frankiecreel.com

Hey, We just got back from Disney.  Here are a couple of shots of Cinderella’s Castle for you to enjoy.

By the way the band rocked!!  And Perry wasn’t too bad, either.

Possibly the only thing I dislike about living in South Cackalackey….Not enough snow days.

Have fun everyone and be careful.

Peace Out…

Church in the Making-Ben Arment

tells a story of hungarian mission trip-no one was interested in the story or the metaphor they were portraying.  People were more interested in the breakdancing going on near by.

Was a spiritual let down or a sociological one?

Sociological factors in the failure.

John 16:21-God gives church planters this same since of naivity.

We don’t all have a promised land experience.

God builds his own church.

What are the relationships that led to this congregation starting?

Successful church plants-

led by a guy on a local staff previously

the core invited someone to come lead them

done with a community of people

a church that is getting off the ground with no social momentum behind them the idea of gaining it is very, very difficult.

we are putting a ourselves in a crippling position.

there is more to the success of the church plant than the spiritual factors.

social momentum is vital in the success of a church.

talking about the parable of the sower….good parallel with social momentum with church planting.

solutions:

Build relationships before you build churches.

-until critical mass people will only come to your church because they care about  you.

-the apostle Paul built relationships before he started churches.

Identify the God-given people group we are uniquely wired to reach.

If you dont have a following around you, nothing magical is going to take place when you start the church.

We need to plant the church the community needs, not the church that is in our head.

The more people that are part of the committed core, the more successful.

You’re not a church planter, but a missionary.

Kingdom In, Kingdom Out-Bob Roberts

Is the seed of the gospel when planted in an individual is sufficient enough to radically transfom that person?  That community?

More megachurches in the United States today, but fewer people in attendance than ever before!!

What are we making?  What are we putting together?

He keeps staring at me…..weird.

When you stand and preach you are not just a mouthpiece, but a life.  People will want to be like you.

Change the world is our mandate.

Its not about the number of pastors we are producing, but the disciples I am producing.  When that is the focus, we will change the world.

When is Jesus going to be enough for you?

• Repent. It is about the kingdom of God, not our kingdom. Jesus redefined the ten commandments.  
• Abandonment.  Are you abandoned to Jesus? What does it cost you to follow Christ?
• Risk.  Once you have repented…obey.

are you growing disciples?  are you making disciples?

Church Unique-Will Mancini

Day 2

Blue Ocean Church Planting

1. Thinkholes (What keeps us from discovering our Unique calling?)

• Ministry Treadmill-in the busyness of ministry you can not slow down enough to discover the unique calling.
• Competency Trap-your success can undo you when it comes to discovering your unique call.  Never stop learning.
• Needs Based Slippery Slope-if meeting needs is  your highest mission something is messed up….you can never meet all the needs and it is not the Jesus model.
• Cultural Whirlpool-buzz church-rather than pressing through for a unique calling we become trend surfers, stuck church-leaders who are tired of keeping up with change and just propagate the past.
• Conference Maze-be careful not to jar swap.
• Denominational Ruts-

         2. Kingdom Concept (What can your church do better than 10,000 others?)

Spiritual Formation in a Missional World- Ed Stetzer

• the church and economy are counter-cyclical
• 4 essentials in spiritual formation in new churches

1. elementary is a “danger” and not a goal. go on toward maturity.  Hebrews 6:1 “Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death,and of faith in God”

How can you do it personally?

• recognize the prepensity to get busy working and to forget knowing God.
• share with people far from God on how they can share on this journey.
• has to be a Jesus centered discipleship.
• measure spiritual growth of your congregation with same enthusiasm we measure numerical growth.
• MOMENTUM is not the goal, disciples is 

2.  God wants your church on a a clear path to spiritual growth.

• Colossians 1:9-10 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
• you can not get people to serve Jesus in the long term if they do not know him in the short term.
• Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
• Get people in the word of God and tied to Jesus!!  Get your people to dig into the word.

3. God involves us in our and our church’s spiritual growth.

• if you act like is all on you than you have placed your work on God’s faithfulness
• Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
• how much energy into your own spiritual growth?
• Do you love Jesus more today than yesterday?

4. God calls you and your church to be spiritual learners.

• 1 Timothy 4:16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
• be conscientious about yourself and your teaching.
• if you are always the hero, than Jesus can’t be.
• Are you a great leader or a godly pastor?
• Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
• how do you know if you have spiritual growth?  they welcome the message with eagerness and examine the scriptures daily.
• when we preach against sin in our churches, we fail to speak against the sin of our churches.
• the lack of action is the biggest sin in our churches today.

Til tomorrow….Peace Out…

Told you I’d be back

Reaching Men- Gary Lamb

• Ezekiel 22:30 ”I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.
• 65% attending church are women; 25% married attend without their husband; 70% of teenage boys leave the church for good.
• the church is not meeting men’s needs.
• men don’t go to church because they have been.
• churches have catered everything including programs for women.
• decorations are geared towards women.
• men are looking for men they can respect…a manly man.

Practical ways to reach men:

• We live with the conviction that if you reach the man, you reach the family.   If you reach the man first…87% chance to reach the family…the woman first….17%.
• How will a fifth grade boy respond?
• Most churches beat around the bush when it comes to reaching men, we beat the crap out of the bush.
• Design services around reaching men:

1. How will a man be drawn to this…from the music to the graphics to the series title.
2. Language is geared towards men.
3. Messages are anthem and challenge driven.
4. Mother’s day was geared towards men since it is most popular day that men come.
5. Guitar driven…most men will not sing. No music stands.
6. Men like toys.  Good music equipment. 
7. A lot of secular music….30-35%…song has to fit the message.
8. Rarely have women on the stage. Men want to see men on stage.
9. No love songs to Jesus.
10. Graphics are horrible at reaching men. No stock photos.  No artsy.
11. Dress like dudes, not italian models.
12. Look like the people in your community.
13. Teach to men….use normal language.  Very challenging.
14. Anything done outside of Sunday is geared towards men.
15. Make Jesus a dude.  Not the limp-wristed, perm-haired guy, but the carpenter dude who is not afraid to offend someone.
16. Real.  Uncensored.  Ballsy.

See you soon….Peace Out…