Happy Wednesday everyone-
I've been getting lots of flack for not blogging more. But here's what is happening.
On the Home Front
My little family is doing great. Maranatha is 6 1/2 months and has 2 bottom teeth, is crawling, eating oatmeal, and is generally happy, serene, and really stinking cute. She loves Obadiah (O-Bear calls her 'my best friend!') and is constantly entertained by him. Obadiah is growing up fast, long and lean, very physically gifted (hits a tennis ball with a bat, throws and catches a football, serious soccer player). He has a sweet spirit and is also fully dude (tons of energy and excitement). Pray for him as he is going to 'Early Intervention' for his speech. He's a bit behind in his speech development. Not something that we are worried about but something that needs work just the same. Lynn is my gift from the Lord. She is soo kind and sweet, a super mommy and wife. A total joy.
On the Ministry Front
Calvary North Bay is rocking. I've realized that our growth (numerically) ebbs and flows. We'll have a season of growth and then it will settle some. Then another season of growth and then another time of settling. Overall, it is going amazing. I'm in the delegation phase of the ministry. As I'm delegating lots of responsibilities that I had because I planted the church to people who can do them so I can focus on casting vision, teaching/prayer, and raising up leaders. Our leadership team is now ten guys and there is a general buzz about the place. By all estimations, our first 20 months have been a smashing success. But the dilemma remains, how do we reason this population? Less than 2% of the Southern Marin population goes to church on a Sunday. We are praying to break into that number. To that end, the Lord has lead me to try and get into the mind of the average Southern Marin person. I've gone to the local Barnes and Noble and gotten a last of the top selling books of the last few months and now my bookshelf contains 2 books by Eckhart Tolle as well as a few of the 'New Atheist' books (mostly polemics against organized religion). Our leadership is also spending lots of time speaking and praying about contextualization in our culture (I address some of that in the Q and A of the seminary teaching). I'm just about to finish teaching Luke on Sunday mornings (4 more chapters to go!) and I'm teaching Psalms on Wednesday nights (a blast!). We launched Friday Night Community Groups in September and they have been great.
On the Personal Front
Overall, I'm doing well. With each passing day, I feel as if I'm way under-qualified to do what I do (but He is qualified for sure). I am grateful for brothers like Bill Walden and Tim Brown for their encouragement, example, and Godly wisdom. My walk with Jesus is special and dear. He is so patient with me. I'm still working less than part time and playing gigs on the side (great reach into the community). I'm reading profusely and constantly thinking about something. I'm looking forward to the election being over (so over these guys!)! The Church Planting ministry is just amazing. God is using the website and I'm getting a constant stream of emails and calls about what God is doing all over the country.
If anyone has any more questions, you can always ask. God bless you
2 comments:
you rock big dog!
I listened to some of your church planting message today and you were hitting the ball out of the park, good stuff.
Question: when you launch onto Sunday mornings what is the minimum amount of sunday school classes that you will need? Can you forego a Nursery at first if you have a crying/family room with a live feed TV monitor in it? Then a toddler, K-2 and 3-5 Sunday School class? Jr.High and up in the service? Does that work?
I need counseling from the church planting sensei! Wax on, wax off. Seriously, any insight would help bro.
Hey Ken,
Are you calling me the Mr. Miagyi of church planting?!? That is one of those backhanded compliments. Funny.
"Look eyes, always look eyes"!
You shouldn't be asking me, I should be asking you?!?!
As you know, it depends on the man-power on hand and how many kids you expect. I would say, as a minimum, 1 class. If you expect less than 10 kids, you can do it with one class. You don't necessarily pull out the jr. high kids either. I think church plants have to be careful of over promising and under delivering. If you only have 2 good kid workers, than only have 2 classes. You don't have to feel the need to compete with an established ministry. The folks who come will know you are a young ministry and will be okay having the ministry grow up around them.
But the problem is when you try to overpromise and you role out a huge program and you needlessly overly stretch out your core team and you put people in places they shouldn't be. That's a big problem, methinks.
So it depends on how many folks you have who are capable and willing, and how many kids you expect.
Much love bro
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