You are currently browsing the Journey Chronicles weblog archives for May, 2007.
May 30, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
On May 9th Dr. Samuel Chand came and spoke to our Pastors in Training Class. Dr. Chand is one of the top church consultants in the nation. He is gifted at merging the practical and the spiritual. He often consults with “Mega Churches” but he gladly gives himself away to all and he took the time to come and meet with our small PIT class. You can learn more about Dr. Chand by clicking here
The following are some of the notes I took from this session. Dr. Chand spoke about the 5 competencies for starting a ministry.
1. Vision Casting – This is the hardest, and the most important.
A vision must be:
a. Memorable
b. Portable
c. Motivational
Habakkuk 2:2 Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. (NIV)
If a Vision has these qualities it will:
a. Synergize
b. Energize
c. Galvanize (Molds together and blends the people together)
The clearer the vision then clearer the people will be. If someone reads the vision of Redeemer’s Way (RW) and it is not clear it is not a vision.
God speaks to groups not individuals. As the Pastor of RW I receive the vision and I must then pass it down starting with my top two leaders. I must “Deep Seed’ the vision; this is done through intentional continual teaching. I must cast vision at every meeting, staff, deacons, elders, youth etc. I must cast this at the heart level, not the intellect. The vision becomes the measuring stick for all that we do. If we think of a ministry to start we must decide if it fits with in our vision. If not, then odds are it is not something we should do even though it may seem good. Churches that do well only do a few things.
Another key to remember is that people support vision not programs.
As the pastor, I must not be so big pictured that I forget the details. I must always have good understanding of the accounting books, building and ground maintenance, ability to correspond via letters and e-mail
I will post Part II in the next day or so.
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May 26, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
Here are the remainder of my notes from the Pastors Conference
This was from the session by Dr. Jack Hayford
God has given us worship because we need it, not because He does. Worship is the greatest way to provide evangelistic entry to the lost, even more than preaching. Worship changes the atmosphere.
RW must cultivate a ministry mindset in the people. We must grow it to become a personal lifestyle. We transfer from upbeat praise into encounter mode. Through worship we will build an atmosphere for God’s presence. This will allow people to minister one to another. Worship must be integrated in all areas of ministry and life: fellowship, teaching, counseling and administration. All deacons, elders and council meetings will begin with a time of worship. If we gather together for any reason, we worship first.
As the lead Pastor I must do the following:
These principles will provide the foundation for a lifestyle of worship that will always draw us closer to God. This will be one of the standards used to judge what we do at Redeemer’s Way.
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May 25, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
On Friday 5/4 I attended the National Pastors Leadership Summit for Foursquare. The 1st two sessions were on Worship, presented by Dale Evrist and Jack Hayford.
Here are some of my notes, and how they will apply to Redeemer’s Way (RW).
From Dale Evrist:
Worship leaders must be strong worshippers, not performers. Practice and rehearsals will begin with a time of worship. The worship leader will responsible for creating a worship and arts community. This community will also include the tech team. This community will gather for fellowship, teaching, prayer and worship.
RW leadership must remain vigilant that the arts do not lead to performance, but to God. Artistic expression must not distract from God.
Romans 12:1-3 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (NIV)
The worship at RW must be sensitive: The lost and/or unchurched – See 1 Corinthians 14. This is sensitivity to clarity of compassion and sensitive to what we do to communicate to the lost.
I will post the remainder of my notes in the next day or so.
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May 17, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
As my wife has been praying, she kept hearing God saying to “Pray against Walls” She kept asking what did this really mean. The following is what she heard.
Word -May 14, 2007
“The enemy is coming in like a flood.”I kept hearing this over and over. I asked God to explain the meaning of this since I have been hearing for over a week. I then had a picture in my mind of a huge evil army in formation to fight. – They were ready to go ahead to advance but were waiting on the signal. “How do we battle this Lord?” I asked. “What is our strategy?”Pray—The walls are not just racial as you have heard; the walls are spiritual.Living Way is the hub and the enemy is trying to hold back the church plants. There are huge walls built around where we are going. The enemy is trying to hold us back and keep the walls up. We are on 1 side and the enemy is on the other.
I also saw Locust Grove – the streets and we were wrapping huge bandages around and pouring oil on the bandages.
During all of this, I was listening to a song, “Mighty River” and I heard:
“You are our Planter Oh God; You are our Redeemer, Oh God.” Victorious One, Victorious One, Victorious One”
Love of God is flowing through this place. Breaks off all the false comforts.
Full of passion, full of power, full of grace
Mighty River of God flowing through this place
Our strategy for battle:
Pray, fast, Read God’s Word over the city (Isaiah 61, Psalm 55, Acts 10, Ephes.4 and any other scriptures God gives to us)
Janice and I have begun acting out the strategy. The enemy has lined up against our plant, but we will be victorious.
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May 15, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
There is a lot that can be said about Rev. Falwell. He definitely stood out among Christians. I may not have always agreed with his approach, but there is something positive to say about his ability stand firm on his beliefs and values for Christ.
He will be missed. My prayers go out to his family and friends. I hope his funeral will be a celebration of his life.
Pastor Jon
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May 13, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
My Family and I went on another drive through Locust Grove today. We were looking for a park to have a picnic with our team. LG really does not have a great park for this. However there is a spot located at the City Hall. We will do this in July or August. We did find out that the Locust Grove Day festival is May the 26th. We are planning to attend, and we pray that God will give us some key contacts in the community.
We have set June 23rd as the date for our 1st meeting. This is a Saturday night, but going forward will more than likely meet on Sunday evenings.
Last Wednesday night Dr. Samuel Chand came and spoke with our PIT class. He spoke a lot about vision. (Look for a future blog for more info on this meeting) He really encouraged us to simplify our Vision Statement. Here are a few ideas we are looking at:
Healing from Hurts, Freeing from the Past, Leading for the Future
LIFE = Leading, Impacting, Freeing, Engaging
HoPE= Healing, Proclaiming, Engaging
I have finally found the right Christian person to design the Redeemer’s Way logo. YEAH!!
Well this enough rambling for now.
Pastor Jon
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May 8, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
Janice and I went to Starbucks last night. We met with a couple we have asked to join our team. It was a great night learning about their dreams and visions. They really have a heart for evangelism and reaching out to groups that the traditional church has ignored. It turns out they have a daughter that lives in the area of our plant, and have been considering moving. While we were meeting their daughter called with two houses she had found for them in Locust Grove. They seemed excited about the plant and will be praying about the matter. I was upfront that I did have an agenda for meeting. I wanted to ask them to help us plant Redeemer’s Way. I did ask the question, but we spent two hours talking about the dreams and visions that God has birthed in all of our hearts. We encouraged each other by sharing the excitement we have for the work of Christ. Truly the Kingdom of God is built through relationships. No matter what they decide to do, they will always be friends. I want them to be part of our team if they hear from God, and this is His call for them. Their ministry would be a great compliment to the work at Redeemer’s Way. But I have to trust that Jesus will build His church.
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May 5, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
The journey to fulfill God’s destiny for our lives often does not follow a logical path. And often it takes a long time, or extended process before His call comes to reality. (Or perhaps, we really never arrive?) The length of time could be based on our obedience or lack thereof, and on God’s timing.
The key depends on our ability to remain faithful. Let’s look at some examples.
Abraham: over 40 years before he and Sarah gave birth to their promised son Isaac.
Joseph: At least 15 years from his dreams at 16 to the Prime Minister of Egypt. In between he had to go though slavery, false accusations and imprisonment.
Moses and the children of Israel: 40 years in the wilderness before going into the promise land. Once they crossed over, they had to go to war and destroy the current inhabitants including giants.
Current day Christians waiting for the return of Christ: 2000+ years and counting.
Being faithful requires Christians to dig in and hold fast. We have to believe what we have heard from God and focus on that vision and dream. The call of God on our lives becomes a stake firmly planted to which we can hold. It does not matter what our circumstances look like, we must remain faithful.
I think Isaiah put it best. “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.” Is. 50:4-7 NIV
Even though Isaiah suffered abuse after abuse he remained faithful. He set his face like a stone (flint) knowing that he must be faithful to God’s call on his life, and God would remain faithful.
What call and vision has God given you? Do you see your current situation and doubt that you have heard from God? Set your face like flint on the call that God has given you. Set your face like flint on your dreams and vision. Be faithful where you are and be faithful tomorrow. Remember, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Cor. 5:7 NKJV.
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May 5, 2007 by Pastor Jon.
First, we are finally able to announce our first two team members. Bill and Joyce Jenkins approached us several weeks ago with the desire to partner with us and build Redeemer’s Way Church. Bill has over 20 years of ministry experience where he has served as Associate Pastor, Senior Pastor of a Hispanic church, and a District Overseer. He was the co-founder and served as the administrator of Community Ministries in Marietta GA. Bill has his M.A. in Ministry Joyce has served for over 25 years in Christian Education. She has worked as teacher, administrator and as mentor of teachers. She developed curriculums for children and adult programs, and Joyce has created Christian schools and daycares from the ground up. She truly has a heart for training and discipleship. Janice and I are excited that Bill and Joyce will walk this journey with us. They will be a strong asset to our team. Second, Chris has finally completed the youth forum, click here to take a look. It is going to be interesting to see how this will be used to reach out to youth from all over. Be sure and let us know what you think.
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