Church Planting

Southern Roots & Global Fruit

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I confess that when we first moved to NJ in 2004  I tried to distance myself from my southern/bible-belt/mega-church roots.  We had moved into a new culture where I realized few people could relate to that background and where ministry would look very different from what I’d experienced before.  In some ways a little distance is good, but it is also possible to allow the pendulum to swing too far.  Although I do church-planting in a radically different context than from where I grew up (urban NJ and progressive VT are both very different than suburban Atlanta), I cannot escape the fact that I would not be the person I am today apart from the people, pastors, churches, and ministries who invested in me and gave me opportunities to succeed and fail in ministry prior to our move into church-planting.  Also, I am so thankful for the churches who have partnered with us these past seven years as we’ve stepped out in faith.  It means so much to know there are people who believe in what God has called us to do and back it up with their prayers and resources.

Sometimes I think mega-churches get a bad rap in church planting circles.  In some cases that may be deserved, but in many cases I think we paint with a very broad brush.  It’s easy to miss the fact that there are some very large Bible-belt churches who “get it.”  They understand that God has blessed them with amazing people and resources to make a global impact.  I’ve had the privilege of hanging out with one such church the past few days: Shades Mountain Baptist in Birmingham, AL.  In some ways they look like a typical mega-church.  Yes, they have a huge building.  Yes, they have 3000 plus people.  Yes, they have programs for every age group imaginable.  AND they get that God has blessed them to be a blessing.  When we moved to NJ in 2004 to start the Point they were behind us 100%, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.  They’ve also sponsored church-planters in Portland, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Brooklyn, Calgary, and inner city Birmingham.  They partner with organizations that address the AIDS epidemic in South Africa, trafficking in Thailand, and drug addictions in their own city.  They are seeking ways to help missionaries and pastors in some of the most unreached areas of the world.

This past week I’ve heard a lot about compassionate justice and evangelism going hand in hand from people doing ministry all over the world.  It’s been so encouraging and inspiring to see a church praying, sacrificially giving, and even transplanting families because they believe in this.

To my friends, family, and fellow ministers who read this blog from the sunny south- may we all remember that God has blessed us to be a blessing.  May we have an open hand with our plans, our lives, and our resources.

Tilling, Sowing, Watering, Reaping

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It’s very easy to get caught up in the go big, go fast, or go home mentality as a church planter.  Almost every story you hear of church planting success is of how a gifted leader started with almost nothing and it just blew up overnight.  If we changed the terminology just a little, it often sounds like we’re describing a high performance sports car and its zero to sixty time.  Seldom do we hear a leader share about long years of faithful labor with little initial fruit, but how God was still at work anyway.  I have to admit that I am also often enamored by the bigger-faster-is-better church stories.

I believe the issue is that in ministry circles we often focus on reaping as opposed to the tilling, sowing, watering, and cultivating that must occur before we reap.  In other words we want to see the result of people embracing and pursuing Jesus without putting the work into the rest of the cycle.  Something that feeds this mindset is that we hear amazing stories of people responding to Jesus and ministries growing and all too often even the people sharing the stories may miss that this is most often the byproduct of a long-term investment in people’s lives.

On Wednesday mornings I meet with a small group of ministry guys here in Burlington.  One of the guys was sharing from John 4, where Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman at the well.  I won’t go into all the details of why that alone has great significance, because something else stood out to us.  This Samaritan woman responds quickly in recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and her need for Him.  The scripture also clearly says in verse 39, “from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of  the woman…”  A lot of people were deciding to follow Jesus.

But Jesus says something very interesting to his disciples in the verses preceding this:  35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Jesus wants the disciples to know that the spiritual harvest they are experiencing is the result of a long-term process and other people’s labor.  Other people have gone before them- tilling the ground, planting the seed, watering the soil, and now they are seeing the harvest.

Big Question: How does this apply to you and me? I’ll answer this for me and hopefully that will help you answer the question for you.

*I need to be faithful with the small but significant doors God has opened in people’s lives around me. With each relationship people are at different points in this process.  In Burlington the focus is overwhelming tilling and then sowing.  This practically means serving people sacrificially, opening my life to others, building long-term relational credibility, and sharing about Jesus as they are open and willing to listen.

*I need to have a long-haul view of investing in people’s lives. I’m not a farmer, but I’m pretty certain the people hearing Jesus’ words from agrarian lifestyles 2000 years would have instantly connected Jesus’ words about sowing and reaping as real work.  If I’m go to invest in people who have a negative perception of Christianity and little knowledge of the gospel, then I must be willing to make a long-term investment as I walk with them through this process.

*I need to recognize and celebrate God moving in people’s lives. I often focus on celebrating the reaping phase without taking the time to celebrate all that God has done in someone’s life leading up to when they decide to follow Jesus as Lord.  Each relationship, each opportunity to sacrificially serve someone, each conversation about spirituality, each opportunity to pray for someone, each sharing of my story and more importantly God’s story is evidence God is at work.

Please pray…

Pray that we’d be sensitive to what God is doing in our relationships.  We meet people everywhere from cafes to the YMCA kids gym.  We want to make the most of these friendships.

Pray that we’d be wise with how we serve the Old North End’s refugee community- especially through the Kids Alive ministry and beginning an English class with Somalians in the Riverside housing community.

Pray that I would be discerning as I build relationships in Burlington’s community service and non-profit sector.  I want organizers, volunteers, and those we serve to see that Jesus defines how and why I serve the least of these.

Pray for God to draw others to join our core group who are passionate for Jesus and willing to make a long-haul investment in others.  We’re launching our initial Home Fellowship on March 13!

BTW, check out my wife’s latest post: http://www.gainingpounds.blogspot.com/

The Core Group: Laying A Strong Foundation

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A few weeks have passed since my last post, so this may be a longer post than usual. Since we first began considering planting a church in Burlington, we’ve prayed that God would place the right core group of people around us. By core group I mean the initial team of people who are committed to taking this church from idea to reality. As we continue moving forward, I can sense God leading us to pray about this with even more urgency.
Hopefully the following thoughts and questions will give you direction on how to best pray…

When we talk about church it’s very easy to think in terms of a building, a strategy or ministry structure, or even the personality of the pastor. When the New Testament speaks of church it is always talking about the people. This is especially relevant when starting a church from scratch. I personally love to strategize, craft a vision, set projected goals, and dream of what could be. These are necessary components of beginning a church, but should never replace investing in a group of people. I’d go so far to say that developing a solid core group could be the most essential aspect of starting a church.

Think of it this way. If scripture refers to the church as a building made of living stones with Jesus as the chief cornerstone (2 Peter 2:4-9), then we can draw two conclusions. #1) Jesus and His gospel need to be central to all that we are and everything we do. Without this cornerstone nothing else matters. #2) Those foundational stones we build on are vital to how the rest of the building is built. The core group formed in the beginning of a church in so many ways determines the culture and DNA of the church as it grows. The core group communicates to others who are connecting to the church and the surrounding community who the church is, who the church is for, and what the church really values. The core group inevitably passes on to others their values, their experiences with God, and their beliefs rooted in the scriptures- remember that discipleship is caught as much as it is taught.

Jim Collins communicates this basic principle in his book “Good to Great.” Although in the following quote he’s talking about corporations and not churches, I think you’ll see the connection:
Most people assume that great bus drivers (read: business leaders) immediately start the journey by announcing to the people on the bus where they’re going—by setting a new direction or by articulating a fresh corporate vision. In fact, leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with “where” but with “who.” They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats. And they stick with that discipline—first the people, then the direction—no matter how dire the circumstances.

This idea was around way before Mr. Collins. Take a look at Moses’ prayer in Exodus 33: Moses said to the LORD, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me…” Moses already knows he’s responsible for leading the Israelites to the promised land, but he also realizes it’s not a solo job. We see this principle of getting the right people on board throughout scripture: David & his mighty men, Jesus selecting his apostles, and Paul planting churches with a team.

The big questions I/we need to ask then are who are the right people? and correspondingly how do we choose the right people? I don’t have all the answers on this, but I have some additional questions I’m praying through which will hopefully lead to the right answers.

*Am I looking for people who are strong in the areas where I am personally weak? I love art, but I will never be mistaken for an artist. I love getting my hands dirty, but I’m hardly technically or mechanically proficient for anything practical. I’ve learned to do some administration, but get worn down dotting every i and crossing every t. We need artists who can live in the blurry line between sacred and secular, understand how their faith influences their art, and utilize their art to inspire the church. We need behind the scenes servants who care little about the spot light but thrive doing the “dirty work” of hands on ministry. We need organizers who love dealing with the details- the details that no one notices until they’re overlooked.

*Do I value character, maturity, and teachability over talent, ability, and giftedness? I want gifted and talented people to join our group (especially in areas where I’m lacking), so it’s easy to become “wowed” by someone’s exceptional abilities. It’s also easy to miss God given potential lying beneath the surface. Just like the prophet Samuel, God continues to remind me God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Although I tend to be fairly intuitive, I need God to develop in me the spiritual radar to pick up on what He is doing in people. I need the capacity to see God-given potential and God’s activity in people’s lives that goes beyond even what they can see in themselves.

*Am I attracting people who bring different perspectives and experiences to the group? It’s very easy to surround myself with a bunch of “yes men” (and women) who see things exactly the way I do. I like it when someone tells me my ideas are perfect with no tweaking needed. Here’s the reality: I need the perspectives and experiences that others bring to the table. The core group’s diversity of perspectives and experiences in some way needs to mirror that of the people we’re trying to reach. I grew up in a white, middle-class, conservative Christian family, where I came to know Jesus at a young age. This is clearly not the experience nor the perspective of the overwhelming majority of people God has called me to serve and reach out to. We need a core group who share the same beliefs, values, and vision and who have also walked in the same shoes as the diversity of people in our community.

*Do I trust God to draw the people He wants to be a part of this core group? If I really believe this is God’s church, then I must remain open to Him drawing people I would not expect and possibly that I wouldn’t naturally choose. He will place the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

Here are a few specifics on how you can pray:

*Sunday, March 13, will mark the launch of our initial Home Fellowship- a big first step in beginning a network of Home Fellowships around Burlington. Three people from the Burlington area have committed to join us on Sundays: a married couple named Brian & Jan and single guy named Steve. Please pray that God would draw others from the surrounding community.

*Matt, Tirzah, and their baby boy Ben in New Jersey are still praying about joining our team as Matt searches for a job. Also, Miles from North Dakota will have an initial test with the Vermont State Police this spring and hopes to move by August. Please pray for God to open the door to the right job at the right time.

*On a personal level please pray that God will continue to surround us with a Christian community here in VT. We not only want but need a spiritual family around us. Please pray that as this spiritual family develops, that God would be our satisfaction and that He would use this time to strengthen our marriage and family.

Influencing the local culture

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This is another one of those Kevin venting, thinking out loud & online posts… One thought/question/issue that I cannot get out of my head lately is why don’t churches have more influence in their communities and local culture? I’m not saying cultural influence does not happen, but I do think it is rare.  Why? I want to share some of the thoughts I’ve been journaling.  I’d also like to hear your thoughts- even if you disagree with mine.

Just to be extra clear, when I say “we” in my thoughts below, I generally mean evangelical churches and church leaders and am not excluding myself.

#1) We tend to have a “trickle-down” mentality rooted in influencing the top 5-10% of society (whatever that means). If we can get them to join our cause, then their influence will “trickle-down” to the rest of society.  This of course makes common sense.  If we can somehow convince the smartest, wealthiest, most talented, and most influential people in society to get “saved” then it’s only a matter of time until we influence and reach everyone.  I know I’ve looked at someone who seems extraordinarily gifted and thought, “imagine what God could do with that person.”  While at the same time missing what God could do with someone that may seem rather ordinary from a human perspective.

The big problem with the trickle-down mentality is it definitely appears that Jesus took a radically different approach.  Here’s a few examples:

  • God invites shepherds not political or religious leaders to Jesus’ birth.  Shepherds were religious outsiders and social outcasts.
  • Jesus’ inner circle is made up of blue collar red neck fishermen from Galilee (Peter, Andrew, James, & John), a former tax collector who had robbed and cheated his country men (Matthew), women who had little rights at the time, and even a former prostitute.  God used these people to lead the early church and even write books of the Bible.
  • The Apostle Paul, who had a great personal resume, seemed to get this when he wrote the Corinthians: Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, sot hat no human being might boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

I’m definitely not saying God cannot or will not use the best and the brightest.  He desires to use their talents, abilities, and resources for kingdom purpose.   I am saying that we easily dismiss what an extraordinary God can do with seemingly ordinary and even less than ordinary people.  I’m personally counting on the latter.

#2) We serve the “least of these” without truly engaging and mobilizing them.  Most new churches I see, especially in the missional/incarnational movement,  are serious about serving those on the fringe of their community and the forgotten people around the world.  Whether it’s serving at a soup kitchen or digging a well in Africa, we’re all about it.  We’ve done a fairly good job of serving, but there remains a significant difference between serving “them” and “them” becoming a part of us.  One of the things that stands out to me about Jesus’ ministry is that those on the fringe are not only often the focus of the mission- they often join the mission and even become leaders in the mission.  I realize as I type that this is not an easy way to do ministry nor do I want to paint some type of false utopian picture.   Taking this approach created tension in the early church (see 1 Corinthians 11:17-22, James 2:1-7) and it will have challenges for us today.  BUT well worth it.

#3) As our churches grow we gradually move away from the city or cultural center. I think most of us would agree that culture and influence primarily flow out  of the city.  In the process  of moving away, we lose influence.  Exceptions do exist, but I see this happen far more than I’d prefer.  Here’s my personal opinions on why:

  • Meeting in an urban environment tends to be more expensive.  As the church grows, larger space is needed, difficult to find, and increases expenses more.
  • Many churches meeting in cities and cultural centers still draw significant number from the suburbs.  Eventually people want to move where they’re most comfortable.
  • “Successful” growth is easier to maintain outside the city- primarily due to more “church friendly” people and resources existing.

Obviously choosing to stay in the city/urban area/cultural center is challenging.  This means we have to realize it is very difficult to have long-term influence from the outside. This will also require thinking outside the box concerning church strategy & structure, meeting space, and how we prioritize resources.

One Big Footnote: I recently read an article from Men’s Health Magazine with a list of “America’s Most Religious Cities.”  I realize Men’s Health will never be mistaken for Gallup or the Pew Forum, but I found the results interesting.  I was not surprised by Bible Belt cities such as Birmingham, Jacksonville, or Little Rock making the top ten.  I was also not surprised that my new home city of Burlington was ranked last.  What I found surprising was that the place where I was born and raised, Atlanta, was ranked 54.  That’s in the bottom half.

I often tell people that what Manhattan is to the financial world, Atlanta is to the ministry world.  Many mega-churches (some of the largest in the US) of every evangelical flavor dot the metro landscape: North Point Community Church, First Baptist Woodstock, Church of the Apostles, and Worldchangers are just a few.  It’s also home to several influential ministry organizations: Passion, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Catalyst, and the North Amercian Mission Board.

I’m wondering… Is Men’s Health accurate?  If so, what do their findings mean?

Reminders moving into 2011

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Well, the holidays are over.  The past two weeks have been so good- great time with Christin & Jude with lots of time to relax and get revved up for 2011.  Our biggest news is we found out that our baby due on May 6 is a… girl.  We’re super excited, although I’m realizing I have completely no idea what to do with a little girl.  Nothing like on the job training =)

With 2011 now here, I’ve spent the past few days reflecting on God’s activity in 2010 and looking forward to what He has in store for us in 2011.  I’ve especially prayed and thought about what is required of us to engage Burlington with the gospel.  Much of what God is teaching and reteaching me is rooted in 1 Corinthians 9:19-27.  Although this is an ongoing process and probably not new info, this has served as a good reminder of where my focus and the focus of our core group needs to be in the upcoming months.  Hopefully, it will also give you some clues on how you can be praying for us and our work in Burlington.  Maybe it will even help you as you seek to serve God where He has placed you…

REMINDERS ABOUT ENGAGING OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE GOSPEL

*Grow in our intimate (as well as our intellectual) knowledge of the gospel. This is a life long process which requires experiencing the gospel, studying the gospel, and meditating on the gospel and its application to our lives.  Even if our knowledge may seem relatively small, it must be real and fresh in our own lives.  If we don’t continually “preach the gospel” to ourselves, we can easily default towards empty religious moralism.  Remember: most people’s objections to the gospel are personal in nature, not intellectual.  This makes our own continuing personal experience in the gospel vital to engaging others.

*Develop a mindset of sacrificial service. Jesus said he came “not to be served, but to serve, and give his life a ransom for many.”  He also made it clear that as His followers we have the greatest influence when we sacrificially serve others (see Matthew 20:20-28).  Two brief thoughts on this topic:

  1. This begins with the spiritual family. We need to learn to serve each other in the context of Biblical community so that we are inviting others into an environment where sacrificial service is naturally modeled.
  2. This can actually become more difficult (although not impossible) to live out when Christians become a dominating force in the culture. All too often we see that power corrupts and draws well meaning Christians away from a service mindset.  Exceptions do exist who display great humility and sacrifice in their leadership roles.

*Know the community.  Know the culture.  We need to know the needs, hurts, fears, dreams, beliefs, values, and spiritual temperature of the community and culture (including subcultures) where God has placed us.  Secondarily to studying the scriptures, we need to study our community, so we can see where the two intersect.  One of the greatest barriers to this happening is Christians becoming an insulated subculture rather than a force of transformation in the larger culture.

*Do life among the people. Discipleship happens life on life. From everything we see in scripture, discipleship often happens pre-conversion.  This requires living a life that intersects with others- through work, play, raising a family, making a home, and purposely developing friendships. Studies repeatedly show that the #1 influence on people making a personal commitment to Jesus is close friends and family members.  Living life among  the people God has called you to serve allows you to share your life and the gospel in ways that doing ministry from a safe distance can never offer.

*Be purposeful and faithful with opportunities. We can sometimes try to do everything at once.  Most of the time God desires us to simply be faithful with what may seem like the small opportunities He provides.  We learn from the parable of the talents in Matthew 25  that as we’re faithful with what God entrusts to us (no matter how big or how small), He gives us greater responsibility.  When the community around us sees us approaching the little things with excellence, we gain credibility, trust is built, and more opportunities follow.

*Maintain a marathon mentality. Very little that happens fast really lasts.   We need  to remember when scripture describes life and ministry as a race, it’s never depicting a sprint but a marathon.  Everyone I’ve spoken to that has run a marathon says it involves a great deal of preparation, perseverance, and even pain.  I’m sure a similar mentality is required by a hard working farmer who wants a fruitful harvest.  Seasons of tilling the ground, planting the seed, watering the soil, and cultivating the young plants all precede the actual harvest.  There is a reason scripture utilizes marathons and farming as metaphors for gospel ministry.

*Saturate everything in prayer. Bottom line: we do not have what it takes to accomplish what God has called us to do.  Without His intervention, failure is certain.

As always, thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Open Doors

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“The holidays are very hard and stressful to the poor.  It just reminds them in such a powerful way just how needy they are and how much they feel like someone looking in at a feast but are not invited.”

David Russell-Director, Burlington Street Ministries

At Christmas time when many of us look forward to a special time with family and friends, we can easily forget that many in close proximity to us are left on the outside looking in.  I recently came across two stats about Burlington that reminded me of how true this is for many of my new neighbors and what an incredible opportunity we have to serve them as we start this new church:

  • According to the annual Point In Time Survey, the  homeless population has more than doubled in the past two years- from 424 in 2008 to 916 in 2010.  Over the same time period the number of homeless children has increased from 86 to 256.  (Footnote: the PIT Survey only counts the homeless who are willing to be counted.  The actual numbers are always much higher.)
  • According to the Boston Globe, since 1989 approximately 5000 refugees have resettled in VT with the majority living in the greater Burlington area.  Since 2000, African refugees include 542 from Somalia, 174 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 137 from Sudan, and 113 from Burundi. Refugees from 29 African countries are represented in the Burlington area.

On a personal note, this Saturday we’ll hit the 4 week mark as new residents in Vermont.  As you can imagine, it has been an adjustment starting over-navigating a new community, making our new house a home, developing new friendships, and building a new ministry from the ground up.  In the midst of these expected adjustments, God has encouraged us so much with how He is already at work in Burlington and the doors He is opening for us.  Below is a snapshot these open doors and how you can pray for us:

*We’ve been especially encouraged by the way a few churches and ministry groups have reached out to us.  Three groups that especially stand out are St. Timothy’s Anglican Mission, Kids Alive, and the Green Mountain Baptist Association.   They’ve gone out of their way to extend true Christian fellowship to us and let us know we are not in this race alone.  Please pray that we’ll continue building kingdom focused relationships with other gospel centered ministries in the area.

*This past Sunday I had the opportunity to speak at New Life Community Church in Northfield (about an hour from Burlington).  I was blown away by how over the past two years this church has gone from 0-55 people  in an area where evangelical churches struggle and often shut down. God gave me a glimpse of what He can do when we stay committed to serving the community and sharing the gospel.  Please pray that we will be equally faithful with the opportunities God provides to serve and share.  As we are faithful with the “small” opportunities, God will provide more.

*Through Kids Alive, a ministry to the children of Burlington’s Old North End, we have the opportunity to sponsor a Burundi family for Christmas (two parents, eight children, and two grandchildren in one home).  This family has been through so much- since leaving Burundi they have traveled as refugees through Tanzania and the Congo before finally settling in Vermont.  Please pray that we’ll be a blessing to this family and that God will lead a refugee family to become a part of our core group soon.

*In the next couple of weeks Awareness to Action, the nonprofit I helped start in NJ, will become legal in VT.  With Burlington’s growing community needs and being a haven for social & environmental entrepreneurs, I believe A2A provides a great platform for connecting with community service organizations and mobilizing both ministries and secular groups to serve.  Please pray that God will give me wisdom with how to best utilize A2A and help me build relationships with secular groups desiring to get more involved in community service.

*Monday I had the opportunity to meet with the Volunteer Director at COTS.  COTS is the premier organization addressing homelessness in Burlington and they’ve opened the door for me to volunteer at their Day-Station- a warm place during the day for the homeless to get off the streets, find assistance, and get a free lunch.  They’re also excited about me mobilizing others to serve through Awareness to Action. Please pray that God will enable me to build meaningful relationships with the staff, volunteers, and clients and  provide opportunities to share as I serve.

*This Friday afternoon I’m attending a volunteer orientation with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.  Christin and I are hoping to serve as “family friends” who help new refugee families adjust to life in Vermont.  Please pray that God will give us favor with the VRRP leadership and connect us with the right family.

*Also, please continue praying for our financial support. God continues to provide for all of our needs.  At the same time, our goal is to raise an additional $1000 per month over the next few months to cover salary and insurance- before the arrival of child #2 in May.  Our hope is to focus my time and energy on starting the church and developing the A2A community service platform without having to take on another  job.  We also believe that raising my salary for the first two-three years will allow us to focus the limited offerings of a new church on community outreach. Details are on our partner page.

As always, thank you for your continued prayers!  We hope each of you experience the joy and peace of Jesus this Christmas!

Kevin, Christin, & Jude


Timeline

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Thank you prayer partners for keeping up with the Pounds family.  Many of you have asked about our timeline for moving to Burlington and how things are progressing in general.  In the almost 8 weeks since we’ve left NJ we’ve enjoyed some quality time with our families, Christin and Jude visited some of her extended family in Texas, while I traveled to S.E. Asia.  Now we’re revving up for Burlington.

Below is our updated moving timeline including specific prayer requests:

*Over the past few days I’ve emailed a dozen potential apartments and rental homes in Burlington. Please pray for God to direct us to the right home in the right area where we can begin building relationships immediately and move towards hosting a house church in the near future.  Ask that God will give us favor with our new landlord and neighbors.

*This week I’m also working on making sure Awareness to Action (a nonprofit I and some friends started in NJ) is caught up on all of its paperwork and legal to operate in Vermont.  Our goal is to utilize Awareness to Action as a community development platform to serve the community and build relationships.  Please pray for favor with state officials who will be reviewing our application.  Also ask God to give us wisdom in how to best utilize this nonprofit organization to best serve Burlington.

*I’ll arrive in Burlington on Monday, November 8, with Pippin the wonder dog to spend a couple of days scoping out our apartment & house rental finalists.  Christin and Jude will fly into Burlington at the end of that week, and our furniture will be delivered to our new address on Friday, November 12. Pray for a smooth transition with all of those moving parts and also ask for God to give me some real discernments as I visit each of our potential homes in person with security deposit in hand.

*On Saturday, November 13, we’re moving in!  We’re so thankful to have a crew from the Point Church in NJ traveling up to assist us as well as some college guys from New Life Community Church in Northfield, VT.  With the small ruckus will be creating, please pray that God will use this to help us begin building meaningful relationships with our neighbors and others in the surrounding community.

*You can also continue praying for Miles Ean and Matt Mashue (along with Tirzah and Benjamin) as they search for jobs in the Burlington area.  Just pray that God leads them to the right job at the right time.

As always, thank you for your prayers!

TRANSITIONING

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Calling our lives “in transition” seems like such an understatement right now as we’ve said farewell to New Jersey, are presently enjoying time with family in Georgia, and look forward to moving to Vermont in November. Just four weeks ago we said goodbye to the Point Church and New Brunswick, and it has taken me a few weeks to regain some mental-spiritual-emotional equilibrium.  Leaving the place and people you love is never an easy thing.

At the same time we’re very thankful for this two month break and loving this time with our families in GA .  We’re so thankful for our families, the sacrifices they’ve made for us, and their continued support as we prepare to move even further away.  This makes it especially gratifying to see Jude’s grandparents enjoying this extended time with him.  Jude is definitely enjoying the extra attention.

Here are a few more God stories from our break:

  • Our BIGGEST God story is Christin being pregnant with our second child.  She’s approaching the two month mark with the baby due in early May.  We apparently like packing these major life transitions together =)
  • Last week our renter moved into our house in New Brunswick.  We’re so blessed to have a tenant and Section 8 (federal housing) administrator who love Jesus.  We’re thankful our house can now become a home for Mary and her three daughters.
  • I was invited to speak on Sept. 19 at Wildwood Baptist Church, the church in GA where I served as College & Singles Pastor that sent us out to start a church in NJ over six years ago.   We could not do what we do without churches like Wildwood supporting us.
  • For 16 days in October I’ll be traveling with a team to Southeast Asia where I’ll get to spend several days with my youngest brother and his wife.  (Due to security issues please do not post any comments to this blog with either his name or the country where he resides.)

As we continue preparing to move to Burlington, VT, our most obvious need and prayer request is financial support.  We now have $2708/month raised, leaving $1875/month to meet our monthly salary needs.  Please pray with us for God to bring financial partners- both churches and individuals- to support our remaining monthly salary needs and the additional start up costs for this new church.  You can to the partner page of our website for details on how you and others can support us.

Please also pray…

  • Pray that we’ll continue making the most of our time with family in Georgia before moving to VT.
  • Pray for God to use this break to renew and recharge us as we prepare to dive into ministry in VT.
  • Pray that God will lead us to the right rental house or apartment in Burlington- that this place will quickly become a home to us and a place where we can begin building relationships immediately.
  • Pray for the others on our team who are preparing to move to Burlington: Matt, Tirzah, & Benjamin Mashue, Lance Farrell, and Miles Ean. Pray especially that God will provide jobs and point them to the right home or apartment.

Thank you for remembering us!

VENTING- Beyond Marketing

/ kevinpounds / Leave a comment

This is part 2 of my sporadic blog series titled “Venting.”  As I stated in a previous post, please realize that as I vent that I am not speaking against some ambiguous group of evangelical Christian leaders.  I am venting about my own struggles as a follower of Jesus and a leader of other followers- struggles which I am confident are not limited to just me…

When I left for college in the fall of 1990 my ambition was to get my degree in Business Marketing, find a job with a cutting edge marketing firm in Manhattan, and become a voice of Christian integrity in the business world.  This was a noble goal, but like many other college students my career goals and college major shifted with me receiving a degree in Educational Psychology and becoming a Student Minister.  Despite the shift, my interest in marketing has remained.  I see the need for churches and other mission oriented nonprofits to brand themselves accurately and effectively- they should have a voice in their communities and culture.

That being said, I sometimes wonder if we (spiritual leaders, churches, Christian organizations) spend too much time marketing ourselves rather than allowing the ripple effects of our ministry to those around us to in effect serve as our marketing.  We have come up with all kinds of “Christianese” cutting edge terms and catch phrases as we attempt to brand ourselves- we all want to become missional churches, experiencing organic community, serving through incarnational ministry, so that we’ll experience exponential growth (and yes I’ve used all these terms in the past year).

BIG SIDE-NOTE: One big lesson for me was when I moved to NJ to start the Point Church.  I remember inviting unchurched people to come check out our church, and they’d look at me like I was asking if they wanted a rash.  They were unchurched for a reason- THEY DON’T LIKE CHURCH!  I compare this to my aversion to yogurt.  I hate yogurt.  I don’t care if it’s Greek yogurt, fruity yogurt, yogurt with nuts, or expensive fancy yogurt. It’s still yogurt.  I imagine that’s how my unchurched friends (and I mean real nonChristians) feel about me inviting them to church.  They don’t care if it’s contemporary, postmodern, incarnational, organic… No matter how we market it or package it, it’s still church.  SO rather than marketing something that nonChristians are not interested in, why don’t we focus on what does matter.

Back on point.

Think about it…

Do our people really understand what our catchy terms mean?

Does the world around us know what we’re talking about (and do they care)?

Even if they did understand, what terms would they use to describe us?

Do they think our labels, branding, and marketing match what we’re delivering?

What if…

We made the mission of Jesus our focus and really put our time, energy and resources towards living that out?

We allowed our ministry and investment in people to speak for itself?

We stepped back and allowed our community to say who we are and what we’re about?

I know this sounds risky- actually allowing our community, the people we serve and invest in, to declare who we are and what we’re about.  I have several ideas on why we should take the risk:

#1) We often over promise and under deliver. Some of us are big picture kind of people who like to dream about what God could do.  We love talking vision, mission, and strategy.  Sometimes this can lead to talking big to people in the community about what we’re going to do then struggling big-time to do it.  Instead of this leading to strong community partnerships this can lead to a skeptical and even calloused response to our efforts.

#2) It’s always better when someone else rings your bell. Just to be clear: getting others to ring our bell should NEVER be our motivation.  Let’s be honest, though, nothing is more annoying than someone who tells you how good they are.  The more someone brags, the more you want to find the cracks (and show the cracks to others).   When a third party does the bragging, everyone receives the information in a completely different manner.

#3) When our community and culture label us, they understand what they mean.This does not mean they always get it right.  BUT if we do an effective job of connecting who Jesus is and what scripture says, with what we do, they just might get the idea.  Also, if what we what we do matches what we say, we’ll usually earn the opportunity to clarify who we are and what we’re about.

#4) I really believe this makes good scriptural sense. Check out these scriptures:

Matthew 6:1-4

1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Acts 11:26b
And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

(notice that the disciples were identified as “like Christ” by the people of Antioch)

Acts 20:18
You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia. (and knowing Paul’s track record, I’m pretty sure these guys were not followers of Jesus when Paul arrived)

Vision Trip

/ kevinpounds / 2 Comments

This past weekend my family, a small group of friends, and I traveled to Burlington, to scope out the city.  Our prayer was for God to show us where He is at work in Burlington, what the spiritual and physical needs of the city are, and some practical steps we can take to begin joining Him in His work.  We also wanted to gain a glimpse of what it would be like to “do life” in Burlington- to live, work, minister, and even play.  As usual, God did not disappoint.

Over the weekend we…

-Met with Terry Dorsett the director of the Green Mountain Baptist Association and VT pastor.  He’s an encyclopedia of VT knowledge and planted  Faith Community Church which has planted two additional churches in VT.

-Prayer walked each community within Burlington.  Along the way we had some great conversations with locals, and really began to see how God can use us in this city.

-Served alongside the Kids Alive ministry by hosting a Saturday block party in the Old North End where most of the international refugees have relocated.  I decided to ask three random kids where they were from: Tanzania, Burundi, and a Quebec Native American Reservation.

-Met in a rented home with our team for a Sunday morning “house church” meeting.  I’m not sure, but this could count as our first worship gathering in Burlington.

-Took a last minute and unplanned kayaking trip on Lake Champlain with a couple of the guys on Sunday afternoon- the perfect ending to the weekend!

Here are a few specific ways you can pray for us:

*Pray for those who visited by name:  Matt & Tirzah Mashue with their newborn son Benjamin,  Lance Farell, and Miles Ean.

*Pray that God will continue to confirm His calling on each of us to Burlington.

*Pray that God will provide each of these guys with jobs and give Lance and Miles favor as they consider applying to the University of VT.

*Pray that God will lead a couple of artists to join our team.

*Pray that God will lead each of us to the right house or aparment in the city to make our home.

*Pray for God to continue building partnerships between our team and existing ministries in Burlington such as Kids Alive.

*Pray that God will lead us to “people of peace” (relational bridges) in key places such as public schools,  the arts community, and the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program.

*Pray that Christin and I will be able to sell our home in NJ.