Travis Johnson

Church Planter: Brent Stephens

In the past, Awakenings or Revivals came by way of persecution, crusades, student-led prayer ministries, and overseas missionary endeavors.  I believe there may be an awakening taking place today and church planters are involved in a big way.  I'm blown away by how many really awesome guys are laying it down to establish new life-giving churches.

I am glad to see my friends, Brent and Sarah Stephens going public with their decision to plant a church in the Atlanta-area town of Acworth.  They are leaving a relatively comfortable, upwardly mobile denominational position working for someone I consider to be one of our very best denominational leaders to step out into the arena of the unknown.   I'm incredibly proud of Brent and Sarah.  I've known both of them for over 10 years.

If you know of anyone in the Acworth area that would like to be a part of a launch team for a new church, have them check out www.acworthchurchplant.com.  I'd also encourage you to consider supporting these guys in prayer and with cash.  Its an awesome thing to be a part of the mission of Jesus.  Its a beautiful thing to be a part of the Church. 

Missionary Bloggers

Yesterday, I taught a session on Marketing the Mission at the Gold Coast Missions Conference in Cooper City.  Some of the most unique, genuine, and decent people I've met were there.  Some were pastors, educators, social workers and clinicians (like Evan and Charity), and pilots (like Richard Bechton).  Others were national leaders of church planting movements.  We discussed blogging as a tool to carry out mission.  It was cool to see that while I was teaching, one of our leaders, Nick Park, our National Overseer of Churches in Ireland started his blog during the session.

You've got to check out his first post on Using the Irish Republican Army As an Example for Missionary Support Groups.  I'm anticipating a great social network emerging from guys like Nick and others over the next few weeks.

Brian Hunter Blogs

Brian Hunter and I go back to college and seminary.  I was maybe a year or two ahead of him at Lee U.  I didn't know him well during our undergraduate.  But, we ended up working together at North Cleveland doing the Master's Commission program there.  From there, I went to Chicago.  He went to Toronto.  We both ended up in Florida.  I came to the promised land (Miami).  He went to the den of the devil (Tallahassee, home of the Semi-noles).

Since arriving in Tallahassee about three years ago, he and his team have absolutely rocked taking Genesis Church from 9 to somewhere over 1,000 people.  Brian is a thinker.  He's solid as a person.  He's a gifted speaker and leader.  He's a decent person.  He's the newest addition to my Blog Roll.  I bet you anything, he'll be a daily read for you.

A Missional Denomination is an Impossibility

In a previous post on COG Catalyst, I shared that I was in Pursuit of a Missional Denomination.  I actually meant that I wanted to see the Church of God become missional in its appropriation of trust and resources.  However, thanks to Art Rogers at the 12 Witnesses blog, I have found a new expression that may more accurately reflect my heart for missionality- "A Missional Denomination is an Impossibility." Art via his blog also introduced me to a denominational change model (pdf download) to learn from.

I've had a personal conversation with our Presiding Bishop, Dennis McGuire concerning the next General Assembly.  I heard a passion from him to make the Church of God a denomination that offered real services to its pastors.  While it sounds totally attractive to me to hear of the potential to have health insurance provided for the pastors, property insurance provided for the churches, more services from our corporate offices on both the state and international levels, and missions money better distributed by the denomination, I think it also may cause us to be even more bureaucratic, more centralized, slower, and less field focused.  I don't question the aims of our current direction.  But, the times are rapidly changing and now more than ever, we need to be nimble, responsive, and missional.

I'd like to offer the approach that the Tulsa Metro Association of Baptist Churches has taken. They have divested themselves of all non-core functions such as their "campground, a clothing center, crises pregnancy center, etc.", turning them over to churches within the association that have a passion for those ministries.  This resulted in a significant downsizing of association staff.  They subsequently reorganized the association into 4 divisions: Church Planting Team, the Church Strengthening Team, the Church Leadership Development Team, and the Church Staff Support Team.

According to Charles Cruce, Director of Missions for the Association, he has come to understand that the association is not:

1. a church
2. in the ministry business

The TMABC will not:
1. TMABC will not usurp and take up the role of the church!
2. TMABC will not promote and protect its own existence!
3. TMABC will not discriminate in resourcing the ministry vision of the churches!

The temptation in any organization, especially as it matures is to protect the existence of bureaucracy.  It is a temptation that must be beaten in order to ensure the vitality of the mission.  I feel we can make some basic changes to our structure that would radically alter our direction. 

At a time when we are closing more churches in the USA than we are opening, I think the time has come to do as Charles Cruces has done and shed the bureaucracy in favor of mission. If not, we can resign ourselves to the wisdom of General Eric Shinseki when he said, “If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less.”

Big Times in Tampa

This is a brief follow up from my FL Ministers' Meeting post.  I thought I would blog a bunch of news from the meeting.  But, I can't since I was mostly delirious.  I stayed up until 3 am on Monday night at Bennigan's having earth altering conversation, woke up at 6 am, grabbed a coffee and went to the meeting.  We broke for lunch after having some difficulties with our voting pads. 

We shot off to "Village Inn."  By this time, I was completely overcaffeinated and underfed (if you can believe that).  By the time lunch was over, I was laying on a bench outside of the restaurant, nauxious, and pale.  I won't go into details other than to say that I appreciate people getting me water, a towel, and crackers.  Embarrasing for me and bad for business for them.

We went back to the meeting and I ended up bailing back to the room.  I went to sleep at 5 PM and woke up the this morning.  Before coming back home, we stopped in to see Sam Nelson (one of our Life Pointe Kids) at Clearwater Christian College.  He's a super kid with a great future.  What a trip.

I will say that I am glad that we selected a very progressive State Council.  I loved our church planting video highlighting Rockey McKinley at Destiny Community Church and Ryan Kramer at Mosaic Church in Trinity, FL.  It was also cool to see Brian Hunter voted on to the Evangelism Board.  Well, there's my fun.  Glad to be back.  Glad to sleep in my own bed.

Florida State Minister's Meeting

I'm on my way to the State Minister's Meeting for the COG in Florida. I may blog the meeting if I get a chance.  While I'm gone, I'll stop by and see Sam Nelson, one of our college kids in Clearwater.

Proud to be a Lee Alumnus

 

I had a great time at my alma mater on Thursday and Friday celebrating Dr. Conn's 20th year as the president of Lee University.  We sat with Tony and Heather Byrd, Phil Harris, and Torrey and Polly Herrin at dinner Thursday.  Then, we enjoyed a concert in the Dixon Center after which I had a good conversation with Dennis McGuire.  I may share some of that conversation later at COG Catalyst.

Friday morning, I sat in on Pitching Your Tent at the Postmodern Carnival: Witness in a Pluralist Context seminar led by Tony Richie and Cheryl Bridges-Johns.  I always enjoy listening to Cheryl.  It was my first time hearing Tony speak.  I wish I had been able to take notes.  They both had some interesting things to say about everything from ecuminism to seeker-sensitive ministry to Brian McClaren.

Then, we participated in the Celebration service.  The Symphony, mass choir, wind ensemble demonstrated one thing that Lee probably does better than most, music.  Dr. Carolyn Dirksen captured the past 20 years at Lee in an inspirational talk.  Dr. Conn spoke to the students and alumni concerning their roles and realities. The highlight was when he introduced K.C. Coomer III, representing the class of 2009. He left Lee and returned one year later after a tour in Iraq where his best friend was killed in Fallujah.  He received a seemingly endless standing ovation.

We caught up with a lot of old friends.  It was especially good to sit down with my pastor, Mitch Maloney and my 3 girls.  I am always challenged by his vision and friendship.

When I left the Lee campus, I drove away with a significant amount of pride for my school.  Dr. Conn is a phenomenal leader of what I would consider the premier evangelical Christian university in America.  It has really shaped my life.  My parents attended as did my grandparents.  I imagine that one day my girls will attend Lee as well.  I can't imagine what the school will have to offer then (much less what it will cost!).

On the way home, I thought about my girls moving away one day over a chili dog at the Varsity.  I guess that's one good thing about Lee being so far from Miami, the Varsity is in between Lee and the Atlanta airport.  Not bad...not bad at all.

tagged: lee university - paul conn - dennis mcguire - "church of god" - mitch maloney - cheryl johns - tony richie - tony byrd - torrey herrin - phil harris

photos: Lee University on Flickr - Humanities Building Great Sky Photo

Kelly's Celebration '06 entries: l.u.celebration '06 - webbs @ lee - the varsity - i can walk...just don't want to - cooler weather of n.c. - pop roberts house
 

Marty Baker's Giving Kiosk

This cool cat, Marty "Big Time" Baker has gone Hollywood with a story on his giving kiosks.  CBS, NBC, NPR, and the LA Times have picked up on his SecureGive gig.  Great article.  Great Story.  The marketing of this Church technology doesn't suck!  I'm sure Brad Abare would be proud.

tagged: marketing - technology - marty baker - Church Marketing Sucks - NPR - LA Times - Secure Give

Cleveland and Charlotte Chronicles

Posting from the Savannah Homewood Suites, the most signage-impaired hotel I've ever stayed in:

Kelly, the girls, and I are on our way to Charlotte to see my grandfather, W.J. Roberts.  We call him the "Silver Fox."  Kourtney calls him "Pop Roberts."  He is an awesome man.  McKenna has never met him.  He hasn't been feeling well and the doctors haven't given him the best news lately.  But, at 87, he still mows his own lawn and gives me a hard time.  I'll post an entire entry later on some really inspiring things about WJ.  I'm really looking forward to tomorrow.

Thursday, we will be in Cleveland, TN for Celebration '06 at Lee University where I'll be representing the Class of '97.  I am a big L.U. evangelist.  I love going back, especially for this event.  Everytime I'm there, I get to see a few new buildings that have gone up.  That place is rocking.  It is a great school being run by a great leader. 

I got a call from the Rabbi today.  He's there along with a lot of good friends I really look forward to seeing. 

tagged: lee university - paul conn - Church of God

Check out COG Catalyst

Follow the Re:Formation discussions here.  I won't be writing anymore of my gripes or thoughts on the COG here anymore.  I'm kicking it out to its new home, COG Catalyst.