Archive for the ‘Media Today’ Category

Ideation w/Mike Foster & Charles Lee

October 29th, 2009

I thought this video was close enough to the heart of community planting because maybe more than any other form on “Churching” one needs to be creative and an ideator for a community to thrive.

Are ideas & dreams the seeds of a community plant?
Maybe!

Charles Lee had this conversation with mike foster (above) on ideation over at his blog the other day. (a ling to the post on Charles’ blog)
Check that link out above to get all Mike’s links and what not. It’s definitely worth checking out.

I had a very similar conversation with Mike on the phone a couple weeks ago about this very subjuct pertaining to a specific idea that the good reverend Nate Wells and I are dreaming up (more on that to come! ? ). But I thought I would share this because mike is a stud and says some good things. And also thing this can pertain to community planting as i mentioned. Which Nate dog and i also dream about.

So check it out ABOVE!

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epoch :: Center for Missional Church Planting

October 12th, 2009

epoch randomly starting following me on twitter tonight so i have been looking into them a bit. What they are doing sound kinda cool! So here is there little bio paragraph and intro video, also cool.

“The Epoch Center for Missional Church Planting is about training the next generation of urban missional-minded church planters, leaders, thinkers, and activists. Our goal is nothing less than to light the spark that erupts into a church planting movement. A Church Planting Movement is defined as “a rapid and multiplicative increase of indigenous churches planting churches within a given people group or population segment” (from David Garrison’s Church Planting Movements). We seek to offer city-focused field-based education for those who’re hungry to learn how to be a part of this movement. We’re looking for ordinary people who’re willing to make ordinary attempts who collectively will ignite this new epoch.”

They also have a blog their connect with called The Urban Loft. Has some thought provoking content that would be worth check out.

I’ve always been drawn to the city. Not sure that is where i will end up or plant a church but i love the city and the focus of epoch is on city / urban church planting. I am interested to read a bit more about them and see what there all about.

What you think?

Grace and peace
Erik

Follow epoch on twitter :: I do!

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The most important thing…

August 30th, 2009

Often when i think about planting a church i think about values. What will be the core values of a community i plant? What will be our heart?

I think that the things or the thing you decide to be at the core of your community says a lot about you and what you hope to be as a community. So this is important!
And most churches know this and have central on their website, “Core Values” or something a long those line.

So what are the values of your community?
What should be the central value of a Jesus following community?
I have some ideas but i would love to hear what you think.

Here are a couple links ::

Mars Hill articulates there core values in a unique way.  They call them directions. I like what they are saying and i feel like they include some often left out parts.

Here is a video of a man who is planting a community or an organization (i was confused) articulating the core value he and his wife have.

I really like what he is saying and where his heart is at. I’m not sure i agree with this being the single core of a Jesus following community but definitely a part.
What do you think?
(and can anyone help me understand why he’s climbing a rock?)

And here is a link to the Apostles Creed.
Maybe enough said!

So yea, let’s talk values! Core! Directions! Priorities!
Whatever you want to call them, let’s talk em’.

Grace and peace
Erik

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Urban Church Planting…

July 30th, 2009

Here is a little video i ran across.
It’s Lutheran Church MS video on their church planting goals.

i have a lot of thought on this. I think they make some good points and they have some goals but i wonder if we can become to mechanical in our approach to church planting?

That and other question come to mind.
But i’ll just let you watch the video…

What do you think?
And i would LOVE to hear from some Urban Church planter? What was your experience and your method.
DO SHARE!

Peace

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The medium is the message :: Shane Hipps & Rob Bell

March 13th, 2009

I listened to a teaching by Shane Hipps a few months back. He spoke at Mars Hill in Grand Rapids (I listen to their pod-cast fairly often) and his message has really stuck in my mind. Then I saw this clip on a friend of mines blog :: Deadly Viper Blog :: so i decided to share. 


Rob Bell Interviews Shane Hipps About Technology from Deadly Viper on Vimeo.

Shane has a great perspective and his story gives him instant street cred! And in case he reads this, the iPhone give him more cred in my book, not less!

(you can listen to his message via the Mars Hill teachings page :: I think :: he spoke about a year ago, 3.29.08 and the message was entitled spirituality of the Cell Phone. If not i can get it to you, just let me know.)

Shane talks about the Idea of “The Medium is the Message”. 
He focuses on the fact that we are the primary medium that God uses to convey his message (the gospel) to this world. Jesus started us off (incarnation) and we are to continue being the medium.
I LIKE IT!  

I think we can also use this conversation to talk about community planting.
Your church is a medium and communicates thousands of messages every time a person enters your doors and spends time interacting with your community (building, people, services, sacraments, etc.)  

The the big question is :: What does your church communicate about God?
What do your people / your community communicate about God?

What are the things we can do to communicate the things we want?
And avoid communicating the things we don’t want? 

I think you get the drift?
Let’s talk about it.

The medium is the message. YES?

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More on denominations…

January 27th, 2009

Well i really like the conversation that is going on below and it’s something that i am really thinking a lot about lately. So i want to hear more!

I would recommend you read the post below, maybe a couple of the comments and engage.

Here is a little video of Mark Driscoll talking a bit about denominations and what he perceives to be going on. I think he makes some good observations and brings up some valid points.

Maybe bringing the idea of “networks” in our conversation would be a good addition.
Myself, i wonder if network is just a good post-modern / post-denomination way of saying denomination. Anybody care to help us understand the difference between a network and a denomination? I’m sure we all have some ideas.

Anyway, check out the video and I look forward to hearing what you think.

grace and peace
Erik

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Ed Young and The Church Pirate

January 6th, 2009

I’ve been chewing on this video for a bit now, trying to decide what I think.
What do you think?

Church pirating / church planting

I think Ed Young has a valid point, there are people who get pissed about this or that and their nature rises up and they do all they can to split a church, just to do their own thing.

BUT

Can you just write off every associate pastor as “wanting to be big and bad” and do his own thing because he decides to go across town and plant a church?

In what situation would it be ok to leave and go plant a church?

I just wonder, if your the Sr. pastor who is “getting pirated” why wouldn’t you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and let that pastor/pirate go and whatever people feel called go with him.

Obviously Ed places a large value on size, it oozes from in-between all his words. Maybe, just maybe building a big and bigger church isn’t the point anyway and if some pirate comes a long and “steels” some of your sheep (which are really God’s and not yours) maybe you just let it happen and trust God. 
(Are we all sucked into the value of big steeple ((as Rob Bell would say))

I understand it isn’t always that easy. When people you love and have invested life in up and leave, it hurts. But maybe that’s ok too. It seems like the only thing you can really control as a pastor is your heart and attitude, despite how hard that might be. Jesus might be a good example for us here, don’t ya think.

// A couple more thoughts…

One of the major points he makes is to equate the church to a business and he says, “in the corporate world, the church pirate would be put in jail.” I think that really blows his argument. The church IS NOT a business and shouldn’t function like it. (despite the fact way to many do).

A couple other things Ed says that just hit me wrong…
:: If you think that your big and bad go out and do it your self, don’t steel my sheep.
:: The lack of loyalty, the lack of commitment, the level of betrayal is mind boggling…

I am really interested in hearing what you have to say…

Peace and pirates!
Erik

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Advent conspiracy…

December 5th, 2008

Well a lot people are blogging about this and even more people are posting this video on blogs and twittering about it… but oh well, it’s a good video.

So here are the questions…
#1.) How do we really do this?
Yea, you can go the uber spiritual route but how does the normal Christ follower do this. (there might not be such a thing as a “normal” Christ follower but that’s a different topic. HOw do you really do this? Can you spend less? Can you give more? Can you make a difference?

ALL good questions.

Can we make this more than just a trendy move to drop a couple coins? Can we really spend less?

As we think about this in the context of a community, i just wonder how this works? If we were to be brutally honest 99.9% of us are so trapped in the matrix that is our consumer culture that we might do a couple things that are counter culture, or revolutionary… but we are still apart of the system.

Maybe things like this advent conspiracy are little ways of breaking free but what does it look like for a community of people to really be serious about breaking free of this world and living in a way that brings the Kingdom to come?

Just thinking… just conspiring.

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media today :: 1.0 // Rob Bell interview

November 11th, 2008

Media Monday was my initial thought but i don’t really want to be locked into Monday so the title of these posts will be media TODAY! The idea is to do a little review / give some thoughts on some media i run across that pertains to community planting. Probably LOTS of youtube video or other church media. 

My goal is to put up a media today post once a week to join in and further cultivate the conversation that we are having and other people are having on ministry, specifically planting ministries. 

———

Our 1.0 post is an interview i listened to yesterday. The interview is by Cameron Strang of Relevant, he is interviewing Rob Bell of Mars Hill Bible Church. 

Bell says some pretty significant things about church ministry and leadership that i thought were pretty good. But Bell always says good stuff. 

They talk a lot about his most recent book, Jesus wants to save Christians. I haven’t actually read it yet. I’m slowing working through it. But i have listened to a bunch of messages that give content to the book. Solid stuff for sure! 

enjoy the interview :: here’s the link :: Rob Bell interview

Relevant has this new-er branch of what they do, i am sure i will be discusing some of there content here on our media today posts. You can check it out for yourself :: www.neueministry.com

And if you check it out fast! you can watch the newest Rob Bell Nooma film in it’s entirety. 

———

A final P.S. Most of these post will have more context and / or conversation specifically about community planting. This was 1.0 and i had listened to this interview yesterday. I didn’t take note or anything so i just posted some general info. Next time be ready for some serious convo! Got it! 

Be peace

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