Archive for March, 2009
Strategic Partner Spotlight: Summit Community Church
Earlier this week I introduced you to Coram Deo, one of our Strategic Partners. Today, I’d like to introduce our other existing Strategic Partner, namely Summit Community Church.
Summit was started somewhere around 10 years ago by pastor John Ryan. They’ve met at several locations over those years and now currently meet in the O’Fallon Christian High School. I came to know John through the Acts 29 Network at one of their Quarterly Regional events at The Journey. I told John what I was up to, we set up a time to meet for lunch, he stood me up, and went on sabbatical for a few months…
But I got over it, he got back, and we reconnected. Coming out of the A29 assessment, one of the conditions of our approval to plant in the network was for my family and I to transition to Summit. This was a natural transition since it was right near where we live and it was a place where I could get some real-life church planting experience. (Though it was a natural transition, it was not and easy one – leaving our church home of of six and a half years at Mid Rivers Christian Church as we embark out on this journey to plant in Lincoln has certainly been bittersweet).
Not long after we transitioned to Summit, John and I sat down and sketched out the details of what we came to call a church planting internship. This was very much guided by who I am, where I am, and where I’m heading with respect to planting and has been a great help. The things that we listed out include:
Areas of Training
- Small group leader training.
- Bi-monthly meeting for coaching and mentoring discussing things present and things future.
- Elder meeting attendance.
- Membership material development.
- Raising support.
- Preaching.
Areas of Study
- Reading through specific sections of Grudem’s Systematic Theology and discussing.
- Reading and discussing Strauch’s Biblical Eldership.
Areas of Ministry Work and Leadership
- Small group leader training (teaching).
- Membership material (helping to write/review).
- Set-up and tear-down.
- Writing down and discussing first stage plans for 2 Pillars.
- Raising support.
- Preaching.
Miscellaneous:
- Marital mentoring.
- Ordination.
Now, it’s likely that we might not hit all of these (or hit them well) over the course of the year and we’re both aware of that; however, we’re hitting most of them and having a good, documented list of things I know we need to look at and work on guides us well.
In addition to the church planting internship outlined above, Summit is also coming behind us with financial support. Through the internship, through mentoring/coaching, and through financial support, Summit is modeling what it means to be partners for the gospel.
You can learn more about Summit Community Church by visiting their website.
Strategic Partner Spotlight: Coram Deo
This post is intended to introduce you to one of the strategic partners of Project 2 Pillars, namely Coram Deo. 
Coram Deo is a church plant that was started in downtown Omaha by Bob Thune in the fall of 2005. I first met Bob through the Acts 29 Network when looking for A29 churches in or near Lincoln. The initial email exchange (back in ~April of 2008) went something like this:
Me: You don’t know me…I’m from St. Louis…I think God is calling me to plant a church in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Bob: Sweet – I’ll be in St. Louis next week, let’s get together over coffee.
As it turned out, Bob had originally felt called to plant in Lincoln but later felt God turn him towards Omaha. Over coffee we talked about church in general, my calling, and Acts 29. Through that conversation, he encouraged me to submit to the assessment process of the network which I underwent last fall. Bob then led the assessment team (there were three others on the team) that went on to grant us conditional approval to plant with A29. Over the last year then, the relationship with Coram Deo has grown to what it is today. Bob and the other guys at Coram Deo (Will, Kendall, Justin) have all been a huge source of encouragement and coaching during that time.
As a strategic partner, Coram Deo is helping Project 2 Pillars in some very specific ways. First and foremost is an informal coaching and mentoring relationship where I can simply bounce ideas, seek counsel and wisdom, and learn from someone who has done this before. The second way in which Coram Deo is helping is by way of financial support. It has been a huge blessing to have a church like Coram Deo come behind us so quickly and willing to support us financially at the level that they are. It took an initial hefty load off my shoulders (and provided some hefty encouragement) for Coram Deo to agree to support us in this way.
Beyond coaching and financial support, Coram Deo is also helping dramatically in the logistics of fundraising allowing us to do all of our fundraising under their existing non-profit status. They are also helping to keep track of contributions made, generate reports, and provide year-end tax documentation to all of the contributors of Project 2 Pillars. Finally, they have been willing to share their color copier which, according to my calculations, has saved Project 2 Pillars at least a couple of hundred bucks thus far (thanks, Barb).
Everyone in Omaha knows someone in Lincoln: they either grew up there, went to school there, have family their, friends there, etc. As such Coram Deo has served as a great help in providing some early contacts in Lincoln. Some have been potential launch team folks, some have been fellow pastors in Lincoln, and some have been simply good people that we’ll connect with to discuss God’s kingdom and the gospel in Lincoln.
The final way in which Coram Deo has been a partner in this is simply through brotherhood. It has been a joy to visit Coram Deo with my wife and family, stay with the Thunes, and get to know their family. It has also been a joy to talk shop with Bob at the pub and engage Will and Justin through seminary.
Through coaching, mentoring, financial support, logistical support, and brotherhood, Coram Deo has modeled what it means to be partners for the gospel.
You can learn more about Coram Deo by checking out the Coram Deo Website, the Coram Deo Blog (also listed in the far right column under Relevant Feeds), and the Coram Deo Vision Video below:
Why Acts 29?
The Acts 29 Network was my introduction to church planting. Before I had started listening to sermons from Mark Driscoll and Darrin Patrick, I had very little exposure or knowledge of church planting. It was somewhat natural, therefore, when I felt called by God to plant a church, that I pursued a relationship with Acts 29. However, following the counsel of several others, I also looked at some other networks and organizations as well. After doing so, I ultimately landed back on Acts 29.
Since that time, I’ve received a lot of questions about Acts 29 just regarding who they are and what they do. To try and answer some of the questions in one place, I decided to put this post together.
Acts 29 is a network of churches planting churches. To date, Acts 29 has somewhere around 200 member churches in at least 32 states from various traditions, including Baptist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, EFCA, and nondenominational—all united by Jesus. Acts 29 has a goal of planting 1000 churches in the U.S. in the next ten years. Local examples of churches in this network include The Journey (a multi-site church meeting in Tower Grove, Clayton, and West County), Summit Community Church (meeting at Christian High School in O’Fallon), Refuge Church (meeting in the Memorial Hall in Blanchette Park in St. Charles), and Mathias’ Lot (meeting in Hardin Middle School in St. Charles). Expanding beyond the St. Louis area, Karis Community Church is a church in the network located in Columbia which meets in the renovated Missouri Theater Center for the Arts. Moving closer to Lincoln, then is Coram Deo and also Core Community Church, both which meet in Omaha.
In addition to a focus on the United States, Acts 29 is also at work internationally planting churches in other countries. With all of that said, the following is a brief description of the characteristics and distinctives of Acts 29 which drew me to them as a supporting network.
Theological Foundation and Missional Focus
As a network, Acts 29 fits nicely with the mission and vision of 2 Pillars Church. The churches in this network are dedicated to being Word-enriched, cross-centered, grace-receiving, and kingdom-focused local bodies incarnating the gospel in their own contexts. In addition, this is a network committed to reformed theology.
Importance of Family
One of the aspects that I have come to appreciate the most (along with my wife) is the importance of family which is openly stressed in this network. I have heard from multiple planters on multiple occasions from multiple venues stress the church planter’s priorities as: relationship with God first, relationship with wife and children second, followed by responsibilities and relationship to the church.
In addition, the Acts 29 network appears to appreciate the gifts and calling of a wife to be a mother without further expectations of direct involvement in ministry or the church beyond that of any other woman in the church. As one from the network candidly put it, “anyone can answer the phone, but not just anyone can raise your kids.”
Biblical Masculinity Emphasis
Men need to know how to be Jesus-loving, bible-reading, family-caring/raising/providing men. One of the most unique and appealing aspects of Acts 29 is their commitment to biblical masculinity calling men to be men and to lead their families, their churches, and others. To quote one of the leaders of Acts 29: “If you want to win the war, you’ve got to win the men.”
Along with this general stress on biblical masculinity, Acts 29 holds firm to male headship both in the church and in the family thus taking a solid, unwavering complimentarian view of church leadership.
Mentoring/Training/Coaching Commitment
Church planting is not easy and so Acts 29 sees central to the support of the planters in its network the need for mentoring, training, and coaching. Since teaming up with Acts 29, I’ve experienced so much help in this regard that I cannot even begin to express my gratitude to the men who have taken time out of their lives and work to mentor, train, and coach me.
Interdenominational Breadth
As a network, Acts 29 is cognizant of the fact that God’s mission and work is not to be constrained within any certain breed or brand of church body. God is much bigger than that.
Acts 29 achieves its interdenominational position by holding certain core theological truths in a closed hand (such as inerrancy, the Trinity, the death/burial/resurrection of Jesus, and complimentarian church leadership), while leaving more debatable practices and methodologies (such as mode of baptism or frequency of partaking in the Lord ’s Supper or music style) up to each local body in accordance with their conscience and understanding of the Word.
Kingdom Perspective
As a network of churches planting churches – no one is getting rich. The only requirement that Acts 29 places on the churches in its network is that they devote 10% of their collected tithes to furthering the kingdom through church planting. Primary allocation of those funds is preferred to be used in backing other Acts 29 churches, but no other restrictions or handling of these funds is enacted. These are church-to-church relationships not church-to-network-to-church relationships. This enables a local body to be more effective in its target city/region without being required to support other churches outside of that local city/region. Obviously the inverse holds true as well.
In addition, I have come to deeply appreciate Acts 29 as an organization that makes all of their resources freely available to anyone in the world.
All of the above, combined with much prayer and listening to God pooled to solidify in my heart that Acts 29 was the right network for 2 Pillars Church. Since joining up with them, I can honestly say that I have not been disappointed in any aspect or way. The magnitude of brotherhood and the commonality shared regarding the vision for spreading the gospel is impeccable.
For more on the Acts 29 Network, refer to the following helpful and informative sections of their website:
The Mission of 2PC
I’ve consolidated the five posts I put up regarding the mission of 2 Pillars Church into a single PDF document. Check it out under the Mission link under Pages.
Reflections and Decompression
I’m sitting at the 13th Street Coffee Company in downtown Omaha decompressing after a long weekend of connecting with people, conferencing, and study. My flight back to St. Louis doesn’t leave until 7pm so I’m camped out here reflecting on the weekend. Here’s the shakedown:
- Caught a Friday night flight from St. Louis to Omaha – got in at 9pm. Was greeted by arctic Nebraska snow and wind.
- Crashed at my friend Kendal’s place.
- Met a single dude interested in being part of the 2PC launch team over breakfast at 7am on Saturday. He lives in Omaha now, attends Coram Deo, but will be moving to Lincoln in the Fall to start law school.
- Hit the Church History Conference (Acts 29 Winter Regional event)at Coram Deo all morning on Saturday. Gave a pitch for Project 2 Pillars during one of the breaks.
- Had lunch with a couple from Lincoln who moved there from Dallas where they attended an Acts 29 church called The Village Church. These guys also seem interested in being a part of the 2PC launch team.
- Back to the Church History Conference at Coram Deo all afternoon.
- Hit up a coffee shop afterward to work on a paper for seminary.
- Met a few pastor friends for a couple of beers at the Brazen Head Irish Pub.
- Poured some coffee on top of those two beers at Caffeine Dreams coffee shop while I finished up my seminary paper and got is submitted by midnight.
- Crashed back at Kendal’s place for some shut-eye (oh yeah, he locked me out so I had to call him [three time] to wake him up while I stood outside freezing my arse off in the arctic wind).
- Met another single dude interested in being part of the 2PC launch team for breakfast this morning. This guy has got mad music skills and background (Ph.D, to be exact) and currently lives in Lincoln.
- Attended Core Community Church (A29) this morning where my friend Ethan pastors. Ethan preached a great sermon on marriage from Ephesians 5.
- Near the end of the service, I got up and introduced Project 2 Pillars to the congregation letting them know a little bit about what we’re doing and how they can help.
- Talked to a lot of great people from Core after the service and had two different guys write us checks to support us. God is good.
- Had lunch with Ethan and three other guys from Core and let them probe on me a little about my calling to Lincoln and discussed Core coming behind us in support. Their response was that they are interested but need to discuss more amongst themselves how that will look and play out. Hopeful here. These guys were all great dudes and have big hearts for the Lord’s work in church planting. I’m really looking forward to partnering up with them in this mission.
- Loaded them up on information and parted ways.
- That brings me back to 13th Street Coffee Company – hanging here, decompressing, doing a little blogging, journaling, and church planting while the clock ticks down to when I need to head to the airport to catch a 7pm flight back to St. Louis to see my lovely wife and kids whom I miss dearly this weekend. Hoping that the oldest one is still awake when I get there.
It’s been a crazy, busy, fun, tiring, encouraging, relational, and productive weekend. Pretty sure I’ll be sleeping on the airplane on the way home.
