500...

...just realized that I passed the five hundred posts mark on the this blog...Wow, last spring when I started this thing I had no idea about blogging except that it seemed like a great way to share the journey of starting actionchurch with anyone who would want to follow along. Since then this blog has "evolved" into several new functions:

• being an online "journal" of the triumphs and failures of this thing we call actionchurch.
• being a "sample" of what actionchurch is like on Sunday morning...If you hate the blog...you probably won't like Sunday morning much either...
• being a place to get input and discussion from actionchurch folks about the challenges and opportunities of our little "church in a nightclub"...

What have I learned from the last 500 posts? The power of consistency...the power of just doing one simple thing on a consistent basis. Sometimes it felt like "nothing was happening" sometimes it felt like "no one is listening"...sometimes it still does... but over time, great change comes from taking small steps in the same direction. Our journey is really just beginning...

What are some "small steps" you could take toward your dreams ?

How did you get here?

One of my first questions I ask people at actionchurch is "how did you hear about us?" I just took a look a my search engine stats and here is some of my favorite ways people got "here"...

Search for:

• "strippers for Jesus"- not sure what they were lookin' for but they found this:" (link)
• "religious protest Kid Rock"- I'm not sure if they were for religious people protesting Kid rock or not...they found this: (link)
• "top ten reasons promiscuous sex is fun"- I'm pretty sure they were disappointed when they linked to this post: (link)
• "my current church is too big"- I'm really sure whoever entered this search hated this post: (link)
• "bash me in the head with a shovel"- Not sure if they were looking for someone to perform the "bashing" or just wanted more info...they linked to this (link)

However you "got here"... enjoy!

What did you learn?

So 2007 is almost over...it's a good time to look back and reflect. So what did you learn this year? ...about yourself? ...about life? ...about God? I'm gonna take the next couple days to share some of the lessons I've learned this year. I hope you'll do the same.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! I'm checking out until after Christmas to enjoy some time with the family. I hope everyone has a chance to do the same.

Holy Cow! a Christmas Cookie.

I spent some time yesterday delivering Christmas Cookies to some painting clients. (My wife Michele is an amazing baker, so they are always happy to see me coming with cookies!) When I got home there was a package from our logo/graphic designer Michael at Holy Cow Creative. (Give and you will receive!) When I went to "sample" one this morning I realized that not only did it taste great...they were baked to look like the Holy Cow logo. Very cool! We are really blessed to work with such creative people. Thanks!

You can check out Michael's new Blog about church marketing (here). It's very insightful.

A "simple" plan...

We are about 90 days away from launch and just one month away from our first public church service at Fat Daddy's nightclub. Here's a little snapshot update on where we "are" at this point.

I'm writing this as kind of a "duel purpose" post...it keeps you all updated and will allow me to look back and remember the "story" of actionchurch... like when I read this, or this, or this.

Amazing-

• We have a great venue like Fat Daddy's nightclub...it's "just a building" but I think it exactly the right building to launch our Sunday mornings. I am really grateful to the staff and crew at the club for taking a chance and allowing some "crazy followers of Jesus" to invade their building!
• We have sound and lighting covered! Great sound and lighting are so important (and expensive) and we actually have a pro willing to get up early on Sunday morning and make sure we rock...amazing (Thanks Jake!)
• Our children's ministry area (actionkidz) is becoming reality! Yvonne is designing our "crew" character artwork, Jeff and Chrissie actually "see" how to make children's ministry happen on a dance floor, and Bob and Joan are actually painting up two of their race cars with our actionkidz logo and characters to bring to community events and promote actionkidz....Simply amazing.
• It's amazing the people who have "bought into" the dream of actionchurch with their time and money without ever "seeing" anything like what God is about to do in York County...
• ...that a bunch of "non-professionals" from the "island of misfit toys" can bring a message of eternal hope to the ten's of thousands of our neighbors "disenfranchised" by the local church. Simply amazing.

In progress-

• We still need more people to help clean, set up, and welcome our guests on Sunday morning(s).
• We need quite a few items for our children's area. We will be posting a "Baby Shower" link for Walmart or Target later in the week.
• We are still need (3) 50' monitors, cables, and a new laptop for video (2 for the main gathering and one for actionkidz.) I will post a list of equipment we still need later in the week also.
• Still looking for the "right" actionchurch "House Band"...I think we are getting closer (I think).
• Looking for more opportunities and volunteers to serve our community before launch.
  

The good news...

I could go on and on with all the things that "should" be accomplished/purchased before launch...and quite frankly...the list is overwhelming. At the heart of this whole dream of being a church for the disenfranchised, the broken, and the "outsiders" is a very simple plan. "Doing" actionchurch is as simple as planning a "party" on Sunday mornings and inviting all of our friends and neighbors that would perhaps never consider attending a "normal" church. Just like in the verses below I believe if we carry out that simple plan, the religious experts may well complain, but Jesus will show up and miracles will happen... It may never be "easy" but it is simple.

9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” 12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Mathew 9:9-12

What are you known for?

I'm known for being such a freak about clean cars that, after three days of rain, my next door neighbor was giving me a hard time about having dirty wheels. I'm becoming such a freak about blogging that when blogger was down and I couldn't post yesterday morning some of you thought I might be sick or dead.

People notice when you don't do something you consistently have in the past!

So what are you "known for". What would people notice if you stopped doing? In the story of Nehemiah, (read about it here) God used the fact that Nehemiah had never before had an unhappy expression on his face in the kings presence to spark a chain of events that caused the city of Jerusalem to be rebuilt. Would people notice if you had an unhappy expression on your face-or do they expect that of you? Would someone notice if you missed a commitment today-or do they not expect you to keep your word? Would someone notice if you said an unkind word today-or do they expect that of you? What are you "known" for? It's worth thinking about...

actionchurch FAQ

I am creating a new category for posts named "actionchurch FAQ". (You can access it from "Labels" in the side bar.) I hope this will help anyone accessing the blog for the first time to find basic information about actionchurch quickly and efficiently.

Here's some topics I will be covering:
1) When does actionchurch officially launch? (2.10.08) Why that date?
2) What does it mean to "launch" a church? Why not call it planting or starting a church?
3) What does it mean to be a "launch team member"? How can I help?
4) What is an "actionchurch"? Why do you call it that? What's up with the lower-case letters?
5) Where will we meet? Why? (This one's gonna be fun!!!)

Any other questions? Email me info@actionchurch.com with other questions for the category.
I want to keep the category as uncluttered as possible, but I will occasionally include other posts that I think capture the "flavor" of actionchurch particularly well.

Programming note

Thanks to everyone checking into the actionchurch blog! I've added a couple of new options to make reading even easier. If you would like to keep up with the vision and happenings of actionchurch by RSS reader (my favorite method!) there is a link just below our logo on the sidebar. If you would like to receive these posts delivered daily to your email address-you can now subscribe via email. (Subscription box just below our logo on the sidebar.)

One side benefit of using either of these features is you will no longer have to see my picture every time you check into the blog. Need I say more...

Steven Furtick nailed it!

I definitely think Pastor Steven Furtick from elevation church in Charlotte N.C. "nailed" this whole movement of missional churches that is happening...

He wrote:
There are thousands of other pastors and churches all across this country who are rejecting meaningless methodologies and refusing to back down in the face of a changing culture. We embrace, harness, and ultimately shape culture. And we are building the Kingdom of God together.Our message, the message of forgiveness and grace in Jesus Christ, is the most relevant message in the history of the world, and we won’t be silent about it.
Read the whole post. http://www.stevenfurtick.com/?p=211

Even as the "least of these" new churches, actionchurch is in great company!