This is actually going to happen...

There's nothing like the Christmas story to remind you of the excitement of church planting.  Actually everytime I look at Camden and realize how much she is growing, and everytime I notice another lady who is awaiting a date in the not too distant future for her own child to arrive, it reminds me of the intricacies and complexities of starting a new church.  We're now in month number three of this 12 month gestation period.  We've moved past the conception stage (God putting this unlikely dream into our hearts and challenging us to go for it.)  I think now we're actually beginning to move past that first two months of panic as well.  (What in the world have we gotten ourselves into?  Who thought this was a good idea?  Wouldn't it have been less painful to "adopt?" [Lead a pre-existing church])

But now we're at month three.  And though this "baby" isn't actually kicking just yet, we know there's a lot of incredible stuff beginning to form inside of us, and others are starting to get excited, too.  We recognize that our new church may not engage everyone within a five mile radius of us.  (Actually, we're pretty sure that some people are put off by us forming another faith community)  But for some people, this church is going to fuel the hope in their life and the connection with God and with others they've been longing for for a long time.  It's amazing how in one week you begin to realize that this is really going to happen.  God is really going to bring this delivery about.  And even though you think often about how many other things have to get formed in the next nine months (pretty much all of the external stuff, the launch team, picking out a name, finding a place to meet, letting everyone know what you're doing and where to find you, figuring out who's the team who'll be pouring themselves out with you, etc.) you know that it's going to be okay.  Has God gotten you through the tough part?  I think through is stretching it maybe, but you realize He's in the tough part with you right now, giving you just what you need at just the right time.  (Like people who are willing to say "we're with you," like the best church name that really encapsulates what you're trying to accomplish, or even like just an extra boost of energy to get some of the extras accomplished while staying focused on the main thing, this church plant.)

We're working through an important decision and I really need your help on this one.  It's actually about church names.  It's funny, picking out a church name is a lot like picking out a child's name.  There are lots of choices, most of them don't sound like "your" kid at all, and you have to think that whatever you choose your "kid" is going to have to deal with for the rest of its life.  No pressure there, right.  (At least you hope your church name won't be made fun of by immature 3rd grade boys, but that remains to be seen I guess)

So I want to roll out three names for you.  As a faithful reader, I value your input, and this is a decision that in all seriousness we need to get made pretty soon.  A note first about exit14.  Some people have been a bit disappointed when they heard we might not stick with that name.  It's fresh and unique I think, but it's also not completely inclusive.  For instance, our hope is to reach people who live in all directions from where we end up meeting.  While we want them to connect with us, they may not live near exit14.  Also, and if you've been to or by our house you already know this.  There's pretty much no place to meet exactly at Exit 14.  There will be in five years.  But because we really can't wait that long...we probably need a different name now!

Okay, so here's the deal.  I want to give you three potential church names.  I am not saying that our final choice WILL be one of these three, but this is where we're leaning right now.  I'm not going to tell you why I chose these, what they're supposed to mean, or my own personal ranking of the names.  So I want your thoughts, what is your initial response to each (positive, negative) what thoughts our emotions or pictures in your mind do the names evoke.  Does it sound like a church name?  Be as open and honest as you can.  You absolutely will not hurt my feelings because I'm not committed to one more than the others.  

Centerpoint Church.

Evident Church.

New Heights Church.

You can post your thoughts by hitting the comment link at the end of this blog post.  In this format, others can read your thoughts although they may not recognize your signin name.  Or, if you want something more private, you can email your thoughts directly to me at chris@exit14church.org    .  THis will be a HUGE help for us, so if you can think about these names, give me your initial thoughts, and then maybe in a couple days, after they've lingered with you a bit, give me your updated thoughts.

Thanks everyone, for your prayers, your support, your encouragement as you read this blog.  Hey thanks for reading this blog.  One more post before Christmas.  In it, I hope to share some of the name conversation (no names or direct quotes, so never fear) and let you know where we may be headed with this important decision.

One last thing.  Camden is really growing and she is excited about Christmas.  She's met Santa twice and gotten her nine month pictures taken.  Here's a link to some pictures of her if you are interested.  

Partners

Last Thursday I met with Dr. Guy Brewer, the director of Theological Field Education for the Anderson University School of Theology.  I anticipated getting to meet a nice guy who might help me partner with some SOT students interested in church planting.  As usual, God had plans bigger than my anticipation.  Not only did we talk about potential partnership, but I also found out that Dr. Brewer is himself a former church planter.  As we talked, he helped me to flesh out my passions and vision in a way much more succinct than I'd been able to before.  He talked about making sure our partnership was to be mutually beneficial to the students and to Exit14church.  He prayed over me and for my family and our new work.  It was one of the great hours of blessing in my life.  And so, in late January we will be sitting down with some students who have shown interest in our plant and in planting themselves, and will see how we can gear up together for the work of God in our area.  Exciting.

Last week was very forming for me in terms of vision.  We had dinner with some new friends from our neighborhood, the Davis family.  They've lived here for almost 6 years I think.  One of the resonating needs in my mind has been contributing toward individual and family health.  They helped me to look a step deeper.  

When we lived in LaGrange, I would anticipate that there were maybe 3k-4k people who actually lived within the town limits.  I had no delusions of grandeur that we would know everyone who lived in town, but I truly hoped that the number of people we would have some connection with would continue to grow, and that the church there could be a healing place and a home to as many of those people as possible.  When we moved here, I knew that this was a large neighborhood.  843 homes approximately.  Here's the connect I never made.  This place probably houses close to the same number of people who live in the TOWN OF LAGRANGE.  Now I know it's not exactly the same number, but here's the point.  In a small town, lots of people know each other because they grew up together or their parents knew each other or worked together or something.  They have a history together that kinda unites them.  It's why lots of people stay generation after generation in the same area, and that's a great thing.  What if you lived in a town where no one had a history together?  Even the people who've lived here the longest have only been around 6 years maybe.  Many of them have small children, so their kids haven't gone to school together, at least not for long.  We don't have a grocery store or a Walmart or even lots of restaurants in our immediate vicinity (less than 2-3 miles) yet!  So some people shop in Fishers, and some in Noblesville and some in Pendleton (town) and some...wherever.  But we don't have those places where people get together regularly just yet.  Even our homeowners quarterly meetings draw 25-40 people, in a neighborhood of 800+ homes.  So before we can really help each other grow in health, we've got to actually get to know each other.  And so one of the hallmarks of Exit14church I hope will be a place where you can get to know the cool people who live across the street from you.  If we can be a catalyst for relationships within our town (I mean neighborhood) we will have made a huge mark for good on the community.  And if we don't...then who or what will?  I don't want to live in a neighborhood of 843 castles where the families inside don't know the owners of the neighboring "kingdom."  And I have to believe these are normal people, our neighbors, with family issues and life circumstances similar to my own.  If we open ourselves to knowing our neighbors, maybe the results will be a renaissance...or a revival.  

Next post

In my next post, look for an update about some potential ministry partners we are meeting and a potential partnership with the AUSOT.  We're also processing church names, waiting to hear about financial partners, and processing about 20 other things right now.  And I don't know if everyone knows this yet, but it also seems that there's this holiday coming up in a few weeks, kind of a big deal.  So we'll post more about that stuff in the days ahead.  

Subtle heroes

Last Friday I got to spend time with my grandfather.  Some of you have met him, perhaps many have not.  You may not know about my grandfather that he was also a church planter.  In fact, when I think about church planting in his day in comparison to in our day, it always makes me shudder at the differences in our circumstances, and yet there are some incredible similarities in our journey as well.  

My grandfather left a stable, decent paying job at an atomic plant in Hamilton, Ohio in the early 1960's I think, to return to his hometown of Monticello, Kentucky.  He also left a stable, healthy church where he held a leadership position and was being mentored as a young pastor.  He packed up his wife, four kids and not much else and went to a place where most people were leaving to find jobs elsewhere.  Oh, and by the way, he had NO financial support from the state of Kentucky, or anyone else for that matter.  Here's what he had; a call from God, a supporting spouse, and a few connections in the area.

He would go on to pastor a church, which didn't exist before his arrival, for over 25 years, through a building project, ran a daycare ministry, and for most of that time also had a side/part time job that helped take care of the family's financial needs.

He always tells me how much he believes in me.  He always tells me things like "well I didn't have the education or skills that you have now."  When we talked about this the other day, I could still see in his eyes the "we were going to plant this church or die trying" passion it takes to launch a new church start.  He now attends that church as a church member (wishing the pastor would use him more to help their ministry grow, but kinda being rebuffed on a regular basis) and he is still as passionate about reaching people with the love and grace of Jesus as he's ever been.  While physically he's slowing down, the fight for the redemption of people's souls is still as serious and evident in him as its ever been.  And while he told me a few things he wishes he'd done differently down through the years, I just wonder how many people will be in heaven someday (and whose lives have been radically changed by Christ through him in the hear and now) because of his all or nothing spirit.  And he's still all in!  

If the Holy Spirit will give me only a double blessing of the planting spirit of my grandfather, exit14church will be okay.  I asked him if he ever had days when he wanted to quit, days where he was seriously discouraged.  He basically said he knew that this calling was so written on his soul that he couldn't have quit if he'd wanted to.  Now my grandfather's story will most likely never be on bookshelves at Barne's and Noble's.  And his church is not some megachurch that has grown into the thousands.  But there are always the innovators in this world who actually do things without systems in place and succeed, and then the systems are put in place to boost what they did purely on faith and ingenuity.  I know we wouldn't be doing what we're doing now if it weren't for people like him who blazed the trail years ago.  I also know that I'm glad he and my grandma are praying for us right now, because when you've been in the same trench, you know the bullets that fly at those who will follow you.  I've felt a few of those bullets in the last few days.  And Kermit Wilson, who is my coach; and my grandfather both affirmed me with the thought that Satan doesn't want this church planted.  He doesn't want the Kingdom of God to grow and advance.  And he will do whatever it takes to discourage, defeat and destroy us and the ministry God is working out in us.  My papaw said, "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."  And it's His church.  So we journey on, full of more new ideas, more new friends and potential partners, and more hope that there will be many people in heaven and whose lives are changed even now because of this ministry God is leading us to begin.  In other words, we're just continuing down the trail that was blazed before us.