a church planter, picking a home is as much about the neighborhood as it is the house.

This isn't some effort to say "it takes a village..." As a planter picks a neighborhood, he chooses the initial circles of influence that will host the "invest/invite" relationships that will reach people.

You know, when we listed our house in Bryan we considered the possibility that we might own the house here long after we moved to Tennessee. But, as most of you know, it sold in two weeks (then unsold due to financing problems). When we re-listed it, it sold AGAIN in less than a week!

What I am saying is that from this vantage point, it's difficult to imagine being able to find the right place in just two days, but after seeing God do such amazing things to date, we are confident that God's timing will be obvious!

Jeremy

"relevant church"

Today, I have been having a lot of great conversations about "relevant church." As we plan this new church, all of the "relevance" questions are the first ones we get asked: "what kind of music will you have?" "what kind of clothes will people wear?" "what kind of video equipment?" "what kind of sound gear?"

The thing that bugs me is that I really dig all that stuff... I am sure that we will have rockin' music... I don't ever want to wear dress clothes again... I want to launch with live video from day one... and i have only one word related to sound gear - - SUBWOOFERS!

But, here's the thing: While I really dig relevant churches, I think that we spend too much time trying to be relevant and then figuring out which part of "TRUTH" our culture would respond to.

I think we have it backwards!

Recently, I have been struggling with this whole idea and realizing that what a church believes about the redemptive Truth of God's Son (Christology) should inform a church's understanding of its calling or mission (Missiology) and THAT should inform our methodology (ecclesiology).

The thing is, that way to often I think churches begin with methods (what to wear, how to package a series, how to understand the culture) and then move backwards to mission (calling).

Kem Myers (Granger Community Church) said today that "culture is a moving target." I agree! The thing is that I don't think that we should spend all of our time trying to shoot at a moving target. We need to understand Truth and look for a relevant vehicle with which to communicate it.

I think that we need to engage culture... I will take that one step further - - we need to be about the business of seeing God REDEEM culture... I just think we need to avoid the temptation to become enamored with culture.

In season and out of season...

Much of what we do is impacted by the "season."

In case you don't already know... it's already cold in NW Ohio... STINKIN' COLD! The season for Golf is long gone... as we started packing up the stuff in the shed, Sheila told me not to pack the snow shovels just yet, we will probably need them before we move (me, I don't think so... I drive a 4WD Jeep... I don't really need to shovel!)

This morning, I had opportunity to do something very "out of Season" - I preached about "submission" - you know, our cultures newest "S" word! God's Word challenges us to preach the word "in season and out of season" - that message is very "out of season." It is not popular at all to challenge women of our culture with their biblical role because so many people have misunderstood (or abused) what God's Word says. Now, I don't want to re-preach the message (if you missed it, you can hear it here... and YES, I did say that we don't need "limp wristed, fairy men" in all three services). What I wanted to point out was that there are things in life that do not make you popular, but sometimes they are the right thing to do anyway! It might be out of season, but truth is truth... preach it anyway!

This afternoon, my good friend Brent Wilson and I took a quick trip by small plane to Dayton and back (in time for me to regain my stomach and make it to Financial Peace classes by 6:00). It was amazing to me how COLD it gets at 8,000 feet! Did I mention that I got to fly most of the way back? Talk about out of season... it's never "in season" to allow me to control a large metal object at 150 mph! How cool it was to see God's creation from that perspective (and get a couple of pretty cool pics of our house before we landed!)

The moral of the story? I am not sure that there is one!

Today was a great day... I love preaching! The only thing that I am not looking forward to about planting is that it will be a long time (till 10/10/10) before I get to communicate God's truth to a crowd of people every week! Flying was very cool... I am imagining now that planting a church is going to be a lot like flying that plane... there are an awful lot of things to monitor and prepare!!!

Thanks for listening to my ramblings... I am pretty pumped about all that God is doing!!!

Jeremy

Discouragement and Encouragement

The line between encouragement and discouragement is fine. As many might remember, our house "sold" within two weeks of being listed on the market. Late yesterday, we learned of one of the many ways the current economic climate will impact this plant - due to a small issue, the financing for our "would be" buyer fell through.

To say we were discouraged is an understatement. There are so many "question marks" in our future - this was one of the only things that was settled. So, after an evening of self pity, today happened!

Encouragement from every angle! So many of you have sent notes (email, facebook, etc), called or told us of your confidence in God's plan and timing. I know that it may feel like something that you are "supposed" to say, but the truth is that you are "supposed" to say it because it's true! God's plan and timing are exactly perfect!!!

Beacons of hope! After our Realtor (who is also a close friend) let us know that he was doing everything he could in calling area agents to let them know that the house was back on the market, another Realtor in his office called to schedule a showing for TONIGHT!

In the end, I am trying not to be anxious about this whole thing, but if you are praying... here's something to pray about... not that our house sells, but that God's Will - and His exact timing happen! In the meantime, you can pray for patience for us.

The Journey to Here: "Funding"

As you can imagine, starting a new church costs a lot of money. Things like salaries, office space, advertising, facility rental, road gear (sound, lights, video, etc), seating, children's supplies (furniture, toys, teaching materials,etc), trailers (to move everything), logos, web sites, and TONS MORE!

So, a natural question comes to mind... Where does all of this money come from?

Not only is that a natural question - it is an important one! Without money, this future church - and the people it will reach for Christ - are just a figment of our imagination! Every step of this crucial mission to reach the lost is dependent on people just like you and I who are willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ!

This past week has been unbelievable! We have officially started the "fundraising" phase of the plant. I spent all day Monday in NW Indiana presenting "the plant" to a couple of churches and reconnecting with a few friends. We are praying that those efforts will be fruitful for the cause of Christ! We are anxious to see how God is working in people's lives to reach people!

The simple reality of our lives at this moment is that we will need to raise a total of $150,000 over the next 3 years. (that means that income totaling $150,000 will need to be pledged by people, groups and organizations to come in over a 3 year period of time).

At first, I have to admit that this whole idea was very intimidating to me... I HATE ASKING FOR MONEY! Then one day, I realized that I am not asking for money for me - I am raising money for God's project to reach lost people - people who other than this effort would likely spend eternity separated from God - that moved me!!

I am confident that God has developed this vision in our hearts for years, and if that is the case, God has also been laying this effort on the hearts of many of you over those same years. Maybe God has used preaching or a relational connection to begin to prick your heart to support His work... no matter what the avenue, God has prepared the way!

So, here is the simple plan... we need people who are willing to pledge money... some as a one time "start up" gift... some as a monthly pledge... for our fancy brochure, I broke it down this way:

We need...

• 75 people who will pledge $15 per month over 3 years (or $540 as a one time gift)
• 50 people who will pledge $10 per month over 3 years (or $360 as a one time gift)
• 10 people who will give $2000 or more as a one time "start up" gift
• 5 people who will give $5000 or more as a one time "start up" gift
• 20 people who will consider meeting a specific need in a ministry area ( i.e. children's ministry, sound, office, etc).

Now, here's the big question. How would God have you be involved? What part can you play?

I want you to know that I realize that these are difficult financial times for many people.

I also want you to know that I sincerely weighed that as I considered how we believed that God was moving in our lives. The simple reality is this: In God's economy, there is no better time to plant! That is true for two reasons: 1.) People are looking for hope like never before! 2.) If we are able to raise these funds and see people come to Christ in this economic climate, it will be OBVIOUS that it is a work of God!

I have said this before, but if David had an AK-47 when he battled Goliath, it wouldn't have been much of a story... but because he was a 12 year old boy facing an insurmountable foe, we are talking about it thousands of years later!

Here is the simple truth: IF IT'S GOD'S WILL, IT'S GOD'S BILL!

Here is the thing, if you are someone that I have known for most of my life or someone that I have known from Dyer, you can probably expect to receive a letter in the short term asking you specifically to consider how you might be involved. If you live in NW Ohio, I will likely not be approaching you asking directly how you might be involved (out of respect for New Hope and not leveraging my position here to raise money and put people in an awkward position). If you live here, I am trusting that God will be laying this project on your heart and you will approach me to talk about what God is doing.

In either case, please consider what God might have for you as a part of this project. I can assure you that there is no gift too small - every sacrifice is a vital part of God's plan!

If you would like to contact me directly related to your desire to have a conversation about where we are headed, please talk to me in person, call me at your convenience or send an email to justjeremy73@gmail.com

Again, thank you for reading these posts (as I hear a number of you are)... and thank you for considering conquering Goliath with us!

Seeing through new eyes (again)

A good friend who has a great deal of experience working with local churches and heling them understand better ways to reach people (her company actually designed the website at newhope - check it out @ http://www.newhopecc.org/) recently wrote this article - I know that I have been writing about "the journey to here..." lately and many of you have told me you are really liking understanding "HOW" a church plant starts, but I thought that an article on "WHY" we need new churches might be helpful - Dawn did a fantastic job of capturing a first time visitor's perspective! It breaks my heart that people far from God would experience something like this! Here is what she wrote: (for more info on Dawn or her company Aspire!One, visit http://www.aspireone.com/ or the Connect blog at http://www.dawnnicolebaldwin.typepad.com/)

This weekend, I had an interesting experience that put my job in a whole new light.

Most of my work consists of working with churches to help them understand how they can reach people more effectively. I spend time with senior leadership and run focus groups to find out why people come, what were their first impressions, what made them stick, etc. But this time I was able to experience the role of a new guest firsthand.

A close friend of mine decided it was time she started going to church again. Her kids are small and she wanted to instill a strong foundation. It was important to her that she plugged into a church close to her home so there wasn't a "temptation to not go because of the distance," and so her kids could get connected with others in her neighborhood. She had visions of plugging in at a meaningful level, volunteering and attending every week.

She checked out several church websites and decided to try one billed as, "relevant, contemporary & relaxed." They had a band [which she was happy about] and the website said the sermons related to everyday life. So this past Sunday, we went together.

When walking up to the church we were greeted with, "Where are all the men?" by the pastor. Perhaps it didn't occur to him that she might be a single parent [she's not] or maybe she wanted to check it out first before bringing a reluctant husband [she was]

It was a very small church, which doesn't ordinarily bother me although it does magnify the "outsider" feel when stared at. No one wanted to sit in our row. No one offered to give us the inside scoop.

Her 6-yr old daughter wanted to go with the others to "children's church" when the kids were dismissed, which made my friend a little uncomfortable. We had no idea where this was [in the basement] or what they were doing. The message was long, felt self-serving and was difficult to follow.

"Free choice" communion was at the end of the service, although each and every row got up and went together. My friend was a bit confused on what was going on and if she was supposed to do it or not. I tried to explain quickly in hushed tones what was going on, that she shouldn't feel pressured and I would stay with her if it helped. But the idea of sitting in our row [alone] while everyone continued to stare and possibly wonder exactly what kind of heathens we were became too much for her. So we went.

Inside I just screamed, "THIS IS NOT WHAT CHURCH IS ABOUT"I honestly wanted to cry.
My friend hadn't been to church since she was little. She was excited about the possibility of going again for her kids and had initially agreed to visit a few to find the right fit. But this experience turned her off to the point that she's reconsidering the whole idea.

Please hear me. I'm not against small or traditional churches. I've been working with churches of all shapes and sizes for fourteen years now. There's some amazing things going on for the Kingdom.
But experiencing the role of a first time guest through her eyes made me wonder how often this scenario is played out every week. And it broke my heart.

The Journey to Here: "Organization"

When I surrendered to the call to plant a church just a handful of months ago, I assumed that the person planting a church connected with a group of people, picked a city, raised a lot of money, moved into that city and started building relationships. I figured that eventually, there were enough relationships built to consider launching public services... and the rest would, as they say, be "history."

Well, that is in fact how some people do it. I remember some time ago "discussing" with God how he seemed to have gifted me. I remember telling a friend that I wasn't at all concerned about leading a church once it was at a point where people were willing to sit and listen to me talk. The thing that I was concerned about, was seeing the church get from me and Sheila to about 70 - that was the big concern!

Over the time of investigation after I submitted to what I believed God was calling us to do, I quickly found that the days of planting a church with a Bible and street corner are long gone. At this point, there are dozens if not hundreds of organizations and groups wanting to reach the lost by planting new churches!

To make a long story short, I investigated about 10 of those organizations including the one that we believe God has led us to - Stadia East.

Stadia has planted over 30 churches in the last 6 years and has developed THE system that many other groups are learning from. At this point, over 90% of their churches are sustained and considered "successful" plants!

The strength of Stadia's model is that they have build a system to support the gaps in giftedness of a typical church planter. As you may be able to guess, most church planters are outgoing, people oriented leaders - not usually the detail type if you know what I mean!

I don't have enough space here to outline everything that Stadia brings to the table, but here is a brief synopsis...

• Planter coaching. In a very short time, I will be assigned to an experienced church planter who will serve as a "coach" for the sometimes trouble packed first 2 years. This voice will help me navigate the day to day decisions that sometimes plague planters.
• Spouse Support. Sheila is already beginning to connect with "Bloom" the spousal support arm of Stadia! These ladies serve to connect and support the wives of planters! This group plans retreats and efforts in addition to regular one-on-one support! (this was a big help in our decision!)
• Administrative support. This is HUGE (those of you who know me well, know exactly why!) The resources that Stadia provide related to administration are unbelievable! In addition to paying a book keeper from day one (which will ensure that your donation receipts are handled correctly!), Stadia also supplies a partnership with Passion for Planting and a personal connection with a guy who will essentially serve as our off-site "executive pastor" making sure that I understand all that is necessary to planning, organizing and launching a church! There just isn't enough room here to outline all of the administrative support that Stadia provides - just know that they have really thought through the kind of people who are willing to plant churches and designed a process around supporting them!
• Leadership Support. Stadia has organized and will provide a team of pastors and leaders from across the country that will serve as off-site, organizational Elders for a period of 3 years. This enables church planters like myself not to need to rush into asking people to occupy this important role until they are properly vetted and effectively trained! Not having something like this is what kills a lot of young churches
• Funding Support. In addition to provision of numerous support efforts, Stadia also plays a financial role in the success of the plant! These guys work tirelessly raising funds to aid in planting a successful church! They also coordinate other ministries who will be partnering with us in Jackson!

Finally, once we chose Stadia to help us down this road, we connected with several projects that they were working on (embodying a concept of following God's will that I have taught for years - see where God is already at work and GET IN WHERE YOU FIT IN!)

After much investigation, dozens of phone calls and interviews, we went to Jackson, TN to meet with a team of people who wanted to see a church planted. Within minutes of meeting these people, I KNEW without doubt that these were people that I could work with! (As many of you know, I greatly doubt my ability to be effective if I am not working with friends!) It has been UNBELIEVABLE to hear how our journeys to this point coincide so significantly! (embodying another principle I have taught for years - God's Will is not be determined circumstantially, but you can't ignore circumstances in determining God's Will. )

Let me tell you that there is a great deal of support going into ensuring the success of this plant - not because many of you will follow God's leading to support this work, but because the GLORY AND RENOWN OF GOD hangs in the balance! If you have questions about the organization and what it does (or if you are one of my ministry friends and have been considering planting) please let me know - I would LOVE to help!!!

The Journey to Here: "Assessment"

[This post is part 3 of a series of posts related to the process of planting the church in Jackson, TN]

Over the past few months, the cry of our heart to God has been for Him to shut doors in our path if this was not His will for us. Among the many doors that have opened for the past several months was the formal assessment that each church planter with Stadia must go through.

Our thirteenth wedding anniversary found Sheila and I sitting in a hotel conference room across the desk from a clinical counselor. For the 6 or so weeks prior to our four day intensive, on-site evaluation, Sheila and I wrote a combined nearly 40 pages of documentation (questions regarding theology, practical experience, relationships, condition of our marriage, parenting opinions, and tons more) as well as filled out 3 different temperament/personality test (Taylor Johnson Temperament Analysis, DiSC profile and a Spiritual gifts assessment) not to mention development of a 3 generation family tree, resumes, references family pictures and other stuff.

Because of how the process works for other candidates, I am not able to talk publicly about the totality of the assessment process, but suffice it to say that it was grueling (in a very positive way)! Imagine this... you take 4 days of vacation to go through an assessment that you know NOTHING about... you walk into a room where you no absolutely NO ONE... sit down at a row of tables. Just before the main facilitator walks in, a row of "assessors" walk in, laptops in hand and sit behind you and begin to assess everything that you do... how you interact with others, how you lead in a group, how you follow. The scariest part... they separated spouses for almost all of the projects... SHEILA WAS TERRIFIED!

Now, I said all of that to say that there is a significant amount of investigation that goes into choosing a church planter/plant site partnership. This is not a decision that is entered into lightly!

Toward the end of the assessment process (after which I had a grand total of about 6 hours sleep - I think they want to see what you are willing to do to complete a project!) they meet with each potential planting couple to give them the results of their assessment.

You can imagine the tension that hung in the balance - and the relief when they told us that we had the "green light" on planting! We realized what a large process this was when we received a 60+ page report on our performance at assessment! WHEW!

If you are thinking about it, pray for other potential planters who are going through assesment NEXT WEEK (September 14-17) - they are terrified and their dreams of planting hang in the balance!

The Journey to Here: "Investigation"

[This post is part 2 of a series of posts regarding how we came to the decision to plant and "how" a new church gets started]

Here is the one thing that we have always known about Church planting: The best way to reach new people is to plant new churches! Sheila and I surrendered to God's call on our lives to plant a new church because we want to reach new (lost) people!

When we decided that God was calling us to plant a church and surrendered to that call, our understanding was quite limited. Like many of you, we thought that church planters decided God was calling them, raised some money to live on, moved to the area where you wanted to plant and started reaching people.

While that might be true for some people, we understand that God has not gifted us to "maverick" this plant! Over the years, I have seen God significantly develop the gifts and abilities that He has given me. Conversely, I have also seen that no matter how hard I try to be good at things I am not gifted to do... I still suck at them! '

I KNOW THAT I NEED A TEAM!

From the very beginning, I have been committed to moving forward with the right support network and systems to fill in the "gaps" in my giftedness. For instance, over the years, I have realized that my strengths are designing systems, working with people, understanding/communicating vision and preaching. In those same years, I have come to realize that I am not called to manage the system, keep the books, or mind the details (or a bunch of other things).

During the early months of investigation, I talked with a number of church planting organizations - each possessing different strengths. Some of those organizations offered better funding while others offered better marketing. Each of those organizations and groups also offered a "success rate" meaning that they have a certain percentage of their experience that has seen a new plant become a financially independent church within a period of time (usually about 3 years).

At the forefront of those organizations is a group called "Stadia." Over the past decade alone, Stadia has successfully planted over 100 churches! Those churches average 300 people in weekly attendance (more that 50 times the national average) and have a success rate of over 90% in a nation that struggles to see 50% on average! (Can you tell that I am a little proud of the team I am privileged to be a part of?)

Not only is Stadia extremely experienced and successful, but they also offer a number of resources that will help fill in the gaps in my leadership giftedness. For instance:

• Planter coaching. After we get rolling, I will be assigned a specific "coach" that has gone down this road before me. This coach will help me see the speed bumps ahead and ensure that I have the right tools in my bag to navigate them. He will also serve to ensure that I prioritize my family during this very busy season of life!
• Spouse support! We all know how important it is for our spouses to be on board during crucial times in our lives. Stadia is able to supply a connection to a ministry that they call "bloom" that serves to connect planter's spouses into a support network! I can't express how significant this was in our decision making process!
• Book-keeping. From day one, Stadia supplies the back-office support of a book-keeper to ensure that the finances and logistics are cared for.
• Boot camp. In the month of January, myself (and members of the team in Jackson who can make it) will attend a week-long intensive setting called "boot camp" that will serve to ensure that we effectively plan the efforts in planting this church! It promises to be grueling, but I am looking forward to it! (Put the date on your calendar and be praying for us... January 18-22, 2010!!)
• CONVERGE! One of the things that I have always realized I would struggle with is "how" to get the ball rolling in planting a new church! Stadia is able to provide partnership with an organization called "passion for planting" that has developed a web-based solution called "converge". This solution, along with a personal partnership with a guy who is experienced both in planting and this particular solution, will provide support through the critical first year. P4P has developed a list of over 300 crucial steps that a planter will need to take during that first year to ensure success - they help to make sure that we plan the work and then work the plan!
• Management team. One of the most pressing needs that a new church struggles with is the development of leaders. Remember that we are endeavoring to reach NEW believers, so solid, Biblical Elders and leaders are not easy to come by. For the first three years, we are kept from adding new Elders to our team which will give us ample chance to develop leaders as servants and see them grow to that leadership position. During those three years, the "management team" will serve essentially as off-site elders to protect the church in those formative years (these guys are usually pastors from around the country and their churches have a vested financial interest in seeing this church move forward)

As you can see, the partners that we chose in Stadia during the "investigation" stage are going to be a big part of what God is going to do over the next few years! But, we are still investigating the most important partners that we will have - - YOU! Over the next few years, we will need to raise a significant amount of money that God will use to reach lost people in Western Tennessee! But that is a post for another time... but pray about it in the meantime! Wouldn't it be awesome to know that you had a part in reaching people for Christ who would otherwise lived (and died) apart from Him? Now that's worth it!

The Journey to here: "The Calling"

Planting a church is a pretty confusing thing! Once the news was out, several people asked me "so, what do you do, go to Tennessee and buy a lot?" (or something like that). To be honest, when Sheila and I said "yes" to what we believed to be God's calling on our lives, we didn't know much more than that. But, over the past six or so months, God has provided a lot of clarification (and a whole lot of new questions) for us!

I know that some of you are very curious about what is involved in "planting" a new church. So, for the next few posts, I would like to walk you through a little of our journey to date (and let you in on some things for the future).

"THE CALLING" (God's will should not be interpreted circumstantially, but we can't ignore circumstances in interpreting God's will.)

Sheila and I have talked about the idea of planting a church for about 8 or 9 years now. Actually, we seriously entertained the idea before we came to New Hope 7 years ago this December. At that time, it became obvious to me that there was much I needed to grow through both in skill and maturity before God would be able to make the most from how He has gifted me.

Over these years, we have felt a tugging at our heart toward this idea, but have had almost NO IDEA what was involved in planting a church. A number of times, we considered it only to be unified under an answer of "not yet."

This past year has been an amazing journey. For some time, I had been feeling that "tugging" again. As my role at New Hope has changed, I have seen God work toward developing passions and experiences that have worked to clarify His direction in our lives.

This past Spring, God really moved in our lives. For Spring Break, we traveled down to Myrtle Beach, SC making our usual stop in Lynchburg, VA to see friends. These particular friends have been a significant part of our lives (particularly since we had investigated the idea of starting a church with them several times.) As we were leaving, Sheila said "if you are waiting on them to go forward in planting a church, I am getting the feeling that we should stop waiting." talk about a breakthorough moment!

The following months were a total whilwind. We have felt, many times, like God was dropping breadcrumbs for us to pick up as He led us to this end. It has been an amazing ride! Here are a few of the "breadcrumbs" along the way:

• Our Community Group (aka "Home Group") Over the past 4 years, these people have been some of the most significant voices of friendship and direction in our lives! This past year, we did a short study on how/why we should be broken hearted for the lost and how to share our faith in Christ. This study, and the growth of those in our group, was the foundation for God to move in our lives.
• The "Fearless" series Every week, as George was preaching, Sheila and I would sincerely understand the exact same calling related to our future. Many times, one of us would grab the other's hand and squeez like we were on the ride of our lives (I think that we are). Frankly, we were getting a bit worn out from God speaking so clearly, I really had no intentions of being convicted the 2 weeks that I preached during that series... no such luck! The David and Goliath sermon has served as the basic analogy for this endevor (maybe you have heard about something called the "economy"... but that's a post for another time)
• "Orange Conference" For months, our children and student minstry staff had been planning a trip to Atlanta for a training event for children and student workers. I was looking forward to taking a break from hearing God working toward calling us to plant a church - I figured a family ministry conference would be a safe place. Man, was I wrong... speaker after speaker challenged me (like I was the only person in the room) to move forward in faith. At one point, I actually wanted to leave the room because the feeling was so strong!

Countless other conversations, studies of Scripture, sermons, songs and much more have all been moments of affirmation that God is in and through this whole thing! I am looking forward to helping all of us better understand what the future holds for us... and how we got here...

Here are a couple of "previews" of posts to come...

• "Investigation" (finding partners in planting)
• "Assessment" (3 days of grueling interviews)
• "Organization" (how effective, successful churches are planted with Stadia)
• "Funding" (how we are going to see all of this happen in the next few years)