I have had the great honor and opportunity to travel over the last 2 years and speak at different places. Mostly because of relationships and networking. In the process, God has taught me the valuable lesson of not only networking, but networking to build HIS Kingdom and not just MY church.
Last weekend, I was grateful to travel to Mountain Home, Arkansas and preach to a 2 year old church; Real Life. They are also in our Association. Here's a church that has seen supernatural growth in just 2 years running 2 services. It was amazing to see what God is doing in other churches and get to experience it first hand. Four people gave their lives to Christ! Not only is this church not even two years old yet, but this church also helps fund Generation Church. How cool is that? A new church that sees the value in Kingdom building and giving back.
My family and I also were honored to worship with Genesis Church the Saturday night before. Pastor Jeff Smith, my church planting coach, leads this congregation of nearly 900 people...and they are just over 3 years old! They also have financially supported us and are a part of our Association. Through these churches and pastors, I have had the opportunity to meet and be blessed by other pastors and leaders. All of them have taught me the value of working together and giving back; living open handed not only as an individual but as a church.
This week, God showed me more than ever the value, favor, and humility that follows generosity and networking. When an individual business owner who attends one of our partner churches sent us a check for our "All In" offering. Here is what the letter said:
"God always works in mysterious ways. I think it was Tuesday or Wednesday morning (donor) says 'I want to send $20,000 to Generation Church.' And walks out of the room! I only say this because experience says someone was probably fasting and/or praying. God answered it quickly, it just took me a few days to get the time and chance to send it out.
We are so excited to hear the number of people who get to hear the Word each week, through you! It's humbling that God uses us, isn't it?"
That was not a typo...$20,000....I wept. What's amazing is that as a church, in our original budget for 2013, we had planned on giving away around $20,000. Tell me God isn't faithful when we practice generosity! Today in our "All In" offering, we totaled $43,838.89!!!! OUR LOAN DEBT IS PAID! We have prayed since December for today's offering to be enough to pay our start up costs off of over $41,000. Church, we did it! And I can tell you this, we will ALWAYS give back to the Kingdom!
Here is what I wish every church leader would know:
1. It's Not About You
At the end of the day, we all play a small part of the big picture. The sooner we stop trying to build our own Kingdom, the faster we grow God's.
2. We Are Better Together
Many churches prefer being "loners" and it's really sad. What could the local church do if all denominations, churches, and leaders would stop fighting each other and actually work together? The results would be catastrophic for the devil's kingdom! But too many leaders are caught up in egos, insecurities, tradition, pride, and personal vision. Even the Son of God had friends. So glad God has blessed me with friends in the ministry.
3. Teach Your Church to Live Generously
The reason why people don't give in most churches is because the leader never teaches on it or displays it in their own life. I pray that God always reminds me and my family to lead the way in generosity. I want our church culture to be one that celebrates Kingdom successes and not just our own. God can not, and will not, put blessings into closed fists. So open those hands and be in awe of God's favor.
God's favor always follows faithfulness. Church, let us be grateful, humble, and intentional with the blessings God has given us. This is only the beginning. For the best is truly yet to come. Not just for us, but for all of those who strive to build God's Kingdom. Now that we've completed that phase, let's continue toward the mission God has for us. Invite someone to one of our 5 Easter services: Saturday at 4:00 & 6:00pm or Sunday at 8:30, 10:00, or 11:30am. I can NOT wait to see what's in store for Generation Church!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
GKids: Why It Matters
My girls love to watch their favorite TV shows when given the opportunity. My six year old loves Disney Channel shows such as Shake It Up, Good Luck Charlie, and Jessie. My three year old prefers Nickelodeon shows such as Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, and Bubble Guppies. They love the characters, the music, and how the shows engage them. Especially for my three year old. Each morning after breakfast, you can hear her answering Dora's every question; yes my child talks to the TV. (So do I occasionally when my team is not winning.) One year, we took our oldest to the Nickelodeon park at King's Island in Ohio. She absolutely loved it! There was people dressed as all of the famous characters. There were rides just for her, water parks, train rides, music, dancing, parades, and more! To see the joy it brought her was worth the trip alone.
I say all of that to say this; what is the church doing to engage our kids and inspire them the way that Disney or Nickelodeon are doing? I have seen too many churches offer absolutely nothing for their kids and then wonder why they grow up and leave the church. Nothing to engage them, nothing to inspire them, nothing to pull out their gifts and talents. My six year old loves Shake It Up because she can stand in the center of our living room and put on her own dancing performance as if she were performing in front of thousands. She expresses herself out of inspiration and joy. The same should be for the church.
If you're a parent, you know one thing to be true: it's really hard. But you also know another truth; it's totally worth it! You see, some people look at it like we have to "compete" with Disney and Nickelodeon. But that's not true. Because if God, the ultimate creative being, is dwelling inside of us then no one else stands a chance. It's no competition if it's God inspired!
One of our core values is that 'We Invest in the Next Generation'. Here's what I want you to know about our kid ministry and what we strive to do:
1. The Kids Should Have the Time of Their Life
Most kids that we deal with come from very tough homes. No father, maybe no mother, broken home, abuse, neglect, substance abuse, you name it. They sit at school all week in a seat and are told to be still. Then, many of them go home to an environment that is not very encouraging or inspiring. Then, if they do get taken to church, many of them tell them to be still and be quiet.
I want our kids to come to church and think; "this is the greatest place on earth" because we are extension of what heaven will be like! I want them to express themselves, I want them to be passionate, to dance, to sing, to shout, to be too loud, to be a part of something that's inspiring and life changing! Yes, it's okay to have fun in church and don't let any pruned up, negative, ungrateful, bitter "christian" tell you otherwise! Jesus drew children to Him:
13One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
14But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”15And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.- (Matthew 19:13-15)
Kids aren't drawn to boring people who are not fun. I believe Jesus was fun and loved kids.
2. Kids Can Learn and Serve
The 2 questions we want every kid to answer when they leave GKids is simple: Did you have fun? What did you learn?
If they can answer the 1st question with a "yes" and then tell their parents what they learned then it's a huge win for our ministry. Kids learn better in an environment of inspiration and excitement. Not only that, but kids LOVE to serve! Heck, some of our kids love to serve more than the adults. Why? They have the heart of Jesus. Don't sell kids short, they have a huge purpose for the Kingdom.
3. Be Creative and High Energy
We want Disney and Nickelodeon to pale in comparison to the church. My kids love coming to church. They love GKids. There's no place they would rather be and as a parent that makes me extremely happy. Have you ever been to an animal exhibit or a zoo show? The performers/trainers are so good at capturing kids' attention and engaging them. They speak on their level and with excitement. That's exactly what we strive for in GKids. Creativity, Passion, Love, and Preparation should drive all we do.
4. We Need As Many Team Owners As Possible
We will have hundreds, yes hundreds, of kids at Easter. One thing you see at many churches is that no one wants to work with kids. But they want you to fix their kid. I challenge every person that can to sign up to serve in GKids. I want there to be an army of people serving to make GKids THE place to be each week! Many people don't realize all of the volunteers it takes to make a ministry like this happen. We need teachers, ushers, team leaders, small group leaders, worship leaders, actors for skits, and just people who love to encourage kids.
In less than 2 weeks we will transform the gym into a Willy Wonka style Fun Factory. Golden tickets, lollipop trees, chocolate fountains, zoo trip giveaways, King's Island giveaways, candy, and more. Not only that, but at each station a different part of the gospel story will be shared and kids will have a chance to respond to the gospel message. It will be the biggest and best service yet for our kids. This Saturday, so many of our kids will be hitting the streets of Portland to "Egg the City". Passing out plastic eggs filled with candy and Easter invites, our kids know the value of inviting others to church. Especially during the biggest celebration of the year, the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus!
So parents, please know that GKids matters. And we have barely scratched the surface in what we want to see happen with this ministry. It's going to be huge, influential, and innovative. Because we believe that we are raising up world changers that will one day carry the legacy that is Generation Church.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Easter 2013
We have celebrated, cried, laughed, and worshipped this week. Now, it's time to move forward because we don't have long until our next HUGE weekend! As you all may know, Easter is approaching quickly. Easter is a little early this year on Sunday, March 31st. To the Christ follower, Easter is THE Super Bowl event of the year. More people are likely to attend church on Easter than on any other Sunday of the year. So we always want to prepare for those CEO's (Christmas and Easter Only) and for those who are maybe seeking God during that time. We go all out on Easter. I always tell our leaders that every Sunday is like the resurrection, but Easter and Christmas should be like the 2nd coming! Here is what we're doing this year:
5 Services
Last year, just 6 weeks after launch day, we saw nearly 800 people attend our 2 services. So we are expecting at least double that this year! The only way to handle that many people is have more service opportunities. Here is our Easter service times: 4:00 and 6:00pm on SATURDAY, March 30th, and then our normal service times on Sunday; 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30am. We are kicking off a brand new series that weekend entitled; "Fully Alive". If you've ever wondered about the resurrection and it's authenticity, or know people who deal with doubt then this is the service every person needs to attend. This will be the most powerful 3 weeks yet for reaching those far from God!
GKids Funtastic Factory
Have you ever wonder what it would be like to REALLY go into a world like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory? Well, this Easter, your kids will!!! We are totally transforming the gym into a world of candy wonder! With trees made of lollipops, walls made of candy, chocolate rivers, and more, they will learn the resurrection story in one of the most creative ways ever! Every kid gets a golden ticket, because every kid is invited to this Kingdom! There are giveaways including but not limited to: zoo trips, King's Island them park tickets, ice cream, and tons of other giveaways for the kids. This experience will be complete with character dress up, free candy, and TONS of fun. Kids will have the time of their life and also have a chance to hear about Jesus...it's a can't miss event!
Egg the City
The week before Easter on Saturday, March 24th, we will do an outreach called "Egg the City". Maybe you've heard of door hangers? Well, our entire Children's ministry and other volunteers will go door to door in our community dropping off bags of plastic eggs filled with candy, golden tickets, invites, and other goodies inviting people to our Easter services! There will be plastic eggs all over our city that will inform people of what's going on for Easter at Generation Church!
Sounds like an exciting Easter, doesn't it? So, what does that mean for YOU? I'm glad you asked! Here's the answer:
We Need You to Serve
With 5 services, there's plenty of flexibility and options for you to serve and also attend. You will also be giving someone else an opportunity to serve and attend. You don't have to be at all 5 services, just serve one and attend one. It's that simple. If everyone in our church did that, everyone would get to take a service or two off. Get involved! (Especially with GKids)
Help with GKids
If you can bring candy, or even just help with Egg the City outreach, then you would help make this the best experience for hundreds of kids!
INVITE SOMEONE!
This is your most important responsibility! Spread the word NOW! Many people will begin to make their Easter plans soon, and being at Generation Church is where we want them to plan on attending. This is one of our largest opportunities to reach lost people within the year. Don't miss out on this opportunity to get someone to church! Remember, 5 services! That's plenty of options to nullify someone's excuses.
Thank you church for all that you do. Let's make this the best Easter ever! Who's ready to see entire families come "Fully Alive"?
5 Services
Last year, just 6 weeks after launch day, we saw nearly 800 people attend our 2 services. So we are expecting at least double that this year! The only way to handle that many people is have more service opportunities. Here is our Easter service times: 4:00 and 6:00pm on SATURDAY, March 30th, and then our normal service times on Sunday; 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30am. We are kicking off a brand new series that weekend entitled; "Fully Alive". If you've ever wondered about the resurrection and it's authenticity, or know people who deal with doubt then this is the service every person needs to attend. This will be the most powerful 3 weeks yet for reaching those far from God!
GKids Funtastic Factory
Have you ever wonder what it would be like to REALLY go into a world like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory? Well, this Easter, your kids will!!! We are totally transforming the gym into a world of candy wonder! With trees made of lollipops, walls made of candy, chocolate rivers, and more, they will learn the resurrection story in one of the most creative ways ever! Every kid gets a golden ticket, because every kid is invited to this Kingdom! There are giveaways including but not limited to: zoo trips, King's Island them park tickets, ice cream, and tons of other giveaways for the kids. This experience will be complete with character dress up, free candy, and TONS of fun. Kids will have the time of their life and also have a chance to hear about Jesus...it's a can't miss event!
Egg the City
The week before Easter on Saturday, March 24th, we will do an outreach called "Egg the City". Maybe you've heard of door hangers? Well, our entire Children's ministry and other volunteers will go door to door in our community dropping off bags of plastic eggs filled with candy, golden tickets, invites, and other goodies inviting people to our Easter services! There will be plastic eggs all over our city that will inform people of what's going on for Easter at Generation Church!
Sounds like an exciting Easter, doesn't it? So, what does that mean for YOU? I'm glad you asked! Here's the answer:
We Need You to Serve
With 5 services, there's plenty of flexibility and options for you to serve and also attend. You will also be giving someone else an opportunity to serve and attend. You don't have to be at all 5 services, just serve one and attend one. It's that simple. If everyone in our church did that, everyone would get to take a service or two off. Get involved! (Especially with GKids)
Help with GKids
If you can bring candy, or even just help with Egg the City outreach, then you would help make this the best experience for hundreds of kids!
INVITE SOMEONE!
This is your most important responsibility! Spread the word NOW! Many people will begin to make their Easter plans soon, and being at Generation Church is where we want them to plan on attending. This is one of our largest opportunities to reach lost people within the year. Don't miss out on this opportunity to get someone to church! Remember, 5 services! That's plenty of options to nullify someone's excuses.
Thank you church for all that you do. Let's make this the best Easter ever! Who's ready to see entire families come "Fully Alive"?
Sunday, March 3, 2013
1 Year...An Attitude of Gratitude
As you all know, we are entering our Birthday week as a church. Hard to believe it has already been a year! As we approach this historic date (we launched on March 4th, 2012) there is one word I want to stress: Gratitude. If we are to ever move forward and do greater things for the Kingdom and for our community, we must remember to keep a heart of gratitude. After one year, here are some key things that we should be grateful for:
1. We Still Have Our Doors Open
Most studies show that somewhere between 40%-50% of new church plants close their doors...within the first year! And while there are many factors as to why church plants fail, I want us to be grateful that we are seeing God's blessings in our efforts to reach our community. I always tell our church that I want to be the kind of place where our city would weep if we close our doors. Be grateful for a start to another year of ministry.
2. Partners in Ministry
Do you realize that we would not be where we're at (or have our doors still open) if it weren't for the support of several churches? Here are the names of churches/organizations that have helped GC get to where we're at today:
National Association of General Baptist, Freedom Church (Gallatin, TN), Strong Tower Church (Westmoreland, TN), Revolution Church (White House, TN), New Walk Church (Tampa, FL), New Walk Church (Greenbriar, TN), Skyline Church (O'Fallon, IL), Relevant Church (Locust Grove, GA), Genesis Church (West Plains, MO), Real Life Church (Mountain Home, AR), Bridge Church (Ava, MO), General Baptist Investment Loan, Life Church (Ava, MO), and if I left anyone out I apologize! But I hope you see the power in working TOGETHER for the Kingdom!
Not to mention the MANY people/individuals who gave to GC to help us get started. It was also amazing to have great churches invest in myself or our leaders such as Elevation Church (Charlotte, NC), Newspring Church (Anderson, SC), and great mentors such as Pastor Nathan Oakes from Victory Hill Ministries (Scottsville, KY) and Pastor Jeff Smith from Genesis Church. My wife and I received top notch training and encouragement from New Walk Church in Tampa, FL as well. It is truly overwhelming how many people are linked to the movement you are seeing in a small rural area just north of Nashville. BE GRATEFUL CHURCH! At the end of the day, he who has friends is truly blessed indeed! Thank you supporters!
3. Families Who Believed in "Perhaps"
Several families/individuals took a HUGE leap of faith to help us start this journey. Without them, I have no idea where we would be today. These families started with us in our home and at Westmoreland's Park Street Station. These are the OG's (Original Generators):
Nick/Kandi Tuttle (solid rocks, friends, and life companions!)
Joey/Randi Phillips
Chad/Chasity Gregory
Megan Hall
Steven Newhouser
Stephanie Fisher
Danya Powell
Corey Shelton
Mike/Amy Kowicki & family
Teri Kirby
These people had no clue what they were getting into! I stand amazed at families and people who believed in a dream that didn't start as their own. But I know that after one year, it is just as much theirs as it ever was mine. The people on this list will never know how much they mean to me and my family. They listened to me babble on and on about 'what we're going to do' and 'how we were going to do it' and actually believed it! Haha, I am so grateful that God sent people willing to sell homes, move their families, put their dreams on hold, and believe in something greater than themselves. Church, what you've seen in the past year is nothing short of a miracle that was shaped by a small group of people who believed in "perhaps". We always reference the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer. His armor bearer didn't know if God was going to show up and bring them victory or not, but he believed the words of Jonathan; "perhaps the Lord will go before us and bring us a great victory". Thank you for believing when you couldn't see.
3. The Greatest Team on the Planet
WOW is all I can say about our Dream Team. In a brand new church, we are seeing right at 50% of our adults serve each week. The national average is about 15%!!! Please know we are not content with that number, but it is still something to celebrate that so many people have found their passion and place within our church. I say it every week, but I am so serious because I've seen it...life change truly happens when you serve regularly. I will defend that to it's very core. You want to see a strong marriage? Just look at the couple that serves together at church. You want to see a student who is sold out to Jesus? Look around at the students that serve every week at our church. The greatest stories of life change come from people who get involved and stay involved. Thank you team for impressing me every week with your passion, devotion, and gratitude. We truly "get to do this"!
4. Life Change
Last but not least, we MUST be grateful to see over 400 salvations, 200 baptisms in just one year's time!!! Just one year ago, in our first 2 services we saw OVER 20 salvations each week!!! So amazing! And we know that the best is yet to come!
We must never take these things for granted...never. So as we enter this week, be grateful church! Be grateful for God's mercy, His grace, and for the very fact that He even allows us to be a part of what He's doing. Be grateful for His calling.
Celebrate, rejoice, reminisce, and then let's prepare for our next phase. I love you all, and I can't wait to see who all goes "All In" in the next few weeks!
Happy Birthday GC!
Pastor B
1. We Still Have Our Doors Open
Most studies show that somewhere between 40%-50% of new church plants close their doors...within the first year! And while there are many factors as to why church plants fail, I want us to be grateful that we are seeing God's blessings in our efforts to reach our community. I always tell our church that I want to be the kind of place where our city would weep if we close our doors. Be grateful for a start to another year of ministry.
2. Partners in Ministry
Do you realize that we would not be where we're at (or have our doors still open) if it weren't for the support of several churches? Here are the names of churches/organizations that have helped GC get to where we're at today:
National Association of General Baptist, Freedom Church (Gallatin, TN), Strong Tower Church (Westmoreland, TN), Revolution Church (White House, TN), New Walk Church (Tampa, FL), New Walk Church (Greenbriar, TN), Skyline Church (O'Fallon, IL), Relevant Church (Locust Grove, GA), Genesis Church (West Plains, MO), Real Life Church (Mountain Home, AR), Bridge Church (Ava, MO), General Baptist Investment Loan, Life Church (Ava, MO), and if I left anyone out I apologize! But I hope you see the power in working TOGETHER for the Kingdom!
Not to mention the MANY people/individuals who gave to GC to help us get started. It was also amazing to have great churches invest in myself or our leaders such as Elevation Church (Charlotte, NC), Newspring Church (Anderson, SC), and great mentors such as Pastor Nathan Oakes from Victory Hill Ministries (Scottsville, KY) and Pastor Jeff Smith from Genesis Church. My wife and I received top notch training and encouragement from New Walk Church in Tampa, FL as well. It is truly overwhelming how many people are linked to the movement you are seeing in a small rural area just north of Nashville. BE GRATEFUL CHURCH! At the end of the day, he who has friends is truly blessed indeed! Thank you supporters!
3. Families Who Believed in "Perhaps"
Several families/individuals took a HUGE leap of faith to help us start this journey. Without them, I have no idea where we would be today. These families started with us in our home and at Westmoreland's Park Street Station. These are the OG's (Original Generators):
Nick/Kandi Tuttle (solid rocks, friends, and life companions!)
Joey/Randi Phillips
Chad/Chasity Gregory
Megan Hall
Steven Newhouser
Stephanie Fisher
Danya Powell
Corey Shelton
Mike/Amy Kowicki & family
Teri Kirby
These people had no clue what they were getting into! I stand amazed at families and people who believed in a dream that didn't start as their own. But I know that after one year, it is just as much theirs as it ever was mine. The people on this list will never know how much they mean to me and my family. They listened to me babble on and on about 'what we're going to do' and 'how we were going to do it' and actually believed it! Haha, I am so grateful that God sent people willing to sell homes, move their families, put their dreams on hold, and believe in something greater than themselves. Church, what you've seen in the past year is nothing short of a miracle that was shaped by a small group of people who believed in "perhaps". We always reference the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer. His armor bearer didn't know if God was going to show up and bring them victory or not, but he believed the words of Jonathan; "perhaps the Lord will go before us and bring us a great victory". Thank you for believing when you couldn't see.
3. The Greatest Team on the Planet
WOW is all I can say about our Dream Team. In a brand new church, we are seeing right at 50% of our adults serve each week. The national average is about 15%!!! Please know we are not content with that number, but it is still something to celebrate that so many people have found their passion and place within our church. I say it every week, but I am so serious because I've seen it...life change truly happens when you serve regularly. I will defend that to it's very core. You want to see a strong marriage? Just look at the couple that serves together at church. You want to see a student who is sold out to Jesus? Look around at the students that serve every week at our church. The greatest stories of life change come from people who get involved and stay involved. Thank you team for impressing me every week with your passion, devotion, and gratitude. We truly "get to do this"!
4. Life Change
Last but not least, we MUST be grateful to see over 400 salvations, 200 baptisms in just one year's time!!! Just one year ago, in our first 2 services we saw OVER 20 salvations each week!!! So amazing! And we know that the best is yet to come!
We must never take these things for granted...never. So as we enter this week, be grateful church! Be grateful for God's mercy, His grace, and for the very fact that He even allows us to be a part of what He's doing. Be grateful for His calling.
Celebrate, rejoice, reminisce, and then let's prepare for our next phase. I love you all, and I can't wait to see who all goes "All In" in the next few weeks!
Happy Birthday GC!
Pastor B
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