Justice Festival

I just got home from Los Angeles; another excellent time meeting with pastors and supporters of the ministry. The more people I meet the more work I have to do to keep up with their requests, but it is all so worth the effort. I am meeting people who have such unique and diverse perspectives on Kingdom living that I never return from a trip without having learned something new and exciting about Jesus and His plan for us in the here and now.In two weeks I am off to Ohio for an entire week of meetings, all of which look to be pretty exciting. Two of the bonus add-ons to this trip will be seeing friends from Landing Place and attending one night of the Justice Revival, which is being hosted by The Columbus Vineyard. Rich Nathan is the pastor at the Vineyard in Columbus and I am hoping to spend some time with him on this trip but that will all depend on how busy he is preparing for the Revival. Shane Claiborne and Jim Wallis will be there as well as a host of other people who are committed to looking at Evangelical Christianity in a whole new way.If you haven’t heard about the Festival and are interested in what it is all about here is the link to the site. Enjoy! More about my latest trip to California later. 

What Not To Expect

Lately I have been reading so many good things written by friends who are engaged in the missional church effort that I would rather share what they have already thought through than write the things that I am thinking about at the moment.  David Fitch is a pastor and author living in Illinois who wrote on the topic of what people who are contemplating joining a missional church plant “should not” expect.  I actually posted this same list by David last year, but what he had to say is important for all of us who are in the throws of this emergent missional effort to remember.  Enjoy!TEN THINGS ANYONE WHO JOINS IN A TWENTY FIRST CENTURY MISSIONAL CHURCH PLANT SHOULD NOT EXPECT1.) Should not expect to regularly come to church for just one hour, get what you need for your own personal growth and development, and your kid’s needs, and then leave till next Sunday. Expect mission to change your life. Expect however a richer life than you could have ever imagined.2.) Should not expect that Jesus will fit in with every consumerist capitalist assumption, lifestyle, schedule or accoutrement you may have adopted before coming here. Expect to be freed from a lot of crap you will find out you never needed.3.) Should not expect to be anonymous, unknown or be able to disappear in this church Body. Expect to be known and loved, supported in a glorious journey.4.) Should not expect production style excellence all the time on Sunday worship gatherings. Expect organic, simple and authentic beauty.5.) Should not expect a raucous “lights out” youth program that entertains the teenagers, puts on a show that gets the kids “pumped up,” all without parental involvement. Instead as the years go by, with our children as part of our life, worship and mission (and when the light shows dim and the cool youth pastor with the spiked hair burns out) expect our youth to have an authentic relationship with God thru Christ that carries them through a lifetime of journey with God.6.) Should not expect to always “feel good,”or ecstatic on Sunday mornings. Expect that there will ALSO be times of confession, lament, self-examination and just plain silence.7.) Should not expect a lot of sermons that promise you God will prosper you with “the life you’ve always wanted” if you’ll just believe Him and step out on faith and give some more money for a bigger sanctuary. Expect sustenance for the journey.8.) Should not expect rapid growth whereby we grow this church from 10 to a thousand in three years. Expect slower organic inefficient growth that engages people’s lives where they are at and sees troubled people who would have nothing to do with the gospel marvelously saved.9.) Should not expect all the meetings to happen in a church building. Expect a lot of the gatherings will be in homes, or sites of mission.10.) Should not expect arguments over style of music, color of carpet, or even doctrinal outlier issues like dispensationalism. Expect mission to drive the conversation.