:: AIP#72 - Mission makes Jack-o-Lanterns Smile ::

In case you haven't seen it yet, every Monday for the past few weeks I have been posting practical ways to live out the "everyday mission" we've been talking about (find the "Monday Missions" posts here: http://is.gd/4IlHV). On last week's post, I threw out a couple ideas of how we can engage this weekend's "holiday" - arguably the most neighborhood-oriented day of the year for many of us, ironically?! - for the gospel:

• Stay in and give candy and encouragement to kids, and to parents too.
• As you build relationships, create a safe place/party for kids to trick-or-treat in your neighborhood.

Here are a few more I might add:

• Try to take the few seconds while kids are at your door to shake hands with the parents: find out where they live.
  
• Then, follow up with them in a few more days and ask them over for dinner.
• As you take your own kids trick-or-treating, stay in your local neighborhood, even if Mira Vista DOES have better candy options!
• Throw a Halloween party for Christian AND non-Christian co-workers, neighbors, and friends, all together in one room.
• Spend money on really good candy: as a reflection of all that Jesus does for you, be generous and giving with your neighbors, instead of being stingy and cheap!
  

What are some ideas you might add? How will you spend this day, which is community built right into our culture, for the good of the gospel and for the good of your neighborhood?

:: Leaders are Learners, 2 ::

Last week, I posted the different ways I'm growing and learning. As I flew back from Tacoma, WA this week, where I spent a week with a church made up of communities on mission, I realized that this month has been packed with training. Which led me to realize that there are two other great ways I'm learning and growing. One of them I've been given in abundance this month; the other I'm just re-realizing my great need for.

Formal Training: I've posted a few reviews during the past months, of the church plant crash course I've done since May: a training roadtrip this summer; conferences, and books have been huge helps in shaping The City Church. But as luck or providence would have it, I've gotten to spend 15 of the 31 days in October doing "formal training" with some of the greatest church plant thinkers in the country (especially in the idea of "communities on mission"). I mention them by name out of deep gratitude, knowing that for me personally and for The City Church corporately, their impact has helped shape us:

• Bob Roberts Jr, Omar Reyes, Brian Hook, and Bobby Vaughn of Northwood Church and Vision360, who have hosted two training sessions to bookend the month of October [where I'm currently "multitasking" to write this!].
• Barry Keldie and the good folks at Providence Church, who host a monthly roundtable for planters, and Rick White at CityView Church, who was this month's guest presenter.
• Ed Stetzer, missologist, author of several books, and director of LifeWay Research, then Hugh Halter and Matt Smay, authors of Tangible Kingdom and founders of Adullam and Missio, who all came to Fort Worth for dinner and conversation with a dozen or so of us.
• Jeff Vanderstelt, Caesar Kalinowski, Abe Meysenberg, and many good folks at Soma Communities, for hosting a 7-day "conference" for 30 of us, letting us experience life in their unique church family and model.
  

Stopping and Being: In full juxtaposition to the formal training above, and even more impacting than "pressing hard into God" I mentioned in the last post, I've learned how often I need to stop.
To rest.
To dwell.
To reflect.
To be.
In God.
Period.

The difference in my mind of pressing into God and this is that everything I listed in the other post involved something I do! So much of my life is erroneously spent trying to DO, and in this month's extra-busyness, I've been reminded of my deep, deep need to stop; to be still; to rest in God. To push through all the overgrowth of service, work, and activity, to find God in a clearing, and to dwell there. Rather than do, I need to stop and be. And just as my pressing into God gives me "strength, sustenance, purpose, and identity" (from the last post), as I stop and dwell with God, I remember that all those things come from him. I am his blessed and beloved child, and I don't have to DO anything to earn them.

I need this. We all do. All of our strength, sustenance, purpose, and identity is found there too, by nothing we've done or will do.

:: AIP#71 - Monday Missions #3 ::

For several Mondays this fall, I'm posting some practical ideas to help answer the question "what does 'living on mission' look like every day?" These are just example ideas to hep you live with "gospel intentionality"; consider how you could tweak each to fit your life. As you do, I'd love your input, ideas, and creativity as well. If you have ideas for the list, email me or comment below, and I'll get them up here in the coming weeks*. Here's this week's list:

1. Join a board or committee in your neighborhood, seeking its improvement.
2. Help your neighbor do yard work or build a fence.
3. Borrow tools from your neighbors; generously give of your tools to them to borrow.
4. Move into a part of your town with little or no gospel witness. Get to know folks there.
5. Walk the same route or take the same train/bus to work each day. Talk to people.
6. Volunteer at a charity near your home.
7. Be the kind of neighbor everyone wants in their neighborhood.
   
8. Tip your restaurant servers well.
9. Sign up for a local sports team – not a “church league” team, but one in the community, at the YMCA, etc.
10. And of course, the favorite example of the fall: invite your neighbors or co-workers over to watch the season premier of your favorite TV show. Or theirs.
    

[*Note: Some of these suggestions are original; some have been collected from others. In gratitude to them, and as an encouragement to you, I freely pass them along to copy, read, repost or otherwise use liberally. However, one reason for compiling this list is for an upcoming booklet/workbook, so I ask that you link back to this site if making any of it public, by including: "Ben Connelly, www.oneglory.org." Thanks!]

:: AIP#70 - Share your reflections on Sunday's SERVE ::

Yesterday I posted a recap of The City Church's first "SERVE," but as I reflect on the day, I continually find myself remembering that our work was to...

• Display God's redemption to others ("echo the gospel")
• Love our neighbors
  
• Seek the welfare of the city

But after a few days to process, I want our church family to consider HOW we did all these things? So, even if you weren't at Nash Elementary on Sunday but especially if you were...

• HOW did our work display God's redemption to others?
• HOW did our serve love our neighbors?
• HOW did our actions seek the welfare of the city?

I'll get us started, and I invite you to post below, or even better, join this conversation on The City Church's online network! Think. Reflect. Post. And then we grow together.

• Jesus grew in wisdom & stature: pre-K through 5th-graders are in the middle of that, and we're providing a means by them to learn and grow.
• The pattern of our day, which started with work (do you realize that collectively, we worked over 90 hours!) then a time of rest (eating, playing, and enjoying the beautiful day) reflected God's pattern in creation.
• When we arrived, Nash's library was there , but it wasn't sufficient. When we left, we had made it into something it wasn't - we had brought it to fulfill its right purpose. In other words, something from outside had to come into the library to make it something it couldn't make itself. How is that not reflecting what Jesus does in our lives?

These are just three. There are many more. Your turn.

:: Leaders are Learners ::

A question I've gotten several times over the past couple months is "what are you doing to personally continue growing?" Whether this question is asked by caring friends or someone looking for advice for themselves, I think it's healthy to continue learning and growing in several areas of life. So other than the conferences/formal training I'm doing this fall, for me growing/learning usually involves four things: pressing hard into God, reading, writing, and dialogue.

Pressing Hard into God: No other learning matters without this obvious - but often-forgotten - first step! So...

• I'm in my Bible a ton, studying, pondering, meditating on verses, paragraphs, chapters, and books.
  
• I'm turning off my car radio/CD player and spending drive time praying.
  
• I'm keeping a moleskin with prayers in it.
  
• And I'm trying to "unplug" a day a week and just spend time dwelling, listening, and talking with God.
  

Here is strength, sustenance, purpose, and identity.

Reading: I generally have about four books going at any given time - on purpose, not because of A.D.D! I read in "categories":

• Personal growth: generally books by older saints that pour into my personal walk with Christ: at the moment, Tozer's The Root of the Righteous; next up, Mahaney/Harris's Humility.
• Professional growth: growing in theology, philosophy, and practice within different areas of pastoring: at the moment, Frost/Hirsch's The Shaping of Things to Come; next up, TBD - probably either Belcher, Deep Church or Bosch, Transforming Mission.
• Culture: I try to keep a pulse on different perspectives of the local, national, worldwide, and faith cultures surrounding me: at the moment, Keller's The Reason for God; next up, Chandler's Pilgrims of Christ on a Muslim Road.
• Fun: I have always enjoyed reading, and there's a ton of great, fun reading out there - classics, hidden gems, & more: currently, Conan-Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, vol.1; next up, Vol.2, obviously!
  

Writing: I learn best when I write. It forces me to develop thoughts, research, consider opposing viewpoints, etc. before I put something in print. So at the moment, I'm working on...

• Village Leader Training: a 3-month curriculum to use within The City Church.
• Pastor-elder/Deacon Training: a several-month process of testing and training before we install key leaders.
• Acts 29 Model-Based Mentoring: helping develop a 6-month curriculum to pair new planters with a more experienced guy, for training, coaching, help, and personal/pastoral/vision development.
  
• A short booklet on what it practically looks like to live on mission in our daily lives. We'll see what happens with it.
• TCU Lesson Plans: This fall, I'm constantly developing lectures, activities, etc. for the TCU communications courses I teach.
  
• Plus... blogs, and I've always got a couple chapters, sentences, or outlines for other random papers and projects that have been started but at the moment, are simmering for a bit.
  

Dialogue: I love grabbing coffee, beer, or meals with folks and having good, engaging dialogue. Whether it's The City Church's discussion of Total Church, talking with a college student about various faiths/worldviews, getting to know new folks and their stories at the Gingerman, meeting with other church planters, or just shooting the breeze with good friends, good, intelligent conversation revives me and breathes life into me.

So that's how I'm currently growing in my faith, learning to lead better, and developing as an individual. How about you? What do you do?

:: AIP#69 - Serve recap; headed to Tacoma ::

Sunday morning, Oct 18, saw 25+ City folk invade Nash Elementary, in downtown Fort Worth, for our first of many "SERVE Sundays." With the understading that "religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction..." and that in Amos (chapter 4 is a good snapshot) God rejects his people's worship because they neglect to love their neighbors/the poor, we are carving Sundays into the DNA of The City Church to worship by serving others, loving our neighbors, and seeking the welfare of our city.

We had the opportunity to serve the students in the heart of our mission field by stocking and building Charles E. Nash Elementary School's library, on the northeast edge of downtown. There were hundreds of books waiting in boxes and shelves ready to be assembled, and through our work, the students now have their library at hand. Our hope is to build a strong relationship with the folks at Nash, and this is a great first step into that, showing we love them, care about them, and aren't just "serving them to convert them," but rather we're serving them because we know and love Jesus and our city.

Nash's principal and the director of libraries for Fort Worth ISD were on hand, working, laughing, and eating with us, and Ms. Day, the principal, took a few minutes to explain some of the mentoring/relational needs, laying the first steps for future involvement and relationship with this great school! Below are a few random pics from the day [thanks Dunbars] - to see the full album, log onto our online network here.

In other news, please pray for me this week as I landed in Tacoma, WA yesterday for a week of training with the good folks at Soma Communities, a fellow Acts 29 church who operates in much of the same model as The City Church. Soma brings 30 folks in a few times a year for "Soma School," and this week we're being immersed in their community to "learn by doing" church with them. Yesterday was a great first day; I'll update when I can.

:: AIP#68 - Monday Missions #2 ::

For several Mondays this fall, I'm posting some practical ideas to help answer the question "what does 'living on mission' look like every day?" These are just example ideas to hep you live with "gospel intentionality"; consider how you could tweak each to fit your life. As you do, I'd love your input, ideas, and creativity as well. If you have ideas for the list, email me or comment below, and I'll get them up here in the coming weeks*. Here's this week's list:

1. Find one local coffee shop and make it “yours” – get to know the baristas and the “regulars” (the customers who are there all the time).
2. Even better, apply the “coffee shop concept” to a local pub or bar.
3. Better still, make sure you go to that coffee shop on Sunday mornings, when most church-going folks are at church. Then you know your mission field.
4. Do your work in a regular public place (after all, free wi-fi is everywhere), rather than by yourself in your home or office.
5. College football happens every Saturday in the fall. Pro football on Sundays and Monday nights. If you don’t already have one, pick a favorite team and have folks over to watch games – rivalries are always a blast!
6. The same principle applies to all other sports too – learn to love basketball, baseball, NASCAR, or gymnastics!
7. Join your neighborhood association.
8. Actually go to meetings and events in your neighborhood association.
9. Thinking about Halloween next week: stay in and give candy and encouragement to kids, and to parents too.
10. As you build relationships, create a safe place/party for kids to trick-or-treat in your neighborhood.
    

[*Note: Some of these suggestions are original; some have been collected from others. In gratitude to them, and as an encouragement to you, I freely pass them along to copy, read, repost or otherwise use liberally. However, one reason for compiling this list is for an upcoming booklet/workbook, so I ask that you link back to this site if making any of it public, by including: "Ben Connelly, www.oneglory.org." Thanks!]

:: AIP#67 - Serve our City... Saturday AND Sunday! ::

Two great options for you - one we just found out about, but it's a great way to love your city!

Saturday - Allen Avenue Clean-up
Come lend a hand in keeping the Fairmount neighborhood beautiful and help cleanup Allen Avenue. For City Church folks, meet at 7:40 am on Saturday October 17 at 1412 S. Henderson St. (Steve & Anne Teng's home) to say a quick word of prayer, and then walk over to the site just a few blocks away for the 8am start. We'll spread out along Allen to pick up trash to beautify the neighborhood. We will also cleanup Fairmount Park. Please come join us in keeping Fairmount beautiful. Contact Steve Teng through The City Church's online network, or email him.


Sunday - The City Church: SERVE
Charles E. Nash Elementary School (FWISD - http://schools.fwisd.org/nash/Pages/default.aspx) sits on the northeast edge of downtown. Built in 1927, the city and school district are doing several renovations on the old school, in preparation for the influx of families and students moving into the downtown area.

We have the opportunity to serve the students in the heart of our mission field, literally "seeking their welfare" by stocking and building their school's library. There are hundreds of books waiting in boxes and shelves ready to be assembled, and through our work, the students can have their library at hand. We'll provide lunch, and along the way, it's a great chance to get to know "City folk" as we live on mission together!

Our hope is to build a strong relationship with the folks at Nash, as well as with other schools in the area, and this is a great first step into that, showing we love them, care about them, and aren't just "serving them to convert them," but rather we're serving them because we know and love Jesus and our city.

PLEASE LET US KNOW YOU'RE COMING - REPLY ON FACEBOOK HERE OR ON OUR ONLINE NETWORK HERE [and no "maybe's"]!

NOVEMBER SERVE: working in the homeless housing programs for the Day Resource Center (http://fwdayresourcectr.org/)

:: AIP#66 - Fall Training #4: Northwood Turbo, 2 ::

Northwood Church recently hosted a couple dozen church planters from across the nation for a training called "Turbo." Yesterday I posted a recap of the morning, and here's part 2, the afternoon sessions! As you read the thoughts and insights, which ones stand out to you? Thoughts?


Highlights & quotes from session four: Bob Roberts

• You're not just starting a church for Fort Worth; you're starting a church for the world, based in Fort Worth.
• We need to look to the west and the south to learn church planting, because that's the new world center of Christianity. But we're too individualistic and self-important to admit it.
• As you go to domains, pay attention to the "gatekeepers": who has the ear of the leaders?
• What's the church of the future look like? 1) reconciliation of all things; 2) collaboration of all churches; 3) convergence of all domains; 4) sending of the whole church; 5) following Jesus wherever he needs us to go.
• Knock on front-doors first: find the highest-ranking people in whatever domain you're in, tell them you want to serve them, and learn to respect each others' beliefs and religions.
• We need to move from "interfaith" dialog to "multifaith": interfaith minimizes differences; we need to acknowledge them and respect/love each other anyway.
• We need to be able to critique our own faith, and to explain it so the world understands it.
• We need to integrate our faith into our world: "live with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other."
• Value every follower, of every religion: remember, God loves and created them, and his common grace provides a model for us to follow too.

Highlights and quotes from session five: Brian Hook

• The past/old framework: Gospel = salvation; Society = no concern; Discipleship = member; Church = building
• The missional framework: Gospel = social; Society = secular spaces; Discipleship = live among; Church = exit the building
• The kingdom framework: Gospel = kingdom; Society = domains; Discipleship = Obedient subjects of the King; Church = "Ecclesia"/ambassadors of the King
• Discipleship starts in the harvest: "the best core group you could ever have is a group you led to Christ"
• The "UP-IN-OUT" model works on every level: individuals/disciples, teams/groups, and corporate church
  
• What domains exist in Fort Worth? How can we best engage those?

Highlights & quotes from session six: Omar Reyes

Four closing church planting principles:

• God always works through his revelation
• Revelation always defines relationships
• Relationships lead to collaboration
• Only then does an organization come into play
  

:: AIP#65 - Fall Training #3: Northwood Turbo, 1 ::

Northwood Church is one of The City Church's planting/sending churches, and one of the most significant ways they're pouring into us is with training and coaching. So Oct 1, I joined a couple dozen other church planters from across the nation for a training called "Turbo." It's rightfully named because it's an 8-hour day jam-packed with so much great info that my head was spinning before it was over! And as my friend Brent commented, "'Turbo Training' sounds very intense... Sounds like something a superhero would go through. Are you secretly a superhero?"

Yes Brent, I'm a superhero. But it's no secret.

Here's a recap of the morning - yes, all this was just the morning! Tomorrow I'll post insights from the afternoon. But read the bullets - which ones stand out to you? Thoughts?


Highlights & quotes from session one: Bob Roberts

• Over the last decade, the # of megachurches in the US has gone from 350 to 2000, but church attendance has flat-lined or declined. =lots of transfer growth, not conversions.
• If you start a church of 100, then start a new church every year that grows to 100, and each of those follows the same pattern, then after 20 years, you're engaging 1.2 million people!
• Don't focus on planting churches: in the New Testament, folks lived out the gospel, then made disciples, then churches popped up as disciples formed a community.
• Pastors need to pour their entire lives into their church: through good times and bad, is Jesus enough for you?
• The Kingdom of God isn't a strategy; it's an action, adventure, river to ride.
• We have to learn to speak about our faith without the Bible - from the philosophical, logical, and scientific realms instead - because many folks don't believe it.
• Church planting isn't about the church or the preacher; it's about society and disciples: religion isn't one domain of culture; faith must exist in every domain of culture

Highlights & quotes from session two: Jordan Fowler

• The "Transformed-Life" model has three directions: UP (interactive relationships with God), IN (transparent connections with others), and OUT (global and local engagement).
• The gospel of God is the reconciliation of ALL things back go Christ: how do you reconcile art, music, work, food, etc. back go Christ?
• In the Bible, Jesus is who builds the church; our job is to make disciples

Highlights & quotes from session three: Omar Reyes

• Responses to the "Glocal" [global+local] Paradigm Shift: we can re-apply the old ways of thinking (BAD OPTION); we can try to change pieces of it & make it better (BAD OPTION); we can create a new framework for it (GOOD OPTION: "new wineskins" in the Bible).
• We mobilize people through the domains God carved into society (Paul calls them "sovereign authorities"): in order to have influence, a few folks must be willing to engage each domain: Eph 2:10 - we all have good works prepared for us.
• When we engage domains, we make disciples; when we make disciples; we transform cities. That's church planting.
  
• We don't take God somewhere new; he's already working there, whether we're involved or not!
• We serve not necessarily to convert, but because we've been converted.
  

:: AIP#64 - Total Church #4: Social Involvement (10.11.2009)

[Yes, I'm actually posting this recap within the same week the gathering happened. Weird, I know...]

With the "Fall Break-sized" rainy gathering on Sunday night, breakfast for dinner was delicious, and the discussion of social involvement was one of the best we've had yet: challenging, and for many of us, I believe convicting, as we consider God's role for us as we truly love "the least of these" who live among us everyday.


Summary:
Traditionally, in reflection of the "business" mindset of the rest of the world, folks in the church likes things clean, professional, comfortable, polished, and well-run. But how does that fit with Jesus' near-constant encouragement to love the poor, the broken, the widow, the orphan, the immigrant? How does that fit with Jesus' actions of eating with sinners, letting a prostitute wash his feet, and encouraging followers not to invite rich folks to their feast, but instead to invite poor?

Without neglecting the need to engage and share Christ with wealthy folks, our discussion centered around actually loving the least of those in Fort Worth: not just waltzing into their world once a month, distributing "good things" and disappearing; not just trying to "fix" them. Instead, we talked about how the best way to love all of our neighbors is no different than last week's discussion: it happens in relationship, and it happens as we adopt a posture of learning.

It means that we cross racial, socio-economic, and other lines that society and the church typically draws and spend time with folks, not immediately meeting needs, but simply getting to know their names and their stories. Then over time, needs arise, which can be met by a friend, not just a disconnected benefactor. And these friendships and relationships can also be the context in which the greatest need of all is met, as felt needs lead to a realization of the greatest need of all, the gospel. There are marginalized people living among us. There are widows, orphans, immigrants, poor, and homeless all over our city. What if we saw them as people, not projects, and built the same community and relationships with them as we would with anyone else?


Further discussion:

• The authors speak of a "reversal of socioeconomic values" that places great priority on caring for the poor. Is such a reversal possible in your life? In our church community?
• The authors claim that "evangelicalism has become a largely middle-class, professional phenomenon." Do you agree? Why/why not?
• The chapter quotes a woman as saying, "I know people do a lot to help me. But what I want is someone to be my friend." Are you willing to see "the least of these" as people, not projects? What makes it hard/awkward/uncomfortable?
• How can you begin to build community with widows, orphans, immigrants, poor, homeless, or otherwise marginalized people? What can The City Church community do to help you?

Join the Discussion!
Comment below, or even better, jump in on this week's discussion on The City's online network [sign up for the network here; link directly to this discussion on our online network here]

:: AIP#63 - Monday Missions #1 ::

One of the most often-asked questions we've gotten as The City Church gets up and running is "what does 'living on mission' look like practically?" It's a concept that sounds great in theory, but how do we actually put feet to it?

To help answer, every Monday for the next several weeks I'll post some practical ideas for how you can live every day with "gospel intentionality." These are just example ideas; consider how you could tweak each to fit your life. As you do, I'd love your input, ideas, and creativity as well. If you have ideas for the list, email me or comment below, and I'll get them up here in the coming weeks*. Here's the first installment:

1. Throw a block party.
2. Serve good bar-b-que and good beer at that block party.
3. Double date. Or triple date.
4. If you know folks in a cycling club, buy a bike and join ‘em. You could probably use the exercise anyway, right?
5. Know of a model car club? Buy a model car. Comic book club? You get the idea…
6. Throw a Super Bowl Party in your home.
7. Throw a Super Bowl Party at the local pub or bar.
8. Grab lunch with a new co-worker.
   
9. Even better for conversation and your own nervousness, grab lunch with two co-workers.
10. Turn that lunch with a new co-worker into a monthly or weekly occurrence.
11. Then invite that now not-so-new co-worker and their family to your home to for dinner.

[*Note: Some of these suggestions are original; some have been collected from others. In gratitude to them, and as an encouragement to you, I freely pass them along to copy, read, repost or otherwise use liberally. However, one reason for compiling this list is for an upcoming booklet/workbook, so I ask that you link back to this site if making any of it public, by including: "Ben Connelly, www.oneglory.org." Thanks!]

:: AIP#62 - Total Church #3: Evangelism (10.04.2009)

The first two chapters of Total Church laid the theory/foundation for "doing church" as "a community on mission." [recaps: week 1; week 2] This week we turned a corner, and for the rest of the fall, will look at how that theory plays out in practical, day-to-day corporate and individual life. This week's first element of "church life" was evangelism... but thankfully, not the kind most folks are used to!

Summary:
This chapter started off with a "typical Christian evangelism" conversation: a guy gets hit by a ball at a sports event and at a bar afterward, his Christian friend turns that into "sometimes life throws you hardballs - how do you respond?" While the authors don't openly condemn this kind of evangelism, they instead ask the question, "couldn't there be a better way, employing both gospel and community?"

Regarding the gospel, we discussed how words are essential for evangelism. While one may - and should - "live in a way that shows Jesus to others," at some point proclamation must come into play: there must at least be a conversation at some point, explaining one's actions and lives and sharing the gospel. And the best kind of conversation results from strong relationships. This is where the community comes into play in evangelism.

The rest of the chapter talks about connecting people to the community, and letting the relationship with Christ spring out of natural times of hanging out, building relationships, and sharing meals or sporting/cultural events. The best evangelism, the authors claim, happens when people see the love and community Christians have with each other. Evangelism then isn't a on/off switch; a 3-hour block once a week; a designated event. It's a 24/7 lifestyle, in which we're all living out our faith, equally with other believers and non-believers. It's a 3-strand rope, in which "sharing the gospel," "building relationships with non-believers," and "introducing people to the community" are all intertwined and where none have to happen first. It's doing what we do everyday, but doing it with "gospel intentionality." It's hard, because it's a lifestyle. And it's hard because it puts the burden on each person, not "the church" (=institution) to host dinners, engage neighbors, throw events, and create opportunities to build relationships.

Further discussion:

• The authors begin this chapter with a case study of evangelism and ask, "did it make you cringe?" Do you normally cringe at the uncomfortable/difficult nature of evangelism?
• Do you have relationships with folks who aren't Christians, or do you spend most of your time in "the holy huddle"? How can you begin to form such relationships?
• The authors state, "it is not enough to build relationships between one believer and one non-believer." Do you agree with this? Does evangelism require more than a one-on-one relationships? Does it require the context of Christian community?
• What are some ways you can think of to do everyday things with "gospel intentionality"?

Join the Discussion!
Comment below, or even better, jump in on this week's discussion on The City's online network [sign up for the network here; find this discussion on our online network here]

:: AIP#63: Roadtrip Rainout + Plan B - ANYONE Can Join In! ::

So my morning began with a call from Turner Falls State Park, telling me that due to the same weather system we got, as well as added safety issues inherent with being in the wilderness, they've had to close the park for today and tonight as well. Which means we're not going to Oklahoma tonight.

HOWEVER... Here's the good news/"plan B":

We'll still meet tonight, 6pm at Christ Chapel's parking lot. From there, we'll head to dinner together at a local restaurant, then if anyone wants to play boardgames, watch a movie, etc. afterward, we'll hang out after dinner. Additionally, feel free to spread the word to City folk who weren't going on the Roadtrip, neighbors, co-workers, etc.

Additionally, tonight I'll bring the handouts we going to use this weekend, with the solitude/reflection/Sabbath activities (or "non-activities") we were going to do. If you want to participate in some of them tomorrow and/or Sunday, we'll try to provide a list of "nature-focused" places around Fort Worth for you to go and dwell and "be still and know that I am God." Or, of course, you can do them in your own home; it's just sometimes harder. As a third option for this unplugged day, you can pray with us that Turner Falls re-opens tomorrow, and if that's the case, we'll figure out if some of us want to head north for a day trip or carry out the remainder of the Roadtrip.

I'm sorry for the last-minute notice and change, but there's not much we can do; it's out of our hands, and we trust that God has a purpose for this. So we're making sweet, sweet lemonade with the lemons we've been given, and we'll still look forward to a great time together tonight and one way or another, a great time with God tomorrow!

Please let me know you got this, and while I'll be starting to call you all after I finish teaching class today, feel free to spread the word about tonight!

See you all at 6pm,
Ben

:: AIP#62 - Pray for the Cultural District ::

Wednesday night was the perfect fall night to be outdoors. No, to respond to some of you, it wasn't too cold (66 degrees); no, it wasn't too damp (well, maybe a little). The mist over the Trinity River and the fog engulfing the top half of downtown provided a perfect backdrop for some City folk to gather in Trinity Park for our second monthly "Worship+Prayer." [The first one was in September, in downtown Fort Worth - read about it here]

For the second half of the evening, we spent a little time in John 17, considering the prayer Jesus prayed just before he instituted communion: how he prayed for God to be glorified in his death, and how he prayed for US (v.20), for our joy, for our mission, and for our unity. Then we took communion together to remember the cross and resurrection by which these things are possible, and worshiped in outdoor, acoustic song, because we exist for the glory of God. Then several of us went to dinner together to end the night.

But we began our time together by splitting into pairs and driving the W. 7th Street corridor and the Cultural District area, praying for homes, businesses, restaurants, and people who live, work, and play there. We prayed for relationships to build, disciples to be made, and for God to save some people in the areas we drove. We prayed for our city because we exist for the good of Fort Worth.

So we encourage you to join us in praying for the city we're in. We asked everyone last night to pray over their "sector" (as they're being lovingly termed) for the rest of October, and ask that you'll do the same: click the picture, download and print the map, and devote yourself to praying for that area of Fort Worth. Maybe even take an hour this month and drive the area, getting to know it a bit.

Thanks in advance for seeking the welfare of the city where God has sent us, praying to God on its behalf (Jer 29:9), alongside us. Our next monthly "Worship+Prayer" will be Nov 4, 7pm, with a focus on the University Drive area. See you then!

:: AIP#61 - Fall Training 2: Acts 29 Conference '09 ::

[Remember way back here, I told you I'd keep you up to speed with church plant training I'm doing this year? Yeah, nearly a month later, here's the first installment of that...]


ENDURE
I was only able to attend the first day of this fall's Acts 29 Texas Gathering earlier in mid-September: in order to teach at TCU at 10am Wednesday, the trek turned into a fun one-day roadtrip with my friend Josh that arrived back at 2am Wednesday morning! [Yes, I was tempted to cancel class. No, I did not cancel it.]

These "Boot Camps" are a time where planters from all over the country (and depending on the location, some come from other nations as well) to hear some great words - not always "encouraging" in the way we typically think, but always exhorting for sure! - from Acts 29 pastors. New folks get assessed to join the network, and for those who have been around for a bit, it's a great time to reconnect and get updates on what God is doing around the world.

It was great to see some "Texas region" guys, all of whom shared in our excitement of what God is already doing in The City Church. The theme of this Boot Camp was "Endure: Leadership for the Long Haul," and while there was some practical planting advice along the way, the call to endure in many elements of both personal and pastoral life rang out strong!


Here were some good words, quotes (or paraphrases), and concepts from the day:

• Matt Chandler: You know what will happen to God's work in the world if I die tonight? He'll accomplish exactly what he wants.
• Matt Chandler: We're about making disciples, and simply carrying out the next step in the same mission God's been on for all of history - the same mission by which God brought each of us to himself.
  
• Jonathan Dodson: The gospel carries with it three conversions: to the gospel, to community, and to the church.
• Jonathan Dodson: (quoted from his blog) What we need is Jesus not numbers, models, mission, and community. All these things make very bad masters. When we fail in community, community is not merciful to us. Master Community kicks us when we are down, but Jesus dies for us. Master Mission is not a good master. When we fail to be missional, to serve enough, witness enough, preach enough, Master Mission will beat us down. But what does Jesus do? He dies for us; he lifts us up. Only King Jesus is that merciful, gracious, and satisfying. His acceptance alone frees us to be ourselves for him, instead of being somebody else for others.
• Kevin Cawley met with over 1100 people for meals and coffee in Kansas City in the year before he planted. Yes, that's eleven-hundred. And he did it while living in Little Rock, AR! Why? Simply to get to know them, to learn the city, and learn different walks of life, perspectives of the gospel, and obstacles to Christ.
• Matt Carter gave a fantastic talk about keeping the priority of the family above ministry, looking at the lives of John Wesley, George Whitfield, and Jonathan Edwards.
  **This is a talk everyone should listen to - pastors, regarding ministry and everyone else, insert your job and responsibilities when he talks about ministry. Download the audio here, and see a quick video preview here.

And I hear Day Two was equally great! Plenty more good stuff, and full streaming/downloadable audio, at Acts 29's Houston Bootcamp media page.

:: AIP#60 - Gratitude ::

"'Thank you' doesn't nearly cut it. But that's all I know to say."

That's how I wrapped up a quick speech last week, with new friends at a fellow church plant in Las Colinas. Here's the story:

Urban Hills Church celebrated its one-year "birthday" on September 27. A gathering of about 60 people arrived to Las Colinas Country Club at about 10am, mingling and enjoying a special one-year bagel feast. After a few songs, Urban Hills's pastor Caleb Southerland welcomed everyone and explained that the day was different - simply, their church was celebrating what God had done in the past year.

And that's exactly what they did. As this family discussed their short history, I found myself in a state of wonder: "will this be The City Church on a Sunday not too far away? What will we say as we celebrate our first year?" The Urban Hills folks celebrated everything from Sunday sermons, impacted lives, letters from Maryland thanking them for their far-reaching impact, and God's work in groups and in the city they're in. It was a great celebration indeed.


So why was I there?

I have gotten to know Caleb over the past several months; we have a shared vision, and he appreciates the steps The City Church is taking in downtown and across Fort Worth. And he had called me the week before their One Year, telling me that as part of their celebration, they wanted to display their heart for the gospel and kingdom, spreading far beyond Las Colinas. Part of that heart was saving money over the course of the year, to be donated to a church plant they believe in. By God's grace, they chose The City Church.

So last Sunday, I stood in front of their church family and accepted a check. A check for several thousand dollars. A check for several thousand dollars from a 60-person, one-year-old church. A check that many larger, more established, longer-running churches would balk at giving away. I was humbled, honored, and honestly, more than a little overwhelmed at their generosity.


To The City Church: the Urban Hills church family is a model of generosity, kingdom-focus, and selflessness that we would be wise to follow. I hope that before too long, and no matter our size or "how established" we are, we can be giving generously to expand the kingdom outside our own mission field, in and around Fort Worth and across the world.

To Caleb, the decision-makers, and the Urban Hills family: Thank you for modeling Christ, generosity, and believing in us. I still don't know how else to say it, so "thank you" will have to do.

:: AIP#59 - Monday Replay, Worship Wednesday, Sabbath & Gatherings This Weekend ::

Monday Replay TONIGHT:
Tonight introduces "Monday Replay," a two-week experimental gathering for folks who can't come to The City Church's Sunday Village gatherings... 7pm in the Fairmount neighborhood (click the link for address); everyone is welcome to join us tonight and next Monday as we dive into "What does it look like to be a gospel community?" Details here.


Wednesday: Worship+Prayer
This Wednesday (Oct 7), we'll gather as a church family to pray for a section of our city and to worship our God. We do this the first week of each month, to remind us of our mission: for the glory of God and the good of Fort Worth. This month's prayer focus will be the W. 7th Street area. Join us in Trinity Park's Pavilion #1; details here.

**NOTE: College folks, knowing TCU is hosting a great event tomorrow night, we encourage you to join us from 7-7:45pm, as we pray for our city and take communion together, then you're free to head out to worship on campus.**


This Weekend: Sabbath
While it's too late to sign up for The City Church's "Fall Roadtrip" to Turner Falls, OK, here's the principle of our weekend: extended time away, "alone together," in nature, with God. Period. First, I ask that you pray for the 15 or so of us who are headed to Oklahoma for the time to unplug a bit.

Second, even if you're unable to join us, we encourage you to spend some time in Sabbath this weekend as well. I'll post the guided material on this site later this week for you to downoload; just carve out a few hours on Saturday or Sunday - or if you have Monday off, take advantage of the long weekend. We don't do this well in our culture; we don't rely on God enough to take time away. Change that this weekend! And if you do, please shoot me a quick email so we can be praying for you as you pray for us.


Sunday Village & Monday Replay:
Just in case there's any confusion, yes, both Sunday's Village and Monday's Replay will take place as usual, back here in Fort Worth. So read ch.4 for Sunday and ch. 3-4 for Monday. And we'll spend a little time covering the chapters in Oklahoma as well, so come prepared!

Holler if you have questions; have a great, worshipful week!

:: AIP#58 - Total Church #2: "Why Community"? (09.27.2009) ::

Last Sunday, our second week of discussion in The City Church's weekly core gatherings took us to the topic of community: "if the church is a community on mission, what does true community look like?"

Summary:
"Christ wants to create 'a people,' not merely isolated individuals who believe in him" (p.39). The Christian community is not an option; a "second step" in faith. It's central to the Christian identity. For individualistic, self-sustaining westerners, this is a hard concept: we like to do things on our own! This means we try to juggle all the responsibilities of life on our own: "family, friendships, career, leisure, chores, decisions and money. We could also add...political activities, campaigning organizations, community groups, and school associations. From time to time the pressures overwhelm us, and we drop one or more of the balls. All too often church becomes one of the balls" (p.44).

But what if the church community is at the center of our lives, and all the other responsibilities extend from it? Then we "meet each others' needs" by helping each other juggle our responsibilities when needed. Just as we belong to God, we reflect his "Trinity-ness" as we belong with others. This belonging is the key for the "koinonia" - "fellowship" - "community" described in the scriptures: it's linked to the words "common," "sharing," and "participation" (p.43). So what would it look like if we made decisions in regard to the community? That's a "church community" - that's the covenant fellowship God's been building since the time of Abraham. And that community carries out God's mission and work in the world, together.


Further Discussion:

• How do these verses impact your understanding of community? 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 2:8; Acts 4:32; Philippians 1:5; 1 Peter 4:13
• The authors state, "Christ died for his people, and we are saved when by faith we become part of the people for whom Christ died" (p.39). Agree? Can a Christian "be saved" and thrive spiritually apart from community?
• In your experience, did a confession of faith in Jesus Christ mean distancing yourself from existing groups of friends/family? Was there hurt/confusion involved in this?
• What do you fear most about being involved in deep community? Do you fear being known? Do you fear being rejected?
• We said the greatest hindrances to true community were comfort and convenience. Do you agree/disagree? How do you see these issues in your life?

Join the Discussion!
Comment below, or even better, jump in on this week's discussion on The City's online network [sign up for the network here; find this discussion on our online network]

:: VERGE Conference - Feb 2010 ::

**Added 02.08.2010: post-conference thoughts + prayer/warning for attendees, here**

We invite you to join several "City folk" Feb 4-6, as we head to Austin for this great event hosted by our friends at The Austin Stone. We'll head to Austin Thursday evening (it starts at 6pm or so), and we'll be back by Saturday night.

Here's the scoop, from the newly-launched VERGE website: "Learn from leading thinkers and practitioners of gospel-centered missional community over 3 days in February in Austin, Texas. Whether you’re a pastor, church-planter, or simply interested in the redemption and renewal of your community and city, the Verge Conference will give you the tools to build gospel movements wherever you are."

This conference is unique in that it is committed to the development and multiplication of missional communities. It will focus on numerous cutting-edge movement strategies and practices to help us all build "communities on mission" in our own contexts.

Our hope is to take many of our people to Austin with us, as we learn from these great leaders, plus numerous breakout sessions, about what our "communities on mission" can look like. Trip details won't be nailed down 'til early January, but we are hoping to cover the registration fees for our Village leaders (more info on that coming soon!), but if you'd like to join us for this great weekend, email Ben by Oct 27.

The stellar line-up of confirmed missional leaders includes:

• Francis Chan (best-selling author, speaker, and pastor of Cornerstone Simi Valley - website)
  
• Matt Carter (lead pastor of The Austin Stone - website)
• Alan Hirsch (author and missional trainer with a really cool accent - website)
• Dave Ferguson (author, leader of NewThing Network, and pastor of Community Christian Church - website)
• Dave Gibbons (speaker & lead pastor of Newsong - website)
  
• Neil Cole (author, organic church planter, and founder of CMAResources - website)
  
• John Burke (lead pastor, Gateway Church - website)
  
• Hugh Halter (author, missional trainer, and pastor of Adullam - website)
  
• Jeff Vanderstelt (Acts 29 Network board member and pastor of Soma Communities - website)
  
• David Watson (Global church planter with CityTeam Ministries - website)
  
• David Garrison (author and SBC International Mission Board’s Associate Vice President for Global Strategy - website)
  
• Music led by Aaron Ivey - website
  

:: AIP#57 - Fort Worth Happenings 10/01 ::

Our goal is to give you opportunities to engage our city: to love your neighbors, build relationships, and serve Fort Worth. Every now and then we'll let you know about different [generally free or very cheap] things happening around town, which are opportunities for you to go be with folks who live in the city we're seeking the welfare of (Jeremiah 29:9). Coming up this weekend:

• Fri 10.02, 7pm-9:30pm: Live Music on the Patio - Central Market (Hulen @ I-30): From CM's website: "Join us on the patio for juicy burgers, tasty fries, cold beer and live music. Seats go fast, so get here early! Tonight's Band: Matt Day (Acoustic country)"
  
• Fri, 10.02, 7pm-??pm : First Friday on the Green - Magnolia Green Park (on Lipscomb between Magnolia and Rosedale): a monthly occurrence, October's is a three-band concert, free of charge but you're encouraged to bring paper plates, cups, and individually wrapped snacks to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. No outside food or drink. More info here.
  
• Sat, 10.03, 3pm-??pm: Oktoberfest - The Gingerman (Camp Bowie): a great celebration hosted by our friends at a great pub. Live music, smoked ribs, chicken and sausage in the parking lot, tastings, & an all-around good time (plus the inside scoop is that servers will be in traditional German-wear!) More info here.
• Sat, 10.03, 3pm-10pm: Arts Goggle - Near Southside (hospital district area): a Fort Worth art & music festival. There are an impressive 64 venues, plus 15 bands playing throughout the day, all across the Near Southside from Magnolia to Park Place to Fairmount to South Main to Vickery and more! More info here.
• 
  
• Sun, 10.04, 2pm: First Sunday Film - Central Public Library (downtown): Murder, My Sweet (1944 film-noir thriller). More info here.
  
• PLUS... lots of local bands at various bars, or go check out the museums, or hit up one of our live theaters. And of course, there's lots to do around TCU too. Fort Worth Weekly is a great resource for other FW happenings, plus this week their annual "Best of Fort Worth" issue hit the stands - pick one up, and get to know our city!
  

And within The City Church family, we've got a full week ahead as well:

• Sun, 10.04, 9am: Worship with The Rooted Church (@ College Avenue Baptist): our good friends at The Rooted Church have opened their doors to The City Church family, inviting us to join them whenever we want this fall, for their worship services. And this week, our own Andrew Sullivan will be leading music for them; come out to support The Rooted and Andrew! More info here.
• Sun 10.04, 5:30pm: The City Church's Sunday Village (Matt and Angie Hudsons'): our normal weekly gathering; more info here.
• Mon, 10.05, 7pm: Our first "Monday Replay" (Steve and Anne Tengs'): catch-up with us if you can't come on Sunday; more info here.
• Wed, 10.07, 7pm: First Wednesday Worship+Prayer (7th St. Corridor): reminding ourselves of our mission; we'll be done just after 8pm. More info here.
• Fri-Sun, 10.09-12: Fall Roadtrip (Turner Falls, OK): you must sign up by THIS Sunday, 10.04! More info here.