Our Church

Major announcement about the church we are launching coming in the new year. I know you all hate that. Why even tell us? It's like pouring salt on a wound.

Well, I did it anyway, so be prepared as we are going to flip this thing in 2008. God is going to DOMINATE in 2008.

Launch Gathering Thoughts

Last night we had our second launch team gathering. Our goal is to slowly build and prepare to launch as a church in September. To do this we decided to have some gatherings so many of our friends could share in what we are doing.

For the month of December, we decided to host two meetings at our home with many of our friends to share what God has laid on our hearts for Journey Community Church.

One of the reasons I started this personal blog is to be able to journal many of my thoughts along the way as we proceed to the destiny God has designed for us. So you will see often posts like this. Let them maybe inspire, encourage and even help you along your journey.

Last night went great and here are my thoughts for it:

• Atmosphere was great as everyone arrived. All our Christmas decorations were in full effect and we had Christmas music going. At the last minute we decided that it would be a Christmas party theme.
• Food was fantastic. We had several finger foods that people could all feast off of. Wings, cheese sticks, shrimp, cheese, chips and dips, etc....
• Was able to share how God has been challenging me to think What If? What if what happened in the book of Acts happened here in the Coastal Bend?
• Talked about how we want to have what happened in Acts 2 within a culture of Acts 17.
• Shared on how people are addicted to the church and need to become more spiritually independent in their spiritual growth. The culprit though are pastors who have set it up like that. I was guilty of being one and am challenging my own thinking.
  
• Thought I got a little rambly and tried to rush adding stuff in at the end. I have to learn to be concise and shut up.
• A lot of stuff came out that wasn't in my notes. I think I want to blog on a lot of it. God has really been challenging me as I have really sought to say if church could be re-imagined what would it look like.
• Want to see what we talked about? Here is the link: JCC Vision 2
  
• Thought I should have left out the Church of Act Principles...there are some things in there that I think fit...just need to be more concise.
  

Can't wait 'til January as we start to kick this baby into a higher gear.

More DOMINATE

Walking through Wal-Mart tonight and it hit me...

DOMINATE in 2008

This should almost be the theme for churches everywhere. At least it will be the rally cry for ours.

DOMINATE

More and more as I think about what God is calling Journey Community Church to is: DOMINATE!!!

That might be a scary word for a lot of people. I really hear that word resonating within me more and more.

That JCC is about DOMINATING the Coastal Bend Area with the Gospel of Christ making it the hardest place to go to hell.

It is about making an impact. It is about doing something that not a lot of churches are doing. So many are social clubs filled with people who only care about themselves. So many churches have stagnated because they have forgotten that Jesus has called us to make an impact in the world directly around us.

Are you ready to DOMINATE????

Just About Jesus

As I am continuing to filter all that God is pouring into my heart about what Journey Community is to be and represent, some things just seem to be more easy.

Lately I have been reflecting on what our ethos is and should be as an organization. These would be our working values as we set what our work environment is to be about.

Over the years in working on staff and looking at the landscape across the country I have seen an unhealthy environment where everything is about "the pastor".

From, they speak to much from the platform, to how the environment and church are set up to promote them, to how the staff is made to bow down and serve them or else.

Being in these types of environments have driven in me that our church should "Just be about Jesus". Let's get back to the simplicity of things and elevate Him as the Lord. That we are a team striving to serve Jesus. We want to keep our roles in order and realize that this is about Jesus.

I don't want to diminish the role of the Pastor in this. I believe that my role is important in holding JCC to the vision God has laid out for His church in making disciples. I believe that role is to be a guiding force in establishing the teaching of His Word and ensuring that we are saying what He wants to say to the church in the language of our culture. My role is to ensure that the environment is one that is relevant to those whom God is drawing and that we don't get in His way.

BUT in all of that it is going to be about building the Kingdom of God not the kingdom of Jay. I believe there are many pastors who have lost balance of this. That's not to say it is easy or that I won't have to work to keep people's eyes off the pastor. If they are on God and go to Him then JCC will be a church with a healthy spiritual balance.

Let it be JUST ABOUT JESUS.

Launch Gathering

This coming week we are having our second Launch Gathering for Journey Community Church.

See Event Details

If you live in the Corpus area and are interested in being a part of a team that is going to DOMINATE this area with the Gospel of Christ then join us this Friday from 7 to 9 at our house for our next Launch Gathering.

Come out and hear the vision for Journey Community Church as we seek to make the Coastal Bend Area the hardest place to go to hell.

A Vision For Journey Community

Tonight we had our first launch meeting with several friends in which we laid the foundation of the vision for Journey Community Church (JCC). It felt so awesome sharing with some of my closest and best friends.

God is up to something great and I personally want to be a small part of the big something He is doing. JCC is a church that is about:

• GATHERING weekly to connect people far from God to the life of Christ
• GROWING them to be disciples through small groups
• Teaching them to GIVE their time, talents, and treasure to make an impact in this world.

Feel free to read what I talked about in a document called A Vision For Journey Community.

Our desire is just to be used by God to make a difference in our world. Stay tuned for more updates. Our next launch gathering will be Friday, December 14th. For details send me an email.

Launch Gathering

Tonight is the night of our first launch gathering. What is that?

It is a gathering of people who want to hear about the vision and mission we are laying out for Journey Community Church. I really believe that Jesus has already laid out the vision for our church. It really is one every church should be following. You can read it in Matthew 28 and

I am also going to be looking at the first few chapters of the Book of Acts. Basically, I'll be asking the question What If?

What if what happened in the book of Acts...happened here in the Coastal Bend.

If you live in or near Corpus and want to come, leave me a comment with your email address and I'll get you directions.