Measuring Success

February 19, 2010

I recently read a great blog titled “Consumerism vs. Community”. This might be a little off the subject, but I’d like to share the thoughts it brought up in my mind.

The blogger writes about a rather large church with incredibly engaging services and an appealing environment. Attendance was in the thousands, and people were excited to be there. But he says something significant was missing– community. Here’s where I really started thinking and I couldn’t help but wonder- In most of our churches today do we realize just how important community is? Kevin Ford says “The quality of community is the quintessential test of the health of a church”. That’s pretty strong, but is he right?

I’m really not trying to be judgmental here, but honestly, when I look at most churches today I see a lot of things, but I don’t see strong community. This seems to be true regardless of the denominational affiliation, worship style, or the major demographic of the church. It seems to me that most churches are a loose connection of attenders that work together on certain projects but then go back to their individualness (I think I made up that word) for the rest of their week. I really sat and asked myself: Is this ok? Is there a problem with this pattern? Does this really affect the health of the church?

In terms of institutional health- numerical growth, financial growth, #’s of ministries (Pilates classes to food pantrys), etc… I don’t think this pattern of individualness makes much of a difference. I think this list can be measured on opposite ends of the healthy church spectrum with the same missing ingredient of community. But, in terms of real SPIRITUAL health, I really believe community is vital. The Body of Christ (The Church) is all about community: Deep meaningful relationships that transcend musical preference (disguised as worship style), age, career field, skin color, etc… The Apostle Paul spoke over and over about this. Read what he said to the Ephesians, and to the Corinthians.

So, should we work hard to create excellent environments on Sundays? Absolutely! I believe that is a key component of reaching our unchurched friends and I believe it honors God. However, we can’t use those environments as a gauge for success. Success within Christ’s Church is much more difficult to measure than that. So, just maybe, a great starting point for determining success is looking at the depth of the relationships that are being formed within the church. Maybe it’s through these relationships that we begin to love each other as we would love ourselves. And maybe, just maybe, that love is attractive to unbelievers.

Are you working to intentionally build strong relationships with the people God has put before you? I know I have a lot of work to do, but my deepest desire is that we would see our local church become a body of believers that genuinely loves each other and loves those around us. Love isn’t what we feel, it’s what we do.

I don’t know how to measure it, but somehow I think we’ll know if we achieve it.

Shaun

Christmas Presents

December 16, 2009

My community group is meeting tonight, and we’re having a Christmas party. I love parties! I love party food! As a part of the night, we’re all bringing presents for a girl in our community whose family has had a difficult time and can’t provide presents for their children this year. It was awesome to watch people respond to the need. It didn’t take hardly any prodding. The email went out and people instantly responded. I really do love to see people give generously, and I really enjoy being able to help out others. It makes me feel good. It’s fun! I also think this is a GREAT way to share the love of Jesus with others. We can meet a need in Jesus’ name. However, this also got me thinking. Read more

What Can I Do?

December 2, 2009

I’ve been asked this question a million times, “What can someone like I do to make a difference?”. The easy answer- a  million things! There is so much opportunity for you. I may or may not know you personally, but I know that God created you just the way you are, and He did so for a purpose. He gave you a passion for something as well as gifts, talents, abilities, whatever you want to call them. I’d love to talk with you about your role in His story, but if you’re looking for something you can do right now then here you go. Compassion International makes it really easy for you to have a significant impact in the Kingdom of God. I had the privilege of traveling to Peru this past year with Compassion, and I was able to see first hand how incredible this organization is. If you want to see for yourself then click on the image to watch this video. Just make sure you watch it all!

Nuevo Laredo, Mx

November 18, 2009

Many of you may have heard me talk about this part of Mexico before. I’ve been visiting Casa Hogar Elim since 1995, and making mulitple trips each year for the past 6 years. Casa Hogar Elim is a children’s home that houses over 100 kids who are some of the most joyful, caring, loving kids I know. It’s a blessing to just walk through the doors- once you get past the odor, the poverty, and the language barrier.

This past week was my first visit in almost 10 months. It seemed like a lifetime. But, my first impression when walking through the door reminded me of why I keep going back- Read more

N*Rich 09

October 22, 2009

Well, I just got home from a trip to Atlanta for N*Rich 09. N*Rich is an annual gathering of the staff’s of all of North Point’s Strategic Partner churches. I think there were around 140 people there from about 20 or so different churches. Since we’re a new partner (we launched our Sunday environments on Aug 30th, 09), this was my first N*Rich to attend. Here are a few things I took away from the event. This is not at all an exhaustive list. Just a few random thoughts. Read more

Middle School Cheerleading and Church

September 11, 2009

This past week I found myself at another middle school football game. Cali is a cheerleader, and even though she has a broken leg, she’s pretty involved. She still cheers and dances, but she no longer “flies” during stunts. Since this was the first game of the season, we were all excited to see her. As a matter of fact, my mom, sister, and niece all came down to watch. This wasn’t easy for them since all middle school games are on Thursday nights, and my family lives 6 hours away. They had to take off work and/or skip school to come down. So, what does this have to do with church? Read more

Beachside Launch

September 2, 2009

Sorry I’ve disappeared for the past several days (weeks from this blog). I’ve been trying to recover. I had no idea this would be so draining… but, well worth it! We finally have a church in Fort Walton Beach where we can invite our friends!

This past Sunday night we had the launch service for Beachside. I say this to brag on the incredible team of people that put this together- It was amazing! I know it’s not all about the numbers, but there were approximately 280 people in attendance including about 60 kids. All that in spite of the heavy rains that lasted up until just before the service started. Now, the real test will be to see who returns. Our goal has never been just to start a church. We want to build and sustain a successful church that is leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

I want to mention a couple of things that I think have been really significant in allowing us to get this far. I want to say this because I think these are the same things we must do to move  forward. Read more

North Point Training- Part 1

July 25, 2009

One of the best things about our partnership with North Point Community Church is the incredible network of people we have available to learn from. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up the phone, sent an email, or sent a tweet to one of these guys. There are currently 15 Strategic Partner churches and 7 or 8 that will be starting soon. This past week I spent 8 days (I know that doesn’t make sense) in Alpharetta (and Chattanooga and Kennessaw) training with these guys. It was a blast. Read more

Welcome to BeachsideCC.org

June 26, 2009

August 30th and the launch of our Sunday environments is almost here! After over a year of planning we’re about to have irresistible environments where we can invite our unchurched friends. Our goal all along hasn’t been to just create a place for us church people to go on Sundays. There are plenty of empty seats in existing churches in our area. Our goal has been to create a church that unchurched people will love to attend. Because of your patience, your service, your giving, and your willingness to trust God and do something crazy, we’re almost there! Read more

1 + 1 + 1 = 3

June 6, 2009

I know what you’re thinking. No, it doesn’t take a math whiz to figure this out. 1+1+1=3 is simple arithmetic. Did I insult you by giving you this information? Hang with me for a minute, and if I didn’t insult you already, I’ll run the risk of doing so with my explanation for this illustration. Not on purpose, but it’s really pretty simple. Read more

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