Only seven weeks have passed since the launch of Relevant Church. I am overwhelmed at the favor God has shown us. I truly do love my church. We are currently in the middle of a series entitled "Life in a Small Town" and God is really changing lives and perspectives about how to live our lives in a small fast-growing suburban south ATL town. In the last 2 weeks we have baptized 9 people and have seen 25 people receive Christ (that makes 61 in only 7 weeks in a new church). Our attendance has better than I could have ever dreamed (over 200 weekly) and we have seen a total of about 50 new workers get involved this month. I can't wait for this weekend as I will share on the topic of "Stuck in This One Horse Town." We are launching a brand new series in December that I will tell you about. We are truly going to touch some lives in this Christmas season. See you Sunday!
Check Relevant Out on iTunes
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Blog is Back Up and Running
Hey Guys,
Sorry for the emails... Thanks Google!!!. The blog is back up and running. Shouldn't have anymore issues.
Carl
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Why The Church and Pastor's Have Lost Influence - Part 3
Here is a follow up to the previous 2 posts...Wireless was down for 2 days so here is the final 2 reasons I see that the church has lost its influence...
5. Lack of Absolute Truth - This is a double edged sword. Unfortunately we live in a culture that has become a culture of tolerance to a fault. Everything is accepted as okay and truth has become relative to the individual and his or her circumstances. The church must stand for the truth found in God's Word and must not compromise in the name of tolerance. I once heard someone say that tolerance is simply listening. One can tolerate the viewpoint of another without embracing it or condoning it. On the other hand, the church must not make up truths that are not found in God's Word. There are absolutes and there are opinions and or convictions. When it comes down to it, truth is a person, not a set of ideas or beliefs. Truth is Jesus. Jesus said in John 14 "I am the way the truth and the life." Truth is found in the person of Jesus Christ and Christ-followers should strive to model their lives after Him.
6. Lack of Intentionality - The church was established by Jesus in the New Testament as the agency for carrying out His mission. As a Christ-follower, we are apart of what the scriptures call the body of Christ or "the Church." As a local church (group of believers) it is our responsibility to be intentional when it comes to reaching our community. Its easy once a church becomes more established and routine to get distracted and unfocused. I myself find this to be true on a personal level. A mentor of mine once told me that everything drifts towards complexity...life, jobs, family, businesses, and yes churches. Andy Stanley says a church "must narrow the focus by doing a few things well." As a church we must be intentional about what we decide to do and what we decide not to do.
A Side Note...
There are many great churches in our country today, and many Godly men who are role models. I believe that the local church is the hope of the world and I am passionate about seeing Jesus Christ modeled in the community in which I live. The last few days have simply been observations from my experience and the culture at large. No matter what side of the aisle we find ourselves on, one thing is clear to me...many people have been hurt or burned by church and church leadership because of many reasons that may or may not have been mentioned above.
Thoughts????
5. Lack of Absolute Truth - This is a double edged sword. Unfortunately we live in a culture that has become a culture of tolerance to a fault. Everything is accepted as okay and truth has become relative to the individual and his or her circumstances. The church must stand for the truth found in God's Word and must not compromise in the name of tolerance. I once heard someone say that tolerance is simply listening. One can tolerate the viewpoint of another without embracing it or condoning it. On the other hand, the church must not make up truths that are not found in God's Word. There are absolutes and there are opinions and or convictions. When it comes down to it, truth is a person, not a set of ideas or beliefs. Truth is Jesus. Jesus said in John 14 "I am the way the truth and the life." Truth is found in the person of Jesus Christ and Christ-followers should strive to model their lives after Him.
6. Lack of Intentionality - The church was established by Jesus in the New Testament as the agency for carrying out His mission. As a Christ-follower, we are apart of what the scriptures call the body of Christ or "the Church." As a local church (group of believers) it is our responsibility to be intentional when it comes to reaching our community. Its easy once a church becomes more established and routine to get distracted and unfocused. I myself find this to be true on a personal level. A mentor of mine once told me that everything drifts towards complexity...life, jobs, family, businesses, and yes churches. Andy Stanley says a church "must narrow the focus by doing a few things well." As a church we must be intentional about what we decide to do and what we decide not to do.
A Side Note...
There are many great churches in our country today, and many Godly men who are role models. I believe that the local church is the hope of the world and I am passionate about seeing Jesus Christ modeled in the community in which I live. The last few days have simply been observations from my experience and the culture at large. No matter what side of the aisle we find ourselves on, one thing is clear to me...many people have been hurt or burned by church and church leadership because of many reasons that may or may not have been mentioned above.
Thoughts????
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Why The Church and Pastor's Have Lost Influence - Part 2
Here are a few additional reasons that I see that the church in America along with it's leadership have lost Influence in culture...
3. Lack of a Servants Heart - The come and see mentality has been embraced by churches to a fault. When Jesus was alive, He had crowds that followed Him to hear Him teach as well as see the miracles He performed. They asked Him questions and He had influence within His culture. He didn't always make people, (especially religious people) happy, but nonetheless He had influence. It came directly from His heart for people. He said in Matthew 20:28 that He came not to be served but to serve. He lived a life of service and thus people listened. He had a voice in His culture. This leads me to the next point...
4. A Conditional Love - The church as a whole has placed conditions on love. Do we really love people, or are we building an institution. The love that Jesus had was a love of inconvenience. One that caused Him to abandon everything for the sake of changing some one's life. When Jesus spoke, His motives were pure. They were focused on the unconditional love He and the Father had for them.
The church and leaders lose their voice when we attempt to run a well oiled institutional machine called a "church" instead of being a life-giving movement that embraces people and loves them in spite of their weaknesses and in spite of what they can "bring to the table."
Thoughts???? More Tomorrow...
Carl
3. Lack of a Servants Heart - The come and see mentality has been embraced by churches to a fault. When Jesus was alive, He had crowds that followed Him to hear Him teach as well as see the miracles He performed. They asked Him questions and He had influence within His culture. He didn't always make people, (especially religious people) happy, but nonetheless He had influence. It came directly from His heart for people. He said in Matthew 20:28 that He came not to be served but to serve. He lived a life of service and thus people listened. He had a voice in His culture. This leads me to the next point...
4. A Conditional Love - The church as a whole has placed conditions on love. Do we really love people, or are we building an institution. The love that Jesus had was a love of inconvenience. One that caused Him to abandon everything for the sake of changing some one's life. When Jesus spoke, His motives were pure. They were focused on the unconditional love He and the Father had for them.
The church and leaders lose their voice when we attempt to run a well oiled institutional machine called a "church" instead of being a life-giving movement that embraces people and loves them in spite of their weaknesses and in spite of what they can "bring to the table."
Thoughts???? More Tomorrow...
Carl
Why The Church and Pastor's Have Lost Influence
Over the last few decades the church in America has lost it's voice and influence. For the last few months I have made note of numerous conversations that have given me more clarity as to why this is true. Over the next few blog posts I will share my thoughts. Many of these thoughts have helped us determine the type of church that Relevant Church seeks to be.
Reasons the church and pastors have lost influence...
1.Lack of Authenticity - From narcissism in leadership to simple lack of integrity our culture is simply tired of a faux faith. We all desire authenticity and look for someone to model our life after. As pastors and leaders, we must peel back the masks and let people see us for who we are. We must also get to the point that our image doesn't matter. A church or pastors success is not defined on the number of people who attend or the size of the facility you have. What matters most is what people see in you. Are you who you say you are? Do your messages on Sundays, your blogs throughout the week, and the way you treat your family model the life of Jesus Christ?
2.Lack of Relevance - Lights and music, jeans and t-shirts do not necessarily equate to relevance. What does the church do to relate to the community throughout the week. It seems more and more we strive to be relevant for the sake of drawing a crowd and not for the sake of making an impact on those who actually show up. Do we speak on Sunday to grow our church or to grow the people in our audience toward a relationship with Jesus? Do we build relationships in our community to further our agenda or to be an example of Jesus to them?
Thoughts??? More tomorrow.
Carl
Reasons the church and pastors have lost influence...
1.Lack of Authenticity - From narcissism in leadership to simple lack of integrity our culture is simply tired of a faux faith. We all desire authenticity and look for someone to model our life after. As pastors and leaders, we must peel back the masks and let people see us for who we are. We must also get to the point that our image doesn't matter. A church or pastors success is not defined on the number of people who attend or the size of the facility you have. What matters most is what people see in you. Are you who you say you are? Do your messages on Sundays, your blogs throughout the week, and the way you treat your family model the life of Jesus Christ?
2.Lack of Relevance - Lights and music, jeans and t-shirts do not necessarily equate to relevance. What does the church do to relate to the community throughout the week. It seems more and more we strive to be relevant for the sake of drawing a crowd and not for the sake of making an impact on those who actually show up. Do we speak on Sunday to grow our church or to grow the people in our audience toward a relationship with Jesus? Do we build relationships in our community to further our agenda or to be an example of Jesus to them?
Thoughts??? More tomorrow.
Carl
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sorting Out The Chaos
Five months ago today my family relocated back to GA for the purpose of launching a church that unchurched people love to attend in Henry County. I am trying to sort through all the things that have happened in 5 months and thought I would share a few thoughts...
•To date we have raised a total of $220,000 for the first two years of Relevant Church. Our goal is $250,000. In a down economy this is encouraging, but your prayers and gifts to help us reach this goal will be greatly appreciated.
•As of today 24 people have committed to being a part of the team that launches Relevant in October. There are an additional 10 people who are interested and our prayer is they will come on board within the next few weeks. Our goal pre-launch is 75 people.
•This past Friday we hired a Children's Director that I believe will be a huge asset to the team.
•We have plans to take a team of as many as possible to Tampa in June for training and visiting a partner church plant.
•We are still in negotiations with 3 facilities for a possible launch. Facilities are very difficult to come by in south Henry County, especially for a decent rental rate.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support...To donate visit http://tinyurl.com/yabxvu4 . Any gifts are appreciated.
Carl
•To date we have raised a total of $220,000 for the first two years of Relevant Church. Our goal is $250,000. In a down economy this is encouraging, but your prayers and gifts to help us reach this goal will be greatly appreciated.
•As of today 24 people have committed to being a part of the team that launches Relevant in October. There are an additional 10 people who are interested and our prayer is they will come on board within the next few weeks. Our goal pre-launch is 75 people.
•This past Friday we hired a Children's Director that I believe will be a huge asset to the team.
•We have plans to take a team of as many as possible to Tampa in June for training and visiting a partner church plant.
•We are still in negotiations with 3 facilities for a possible launch. Facilities are very difficult to come by in south Henry County, especially for a decent rental rate.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support...To donate visit http://tinyurl.com/yabxvu4 . Any gifts are appreciated.
Carl
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
I Hate Christians
Sad to say but I can totally understand when someone who has yet to make Jesus Christ the center of their life makes the statement "I HATE CHRISTIANS." As most of you know I am working at Olive Garden as a server until I go full-time with Relevant Church. Just yesterday at Olive Garden I had the opportunity or shall I say punishment of waiting on a couple of ladies. When I greeted the table, before I could even state my name, I was told exactly what they wanted to drink and that they were ready to order. One side note, I was standing there waiting to greet them as the host sat them, so there was no wait. When one of the ladies ordered she said to me "I want coffee lots of cream, water lots of lemons, and salad lots of dressing." Upon bringing the salad to the table she said "I would like lots of cheese on my salad, and could you bring me lots of butter to go on my (already soggy buttered) bread. Needless to say this adventure in grazing and demanding every time I passed by the table went on for nearly an hour (can someone say buffet). After an hour I took the check in the amount of $36 to the table. The lady paid her bill with a credit card and strategically left me a tip in cash in the receipt book. A tip totalling and egregious $4.00 (11%) along with an invitation to her church and to receive Christ into my life (how sweet). A few questions for her...
1.) Is this the Jesus that gave a generous of 11% of his life or the Jesus that laid down his life by choice for a lost and dying culture. I am pretty sure I don't want to serve the first Jesus.
2.) Is this the Jesus of the Bible that speaks of loving others and treating your body as the temple of God? And the God that speaks of one of the fruits of the spirit being self-control? Because I couldn't tell it.
Thoughts to ponder...
1.) As Christ-followers we have to check our lives and our motives. I see people everyday (and yes some make excuses) that find pretty legitimate reasons not to want to give the God thing a chance. We must represent Christ better!!!
2.) What is the minimum tip that gives you the right to throw your Jesus track or church invite into the receipt booklet. I say 50% but I'll settle for 25%.
3.) Serving others almost always precedes sharing your faith. I heard it when I was young and I will always believe it "they will never care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Don't give someone a reason to hate Christians and church and God. If he has changed your life, ACT LIKE IT!
Did I mention I was on a soapbox!!!
1.) Is this the Jesus that gave a generous of 11% of his life or the Jesus that laid down his life by choice for a lost and dying culture. I am pretty sure I don't want to serve the first Jesus.
2.) Is this the Jesus of the Bible that speaks of loving others and treating your body as the temple of God? And the God that speaks of one of the fruits of the spirit being self-control? Because I couldn't tell it.
Thoughts to ponder...
1.) As Christ-followers we have to check our lives and our motives. I see people everyday (and yes some make excuses) that find pretty legitimate reasons not to want to give the God thing a chance. We must represent Christ better!!!
2.) What is the minimum tip that gives you the right to throw your Jesus track or church invite into the receipt booklet. I say 50% but I'll settle for 25%.
3.) Serving others almost always precedes sharing your faith. I heard it when I was young and I will always believe it "they will never care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Don't give someone a reason to hate Christians and church and God. If he has changed your life, ACT LIKE IT!
Did I mention I was on a soapbox!!!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
News and Updates
So many things are happening, but I will be brief and just bullet point them for you...
1. Yesterday one of our young adults from MS landed a job in Henry County and will be moving in the next 3 weeks. We are excited to have Clint as a part of the team. Several others will be relocating closer to the summer.
2. Julie and I are traveling 4 of the next 6 weeks to continue raising funds. We are still about $10,000 in hard cash short of a necessary goal. Be praying for us and for those of you who are already contributing, please keep it up.
3. We are working hard to nail down a facility and I will keep you updated on the progress.
4. Our goal is to have a group gathering at our house of all those who are planning to be a part of the team no later than April.
5. I will be posting details regarding core values and the direction of Relevant in the next few days.
Carl and Julie
1. Yesterday one of our young adults from MS landed a job in Henry County and will be moving in the next 3 weeks. We are excited to have Clint as a part of the team. Several others will be relocating closer to the summer.
2. Julie and I are traveling 4 of the next 6 weeks to continue raising funds. We are still about $10,000 in hard cash short of a necessary goal. Be praying for us and for those of you who are already contributing, please keep it up.
3. We are working hard to nail down a facility and I will keep you updated on the progress.
4. Our goal is to have a group gathering at our house of all those who are planning to be a part of the team no later than April.
5. I will be posting details regarding core values and the direction of Relevant in the next few days.
Carl and Julie
Monday, January 4, 2010
Scariest Year of My Life
As I sit here at this moment, I realize that we have embarked on the scariest adventure of our lives. This year holds many huge unanswered questions...how, when, who etc. but the one thing that is totally clear is the "why?" Everyday I see so many people who are struggling with some major issue in life. I realize that "hope" seems to be fading from their lives like a leaky faucet... drip by drip. Everyday it seems to leak just a little more, until one day they wake up empty. I remember times in my life experiencing the same thing...that is the "why" behind Relevant Church. God has called us to reach out and impact a community in which 85 percent of people do not attend church. I notice everyday how many people have a misconception of who God is, and unfortunately churches and "christians" have done more harm than good. I am overwhelmed at the number of people who simply hate "church" as defined by "American" standards...especially in the south. We have a tough job ahead and are praying daily for God to provide all that we need to make it happen. We are now approximately 10 months from the launch day of Relevant Church and are moving at light speed. We anticipate 200-300 people on opening our Sunday. If you are interested and have a heart for people and the south Atlanta community, would you join us on this "scary" adventure. Be a part of the team that launches a church that seeks to transform it's community one life at a time. I read a quote that changed my life in 2009..."the fear of missing out has to be greater than the fear of messing up."
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