Elkhart Campus Pastor, Jason Brooks, and I answer the question of 'why a video message' at our Elkhart Campus in this 7 minute video. This video was shown at our Elkhart Campus on Oct 18. Take it in if you are interested...
Perry Stone: The Meal That Heals: Enjoying Intimate, Daily Communion With God
just started
John Bevere: Honor's Reward: How to Attract God's Favor and Blessing
Just started...
Reggie Joiner: Think Orange: Imagine the Impact When Church and Family Collide...
Great book on Family focused church ministry...just diving in to it... (***)
Francis Chan: Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit
Great book...couldn't agree with him more on the lack of recognition of the HS in our lives... (****)
Dave Browning: Deliberate Simplicity: How the Church Does More by Doing Less (Leadership Network Innovation Series)
Absolutely love this...church doesn't have to be that difficult...keep it simple! (****)
Elkhart Campus Pastor, Jason Brooks, and I answer the question of 'why a video message' at our Elkhart Campus in this 7 minute video. This video was shown at our Elkhart Campus on Oct 18. Take it in if you are interested...
Posted at 09:32 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I spent most all of Monday looking at possible facilities for our Elkhart Campus. One of the key features we have to look at concerning our Elkhart Campus facility (facility makes it sound like a bathroom or something...how about we call it...oh, I don't know...a building), or might I say building, is how well can the whole audience see the screen. If the Word is going to be brought via video every week, then we better be able to see it!
Speaking of video, I thought we got a great feel for how video of a speaker can work in a church setting this past Sunday. Did you notice how you and the rest of the audience reacted to the clip I played of Matt Chandler preaching? The second service actually started to applaud at one point in response to one of the funny things Matt said.
I know it's different...I know most of us have never experienced it, at least on a regular basis, but I think we are going to find that a video message format is doable and effective. Might not be for everybody...but...I think that pig is going to oink.
Posted at 02:50 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Last night's Elkhart campus mtng was a blast. Really, we learned a lot about each other…such as:
We talked for a while about some of what we saw happening on the 'ground' right now in Elkhart. We also tried to identify some areas where we can start serving right now.
A great team getting ready to make it happen in Elkhart!
Posted at 02:18 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Wow…just finished up our last Multi-Site night…a few of the highlights:
Thanks to the load of you who came out to hang with us!
Posted at 10:19 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
In one word, I can describe tonight's first Multi-Site Night mtng…fun…delicious…laugh-filled…faith-filled…etc…(was that more than one word?)…
A few questions that came up:
Want to know the answers to these questions, and the rest of them? I guess you'll have to be there Thursday night…there's still room for more of you Pathway-ites…
Posted at 10:19 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
After I read this article about Seacoast Church, and the way they do Multi-Site, I about went through the roof. This is it. I absolutely love their thoughts on this. Take a few minutes to read it before you come to our Multi-Site nights next week!
Posted at 09:51 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
If you are a part of Pathway, you've got to be a part of our Multi-Site Nights next week! This is going to be a fun night of questions/answers about our transition to being a Multi-Site church...one church, with many campuses. Connect with your Life Group leader to find out what night you are to come out, or, if you aren't plugged in to a Life Group yet, sign up for the Thursday night event here! Did I mention Essenhaus pie and coffee???
Posted at 08:56 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
I know I'm supposed to be having down time right now, but someone needs to tell the Holy Spirit…I keep getting all of these thoughts that I just journal and save, to think further through later on. BUT, I've already learned something…I think starting a new campus/church, out of an existing church, is one of the best things you could do for the health of all involved!
It's kind of like how you don't think about a lot of things when it's just you and your spouse. But then, there's a kid in the picture…and suddenly, you see things from a completely different perspective. Kind of like when Megan's brother Jeff (and wife Amy) bought their favorite niece (and only niece at the time) a huge blow up slide thing, with jumping area included (with a million plastic balls to get thrown all over the room and lost…I mean, a million plastic balls to receive the blow of the youngster landing.). It wasn't until Jeff and Amy had their own kids that they realized what an annoying gift that was! You see things from a different perspective!
I think the new perspective is starting to set in. It's not just what's best for Middlebury, but what's best for Elkhart…and wherever else we might start a new campus. I think this new campus is going to force (in a good way) our Middlebury campus to refocus on the vision, and force us to re-align any area that is not accomplishing/lining up with the vision and core values of the house!
I've been asking myself a lot of 'why' questions…like, why do we do Children's Ministry? Youth Ministry? Why do we do Sunday morning services? As annoying as this is to me, I think it's a healthy part of the process that we've got to work through…the why's should lead us back to the vision! And if it doesn't, then something is wrong!
These are my thoughts on this Tuesday evening at 11:51pm…
Posted at 11:53 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
If you missed this past Sunday's announcement, Jason and Sara Brooks, our Pastor of Connections, will be the initial Campus Pastor at our new campus in Elkhart. The plan is (subject to the Holy Spirit) that Jason will then come back to the Middlebury campus after 6 months to 1 year in Elkhart, and the campus will then be led by someone who's been working alongside Jason thorugh this process. You can hear more about it in this past week's podcast.
There is so much I could say about this new campus and the transition to multisite ministry for Pathway, but let me just share what I think is most important for you right now:
If you missed the initial post on this, you can read it here. Also, as you think on this, and you have any comments or questions, shoot me an email!
What a great time to be serving Jesus!
Posted at 02:56 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Just finished up a great meal (even greater b/c I didn't have to pay for it) at the Essenhaus, with Dan and Laura Pongratz. Dan oversees the Church Development office of the Indiana District Assemblies of God fellowship we are a part of. He was excited to hear about what we are planning on taking on as a church in the area of Multisite.
Tomorrow morning I'll announce who will be initially leading the Pathway Elkhart Campus…you've just got to be there…
Posted at 08:13 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
A whole lot to say...not enough room to fit it in an email...and not enough attention span to keep you captivated!
Here's the quick version of a faith journey we are leaping out onto at Pathway!
More than just following the trend, I really think God is/has been calling us to be a multisite church...one church with many campuses. It's a bit of a fad right now to go multisite, but this is more than just a fad for us. It's a way of doing church that I think can cause the most amount of people to come to Jesus, and grow in Him!
Pathway will be used in the following ways over the next season of our life together:
Did you make it through all of that? We feel like God is directing us to take on Elkhart for our first campus, a city with a population of 53,000. If every Elkhart church were full with multiple services, there still wouldn't be enough room for all of the people!
Does Elkhart need another church? Absolutely. But what we are jumping into here is more than just one campus in Elkhart. It's a vision to smother this whole area/region with churches/campuses that share our DNA/Values/Purpose!
Posted at 04:22 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
This past Tuesday, I had a great time mtng with some guys from First Assembly Ministries, Fort Myers, FL.
Todd Weston, is the Campus Pastor at First Assembly's campus in Estero, FL. Todd had some great "before you do this multi-site thing" questions to throw out to me, as well as fresh insight on the dynamics of multi-site.
I first met Dan Betzer when I was in college, and he spoke at a mtng I was at. At that moment, I realized this guy was a man of faith. I was able to spend about 2 ½ hours with Dan, and had an absolute blast. Someone in the restaurant anonymously paid for our lunch b/c they had so much appreciation for Dan and his ministry.
We talked about everything from the price of a brand new BMW 500 series (he has a fascination with cars), to church planting. One thing he said really stuck in my mind as I left my time with him…Pastors never react, they always act. If any of you know the recent events at First Assembly, you understand what a statement of faith this is! Made me think…
Posted at 03:48 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Toby Slough, Cross Timbers Community Church – Monday Evening (May 5)
Take away:
Posted at 10:12 AM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Larry Osborne, NorthCoast Church – Monday Evening (May 5)
Take away:
Tomorrow, Toby Slough from Cross Timbers Community Church.
Posted at 10:43 AM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
If you are interested in reading more about the whole Multisite Church stuff, check this website out.
Posted at 08:58 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I want to take some time over the next few days to download some of the thoughts from the Coast to Coast Muti-Site Church Conference that I went to earlier this week. Multi-Site can be done in a load of different ways. The main thought is that you are one church, with many sites. Those sites may watch a video of the starting church's pastor preaching, or have their own main teacher. But each site has it's own "campus pastor" that leads that site (or campus or whatever you call it!).
Matt Chandler, The Village Church – Monday Morning (May 5)
Take away:
Silly disclaimer that I feel I have to give – I don't agree with all Matt or The Village Church is doing, but isn't that the amazing thing? How God can teach us things from people that do church different than we do? I love it…good stuff…
More from Larry Osborne tomorrow…or tonight…depending on when I have a few more moments to download my notes…
Posted at 02:49 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Though I try to keep up with what the Holy Spirit is doing in the world, I really had no idea what a "missional church" was until just recently in reading a few books and articles. We (Pathway) have been moving toward a more "missional" model of doing church, without even knowing it. How about those apples. I'm hesitant to even call Pathway a missional church as I still don't know the whole of what it means, but it is interesting that the Holy Spirit had already placed this in our DNA without even knowing it had some sort of name for it. Kind of like all of those people that went around tipping over cows while the cows fell asleep standing, and not knowing it had a name – cow tipping.
Dan Kimball describes the "missional church" as a body of people sent on a mission who gather in community for worship, encouragement, and teaching from the Word that supplements what they are feeding themselves throughout the week. A place where we encourage people to live in "the way of Jesus" -- sacrificially living for him and others and adopting a missionary stance in relation to our culture.
(thanks to Paul Stewart for the Dan Kimball missional church description)
Posted at 11:24 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
I would define (and many would define) Multi-site church as one church, with many campuses. It's a bit like a strategy/method of church planting that seems to be very effective. In some ways, it's very much like a traditional church plant. In other ways, it's very different! I think it's possible to do both traditional and multi-site.
Anyhow, this is one of the huge area's I'll be working through while on Sabbatical (May – July). Don't really have time to say anything more than that…but here's what was discussed today during a conference call on the subject if you are interested…
Notes from today's Multi-site Conference Call:
That's it! I'm not saying I agree with everything I just wrote, but it's what was discussed in this conference call.
I admit it makes me a bit nervous to start sharing this info with you before I've even had time to completely process it. Know this though…whether it's multi-site, or traditional church planting, this has been in our DNA since the beginning to reproduce ourselves as a church. We will move forward with this! We just need to discern what the next step is!
If you are REALLY interested in this stuff, get this book and read it.
Exciting stuff…
Posted at 04:11 PM in Pathway Multisite | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
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