History in the Making

Third party multimedia sources

We've used third-party multimedia ever since we started [we've now got the talent to create our own; but the team isn't assembled yet...]. Here are some great sources of media for churches out there...

www.worshiphousemedia.com
www.ignitermedia.com
Ginghamsburg Global
www.highwayvideo.com
Life Church Open Source
www.organicvideos.com
www.sermonspice.com
www.midnightoilproductions.net
www.worshipfilms.com
www.vmgbackgrounds.com
www.flashlightfilms.com
www.jumpbacks.com

Easter Sunday...

We're renting a third, rear-projection screen for Easter Sunday ~ it'll stretch 12 feet across the center of our stage, and sit 9 feet high ~ we'll use it to project motion graphics throughout the morning. I'm really excited about the message, the music, the guests coming... it's going to be an incredible day to tell His story.

Raising up other pastors and teachers...

I have a passion for raising up other effective preachers. This is why I cringe at the video venue movement. I don't doubt its effectiveness. I just think it sabotages an important principle from II Timothy 2:2: "These things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others."

I've discovered something about churches that don't plant other churches, or equip ordinary people for extraordinary tasks in ministry... these other people will eventually go off and start other churches or do incredible things for God anyway. So why not be a part of what God is doing? Many of History Church's star players are people who sat on the bench at other churches.

Two years ago, I started a "pastor's club" at History. The idea was to create a learning community that would give "faithful men" a chance to grow in spiritual leadership. Five guys showed up at the first meeting, and I said, "You'll be preaching sometime within the next 6 months." None of them came back. =)

This time is different. I've got a growing number of men in our church who desire to do great things for God... to start great ministries, to preach great sermons, to advance God's kingdom. But James 3:1 says, "Don't be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards" [mssg]. I Timothy 5:22 says, "Don't appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily."

I want the role of pastor and teacher to be accessible, but not penetrable... if that makes any sense.

Joel Osteen on The View... ugh

I caught a snippet of the View this morning, which had invited Joel Osteen as a guest. They started the interview by asking him the SAME QUESTION he bombed on Larry King several months ago:

"So do you believe that anyone who does not accept Jesus as their Savior is going to hell?" And AGAIN, he avoided an answer! The ladies demonstrated more courage than Joel by pointing out the obviously exclusive claims of Christianity! They just wanted to know if he agreed with them!

How does this guy keep his job?

March 2006 Newsletter ready for download

March's edition of "Our House to Yours" is at the printer... which will also be mailing them for us this month. I've licked one stamp too many and had enough of it. =) This edition features the Parade Magazine spoof of "what people earn" as volunteers at History Church. You can download it [here].

Catalyst this year

I was able to download the Catalyst 2006 brochure, but can't seem to find the source anymore. I took a gamble last year and didn't buy any discounted tix for this coming fall... and it paid off. Not the best line-up, in my humble opinion.

You can dowload the 2006 Catalyst brochure [here].

Who Owns Your Goldfish?

One of our leaders, Scott Frigaard, is preaching this Sunday about stewardship... and his message centers on a story about his 3 year old daughter Grace, who loves Goldfish crackers. I've seen Scott's outline, and I'm stoked about his big premiere this weekend. Anyway, he took photos of Grace to illustrate the message, and they're just about the cutest shots I've ever seen.

It doesn't get much better than this...

God is doing some incredible things at History right now, but one of my favorites is how He is raising up other great communicators. I've been trying to do this ever since we started History, but have only now found any success. Like Wesley, I believe that ordinary tobacco farmers can preach too!

Matt [who is an MDiv-trained tobacco farmer =] did an amazing job speaking in my stead on Sunday. His wife Tricia created a piece of art on canvas during the message... until the end, when Matt walked over and ripped it up to the horror of the audience!... and, of course, to illustrate the point of the message. From what I hear, it was awesome! Tons of great feedback. I'm going to have to get Ains to juggle something this week!

One of our leaders, Scott Frigaard [who isn't a tobacco farmer either, but sports a few tats] is preparing to preach his very first message at History this Sunday, and it's awesome! He, Matt and I have been meeting at Starbucks once a week to brainstorm, critique and craft upcoming messages... and we're sharpening each other big-time.

Getting other guys to speak helps me make disciples who can make disciples... but it also breathes new life into my preaching ministry. A few weeks off makes me a better preacher.

Random shots from Sunday

Dr. Dave Kruse's handiwork...

More on Systems...

I have to think in 'systems' or balls get dropped... lots of them. Maybe pastors are in denial, but everything they do is a system. How do you assimilate guests? That's a system. How do you get folks to serve? That's a system... They're either bad, inconsistent ones... or they're good, consistent ones.

Our mission is to make disciples who can make disciples of Jesus Christ. But organizationally, we have to invent systems to help people get there. I jotted this on a napkin today...

We want to turn Prospects into Guests
We want to turn Guests into Regulars
We want to turn Regulars in Participants
We want to turn Participants into Partners
We want to turn Partners into Apprentices
We want to turn Apprentices into Leaders!

It's takes SYSTEMS to accomplish this! We coat those systems in love and flesh and spontanaeity and friendship and relationships and everything wonderful... but they're still systems!!! At History, we work in two environments: All Group and Small Group.

Surprise drop-in at Tally's church

Ains and I had a great time at Tally's church this morning in Virginia Beach. [I didn't tell him we were coming because I love to see church plants like an objective guest would see them =]... But Tally's done a great job at Focal Point. His staging, sound and lighting are highly professional, and his nursery volunteers were incredible with Wyatt. On top of this, Tally's a great communicator and knows how to connect with his audience...

This is the first Sunday I've been away from History in a long time, and I hated missing it! I found myself praying all throughout the morning for our scheduled activities... "It's 8:00 AM ~ they're pulling up the trailer in front of the school." ... "It's 9:30 AM ~ all of our volunteers are gathering for prayer." ... "It's 10:00 AM ~ Matt is kicking off the service with a great, high energy worship tune..." Man, I agonized through the whole morning away. Holy agonization of course. =)

The... uh... power of... uh... preaching

The Holy Spirit is ultimately in charge of the power of our messages. However, from a purely technical standpoint... on any given Sunday, 55% of our message's effectiveness depends on our body language and facial expressions; 38% depends on our vocal tones and inflections; and assuming we've got good content, this accounts for the remaining 7%. [from Speak to Influence] Wow.

Run for the hills, lady, run for the hills!

Sitting in Borders this afternoon reading 'Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport' and recognized the 40-something man next to me in the cafe. He was on a date... arranged, I surmised, on the internet. She's a government accountant. He's a cheating husband who left his wife several years ago and spread all sorts of lies about her. I know this because ~ even though he didn't recognize me ~ I officiated the wedding of his believing ex-wife who is still wounded by the experience. He talked about his former marriage as if he were the victim... he slammed Christians and their values... he bragged about avoiding overweight women on this particular dating website.

When he got up to get his date a coffee... I wanted so badly to lean over and whisper, "Run for the hills, lady, run for the hills." I said a prayer instead.

What if your church was a franchise?

Bear with me on this... what if your church was intended to be franchised?

In other words, it couldn't be built on your personality, your talent or your spiritual gift mix. Let's say it had to be "systems dependent" rather than "personality dependent." So you had to make sure that every role could be carried out by other leaders, regardless of their talent. [Just like Ray Kroc invented a system whereby any high schooler could make the same quality hamburger anywhere in the country.]

Multi-site churches have successfully gotten the systems approach down... They've figured out a system that can be duplicated successfully in other places by other people. [Although video venues appear to do the same, they are still "personality dependent"]

The interesting thing is this... even if you never intended to actually franchise your church, the "systems dependent" model ultimately brings the most success [as an organizational model] and the most healthy balance in the pastor's life... I'm not talking about spiritual results of course. But John Wesley, for example, created a systems-based model, and its effects are still far reaching today. By contrast, George Whitefield, is mostly remembered for being a great preacher... whose gift died along with him.

Frustration with TD Jakes

I've been waiting for a book by TD Jakes on leadership, pastoring, church growth... ANYTHING... I check the bookshelves every other month for this guy... but he only writes books for women with slacker men in their lives. Oh well... at least he has a focus.

Building friendships because we choose to... not because they come naturally

This statement used to be a core value at History Church... until I realized we could just say "welcoming environments." =) It means we go out of our way to build new friendships for the sake of the Gospel.

Matt and Tricia are great examples of this. They have no reason to try and meet everyone in their development apart from Christ. It's awkward. It's humiliating at times. Yet, Tricia is always baking goodies for people... Matt is always watching for neighbors who need help carrying-in groceries... and so on. One day, History will be filled with people from our Deepwood neighborhood.

Last night at our small group, a guy named Phil shared how he's invited three unbelieving friends to History on Easter Sunday. What's great about this is... Phil got saved in History last year because his fiance Melanie brought him. Melanie came because Ainsley went out of her way at a health club three years ago to build a friendship with her.

Goings on

Wyatt strapped to the table
Ains is taking Wyatt to an allergist this afternoon, where they'll strap the poor little guy to a table and take his blood. ugh. We're trying to determine what foods are giving Wy complications so we can help the little booger feel 100%.

Strangers and pilgrims in northern Virginia
Every spring, Ainsley and I play 'double dutch' with the local housing market by trying to get-in as first-time buyers. Every spring, the houses are $100,000 higher than the year before. And the only affordable crack-houses... er... I mean, houses are located farther and farther away from DC. Hmmm... History Church: Shenendoah campus?

Children's ministry candidate?
After interviewing a prospective children's director several weeks ago, we determined to turn our search inward for someone God may have already brought to our church. This morning, Matt and I put some feelers out to a terrific person who attends History, and we're now praying together about a possible part-time role. Possibly just in time for summer outreaches...

The difference between delegation and abdication

[or... "the difference between good leaders and bad leaders"]

Delegation says:
a. "Man, I've got to give up this role or it's going to kill me."
b. "Hey Harry, you're gifted to do this role. Watch how I do it."
c. "Now, how would you like to take this role on your own?"
d. "Let me watch you do it." ... "Great job, except..."
e. "Man, I'm so glad Harry took on that role!"

Abdication says:
a. "Man, I've got to give up this role or it's going to kill me."
b. "Hey Harry, you're gifted to do this role. You do it."
c. "Man, I'm so glad Harry took on that role!"
d. "What the...!! Who told Harry to do it that way?!!"
e. "I guess I have to do things around here myself!"
f. "Man, I've got to give up this role or it's going to kill me."

Biiiiiig Baptism coming up

History Church is about to experience its largest and most exciting baptism service in our history! We've got 9 folks getting ready for Sunday night, May 7 ~ to share their stories of having a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. We're using a performance stage in the coffee-shop foyer of Fairfax Community Church for a beautiful, candle-lit worship time... and then we'll have the ceremony in their built-in baptismal pool in the lobby! Awesome!

Seeing the forest for the trees in church planting

I helped assess a few SBC church planters today in Richmond as a part of my second job -- if you want to call it that. I love to encourage these guys coming through their first year, hearing their heartbreaks and hoorahs.

But the greatest reward comes from observing their circumstances from a strategist's point of view. It gives me powerful insight into our own church... what we're doing right and wrong.

A few of the common mistakes I see: 1. moving from a church planting mindset to an established church too quickly ~ they shut off the evangelism valve. 2. securing office space instead of staff. 3. establishing elders waaaay too soon. 4. spending a lot of money on promotions, but not excelling at their ministry.

A few of the successful things I see: 1. doing everything they can to baptize people all throughout the year ~ this is the most powerful demonstration of a kingdom "win" that exists. 2. focusing on children's ministry. 3. emphasizing corporate prayer in spite of the no-shows. 4. experimenting with outreach ideas.