Community Christian Church

A Shared Longing!

2010-02-15T12:04:00.003-05:00

I met a lady yesterday who has been coming to CCC less than two months. She shared how she found us and how much the church means to her. Then she said: "these last few weeks have been tough [with the church not meeting]. It was a strange feeling. It is the first time in my life I can remember really missing [longing to attend] church."

There was something special about our worship yesterday. The band was great. The message was incredible, as usual :-). The potluck was awesome. But there was an energy that none of those things could account for; an energy comes from a shared longing to be together. Maybe that feeling caught you a little by surprise too.

It is the feeling of a husband who sees his wife of 30 years like it was their first date and realizes, in that instant, she still takes his breath away. Sometimes the day-to-day challenges of being married can blind our eyes to some incredible blessings at are right in front of us every day.

Community is a unique place. There is something special that happens when we gather. We are blessed to be part of a spiritual family that enriches our lives. The irony is that sometimes newcomers are quicker to sense it than we are. It shouldn't take a band to come in and experience our worship for the first time to say: "This is a GREAT church" or a newcomer's story to alert us to the blessings that abound among us. We shouldn't have to be snowbound for three weeks to realize what we mean to each other...but it doesn't hurt. I'm grateful for God's reminders.

Easter Impact!

2009-04-08T10:17:00.002-04:00

Easter is THIS Sunday. It hardly seems possible. We have been planning for months and the time has finally arrived. We begin a new message series this weekend called "Desperate Households." The message for this Sunday is "Desperate for Hope." Every human being longs for something more and seeks hope that the struggles they face can ultimately be overcome. This Sunday will be a day filled with hope for all of our families. Easter is a day of hope. Here is how Eugene Peterson paraphrased some of Paul's profound words in 1 Corinthians 15:

If there is no resurrection, there's no living Christ. And fact it - if there's no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors... If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ wasn't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they are already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.

But God doesn't just resurrect bodies, he resurrects lives. He resurrects relationships. He resurrects families. The power of Easter is available for us NOW. We are Easter people. We are people with a living hope. That hope will be the foundation of our experience this Sunday at our 9:00 and 11:00 gatherings. We expect our campus to be buzzing with hundreds of people, some coming for the very first time.

Please come this Sunday with the intent of reaching out to new people. Even if the service really rings a bell for them (and we pray that it will), the most important impression will be the one you make. The most important word will be the one that you speak. Please continue to pray for "divine opportunities" to invite family and friends that are far from God. Eighty-two percent of those who are invited to church by someone they already know will say yes. Your gracious words could be catalytic in changing someone's life now and forever. I can hardly wait to see what God is going to do as we gather in His name to celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.

"He is risen. He is risen, indeed!"

Brent

Still Trying to Take It In!

2009-03-30T11:03:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a great day. I'm still trying to take it all in. We launched our second worship gathering - not really knowing what to expect - and God blew us away AGAIN.

We had 230 people worship with us Sunday. There were lots of new faces. Both services were nearly identical in adult attendance (there were 15 more people at 11:00 than at 9:00).

Sean hit it out of the park with the message and the praise team did a great job at both services.

I know that two gatherings means more work - you are all living proof of that. But it also provides more opportunities for us to "connect real people to the real God for real change." Thanks for all you are doing...Praise God for what He has done!

I'll be praying over those invite cards you took home yesterday. Easter is only two weeks away. These are desperate times - please pass those cards on to those you know who are "Desperate for Hope."

This Sunday I'll wrap up our "Famous Last Words" series with Jesus' ultimate expression of "FAITH". I hope to see you there. Bring a friend. It's not that hard...simply invite.

Ramblings From An Incredible Weekend!

2009-03-16T08:10:00.003-04:00

I literally could not sleep last night with images of the weekend still bouncing around in my head.
Friday was Prayerfest. Our members came and made their way through six stations praying for every aspect of our church's life and ministry. Every time that we have chosen to pray, really pray, God has responded.

We had a huge turnout for our workday on Saturday. At one point I counted 15 people painting together in the Heartland room. That doesn't include those working in the Pulse space, offices, auditorium and outside. A number of really cool upgrades are happening.

We closed the day with a great crowd of regulars and newcomers for our Pizza Throwdown. We had one new family show up @ Community for the first time for that event. She even brought a dessert to enter in the competition - and she placed third out of sixteen entries. They were back Sunday morning and attended our LIFE Group last night. They found us through our website... and were drawn by our Heart 4 the Homeless and Adopted in Him ministries. While they were on our website they saw pictures of people they already knew... and couldn't wait till Sunday to join us.

Speaking of Sunday morning - are you kidding me!!!! At one point one of our ushers was trying to find seats together for a family of three...and there weren't any. Our second service is coming right on time. Chris and the team led us in an awesome time of worship and God moved in powerful ways. Remember to pray for Bob, who has been far from God for years, and came home yesterday after being reminded of God's forgiving heart. Pray for the Smiths, who a mourning the loss of a young family member who was murdered last week while working for the Peace Corp in Africa. As we stop just "going to church" and start "being the church" we will be in over our heads in "real-life" issues in people's lives. But this is exactly where God wants us to be.

By all accounts, this was a great weekend for our congregation. Our children's ministries and youth ministries are still buzzing about everthing that transpired. The meeting for training those to who are greeting our newcomers was packed yesterday afternoon and volunteer roles are filling fast.

I just want to close by saying thanks to those who who are working so hard and offering countless hours and resources to God's work here at Community. I feel blessed to be serving Jesus alongside you. Have a great week.

What Can I Do To Help?

2009-03-06T07:53:00.006-05:00

I know many of you believe that adding the second service is critical to the growth of our ministry at Community. It is an exciting, somewhat intimidating, next step on our journey. So, the question arises, what are some simple things each of us can do to help ensure adding this second worship gathering is successful. I'll to give you a short list, then elaborate more in the coming weeks. Our launch is currently 23 days away. Here goes...

If you don't have kids in Heartland, consider attending the 9:00 AM service. Heartland will only be offered at the11:00 AM worship gathering. It likely will not be difficult for us to fill the 11:00 gathering again. Yet, our goal is to have at least half of the chairs full during each worship time. Studies say the likelihood of success is increased dramatically if we can fill 50% of the seats. It will be easy to choose a service for convenience - or getting a little extra sleep. We're asking you to make you choice based on God's mission here.
Please plan on attending one worship time and serving during the other. This is a great opportunity to be able to attend the first worship time and serve in Heartland during the second. A lot of servants here are already pulling double duty - and have been for a while. We can definitely use your help. We will need growing numbers of volunteers to serve the folks God is bringing our way. There will be a number of service opportunities during each service. Nursery workers will be needed during both services. If kids aren't your thing, consider serving as a greeter, traffic/parking assistant, chair mover, etc. or just mingle in the foyer between services intentionally greeting newcomers.
Invite, Invite, Invite. This is probably the most intimidating, yet most critical thing any of us can do. If we just split the people we currently have, it won't be good. But, if we commit to making room - and inviting others to fill it again - more people will have an opportunity to connect with God and His people. To help as you offer invitations, this Sunday we will be providing attractive Invite Cards for the launch of our Second Worship Gathering. Next week we will have Invite Cards for our Easter series. We hope you'll use them to Simply Invite...
Attend our Work Day on March 14th. Come and get your hands dirty. We have a ton of work to complete before our move to a second service and in our prep for Easter. We can really use your help from 8:00 to 3:00. It's a great way to help the church and work up an appetite for the Pizza Throwdown.
Provide a financial gift to assist in upgrading our facilities. I even hate to mention this because, in difficult economic times, you continue to be incredibly generous. Yet, the truth is, the upgrades to our children's and youth spaces and our parking lot will cost some extra money. What we are able to do will depend on the funds available. So, if God has blessed you with some extra funds, via a tax refund, saving, etc. and you can supply some help in addition to your tithe, we will put it to use creating inviting spaces on our campus. Just place any gift in the offering plate on Sunday. Please do whatever you feel God is leading you to do.

Please pray with your family about how you will contribute to the success of our second worship time. Adding this worship will provide you options. I pray God will lead you to not simply to enjoy these options yourself - but will guide you to seize this kingdom opportunity to reach and serve others who are far from God. I'm excited to see what God will do with our offering...

Why Will Our Two Worship Gatherings Be Exactly The Same!

2009-03-02T08:56:00.004-05:00

Reason 1:
The primary reason our additional worship will be identical to our current one is that we believe God is blessing what we are currently doing. Most of our guests seem to love our worship and it is meaningful to nearly all regular attenders. It other words, what we are currently doing is becoming increasingly relevant to our surrounding culture.

Here's what I believe: God expects us to make the message of Jesus relevant to the culture we engage in Salisbury, MD in 2009. He will hold us accountable for doing this. Most churches are dying because they have refused to embrace this principle. Many have chosen to address the 60's, 70's or 80's head-on, and are suffering the consequences. Our message (Jesus) never changes. The modes and methods of communicating Him must adapt to become relevant to the culture in which we live.

I have heard a couple of people express a desire to shape our additional service to be more "traditional." This would mean more hymns and a service more like what they had experienced growing up, or at some point in their past. This would make some of us who have been in church most of our lives more comfortable and the worship time more enjoyable.

Here are my issues with proposal: (1) longing to experience something from the past is usually what draws people's attention away from what God is trying to do with them in the present; (2) traditional worship, by its very nature, seeks to engage the past rather than the culture we presently live in; and (3) our leaders are striving to be mission-driven and not member-driven. In other words, we will always ask, "What will help us fulfill the mission Jesus has given us" rather than "I wonder what our members would like us to do" or "what would make our members most comfortable." I think beginning a more traditional worship experience would be a decision to make a subset of our members happy, rather than a decision based on the mission of Jesus. Let me say this though: I think hymns, which are upgraded to a contemporary style have the potential to be very relevant. Doing this provides the double blessing of being both relevant and a connection to our Christian heritage. You'll notice we have begun to do this occasionally in our worship.

Reason 2.
I think a decision to segregate our church members based on the style of worship music they prefer, rather than unite them around the mission of Jesus has incredible potential to split the congregation. Worship preferences have split more congregations than any other issue in history. It is a historical fact that when church members begin to focus on their own preferences and petty desires the results have been catastrophic. When this happens, my group becomes those who have the same preferences I do. Everyone else is an outsider.

So, we have chosen to focus on Christ's mission in making our decisions. Many will join us as we pursue this mission, others may choose to go to a church where they are more comfortable. All we can do is to do our best to be faithful to "complete the work that God has given us to do" (John 17:4).

There would be only one reason our leaders would consider changing the style of our worship for an additional worship gathering: to create a new worship environment targeted specifically toward a group of people who are far from God. This might mean a change of location (rented space outside our facility) or a change of style (i.e., edgier to reach a younger generation) but I promise our decision would be based on God's mission.

May God bless as follow His leading and continue His work...

With A Second Service Aren't We Just Splitting the Church?

2009-02-27T11:22:00.003-05:00

In some ways it will feel like it. There will be likely be fewer people attending the worship gathering you are part of, at least initially. It will feel different. There will be people you know that you will see less often, if they choose to attend at a different time. There will be some discomfort in all of us the first few weeks. There will likely be some "wilderness" time when we will feel like things were better back in Egypt (Numbers 14:3) and the only "rational" response would be to go back there.

But, like the Israelites, we must understand that the future God has for us will not be found in our rear-view mirror. And, His future, will require us to make sacrifices and make room. It is "making room" that is the key. Not only must we intentionally "make room" for newcomers; we must also allow God to use us to "fill it up" again. God's passion is to have two (then ten) of our worship spaces filled with people who are connecting with Him and having their lives changed by the encounter. He wants people you do life with, live next to, meet on the street, work in the cubicle beside, care about - to meet Him through your invitation. Rather than fret about what we might lose, can we instead rejoice in what they might gain - if we make room?

If we just divide up the attenders we already have...we lose. But if we can catch a vision of God's love for those who are far from Him and commit to partner with Him in brining them home - our lives - and our church - will never be the same.

Simply Invite.

A Couple of Additional Thoughts

2009-02-26T11:36:00.003-05:00

1. "Community" must never become more important to the church than reaching newcomers or those far from God.

2. Isn't it wonderful that God is blessing our church with new people when 85% of the congregations is the United States are either plateaued or in decline?

I just posted a pretty disturbing article on my blog regarding trends in church attendance. You can get there by following this link:

By 2050, Only 10% of Americans will be in church on a given sunday…

Losin' that Lovin' Feeling

2009-02-26T11:21:00.001-05:00

Ask any group of congregational leaders what the strength of their congregation is, 95% of the time they will say “friendliness.” This holds true regardless of a church’s size. Ask about their number one fear when starting a second service, most will say: we're afraid we'll "lose that lovin' feeling." Well, if they were really cool that's what they'd say. Yet, even as they say that, it is difficult to pin down what they mean.

Sociologist tell us that a human being can only maintain a strong relationship with 40-50 people. We can recognize the faces of more people than that, but when it comes to knowing their names, kids names, pets names. 40 or 50 is about all we can handle. So, if we target our church size to the number of people we can have really close ties with, our churches would never grow above 50 people. But that's not ususally how it works.

I've been in congregations of less than 50 people that were cold as ice. And I've been in congregations with thousands of members that felt like a huge extended family. Friendliness and family feelings have little to do with size. This church was welcoming and relationally warm at 100 and we are welcoming and relationally warm at 200. Even in the midst of new faces, names we can't remember, an ever-increasing crowd, it still feels like family. Newcomers sense it immediately. It is a part of our DNA that we must never lose; whether we are 300 or 3000. It is part of who we are and what God has created us to do best.

We won't lose "it" by going to two services. We may have to be more intentinal about connecting with folks who are attending worship at a different time. Make use of the combined connecting time between the services. Look for opportunities to be together outside of Sunday morning. Serve together during the week.

The truth is the larger we grow, the more important our LIFE Groups will become. It is there we will find a large part of our 40 or 50. We grow our strongest relationships there as we "do life together."

One of the biggest questions growing families faces is "will we make room." It is true in our physical families when Mom and Dad bring home a new brother or sister. It is true in our spiritual family when God "adds to our number" (Acts 2:47). Our willingness to make room doesn't make us any less of a family - it only enlarges the number touched by "that lovin' feeling."

What Will Adding A Second Worship Time Do For Us?

2009-02-25T11:31:00.004-05:00

1. It will help us stay on mission.
God is not finished with us yet. We haven't arrived. It's not time for us to coast into retirement or ride off into the sunset. We don't get an extended period of "me-time." God still has an urgent mission for us. We have not completed it. In many ways it feels like we are just getting started. Adding a second worship service is a critical next step toward completing the work God has given us to do.

The goal of our ministry is to connect real people to the real God for real change. It is easy to see God at work among us. When God is at work He attracts a crowd. Jesus wasn't put-off by that. He continually invited any and all to come. That was His invitation, and it must be ours. Yes, crowds cause chaos. There are always adjustments. But every crowd is filled with unique individuals that Jesus gave His life for. He would have us welcome each one. Here's the issue: studies say that when our worship space is over-crowded, 70%-80% full, new people perceive their is no room for them. It would be a tragedy if even one newcomer felt unwelcome because we didn't love them enough to make room.

If there are no new faces, adding a second service doesn't make much sense. Just splitting up our existing crew would be no fun for anybody. The excitement comes as God, through you, brings new families, we extends His welcome and see their lives changed. Remember, the church doesn't exist for us - we are the church and we exist to connect people to God through Jesus Christ. This second service will help keep God's mission first.

2. It will bless our volunteers.
I'm not sure when Melissa Dasher attended adult worship last. Likely over a year ago. No, she hasn't lost her faith - but has chosen to put it into action. You see, she and her Heartland volunteers have made a huge sacrifice. They have bailed on the blessing of attending adult worship, in order to serve our kids and help them connect with God. One of the most exciting prospects of a new service is that volunteers will be able to experience our worship and serve others on the same Sunday morning. More people are already volunteering to work in Heartland, because they know they won't have to sacrifice worshiping with their church family.

Our second service is an intentional effort to make our worship available to more and more people. I pray that you will warmly welcome...and simply invite.

Second Service

2009-02-24T14:23:00.002-05:00

It is now officially - 1 month, 4 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes and 30 seconds till the launch of our new worship service.

Upgraded Spaces!!!!

2009-02-24T13:35:00.003-05:00

I’m just saying…I need to find some people to work with who won’t frivolously toy with my emotions. Jim Waldo came into my office this morning with a concerned look on his face. He sat down and said: “we got an alert from the bank this morning.” My countenance fell and I said something like “are you kidding me.” Every other time Jim and I have had conversations start that way, it has not been good news. He let me stew a while and then said: “that’s how I felt when I first saw the email…then I remembered I had set the account to send me an alert when our balance went over a specified threshold, so I could set some funds aside for Mission and Building Maintenance.” If he wasn’t a Marine I probably would have hurled myself across the desk and grabbed him around his not-so-scrawny neck. The blessing is that, while many, many churches are struggling financially in these difficult economic times, we continue to grow healthier with each passing week. We are not out-of-the-woods yet, and we're definitely not over-funded - but thanks to better management and your sacrifices - things are improving. Thank you for your partnership in the work God is doing here.

Speaking of what God is doing… let me give you a heads-up on some of the plans we have in place for the weeks leading up to Easter.

As you know, our growth has caused some space issues for our ministries. More debt is not in our future, so we have to begin to utilize the space we already have as creatively as possible. In the coming weeks there will be a few renovations and space reallocations happening in our church.

First, we are going to frame in two new offices on the north end of the Chestnut Room. My office will move into one of those new spaces. This move will have our staff offices located together. This can be done inexpensively utilizing the people and resources we already have in place. The plan is to complete this project before our workday on March 14th.

Second, the nursery will be relocated to my current office. This will allow all of our childrens ministry spac to be self-contained. This will provide greater security and a better connection between different aspects of our childrens ministry.

Third, the Chestnut Room will be decorated to be a more kid-friendly space for Heartland and utilized less as a multi-purpose room. It seems wrong to deprive our kids of a fun and exciting space because we might have two wedding receptions in that room each year. We chose to make that room an investment in our children.

Fourth, the Fellowship Hall will decorated and dedicated to our teens. We are going to upgrade the technology and create a welcoming space relevant to our teens and their friends to gather and learn about God.

Fifth, the our large current nursery will be set aside as a classroom and meeting space for adults. Any adult gatherings too large for that room will use our multi-purpose auditorium.

Sixth, we plan to make short-term improvements to our parking area.

Tons of work ahead, but without a ton of expense. These improvements will locate our office, student, and adult spaces in different sections of the building – allowing us to better utilize the space God has already provided.

If you would like to help with the upgrades in any of these areas, please contact the church office (410.742.5601) or the ministry leader overseeing the project. We really need everybody to pitch on our Work Day, March 14th. These are our plans, our prayer is to have them completed before Easter. Please jump in.

New Office Spaces Thom Keeton bluekeeton@comcast.net
Children’s Ministry Melissa Dasher bizemomx5@comcast.net
Youth Ministry Ken Dasher daddash@netzero.net
Adult Spaces Church Office churchoffice@heart4community.org
Parking Lot Upgrades Dave Pfingst pfinky29@hotmail.com

Growing Pains, Growing Plans

2009-02-02T10:21:00.002-05:00

Last Monday morning the peacefulness of my first cup of coffee was shattered as I opened my email program. As I scanned the subject lines of the incoming email, there it was. You know the kind. All you have to do is look at the subject line and you just want to go back to bed and start over. The subject line read “Concern in the Camp.” I was pretty sure the camp in question had nothing to do with holding hands around a campfire and singing Kum By Ya! The email was from one of our elders (there’s some good news). It was not only addressed to me but to all the other elders and to Sean. My first thought was “Ok, what did Sean do now!” Not really. My first thought was #%*@&! They say confession is good for the soul. Yes, you still need to pray for me. I clicked on the email and this is what confronted me...

Gentlemen,

I thought it best to get this info out ASAP. There was a disruption of sorts yesterday morning at the morning worship time. It appears that when Ingrid & I entered the corporate worship area to take our seats, to our surprise, we could not. Why you ask? Because someone we didn't even know had taken ours. Preposterous I say! On top of that, another CCC family of 5 had to relocate to other seating because of the very same thing.

LOL...Praise GOD, that there is "Change" in the wind & this "Change" isn't coming from President O. Thank you Brent & Sean, for the on going face-lift @CCC.

ALL4HIM,

clc

Let me say first that this type of email is just wrong. I’m old and my heart is not as strong as it used to be. Second, you and I both know that Charlie is right. Quite a few folks have seen unfamiliar faces in their sacred spaces recently. And it seems like every Sunday there are more of them than the Sunday before. The only seats available are the ones on the very front row (and the ones next to Ken).

Here’s the issue, we are running out of space. It’s not my fault. You’ve heard my preaching. If you have to blame someone, blame God. He is drawing them. Now that we have assigned blame sufficiently, let’s talk about what to do. (Praying that God would stop sending new people is not an option! Don’t even think about it).

In the short-term, I’d like to ask our regulars to choose seats further toward the front. Yes, I said it. And furthermore, someone is going to have to sit on the front row (i.e., in the spray zone) for this to really do any good. B.Y.O.U. (Bring Your Own Umbrella). This will ensure our guests don’t have to make the “walk of shame” to the front row after the service has already begun.

Our longer term plan, as I mentioned on Vision Sunday, is to begin a second worship service. Our plan is to make the transition on March 29^th. I hope we can wait that long. Why the 29^th. That will give us a couple of weeks to work the kinks out before Easter. The first service will begin @ 9:00 AM the second @ 10:45 AM. There will be a half-hour transition/fellowship time in between. As plans stand right now, Heartland will be offered at the second service only and the first service will have more of a family feel. I’ll be sending out information over the next several weeks to help prepare all of us for this transition. Yet, we believe strongly that God is calling to make more seats available at optimum times, so more and more people can connect with God and experience real change through our ministry at Community. The elders and I welcome your feedback.

Yes, this is another change. Yet, it is a change that moves us more deeply into the mission God has for us. Besides, you might even get your old seat back.

I’m glad to be on this journey with you. I pray that you will continue investing in the lives of those who don’t know Jesus and inviting them to experience God’s grace that flows in this place.

Grace and Peace,

Brent

Heartland Kids Making A Difference!

2008-12-15T09:22:00.000-05:00

From A News Blog in Salisbury, MD...

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Ringing The Bell For The Salvation Army Has Its Rewards

The other day I was standing in front of the North WalMart ringing the bell and handing out Candy Canes to all the young children.

All of a sudden I leaned over to hand one of the children a Candy Cane and the child said, I have something for you Sir. He then proceeded to thank me for what I was doing and handed me the package above. On one side was a small Snickers Bar taped to a small piece of paper. When I turned it over I got the added bonus of a message thanking ME for serving.

I'm telling you Folks, there aren't that many slots left open and you should jump on board and take one of the most rewarding hours, couple of hours, whatever you like. If you'd like to help out cal the Salvation Army at 410-749-7771 ext. 100 or me at 410-430-5349. You can also e-mail me at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com and let me know which open slot you'd like to take and I'll take it from there.

To the young man who gave me this Snickers Bar, God Bless You. The memory will last me a lifetime.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...: Community Christian Heartland kids are the AWESOME!!; 12:23 PM
Anonymous said...: You're so dramatic and self-serving I'm growing sick; 2:34 PM
Brenda Spindler said...: Not sure who the little guy was but that's our church and we are very thankful for our "heartland kids". Thanks Joe for posting this about them!
Brenda Spindler; 2:36 PM
Anonymous said...: Since I don't drink any longer ringing that bell is a good way to meet and greet some beautiful smiles from some sweeties.

The thing that impressed me the most was how many people let their very young kids put the money in the kettle, passing on a tradition of giving in this very blessed holiday season.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza and a holiday wish for everyone.

Today's news is the best I can remember since I recieved my James Bond double '00 spy kit with the exploding briefcase for Christmas when I was 8 years old : )

The so called attorney will now have to deal with a very upset throng of city employees that will be willing to stand in line to have their voices finally heard by an interested electorate. The proverbial Poo River will hit the fan then.

Many of these key city employees hold the deepest secrets of the current administration and are more than ready to be able to speak up without retaliation. It's not the city grunt employees that need to worry about their jobs, it will be the multitude of failures among department heads.

I persoanlly think PW director Mr. Caldwell and Joel Hamilton of the Zoo deserve a chance to perform their jobs unobstructed and let them cut their own puppet strings and let truth and reality reign.; 6:28 PM
MK said...: Joe,, After all yo do,, You deserved that! I am sure you feel very warm and good inside.. I am sure You sir,,deserve that!

I am getting ready to take off This Tuesday to do a Christmas Show at the MAC Center. I have done a few times and have taken personal days to volunteer my talent, and the feeling is WONDERFUL! Keep Up The Great Work! MK; 6:56 PM

Exciting Christmas Eve Plans

2008-12-09T08:57:00.005-05:00

If you remember, last year's Christmas Eve service was our best attended ever. It was really exciting to see so many new faces join us for that special evening. Our members made a concerted effort to invite their family, friends and neighbors - and we just left the outcome up to God. It was incredible.

This year are striving to make our Christmas Eve services available to more and more people. Since so many people have family obligations or travel in the evening on Christmas Eve, we are going to offer an additional Christmas Eve service at 4PM this year. Thats right...two Christmas Eve services...one at 4PM and one at 7PM. Our worship team is excited. Sean and I are stoked. We can't wait to see what God will do. The two services will be identical, except that our Children's Handbell Choir will perform at the 7PM service only. Each service will last one hour.

How can you help make our Christmas Eve services a blessing?

Make attending one of our Christmas Eve services a priority. If you really feel crazy, attend both so you can greet our guests. We promise it will be a blessing for your family.
Invite everyone you know to join you for this special event.
If you would like to participate in one of the services by reading scripture, please contact David and Juliana Smith.
Pray that God will move in SUPER ways, as we take care of the NATURAL.

Can't wait to worship with you on Christmas Eve.
Brent

BORN IDENTITY - Christmas Series

2008-12-04T08:27:00.002-05:00

Some Evangelism Humor

2008-11-20T09:45:00.003-05:00

Being an Answer to Prayer!

2008-11-19T09:32:00.007-05:00

From Time Magazine, Monday, Aug. 09, 1971

"There are few human dramas quite as compelling as the search for a lost child. When 9-year-old Kevin Dye wandered away from a picnic on rugged Casper Mountain in east central Wyoming, there was an extra edge of urgency and fear for his survival: Kevin is brain damaged and requires constant medication to prevent epileptic seizures.

Have you ever lost a child (when you weren't trying to)? Maybe in a grocery store? At the park? In the mall? You just turned away for a moment and they were gone. Do you remember the emotions? Your mind starts reeling. Something immediately starts churning and pulling in the pit of your stomach - and only intensifies as the search continues. The longer the search the more raw your emotions become. Any help you can find...anyone willing to join you in the search is a welcome partner. Remember how you felt as you read the following story from Jesus' life.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:35-38

When Jesus saw the crowds he had compassion on them. The word "compassion" is an anatomical word. It referred to the part of the anatomy between the navel and the groin. It became a word used to describe the churning and pulling you feel in the pit of your stomach when you are deeply moved by what you are seeing or experiencing. It's the same feeling you had when you lost your child. That's what the word "compassion" means.

Jesus saw people who were broken by life, struggling to get by, far from God and in the dark spiritually and it tore him up inside. Moved, as a parent during a long search, he pleads with His followers to pray that God would send more searchers - because there aren't many. There aren't many people moved by the lostness of others. Not many who lose sleep because others are far from God. There aren't many who are willing to set aside their own comfort in order to bring them aid or bring them home.

The article continues: More than 3,000 volunteers searched for eleven days until he was found—dehydrated and 25 Ibs. lighter than when his ordeal began, but otherwise in excellent condition. Kevin's vulnerability provoked special reactions to his plight. Volunteers from as far away as Philadelphia and East St. Louis came to help in the search; the National Guard was called in to trek through the dense forest at night with infrared spotting devices. The owners of a restaurant on Casper Mountain turned their establishment over to the searchers for use as a headquarters. Residents of the area brought food and coffee to the volunteers, who spent wearying hours in the mountain wilderness."

Kevin's vulnerability moved people to action. These searchers, many of whom were not God-followers, were moved to action by the same impulse that moved Jesus. Compassion for the vulnerable.

One truth about being in church is that it often distances us from lost people. Studies show that the longer a person is a Christian, the fewer non-Christian people they have in their lives. Isn't that ironic. Isn't that exactly the opposite of what Jesus asked us to pray for? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Jesus had people far from God around Him all the time. He said: "There are lost people everywhere" (i.e., the harvest is plentiful). He had so many around him that He often didn't have time to eat or rest. It just seems odd that the longer we're in church the fewer of those folks we have in our lives. Could it be that doing church and following Jesus are two very different approaches to life?

At Community, we don't want to just be "doing church." We are committed to following Jesus so closely that our lives are changing to be like His. We want to be an answer to Jesus' prayer for more workers. It is interesting that after Jesus calls His followers to pray for more workers, He sends them out to minister to the very people that were on His heart (Matthew 10:1, 5). They were the answer to that prayer. Will we be?

The hard truth is this: If we do not have people in our lives who are far from God...we are not as close to God as we think.

The Heart of Jesus

2008-11-18T11:17:00.005-05:00

Last night we had an incredible leaders meeting. We spent some time talking about our vision to be an externally-focused church. It concerned some leaders that they have heard statements from some members like: “I don’t think I want our church to grow, I don’t know everyone now”; or “why make all these changes to reach new people, we liked things the way they were;” or “what makes reaching new people more important than taking care of those we already have?” or “We were here first. This is our church.” These sentiments are by no means wide-spread but they are difficult to hear none-the-less. One leader observed that these sentiments are exactly what Sean talked about Sunday morning. Even in the church there is a temptation to focus on ourselves to the exclusion of the well-being (or salvation) of others.

All this begs the question: why would a church choose to focus on outsiders? Why even bother with those outside our walls at all? My answer is: because of God’s heart. It has always been my understanding that we are striving to reflect the heart of Jesus, regardless of the inconvenience or cost. We’ve said that spiritual maturity is having the things that matter to God matter to us. It is interesting to think about who was on Jesus’ mind during His last hours on this earth. Where was His focus?

In John 17 Jesus prayed for His disciples, as well as all those who would come to believe in Him through their words (John 17:20-23). That’s US. He prayed that His people would be unified. But that unity was not an end in itself. He wanted us to be unified “so that the world might believe.” Outsiders would be making decisions about a relationship with God based on how they saw His people treating one another. Jesus’ gaze was set on outsiders and he wanted to make sure that our behavior drew them to Him and didn’t push them away.

At the end of the Book of Matthew there is a passage we call the Great Commission. It is the climax of Matthew’s Gospel. In that passage Jesus says: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” I have underlined the Greek verbs in this passage: go, make, baptize and teach. Which do you think is the primary verb in that sentence? It is the word “make.” The other verbs describe how we make disciples. We go find them, we baptize them and we teach them. Our primary mission is to make disciples of all nations. As long as there is one person in our neighborhood or in a remote corner of the globe that does not know Jesus, our work is not done. We, like the Shepherd, would leave the ninety-nine to find the one lost sheep (Luke 15). Jesus’ focus was on those who were lost and dying without Him. His aim was to reach people and mature them to the point that they would go bring more and more people to God.

In Acts 1:8-9 Jesus gives his disciples their marching orders. These words represent His last words to His followers. He says: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. The word “witnesses” is the word “martus” a word from which we get our English word “martyr.” It is a missionary word. It speaks of one who can and will proclaim Jesus to those who do not know Him, even at the risk of their own lives. Jesus’ charge to his disciples was that they be witnesses to outsiders from here to the ends of the earth.

When the early church kept this focus it did well. This small band of disciples, through their witnessing, went from 120 to 3,120 literally overnight. I doubt they were concerned that they didn’t know everyone. It was exciting. They were on the front lines of God's work. People were being added to their number daily and the church very quickly grew to 5,000 men (not counting women and children). Conservative estimates are that within one year of Jesus’ final words, the number of His followers had grown from 120 to 20,000 people. And that was just the beginning.

It was when church members began to focus on themselves that the problems began. Paul's letter to the church in Corinth was written to a congregation that had lost its outward focus. That church had incredible problems. When churches turn inward they begin to fuss, fragment and die. We will have an eternity to praise our God and bask in the glow of our relationship with Him. What must matter to us now is bringing as many people with us as possible.

I have a few questions. Which do you think Jesus cares more about: me getting to worship in a style I like on Sunday morning or His church intentionally reaching out to those who will go to hell without Him? Is He more interested in me “knowing everyone” or with His church bringing more and more people to hear His life-changing Word? Is He more interested in my comfort or another person’s salvation?

The apostle Paul made it his mission to “win as many as possible.” When you hear me talk about being “on mission” that is what I mean. The leaders of our church from our elders, to our staff, to our ministry leaders have come together around this calling. We want the things that matter most to Jesus to matter most to us. As parents, it makes us proud when our children mature to the point that they put the needs of others ahead of their own. We believe God shares this emotion.

As leaders we face many difficult decisions. We lead a diverse church. It is impossible to please everyone. In our discussions we have identified two over-riding choices. We can either be member-driven or mission-driven. Member-driven churches work hard to keep all of their members happy. They focus on those they already have. They don’t rock the boat or introduce change. Their decisions are driven by what would make their members comfortable and happy. Most member-driven churches are withering and dying. The comfort of our members is too small a thing to dedicate our lives to. Leaders of mission-driven churches ask their members to join them in reaching the world for Jesus. They acknowledge the work will be hard. It will require sacrifice. Everybody will be uncomfortable. Yet, these leaders know that the mission of God drove Jesus’ life and it must drive ours as well.

I shared some of this article with Sean this morning. He shared a story of a man who came and spoke at their chapel service at Lincoln Christian College. After he preached one Sunday a woman came to him and said: “I just don’t think I want this church to grow any larger. I can’t go to a church that gets so big that I won’t know everybody’s name. I just don’t want to attend a church like that.” The old preacher said: “Ok, I understand, but I need you to help me with something.” That lady looked puzzled, but said: “OK, what?” He continued: “I need you to help me make a sign to put in front of our church for those who are passing by; a sign that says ‘we don’t give a rip if you are going to hell, there’s no room for you here.’” Ouch!

We long to reflect the heart of Jesus. Our vision is to be a mission-driven church. As leaders we pray that you will join us in the most difficult, exhilarating enterprise on the planet.

Bill Easum writes: “God will give you everything you ever need and more, if you will just make it about His kingdom and not about you!”

Slowed Economy - Sean

2008-11-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

Things happen in our lives that are totally out of our control and when they do it can be scary. We need to know that it’s necessary for us to experience this so that we can realize that we are not in control. I’ve been thinking about this a lot more lately because of the slowing state of our economy. People around the country have been losing jobs left and right and it has hit home right here in our community. I’ve been getting emails with prayer requests that seem to have a nervous tone about them because jobs are in jeopardy and the realization has set in that this is out of our control.

In my thinking about this stuff, randomly something hit me as a possibility. What if God Himself, has slowed down our economy on purpose? Maybe, it’s His way of telling us to stop chasing the dream of more. Ever since I have become a Christian I have heard messages about busyness, and this idea that we can’t be too busy to follow Jesus., and as time has gone on that message seems to be getting louder and louder.

I have personally experienced the slowing of the economy myself. About a year ago I got laid off from my job as a Community Life Minister. It was one of the toughest times in my life. Mentally I was spent everyday. Doing ordinary tasks seemed to become impossible to me. The days felt oddly short, yet filled with eternal boredom. I spent nine months unemployed and it financially wrecked me, but spiritually it brought me to places unknown. I experienced what it means that God alone holds us in His hands. I just want to share this message: it was worth the exchange!

The Polar Opposite of Passion

2008-11-03T08:48:00.008-05:00

Yesterday we talked about being passionate warriors for God. God placed us in our roles and we are called to fulfill our God-given assignments. The thing that most often gets in my way is... drum roll please... complacency.

To be complacent means to be "contented to a fault, self satisfied, especially when unaware of impending danger." The key words in this definition are contented, self-satisfied and unaware. Being complacent is being so proud of our own accomplishments, so satisfied with our life-situation that we are content to just enjoy the fruits of our labors. Complacent warriors aren't engaged in a battle - they view all of significant battles as being in the past - and now are content to enjoy the spoils of their own labor.

The story we studied yesterday began this way: "I Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace contented and prosperous" (Dan. 4:4). What he had forgotten - which brought about the impending danger was that - leadership is a stewardship, it was temporary, and he was accountable.

As warriors for the cause of Christ, we don't get to just prop our feet up and enjoy the fruits of "our labor." Our war is on-going and battles must be fought every single day, so as long as we have breath we continue to fight. The greatest threat to our involvement God's work in this world is complacency.

Leaders don't wait for a crisis to answer the call. A leader doesn't wait for his wife to say she is leaving before getting concerned about his marriage. A leader does not wait for his son to develop and addiction before being concerned about the character of his friends. A real leader doesn't wait for a financial crisis at church to begin to reflect on where the resources God has poured into his life are really going. Leaders live their leadership every day, in light of God's purposes, because they know God has placed them in their roles, for this specific time, and they are accountable to Him.

24-Hour Prayer Focus

2008-10-27T10:21:00.001-04:00

We had a great time in our LIFE Group last night. One outcome was the proposal that our group invite our church family into a 24-Hour prayer focus this coming weekend. With a critical election before us next Tuesday, families impacted by the economic downturn, God’s mission before us – we must move forward together under God’s direction and in His power. What a way to start a new month of service. Here is our proposal.

Some Questions about our 24-Hour Prayer Focus.

Who: Anyone and everyone who wants to participate, individuals, couples, families or small groups.

What: A 24-hour chain of unbroken prayer

When: 10:00 AM Saturday till 10:00 AM Sunday.

How: Sign up for a ½ hour or hour time-slot and commit to pray for those items mentioned above – and others things that are on your heart. (we’ll provide a list to help guide your thoughts). We should easily be able to fill up all of the time slots. This will provide a 24-hour unbroken chain of prayer from our church family. Michele Keeton will be doing signups on Wednesday evening or you can also sign up by emailing Michele at bluekeeton@comcast.net.

Where: Wherever you are. You don’t need to come to our campus to pray. Spend time in focused prayer wherever you happen to be.

Please join us…

Keeton’s LIFE Group

Where Have All The Men Gone?

2008-10-08T11:15:00.001-04:00

This week we begin a message series that focuses on men…and we’ve strategically placed our Men’s Retreat in the middle of this series. I know this may seem a little unfair for our women. But I hope you’ll agree that one of the greatest gifts we can give the women of our church is to help the men in their lives become the men God is calling them to be. If you look around, you have to admit, the church has not been very helpful in this process.

As part of my prep for the series I’m reading a book titled: “Why Men Hate Going To Church.” For a supposedly male-dominated institution, the statistics are staggering.

The typical U.S. congregation draws an adult crowd that’s 61% female, 39% male. This gender gap shows up in all age categories.
On any given Sunday there are 13 million more adult women than men in America’s churches.
This Sunday almost 25 percent of married, churchgoing women will worship without their husbands.
Midweek activities often draw 70 to 80 percent female participants.
The majority of church employees are women (except for ordained clergy, who are overwhelmingly male).
Over 70 percent of the boys who are being raised in church will abandon it during their teens and twenties. Many of these boys will never return.
More than 90 percent of American men believe in God, and five out of six call themselves Christians. But only two out of six attend church on a given Sunday. The average man accepts the reality of Jesus Christ, but fails to see any value in going to church.
Churches overseas report gender gaps of up to 9 women for every adult man in attendance.
Christian universities are becoming convents. The typical Christian college in the U.S. enrolls 2 women for every 1 man.
Fewer than 10% of U.S. churches are able to establish or maintain a vibrant men’s ministry.

The author concludes that today's church has feminized Jesus and expects attenders to participate in intimate, nurturing behavior including things like singing “love songs” to Jesus, hand-holding, sharing feelings, while inviting everyone to have a “personal relationship” with the Savior. Many men feel uncomfortable in such an environment and choose not to go. In fact, nearly every man in America has experienced church at some point in his life, yet two-thirds of them do not currently feel it worthy of two hours of their time on a Sunday morning. Something is tragically wrong.

You can draw two different conclusions to this data.

· You could conclude that men are inherently unspiritual. It’s easy to blame the men. Yet, almost every other religion (Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim) reverse the men/women percentages mentioned above.

· You could conclude that most of our churches have become environments that are not very inviting to men. Therefore, they are choosing to express their spirituality in other ways and in other places.

Why does this matter? At a recent seminar our leaders attended together, the speaker shared these statistics: If a child attends church first, 17% of the time the parents will follow; if a woman attends church first, 33% of the time the family will follow; if a man attends church first, 93% of the time the family will follow.

We must be intentional about “making room” for men in our churches and be intentional about inviting them to be the “real men” that God is calling them to be.

Becoming A Sticky Church

2008-09-30T14:09:00.005-04:00

On Sunday a newcomer engaged me following our worship. She spoke of her gratitude for Community and I said: “I’m really glad you found us.” With tears in her eyes, she replied: “We didn’t find you – God led us here. From the first time I walked into this building, I knew we were home.”

God is creating a church that people love to come to. But, what if, rather than just creating a church that people love to come to - what if we also created a church that people refuse to leave."

For years, the primary focus in many churches has been on the “front door”—people coming into the church. And while such an emphasis remains the Great Commission priority, our leaders are equally concerned with integrating newcomers into the life of the church.

Researchers have discovered four major factors that are at work when churches close the back door effectively. If all four are in play, the back door closed tight. But any one of these factors still contributes to more effective assimilation.

1. High Expectations

The American Church went through a period of more than 10 years when churches significantly lowered their expectations of members and attendees. The result was an exodus of people from the church. “Why would I want to be a part of something that expects nothing of me?” a former active church member told a research team. People want to be challenged to invest their lives in something that matters. We must establish clear expectations of service, stewardship and attendance, etc. We need people invested in the most important mission on this planet.

2. Small Groups

Second, churches that close the back door seek to get as many of their members as possible into small groups. Connections and life-change happens best in small groups. If you are only a Sunday attender, let me challenge you to be involved at a deeper level in our spiritual family. You will be blessed. You can find a list of our small groups on our website at www.heart4communtiy.org. It is in our small groups that we begin “doing life together.”

3. Ministry Involvement

The third key component is ministry involvement. The earlier a new member or attendee can get involved in a church’s ministries, the higher the likelihood of effective assimilation. This is a critical time-frame that our ministry leaders monitor closely. Churches that close the back door have a clear plan to get people involved and doing ministry as quickly as possible. We currently have a high guest-retention rate – one reason is that newcomers get involved in serving very quickly. Incidentally, the newcomer I mentioned at the beginning of this article - signed up to serve the second Sunday she and her husband attended.

4. Relationship Connections

Finally, the more new members connect with longer-term members, the greater the opportunity for assimilation. In an interesting twist in the research, they found that most of these relationships developed before the new member ever came to the church. In other words, members were intentionally developing relationships with people outside the walls of the church. They invited them to church after the relationship had been established.

You’ll have to judge how we are doing in each of these areas. One thing I would ask is that you help make Community a “sticky church.”

Countering Our American Culture

2008-09-29T13:57:00.000-04:00

In college I had a really good friend named Legesse. He was from Ethiopia, and had actually spent a lot of time in the country of Yemen. When he moved here to America and eventually to college with me he obviously brought with him some foreign mannerisms. For example, in America, if there is open seating at a movie or anywhere, and you are going with a friend, when you sit down you will naturally leave an empty seat or two between you. It’s part of our American culture. We are all about space. Legesse didn’t have that. If I sat down with him in class or at a movie or a conference he would sit right next to me and it felt like almost right on top of me! At first I was very uncomfortable. I didn’t like not having personal space. But after a while it didn’t bother me. And I started to see this lack of personal space as a good thing because literally and figuratively I allowed people to get closer to me.

Why do I bring this story up? Well, there are times to embrace culture and times we need to counter our culture. I noticed we are encountering something phenomenal here at CCC. We are experiencing growth. Not just in maturity (although I think we are), but we are also experiencing God bringing us more people, and with this awesome phenomenon comes some hiccups that we have to deal with. This past Sunday for the first time I sat in the back row at CCC. I noticed that in front of me there were a lot of empty spaces, empty chairs, even some rows that were barren. I realized that just like in high school on the bus everyone seems to cling to the back! I understand Brent smells a little, but come on people! No, but hear me out on this. Imagine you are a new person coming to Community for the first time. You get there but you are a little late. As you quietly open the doors to where people are meeting you scan the crowd and see that there are no seats open in the back row. You now have two choices: 1. Make the walk of shame – you have to walk past everyone as they watch you. Find a seat right up front as you crawl over people at the end of the isles, and you have to risk someone publically embarrassing you. Or, 2. You just leave. If you were new, which would you choose, and be honest?

I don’t want people to miss out on an opportunity to possibly meet God for the first time because we were sitting in the back to have our own space. That’s not what we as a church are all about. I just want to challenge all of us, myself included, to sit closer to the front and leave the back open. To sit next to someone instead of leaving gaps in the seats. To not just nab the aisle seat because you like the aisle. Let’s consider others even when it comes to where to sit. Let’s counter our American culture.

One Month To Live Inro Video

2008-09-15T11:54:00.003-04:00

In case you missed it, we used this video to kick off our One Month To Live Series. We have had several comments on the video, hope it encourages you on your spiritual journey toward a "no-regrets life."

Baptism Resources

2008-08-28T09:49:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to let you know about some new study resources on the subject of baptism that have been published on Community's website. The first item is a brief article titled: Community's View of Baptism. At the bottom of the article there are two downloadable files. The first is a "Baptism Study Guide" which contains self-study materials for both teens and adults. The second download is a recent message on baptism titled: What's the Skinny on the Dip. We hope these resources will (1) help newcomers know what we believe about baptism; (2) encourage others to commit their lives to Jesus through baptism; and (3) help Christians remember and cherish their own baptisms. You can find these resources at the following link: Baptism Resources

Families Want To Serve!!!!!

2008-08-26T11:51:00.003-04:00

I just had a very timely article drop into my inbox from the Externally Focused Church Network. It contains some research finding that might surprise you. The article is fairly brief. I hope you'll take the time to read it. I highlighted in red the text that jumped out at me.

___________

Survey Says Families Want to Serve Together with Family and Community Ministries Journal

In the Jan/Feb 2008 edition of Rev! Magazine executive editor and good friend of EFN, Alan Nelson, predicted 12 trends in ministry to come by 2018. One trend he predicted was that the classroom approach to learning will lessen and people will begin to learn through active service-like community service projects and mission trips. ″Connecting Scriptures with these experiences will increase…Bono and others are causing us to realize that faith without the fruit is dead,″ he writes.*

Alan also predicted that the emphasis on Family Ministry will grow. He writes, ″There is a felt need to pursue family unity and intergenerational worship and spiritual formation. Family Pastor is currently the fastest growing new ministry title and this will continue into the next decade, as churches strive to equip and empower parents to assume their responsibility.″

Well, Alan, it looks as if those two predictions are already coming true. The Family and Community Ministries Journal, published by Baylor University School of Social Work didn't just predict service learning would be important to the future church, they found that families are asking for it. In 1993, Diana Garland, Dean of Baylor University's School of Social Work, and Dr. Pam Yankeelov, professor at the University of Louisville, developed a tool called the Church Census to help church leaders understand how they are reaching families and what church families want and need. 150 churches have used this census for 12 years.* (For a full review of survey findings, see the Summer 2007 edition of the journal).

While the survey has exposed a number of insightful connections to today's church families, discovering how consistently churchgoers expressed a desire to serve was one of the major surprises for Garland. Among all denominations, socioeconomic and age groups, the most common answer to ″how can the church help,″ was ″give us ways to serve others outside our family.″

Parents must be sensing what Garland is already sure about: ″We know that children who grow up serving next to adults are more likely to attend church as young adults. It makes it more meaningful,″ she shares.

She admits that finding families wanting more service opportunities came as a bit of a surprise. Garland shares, ″We didn't expect that. Even families who are struggling themselves want to serve others. The opportunity to help others was the single most requested thing of church families, across the board. They want help living their faith. These families are telling us that the focus of church need to be centered on ways families can minister to the world. We've tended to see service as an add-on to worship, with worship being the main focus. Families are saying we need to turn that around.″

An Important Question - Your Input Requested!

2008-08-20T09:17:00.004-04:00

I want to ask you a question. I hope you'll either email me your answer or post a comment, for others to see, at the bottom of this article. Here's the question...

Today, if you found out that you had 30 days left on this earth, what would you do?

What items would immediately shoot to the top of your personal "to-do" list? How would your life be different after receiving the news? Take some time to mull this over and let me know what you came up with.

"Go Fish" Class This Wednesday

2008-08-18T12:51:00.003-04:00

CCC has historically offered more in-depth adult Bible studies on Wednesday evenings. That tradition will continue because we see that value of studying God's word so it can serve as the foundation for our lives. Dave Pfingst will be teaching an in-depth study titled "Beginnings" this Wednesday evening at 7PM. As leaders we are committed to CCC being deeply rooted in God's word.

Yet, we also hold strongly to another biblical mandate for leaders. A huge part of our calling as leaders is to equip God's people for works of service. Ephesians 4:11-12 it says: "It was he [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." We are not fulfilling our calling as leaders if we are not also providing opportunities for our members to be equipped to follow Jesus into ministry.

One way we will try to to that is to offer an additional equipping class each Wednesday night, which will run concurrently with our in-depth Bible study. Our first equipping class is a six-week study titled: "Go Fish." Brent will lead this equipping time. It is designed to help us explore God's heart for those who don't know Him and the role we can play in introducing others to Him. Along the way we will be equipped with tools that will help us make sharing our faith a natural part of our lives. The sessions include:

Week 1: We Were All Fish Once!
Week 2: Why Fish?
Week 3: Fish Guts!
Week 4: Fishing Buddies!
Week 5: Muddy Water!
Week 6:The One That God Away!

I hope you will take a chance, offer God an evening a week, and dare to be equipped for the most significant investment of your life. Those who experience an eternity with God because of your sacrifice will be worth it all.

The Church with the Big Heart

2008-08-12T14:37:00.006-04:00

Five players from CCC's softball team were fortunate enough to play in the Rec. League's All Star softball game last night. We had a great time. Our team won the game 10-9 by scoring three runs in the bottom of the 7th inning. Very cool.

The best part of the evening for me happened after the game. When we got home Patti recounted a conversation with a player from another team. He was waiting to bat and asked our crowd who they were cheering for. They said: Community Christian Church. He replied: "Oh, Community Christian, the church with the big heart." And he wasn't just talking about our logo. Let's keep focusing on things that matter most. Let's keep sharing God's big heart with others. They are noticing.

Kudos to Our Heartland Team

2008-08-11T14:12:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to pass on the good work our volunteers are doing in Heartland. Following is a copy of an email from a parent...

_________________

Dear Jean and Nancy,

I called Millie this morning to find out who was in Heartland with our son, Eli. Although he is not 3 yet, he has been enjoying meeting with Heartland for the past month and we see him opening up in many areas. I shared with Millie this;

You two made such a huge impression on Eli with the Bible story David and Goliath. We could barely get in the van after church because he was insistent that we look at "Big Bad Guy, Yellow, Giant" on his Map Book he was holding...which was the best way he could find to describe Goliath...lol. He takes pride in hanging up his Map Book on the fridge so that we don't forget to finish it. And since it is hung at Eli's height, he is reminded of what he was taught that Sunday every morning he enters the kitchen. Last night, although it was getting late, he went on and on about Goliath. So Rick and I decided to view "Greatest Legends and Heroes of the Bible" David and Goliath Movie. Again, he watched it this morning and later at lunch he just had to hold his 'homework'/Map Book while he watched the movie once again. Although his vocabulary is still just a few repetitive words he uses big expressions and acts out whatever you taught him. It brings us great joy to see Eli's excitement for the Lord and bible heroes!!! Even as we headed to the church this morning to meet some friends, Eli had to go get his paper plated basket you made with/for him and take it with us. He loves going to Heartland and learning. We just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR CHILD'S LIFE THROUGH THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST!!!

Love In Christ,
Rick and Annie Dethloff
www.ablessedbunch.blogspot.com

Mission Team Update

2008-08-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

I tried to write this last night. I wrote about six paragraphs and hit the “send” button and, since my computer had disconnected from the internet without my knowing it, everything was erased. I turned the computer off and went to bed. Tonight I’ll give it another shot.

We are working in the little town of Pearlington, Mississippi. Before the hurricane there were over 850 homes standing, after Katrina there were 30. Only five houses did not have standing water as the result of the storm. The eye of the storm made landfall here, the devastation is amazing.

We went on a tour of the most devastated areas Sunday afternoon. One sight that will stick with me is of a small stick-built home, maybe 1000 square feet, in the immediate area where the levy’s broke. Every window was broken out of the house, the front door was broken. Trash littered the yard. It was, for all intents and purposes, an abandoned home. But as we drove by I look through the broken front door and saw an old man sitting in a chair looking outside. It was a normal day at home for him. Most of the places where houses stood are cement slabs. We’ve heard some incredible stories we’ll be able to share with you when we get home.

The one thing that has impacted all of us is that the three year anniversary of the storm is approaching and there is still so much to be done. Precious few of the homes lost in Pearlington have been rebuilt. We are presently working on four. Our group has been subdivided into four teams, each working on a separate project.

One team painted the interior of an entire house, over the last two days. They are in close contact with the elderly homeowner. He is so excited about moving into his new home. Last night, after our crew left, he came in and primered three rooms so our team could finish their painting today. He is excited to move into his new home in the next few days. It will be his first new home.

One team spent the last two days finishing the kitchen on another home. They installed cabinets, countertops, appliances, and finished the interior trim. Another team has sheetrocked an entire house.

My team spent the last two days finishing the upstairs of a home that will house a new preacher and his family. He is coming to plant a new church in Pearlington. So many seeds have been planted here for the kingdom, and those who have been blessed are responding. Ron (our supervisor) told me today that “Pearlington is on fire for the Lord.” This young ministry family is the next step in creating a long-term presence for the kingdom here. He and his family are planning to move in within a month. They will be sheltered by a home that we helped build. They will be surrounded by passages from God’s word we wrote behind the drywall. They will be blessed by a ministry made possible by YOU. Thank you for making it possible for us to be here – we’re doing our best to be a blessing while we are here. Keep us in your prayers. More later…

God Sightings!

2008-07-31T13:44:00.007-04:00

God seems to always provide the encouragement we need at just the right time. Today has been like raindrops (of encouragement) on my heart.

It started this morning with Miss Gloria. She has a way of just randomly showing up in my office. It is never an interruption, but always a spiritual boost. She shared her excitement of being part of our upcoming mission trip - and in tears - talked about her dreams for Community being fulfilled before her very eyes. Her heart goes before us as we journey outside our walls to bless others.

Ken sent the email about Shawn being baptized (see previous post) which is incredible news. It speaks of a family of Christ-followers reaching out and including one God had sent our way. It is the story of God's grace flowing from one family member to another, helped along by one of God's willing servants. This work of the Spirit holds the promise of transforming the futures of entire families.

Ken later noted, in amazement, the number of new people who have come to Community that are not sitting on the sidelines, but are serving in big and small ways in our ministry. God is bringing spiritual leaders with servant hearts to Community, not just those who are seeking Him for the first time. He is building a foundation of leadership in our Body that will be a springboard for the blessings He intends to provide.

Then Annie Dethloff came in. She commented on how she loved the worship last Sunday and shared with wonder the impact that Heartland had on Eli. He came home and told her the entire Bible story, hand-motions and all - and thanked her for bringing him to church. He will be 3-years-old in October. This is our vision in action. We dream of kids waking their parents up on Sunday mornings begging to come to church.

I could mention two or three other things, but you get the idea. Not every day is like this for me - but the majority are! I think today was just good timing. I pray you are able to lift your gaze occasionally and see God working in this church family - and in your home. When you do, be sure to say "Thank You!"

New Brother in Christ

2008-07-31T12:13:00.002-04:00

It is hard to miss God's hand working in our church family. We're blessed have elders, like Ken, who are investing in the spiritual development of our church. Ken sent me the following note this morning.

Hi Brent!

Gotta share this with you... on Sunday, when dropping off my kids at camp for MMAD week, I was approached by Shawn Moore, one of our youth group members. Shawn has been attending CCC for almost a year now, and has really jumped in and become part of the core group. Anyway, Shawn wanted to talk about baptism. He and I had a great talk. He had been talking to his dad for a while about the subject and was looking for some answers.

On Monday, Shawn and I spent some time together doing a pretty intense Bible study on the subject. He decided that he wanted to be baptized on Wednesday. I spoke with his dad on the phone and we made arrangements. Wednesday night Shawn's dad, mom, aunt and cousin all came up to the camp and I had a great time of Bible study with all of them, showing them what I had shared with Shawn on the subject of baptism.

After that, we all went out to the swimming pool (with all of the campers there with us) and Shawn was immersed, accepting Jesus as his Lord and his Savior. What a blessing!! There's more, though... Shawn's dad is convicted that he needs to do the same (and probably would have if he had had a change of clothes...) Stay tuned for developments there...

God is good, and He is busy in our midst!

Honoring Volunteers!

2008-07-28T15:56:00.007-04:00

A couple of upcoming events are causing me to take stock of our ministry and the blessing it is for me to lead a congregation like Community. First, I'm preparing to teach three sessions at the Energizing Smaller Churches conference in North Carolina, on "Sharing the Workload." Second, we have eighteen volunteers taking a week of their lives to bless hurricane victims in Slidell, LA. Both of these events have reminded me to be thankful for the incredible team of volunteers that work to bless others every single week!

You may not know how many hours Melissa and Millie put in preparing for Heartland. Or know the hours that David and Juliana log to ensure our worship flows, honors God and is meaningful for each of us. The list of people and ministries I could mention is nearly endless. Think of how many lives are influenced each week by those buying donuts and making coffee; delivering mugs; ministering to our teens; leading our women's ministry; cutting grass; teaching our children; growing our men's ministry; hosting or leading our groups; managing finances; taking care of our facilities or cleaning the bathrooms.

Most things, of any eternal consequence, are happening because of volunteers who are giving up precious hours every week to bless others. We would be offering no meaningful ministry without them. Don't these people have jobs, families, a life? Yes they do. Yet, they have chosen to carve out time to be on mission with God to bless others. They see life through the lens of eternity.

Yes, pray for the team Sunday as we leave for a short-term mission. But please also pray for those volunteers who are on mission here every week, for the long haul... and don't forget to say "Thanks!" Pray that God will lift up the weary arms and strengthen weak knees of the volunteers who serve us, and God, so faithfully.

I'm blessed to work beside you to bear fruit, "fruit that lasts."

"Daily Diggs" kick off today

2008-07-28T15:01:00.007-04:00

Is that one cute gopher or what? In Colorado we despised them, but who can hate on a gopher showing off his "hallelujah hands"?

Today kicks off the first edition of our Daily Diggs. "Diggs" are daily opportunities to dig deeper into the "Big Idea" from Sunday and explore how we can put it into practice in our lives.

You should have already received the first "Digg" by email today. If not, check your Junk Email folder. If it's there move it to your Inbox then call me. We need to talk about why church mail is going to your junk folder :-).

I want to thank Sean and Margo, Charlie Fooks, and Steve Raley for all their work. They're committed to helping us stay connected to God and His mission every day. I hope you'll honor their investment in your spiritual development by making an investment of your own. Commit to "Do The Diggs" every day and trust God for the outcome. He'll help each one of us grow up into the image of His Son. Thanks for your part in making it a great day yesterday and for investing in God's future for Community.

Previews of Coming Attractions

2008-07-23T11:29:00.007-04:00

I wanted to write to give you a preview of coming attractions at Community. There are some exciting activities coming our way and some important changes. This Fall won't be "business-as-usual" so please read through this entire post to get the full picture.

This Sunday we kick off a new series and our new discipleship process. Our new series is "Fully Alive ." Ignatius (one of the early Church Fathers) said: "The glory of God is a human being fully alive." I believe he's right. A human being living the full, abundant life Jesus came to offer is God's glory. But if that statement is true of individuals, it is also true of God's church. A church "firing on all cylinders" brings God glory and brings Him great pleasure. In this series we'll explore the different aspects of our church life that matter to God and must matter to us. Our first message, Fully Fueled, talks about the vision that fuels Community and drives us into God's future.

Next Week...
Next week you will also begin receiving our "Daily Diggs." The Diggs are daily devotionals, written by our members, based on the "Big Idea" of Sunday's message. They are designed to guide your daily devotional time, help you dig deeper in to Scripture and provide creative ways to apply the material shared on Sundays to your everyday life. These Daily Diggs will come via email (with hard copies on the Welcome Table for those who aren't on our email list). Look for the first installment this Monday morning.

Wednesday Nights... (8/20 and beyond)
Our Wednesday night Bible Classes pick up again on August 20th. Our growth has made it necessary to make some changes. The most noticeable changes will be what happens before our study time. First, the church will no longer be providing meals on Wednesday Evenings. Though we know the blessing of having the family share a meal together, logistically it is not possible for us to provide those meals for our growing family. We do still encourage families to bring their meals and enjoy the fellowship with others prior to our 7:00 PM study time. Second, because of the changes in our class structure, we will no longer have a time of corporate worship before those studies begin.

This Fall we will be offering three distinct adult study opportunities each Wednesday night. We aren't naive enough to believe that everyone is in the same place spiritually or needs the same things to progress on their spiritual journey. Options are good. In that knowledge, we will be offering three different adult study opportunities each Wednesday night. First, Dave Pfingst will be teaching a class titled: "Beginnings." This will be an in-depth Bible study focusing on God's work in fulfilling His promise to Abraham that through him "all nations would be blessed." Second, Brent will facilitate a second equipping study titled: Go Fish! This study will feature DVD teaching content by Andy Stanley. We'll explore the motivation behind sharing our faith. Discover God's heart for those who don't know Him and the role that we can play in introducing others to Him. Along the way each participant will be equipped with tools that will help the make sharing their faith a natural part of their life. Third, Sean and Margo will be leading a Young Adult small group, at the home of Seth and Kristi Friese. This will be a great launch into a new phase of our ministry to young adults in our church and community.

Some other events in the planning stages for this Fall... (Mark your calendars)

Gulf Coast Mission Trip (August 3-9th)
Life Groups Kick Off (September 7th)
One Month To Live Series (Sept. 7th - Oct. 5th)
Braveheart Weekend Men's Retreat (October 17-18 - kilts optional)
Senior High Mission Trip to New York City (tentatively October 24-26)

More detailed information on these and other events coming soon.

Brace yourself for an exciting season of ministry at Community.

Softball: Post Season Feedback - Signups

2008-07-15T10:36:00.002-04:00

I received a call yesterday afternoon from Darin Kovach. Darin is the President of Wicomico County's Church Softball League. He heard about us from the umpires and officials in the Rec. League. Darin said one umpire, who umps in both the church and rec league, called him and said: "Darin, you aren't gonna believe this. There is church team in the county rec. league. They have more people in the stands on their side of the field than we do (church league) on both sides of the field for our games. They have a great time, a lot of spirit and everyone is talking about them. You should give them a call and try to get them into our league." Darin called to try to get us into a tournament and possibly to provide a team for a Fall church league (if they have enough interest).

Our original reason for joining the rec league, rather than the church league, was to be able to have a positive influence on non-church people's perception of Jesus and His people. Mission accomplished. I just want to say thanks to all of those who played this year. And all those who came out to our games. You really shared something that was very attractive to our community.

There seems to be a lot of interest in playing this Fall. Interest sheets (sign-ups) will be in on the welcome table this week. This might be a great opportunity to invite some unchurched friends to be part of our team(s) as well. If we have enough interest, we'll put a team in the church league and another in the rec. league. Everyone who has an interest, please sign up.

Faith Becoming Known II

2008-07-01T08:46:00.003-04:00

I just have to preface this post by saying we have a lot of fun playing softball. We have great fans and there are a lot of great guys on our team that are enjoying playing the game together. I would also be remiss if I didn't come clean and say, we're not very good. We have not won a single game this season. Truth is, we might have a better record if we had played in the "church league." But we made a decision to play in the county league because we wanted to have a chance to interact with our community. Our hope is that there just might be more to this thing than wins and losses.

Last night one young man from another team had just doubled off the fence. He came into second base and was standing there with his hands on his knees catching his breath. Guys on our team started encouraging him: "nice shot," "great job." He looked at me and said: "I really love playing against you guys!" To which Shawn Adams, playing second base, replied: "Every team loves playing against us." Both statements are true! The young guys was commenting on how encouraging we were and how you don't see much of that with some of the other teams. It was one of those moments that reminded me why it is worth enduring the pain of losing night after night...God is up to something.

Earlier this season, between games of a double-header, we had 50 or 60 people from church gather beside the field for a cook out. We were just enjoying being together. One of the employees of the park later said: "I love that you guys did that. That is what this park was designed for. Your people are having fun together and people are noticing and talking about it."

Having having fun, building relationships, watching God work through us ... even at 0-and-18 ... Life is Good!

Faith Becoming Known

2008-06-26T11:26:00.003-04:00

I received a phone call yesterday from a representative of Roanoke Bible College in Elizabeth City, NC. Patti took the call, expecting a request to come and speak to our teens about attending their school. Yet, the request we received was quite different.

It seems that Standard Publishing is conducting a regional seminar on RBC's campus entitled, Energizing Smaller Churches. It is an equipping opportunity for church leaders in the eastern US who serve churches with 200 or fewer in attendance. It seems that those putting together this seminar have "heard about how God is working at Community" and wanted to invite me to be a presenter.

My first reaction, after hanging up the phone was to laugh out loud. I appreciate the invite, but I think their vetting process needs some work. The reality is, if I actually felt like I had anything to offer (i.e., knew what I was doing), I might accept. But most weeks it feels more like God is doing His thing, and I'm just trying to keep up or, more accurately, stay out of His way. That's not a bad place to be but I'm just not sure that's the "how-to" stuff they are looking for.

Then it hit me... "the way outsiders view Community is changing." These people didn't know me from Adam, but they had heard what God was doing in this church. That brought a smile to my face. God is working, people are noticing the transformation, and God is being praised. That is the vision of our church - individually and collectively. During the smile-fest, God reminded me of something Paul said to the Christians in Rome: "Let me say first of all that your faith in God is becoming known..." Romans 1:8. Very, very cool.

Pray for wisdom as I decide what to do with this invitation. I don't really need another thing to do. Yet, if this is an opportunity to glorify God by talking about how He is working in our church and, at the same time, a chance to encourage the hearts of other leaders, it might be a very good thing.

New Series: Retro Church

2008-06-25T08:30:00.006-04:00

For newcomers, going to church can feel like stepping out of a time-machine into another world with a foreign language, strange teachings and traditions from a distant century. If we've been in church for a while these activities can become so familiar they lose their sense of wonder. But the question remains: What relevance do any of these ancient practices have to my life? Shouldn't we just flag them as outdated and move on? Yet, they seemed to be at the heart of the life of the first-century church, but do they have value for us? How do attitudes and approaches of the ancient church mesh with our own? We’ll dig deeper to discover where these ancient teachings and traditions came from and why they are still important for us.

June 29 “What’s The Skinny on the Dip?” Baptism
Baptism seems like a really weird event to someone one who hasn’t bee raised in a Christian home. Yet, baptism was an important marker in the lives of the earliest Christ-followers. In this message we’ll explore what the Bible says about this strange, yet meaningful, expression of faith.

July 6 “They Expect Me To Pay For That?” Communion
What’s the deal with the juice and cracker and why does it matter to my life and my spiritual journey? In this message we’ll explore one of the “rites” of Christianity that binds us together as family and helps focus our hearts on Jesus Christ.

July 13 “Excuse Me, Are You In My Seat?” Hospitality
Making room for others is not easy for us. Yet, the early Christ-followers found ways to make space for others in their families, around their tables and in their worship. This message explores how we can recapture the art hospitality in an impersonal world.

July 20 “Isn’t Faith A Personal Thing?” Evangelism
Some of Jesus’ last words to his disciples called them to go and share their new-found faith with others – and they did. The church grew and the number of disciples multiplied and eventually, through the generations, it has come to us. How can we be the bridge that Jesus calls us to be to future generations in a culture that seems hostile to our message?

Putting Things Together

2008-06-24T10:26:00.004-04:00

The part of the elephant we are eating this summer is to "pull different discipleship activities into one unified process for spiritual growth." Churches often do many activities that have a goal of helping people grow spiritually. These activities include: Worship, Preaching, Bible Classes, Small Groups, Ladies Classes, Retreats, Seminars, Book Clubs, Daily Devotionals, etc., just to name a few. In any given week the number of different messages these activities can generate is overwhelming. We might get one message in our Bible study, another message in the sermon, another during a Lord's Supper devotional and another during our small group. This makes all of them difficult to remember and even more difficult to apply. As one writer noted, they become a bed of nails. Lie down on a thousand nails and they won't penetrate the skin. Why? The pressure of each point is diffused by all the others around it. Too many different messages often won't penetrate our hearts and bring real change.

Therefore, our goal (with the "Fully Alive" series beginning July 27th) is to identify one “Big Idea” each week that is important to the spiritual growth of attendees and members, then use a number of weekly activities to reinforce that one message.

Toward this end we have several teams that are working hard to bring this process together. If you have a specific interest in one of these teams, please contact the team leader.

Preaching Team. Each week’s work begins with the Preaching Team and flows to other work groups from there. This team meets weekly to plan, brainstorm and formulate the big ideas, texts, and outlines for Sunday messages and define desired outcomes in the hearts and lives of the listeners. This team meets every Thursday from 3:00-5:00 PM. During each meeting the team discusses a message that will be preached two months in the future. Members of this team include: Brent Brady (lead), Sean McCarthy, Jim Waldo and Jay Sessoms (apprentice). When this group's work is completed it is given to the Discipleship Team, Worship Team and Resource Team so they can complete their piece of the process.

Discipleship Team. This team is responsible for creating five daily devotionals and one small group study each week which accent the "Big Idea." Each daily devotional consists of a Bible reading and 4-6 questions that encourage personal study and life application. The small group experience will allow further discussion and specific application of the Sunday morning message. Team members include Sean McCarthy (lead),Steve Raley, Charlie Fooks, and Michele Keeton.

Worship Planning Team: This team provides creative content and flow which ensure that our Sunday morning worship clearly communicates and reinforces the week's "Big Idea." Team members include Juliana Smith (lead), David Smith, Brent Brady, and Sean McCarthy.

Research Team: This team provides research items (i.e., articles, illustrations, quotes, insights, etc) to the above teams which, when appropriate, will be integrated into the final work each group produces. This team works independently and does not have formal meetings. Team members include: Brent Brady (lead), Bill Hill, and Anne Bass.

We wanted you to know that many people are working behind to ensure that Community provides relevant environments where you can continue your quest to "follow Jesus so closely that your life is changing to be like His."

Eating the Elephant

2008-06-24T08:16:00.004-04:00

The old adage asks: "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer, "One bite at a time." I love that. It reminds us that most of the challenges we face in life are too large to tackle in one sitting. Success comes by making steady, intentional progress over the long haul. This is true in raising our kids, planning for retirement, enriching our marriages and growing a church.

A year-and-a-half ago our leaders began eating the elephant of transforming our church family. We had a vision for a healthy growing church that is welcoming newcomers, growing disciples and impacting our community. The elephant was big. God's dreams usually are. One thing we were sure of was that if we tried to do everything at once, with our limited resources, it was a recipe for failure. We knew we had to break this task into bite size pieces, find a logical starting place, and go to work.

One obvious, and often forgotten, part of this approach is that we will always see things that need our attention that we haven't gotten to. It is easy to see the parts of the elephant that haven't been eaten yet. I think one of the challenges of the adage is not to be overwhelmed and discouraged by looking at what has yet to be accomplished but to keep making steady progress "convinced that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion" (Phil. 1:5-7).

The first course of our renewal was a focus on our Foyer. The foyer is the place we are welcoming guests. With God's provision, we have spent the last year upgrading our facilities, refining our follow-up processes, lifting the level of our worship experience and learning to be good hosts. We have worked hard, and there is more to do. God is blessing our efforts and new families are connecting with our congregation. Our foyer is functioning well. Yet, we realize what we have just eaten is not the whole elephant. In other words, none of our leaders are interested in being a welcoming church with no spiritual depth, where no lives are changing, which is making no impact on our community. Therefore...

This summer marks a shift in focus in our transformation process, a second course. We are stepping down from our Foyer to focus on the Living Room. The living room is where our members do life together. The living room is the place where we truly focus on God's work of life-transformation, becoming more like Jesus. Our leaders are committed to be a church whose members are concerned about the things God is concerned about. Sean has come on board to help carry this burden. Tomorrow I'll share with you some exciting first steps that you will begin to see the week of July 27th.

Till then, keep praying for Community and eating the elephant of God's purpose for your life, one bite at a time.

Reality Check

2008-06-23T11:03:00.004-04:00

I love our church. Amy Pfingst just came into my office and said "I have a reality check for you."

The backstory is that each person was given a flower yesterday as they entered our worship service. In the message from Jonah 4 I talked about how Jonah's concerns and God's concerns were very different. Jonah was concerned about a vine that he had not planted, tended or caused to grow, and only had a short-life span. He loved it because it provided him some temporary relief and comfort. In the story God was ultimately concerned about people who would spend an eternity somewhere. I asked each person to let their flower represent the things that kept them from sharing God's concern. I told the hearers to take the flower home, don't water it, and as it dries, turns brown and withers to let it be a reminder that the things we're most concerned about are often temporary and also to remind us to invest our lives in people.

Now it gets interesting. Amy said that on their way home yesterday Hannah (a seven-year-old with a green thumb) reminded her mother that they must put the flower in water as soon as they get home. Amy tried valiantly to explain my point and informed Hannah that they would not be watering the flower. Hannah repeatedly objected and and again asked "Why?". Amy responded: "Because Mr. Brent said so." Then Danny's voice came booming from the back seat (Danny is a six-year-old with Mike as a role model) "Mr. Brent is Not God!" I almost fell off my chair.

What can we learn from this little exchange. First, it is true - in fact - I am not God. A surprise to many of you I'm sure, but Danny is correct. Second, this exchange is a wonderful illustration of Jonah 4. If I had used the illustration I originally thought of I would have been run out of town on a rail. I almost bought a small tree and set it on the stage, and left it there untended to die. Not a good idea. Besides, some of you would have begun sneaking around and watering it anyway. Why? Because, I'm with Hannah, it just seems wrong to let something whither and die from neglect. But sometimes our compassions getsa little out of whack. Here's a question: how much compassion can we muster for any one of the 155,000 individuals who will leave this planet today - or the other 6 billion who will eventually?

Relevant Life, Relevant Church Part 2 - Sean

2008-06-23T10:59:00.002-04:00

I’ve come to the point where I confidently believe that being relevant to our culture, and the people around us is not an option. Being relevant means that what we do as followers of Jesus, as a Church need to make sense and matter to unbelievers. We can’t forget the love that Jesus has for those who haven’t decided to come to Him yet. The Bible says that they are like lost sheep and He is willing to go after them. Not only does He go after them, he commissioned the Church to go after them and this is where relevance becomes more than just a good thought.

There’s this close friend of mine named Legesse Awoke. He’s from Ethiopia but came to America about 8 years ago. His native language is Amharic, but he speaks English really well, even though he has a thick accent. Eventually his brother came over from Ethiopia and moved in with him. Whenever I would visit his place, I noticed that the whole time he and his brother were speaking in English, even when they were just having a private conversation with each other. They wouldn’t speak Amharic. One time I asked him, “Legesse, why don’t you and your brother speak Amharic when I’m around?” He said, “No Sean that would be bad.” I asked why, and he told me, “Because you don’t speak our language. I don’t want to leave you out.”

It hit me, we, the Church; speak a different language and the result is that we leave others out! And I’m not just talking about the words we use, but they way we don’t explain things, the way we assume people know things in the Bible, the way we expect them to fall in line when they come into the church building

I even think about how God models relevance to us. God looked at us and realized we had strayed, but what did He do? He came down here Himself to be relevant to us. I think about the Bible – God spoke to us using human language – we know that the Bible talks about some kind of spiritual angelic language that we could never speak or know, but God chose to speak to us in human language. Not to mention the work He is allowing and protecting with Bible translation to all languages in the world! I even think about the story where God spoke to the Israelites and they trembled, and were scared to death! So God said, “Alright, I’ll just speak through Moses from now on.” Because God wants to be relevant to us!

Shouldn’t we follow Jesus? Jesus was relevant, how can we be? Until next time my faithful readers.

Relevant life, Relevant Church (Part I) - Sean

2008-06-18T16:06:00.002-04:00

I’ve wrestled with so many questions in my life and one of the biggest questions is about the image and work of the Church and it’s the question “How important is it to be relevant to our community and the world?”

I ask this question because it seems like there is an ongoing tug of war among Christians about relevance. I know that some people are so afraid that being relevant is going to water down the message of Christ, but I’ve always thought that it doesn’t have to. I think one of the major causes of these arguments comes down to a definition of a word that is thrown around too carelessly. It’s the word “worldly.” We throw that word around as an insult but what does it really mean? I was looking through Bible verses in different versions that used the word worldly and I noticed that every time it was used it was always describing an attitude of a “me-focused world.” Every time you look up that word it has to do with a mindset that we all struggle with, the mind set that everything in this world is here for me. It’s forgetting that the world is bigger than us.

The word worldly is never used to describe a style, words we use, places or events it’s a mind set, an attitude that people get stuck in. Relevance does not mean we are watering down the message for a “worldly” substitute. Relevance means that we live life in the same world, speaking the same language, and embracing the same culture. For some reason, someone once thought that being a Jesus follower meant that you abandoned the culture you were in and created some sort of Christian sub-culture where we have similar music, but it’s just not as good, we have similar clothes, but they just have cheesy pro Jesus sayings on them – and some how we still live there in that thought pattern. In the thought pattern that Christianity cannot blend with the current culture we live in but it’s simply not true. In fact one of the most beautiful things about faith in Jesus is that it’s a faith that translates into any and every culture. I’ve learned that we are so much more influential and accomplish the mission of Jesus when we live with unbelievers rather than living in spite of them

So the question that scares me the most is what happens if we aren’t relevant? What are the consequences? What are we missing out on that God has planned for us because we’re too busy fighting over trivial stuff? More importantly, how are the people God has put in our lives suffering from our stubbornness? So how can we be relevant? We’ll talk about that next time.

The Atmosphere of a Healthy, Growing Church

2008-06-17T08:44:00.005-04:00

I do a lot of reading and writing on the topics of Church Growth and Church Health. I ran across an article this week I wanted to share. It was not written by a "wonder-boy" who grew a church to twenty-thousand, but by a faithful, steady plodder who saw God's blessings rain down on his church family. In this article he writes about the conditions that came together to allow God to move in powerful way. I think this article will help us reflect on the conditions that are making us healthy and are contributing to our growth and challenge us to guard and grow the right spiritual climate at Community. This is a fairly long article. I have tried to condense it as much as possible. I look forward to your comments.

Climate Control: Conditions of a Growing Church
Even if we can't change the weather, we can alter the atmosphere of the church.
Donald Gerig

After twenty-two years of pastors' conferences, I have heard my share of formulas for church growth, revival, and renewal. I have done the "pastoral drool" while listening to stories of skyrocketing attendance. I, too, have visited other churches hoping to find the key to growth. But the only church growth I had ever experienced was the plodding, gradual growth that no one writes books about. It seemed a dream for us to consistently have more than five hundred on Sunday morning. Then it happened! We started seeing our monthly attendance rates 30 percent ahead of the previous year. Before we could get used to that, we found ourselves with more than seven hundred in worship. How did it happen? The disconcerting thing was that we really could not put our finger on any single cause.

It began to dawn on me that what attracted these people, more than anything else, was our "climate." Realizing how intangible that word is, I began to analyze it, and I discovered we had encouraged the components of a growth climate for several years without even realizing it. From our experiences and those of other growing churches, I've identified six atmospheric conditions that contribute to growth. These are the elements common to growing churches regardless of their specific programs.

1. A Positive Atmosphere

Growing churches emphasize what God can do, not what we cannot do . . . what is best in people, not what is worst . . . how we can build each other up, not tear each other down.

This has to begin at a personal level. Every church has an ample supply of negative people. What is desperately needed to balance these are other individuals who practice a positive faith in their walk with God as well as their relationships with people.

The runaway bestseller, The One-Minute Manager, reminded us to be eager to catch people doing something right rather than always looking for something wrong. That spirit is catching! When individuals with that attitude relate both to other individuals as well as God, a climate of expectation can begin to build. The emphasis in a church can begin to shift toward what we can do with God's help. Challenges can be dreamed and accepted.

2. Trust

The burden in creating a climate of trust rests on the ones wanting to be trusted, not the one being asked to trust. You don't command trust; you earn it. At the risk of sounding trite, it must be said that trust exists when people are trustworthy. There is no magic to trustworthiness. For church leaders, it means "going by the book." It means being willing to "lose" graciously on an idea and not seek other means of implementing my plan. It means living by the budget and not seeking to get what I want by "special gifts." If I were to lock horns with our lay leadership or congregation on an issue I felt could not be compromised, I would either have to openly persuade them to my position or leave. I would never resort to underhanded means of getting my way. Trust is too important to take that lightly.

3. Excellence

Excellence in ministry is not one arbitrary line that measures all situations. Instead, excellence is each of us, individually and congregationally, doing our best with the unique resources and limitations we have. Too often we've made peace with mediocrity, rationalizing our substandard efforts. Our goal must always be our best in every part of ministry. This emphasis on excellence is nothing more than being consistent with the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). God deserves our best-whether in the way bulletins are printed or how sermons are preached-and that level of excellence is a key ingredient in a climate of growth. If people know we will be at our best in ministry, methods, and facilities, they respond.

4. Oriented to Outreach

Many churches establish an anti-growth climate without even realizing it by allowing their predominant focus to become the needs of those already in the church. This, I'll admit, is the easiest path to follow, but it will not produce growth. The mentality of a growing church is continually one of reaching out to others. Even the personal development of current members will be seen in light of increasing their ability to genuinely care about others and minister to them. The minute we start to plan for others rather than for ourselves we create a climate where we develop and the church will grow.

5. Flexibility

The willingness to experiment, to innovate, and even to fail are part of flexibility. You cannot program this spirit, nor can you command it, but a few people placed in key positions can model it. Both by their own flexibility as well as their ability to allow (even encourage) such flexibility in others, the attitude can spread.

Another element is the ability to adapt. Almost no program is so good that it never needs to be changed. That means we must try to understand the people we are trying to reach and plan events to reach them where they are. When the climate is right, when risks are allowed and even traditional events can be adapted, it helps develop sensitivity to the changing culture around us, which is essential to effective ministry and church growth.

6. A Serving Spirit

In a sense, the serving spirit is a summary of a growth climate. Where people truly want to serve and minister, they will be positive, trustworthy, devoted to excellence, oriented to outreach, and flexible. Just about everything in our society, however, militates against this spirit. It takes a conscious effort to serve rather than be served. We are encouraged today to look out for ourselves or be "fulfilled" (whatever that means). This attitude easily turns our relationship to God around 180 degrees. Instead of asking what we can do for God, we find ourselves wondering what God can do for us. Christians raised on a pop faith that suggests God is little more than a handy 24-hour heavenly banking service find it hard to relate to words like service, or worse yet, sacrifice.

Thus in church we catch ourselves asking if people want to serve. Put that way, of course, many choose not to, and so dies the growth climate. A better way is to start with the assumption that God's people will serve. That is a given. The question is not if people will serve, but where and how they will serve. That assumption and commitment to service is the necessary mindset for growth.

Again, these components of a growth climate can not be programmed. Rather, they can only be practiced and modeled. They will not begin with action but with attitudes. They will not be limited to certain settings but will be applicable to all situations. Whatever style church growth may take, underneath will be an atmosphere that is positive, trusting and trustworthy, devoted to excellence, oriented to outreach, flexible, and committed to service.
The beauty is that a growth climate does not have to wait for action by the official board. One individual can begin to model the components of this climate and have an incredible influence.

Spiritual Intersection - Sean McCarthy

2008-06-16T12:25:00.003-04:00

I just have to say that I thought Brent’s message yesterday was powerful and moving! It was from the book of Jonah and it really stood out to me because the crux of the message was centered around a word that is used frequently when talking about faith and spiritual things… the word “change.”

Now I didn’t grow up in the Church but as soon as I became part of it I’ve heard this word consistently – and honestly being a true follower of Jesus means that you are a changed person. But when hearing this word change it was always about “us” being changed by “God.” And I’m not saying that this concept isn’t true because it totally is, but I was inspired and moved by hearing yesterday that sometimes we change God’s mind. If that sentence seems to get the hairs on the back of your neck standing straight up, just hold on for a second, don’t attack yet! It’s not that we ever will change God’s big plan (big “P”) – God will never change what’s written in His Word, but it’s that we can change God’s plan (small “p”) in how He will deal with a situation in life.

And it makes so much more sense to me now. Not only does it make sense, it’s freeing, it’s inspiring to hear that because it’s proof that my prayers actually matter! If this concept is not true, than how do we explain Abraham pleading with God not to destroy the city of Sodom because his nephew Lot was still living in that city? Abraham kept coming back to God and pleading with Him and God listened and didn’t destroy the city.

It’s like this amazing spiritual intersection that we cross into. It’s in this intersection that we realize that the Christian life isn’t just us responding to God, but that it’s also God responding to us! Our prayers aren’t us just typing words into a computer system called “God” and God being this system that processes our prayers and spits back the automated response. No, God’s an actual being with a working mind and heart. It’s in this intersection that we really see how beautiful our relationship with Him is. What a great message. What a great God.

A Note From the Dethloffs

2008-06-16T07:57:00.005-04:00

I receive all kinds of cool notes and emails from those who have been touched by the love and grace they have found at Community. I'll use our blog to share some of those encouraging notes that come our way. The following is from Rick and Annie Dethloff...

Dear Brent and Patti and Church Family,

Sometimes when a person performs an act of kindness it can catch us off guard and we tend to trip over our own tongue trying to express how deeply moved we are and how beautiful those people are to us. . Somehow, my fingertips find the words flowing from them more freely able to express that which my heart holds dearly to, yet my tongue can not convey.

Everyone at CCC has shown themselves to be beautiful people….the church body as a whole has touched our family deeply on many occasions. God has blessed us beyond our imagination throughout Isaac’s adoption journey. He taught us, guided us, supplied us, and blessed us in a multitude of ways. Far to many to write out, but almost a shame not to share. They are blessings we want to shout from the mountain tops, Praising His Name!!! One blessing we must share is that through our darkest time when our adoption for our daughter failed God not only blessed us with a baby boy, Isaac, but with a new church family as well. It is no mistake but by God’s design only to have Isaac welcomed by CCC and the beautiful people that make up the body.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks, gratitude, and humility to everyone of you, for; Encouragement and prayer to keep us strong and press on through the journey, the out pour of questions and concern, the care for Eli while we were away in Guatemala, the welcome home, the gifts, the Baby Blessing Shower, the awesome cake, the dinners you provided, holding Isaac in your arms and loving on him, and the heart of Christ we see in each and everyone of you. We may be small in number as a church, but God lives large in us! Thank you for being part of Isaac’s Journey Home!!!

Your Friends In Christ,

The Dethloff Family

Vision: Slip Sliding Away!

2008-06-12T12:37:00.007-04:00

The church's vision is always under-communicated by its leaders. We think we've said it plainly before so we don't need to repeat it. Like the guy who told his wife, "I told you I loved you on our wedding day, if I change my mind I'll let you know." Vision, like love, needs to be communicated often. Why, because vision leaks. All of our grand words on Sunday get ripped off the wall by life on Monday. I think that is one reason that the early church took the Lord's Supper every Sunday. Human beings need constant reminders.

How can we tell if our vision for transformed lives is leaking away? Andy Stanley says, leaders can spot leakage by listening for three things:

The first is prayer requests. What people pray for tells us more than anything else whether people are locked into the vision and priorities of the church. When a group (class, leaders meeting, LIFE Group, etc) gathers in prayer, are the only prayer requests for sick people? Andy writes: "When I'm in such a meeting, I say, 'Whoa, is anybody in this group burdened for broken people or their unchurched or unsaved friend? Yes, let's pray for the sick people. Now, what else can we pray for?'" In our public, small group and private prayer times let's pray for people's emotional, relational, and spiritual needs - as well as their physical needs. Let's pray for people's whole-life transformation.

The second indicator of vision leakage is stories of great things happening in people's lives. If there are no stories, then maybe our vision for life transformation has leaked. It's not that God's isn't working, maybe we've just been distracted and haven't noticed. It is a gift to God and to one another when we notice what He is doing and share the stories of His mights acts with one another. When was the last time you shared what God is doing in your life or in the lives of those you love?

The third indicator of vision leakage is what people complain about. If people are complaining about the wrong stuff, then vision is leaking. When they complain about the music, or the parking, or the carpet, or that the church is too big, or there are too many people they don't know, we can respond, "I know. God is blessing us." But it's a sign of vision leakage. What am I most tempted to complain about? In a moment of self-reflection I can say, often things that have more to do with my comfort or preferences and less to do with fulfilling God's mission in the lives of people.

We know it, vision leaks; churches drift. I hope being aware of these indicators will help us, as individual Christ-followers and as a church, to give our attention to things that matter eternally. Community is an awesome church with an incredible future. May God give us eyes to see and the courage to embrace those things that matter most to Him.

Vision Leaks

2008-06-11T11:51:00.003-04:00

Is it just me or does it seem like Community has been in a state of perpetual transition. We have experienced incredible growth; we've seen people come and go; we've endured a very difficult loss in our eldership; we have been renovating our facilities for over a year; and planning for, or in the process of hiring, a new associate minister for almost a year. That makes my head spin. Part of the fall out is that in such times we lose track of God and what he is doing - or wants to do - among us.

Andy Stanley, in an article titled: "Vision Leaks" identifies three things that distract a church from their vision. The first distraction he identifies is success.

"Success means your options multiply. Size increases complexity, and complexity can confuse vision. Our church was at its most efficient when there were just six of us sitting around the table. Everybody knew and understood everything. It was as smart and efficient as the organization has ever been. This efficiency leads to success, and success gives birth to complexity, the enemy of efficiency and vision. Many churches become successful organizations where everyone is busy, but they've lost connection with the vision."

Things sure have gotten more complex around here in the last couple of years. I'm sure I'll get back to doing the job I was hired for, as soon as I remember what it was. The good news is that stability is returning to many parts of our congregation. A new leadership is in place, new staff members hired, and an opportunity for continued spiritual development is before us.

God's call is for each of us to lay aside the distractions and rekindle His purposes for our lives and reignite His vision for our church family. May the Spirit empower us to "show God's love in such a way that people would exchange ordinary living for an extraordinary life through the transforming power of Jesus Christ."

A Summer to Remember!

2008-06-10T16:41:00.005-04:00

Well, your worst fears are realized, the Bradys are back in town. We had a great trip and a good time with family. But I am ready to get moving into a great summer of ministry.

I spent the first full day in the office with Sean - I'm already tired of him - I've started looking for the receipt :-). Might as well stop, I don't know where to return him to anyway.

We have a lot of great things planned during a summer that culminates with a mission trip to the Gulf Coast. There will be a lot of hard-working days and Hot Summer Nights. So...let's have some fun, enjoy our spiritual family, serve like Jesus, and just do life together.

I'm glad to be home (and glad to be working with Sean - and with you). I hope your summer is off to a great start. Let's make it one to remember!

Brent

Notes from Last Nights Class

2008-05-29T09:23:00.005-04:00

MATTHEW 18 AS A MODEL FOR
CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN COMMUNITY

Conflict is a natural part of the human experience. If we interact with other human beings, we will experience conflict. Conflict is ambiguous, by itself neither good nor bad. The outcome is ultimately determined by how we respond. Too often conflict becomes destructive, either because we try to avoid it or because we do not know how to respond to it constructively. But conflict can be an opportunity to grow, become more like Jesus and deepen relationships within the community of faith. This class examines one portion of Jesus’ teaching about conflict, Matthew chapter 18.

THE CONTEXT OF MATTHEW 18

Matthew 18 records Jesus’ fourth extended discourse in Matthew’s gospel. This chapter, on the surface, appears to be a collection of disparate material treating children, shepherds, millstones, church discipline, and ungrateful servants. Yet, further study reveals a common thread holding the entire chapter together. It seems clear that Matthew meant this discourse to be a practical guide to relationships and Christian community. Surrounding material treats a disciple’s relationship to the government (17:24-27), spouse (19:1-9), and children (19:13-16). The passage under consideration speaks directly to the preciousness of relationships within the kingdom of God.

THE CONTENT OF MATTHEW 18

18:1-5.The subject of this pericope is not children. Jesus presents the child as an example of His primary concern, humility. The disciples are preoccupied with worldly greatness. In fact, this preoccupation has led to rivalries and strife among them. In the midst of this conflict, Jesus demonstrates that true greatness evinces itself in a spirit of deference and humility. The disciples, Jesus insists, must repent of their competitive spirit or risk not entering the kingdom of heaven at all. Greatness in the kingdom is not a matter of pride or position but humility. The fruit of this humble spirit is the ability to embrace (i.e., “receive”) others in the community of faith.

18:6-9. Living in community means that we do not live in a vacuum. Our decisions and actions impact others. “Little ones” will be affected by our actions. Symbolically, “little ones” refers to disciples “who believe in me.” This designation underscores their vulnerability and their dependence on God. Jesus calls his disciples to an awareness of how their actions and attitudes affect others. Reckless actions that, intentionally or unintentionally, cause vulnerable disciples to stumble will be met by severe consequences. Tragic death or disfigurement is preferable to the eternal consequences. Why are the consequences so severe? People matter to God.

18:10-14. Disciples are to be very careful not to despise or “treat with contempt” another member of the community. Every disciple is of incomparable worth to God. God is so concerned about their well being that each of these “little ones” has their own angels who look after their welfare and intercede for them. Disciples are urged to share this same concern for one another. Community is a place for “little ones” to be received and esteemed; special care must be taken not to cause them to stumble. Jesus illustrates the value of each disciple through a parable. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine “on the hills” to go after the one that strayed. The joy at the return of one lost sheep underscores the value of each sheep in the eyes of the shepherd. It is not God’s will that any of these “little ones” should be lost.

18:15-17. When a member of the community is offended, that person is to go to the other person and “rebuke” the offender. The Greek verb implies a continual action. The directive is not to scold or abuse them verbally, but to bring the offense to their attention with the hope that they will repent, so that the relationship might be restored. This initial interview is to be conducted in private “between you and him alone.” This avoids broadcasting the accusation. If the offender “listens” and responds penitently then reconciliation is possible because “you have gained your brother.”

If this initial phase of reconciliation is unfruitful, the offended party is to take two or three other members of the community with them to another encounter. This provides witnesses so that each word can be established. If the offending party “disregards” the small group, the matter is brought to the attention of the entire community. The community then makes its pleas for the offender to repent. Every opportunity is given for reconciliation. If, at every turn they fail to respond, the only recourse that remains is ostracism from the community.

18:18-20. This passage, although often ripped from its context, provides promises for those who enter the task of restoring relationships within the community. This passage explicitly states that heaven will support the actions of peacemakers. What peacemakers “bind and loose” on earth will have that action supported by God. God will also honor agreements and aid the fulfillment of peace-bringing agreements between disputing members of the community. The most misapplied verse in Scripture may well be verse 20. Here, Jesus promises His presence not to those who are worshipping but to those two or three who are gathered for the purpose of resolving conflicts within the community of faith.

18:21-35. As the first, the final section of this chapter arises in response to a question. The parable that follows is a response to Peter’s question about the extent of forgiveness. Peter knows Jesus’ teaching about the necessity of forgiveness (cf.6:12, 14-15). He also knows the opportunity for multiple offenses to occur within a tight-knit community. Peter seeks to determine the limit past which one member of the community is not constrained to forgive another. Jesus’ answer, whether interpreted as “seventy-seven” or “seventy times seven,” points toward a forgiveness that is unlimited. This emphasis on the extravagant character of forgiveness is illustrated in the parable that follows. The punch line of the parable is powerful. If we are unwilling to forgive others “from the heart,” God will be unwilling to forgive us. Forgiveness is the fabric of reconciliation.

CONFLICT PRINCIPLES FROM MATTHEW 18

1. BE FIRST TO BE HUMBLE (18:1-5). Jesus recognizes a humble spirit as the beginning point for resolution of the disciple’s dispute over who is the greatest. Self-assessment is an important component of any conflict resolution strategy. Remembering that we are sinners saved only by God’s grace provides a platform from which to extend mercy and forgiveness to others. Pride induces us to demand our rights. Humility allows us to forgo our rights for the good of another person or the entire community of faith.

2. ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR OTHERS (18:6-9) Disciples who are concerned for reconciliation must always be aware of how their attitudes and actions affect other members of the community. They live a life of careful concern. Disciples do not want to be a stumbling block for even one of their brothers and sisters. They quickly accept responsibility for their contribution to any damaged relationships.

3. REMEMBER THE VALUE OF PEOPLE (18:10-14) Peacemakers are willing to do the difficult, sometimes humiliating, work of conciliation. This willingness is driven by a realization of the value inherent in each person. Each time a human being repents and each time a relationship is restored there is rejoicing in heaven.

4. REPAIR DAMAGED RELATIONSHIPS (18:15-17) The repair of damaged relationships is so important that Jesus leaves us no excuse. Whatever our role, we are to initiate the healing process. If a person has offended us, we are to go to him/her and seek reconciliation (18:23-24). If we have offended another member of the community, we are to go and seek reconciliation (5:23-24). In many of our relationships it will entail a continual return to the other party for further dialogue. Resolving conflict is often about having good second and third conversations when we go to the person.

This section provides a step-by-step process regarding resolution of conflict. Each step moves toward greater exposure and is to be employed only after previous steps have been exhausted without resolution. This assures the conflict will be solved with the lowest level of visibility possible, thereby minimizing its overflow into the community.

Step 1. Go to them- Alone. The vast majority of conflicts in our lives are resolved at this level. This process is initiated with direct communication. We are called to talk to our adversary, not about them. Through this direct approach, if you are “heard” by your opponent, you have restored your relationship without damaging the offender’s reputation or relationship to others in the community of faith through gossip.

Step 2. Take Someone with You. If there is no resolution after Step One, ask someone to go with you. This is not a mob action. It provides an additional person(s) to listen, mediate, and corroborate the encounter (Deut. 19:15).

Step 3. Tell it to the Church. If the second step is unsuccessful, then Christ says, ‘If he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church” (vs. 17). This action presupposes some action being undertaken by the Body to restore the broken relationship. At least, this act raises awareness of the seriousness of the situation and calls the church to exert whatever relational equity that exists within the community to bring about repentance and reconciliation. This passage also suggests that the church might serve as an arbiter in this dispute. If the church’s intervention is unable to bring resolution and repentance then only one option remains.

Step 4. Treat Him as a Non-Believer. The offender is to be expelled from the community. This seems harsh to our Western sensitivities, but continue to serve useful purposes. According to Sande, treating this person as an unbeliever serves three important purposes: (1) it revokes the person’s church privileges, protecting the Lord’s reputation; (2) it protects other believers; and (3) it helps the rebellious person realize the seriousness of their sin. The goal of this entire process is always reconciliation.

5. REMEMBER THE PROMISES (18:18-20) Peacemakers are not alone. They operate under the gaze of God. God is so intently interested in their work that He honors both their assessments and agreements. God promises to be present in any arena where the precious work of conciliation is taking place.

6. FOLLOW UP WITH FORGIVENESS (18:21-35) Forgiveness is a willingness to treat the offender as if the offense never happened. This is what God did for us. Conciliation is not done until forgiveness is present. If either party harbors unresolved hurt, total reconciliation is impossible and recurrence is inevitable.

COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES FROM MATTHEW 18

Matthew 18 has a great deal to say about healthy and unhealthy communication patterns. Of particular interest to this writer is Jesus’ direction for resolving indirect or passive-aggressive communications. Three principles that flow from the Matthew 18 are:

1. Responsibility for initiating communication begins with me. Jesus charges his disciples, whether offender or offended, to go directly to their adversary to initiate the resolution process. Personal communication is a command of Jesus. This is very difficult. Yet, it is the best opportunity for reconciliation.

2. We must talk to people we are in conflict with, not about them. It is always easier to talk about someone rather than to them. Therefore, most people find it easier to talk to others about the offending party rather than talking to the offender directly. This has particularly severe consequence in the context of community. In churches we have this down to an art form. We can even cloak our talk about someone in a prayer request: “Please pray for ________ they did this terrible thing to me, so we need to pray for them. They really have problems.” It can seem so pious, it is still a violation of Jesus’ teachings. Jesus calls disciples to face-to-face communication.

If leaders make a decision we don’t like, it is our tendency to talk to other people about why we dislike their decision rather than talking to the leaders directly. If I dislike a decision, I’ll casually ask another person what they thought about it, if they liked the decision that typically ends the conversation. Yet, if they dislike the decision, as I did, then we begin to dialogue about our dislike, and often “poll” others to get their reaction. The process is called “coalition building.” In this scenario we might go to the leaders only after we have built a significant enough coalition to pressure them to change the decision. Maybe in our politically charged culture this seems like the right process. In the kingdom of God Jesus holds us to another standard. We must do the harder thing: we must talk directly to people not about them. This dysfunctional approach also violates our next communication principle.

3. We are to resolve conflict at the level of least exposure to the community. Jesus says the most preferable resolution comes when two people are able to work out their difference between themselves. Jesus is concerned that the conflict be as contained as possible, so as not to impact the larger community. When we choose to spread a conflict we are involved in, it is often more about justifying ourselves (getting our version of the story in circulation) than about the well-being of the community. Jesus understands that sometimes conflicts will not be resolved one-on-one. Therefore, he provides a next step of bringing another person or two into the process. Again, not a dozen, just enough to find help without exposing the conflict to the entire community. Jesus says, only as a last resort, when all other phases have been unproductive, after continually seeking lower level solutions, can we take the conflict to the Body as a whole.

CONCLUSION

Matthew 18 confronts all members of the community of faith as we seek to fulfill our ministry of reconciliation. We must find ways to overcome our aversion to conflict and our fear of confronting other disciples. First, we must take Jesus’ words seriously. They are not helpful suggestions, they are imperatives. Therefore, indifference to Jesus’ directives is sin. Second, ignoring sin because we hate conflict will not eliminate conflict but only postpone it. The destructive results of conflict will continue to have free reign in the Body until it is confronted and removed. Third, obeying Christ’s command for direct communication eliminates the sinful nature of people to gossip and damage the offender’s reputation. It is easier to gossip and damage the offender’s reputation than to confront them in private. This must not be. Our love for Jesus and members of the community of faith must take precedence over our own comfort or aversion to conflict.

Don't Miss Tonight's Class

2008-05-28T09:48:00.003-04:00

Getting Personal - Life-Change Series

Tonight we conclude our Getting Personal series with a topic that could not be more relevant. We face it every day in every aspect of our lives. We feel pain when it is not handled properly and relief when it is behind us. The topic is conflict.

Amazingly, it is a subject that Jesus talked about a lot. He provides a number of guidelines that will help our relationships grow and mature through our conflicts rather than fracture because of them. Join us tonight where we will be studying "Together in Conflict."

New Series This Sunday!

2008-05-27T11:00:00.008-04:00

Places!
The paths we choose will take us to some amazing and sometimes difficult places. It is the lessons we learn on these random excursions that make the journey meaningful. There’s no better embodiment of this principle than a man named Jonah. In this series we’ll look at Jonah’s life and learn his lessons. The book of Jonah isn’t really a fish story. It is a story about how God loves all people and leads us on a journey to follow Him by loving them too.

The Boat: A Place To Hide! Jonah 1

Have you ever tried to run from God and his call on your life? If you’ve tried it, you already know Jonah’s story. The outcome is never good. In this message we'll find encouragement to stop running and start embracing God's plan for our lives.

The Fish: A Place To Think ! Jonah 2

Sometimes it takes something dramatic to get our attention. Though not pleasant at the time, difficult places can actually serve as a springboard to God’s work in us and through us. In difficult times we learn many things about God and about ourselves that we could never learn when times are good. What could easily have been seen as Jonah's destruction, actually became his salvation.

The City: A Place To Change! Jonah 3

Have you ever obeyed God under protest? Ever offered grudging obedience? You did what you were told but your heart just wasn’t in it. So did Jonah. Often this happens because we just don’t really understand the depth of God's love and how far He is willing to go to forgive others.

The Tree: A Place To Grow! Jonah 4

Ever cared more about things than people? Ever made decisions based more on your own comfort than the well-being of others. Ever seen a preacher upset because his message was so well received? Things get turned upside down when the things that matter to God don’t matter to us.

New This Week!

2008-05-27T10:46:00.002-04:00

There are some really cool things that begin this Sunday.

First, Sean and Margo begin their work with Community this Sunday. Sean has been hired as Community's first Associate Minister. He will be working with our LIFE Group and Young Adult Ministry. We see God's fingerprints all over the circumstances that brought Sean to us. The more I am with Sean, the more convinced I am that he will be an incredible blessing to our ministry. He has a great heart and spiritually is light-years ahead of where I was @ 26 yrs. old. You owe it to yourself to get to know this incredible couple.

Second, this Sunday we will be honoring twelve graduates. Please come and be part of this special day! We'll have a potluck and celebrate their achievements and their future in the Kingdom.

We are looking forward to an exciting summer, we'll get things kicked off this Sunday.

Looking Up!

2008-05-27T08:27:00.011-04:00

Stephen Wise said: "Vision looks inward and becomes duty. Vision looks outward and becomes aspiration. Vision looks upward and becomes faith." I love this quote. It helps explain some of the spiritual detours we are tempted to take on our road to fulfilling God's vision for Community.

In the midst of incredible blessings from God we still get tired. There are more needs to meet, more spaces to prepare, and more names to learn. People are already investing a great deal. We could choose to focus on what achieving God's vision is costing us (time, comfort, energy, etc.). At the moment we focus on ourselves, our investments become duty and drudgery. Vision looks inward and becomes duty.

Another detour is to become so focused on our numbers and our growth that we subtly shift our focus from blessing people to counting them. We become overly concerned about how other people view our church. We begin comparing ourselves with others and dreaming our own grandiose dreams that have little to do with God's vision for our Body. Vision turned outward becomes aspiration.

How would God have us respond to His blessings? A healthy response requires that we look up. When we see God doing His work among us it should deepen our faith. The good news is not that we are having success. The good news is that God has chosen to stir among us. The good news is not that our numbers are increasing. The good news is that God is changing lives, families, and futures. The good news is not simply that good things are happening. The good news is that we can undeniably attribute them to an incredibly powerful, incredibly loving God who has invited us to call Him Father. Look to Him. Vision that looks upward becomes faith.

"We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." I Thess. 1:2-3

Newcomers Video

2008-05-22T10:52:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to post this video as a reminder of how newcomers are experiencing Jesus at Community. It was originally presented as part of our Vision Sunday experience in January. Never forget that what we are doing together matters. There is no greater purpose for our lives than that others would experience God's transforming grace through their experience with us. This is what makes all of the change, all of our work, and all of the sacrifice worth it. Give Him the praise!

The Dream!

2008-05-22T10:05:00.004-04:00

We dream of children waking their their parent early on Sunday morning, begging to go to church

We dream of unbelievers who worship with us walking away saying: “I’m not sure I believe all this stuff – but those were some of the nicest, most genuine people I’ve ever met.

We dream of guests driving home from our services, talking together about their experience and looking forward to coming next Sunday.

We dream of our church being people’s #1 option on Sunday.

We dream of our church being irresistible, because Jesus was irresistible.

Salisbury doesn't need more churches – but it certainly needs more churches that are irresistible and that look and love like Jesus. Salisbury needs more places that are relevant environments where unbelievers can come and be connected in a meaningful way to God and to other people – in a language and style that they can understand. Exciting enough to draw them in and back.

We dream of being that church!