Global Leadership Summit

The Global Leadership Summit is being held on August 11-12. Orchard Hill Church in Cedar Falls is a satellite site for the event. New Covenant is a partner church which means that we can offer registration for $99 for our members and attenders which is a $50 discount.

Check out the line up of speakers. I learn something new and come away refreshed and challenged every time I attend. We already have over 25 people registered. Email Brenda Gadd by this Thursday if you are interested in attending.

Passing the Baton

I went to the Isaac Newton Christian Academy breakfast with Dr. Jeff Myers yesterday morning. Dr. Myers teaches at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. I have heard Dr. Myers at Worldview Weekends at New Covenant and in Cedar Falls. He also teaches at the two week Summit Worldview Conference. Jon attended Summit this past summer and Dr. Myer was one of his favorite speakers.

Dr. Myers personal ministry is the Myers Institute. He has a vision to mobilize one million adults by the year 2015 to pass the baton of culture-shaping leadership to the next generation. Mentoring future leaders is his passion. His Passing the Baton initiative seeks to help followers of Christ to make a good "hand off" to the future generation.

Dr. Myers recounted how the 2004 U.S. Olympic women’s relay team was the fastest in the world. Commentators said that if they just showed up to the finals, they would walk away with the gold.

But in the final round, the unthinkable happened. Marion Jones failed to complete the pass to Lauren Williams. Because of a missed baton pass, the race was lost. Because the race was lost, the gold medal was lost—for these two athletes, perhaps forever.

As I get older, I reflect more on what I'm going to leave behind. My life will be measured not by how fast I ran, but what I pass on the those who follow me. That's because the race of life isn’t a 100 yard dash. It’s a relay. You only win when you pass the baton to the next generation—to our children and to the young people in our church, school, at work and in our neighborhood.

Each generation only gets one shot at making a good hand off. The great historian Will Durant said, “From barbarism to civilization requires a century. From civilization to barbarism needs but a day.” I want to leave my little part of the world a better place. I want to make sure that my baton pass is a good one.

Priceless

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. Bob Westfall, Gary Hoobler, John Maehl and myself attended the Worship Facilities Conference and Expo last week in Dallas. It was an awesome time. I came back encouraged that we are on the right path with our building plans.

One of the highlights was being able to spend time with Tom Smith, one of our architects. CDH Partners was one of the 275 exhibitors that had a booth at the Expo. We checked out different seat manufacturers and even found a chair that we liked! We learned about Meyer Sound and Constellation Electroacoustic Architecture. We talked to three different companies regarding digital signage. Gary got to attend an hour long, hands-on, product demo with the Yamaha M7CL Digital Mixing Console. I tagged along with Gary and got to try my hand at the controls! I don't know much about audio and mixing, but this console rocks!

John had 40 vendors on his "hit list" and talked to each one by the end of the day. Way to go John! He even mapped out the most efficient way to get through the Expo floor in order to get to each of the vendors he wanted to see.

Over 40 elective seminars were offered. I attended sessions on Building and Embracing Your Tech Budget, Tools and Techniques to Provide a Clear and Immersive Audio Experience, Case Study: Church Growth Through Project Management, Designing Effective Youth Spaces, and Creating Committees That Work.

In addition, we had plenary messages by Ed Young Jr. and Rex Miller. I especially enjoyed hearing Rex Miller talk about the future of the church and the implications of our societies move to a digital culture. I have heard him speak once before and have read his book, The Millennium Matrix. I highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to better understand the cultural shift we are in right now.

And to top it all off, we toured the Fellowship Church Downtown Campus. The Downtown Campus is part of a multi-site church, with the message delivered via DVD. We got to experience what a high definition image looks like on a 26 foot wide screen. What can I say? It was awesome!

But after it's all said and done; after all the sound, video, and lighting equipment is turned off and put away; after all the glitz and glam of the latest and greatest technology is replaced by newer and better; after looking at all the high-tech gear you could ever imagine; it all comes down to people. Low-tech and high-touch. People who selflessly volunteer their time and commit their resources in a mission they believe in. People who invest in the life of another person. Small groups of people who gather in living rooms and family rooms, who open their Bibles and their hearts to one another.

I love new technology and all that it can do. I hope that we are able to integrate some of it into our new facility. But technology and buildings only facilitate ministry. They're useful to the extent that they help us accomplish our mission of building a family of growing disciples. I'm glad to be part of a church that understands the difference.

There are some things that money can't buy. The joy of seeing someone come to Christ. The excitement of sitting around a table at 6:00 AM, discussing our journeys to manhood. The sense of community that comes from the sharing of our stories in an adult community. Getting to spend time with three other men who I care for and respect. This is the church in action. This is priceless.

The Case for Community ~ Part 3

The third case for community that Russ Robinson presented is the The Organizational Case. The church should never be experienced alone. The church needs to organize around community for the following reasons:

• One person or one pastor, cannot possibly meet everyones needs. The one-on-one million strategy doesn't work! Moses received wise counsel from Jethro, his father in law, as he was trying to figure out how to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Jethro told Moses that he would wear himself out and that he couldn't handle the work alone. Exodus 18:17-18
• Shepherds are to care for the flock, even search for the strays and lost. It takes organization to ensure that everyone is cared for and that no one falls through the cracks. Ezekiel 34:2-4
• Pastors and teachers are to prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up. Ministry is to be shared and leaders equipped in order to have a healthy body. Ephesians 4:11-12
• The body grows as each member does its part. Every person has an important role to play in the body of Christ. Health and growth takes place when people get connected. Ephesians 4:15-16

There you have The Case for Community:

• The Theological Case - God has never been alone
• The Sociological Case - No one should ever stand alone
• The Organizational Case - Church should never be experienced alone

So, what's the verdict? What do you think about community? We render our verdict regarding community every day by the way we live. Are you involved in a small group or adult community? Are you taking time to invest in the lives of people? Are you the kind of person that others like and want to spend time with? Do you look for ways to build up others?

What's the verdict?

The Case for Community ~ Part 2

The second case for community that Russ Robinson presented is The Sociological Case. No one should ever stand alone. We need community for the following reasons:

• We need the input of others regarding plans and decision making. Plans succeed with many advisors. Proverbs 15:22
• We get strength from others during hard times. The person who is alone when he falls is to be pitied. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
• We need accountability. We are sharpened and grow in the context of community. Proverbs 27:17

What sociological reasons could you add to the list? Does the quality and quantity of our relationships really matter? Next time I will summarize The Organizational Case for Community.

Building Community ~ Connecting People

We had an outstanding Small Group Conference this morning with around 140 people in attendance representing 15 different churches. Russ was fantastic. He spoke two times on The Case for Community and Small Group Leaders: God's Catalyst For Life Change. Over the next several days I will be posting my notes and thoughts from the Conference. You can click on the picture above to see a slide show of the Conference.

The first evidence that Russ presented for The Case for Community is The Theological Case. God has never been alone. He is a community being in His essence.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Genesis 1:26

The Trinity is the forebearer of marriage and the church. We can be separate yet one; plural and singular at once.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery–but I am talking about Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32

Jesus left the crowds to spend time with the few. And then at the end of His life, He prays that His followers would be one. He prays that they would establish community according to the Trinitarian design.

I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name–the name you gave me–so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. John 17:11-12

Jesus prayed that His disciples would be one, that they would experience a community that is hard to imagine.

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20-21

It was a great morning. It's a great vision. It's a great call .... Building Community ~ Connecting People.

The Real Deal

New Covenant is one of the sponsors of the Small Group Conference tomorrow with Russ Robinson. Russ is the author of The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry and a small group expert. We heard Russ at the Advanced Small Group Conference at Willow Creek in May and were really impressed with his heart for God and people.

The sponsor churches had a special session with Russ over lunch today. In addition to all of his other credentials, Russ is a small group practitioner. He speaks from a place of experience.

Hi-lights of the session for me today:

• Russ has a great concern for the future of the small group movement in the US. It goes against 2000 years of church history.
• The early church adapted the Jewish synagogue model with an emphasis on place and person, becoming the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
• After the Reformation, the Protestant Church adapted a model with an emphasis on place, person and programs.
• Change from a program model of ministry to an organic small group model takes more work and time than most people realize.
• Have a clear picture of what your church would look like after the transition.
• Be patient, set priorities and have a ten year view in mind. Everything doesn't need to, and can't, change in one year.

I'm really encouraged regarding where we're at in this transition. Mark Forstrom and Mark Eades have both incorporated small groups in a greater way in youth ministry this year. High School has added Pods on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays and Middle School has added Huddles on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. Men's Fraternity will connect men in community around tables as they discuss the topic presented each week on DVD. We have recruited over 60 Hosts so far for the fall Impact Series.

We have a long way to go to connect every person in our church to a small group, but we are well on our way. There is no substitute for meeting face to face with a small group of people to discuss Bible truth and share life together.

We are fortunate to have someone of Russ's stature in town to speak. Do whatever you can to get to the conference tomorrow morning. You won't be disappointed! Russ is the real deal.

Growing Together

Steve Lizzio

Steve Lizzio was with us yesterday and today to help equip our Adult Bible Fellowship leadership teams. Steve is Pastor of Adult Ministries at Hope Church and Founder and Director of ABF Resources.com. We had a great time with Steve this weekend. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of our time together.

Steve has a passion for building community and equipping adults. He probably knows more about mid-sized groups than anyone alive. Today he taught sessions on The Importance and Characteristics of Healthy Mid-Sized Groups, Growing Adult Disciples, and The Ten Deadly Diseases of Mid-Sized Groups.

The thing that I appreciate the most about Steve is not just his knowledge and competence, but his passion for Christ and for helping people grow. Steve's enthusiasm and heart for God are contagious. His stories were engaging and his love for life refreshing. How exciting to sit in a room with 40 other people - learning, sharing, and growing together.

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have a sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart. 1 Peter 1:22

Family

Small Group Conference

A group of us just returned from an Advanced Small Group Conference at Willow Creek. There were over 90 people in attendance from churches all over the country who gathered to learn more about how to develop and implement a comprehensive small group strategy. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of our trip.

The conference was more like a workshop, with short presentations by Bill Donahue, Russ Robinson and Greg Bowman followed by "team time" around our table for discussion and implementation. Each table had a facilitator and ours was Bill Search from Ada Bible Church.

We came home with four newspaper pad pages full of issues that we need to address in order to make our small group ministry more effective. It was so timely that we were able to attend this conference, especially after Bob Gilliam's recommendations.

I'm excited about the things we talked about over the past several days and how we can structure our small groups to be even more effective in helping us become a family of growing disciples! I'm thankful for our Small Group Team (Dave Sanders, Susan Krucher, Erin Bird, James Wartian, Pat Rieck, Tye Male-our Team Leader and myself) that has been meeting this past year and their commitment to make our small group system even stronger.

It's our desire that every person at New Covenant be connected to a caring community of believers. A community where no one walks alone, and where we can be open with one another. A community where lives are miraculously transformed and hearts restored. A place where we become family.

Our Ignite Team

What a fantastic weekend we had together! Lloyd Reeb did a great job today of leading us through a process to GRASP our God-given design. The GRASP acronym stands for the following:

• Grounding Values - The basic, foundational aspects of a persons design.
• Roles - The functions that enable a person to make their best contribution to an overall effort.
• Abilities - The tasks in which a person excels and that internally energize them.
• Spiritual Gifts - The supernatural enablement God chooses to give to fulfill His purposes.
• Passions - Those few areas a person strongly desires to focus on in order to have an impact.

We used this material to flesh out a personal mission statement to guide our second-half journey of faith. It was an exciting weekend as we listened to stories of how others had discovered their God-given design and used their first-half experiences for the kingdom. You can click on the picture above to see a slideshow of our time together. Our photo above is missing Tye Male, a member of our Ignite Team.

It will be exciting to see how God uses this weekend to 'ignite' a movement of people to impact our world for Christ.

Halftime

Greg Murtha, Lloyd Reeb and Steve Jenkins

Greg Murtha and Lloyd Reeb arrived today. Our Ignite team had dinner with them this evening and interacted with them regarding halftime issues. We talked about how men and women approach halftime differently, what marketplace leaders need from the church, and how to integrate halftime leaders into a church context.

I'm looking forward to our Halftime Conference on Friday and Saturday. It will be exciting to see how the Spirit of God leads people into creative and innovative ministry in the weeks and months ahead. There is no limit to what God can accomplish through a community of people who dare to dream His dreams.

It's Hard to Believe

Lloyd Reeb

It's hard to believe! That's a common phrase for those of us in halftime.

• It's hard to believe that our children have left home.
• It's hard to believe that our children have completed college and haven't left home!
• It's hard to believe that I'm this old.
• It's hard to believe that we've lived here this long.

For me, it's hard to believe that our Ignite Halftime Conference with our special speaker, Lloyd Reeb, is this coming weekend! Wow, this has gone from a vision to a full-blown event in a years time. We have over 120 already registered for Friday evening and over 100 registered for Saturday!

And of course, as good as the Conference will be, an event like this merely surfaces the issues that need to be addressed. For this reason, we will be offering several ten week, Ignite Halftime small groups for further study and application.

Over the next ten years we're going to see an increasing number of people begin to invest their resources and lives for the sake of the kingdom. What kind of impact can our Halftimers have on Cedar Rapids and the world? It's hard to imagine!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

A Spiritual Journey

Mike Buster

It's been a busy 2 1/2 days. We've had the priviledge of having Mike Buster at New Covenant to talk to our staff, elders, and deacons about church relocation and construction issues. Mike is the Executive Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church where he has served for the past 15 years.

Bob and I met Mike on our trip to Dallas last month. Mike graciously met with us during the middle of his busy day to help us learn more about church construction. We were so impressed with Mike that we recommended bringing him to New Covenant to talk to our leadership team. Mike has overseen 10 building programs during the past 13 years and has learned how to bring a building project in on budget, on time and on target. Mike also oversaw Pestonwood's relocation to their present site in 1999.

During the past three days Mike has talked with us about staffing, construction, relocation, and member assimilation issues. I especially enjoyed his presentation titled, Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid When Relocating. Mistake #1 is Making The Relocation Process A Secular Journey. Mike warned us that we can expect spiritual warfare and opposition. This is not about building a new church, but a spiritual journey that can transform lives. He encouraged us to enjoy the journey and to make prayer a priority.

We appreciated all that Mike shared with us, but we were the most impressed with his servant heart. In retrospect, we overbooked Mike's schedule. He was exhausted by the end of his last presentation tonight, but he passed every test with flying colors.

I will pick Mike up at Bob's tomorrow morning at 4:45 AM so he can catch his 6:00 AM flight back to Dallas. Our time together has come to a close .... but our spiritual journey has just begun.

Pardon The Interruption

Tye with Eric Bramlett

Bob, Tye, Gary, Erin and myself just returned from a two day Multi-Site Practicum at Community Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois. Community Christian has 19 services at 8 different locations in the Chicago area. This past weekend they launched their latest site in Pilson, the second largest Hispanic community in the United States. They have been doing multi-site ministry since 1998 and are considered one of the pioneers in the movement.

It was a great experience for the five of us to interact with the Community Christian leadership team the past two days. There were over 20 churches in attendance from all over the United States. Among other things, we learned the 7 Moves to Going Multi-Site and worked on a 5 Step Strategy. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of our time.

Last evening after dinner, Eric Bramlett, their Creative Arts Director, led a segment called Pardon the Interruption. Churches were encouraged to send up a representative to be "interviewed" by Eric for one minute. Tye volunteered from our team and endured 60 seconds of Eric's good-natured humor and fun. Thanks Tye for taking one for the team!

This Practicum was a great way for us to learn about what is involved if we choose to launch an additional site in the future. Our long range vision includes resourcing and helping small churches in rural areas. In addition, we need to look at how to creatively deal with our space constraints over the next four years before we relocate.

This a journey of faith. The past several days we learned about how one church is pioneering new territory in their passionate quest to help people find their way back to God. This is no time to sit idly by as people pass into a Christless eternity. We need to understand the times and help people awake from their slumber. Pardon the interruption.

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11

3...2...1...Ignite

Steve Jenkins~Mr. Halftime

We are launching a new ministry at New Covenant called Ignite. The purpose of Ignite is to equip believers to finish strong. It's for those who have reached the midpoint of their lives and want to move from success to significance.

We are excited about the upcoming Halftime Conference on March 31 - April 1. Lloyd Reeb will be the featured speaker. You can learn more about the Halftime ministry here.

The Halftime Vision Casting event is scheduled for Friday, March 31 from 7:00-9:00 PM. Lloyd Reeb will share his personal halftime story and a compelling vision for what a significant second half looks like.

The Halftime Summit is scheduled for Saturday from 8:00 AM-12:30 PM. Each participant will explore the concept of halftime and discover how to lead a life of significance by getting a grasp on your God-given design and desires, write a personal mission statement, and develop an action plan for specific next steps.

I'm thankful for Pastor James work in forming the Ignite leadership team, and for his behind the scenes efforts to help launch this halftime ministry. And a special thank you to our great Ignite Team: Steve Jenkins (chairman), Carol Akey, Tye Male, Kim Pagel, Mike Pearson, Dave Sanders and James Wartian.

Join us as we trust God to ignite a movement of men and women who seek to impact their world for Christ.

Better Together

ABF Training

New Covenant is a family of growing disciples. We are committed to growing both larger and smaller at the same time. And how is that done? We grow larger as people come to Christ and become part of our church family. And we grow smaller through our Adult Bible Fellowships and small groups which allow people to develop a sense of community. Our mid-size and small groups allow people to build authentic, caring relationships.

This morning we had an Adult Bible Fellowship Leadership Training seminar. We had a great time with these 39 ABF leaders. You can click on the picture above to see a short slideshow of our time together. It was encouraging to hear how God is at work in the different ABF communities.

There is great power when a group of people love and move in unison with one another. There is no limit what God to do through a people who are committed to Jesus Christ and to each other. By God's grace, we will become that kind of community. We are better together.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Ecclesiastes 4:9

Worldview Weekend

John Stonestreet

We had a great day with John Stonestreet today. Around 100 people came this morning to hear John talk about Thinking Like A Christian. I just have to tell you, John is awesome! John fleshes out what it means to love the Lord with all your mind. But his is not a dry academic head knowledge that is divorced from reality. John speaks with a heart of passion that is informed by the Scriptures and shaped by the grace of God.

John defines a worldview as a framework of basic beliefs we have that determines our view of and for the world. Our worldview identifies our basic assumptions regarding:

• Origin - Where did I come from?
• Identity - Who am I?
• Meaning - Why am I here?
• Morality - How should I live?
• Destiny - What happens when I die?

Our Biblical worldview informs our values which in turn shapes our behavior. Christians are to be known not by our correct theology, but by our love. In John 13:35 Jesus says that all men will know his followers by their love. Followers of Jesus allow his teaching to impact their values and behavior. Our actions reveal our beliefs and demonstrate our worldview to a watching world. Followers of Christ are known by their fruit.

In the afternoon John met with about 30 of our teens to talk about leadership. I'm looking forward to what John has to share tomorrow in the worship service. He will also be speaking on Entertainment and Media at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon.

Information carries ideas and ideas have consequences. So let me ask you; what foundational beliefs and ideas are you building your life on? What are the consequences of your assumptions and beliefs. And what will happen if you are wrong?

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8

Weeping Over Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids skyline

I spent the entire day and evening with other pastors and leaders who want to share the love of Christ with our city. Larry Dewitt from Mission America shared with us how to create a culture that reaches out to the lost. To create this new DNA requires pastors and leaders who are broken, and who model the process of praying, caring and sharing. Larry's humility and love for the Lord are refreshing.

This afternoon around 30 pastors met on the 16th floor of the Crown Plaza Hotel for a Prayer Summit. We prayed that God would break us and give us his heart for our city. We shared our hearts with one another, we prayed, and at times, we wept. We concluded our prayer time by going over to the windows that overlook Cedar Rapids and prayed for our city.

Lord Jesus, give me your heart for Cedar Rapids. Help me to see people as you see them. Might my heart grieve over what you grieve over; weep over what you weep over. Help me to see Cedar Rapids through your eyes.

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace - but now it is hidden from your eyes." Luke 19:41-42