It's Not Enough to be Missional

It is not enough to just be missional. I'm not saying that I'm not a fan of the missional movement because Origins Church must have this mentality and mindset. We have to view ourselves a missionaries. We have to "live sent" in order to impact and reach the Arboretum-area and community. However, being missional alone isn't enough. I think we have to not only be missional, but also intentional. Our core group is wrestling around with the idea of being intentional with the mission we have been given.

As we are connecting with people we must ask ourselves, "What are we doing with them exactly? Where are we taking them? How are we getting them there? What next for them?" We can't spend our days as the missionaries randomly hanging out in the coffee shops trying to formulate conversations with complete strangers. Don't get me wrong God divinely appoints meetings with people and crosses our paths with individuals who need the Gospel, encouraging, etc. But I think we have to be much more intentional with our time and mission. We need to find ways to penetrate places where people already gather together. We need to have the next step in mind with each individual we come into contact with. We need to find ways to penetrate the most influential leaders and groups. Paul, the greatest missionary of the Christian church, seemed to quite intentional in how spread the Gospel. He went to the largest, most influential city in a region and started churches there. I believe he did this with the intention of these churches affecting the surrounding cities in the region. Missionaries are missional...Effective missionaries are missional and intentional.

Also, Jason Rastatter and Ashley Jones gave us a call last Thursday to confirm that they are moving to Austin to help with the plant. They should make to Austin sometime around the summer. Praise God...Jason and Ashley are wonderfully talented and will be used by God in mighty ways.

You Have to See This!

I was sent a link earlier this week to a new movie that is coming out in the Spring of this year. This is a film created by the intellectual Ben Stein and seems very interesting!

Here is the link to the website and trailer for the movie (I highly suggest that everyone check it out):
http://www.expelledthemovie.com/playground.php

And here is a brief synopsis about the movie from the website:
Ben realizes that he has been “Expelled,” and that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – for the “crime” of merely believing that there might be evidence of “design” in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance.

Let me know what you think...

Core Group Meeting - Jan. 20th

Well the time has arrived for missional core group meetings to begin! This Sunday, Jan. 20th, from 7:00pm-8:30pm at HCBC-NW we will be gathering together those people who are committed, interested, or just investigating the church plant. This will be a time to cast the vision of where God is leading, praying, and discussing together what it means to be missionaries in the Arboretum-area. Please pray that God's spirit would move among us and direct us and that he would continue building a team for the plant. Right now we have 10 people who have committed to the church with many more praying about it!

If you are interested in being a part of the church or coming to the meeting, please contact me at bpadgett@hcbc.com or (512)627-9130.

Time with John Burke

Well today we had another opportunity to hang out with another influential leader, John Burke. He wrote No Perfect People Allowed, which I recommend to everyone, and planted a church in Austin about 10 years ago. He is incredibly gifted and has a unique way of steering conversations to Jesus with people who are far from God.

Here is some insight that Burke had for us church planters:

1. Trust God with the messiness of ministry and remember that God redeems! We deal with brokeness in our world and people simply have messy lives.

2. A church planter has to be very self-motivate, able to perseverance, and relational. We must meet with everyone that is willing and create a compelling vision and speech for the seeker and the follower of Christ.

3. We have to get comfortable with culture because that’s where Jesus spent his time. He was among the people. We don’t necessarily need to agree or conform to culture, but we need to be comfortable with it and engage with people in it.

4. Allow people to belong before they believe. If you provide people with a place where they can collectively investigate and ask questions about Jesus and God, then a you have created a culture for lost people to really seek God.

Matt Chandler's Visit

Well yesterday we had the opportunity to hang out with Matt Chandler from The Village Church. God has Matt and his family in incredible ways. He has led the Village Church for the past 5 years and seen thousands of lives changed. All in all he has amazing insight and wisdom that he shared with us.

Here is few take-aways from our discussion:
1. I asked Matt how does he keep himself sharp and intimate with Jesus...and he responded, "I am constantly asking myself, 'What is it that stirs my affections for Christ? and What robs me of those affections?' If something robs him of these affections he will rid his life of it, even if it is a neutral moral choice.

2. Matt wanted us to recognize that church planting must be a calling, not a job. While a job ends at a certain time each day and on the weekends, a calling does not. A calling encompasses your entire life (every fiber of your being is wrapped into). Considering the very nature of a calling, you're family must be actively engaged with you in your calling. They a part of the calling God has given you.

3. He also challenged us with the question, "Do you love Jesus more than the idea of church planting?" Because you start making really crazy decisions when you love church planting or your ministry more than Jesus.

4. Finally, Matt encouraged us to do things with humility, even when difficult issues must be faced. He explained, "You can say really harsh things and if it is done with humility…it will be received."

God Continues to Gather

These are exciting times! God is continuing to gather a team together for the church plant here in Austin. After much praying over the past few months, we've got a worship leader to come on board. His name is Brian Simpson (another Lakeland, FL boy). He is an amazing worship leader with a heart that chases after God. God could not have a blessed us with better guy for the job. He will also be doing our website, graphic design, and creative "stuff."

PLEASE keep Brian in your prayers because he is making tremendous sacrifices to move to Austin. He is selling or leasing his house (whichever comes first) in Lakeland, selling his car and furniture, and leaving his family and friends to join us. Pray that the transition goes smoothly for him as he'll be seeking work, finding a place to live, and adjusting to Austin. Also, thank God for such a great person to join us in Austin.

For more info about Brian here is his site (click here), if you need any graphic or website work he is your man, and here is his myspace (click here).

What's in a name?

As we are preparing for the church plant, we have come up with several potential names. Please give me some feedback about what you think about the names. Keep in mind that the area that we are planting in: the largest demographic of people is between 25-34, they are very success and career-orientated, active, educated, artsy, and there is a high single population (37%). The name must connect with and make sense to these individuals.

1. Convergence - A Church Community - we want people to understand the importance of "Merging God and Life"
2. Axiom Church - an axiom in mathimatics is a starting or point of origin. To understand who we are and our current state, we must begin with the proper foundation - God and His redemptive plan.
3. Origins Church - similar to the statement above. We must have the proper foundation or point of origin to begin to understand life and God.


What do you think about these? Any other suggestions?