Next Sunday, I will be heading to the Exponential West Conference in Orange County, CA. There is a pre-conference event called The National Discipleship Forum, which is hands down the best event I have been to anywhere, anytime. Exponential is the largest gathering of church planters in the world. The one in Orlando in the spring has about 5,000 in attendance. I think West has about 2,000. I love going because of the energy and optimism. It's thousands of people who believe everyone is going to be baptized... tomorrow! The worship is some of the best I know of and the teaching is from the best practitioners. Even though it is church planting-specific, church planting is kind of like the space program of the church-- it develops great evangelism and discipleship tools.
Jessie, Mike Adams (our former youth pastor who is planting our church in Frenchburg, KY) and Jacob Wilson are going with me. I hope to keep taking more people each year. The Discipleship Forum by itself is worth the time and effort to get to. If you have a holy discontent about the church, about your own discipleship, let's talk. New Hope Discipleship Movement (a non-profit Mike, Wes, and I set up to start new churches in Appalachia) will be taking a crew to Orlando in April. Hit me up if you want to go.
Pray for us-- for safe travel, for great fellowship, for deep learning. Last year I went with Mike and Jacob. Jesus wrecked our lives. I daresay we are still figuring out what happened, still dealing with the fallout, still putting things into place to be better at making disciples. Pray that we get wrecked again, hearts broken for the neglected mission of making disciples. Pray that we come back with a spirit of humility, because we are going to be on the cutting edge of the Church.
About this time last year, I went to take one of my 15 minute afternoon naps. But I could not. God had me raise my arms in prayer and I knew I just had to keep them there in praise. After a while, He spoke. "Ask me for anything you want." I made a few feeble stabs, ashamed that I was not ready! Everything I asked for, He said "I already do that. Ask me for something that only I can do." I would pray at other times for the next few months, but still was not asking for enough. I shared this with a small group of friends, some prayer warriors. Finally, one day I just cried out in desperation for the mission, "Lord, give me a disciple-making movement that takes back Eastern Kentucky for Christ!" And then there was absolute peace and assurance. Thus New Hope Discipleship Movement was born.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Pumped Up
I want to share some stuff that's been going on that has been really encouraging.
First, our Children's Ministry. My wife Jessie is the Children' s Pastor in our church, and she is knocking it out. As in they have outgrown their second space, and need to look for a new place. The kids have a great two hour bloc on Sundays of Sunday school and children's worship. They do catechism and they know more about worship than the adults!
Second, our Youth Ministry. Adam Foster and a crew of volunteers worked really hard to put on a great Youth Kickoff with a lot of energy and games and fun and an awesome fireside devotion. It's great to be in Morehead where you can have a big gym to romp in and then go outside under the trees and hear crickets chirping. 40 kids, most of whom we just met last night, came.
On the church planting front, Mike Adams, our church planter in Menifee County, KY, is also working as a boys basketball coach for the high school. It has given him and his new church a lot of visibility in the community, as well as providing them with a mission. His main focus is on discipleship. He, Wes, Holland and I have formed a non=profit called New Hope Discipleship Movement with the purpose of raising up and training evangelists and disciple-makers who start new works of God in the rural areas of Eastern Kentucky.
When I was in Lexington, I met a couple, Chad and Meredith Brooks. They have the dubious honor of inventing the Methodist Mimosa-- orange juice and Ale-8. Anyway they came to our church in the fall of 2006, and informed me not long after they started coming that they were leaving because of something I said. It's not what you're thinking. I was challenging people to live incarnationally where they worship. So Chad and Meredith said it was crazy for them to drive from Nicholasville when there was a church right next door that needed their help. But, he said, he would be back to do his supervised ministry with me. Sure enough, 2010 he came back. We had some epic times talking Q, doing evangelism visits on the crazy streets of Northside, and fellowshipping. My boys adored Chad and Meredith.
Fast forward. Chad went home to Louisiana. He is planting a church called Foundry in Stirlington, outside of Monroe. I stay in touch with him because we're buds and also because one of my spiritual gifts is talking church planters out of quitting when they get hit with the ridiculous obstacles and barriers that get thrown at them. They had their launch service last weekend. I have been preaching for years you need to launch Fast and Loud. As many people as you can get. Because after 6 weeks you will only have 1/2 of the number who come to launch. Chad launched with 354. Basically, he is day one sustainable.
Chad was worried he might break the rule about 1/2 the people after 6 weeks, as in he was worried they have been a misfit church, not fitting any paradigms, so maybe they will have less. I doubt it. I think he will grow even bigger. Chad works hard and smart. Pray him up and check him out at revchadbrooks.com
First, our Children's Ministry. My wife Jessie is the Children' s Pastor in our church, and she is knocking it out. As in they have outgrown their second space, and need to look for a new place. The kids have a great two hour bloc on Sundays of Sunday school and children's worship. They do catechism and they know more about worship than the adults!
Second, our Youth Ministry. Adam Foster and a crew of volunteers worked really hard to put on a great Youth Kickoff with a lot of energy and games and fun and an awesome fireside devotion. It's great to be in Morehead where you can have a big gym to romp in and then go outside under the trees and hear crickets chirping. 40 kids, most of whom we just met last night, came.
On the church planting front, Mike Adams, our church planter in Menifee County, KY, is also working as a boys basketball coach for the high school. It has given him and his new church a lot of visibility in the community, as well as providing them with a mission. His main focus is on discipleship. He, Wes, Holland and I have formed a non=profit called New Hope Discipleship Movement with the purpose of raising up and training evangelists and disciple-makers who start new works of God in the rural areas of Eastern Kentucky.
When I was in Lexington, I met a couple, Chad and Meredith Brooks. They have the dubious honor of inventing the Methodist Mimosa-- orange juice and Ale-8. Anyway they came to our church in the fall of 2006, and informed me not long after they started coming that they were leaving because of something I said. It's not what you're thinking. I was challenging people to live incarnationally where they worship. So Chad and Meredith said it was crazy for them to drive from Nicholasville when there was a church right next door that needed their help. But, he said, he would be back to do his supervised ministry with me. Sure enough, 2010 he came back. We had some epic times talking Q, doing evangelism visits on the crazy streets of Northside, and fellowshipping. My boys adored Chad and Meredith.
Fast forward. Chad went home to Louisiana. He is planting a church called Foundry in Stirlington, outside of Monroe. I stay in touch with him because we're buds and also because one of my spiritual gifts is talking church planters out of quitting when they get hit with the ridiculous obstacles and barriers that get thrown at them. They had their launch service last weekend. I have been preaching for years you need to launch Fast and Loud. As many people as you can get. Because after 6 weeks you will only have 1/2 of the number who come to launch. Chad launched with 354. Basically, he is day one sustainable.
Chad was worried he might break the rule about 1/2 the people after 6 weeks, as in he was worried they have been a misfit church, not fitting any paradigms, so maybe they will have less. I doubt it. I think he will grow even bigger. Chad works hard and smart. Pray him up and check him out at revchadbrooks.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)