Church Plant Informational Meeting Feb. 2019

I don't want to try to convince anyone to do anything which is like I do want to try to convince anyone or sell anyone on anything rather. We are trying to find people who are looking for the same thing like-minded. Have experienced one form of church, but Church could be something different.

So if that's not you cool, that's fine. But no no harm. No foul. It be kind of like I'm always food-centric. So it's like we like chocolate ice cream and we're looking for other people who like chocolate ice cream, you like apple pie cool. There's apple pie somewhere else, but we love you and we'll share ice cream. So not a sales pitch. We've never done this like this before, I'm going to I'm going to share a little bit about our history, but we've never liked try to start a church just by putting up a Facebook thing and asking people are you into this? More asking individually said he is so this is new for us. So about us we are in gear 25 of being married almost 23.

First couple months and 21 first thing one and thing two thing one is married and shepherding a high school dance tonight so we can pray for you and Thing Two is at Pacific University studying music education. We have always felt like life is Ministry like we love our life in such a way. We always have that it's all Ministry add to that. We have been in various forms of full-time part-time volunteer. Ministry at some point or another over these many years.

Yes a large degree of the time. So that's the snapshot version how we got here? I'm not going to go all the way back. I will go back to just so cuz it getting so if you don't know so if you know parts of our story, so if you don't know any of our stories or like can we even yeah, you can go so you can take a nap. You can play with a flirt over there.

2006 interviews and accepted a first serve. big Pastor senior pastor whatever position at a church in South Dakota They were a newer church that had your before split everybody people. They had never be on switch is going to the average in case you don't know if that's the average science Church in America had some pretty good money in the bank and could pay us decently, but it became evident that they didn't know who they were, but they wanted to because there were still new among themselves and I didn't go there to split them again. So we're like we're going to we're going to go take some more time to figure out what you're about.

So we moved from their back to this area. Indaba Paris, you are so later in 2017. Kitty were asked to step into a church in Forest Grove that their pastor had resigned due to some unfortunate circumstances. They were a nine-year-old Church.

And we were there for about seven and a half years. So would have spent a couple of years trying to heal through what Edwin happened with them.

We probably got over the course of that 7 years. Plus or minus 40 or 50 people. Meeting in a school romantic meeting in a building. We eventually got to rent in renovated. But we got to a point where I was pushing pretty hard for discipleship to me what that means is the intentional process of becoming more like Jesus. It's a good thing but that kind of I kind of became hyper focused on it. Like if we're not doing that we're not doing what we should be doing his church, and on one Sunday we had decided I think we need to not do this anymore. And that's same as Sunday are other Mane Elder showed up and said, I think we need to not be here anymore.

So we should probably just shut it down cuz it wasn't like they had kept doing it would have been disobedient to keep the thing going. So like we're just we're going to Close it down. And do you want stuff that's involved with that?

It was an interesting. process season

About six months after that we were we took our route sorted in Crossroads here in town and I was hired again cuz I worked at Crossroads way back to be there groups and young adults Pastor, which is where we met. These guys lovely couple who weren't a couple then but they are come out.

Spence. Little over here there Trying to do that in through stuff. I don't need to get into left there or were asked to leave there depending on who you want to ask about that just became evident that. They wanted to do something different than what we were brought in to do. So, why are we still doing this?

I don't need to be doing that. Anymore anywhere ever. Maybe I'll still I know I still got still wants to use me. So I'm going to try to do other stuff to be used. And so if we spent the last three years trying out some different stuff.

Some of it was beneficial in Pleasanton.

Keep moving over the last three years. We've been to a handful of different churches. Would you call it? Church shopping. I don't know why we spent the last three years we trying seeing where we fit seeing good things happening in churches and seeing things.

and make sure I stick to my notes.

Puerto Rican consulate I can ramble Taylor Swift

how did you put it put it? always felt sort of slightly bitter never felt like positive about church also felt like I could ever catch myself thinking if I want to start a church again. These are all the things I would not do. And I only had a not do call. I didn't have a would do to do column. And it never seemed smart to try to start something out of what you wouldn't do.

That brings us to last Christmas Christmas in like 5 minutes.

The idea of getting back a mystery slowly started a rattle around me both of us. me Dragula didn't seem like it wouldn't happen again until we visited a church and some of us is on the website. I don't want to assume that you read everything that we put out. So maybe maybe you have so maybe maybe haven't read any of it all so I don't I don't know who who has absorbed wet. So I'm trying to touch on things but also not dwell on this. Is it a Friends Church in this is where I I talked about the idea of

set of rediscovering what I call an atmosphere of Grace which memes

Being somewhere and feeling like not because of the decoration that because of the teacher not because of music not because of anything there but somehow being in a room and feeling like a God is for you. Not Grace in just the I'm forgiven because I'm a sinner and that's all true. But it was the like feeling like for you and apples acts like that's for you and all the stuff you wanted and had a big smile, and I know just I am for you. I hadn't I couldn't put my finger on it for about a week. But that's kind of what it was like that's That's what I want. Like I was finally in a room with people like I want this I want to copy and paste this do this and not do it in a sense of I want to be responsible for making you happy. Like I'm going to be a part of it. I don't want to be in it. Not just managing it.

So that's moments was pretty much like they okay, it can be done. And I knew in the back of my head and you knew for sure like you're going to start a church on you like no. While I'm planning it no. And what have you decided like? No, I haven't decided but I had to sign it but I couldn't say the words I have decided to do this. I think God wants me to do this. I couldn't say those words out loud cuz it's been so Not cool over for a while. But I don't know we both learned. We want to call it a restored. Hope restored. Possibility Lykke, okay. And I told my friend your password at church all of this and it's like I think it's time. I think everything you've been through. Is going for this that sucks. I have to go through all that to get here. But we did so that is how life Works everything is preparation for something else.

So that was sort of the turning point. Got to get a little more. Slightly more practical if you don't wants and won't do that. They're still there. So there are important of these of ones that are least important to have to share and not interested in being the next cool thing and drawing people who are looking for the next couple days. Cuz there's a lot about a lot of Christians. Do they look for what's where's the next couple happening place and I'll go and when they get tired of it, they look for the next cool happening place than they go in the guitar. I don't I'm not in love again. I like chocolate ice cream with chocolate ice cream. You can find apple pie somewhere else. That's what I like their. I'm not interested in growing a single large giant Church. Just not could this potentially turn into something significantly bigger sure, but that's not my goal. That's not what I'm trying to. Do I'm also not trying to create a job or a name for myself. Like my goal is not to get people in and let's talk about giving a whole lot and let's make myself a job and I'll have an office again and I'll be another people want to do it cuz that's what happened people do stuff like this and become famous for doing it. There might have been a time when I was into that but not anymore.

So we've gone through a change of perspective on what church could be and maybe in some cases what it should be.

And there were a couple of little tidbits from a book. I recently read that I wanted to share that do a good job of sort of idea.

So here's this this story comes from another church that started to make these kinds of changes changing from trying to draw people in and build a big thing to trying to invest in people and make them grow and help them grow individually become more like Jesus.

It says one young person in the church articulated it so well, he said It felt it felt as if the rules were suddenly changed on him. He explained that for years. He was to Salvation was a free gift and the gospel men's he can have a personal relationship with Jesus. It would be like someone gifting him a pair of ice skates and excitement. He wants to the skating rink and learn to do all sorts of Tricks. He enjoyed this and did it for years now suddenly, he was being told that the skates were actually given to him because he was supposed to be part of our hockey team working together to pursue a championship. He was supposed to he wasn't supposed to just twirl around by himself. That's a huge difference while he did not disagree biblically. It would take time to realign his thinking lifestyle. What it is is there is a ship that happens from having skates, and I get to go to church and twirl around and maybe be kind of cool for it. Maybe literally maybe literally.

or learn how to be a part of a team that actually has a goal together and different skills and different strengths and different functions and That's kind of a radical change. That's a different perspective on what it's supposed to be another blurb. Songs about his long I try to keep this short. There's like three more I could write but I'm not going to

This one starts. We live in a time when people go to a building on Sunday mornings attended hour-long service and call themselves as members of a church. Does that sound shocking to you? Of course not this is pretty this is perfectly normal. It's what we grew up with. We all know good Christians go to church. But have you ever read the New Testament? Do you find anything in Scripture that is even remotely close to the pattern. We have created you find anyone who went to church and Peter speaking like we do today. Hey Peter, where do you go to church now, I go to the river. They have great music. I love the kids program. Cool. Can I check out your church next Sunday? I'm not getting much out of mine. Totally. I'm not going to be there next Sunday because little Matthew has soccer, but how good do they have a singles group? It's comical to think of Peter and Paul speaking like this. Yep. That's a normal conversation among Christians today.

Can a troop become a normal thing?

I got to a point where I started and I laughed cuz he sort of said the same thing on a book. Later, this page is so highlighted. I can't turn it on the Kindle. He said meanwhile in many churches you have about as much of a connection to other people who are supposedly your spiritual family as you would to someone who visited the same movie theater is you. Meanwhile many churches in many churches we have about as much connection to people who are supposedly your spiritual family as you would to someone who visited the same movie theaters yet.

Like I started to compare going to church like going to community theater. You walk in you might know some of the people in the show so you can be there to support them. There's a program. There's some snacks in the lobby you go. Take your seats. You might say hi to some people that you know, cuz you're in the same Community you watch the show if it's a musical, you know the songs you might sing along but otherwise you're kind of watching and then the curtain drops and everyone gets up and maybe says hi to some people in the lobby and then we'll be late until you come to the next show. I'm thinking I don't think that's the way it's supposed to be now. What does that does not mean that we're all supposed to be like super intimate know every detail and be like all up in each other's business. I don't like that. I'm extremely introverted when it comes to close friendships. I really only have a few but I know that we all have things to offer one another and I'm getting ahead of myself.

A different perspective. So what are some of the wants and some of the dudes with some of the positive? Stop my skip this life we go what we wants to see happening. So this isn't so much. The plan is it is if you read the website I talked about what I think we would if we're doing if we're doing things well because of the things were measuring to be successful.

I am one of them has to do with Hello.

There go ahead and just take a second to load Matthew. Here we go. has to do with discipleship

or I called it. I kind of made it a little alliteration cuz that's what you do example equip and Empower. So this is an example to be an example is 2 is what discipleship is go therefore and Make Disciples of all Nations baptizing in the name of the Father the Son of the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and low I'm with you always even to the in the the emphasis like the verb the command in this verse is the words make disciples. We typically think of that is like missions. It's got nothing to do with missions it has to do with just as we are going about our lives. Pass on what Jesus has given you to others. So you were baptized baptized other people Jesus. I taught you things you teach others how to observe them. That's what discipleship is it simply passing along, but you have Jesus to other people. In its simplest form to me if that's happening at church. It's being successful. That's one of the things.

The next cute word is equip. Which show is sort of rooting in Ephesians? 411 to 16 and he himself talking about Jesus gave some to be Apostles some prophets some evangelists some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the Saints for the work of Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come. All that we all come to the unity of the face in the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man or to a complete person to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ has growth maturity. It's going from a baby Christian to a grown-up Christian that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of Doctrine by the trickery of men and the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting but speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into him. Who is the head Christ from whom the whole body joint in This Together by what every joint supplies according to the effect of working by which every part doesn't share causes growth of the Body for the edifying of itself in love. Does that sound like one person's job that sound like a handful of people's job. Everybody's job.

Function of the leadership of a church to do that equipment. to help people Identify some natural or maybe spiritual giftings and help them develop them to give them opportunities to share those gift you have A very large group of people the natural group dynamic is for everyone to watch the one person and that's normal and that's fine. And that's okay, but there needs to be other opportunities other times for other parts of the body to do their thing. Or elbows to the elbows and kidneys do the kidneys and Recaps beanie Caps or whatever needs to have a chance. There was a guy John call John you be the left. Although you be the last best left elbow you can be so if equipping is happening in some way. That is 6. The last one is empowering. Region 5 18-21 do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation but be filled or can be continually filled with the spirit speaking to one another and this is this is it, this is what it looks like to have somebody who is continually being filled with the spirit speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual song with singing and making melody in the heart in your heart to the Lord give thanks always for all things to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ submitting to one another in the fear of God. So you have this Supernatural living and unity in the church.

That's sort of an extension of the Galatians 5 things are natural products of somebody who is continually being filled with the spirit. If that's happening. To me churches being successful whatever that looks like, whatever that also looks like. Are you with me so far? So those are the concepts of what we want to see happening. How do we get there? I don't know. but I have some first steps that I think will help build in that direction and they're really just rooted in Simplicity simple worship like If this was us on our first time together, there would be a keyboard in here somewhere and Jess would have a few songs to play on the keyboard and sing and we would try to sing along but we would talk about what I mean.

I'm not one who feels a sense of connection with God in singing. And that's okay. I'm good enough and I'm smart enough and gosh darn it people like them. Okay.

That's old school Saturday. I

Hilarious it's amazing. Injustice 2 me there's an there can be an overemphasis that when you're singing that is the way we all worship. It's not the only way but it is an important way we do it now because that's what Israel. Did they sing songs and singing songs there's something about I don't sing aloud often, but I do if I'm singing It's usually an in here cuz I'm thinking about the words and how they connect I feel a sense of worship when I study scripture. That's when I feel that kind of connection others depending on who's list you look at there's like nine different ways in which people experience a sense of worth it some of its singing some of its study some of its being out in nature some of its serving this there's all different ways. And one of the things we want to do is to help people find the way I like about this is what that is supposed to feel like I've never felt that before

But still be able to come together and have a simple. Time of singing together cuz that's part of what church culture is. And even if it means you sit quietly with your eyes closed and you're singing in your heart, that's cool. It's just the point is is this connection happening? Knox's disconnection happening with lights and all kinds of stuff. They can be helpful.

Simple worship simple teaching. I'm not a preacher, but I know that I'm not the energetic emotional. Loud laughing one second. Sad the next I don't I'm just not wired that way I could probably fake it. But I don't want it. Nor am I necessarily a dry academic fact communicator? What I do when I teach and it's been a while, so I'm going to say no. I'm out of practice. I'm like three or four years out of regular practice.

It while I don't know how to. I realized somebody's here who heard me Teach for a long time. If you want to say what it was like or if I should try to say what I think it was like

Not so much that you like converters liquid in the conversation and and the underwear.

Yeah, okay. That's what I try to do, too. I try to provide stuff fuel. For the holy spirit's to work inside everyone's hearts and Minds to do the work instead of telling you this is how you apply this. But like this is what I mean. This is how you could apply that maybe the spirits showing you something different to pay depending on the circumstances of your own life. Try to leave room for that to happen while trying to communicate what is being intentional. anyway

I like right now. With all the family so simple worship simple teaching and simple space for the spirit. One of the things we want to do is as we are having the music time, I don't know what to call it anymore. And the teaching time like leave gaps leave moments for an even come up with questions to ask cuz like Histologist said think about this question and like let you think about it like in that moment and then move on sometimes. I don't know if you been to Church's like this. It seems like it's this rapid fire succession of stand-up saying talk to one another teach watch the video and then boom boom boom and then go where I think I need can I have a minute?

Yep. So Simplicity is kind of what what we're after.

I'm almost at the promise. There are a couple of contributing factors to these things happening. Better or Worse size in geography

there is it just it's group dynamics. There are things that change the more people you have in a space. So this is a pretty good number of people we could converse with one another around a topic and it wouldn't be a big deal. Did you get it to a number of people? That's I don't know about them if there's a magic number, but it's It sort of naturally happens where everyone just sort of focuses on whoever's the focal point and that's where the attention is. And that's where we're supposed to look and listen and it's just it's okay, it's fine. But if you take proactive steps to make sure the things like the equipping in the empowering in the example line are happening those will sort of fade away because those are the much more interactive elements as opposed to a watch and listen elements. so if it's just more intentional that makes sense the geography peace. So like when you read the Bible or you if you look at somebody like Francis Chan or the Soma movement of churches missional communities. They tends to be a much more urban environments when you have in urban environments, it's much more naturally neighborhood-based. So people in a number of they all know each other they all shop at the same Corner Market.

Focus area of people is a 260 block. space around weather churches That's it. That's their entire Focus MD because they can do that. They're seeing some really cool stuff happened with like the homeless people and it's just it's really poor people. It's really really cool. What's happening? Because that's their environment. We live here and lovely Clark County where we drive everywhere environment. We might work in Portland. We might work up a Longview kids might go to school over here. And we live in this place we go to church. It's probably a ways from our house. It's not typically in our neighborhood. This is how we are. That makes a lot of the more. group-oriented community-oriented things in scripture more challenging We don't live we don't all shop in the same Agora the same Marketplace that they didn't you know, that's the one I care or wherever we don't we don't Farm in the same place. We don't we're pretty spread out. So the some people say we'll have to focus it on like it right here. I don't agree with that. I think there are ways to overcome those Geographic boundaries because we'll be the man. We just we have the technology that sits really it's technology.

Like I said my friends in Baltimore, I keep in touch with him over Facebook that we can keep in touch with people all over the planet because I'm online stuff. Why can't we do that as a church community? So there are ways to overcome those things. It's just a matter of intentionally using them. In fact, there's a company face life and they make number of apps that help the church connect with technology and the applicant they called. almost at Facebook It's not Facebook. It's not like that all Faith Life groups and it's kind of like a Facebook for your church, but it's more Ministry folks that I could probably put it up on the screen here or I'll break something else Facebook, but they have like an occluded Bible reading. So your whole church can follow the same Bible reading plan. There's a church prayer request section, but you can also post individual prayer request.

And it's probably what we would use if this goes somewhere just because you saw the thing in the corner if you have their Bible app your bath light flashes at you said he was the first up there for you to cough on you will take you to that first or if we posted in advance even have the same little flashy thing. You can add to your calendar on your phone talks to other stuff through the chemical.

Those are some ways to overcome those there are ways to overcome those things. I'm not saying small is only Girls can happen there's ways to work around. finally

the most important thing will be valuing Church health over Church growth which kind of connects the something I said to be a big thing to have a healthy Church a healthy group of people that are ministering to one another using their gifts equipping both equipped from me, but also equipping one another I could go off in a lot of different little rabbit Trails, but I'm trying really hard not to This will always be one of the most important things Church health over Church Grove Church Road is okay as long as it's Healthy Growth. but there is such a thing as unhealthy Roth Giants apple trees that rotted from the inside and whole chunks would just fall off and they produced truckloads of apples, but there were the unhealthiest things ever. So not always a good thing. True self over Church, bro.