Exponential Reflections: Misc

We had several speakers on the second day of the Exponential Conference including Rick Warren, Allen Hunt, John Ortberg, and several other pastors from various churches around the country. Here are some thoughts from their talks...

• "The purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence." (Warren)
• "God may use me, but he doesn't need me." (Hunt)
• "Simplicity, contentment & generosity...these three traits should mark all of us." (Quote from John Stott)
• "Generosity is the new evangelism."
• "We all possess a kingdom - a sphere of personal power. Money is the primary way we expand our kingdom." (Ortberg)
  

Exponential Reflections: Joe Stowell

Joe Stowell is the former president of Moody Bible Institute and is currently teaching pastor at Harvest Bible Chapel in Rolling Meadows. Here are some thoughts from his presentation...

• Generosity isn't just about money. It is a whole-life perspective.
• Your church never looks more like God than when it exudes generosity.
• The goal of being a generous church is to bring honor and glory to God.
• Glorifying God is making the invisible characteristics of God visible within the world.
• To glorify God is to be chips off of God's block.
• To glorify God is to make God evident in the world.
• The heartbeat of stewardship is trust.
  

Exponential Reflections: Chuck Bentley

Chuck Bentley is the new CEO of Crown Ministries. Here are some thoughts from his presentation...

• Generosity is the greatest cure for apathy.
• Too often, we practice "transactional generosity" - asking people to give more because of a specific need. God didn't call us to this practice; He calls us to a lifestyle of "transformational generosity" - sustained generous giving because our lives have been transformed.
  

Exponential Reflections: Rick Warren

Rick welcomed us to the conference and shared a few thoughts. He will be speaking at length during the first session tomorrow morning. Here are my thoughts from his opening comments...

• Give and Serve are the two words that best describe the Christian life. Jesus came to serve and to give. We are simply to model that lifestyle.
• You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
• Every time I give, it breaks the stranglehold of materialism in my heart.
• You don't give to be blessed; you give to be a blessing.
  

Exponential Reflections

Bill & I have been enjoying the Exponential Conference at Saddleback. The speakers have been humorous, poignant, and challenging. The worship led by Lincoln Brewster has been amazing!

When we arrived, we walked into the auditorium to find hundreds of round tables set up throughout the multi-purpose auditorium. After walking among the tables for a little bit looking for someplace to sit, we sat down with two other pastors towards the back of the room. I introduced myself by my first name and asked them where they were from.

"Peoria" one of them replied.

"IL?" I said.

"Yeah...you know of it?" the other one replied.

"Yeah...we are at a church in Germantown Hills. Where are you guys?"

"Faith in Washington!" one of them said.

We travel all the way to California to sit down at a table with two pastors from a church just five miles away from ours...God has a sense of humor!

I'm going to post some thoughts from the various speakers in following posts...

Heading to SoCal

Bill & I are heading to Southern California today for the Exponential Conference at Saddleback Community Church. I am looking forward to finally seeing this church for myself. I'll keep you posted on take-aways from the conference...

Vegas Reflections No. 2

Today was spent talking exclusively about small groups. We had a great round-table discussion with small group pastors from Nevada, California, Colorado & Texas. Don't worry, I did Illinois proud!

The group was small - just 8 of us - so the conversation was deep and intimate as we talked with Jon Bodin (Executive Director of Ministry Development for Central) about the joys and struggles of small group ministry. Following the round-table, I had the privilege of taking Jon out for lunch for some one-on-one conversation. This proved extremely beneficial as it gave us extended time to talk specifically about Great Oaks.

After lunch I sat in the Small Groups office and connected with three other small groups pastors for about 30 minutes. On Wednesday, I will be connecting with Chris Trethewey, Executive Director of Family Ministries, and Kyle Costello, Small Groups Pastor for Young Couples. I am really looking forward to these two conversations. Chris has always proven to be a great counterpart in leadership discussions, and Kyle is a new networking contact for me.

Here are some thoughts from today...

• My family is my first small group.
  
• Small groups are a means to an end. The end is growing people to full devotion to Christ (i.e. discipleship).
• Open small groups that bring in new people will naturally birth new groups.
• Allow groups to grow to whatever capacity the leader's/host's house can hold. The key is subgrouping - no matter how large the group, subgroup to 4-5 individuals for in-depth conversations.
• Subgrouping will identify potential leaders for the future.
  
• Small groups are messy.
  

Vegas Reflections No. 1

My time in Vegas has been both relaxing and informational. Saturday was spent with my mentor and his family watching their granddaughter's soccer game, eating Mexican for dinner at the District in Henderson, NV, and having Dairy Queen for dessert. Loren and I finished the night watching Illinois lose to Michigan.

The conference began this morning with a tour of Central Christian Church. We were able to get an overview of the various ministry environments and talk with key leaders and volunteers in each area. Having been here once before, I had seen many of the areas, but there were some new things I got to see. We even got to be backstage while Jud Wilhite (Lead Pastor) was speaking on stage. (I thought about peeking my head out from behind the curtain...)

We attended the last service of the morning (they have two services on Saturday evening & three on Sunday morning at the Henderson campus and three services on Sunday morning at the Summerlin campus) where they were launching a new series called sex: the naked truth. It was one of the best sermons I have ever heard on sex...and it was in Vegas! Check out the video here; if you would prefer the podcast, you can find it through the same link.

After the worship service, we gathered together with a number of key staff members for lunch and a couple more presentations. Jud did a presentation on creating a culture of uncensored grace, and Mike Bodine (Executive Pastor) did a presentation on key strategies and structure.

Key Thoughts...

• For too long, churches have required people to Behave then Believe and only then can they Belong. We must create churches where people can Belong first then come to Believe and then Become what God intends them to be.
• Truth follows Trust
• The stories you tell create your culture.
• Process not programs
• We believe God has called us to facilitate a movement!
• Expectations without application leads to frustration; however, expectations with application leads to celebration.
• We must constantly think like a new church.
• More is not better...best is better.

I'm spending all day tomorrow with the Small Groups pastors, so I'll have some small group-specific thoughts to share later. That's it for tonight...time for eating more ice cream and watching more football!

Viva Las Vegas!

I am heading to Vegas this Saturday for a behind-the-scenes look at the ministry structure and philosophy of Central Christian Church. I will be spending an entire day with their staff of small groups pastors as well as some one-on-one time with a couple of different leaders from the church. I will keep you posted on what I learn!

Can't wait to stay at the Trethewey Bed & Breakfast and spend extended time with some great mentors in both ministry and marriage!!!

Leaders are Learners

I've got some great learning opportunities coming up in the next couple of months. I have always been an avid reader, so I am constantly learning "from a distance". However, it is always a joy to sit in an audience or across the table from some great leaders and digest their knowledge and experiences first-hand.

In October, I am heading to Las Vegas to attend Central Uncensored a two-day behind-the-scenes look at how Central Christian Church does ministry. The second day will be spent entirely in a break-out session with Jon Bodin, Executive Director of Ministry Development, as he downloads his experiences with small groups and "five purpose" ministries. I'm going to have the privilege of sitting down with him for some one-on-one time as well.

During my stay in Vegas, I will also be connecting with other leaders at Central as well as some extended time with my long-time mentor and friend, Loren Trethewey. I've already requested some of Deanna's homemade cookies!!!

In November, Bill (Lead Pastor) and I are heading out to Saddleback Community Church to attend the Exponential Conference. This two-day conference is geared towards helping pastors lead their churches to become generous givers. As the tag-line for the conferences says, "Is your congregation tipping God or is it experiencing the joy of giving?"

One of the big hurdles for churches to continue growing beyond the 500-700 barrier is financially supporting the ministry efforts that are needed to take the church to the next level. Our hope is that we will be able to bring this knowledge back to the leaders and people of Great Oaks to continue the amazing growth the church has seen in the last 12 months (39+% since moving into the new building last July).

While I am in Southern California, I will be tacking on a few days to go see my grandmother in San Diego and my family in Los Angeles. Should be a great time!