Download Celebrate - Renovate Conference

From the Front Lines
One Pastor’s Reflection
On the Re-Launch
Journey
Where are we?
Where are we going?
How are we going to get
there?
Isaiah 43: 15-19 (ESV)
“I am the LORD, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your
King.” Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea, a
path in the mighty waters,
who brings forth chariot and
horse, army and warrior; they
lie down, they cannot rise,
they are extinguished,
quenched like a wick:
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“Remember not the former
things, nor consider the things
of old. Behold, I am doing a
new thing; now it springs
forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the
wilderness and rivers in the
desert.
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Crisis
• Does it hurt bad enough?
• Desperation is often a
crucial part of faith
Call
• Are you called to do this?
Genesis 31:3 (NASB)
Then the LORD said to Jacob,
“Return to the land of your
fathers and to your relatives,
and I will be with you.”
Genesis 31:13 (NASB)
I am the God of Bethel,
where you anointed a pillar,
where you made a vow to Me;
now arise, leave this land,
and return to the land of your
birth.’”
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Call
• Are you called to do this?
• “Now is the time and you
are the one.”
• “You are running from, not
being called to.”
Courage
• Courage is not the absence
of fear but the willingness
to move forward in the face
of fear.
Courage
“You are not just asking
people to follow you where
they’ve never been. You are
asking them to follow you
where you’ve never been.”
~Andy Stanley
Next Generational Leader
Aragorn’s Speech
Isaiah 43:16-17 (ESV)
Thus says the LORD, who makes
a way in the sea, a path in the
mighty waters, 17 who brings
forth chariot and horse, army
and warrior; they lie down,
they cannot rise, they are
extinguished, quenched like a
wick:
Courage
• Courage is not the absence
of fear but the willingness
to move forward in the face
of fear.
• Remember for Courage
Hannah’s Prayer
“John 12:23-28
What is it in my life that
must die? What must be
sacrificed to produce new life
in others? Lord, please show
me.
I do not want to love my life
here so much that I miss out
on the wonderful things You
have placed in ‘my box’.
I want to follow You, Christ!
I also want to lead others to
follow You! May the prayer of
my heart be -as Christ prayed‘Bring glory to Your name’.
Thank you for the glory already
given, and for the continuing
work You want to do
IN and THROUGH me!
Courage
• “If you don’t believe you
are dying, you will not have
the necessary internal
capital to pay the price of a
transplant.”
Credibility
Time
+ Authentic Transparency
+ Patient Suffering
+ Integrity
Credibility
.
Credibility
• Credibility means you will
stay the course – i.e. you
will stay past the transition
to ensure stability, security.
• “3-5 years before changes
take root.” ~Tom Cheyney
Core
• Ministry Leadership Council
(MLC)
• With 15 people,
representative cross section
of the church
• Invited member participation
Core
• These will be the ones who
will carry you in the darkest
days.
Core
• Two important things to
consider
 They must feel the
weight
 They must have/maintain
unity
• Read Simple Church (Rainer)
Clarity/ Communication
• People need as much clarity
as you can honestly give them
Isaiah 43: 18-19 (ESV)
18 “Remember not the former
things, nor consider the things
of old. Behold, I am doing a
new thing; now it springs
forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the
wilderness and rivers in the
desert.
Clarity/ Communication
• People need as much clarity
as you can honestly give them
• Forget for clarity
Clarity/ Communication
“If we are going to go
anywhere, we’re going to have
to risk venturing into the
unknown. Life is about
adventure, not maintenance.”
~ John Maxwell
This change is not a quick fix, but
an ongoing process
- a journey.
The path before us is not a nice
The path before us
is not a nice, neat,
clearly marked
path that leads to a
nice, neat final
destination
The path before us is not a nice
Rather it is an
invitation from God
to follow His
leading into what
now looks like a
fog, therefore trust
and courage are
critical.
Mistakes will be made.
We will experience
failure along the way.
The fear of failure
is one of
the greatest obstacles to
individual and church growth.
Removing this one
obstacle
- the refusal
to be held captive to
supposed failure will do more than just
about anything to help
us on our journey.
Clarity/ Communication
“One does not discover new
lands without consenting to lose
sight of the shore for a very
long time.”
~ Andre Gide
New Wine
New Vision
Proverbs 29:18 (NASB)
Where there is no vision, the
people are unrestrained,
But happy is he who keeps
the law.
New Vision
Proverbs 29:18 (MSG)
If people can’t see what God
is doing, they stumble all
over themselves; But when
they attend to what He
reveals, they are most
blessed.
Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to
them, “All authority in heaven
and on earth has been given to
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me. Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit,
teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you. And
behold, I am with you always,
to the end of the age.”
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The Why of Our Church
We exist to make disciples of Jesus
(little Christs)
“the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men
into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are
not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions,
sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste
of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is
even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe
was created for any other purpose.”
C.S.Lewis, Mere Christianity
The What of Our Church
Disciples in our church are becoming
people of
HOPE
people of
FAITH
people of
LOVE
The How of Our Church
FAITH
HOPE
LOVE
People in our church
are becoming mature disciples
FAITH
WORSHIP
Experiencing the Faith
is participating in God’s eternal story
through the Word and personal expression
small
Looking
group
Hope
Inward
small
Looking
Hope
group
Inward
small
Looking
group
Hope
Inward
small
Looking
group
Hope
Inward
small
Looking
Hope
group
Inward
Enjoying the Hope
is growing confidence in the
unseen reality that is ours in Christ
Looking Outward ministry
LOVE
Expressing the Love
is emulating God’s selfless nature as
we relate with our church, community, and world.
New
Wineskin
New Wineskin
• New governance
• New Constitution & By-Laws
• New name
*Vision is boss
*Our vision is not
to make little Baptists,
but make little Christs
New Name
• Grace is at the core of who we are,
why we are and what we celebrate.
• This is a journey, not a destination.
• We travel together in community.
• The grace journey together is
called the church.
Grace Journey Community Church
New Wineskins
• 2012 Preached entire year
for preparation
• Shut down all ministries
• Said good-bye to what was
• Closed the “old” church for
one week (Sunday of Prayer)
• Re-opened the next Sunday
Cost
• Loss
• Scary for people-loss of
control
• Sad for people-loss of
something precious
• People will be angry
• People will grieve
Cost
• You will personally
experience loss at many
levels
Cost
• This is when your call will
be paramount
• This is where your courage
will be tested
• This is when your core group
will be important
Celebrate
The call of God
He is not finished
Celebrate
The journey
You will encounter God
You will be changed
Celebrate
The pleasure of God
Celebrate
The pain of loss
You are invited into
the privilege of suffering
for Christ’s sake.
Celebrate
What God has in store
Celebrate
A new vision
A new life
A new hope
Celebrate
Lives that will be touched and
changed