After-Action Report: Easter

Some random thoughts going through my head the day after Easter:

--If you volunteer at church in ANY capacity, you are AWESOME! It makes such a huge difference to what God is able to do through His church.

--We had more people at the 9:00 am service than at 10:45 ... many of you proved that you CAN actually get up that early ... keep it up!

--The buzz building in Calhoun is great!! We've got a long way to go before we officially launch but the people are GREAT, the need in Gordon County is tremendous, and God is opening doors for His Gospel there.

--How long can we stay at two services at our Dalton campus?
I want to stay at two as long as possible BUT we will not stay at two services IF it hinders growth or our ability to reach disconnected people!!

--We had several people make decisions yesterday in the worship services and in the children's theatre!! That means there is a big ole party in heaven!!

--We about to go into overtime adding new staff. We learned at Newspring that the optimal ratio is 1:100. We are currently at 1:175. Our staff is stretched and stressed ... but we are ON FIRE for what God is up to!! If you want to hear the two main sessions of the Newspring Unleash Conference, you can check them out here.

--We have a 3-day staff retreat this week that will be very important to how we get where God is taking us.

--God is good!

--John 3:30

Reaching Churched People?

Planting a new church has been and continues to be one of the great blessings in my life. Church plants tend to get a lot of criticism, especially from other churches and Christians:
--"You are stealing church members" (Perry Noble addressed that here)
--"We have already have enough churches."
--"If you would just {insert: just do what I like} then I'd join your church."

Now I've learned (as has every other church planter with a BIG VISION) that you have to listen to God and go all out for DISCONNECTED people. But every church plant will have some 'churched' people transfer to their plant. At Rock Bridge we have historically seen anywhere from 50-60% of our new members be UNchurhed. At our last Inquirer's Lunch 60% of the people there were not in church before Rock Bridge ... and that is what we love.

But what about the other 40% of people? I have watched an interesting dynamic take place. Do you turn these people away? What is God doing in the lives of Christians who leave a church to join yours?

First, make it hard for churched people to join your church.
We require that everyone go to an Inquirer's Lunch. We do things in church that might make the 'churchy' types uncomfortable ... anything from the songs we sing to the way we sing them to out-of-the-box dramas to casual dress ... it all forces people to think about a "different way to do church".

Second, realize that God may be actually leading them to come to your church.
There are a whole lot of Christians who are spiritually malnourished, who week in and week out sit through another irrelevant, uninspiring church service out of obligation.
They wonder, "Is this the way church is supposed to be?"
They read the Bible which they wholeheartedly accept and believe, and wonder,
"Why are people NOT getting saved in my church like they did in Acts?
Why isn't my church growing?
Why is the most significant thing I am asked to do is to serve on some committee that doesn't really do anything?"

Then they show up at a new church with less restrictions, less traditions, but with more vision and something gets ignited in their souls. The music feels like a victory has been won (duh ... empty tomb!) instead of feeling like you are on the Baton Death March. They actual understand the message and might actually be able to apply it to their life. They leave challenged and inspired not bored and tired. They hear stories of life change and salvation.
They leave thinking, "Maybe this is sort of what church is supposed to be like?"

Third, some healthy Christians who are genuinely seeking Christ will be attracted to healthy, Christ-centered church plants.

--I think about a guy who recently joined Rock Bridge. He shows up at "O dark thirty" to put signs out around our campus. Yesterday, I thanked him and he replied, "No thank you for letting me serve."

--I think about J.M. who wanted to see people saved in church and came alongside Beth & I about 5 years ago. Now he and his wife say, "God had us ready. At age 72, thank God we did not get to miss what we have experienced at Rock Bridge."

--I think about my parents who were happy where they were but have always supported my brother and I. They both serve every week at RBCC. This journey with them is a great blessing for both of us.

--I think about others who came for the first time because their husband or kids actually wanted to go to church.

--I think about some who after years of legalism and guilt in other churches, finally tasted God's amazing grace.

--I think about some leaders from other churches who got saved at Rock Bridge.

--I think of long-time Christians who never tithed or gave sacrifically to the strategic cause of Christ but have now done so only to understand first hand that you really can't "outgive God."

--I think about "Ned Flanders" (see post here.)

So at Rock Bridge, we'll keep going all out to reach disconnected, unchurched people. They will always be our target.
But we'll still make room for anyone who is hungry for Christ, sold out to God's vision for Rock Bridge, and crazy enough to be radical for the Kingdom.

Hand Down a Toilet

Right now we're in the middle of hosting a community wide youth revival (called Oasis) that is sponsored by area churches and put on by their youth ministers.

Having over 1100++ students in one building to hear about Jesus and worship like crazy is pretty awesome (band is Julian Drive ... WOW!) ... HOWEVER, there are some drawbacks.

Sunday night one of our AWESOME youth workers went into the male restroom and discovered someone had stuffed TP into the commode enough to clog it and then covered their tracks with good ole urine (or as my mom used to say 'Tee Tee').

Our volunteer was of course upset and a little angry but in the end he took one for the team and instantly became the church plumber using his hand to unclog the toilet.

No, we don't like to have our building or any building treated with disrespect or damaged in anyway. And sometimes it is tempting to NOT use our building because there is always spilled coffee, overflowing trash cans, messy bathrooms, etc ...
However, we do not worship our building or serve it.
Our building serves our purpose which just happens to be God's purpose ... which is to redeem people through Jesus Christ.

...the first night there were around 70 decisions made for Christ. Last night there were somewhere around 30-40 decisions made!

So yes, reaching out to lost people and teenagers can get a little dirty, a little messy, (maybe even a little gross) ... but Jesus got pretty dirtied up and messed up for us (remember Mel's Passion of the Christ?).

The question to ask is this:
What bothers us more:
--Sticking one's hand in a toilet filled up with pee?? -OR-
--Seeing people go to hell and doing nothing about it??

So we'll keep saying "No" to hell and "yes" to 'tee tee' ... if that is what it takes!

Big Day!

Tomorrow is Vision Sunday which has become something we do every year at RBCC around this time in March.
It is roughly the same weekend back in March of 2002 when I shared the vision for Rock Bridge to about 90-100 at the NW Georgia Trade Center. Since we launched, we've been recasting and resharing the vision for our church at this time of year.

We make it a big invite day for our people to bring a friend(s) with them to church. This one day alone has year in and year grown our church, broken attendance barriers, and helped us reach and connect new people.

--I've already heard of one couple who has SEVEN people coming with them tomorrow!!
--One person is bringing FOUR with her.
--Two weeks ago a guy brought TWENTY-FOUR people with him to church!!
--Hundreds of other personal invitations have gone out ... it's AWESOME!

We have done advertising, marketing, mailers, billboards, radio, tv ... BUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BEATS ONE FRIEND INVITING ANOTHER FRIEND, ONE RELATIVE INVITING ANOTHER RELATIVE TO COME & SEE WHAT CHRIST & HIS CHURCH ARE ALL ABOUT!!!

Watch out!

The Unleash Conference yesterday at NewSpring was absolutely amazing! We took 33 people over to Anderson, SC to be stretched, encouraging, and enlarged by God and the conference did not disappoint!

The last main session was unforgettable as Perry talked about the challenge of leadership & pastoring and the need to keep the call & vision strong. I was reminded/challenged on a few things:

January 12, 2002
That was the day when God called me to start Rock Bridge: to start a different kind of church than Dalton-Whitfield-NW Georgia has ever seen!

Obeying God is as simple as listening to God.
What a statement!
As our church has grown my need to listen to God has greatly increased ... I sense it, I know it, now I have got to do it!

Vision
--I must own it.
--Some people won't get it (let them leave or ask them to)
--Budget & Staff for vision ... nothing else!
--Vision comes from God not man, not tradition, not personal preferences.
--Rock Bridge has a BIG vision ... get ready for Sunday!

Matthew Party

This year for Vision Sunday (March 18th) we are doing something different.
In the past we have gone up to the Trade Center for a big meal afterwards. We decided this was not feasible for a few reasons:
1) Cost: the number of people is so big that the cost outweighs the benefits.
2) 9:00 am service: we think it would take away from the 9:00 service and we have to continue to grow that service
3) Future: in the future we could have 3+ services at all different times on Sunday and/or Saturday night. At some point in the future we simply would not be able to go to the Trade Center due to scheduling and logistics and we are all about preparing ourselves for the future.

SO ... instead what we did is purchased restaurant gift cards for our people to use. We give them a card, they treat guests to lunch and work on building that relationship with them, answering questions, and just hanging out and having fun. It's what Matthew did after he decided to follow Christ: he had a dinner party, invited friends, and brought Jesus with him.

I love how this has challenged us to be intentionally more evangelistic ... to think about WHO we know that is outside the faith and outside the church and to really pursue that relationship with them.

Here's what one person wrote:
Church was awesome yesterday wasn't it/....... I have been talking about it all day today.... I am so glad we found Rock Bridge ... I have 4 people that promise me they will be there next Sunday.

I cannot wait!!

Shot in the Arm

Just got back from the Churchplanters.com conference in Cumming ... WOW! What a shot in the arm for us at Rock Bridge! I am pumped and excited about getting back to work on the vision & mission we have at RBCC!!
Here's some of the things that are sticking out in my mind right now:

--Be mean about the vision. (Shawn Lovejoy)

--Seek to relate the Gospel to people not just creativity. We relate to people in our culture so we can take them to the Cross. (Ed Setzer)

--God wants our churches to be successful more than we do.
--Value risk taking for the kingdom more than success.
--When was the last time you/we/I took a risk on God. (Dave Ferguson)

--God wants us to live with holy urgency for His mission.
--God is resolved to bring us to a place of trust. (Matt Carter)

--Then Perry Noble spoke from Exodus 33 and challenged us to RELOOK at four things:
1) Our calling: God always calls us to things that are unsafe
2) At our people
3) At our vision
4) At our potential -- Eph. 3:20-21

This conference was a shot in the arm for me. It affirmed a lot of things we are thinking about and things we are doing. I am more excited than EVERY about what God is doing and is ABOUT to do at our church!!

Sunday Debrief

--Yesterday it was AMAZING to see hundreds of people go "Off Road" to write down the names of people they know who need Jesus and a church! I am praying for what God is going to do as our church takes reaching out to others to a whole new level ... it is going to be AMAZING.
Remember the four things we need to be effective at going 'off road':
--Close proximity (we've got to be near people that need God)
--Radical inclusiveness (we've got to accept people no matter what)
--Death of preference (our personal preferences cannot get in the way of reaching out to disconnected people)
--Heart of the Father (we must reflect Christ to everyone we come in contact with)

--Support the 9:00 am service.
Since the Fall, we've seen our church grow tremendously. However, our 9:00 am service has not grow at all. This means that our 10:45 service is almost full. We have 3 choices:
1) Start a third service
2) Build a bigger building
3) Get 200+ people that regularly attend the 10:45 service to move to the 9:00 am service to free up more seats at 10:45 for our guests.
Which option is easier, quicker, and makes sense financially?
Number 3.
The vast majority of our guests visit at the 10:45 service time. We have to free up seats for them.
SO YES, simply by coming to the 9:00 am service you will be helping us connect disconnected people.
I believe we will go to 3 services at some point in our future ... and I hope it is real soon!
However, realistically we should be able to grow to between 1500 and 1800 people in two services at the Wink. After that we can talk more about a third service or possible 'dual' services using a second venue (two services that occur simultaneously on or near our campus).

--Whatever it takes
We've displayed that attitude for the past 4+ years. We must remain as committed as ever to reaching our community for Christ. We must be burdened for our friends, co-workers, relatives, and neighbors that do not know Christ and do not have a church home. This is WHY we exist. This is WHY we started Rock Bridge. This is WHY we do 'church' the way we do. This is WHY we can never be satisfied as long as one person in our community does not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ!

Any Given Sunday

As a church plant, we did good just to make it through a Sunday. Sunday was the focus of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.
Now four years later, Sunday is still the focus ... it has to be. That is the day God set aside for us to focus exclusively on Him. For us in leadership that means that it is our one shot to impact the most number of people for Christ, to help our members/regular attenders be more like Christ, and to pump people up with God-sized vision for their lives and the church.

Here's a couple of goals and expectations I have going into any given Sunday:

#1--That WHOEVER walks through the doors is treated BETTER than the best restaurant they've eaten at, the best hotel they've stayed at, or the best store they've shopped at.

#2--That WHOEVER walks through the doors feels welcomed and accepted unconditionally. How many people have told me they just didn't feel comfortable at other churches because of their dress or their known past. How different was the reaction of sinners to being around Jesus.

#3--That WHOEVER sits down in our service senses something (or Someone) significant is present.

#4--That WHOEVER attends the service finds the service exciting, energizing, and engaging.

#5--That WHOEVER listens to me (or God through me) finds their faith growing (faith comes by hearing the Word) and becomes less of a hearer and more of a doer of the Word. This means they can use some truth they heard on Monday at work or Sunday night with the family.

#6--That WHOEVER is NEVER bored in Church!

#7--That WHOEVER's kids have a blast learning about Jesus.

#8--That WHOEVER thinks of at least one other WHOEVER who they know that needs to come to Rock Bridge with them next week.

#9--That WHOEVER is not saved gets SAVED! (I need to start EXPECTING people to get saved in our services each and every week. In Acts 2 the church grew DAILY!! If it can happen then, it can happen now: same God and same mission!)

#10--That WHOEVER leaves thinking, "I cannot wait until next Sunday!"

John 3:30

Big Push!

This month we have been doing a BIG push to help people get connected with in a small group environment. I believe this is crucial both to our church's growth AND our growth as individuals. Here are a few of the initiatives we are launching this month:

STARTING POINT GROUPS
They meet on campus on either Wednesday night or Sunday morning for 6-weeks. I'll be teaching either live or via DVD for about 15-20 minutes and then smaller groups will form to discuss the teaching for about 45 minutes. At the end of the 6-weeks we can help you find a long-term group OR those starting point groups may wish to stay together and meet off campus.

MEN'S GROUPS
On Monday, January 29th, a men's group studying, "Wild At Heart" will begin meeting. This is an awesome study and an awesome opportunity for guys to hang-out and connect

AREA BIBLE STUDIES (Students)
Since we've got students coming from all over our county and from different high schools, we're starting an Area Bible Study (ABS) in the northwest part of our county. The first meeting will be Wednesday, Jan. 24th. This will be our pilot ABS but could begin an entire new approach to helping students connect. Contact Beth with questions.

As I have studied the Bible and other churches, prayed, and thought about this, I believe getting in a group is paramount to spiritual success and sustained growth as a church and a believer. In a group the truth of Christ is applied and experienced in a way that cannot happen on Sunday morning. Yesterday, I visited a guy in the local jail that part of our family. He was amazed that his small group had come to see him!! He had heard us teach and talk about grace, acceptance, and support BUT his group allowed him to experience it!! That experience is what we need.

Too many of us have grown up thinking that having Bible knowledge is equal to spiritual maturity ... we have a natural tendency to be a hearer and not a doer of the Word. Knowing the Bible is easier than doing the Bible.
However, in group life the Word of God is not only discussed and explained, it is applied ... it becomes personal; it becomes real to your life; it results in life change; and when lives are changed God is glorified and seen in us ... and that is what it is all about!

John 3:30

What It's All About!

Today was absolutely AWESOME and was such a reflection of what our church is all about!!

1) Creative Communication
Our worship teams, staff, & creative people all came together to kick-off this Extreme Makeover series with a BANG. The Makeover Bus out front, Ty's appearance on stage, stage lay-out, the lobby, the Host Teams decked out in 'makeover' attire ... everyone was on their A-game to communicate the ancient message of Christ with contemporary methods.

2) Our volunteers rock!
The time, sacrifice, and energy all of our teams put in is tremendous and it shows up every Sunday. THANK YOU for how God is using you to impact lives in this area. A few groups to mention:
a) Host Teams: great job handling the rain and seating people this morning!
b) Band/Praise Team: music was so awesome, so worshipful, and so inspiring! This team puts in so many late hours to make our worship on Sunday as excellent as possible for the King of Kings!
c) Drama: thanks to our drama folks for bringing Ty to church!
d) The mysterious painting: each week the piece of the painting that appeared this Sunday will gradual take shape as the Makeover process continues. You do not want to miss this ... it will be a 'moment' like no other when it is finally revealed.
e) Prayer Team: today we began having prayer during each service. One person was scheduled for the 9:00 service and 3 people showed up!! I felt the power of God's presence knowing that you were praying for our service and for me! THANK YOU!!!!

3) EXCITMENT!
Get more people here next week!! The sense of excitment, the buzz, the energy ... all of that is from God and for His glory!! We don't want ANYONE to miss it!

John 3:30

New Year Excitement (Part 2)

Historically, the New Year has been a tremendous time of numerical growth for us. We grow in members and new people during the Fall and moderately in attendance. However, attendance fluctuates among our regulars due to football games and hunting season.
January through May have been times when we really see our attendance jump for a couple of reasons:
1) It's a new year and people try new things (like church!)
2) We have at least 2 big days that bring new people: Vision Sunday & Easter

All this fuels my excitement even more for 2007. Here's a few more reasons to be excited:

#4--PRAYER
We challenged our church about 4 weeks ago to pray specifically for our church as we approach 2007. I know God is going to honor our prayers.
For me, I am actually taking my first ever Prayer Retreat this weekend. I am going to place where there are no cell phone signals and the closest Wal-Mart is 30 minutes away!! I am excited to get away to pray, plan, and prepare for the upcoming year.
Even more exciting, is that God promises to do more than we could ever 'ask or imagine' to bring Himself glory through the Church! (Eph. 3:20)

#5--GOD'S WORD
The Word of God is living and active. I am humbly reminded of that every time I preach. When I am stubbornly committed to preaching God's Word with conviction, clarity, and creativity ... supernatural power is unleashed. I want to deepen my knowledge of and committment to God's Word in '07.
Exciting verse: Ezra 7:10

#6--THE CHURCH
God wants to bless His church. God wants to see His church grow and bring Him glory as disciples are made. I must remember that it is all about Him (He is I AM and I am not)... but the local church is awesome & incredible!
I cannot wait to see what God is up to in '07 at Rock Bridge!

New Year Excitement (Part 1)

There's some awesome stuff going on in our church -- some definite things, some possibilities, and always, some exciting stuff! From small group structuring to staffing additions to more outreach to greater opportunities ... 2007 is going to be an awesome year for the Lord!!

Here's why I'm excited:

#1--GOD
His Name is "I AM" for a reason. He is ever present and ever ready to show-up when we humble ourselves, pray big "If-God-is-not-in-this-it-will-fail" type-prayers, and give Him the glory.
God is "I AM" in '07!

#2--PEOPLE
Working with, serving with, and sharing life with people is exciting. Our church loves people ... ALL people. I love seeing people 'get grace' for the first time. I love seeing people 'come back' after a season of life away from God. I love seeing people 'give' themselves passionately to a cause greater than themselves.
People matter to God and they matter to our church. This why we care so much about first impressions, hospitality, creating community, and serving others.

#3--RISK
As Christ-followers, we cannot play it safe. After all, what do we have to lose if we have Christ ...? As a church we'll risk more to reach more people.
But with "I AM" with us ... is it really a risk??

John 3:30

The Play-Action Pass

The play-action pass has got to be one of the greatest plays in football. It works only when a team is patient, disciplined, and understands timing.
(For those who may not know, the play-action pass in football is a pass play that looks like a run so it lures defenders up to play the run, when in reality a pass is coming. When it works the play makes big gains).

For those of us whose team (like UGA) runs the play-action, we understand how frustrating it can be. The Coach calls boring run play after boring run play. The Crowd gets frustrated and maybe even boos. They wonder what he is up to. But the Coach is patient and knows that boring run plays in the 1st quarter will set-up bigger plays (like the play action) in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The Coach is seeing the big picture ... he understands that football is not just about one play ... but about an entire game.

In leadership, we have our own sort of play-action pass. We do things now that hopefully will pay off later. We are patient now doing things that some people may question, but later will pay off big. As a leader anytime we make decisions today with tomorrow in mind, it is similiar to the play-action pass.

For example, at RBCC we are changing some things today while our church is running 900-1000 to set us up for success when our church is running 1500+. It involves change, patience, and vision but it is worth it.
For example, we are changing our membership class (Inquirer's Lunch) to get people more involved faster. We are restructuring our Children's Check-in because what worked at 500+ is not working now and certainly won't work later. We are revamping all of our hospitality and usher/greeter processes to better greet, direct, seat, and treat the people coming to RBCC who need Jesus. We are retraining and rethinking our small groups to make them easier to get into, improve the overall group experience, and rapidily multiple new groups for new people.
Why?
Because we believe we are in the 1st quarter of an awesome, God-thing. We are thinking about the 2nd quarter and how to get better, how to score more points for the Kingdom of God, and how to be more effective in fulfilling our God-sized vision.

Membership

Since we started we have asked people who want to join RBCC to attend a class where we cover vision, history, structure, and ministries. This class has been a huge success and helped us build ownership, commitment, understanding, and involvement with our members.

However, like Tiger Woods changing his swing, we're going to change the format of the class starting Dec. 3rd. I think this is a positive change.

Basically, instead of giving people a ton of information, we're going to give people an opportunity to get involved. The New Testament example of church membership (Acts 2) seems to indicate that members where saved, baptized, connected, involved, and known. Over the centuries membership in a church now means, "My name (or letter) is on the church roll." We're going to streamline our class to help newcomers get involved quicker and easier because that is really what membership is all about.

The class will also offer an opportunity for those who are not ready to join or don't want to join, to just get involved with what God is doing at Rock Bridge. So that people who come to Rock Bridge don't just come to worship but they can serve on a ministry team or be connected & known in a small group.

Here's the new format:
--Salvation, Baptism, Vision & Values (20-25 minutes)
--How to get involved: Small groups & Ministry Teams (20-25 minutes)
--Membership Commitment (5-10 minutes)

The old format if you are curious:
--Vision Values, Salvation, Baptism, Church Structure, History, why membership (45 minutes)
--Getting involved (10-15 minutes)
--Membership Commitment (5 minutes)

Get 'R Done

Great Elders meeting last night!!
I usually leave those meetings excited and thankful --
Excited about what God is doing and thankful for the collective wisdom those guys have. They have allowed our staff to focus on ministry efforts while they help RBCC navigate through our facility, financial, and other big issues.
We had a great discussion last night about long-range planning for our downtown campus/facilities. I'm pumped, and we all continue to sense God's hand at work @ Rock Bridge.

Two ministry areas we are working hard to put good systems in place are our small groups and our children's ministry. Our facilites create some unique challenges for our children's ministry that we are working to solve through our volunteers, better signs, and clear communications.
Aaron Gable, our Associate Pastor, is working hard and doing a great job getting our small group ministry to the next level and I can't wait to see all God will do once our groups reach flank speed!

I guess after last night's meeting and a great day of meetings with our staff, I felt like we got a lot accomplished. I like getting things done ... and especially for God's purposes!!

Church & Sex

Can you talk about sex in church? Absolutely!!
This past Sunday we talked about sex the whole message (Listen to it here). The feedback was awesome!!
One person wrote,
"I ... wanted to say that I really enjoyed your sermon this past Sunday. That’s one of the reasons that I love our church so much…you’re not afraid to address real world issues and just put it all out there."

That's why I love our church too!! Relevant, practical, and life-changing ... that's who Jesus is, that's what the Bible is, and that is who RBCC is striving to be!

Simply Strategic Stuff

We had a great mini-staff retreat on Thursday. We got to hang out, pray together, and dream about where God is leading Rock Bridge ... and I have to say I am pumped and as excited as ever!!
Here are the highlights:

1) We want to start acting and thinking like a church of 1500. If we wait until we become a church of 1500 BEFORE we act & think like it, we'll never make it to 1500. Why? Because we are still doing certain things that worked for a church of 500 but are not working now that we are a church of 900-1000.

2) We talked about how we go about making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) and what we can do better. Our goal is to define a process for people to move through versus keeping people busy with church programs that don't have a guiding purpose/philosophy other than filling up their calendars.

3) Here's a summary of the process we discussed (B-R-I-D-G-E):

Build & Bring -- build relationships with people and bring them to a Christ-centered environment
Relevant Environments -- the best environment to bring someone so they can experience God's love (examples: Wink on Sundays, Fall Festival, Kidz Korner, Youth/Area 51, etc.)
Involve -- involve people in a small group and a ministry team
Give -- giving time and treasure strategically & sacrificially
Expand -- Expanding God's kingdom (planting churches; helping people; doing missions)

This process isn't confusing ... it's simple and it helps everyone understand what the next step for them to take is. It's still a work in progress ... but we think it works!!

Got Group?

We had a great meeting today with our current small group leaders. I am so pumped about the direction this ministry is taking with our new Associate Pastor, Aaron Gable, leading the charge.

Over the past few months I have become convinced that an effective small group ministry will (quicker than anything else) take us to the next level spiritually and numerically as a church. In fact, I don't think Rock Bridge can grow much more without being great in groups!!
What does this mean for us in the coming weeks?

--We've all got to understand the value and importance of small groups in our personal lives and in our church's life -- groups are just as important as our Sunday services in terms of their strategic impact

--Training for our current group leader/facilitators so they are onboard and up to speed so that all our groups have a consistent level of excellence and produce similiar environments for people to grow in their faith and connect with other people.

--Recruiting more people to lead more small groups

The 411 on Drama Ministry

The other day our drama ministry team leader was in Chatsworth and overheard someone talking about Rock Bridge. Specifically, they were discussing our drama ministry -- telling their friend why we do drama.
(I was pumped to know that they were saying the right things!)

From my perspective here is why RBCC is currently doing drama in about 50% of our Sunday services:
1) It prepares people for the message introducing them to the major theme and concepts in a creative way. It makes introducing the message easy.
It's sort of like the play action pass ... it's a great play and a potential big gainer but requires the run to set it up. Drama is like the run to set up the message.

2) If drama is done well ... with creativity, good acting, good props, etc. ... it creates a buzz and gives people another easy yet effective way to talk about God and our church.

3) It gives people another way to serve that is fun and meaningful.

Where do we get our dramas ... one of two ways:
--We write our own based on the sermon series and message topic.
--We purchase from other churches and adapt to fit our church/community.