In thinking about our launch strategy, especially the Area Fellowships instead of church services, I am reminded of this passage from the book of Acts, chapter 2:
42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
I don’t think this book of Acts experience was as much an anomaly as it was the natural outflow of the culture of the communal Life of the Triune-God working through a people that had been transformed by Jesus. Because of an encounter with God that was borne out of the Apostolic clarity of Jesus, his finished work, his miraculous resurrection, his promised Spirit, and the resulting new humanity, God’s people were drawn toward each other in a way that cannot be manufactured or contrived. Of course the “temple courts” experience was vital to maintain their connection to God, to each other and to their history. But their experience was not limited to the temple only. They made a regular habit of spending time together outside the temple courts. And their regular diet was that of Gospel teaching, developing a sense of family, sharing encouraging words, generous living, contributing to the needs of others, as well as faith filled prayers to know God more through Jesus.
Not only was that kind of community attractive to the onlooking culture, but it was totally unstoppable! I believe today it is no different.
Last weekend marked another week of doing life and church a little differently. And while I confess it has seemed a little risky, I loved it! It was pretty wild to actually be in town and not getting ready for a church service on Sunday morning. Instead, we slept in, packed up the kids, got a dvd going in the car and drove all around town visiting some of the Area Fellowships that were going on. It was a blast!
For the month of January we are prioritizing connecting with each other before trying to connect to people outside of our church. Here’s a couple reasons why:
1. It’s hard to be committed to someone you don’t know. We generally don’t need more friendly people in our lives…we need friends. Our friends know us. They are able to encourage us, as well as tell us when we have broccoli in our teeth. But they are also the people who fight for us when we’re in trouble, and pick us up when we are down. That’s why you never hear of too many soldiers in a fox hole with a stranger.
2. It’s hard to know someone you don’t spend time with. Without a doubt the number one way to cultivate relationships is time. Think about it: In 3.5 years Jesus probably spent more “time” with his disciples than you or I will spend with anyone we do ministry with, while we, on the other hand, are lucky to spend 2.5 hours a week with each other in a seriously engaged way. How? He spent every day with them. Every moment presented a new opportunity and they were there to witness it, log it, ask questions about it and wrap their minds around it.
While I am not proposing quitting our jobs and just spending every day together, I do believe that if we’ll make time for each other, we will see our hearts knit in an incredible way. And we will see God do more through us together than we ever could have imagined (I’ll talk about why in my next post)!
So be sure to visit the Resolution Church Area Fellowships page to find out more.
Wow! So we had our first meeting in the AMC Parkway Pointe on Sunday… So proud of all the people who are contributing their time, skills, energy & passion to this launch. It was amazing to come together in a different place than we’ve ever been, and meet the same God who’s always been with us! It was amazing to see teamwork at an entirely different level. We really sense the Grace of God with us as we are moving into new directions to be the church in the city that God has called us to be. I must admit I feel pretty challenged though. Change is never easy, and I’m amazed at how much the mind wants to maintain the status quo. Here’s a couple things that challenge my thinking and my own “status quo”:
1. Being in the theater makes me realize even more what we’re up against. The theater opens for business at 9:30am and the first movie shows at 10:00am. And there’s people actually going to the movies! That’s right, people are not going to church. They’re going to the movies. Why? What’s missing? In the church? In their lives? Just some thoughts…
So our “competition” isn’t the other church down the road, but everything in the culture that makes it easier to NOT attend church! We won’t beat Hollywood in making movies, but we can beat Hollywood in encountering God and building lives. That’s what I’m going for.
2. It takes a team to tell a story. Did you ever watch the credits that roll after the movies? There’s a whole lotta people contributing to tell a compelling story, and WE have the greatest story EVER!!! We’ve got a long way to go, but we’re off to a good start! Sunday could not have happened without the hard, loving, diligent work of a few dedicated individuals. And the more we do together, the more I realize how much better we are together than we are just laboring away as individuals. And I understand, more than ever, why Paul stressed the ministry of the entire church when he encouraged the Corinthians “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.” (2 Cor. 3:2)
The ministry wasn’t Paul’s one man show. He was essentially saying “the world is gonna know who this God is when they see you! As they watch you serve together, as they feel your love and see His power at work, they are reading God’s love letter through the lives of each and every one of you.” I look forward to teaming together more to see Jesus glorified and His Life made known. I look forward to unccovering strengths and gifts in others I didn’t know they had. I look forward to the Body of Christ, the Church, working in unison to meet the needs of the world. And I look forward to people discovering Jesus through the sacrifice and service of His children.
3. Experiences devoid of relationships. I’ve always thought how wild it is that tons of people go to movies, sporting events and concerts, etc. and share an “experience” that seems to bond them together for a moment, only to leave without a thought of who that person was they were high-fiving, laughing or crying alongside, and giving a standing ovation with. We’re a culture raised on experiences devoid of relationships, and God help us if we default to that as a church!
It is always easier to maintain the status quo. But we are going to fight for relationships, believe the best in each other, and strive to not drift into apathy and anonymity. So let’s dive in together! Let’s experience Life! Let’s encounter God! And let’s grow in real relationships!
-Sterling
Joshua 3:5 – Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”
In preparation for what God was about to do in taking the entire nation across the dangerous Jordan river into the place God had chosen for them, Joshua gave this encouragement to the people of Israel. We know that God is about to do some amazing things in and through each of us. We know that we are going somewhere together. We know that whatever victories we will experience will not be because of the strength and wisdom of man, but because of the presence of Jesus and God’s power at work among us. Because of that we are kicking off the year with three days of fasting & prayer; setting aside time to “consecrate ourselves” because God is about to do amazing things among us! Thursday night (7pm), Friday night (7pm) & Saturday morning (10:30) at the Atlanta Rd. location. The last two nights have been incredible. Hope to see you there!
Over the past several days we’ve been making preparations to get our gear & stuff for church into the movie theater. Well, yesterday was moving day! How exciting!!! We got our stuff into the storage space and we’re getting ready in the morning for a practice set up and run through. It’s coming together. God has been faithful. This Sunday is going to be awesome!
Well, I don’t know about you, but this was our first Sunday in years without an “official” service to go to. It was honestly a bit strange, but it did have one real side effect…We are so excited to get back home and start building for 2009! We slept in and had some good time with family. Also spent some time reflecting back on 2008.
I know that 2008 has been hard on many, many people. And none of us is exempt. Economic hardship, physical difficulties, relational stress and other challenges can easily cause the bravest among us to question things to the core. But with the encouragement of a passage like this:
(Romans 8:37-40) “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
How can we not look back with thanksgiving, and look ahead with courage and faith? Knowing that God is with us and nothing can separate us from His love should bring us all great comfort no matter what we are facing. And we are committed to live in a way that allows others, who do not yet know this love, to experience it through us.
We’re also committed to do things differently around here. So we’re kicking off 2009 right with Communion together on the 4th. Click here for directions and info. We hope to see you all there!
Last Sunday we took everyone out serve others. It was incredible to see the Body of Christ moving together with passion and love to be a blessing to people in our city. Three teams went out; the children went to two assisted living senior centers to sing Christmas carols and pass out Christmas cards they had made. It was such a huge hit, several of the residents said they would be hanging their cards on their doors. Another group went to a woman’s house who has stage 4 lung cancer (and has never smoked) to doctor up her house some for her and her family. Finally, another crew went to a local homeless/battered women’s shelter to serve lunch after their church service.
It was truly a joy and privilege to feel God working through us in that kind of way. I am reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40 “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” When we take our eyes off ourselves and onto the needs of others, it’s sometimes easier to find God.
This is part of our commitment to be the church in the city in a tangible way. We are dedicating the first Sunday morning of each month to serve others through service projects. It’s time to get the church out of the box!
Did you particpate in a project? If you did, we’d love to hear your perspective. Is this a new idea for you? If so, tell us what you think. Post a comment and join the conversation.
Welcome to the Resolution Blog! We have set this up as a vehicle for communication to work in conjunction with our website. Stay tuned for updates, info & other tid bits of fun info.
God bless!
Sterling
Here’s the overall plan
Transition Plan
3 phase plan to relaunch City Life IC as a Resolution Church beginning December 2008.
Phase I – Transition > November 7th – January 2009
Goal 1: vision & resources
Cast vision regularly, with many different people through many different forms. Raise finances for the launch with an initial goal of $75,000.
Goal 2: Leaders & teams
Designate team leaders: recruit teams, site visits, inventory and purchase requests.
Phase II – Pre-Launch > December 7th – April 12th
Goal 1: Cultivate unity
Have regular dedicated times of prayer, fasting and worship for the leadership teams in smaller informal settings.
Goal 2: Create momentum
By connecting with friends and neighbors in Area Fellowships; by getting into the theater for Worship Encounters; by serving the city together.
December
December 7 – “Vision Sunday” – vision, name, commitments
December 14 – Sunday a.m. Service @ City Life
December 21 – “Advent Conspiracy”
- Shortened service at City Life IC, then head out together for service projects
December 28 – NO CHURCH Meeting
January
January 3 – Set up & Take Down Teams “rehearsal”
January 4 – Communion Feast & fellowship at the Tamborra’s Club house
January 11 – 10:00 am – First Preview service at AMC Parkway Point on Cobb Parkway..
January 18 – Area Fellowships (AF) begin
January 25 – AF
February
February 1 – Service Project #2
February 8 – Preview service #2
February 15 & 22 – AF
March
March 1 – Service Project #3
March 8 – Preview service #3
March 15 & 22 – AF
March 29 – Church-Wide Social
April
April 5 – Service Project #4
Phase III – Launch > April 12 (Easter)
Goal: Launch! Begin regular schedule of Service Projects & weekly Worship Encounters
Just in case you missed the “Big Announcement,” visit our church website here where the audio message is on the homepage. If you want to see the video about the theater or see the keynote with a brief talk about the vision by Pastor Sterling, click here.
What are your thoughts about the new name and the vision?
