Well, we have started with our first launch team and meetings. First, I apologize for the lag of this blog, but for some reason, I was blocked out for some time and had to resort to handwritten blogging...a journal. Now, I will also be posting this on our website. www.myMessiahChurch.org, so this will probably keep going as well.
Our first servant event happens on Monday (labor day) where we will be assisting the Prattville Service League with their annual BBQ. It is their annual fund raiser and we will be handing out helium balloons with our logo and name and helping with some of the children's games.
Should be lots of people and I pray we will have many new contact coming from this event.
The website is up and running, a few bugs to clean out, but within one week, we should be 100%.
More to come....talk to you later.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
A Rose by anyother name is still a rose.
A famous line I am sure many of you have heard before. What is in a name? When we think of a rose we have a defined picture in our mind. We see in our mind the shape of the bud of a rose. Vase like in appearance with the petals wrapped tightly around overlapping each other as if concealing the center of the flower, the focal point of the scent of the rose. That sweet scent we can "smell" in our minds without having a flower in our presence. The name of rose brings to mind images of love and romance. The name rose brings out many different feelings and images. So a name does cause us to define an object, but does a name dictate who we are?
I recently read a blog speaking of names and how they define what the object is and what it does as well. Think of Taco Bell. What kind of food do they sell? What are your expectations from this establishment? Would you think of going to Taco Bell for a hamburger? Of course not! What if I were to tell you they had the best hamburgers in town. They had expanded their menu to include burgers and fries! Would you consider going their, knowing they are primarily a taco joint? I would say not, you would be more likely to go to Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's or your burger joint of choice. Their names have not only defined what they do, but you also have associated a perceived expectation when going to that particular restaurant. Burger King - have it your way, Wendy's - made fresh to order, McDonald's - Big Mac. So a name carries a great deal of significance and defines who you are...whether you like it or not.
Now as we begin the launch process of a new church, a name can carry with it a lot of baggage, both positive and negative. The name can not only define who you are (your perception is not always the one perceived by others), but can also (perceived by others) dictate what you do. This applies to churches as well. Does having your denominational affiliation in the name signify who you are trying to attract? First Baptist, St. Andrew's Lutheran, United Presbyterian, Your Town Methodist Church. These names define who you are and if you are somewhat church savvy you may not choose one over the other because of the denominational definition, whether it is correct or not! So this is the dilemma we are looking at...what name should we have for our new mission start. Since it is just a congregation of two (Linda and I) should we look for a name now or wait until we have more people pulled into the flock. But more importantly what do we want our name to say about us?
Christ centered, friendly, open, inviting, safe, caring, family oriented, grace filled, loving, welcoming to people be it single, married with or without kids, youth oriented, a place where people can see faith be lived out, these are just some things that come to mind when I think of an idea church. Our demographics in Prattville speak of all these things as the population is very mixed of all sorts of people from differing backgrounds and stages of life.
So being led to a name that defines and represents the "DNA" of the church is not easy. What are you thoughts about names? If you have one, please post a comment.
I recently read a blog speaking of names and how they define what the object is and what it does as well. Think of Taco Bell. What kind of food do they sell? What are your expectations from this establishment? Would you think of going to Taco Bell for a hamburger? Of course not! What if I were to tell you they had the best hamburgers in town. They had expanded their menu to include burgers and fries! Would you consider going their, knowing they are primarily a taco joint? I would say not, you would be more likely to go to Burger King, Wendy's, McDonald's or your burger joint of choice. Their names have not only defined what they do, but you also have associated a perceived expectation when going to that particular restaurant. Burger King - have it your way, Wendy's - made fresh to order, McDonald's - Big Mac. So a name carries a great deal of significance and defines who you are...whether you like it or not.
Now as we begin the launch process of a new church, a name can carry with it a lot of baggage, both positive and negative. The name can not only define who you are (your perception is not always the one perceived by others), but can also (perceived by others) dictate what you do. This applies to churches as well. Does having your denominational affiliation in the name signify who you are trying to attract? First Baptist, St. Andrew's Lutheran, United Presbyterian, Your Town Methodist Church. These names define who you are and if you are somewhat church savvy you may not choose one over the other because of the denominational definition, whether it is correct or not! So this is the dilemma we are looking at...what name should we have for our new mission start. Since it is just a congregation of two (Linda and I) should we look for a name now or wait until we have more people pulled into the flock. But more importantly what do we want our name to say about us?
Christ centered, friendly, open, inviting, safe, caring, family oriented, grace filled, loving, welcoming to people be it single, married with or without kids, youth oriented, a place where people can see faith be lived out, these are just some things that come to mind when I think of an idea church. Our demographics in Prattville speak of all these things as the population is very mixed of all sorts of people from differing backgrounds and stages of life.
So being led to a name that defines and represents the "DNA" of the church is not easy. What are you thoughts about names? If you have one, please post a comment.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
So how do you plant a church?
While we were out visiting family and friends, the most common question was, "So how do you plant a church?". So this post is dedicated to outlining the "plan". I am using a church plant model called "Launch Large". This model has been developed by Nelson Searcy a church planter in New York City. The concept is to launch as large as possible as fast as possible to help you get over some of the number barriers. The model also helps you keep focus on the main thing, that is to launch the church and to keep the church focused on outreach rather than becoming a program rich church. Not that there is anything wrong with programs, it is just as the conception of a church, it is not the most important thing to be working on. Keeping your eye on outreach and the mission of the church (reaching the lost), will bring you to the programs that will be most effective for your community. Square peg, round hole concept.
So, here is the plan. June 1, 2009 we arrived in Prattville, Alabama. During the first couple of months, it is important to "exegete" the community. What does this mean? Well, find out what the community is all about. What is important to the people who live here? Where do they "hang out"? What is the worship community like? What is the true demographics? Where is the growth happening? You just need to get a feel for the community and the people. What makes them tick?
In addition to that minor task. Ha! I will be trying to find a place in which to hold worship services (more on that in a moment) and finding a worship team and worship leader. These are key components for the worship experience. And speaking of worship, I will need to order the materials and equipment for the services! Sound equipment, keyboard, chairs, trailer to haul it all in and everything else needed to have a quality worship service.
Meeting people is also an ongoing and daily task. Letting people know who you are and what you are doing. Praying that God will lead you to those who have a heart for mission and want to walk along side of you and help in planting the church.
That is what is going on in June and July. Searching, meeting people, learning and developing a worship team.
August we begins our six months of servant evangelism and worship. Each month from August to January 2010, we will be doing three things each month.
Servant events. We will be using these activities to work within the community to help meet people and to help meet people's needs. These activities can be just about anything. Handing out water at the park, working with local food banks, prayer walks through neighborhoods, the list goes on. Basically, whatever takes you to the place where people are and getting to know them and they in turn get to know you. We are striving to be a church that is relevant and part of the community.
Fellowship events. These are fun times. Picnic in the parks, bowling, taking in a football game, anything that brings people together for fun. These are not threatening events that are sponsored by the church, but not intended to be an evangelism event. This is just church folks having fun. It is also a way in which we can let them know who we are and what we are doing. Give them the chance to join us as we launch the church.
Monthly worship. Each month we will gather for a time of worship with those whom we have meet along the way at our servant and fellowship events. Those events are key as we are always inviting everyone to the next event, be it a servant event or a fellowship event. But once a month we gather to give thanks and praise our Lord with worship. Now this is two fold. One it is real worship and real church! But it is also a time in which we can work out the bugs in the process of setting up and taking down our equipment. It gives us a time to prepare for the weekly services that will come with the launch.
So for the first six months (after the community research) this will be our monthly activity schedule. Servant event, fellowship event and worship.
The official launch date is important to pick out. You just cannot pick any day out and go for it. Some times work better than others. The three top times to launch a church are the second weekend in February, Easter and the second week after school starts. February? Yes, for what ever reason, the second weekend in February is a peak after the holidays. No one is sure why, but it is. Check you own church attendance records and you will see. Next is Easter, this is obvious as most people who do not frequent church much, usually come on Easter. The next date is the second week after school starts. Why? Well most people have gotten their new fall schedules together and that is the time when most people who are looking to come back to church, start looking to add it to their schedule. Works that way, don't ask why.
Now that we have the time issue set, the next step is to pick a date and stick with it. Our Launch Large date is February 21, 2010. Wait!, you say. That is not the second weekend in February. Good catch! It is not, but one of the first rules is to never, never, never launch on a three day weekend. Next February, the second weekend is not only Valentines Day, but the Monday following Valentines is President's Day and makes it a three day weekend. So, we went to the next weekend, February 21.
The goal is to gather as many people over the first six months so you can have as many people on your launch service. Experience shows if you launch with X number of people, you will have 1/2 X the following Sunday. Thus you want as many people as possible on that first service. The number we are going for is still under prayer. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated as well. Once the launch Sunday has happened, we have a party and close out the launch team. Those people who have gathered along the way and have stepped up and helped with the launch on the church. We then recruit them to continue on with the ministry of their choice on a weekly basis. And from February 21, 2010 and on we will be having weekly services and growing as a body of believers!
So that is on way to plant a church. The model is laid out and the date set. Now to pray, put into action and follow God's lead as we move forward. I hope this answers your question and if not, just post them and I will answer as best I can. Thanks again for your continued prayers.
In His Grip!
Pastor Doug
So, here is the plan. June 1, 2009 we arrived in Prattville, Alabama. During the first couple of months, it is important to "exegete" the community. What does this mean? Well, find out what the community is all about. What is important to the people who live here? Where do they "hang out"? What is the worship community like? What is the true demographics? Where is the growth happening? You just need to get a feel for the community and the people. What makes them tick?
In addition to that minor task. Ha! I will be trying to find a place in which to hold worship services (more on that in a moment) and finding a worship team and worship leader. These are key components for the worship experience. And speaking of worship, I will need to order the materials and equipment for the services! Sound equipment, keyboard, chairs, trailer to haul it all in and everything else needed to have a quality worship service.
Meeting people is also an ongoing and daily task. Letting people know who you are and what you are doing. Praying that God will lead you to those who have a heart for mission and want to walk along side of you and help in planting the church.
That is what is going on in June and July. Searching, meeting people, learning and developing a worship team.
August we begins our six months of servant evangelism and worship. Each month from August to January 2010, we will be doing three things each month.
Servant events. We will be using these activities to work within the community to help meet people and to help meet people's needs. These activities can be just about anything. Handing out water at the park, working with local food banks, prayer walks through neighborhoods, the list goes on. Basically, whatever takes you to the place where people are and getting to know them and they in turn get to know you. We are striving to be a church that is relevant and part of the community.
Fellowship events. These are fun times. Picnic in the parks, bowling, taking in a football game, anything that brings people together for fun. These are not threatening events that are sponsored by the church, but not intended to be an evangelism event. This is just church folks having fun. It is also a way in which we can let them know who we are and what we are doing. Give them the chance to join us as we launch the church.
Monthly worship. Each month we will gather for a time of worship with those whom we have meet along the way at our servant and fellowship events. Those events are key as we are always inviting everyone to the next event, be it a servant event or a fellowship event. But once a month we gather to give thanks and praise our Lord with worship. Now this is two fold. One it is real worship and real church! But it is also a time in which we can work out the bugs in the process of setting up and taking down our equipment. It gives us a time to prepare for the weekly services that will come with the launch.
So for the first six months (after the community research) this will be our monthly activity schedule. Servant event, fellowship event and worship.
The official launch date is important to pick out. You just cannot pick any day out and go for it. Some times work better than others. The three top times to launch a church are the second weekend in February, Easter and the second week after school starts. February? Yes, for what ever reason, the second weekend in February is a peak after the holidays. No one is sure why, but it is. Check you own church attendance records and you will see. Next is Easter, this is obvious as most people who do not frequent church much, usually come on Easter. The next date is the second week after school starts. Why? Well most people have gotten their new fall schedules together and that is the time when most people who are looking to come back to church, start looking to add it to their schedule. Works that way, don't ask why.
Now that we have the time issue set, the next step is to pick a date and stick with it. Our Launch Large date is February 21, 2010. Wait!, you say. That is not the second weekend in February. Good catch! It is not, but one of the first rules is to never, never, never launch on a three day weekend. Next February, the second weekend is not only Valentines Day, but the Monday following Valentines is President's Day and makes it a three day weekend. So, we went to the next weekend, February 21.
The goal is to gather as many people over the first six months so you can have as many people on your launch service. Experience shows if you launch with X number of people, you will have 1/2 X the following Sunday. Thus you want as many people as possible on that first service. The number we are going for is still under prayer. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated as well. Once the launch Sunday has happened, we have a party and close out the launch team. Those people who have gathered along the way and have stepped up and helped with the launch on the church. We then recruit them to continue on with the ministry of their choice on a weekly basis. And from February 21, 2010 and on we will be having weekly services and growing as a body of believers!
So that is on way to plant a church. The model is laid out and the date set. Now to pray, put into action and follow God's lead as we move forward. I hope this answers your question and if not, just post them and I will answer as best I can. Thanks again for your continued prayers.
In His Grip!
Pastor Doug
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Respite!
Now one may wonder why I left my last call and will not start my new call until June 1? Well, it is a time of respite. I am using this time to relax and decompress from my last ministry and get ready for the next call. I am finding as I take this time off, processing the call at Christ Community has brought some unexpected feelings. I do feel freed from the call and am very excited about the new call to plant a new church in Prattville/Millbrook, Alabama, no doubt about that. But I find myself looking over the past three years and many different emotions come up. Joy in the many people who opened their lives to me and allowed me to share with them their joys, sorrows and everyday moments. Joy in seeing Christ grow in many peoples lives and hearing the stories of faith renewed and faith found. Joy in seeing additions taken away and new life in it's place. Joy in being their when lives were forever changed in the waters of baptism and when two individual lives became one in matrimony. Saddness in seeing ministries not meeting their full potential. Saddness in watching politics outweigh servant hood and money over ministry. Wonder as I saw God working in so many ways. Bringing our first keyboard player the Sunday before our first worship (Jim Levy). Opening doors for our worship facility (Francis Hazel Reid Elementary) and placing a Christian Vice Principle in charge of renting to us. Generous donation of our business plan ($80,000!) for our facility plan and Open Arms project.
Now as I enjoy the respite traveling with Linda and visiting our friends and relatives, I am finding myself anxious to start again. Anxious over what will come our way and how God will work through us. There are wonderful people in the Prattville area and they are excited to have me come and work with them to build God's Kingdom. But as anxious as I am, I need to slow down and take full advantage of this time of respite. God is at work, both within me and before me in the new call. I feel the movement of His hand upon my heart. I feel peace coming upon me. God is so good!
Now as I enjoy the respite traveling with Linda and visiting our friends and relatives, I am finding myself anxious to start again. Anxious over what will come our way and how God will work through us. There are wonderful people in the Prattville area and they are excited to have me come and work with them to build God's Kingdom. But as anxious as I am, I need to slow down and take full advantage of this time of respite. God is at work, both within me and before me in the new call. I feel the movement of His hand upon my heart. I feel peace coming upon me. God is so good!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Freed to Leave
As I ponder all that has happened and what is coming up in Alabama. A couple of things have come to mind. Some of asked why we did not stay and hang on. Well, first it was wearing on both of us and affecting our relationship. I attended a church planting conference this past week and there was many ideas and strategies on how to plant a church and what to do and not do. Some speakers even acknowledged their disagreement with their other speakers. It was refreshing to see Christians disagree, yet respect the other. However, there were two things all agreed upon. First, be in the Word of God and seek Him as you plant your church and secondly, your marriage is more important than the church! So one answer to why we would not hang on...I love my wife and family to much to allow harm to come to them.
As we are preparing to leave, the issues that have been kept hidden from much of the congregation are coming to light (not from me) and people are upset with the manner in which I was treated. Could have I stayed and fought these issues and won? Yes, I could have, but to the glory of who? Me. God has spoken to me and what He has told me was vengeance was His and He would take care of the situation in His way and He would receive the glory. He was going to take me out of this situation before I completely burned out and would not be able to continue in ministry and place me where He could use me for His Glory. When He brought me to that place of understanding, a great burden was lifted from my shoulders and I knew without a doubt I was "In His Grip!". I could leave and not be concerned with what would happen with the church or the childcare center. I was freed to leave!
As we are preparing to leave, the issues that have been kept hidden from much of the congregation are coming to light (not from me) and people are upset with the manner in which I was treated. Could have I stayed and fought these issues and won? Yes, I could have, but to the glory of who? Me. God has spoken to me and what He has told me was vengeance was His and He would take care of the situation in His way and He would receive the glory. He was going to take me out of this situation before I completely burned out and would not be able to continue in ministry and place me where He could use me for His Glory. When He brought me to that place of understanding, a great burden was lifted from my shoulders and I knew without a doubt I was "In His Grip!". I could leave and not be concerned with what would happen with the church or the childcare center. I was freed to leave!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
No Pain No Gain!
So here I was left to work through the details of the call. Looking over the call documents, there was not much to cause me any concern. What I was left with was the work done in the past four years in Virginia and all that has happened to me as well. The good, the bad, the ugly came to mind as I reviewed the ministry here. There were other things that came into play as well. First, what about the house! We are in a down market, with housing prices having dropped by an average of 47%. We bought our house at the height of the housing market. Now we are upside down in the market. It was a heavy burden to think about. The housing value had already dropped to the point our down payment was gone and now we were under the mortgage value. Not a good place to be and finding ourselves facing a call. But in the end, this could not be a factor in the decision. I had to place that aside and concentrate on ministry.
Secondly, was the current ministry state or should I say the lack of ministry. Christ Community had gone through her share of struggles from the worship wars of those who wanted traditional worship settings only. We had a blended service to meet all the needs, but did not have the facilities to offer two services on Sunday. The joys of rented facilities! It has it's shares of problems and one is not having enough time in the morning to do all we wish to do. Several families decided they knew better and tried to force the issue. Well, conflict resulted and enter in Peacemaker Ministries. After several weeks of conflict resolution, there was some healing and restoration, but not getting what they wanted, they left. The "remnant" took on the motto..."the view from the windshield is bigger than the view from the rear view mirror." We moved on. Even though we had moved on the residual effect of the conflict had done it's damage. As much as I tried to work through the issues, one more would pop up. It was frustrating. But I had to put my feelings of hurt, anger and frustration aside as I sought the Lord's will for my ministry.
This was painful! I wanted to rest my decision on those things that gave me justification to move on. It would be so simple to make the decision based on what had happened or based on financial decisions. What was I to do?! What was the basis of my decision? It was hard and in seeking the counsel of other pastors it was not any easier. So many things to consider, but when it all boiled down it came to one things...where would God have me minister. Where would my skills be best used? Which ministry needed me the most? That is what I needed to focus on. All other aspects of the call did not matter. Then one morning I woke up and was thinking of Prattville and I was excited! Linda even commented I was whistling and she had not heard that for a long time. Through the pain there was gain. I sensed a peace. I sensed a need. I sensed His presence in my ministry in a way I had not felt in a long time. I sensed His calling. His calling me to another ministry. His calling me to Alabama!
Secondly, was the current ministry state or should I say the lack of ministry. Christ Community had gone through her share of struggles from the worship wars of those who wanted traditional worship settings only. We had a blended service to meet all the needs, but did not have the facilities to offer two services on Sunday. The joys of rented facilities! It has it's shares of problems and one is not having enough time in the morning to do all we wish to do. Several families decided they knew better and tried to force the issue. Well, conflict resulted and enter in Peacemaker Ministries. After several weeks of conflict resolution, there was some healing and restoration, but not getting what they wanted, they left. The "remnant" took on the motto..."the view from the windshield is bigger than the view from the rear view mirror." We moved on. Even though we had moved on the residual effect of the conflict had done it's damage. As much as I tried to work through the issues, one more would pop up. It was frustrating. But I had to put my feelings of hurt, anger and frustration aside as I sought the Lord's will for my ministry.
This was painful! I wanted to rest my decision on those things that gave me justification to move on. It would be so simple to make the decision based on what had happened or based on financial decisions. What was I to do?! What was the basis of my decision? It was hard and in seeking the counsel of other pastors it was not any easier. So many things to consider, but when it all boiled down it came to one things...where would God have me minister. Where would my skills be best used? Which ministry needed me the most? That is what I needed to focus on. All other aspects of the call did not matter. Then one morning I woke up and was thinking of Prattville and I was excited! Linda even commented I was whistling and she had not heard that for a long time. Through the pain there was gain. I sensed a peace. I sensed a need. I sensed His presence in my ministry in a way I had not felt in a long time. I sensed His calling. His calling me to another ministry. His calling me to Alabama!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
God has His plans
As I said in the last post, God had other plans for us. The evening we before we left to visit Alabama, I received a call at 10:10 pm. I was just getting ready for bed and the call came from Patrick O'Neil. He identified himself and said he was calling from Seoul South Korea. First thought was a scam. Some rich business man died with out an heir and I would like your help in getting the fortune out of the country. But is was not a scam, but an inquiry if I would be interested in interviewing for the International Lutheran Church in Seoul! I said sure, why not! We talked about the call and he said he would send some information and if I was interested to contact Lutheran World Missions and get and application to fill out. We thought and prayed about it for a couple of days and decided it was the perfect time for us to pursue a foreign mission call. Both the kids were stable and on their own, our parents are all in good health, so why not.
So now we have two potential calls before us. South Korea and Alabama! Talk about random and what a world apart these two calls where. The Korean church was an English speaking church with a mix of English speaking Koreans and Ex-pats from around the world. A week or so after our Alabama visit, Gary Faith called and said they were going to submit my name to the District mission board for approval. He said, unless they knew something he did not know, I could expect a call from them. They were going to meet the following Friday (March 6th). During that week I also had a phone interview with the Team from Seoul Korea. I was upfront with them and told them I would probably have a call coming within the week from another mission field. Their time table was to announce who would be receiving the call in mid April.
Friday, March 6th Gary Faith called and told me the mission board voted to extend the call to me and to expect the call documents the following week. They came on Monday. I was excited, yet nervous. I had never been in this position before and was not sure what to do. The upcoming Thursday was our Circuit meeting and I arranged for a meeting with my Pastoral Assistant - Rev. Monte Frohm, Rev. Ralph Wiechman (Circuit Counselor) and Rev. Art Umbach (District Facilitator). In the meeting I informed them I had received a call and was looking for guidance. All knew of the "issues" that I had been facing (another time perhaps I will elaborate) and suggested this may be a good thing for my ministry. Their counsel was to tell my Council president and vice president and head elder of the call via phone and then on Sunday inform the congregation. I did just that. The reaction from several members of the congregation was saddness and disapointment in my receiving a call and possibly leaving. I informed them to keep me in their prayers and I would give them an answer on Sunday April 5th. Now the personnal prayers and deliberation began and dispite all that has happened to me, it was not an easy process. I wanted clear direction and an answer from God, but He wanted me to work through everything first.
So now we have two potential calls before us. South Korea and Alabama! Talk about random and what a world apart these two calls where. The Korean church was an English speaking church with a mix of English speaking Koreans and Ex-pats from around the world. A week or so after our Alabama visit, Gary Faith called and said they were going to submit my name to the District mission board for approval. He said, unless they knew something he did not know, I could expect a call from them. They were going to meet the following Friday (March 6th). During that week I also had a phone interview with the Team from Seoul Korea. I was upfront with them and told them I would probably have a call coming within the week from another mission field. Their time table was to announce who would be receiving the call in mid April.
Friday, March 6th Gary Faith called and told me the mission board voted to extend the call to me and to expect the call documents the following week. They came on Monday. I was excited, yet nervous. I had never been in this position before and was not sure what to do. The upcoming Thursday was our Circuit meeting and I arranged for a meeting with my Pastoral Assistant - Rev. Monte Frohm, Rev. Ralph Wiechman (Circuit Counselor) and Rev. Art Umbach (District Facilitator). In the meeting I informed them I had received a call and was looking for guidance. All knew of the "issues" that I had been facing (another time perhaps I will elaborate) and suggested this may be a good thing for my ministry. Their counsel was to tell my Council president and vice president and head elder of the call via phone and then on Sunday inform the congregation. I did just that. The reaction from several members of the congregation was saddness and disapointment in my receiving a call and possibly leaving. I informed them to keep me in their prayers and I would give them an answer on Sunday April 5th. Now the personnal prayers and deliberation began and dispite all that has happened to me, it was not an easy process. I wanted clear direction and an answer from God, but He wanted me to work through everything first.
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