Source: Grow Your Passion with Derwin Gray

The post Grow Your Passion with Derwin Gray appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade you’ve probably heard about the growing sport of Crossfit. Started in 2000 by two fitness enthusiasts, Crossfit has blossomed from a single gym to 15,000 affiliated gyms spread all over the world. 

Articles like The Church of Crossfit and CrossFit Is My Church reveal the connections and similarities between this fitness movement and Jesus’ church. Due to all these connections it’s no surprise many followers of Jesus are using their love for fitness as an avenue to share the gospel with other fitness lovers. Even some of the biggest names in the sport leverage their passion for fitness to share their faith including Rich Froning, Dan Bailey, and Tasia Percevecz. 

The rise of CrossFit in our generation reminds us of how hungry people are for community and a sense of achievement. That’s why in 2013 Becky Conzelman started FaithRXD, an organization that exists to unite and strengthen the fitness community to live for Christ, share His love, and serve the world. Equipping, encouraging, and inspiring fitness instructors all over the world, FaithRXD is leading the way in equipping everyday Christians to use their time in the gym to grow spiritually and help others do the same. The rise of CrossFit has even inspired some church plants to use fitness as a method to connect with people in their community, serve them, and help them move closer to Jesus. One example of this is Move Daytona in Daytona Beach, FL. 

Several years ago Kelly and Polly Barcol felt God calling them to plant a church. Both were coaches and fitness enthusiasts, so instead of walking away from their gifts and passions, they leveraged them to start Move Daytona to move people toward health – mind, body and spirit. Move Daytona launched in November 2020, but even a world-wide pandemic couldn’t stop people from gathering on the beach for a workout and a message. Speaking of the beach, they will be having their first baptism celebration this Saturday, May 15th, so pray for many to find new life in Jesus through their ministry this weekend. 

Move Daytona isn’t the only church utilizing fitness to reach their community. Many have done it for years by building basketball courts and recreational facilities for their church to use as an outreach to their community. Organizations like Upward Sports and Victory Kids Sports help churches and church plants connect with their community through sports. Passion for Planting’s home church New Life Christian Church built the nZone sport complex several years ago as a way to serve the community and share the gospel with those who use the facilities. If you’re ever in the Chantilly, VA area, stop in for a visit. We’d love to give you a tour.

Whether you’re a gym rat or a couch potato, we hope you can see the opportunity that exists to think creatively about how to reach your community for Christ. People are hungry to be a part of something bigger than themselves and to be healthy. That’s why we challenge you to consider how your church can meet those needs and help people move closer to Jesus while caring for their physical well-being.

The post Faith & Fitness appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By TheChurch.Digital: We talk often here at THECHURCH.DIGITAL about digital-only churches, interviewing these innovative pastors that run churches that exist in digital-only space. Stories like DJ Soto and Angela Craig certainly are inspiring. But, how do you get started in planting a Digital-Only church?

Enter Stadia. We are passionate about planting multimodal (multiple models of) churches, even to the place of helping church planters start digital-only churches. Which brings us to this podcast where we talk with the first graduating class of digital-only church plants.

What is it like to start a digital-only expression of church? What are the obstacles, celebrations, stories of these churches? Let’s find out as we interview Mark Lutz, Chestly Lunday, and Christopher Monroe talking planting digital only churches through Stadia.

If you’re enjoying this episode, subscribe for free using your favorite podcast app below:

Apple Podcasts | RSS Feed | Anchor | Overcast | Spotify | Pocket Casts | Google Play

ON THE SHOW

Source: PODCAST 125: Planting a Digital Church through Stadia

The post PODCAST 125: Planting a Digital Church through Stadia appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By: Alisa Childers

Several years ago, my husband and I began attending a local Evangelical, non-denominational church, and we loved it. We cherished the sense of community we found among the loving and authentic people we met there, and the intelligent, “outside the box” pastor who led our flock with thought-provoking and insightful sermons. Sadly, the church started going off the rails theologically, and after about a year and a half, we made the difficult decision to leave. Today that church is a self-titled “Progressive Christian Community.”

Back then I had never heard of “Progressive Christianity,” and even now it is difficult to pin down what actually qualifies someone as a Progressive Christian, due to the diversity of beliefs that fall under that designation. However, there are signs—certain phrases and ideas—that seem to be consistent in Progressive circles. Here are 5 danger signs to watch for in your church:

1. There is a lowered view of the Bible

One of the main differences between Progressive Christianity and Historic Christianity is its view of the Bible. Historically, Christians have viewed the Bible as the Word of God and authoritative for our lives. Progressive Christianity generally abandons these terms, emphasizing personal belief over the biblical mandate.

Comments you might hear:

The Bible is a human book…
I disagree with the Apostle Paul on that issue…
The Bible condones immorality, so we are obligated to reject what it says in certain places…?
The Bible “contains” the word of God…

2. Feelings are emphasized over facts

In Progressive churches, personal experiences, feelings, and opinions tend to be valued above objective truth. As the Bible ceases to be viewed as God’s definitive word, what a person feels to be true becomes the ultimate authority for faith and practice.

Comments you might hear:

That Bible verse doesn’t resonate with me…
I thought homosexuality was a sin until I met and befriended some gay people…
I just can’t believe Jesus would send good people to hell…

3. Essential Christian doctrines are open for re-interpretation

Progressive author John Pavlovitz wrote, “There are no sacred cows [in Progressive Christianity]….Tradition, dogma, and doctrine are all fair game, because all pass through the hands of flawed humanity.” Progressive Christians are often open to re-defining and re-interpreting the Bible on hot-button moral issues like homosexuality and abortion, and also cardinal doctrines such as the virgin conception and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. The only sacred cow is “no sacred cows.”

Comments you might hear:

The resurrection of Jesus doesn’t have to be factual to speak truth…
The church’s historic position on sexuality is archaic and needs to be updated within a modern framework…
The idea of a literal hell is offensive to non-Christians and needs to be re-interpreted…?

4. Historic terms are re-defined

There are some Progressive Christians who say they affirm doctrines like biblical inspiration, inerrancy, and authority, but they have to do linguistic gymnastics to make those words mean what they want them to mean. I remember asking a Pastor, “Do you believe the Bible is divinely inspired?” He answered confidently, “Yes, of course!” However, I mistakenly assumed that when using the word “inspired,” we both meant the same thing. He clarified months later what he meant—that the Bible is inspired in the same way and on the same level as many other Christian books, songs, and sermons. This, of course, is not how Christians have historically understood the doctrine of divine inspiration.

Another word that tends to get a Progressive make-over is the word “love.” When plucked out of its biblical context, it becomes a catch-all term for everything non-confrontative, pleasant, and affirming.

Comments you might hear:

God wouldn’t punish sinners—He is love…
Sure, the Bible is authoritative—but we’ve misunderstood it for the first 2,000 years of church history…
It’s not our job to talk to anyone about sin—it’s our job to just love them…

5. The heart of the gospel message shifts from sin and redemption to social justice

There is no doubt that the Bible commands us to take care of the unfortunate and defend those who are oppressed. This is a very real and profoundly important part of what it means to live out our Christian faith. However, the core message of Christianity—the gospel—is that Jesus died for our sins, was buried and resurrected, and thereby reconciled us to God. This is the message that will truly bring freedom to the oppressed.

Many Progressive Christians today find the concept of God willing His Son to die on the cross to be embarrassing or even appalling. Sometimes referred to as “cosmic child abuse,” the idea of blood atonement is de-emphasized or denied altogether, with social justice and good works enthroned in its place.

Comments you might hear:

Sin doesn’t separate us from God—we are made in His image and He called us good…
God didn’t actually require a sacrifice for our sins—the first Christians picked up on the pagan practice of animal sacrifice and told the Jesus story in similar terms…
We don’t really need to preach the gospel—we just need to show love by bringing justice to the oppressed and provision to the needy…

Conclusion:

Identifying the signs is not always obvious—sometimes they are subtle and mixed with a lot of truth. Progressive Christianity can be persuasive and enticing but carried out to its logical end, it is an assault on the foundational framework of Christianity, leaving it disarmed of its saving power.

We shouldn’t be surprised to find some of these ideas infiltrating our churches. Jesus warned us, “Watch out for false prophets” who “come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15). So if you spot any of these 5 danger signs in your place of worship, it might be time to pray about finding fellowship in a more biblically faithful church community.

Recommended resources related to the topic:

Join Alisa for a book review in the Discipleship.org Collective on Tuesday, April 20 at 10am CT.
Alisa is speaking at the National Disciple Making Forum in Nashville on November 4-5, 2021.

_____________________________________________________________________

Alisa Childers is speaking at the National Disciple Making Forum in Nashville, TN on November 4-5, 2021. She is an American singer and songwriter, best known for being in the all-female Christian music group ZOEgirl. She has had a string of top ten radio singles, four studio releases, and received the Dove Award during her time with ZOEgirl. In later years, Alisa found her life-long faith deeply challenged when she started attending what would later identify as a Progressive Christian church. This challenge pushed Alisa toward Christian Apologetics. Today you can read, listen and watch Alisa’s work online as well as purchase her recently published book on Progressive Christianity titled Another Gospel.

Original Blog Source: https://www.alisachilders.com/blog/5-signs-your-church-might-be-heading-toward-progressive-christianity

The post 5 Signs Your Church Might be Heading Toward Progressive Christianity appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: 5 Signs Your Church Might be Heading Toward Progressive Christianity

The post 5 Signs Your Church Might be Heading Toward Progressive Christianity appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: PODCAST 124: Disciples Making Disciples in a Multimodal Church

The post PODCAST 124: Disciples Making Disciples in a Multimodal Church appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By Carey Nieuwhof: How’s your vision casting lately?

I noticed something recently that surprised and disappointed me: Without realizing it, a few months ago, I stopped casting vision for my team.

Which is really strange, because I’m a visionary, that’s what I do. And I’ve been leading with vision for decades.

But after one more meeting where my (amazing) team was in the weeds slugging out logistics for a new initiative we’re launching, it hit me: I haven’t cast vision for this initiative for months. As a result, we were bogged down in pedantic details that almost everyone finds frustrating.

I stopped the meeting, cast some vision, and then both personally with individual team members and later with our entire team, I apologized to them for not leading with a clear (and inspiring) vision.

Then I leaned back and asked myself “What the heck just happened? How did vision slip and I didn’t even notice it?”

Then I looked around and realized, I haven’t seen a ton of other leaders casting a lot of vision either. 

Having never led through a global pandemic/series of gigantic crises before, my conclusion is that crisis kills vision. Unless you decide it won’t.

In this post, I’ll explain how that happens and how to get it back.

Crisis kills vision, unless you decide it won’t.

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When Crisis Hits, Vision Dies and Survival and Adaptation Kick In

When crisis hits, almost every leader instinctively moves into survival mode. That’s natural and to a large extent, exactly what needs to happen.

When you have no idea what’s going to happen, you need to make sure you survive.

Part of survival is adaptation. You need to adapt to the new reality, and so you move from:

In-person services to online
Dine-in to take out
Pick up to delivery
In-person workouts to online sessions
Working in the office to working from home

If you’re reading this and still in leadership, you’ve done all that. It’s exhausting, but you made it. Congrats.

As the world opens up again, you adapt back, trying to figure out what the new reality will be and adapting to it.

Of course, that’s not the end of the road.

If you’re curious, I wrote more about the 5 kinds of leaders crisis produces here.

Whatever Happened to Innovation?

The stage after adaptation should be innovation. Innovation asks the question: What does this make possible?

And that’s what often starts to sputter at this stage of a crisis. A year in, you’ve made it. Maybe you’re even profitable or growing again, you’re adapting to whatever is next, so the incentive to change is lower.

Any success, by nature, makes you conservative. You risk less. It’s ‘working’, goes the logic, so why innovate?

Even in normal times, the more successful you are, the less willing you are to engage in the kind of risk that brings about breakthroughs.

And as a result, vision dies.

You’ve survived. You’ve adapted. You’re tweaking. But vision…is gone.

Success makes you conservative. The more successful you are, the less willing you are to engage in the kind of risk that brings about breakthroughs.

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5 Things That Aren’t Vision (And 5 Things That Are)

People tend to notice the presence of vision but not the absence of it.

As a result, you could lead well for years, build your organization on vision, then hit cruise control and it might takes months, or in some cases, years for anyone to notice, including you.

To make things clearer, here are 5 things that’s aren’t vision and how to get your vision back.

People tend to notice the presence of vision but not the absence of it.

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1. Bringing People Back

Right now, almost every leader I talk to is obsessing over bringing people back. Church leaders worry about the 20-30% that have disappeared, or getting back to where they were in 2019.

Business leaders are often worried about customer retention and loyalty.

Bringing people back isn’t vision. Moving people forward is.

Leaders who focus on moving people forward will have a much better future.

Bringing people back isn’t vision. Moving people forward is.

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2. Maintenance 

Depending on what you do (think in-person retail), the crisis may still have you scrambling to stay alive.

Scrambling is one thing, but in the long run, keeping the lights on the bank accounts in the black isn’t vision.

Maintenance isn’t vision. Your mission is vision.

Instead, start refocusing now on why you do what you do. Imagine you were starting over (which you kind of are). What’s your rallying cry? What’s the fire that burns in your belly?

Focus on that. Then tell everyone what it is and don’t stop.

Maintenance isn’t vision. Your mission is vision.

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3. Adaptation 

Adaptation isn’t vision either.

If you’ve adapted, awesome.

But the real questions are: What’s next? What’s new? What will 10x or 100x our potential?

What can we do now that will bring us disproportionate results?

In the long run, settling for adaptation will kill your innovation.

In the long run, settling for adaptation will kill your innovation.

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4. What and How 

In any meeting, there are really three questions that leaders continually deal with: what, how and why.

The best of these is why, and why is the first thing to die in a visionless organization.

That’s where I found myself in that recent meeting. I let us get bogged down in the what and how of our new initiative, which as a sole diet, is both demotivating and at times, exhausting.

WHY is the first thing to die in a visionless organization.

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If you’re swinging for the fences (which we are on this new initiative), what and how can be hard.

That’s where why comes in.

Why invigorates. Why motivates. It inspires.

Ask yourself: what’s your internal and external communication focused on? If it’s what and how, you’ve lost your vision, and perhaps your way.

Focusing on why motivates people to make a way when there is no way.

Now let’s take what and why one step further…

Focusing on why motivates people to make a way when there is no way.

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5. What You Want People To Do 

Finally, what you want people to do isn’t vision either.

Like you, I’ve heard an endless sea of retailers urge us to shop local (which I have). I’ve heard preacher after preacher say things like “Watch this” or “Don’t miss this.” Yep, I’m down for that too. And I’ve heard so many online retailers tell me to buy now. Occasionally, I do.

But the real question when it comes to vision isn’t what you want people to do.

The real task of the visionary is to focus on why it matters at all.

For a variety of reasons, it’s difficult to imagine what the world will be like in five years, or even two. Which is why why matters more now than ever.

People don’t need you to tell them what to do nearly as much as they need you to tell them why it matters.

So how do you cast vision when you can’t see ahead?

Well, imagine that Disney was vision casting for your organization.

If Disney created anything for you like this 2019 30-second commercial about a dad whose daughter is going to college, you’d have no problem inspiring people to do something without ever telling them to ‘get in here’ or ‘come back’ or ‘don’t miss this’.  (Parents, grab a tissue. You’ve been warned.)

Do you see how beautifully Disney crafted the why? Why it matters reminds you of what matters. Why shows you what’s at stake, and what you miss if you don’t get in on it.

Because of all the uncertainty crisis brings,  you may not know exactly what your organization will be doing in a year or two, but as a visionary, you do know why you’ll be doing it.

What’s underneath your what? Why does it matter? What value does it add to the people you’re serving?

Focus on that. Remind people of why you do what you do, and you’ll likely have a long future doing it.

That’s vision.

Remind people of why you do what you do, and you’ll likely have a long future doing it.

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What’s Happening With Your Vision?

How has the crisis been on your vision? What’s killing it (if that’s the case) and what’s helping you get it back?

Scroll down and leave a comment.

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3 Habits That Unintentionally Demotivate Staffu2026n And How Your Can Quickly Reverse Themnn

n

Ever notice how hard it is to have your staff and volunteers consistently performing at their best?n

It can be a burden knowing that what you do as a leader directly impacts the motivation and performance of your team. And, good or bad, itu2019s not always easy to identify the which habits do.n

Throughout my years in leadership Iu2019ve noticed 3 habits many leaders have that consistently demotivate staff. n

Access my free teaching video to find out what they are and how you can quickly reverse them to get your team members performing at their best. n

Access the free teaching video now!n

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3 Habits That Unintentionally Demotivate Staffu2026n And How Your Can Quickly Reverse Themnn

n

Ever notice how hard it is to have your staff and volunteers consistently performing at their best?n

It can be a burden knowing that what you do as a leader directly impacts the motivation and performance of your team. And, good or bad, itu2019s not always easy to identify the which habits do.n

Throughout my years in leadership Iu2019ve noticed 3 habits many leaders have that consistently demotivate staff. n

Access my free teaching video to find out what they are and how you can quickly reverse them to get your team members performing at their best. n

Access the free teaching video now!n

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The post How the Crisis Probably Killed Your Vision (And How To Get It Back) appeared first on CareyNieuwhof.com.

Source: How the Crisis Probably Killed Your Vision (And How To Get It Back)

The post How the Crisis Probably Killed Your Vision (And How To Get It Back) appeared first on Passion for Planting.

By unSeminary.com: Thanks for joining us for this week’s unSeminary podcast. Today we’re talking with church planter and lead pastor Carl Kuhl from Mosaic Christian Church in Maryland. Mosaic was planted in the fall of 2008, launching first in a movie theater, and has become one of the fastest growing churches in the country.

When planting a new church, many leaders are tempted to copy culture from other churches and then create systems of their own. In reality we need to do just the opposite. Listen in as Carl shares some ways to help your church discover its culture and stay true to it.

Copy systems and create culture. // There’s nothing wrong with borrowing from other churches that are doing something well, especially when it comes to systems, such as assimilation, discipleship, and so on. When you are planting a new church, don’t be afraid to borrow from books, conferences or other churches for your church’s system development. Culture, on the other hand, can’t be borrowed. Spend your creative energy and focus on developing your own unique culture as a church, which will be greatly influenced by you as the leader, your experiences and personality, as well as the area where you are planting. Don’t lose your culture. // When Carl planted Mosaic Christian, the goal was to be a church where open brokenness is the thing that’s celebrated above all else. When a church knows what its thing is, it can be really powerful, but you have to stick to it with confidence. Churches can get lost when they try to be something they’re not or when they try to change their culture every few years. Go on a journey as a leader and a team to explore and arrive at this idea of what your church’s culture really is. Then hold on to it and build everything around that idea.Know where you are called to lead. // When you’re a leader, even of something like a small group, you have to love the thing you lead or you won’t last there. Don’t just believe in it or agree with it. If your heart isn’t drawn to it and doesn’t love it, it may not be the place for you. We need to identify as leaders: What type of church do I want to attend? What kind of community am I drawn to? These types of questions helped direct Carl when it came to creating the culture of Mosaic Christian. Embrace the culture. // Carl and his wife wanted to create a community that was on mission, but also a place where they’d find deep friendships themselves. Because open brokenness is such a part of Mosaic Christian’s culture, Carl knew he had to model that vulnerability in his own life as well. This meant talking about areas of personal struggle from the stage while preaching so others would see his honesty about his own brokenness. How are you modeling the the aspects of your church’s culture that you are asking others to embrace?Church planters don’t all look the same. // When Carl began to pursue planting a church, he felt like he didn’t fit the mold of what a church planter “should” be. He realized that most of what we’ve heard about church planting is wrong because we place God’s abilities in a box and limit the possible impact on the kingdom as a result. It inspired Carl to write a book based on his experiences, The Contrarian’s Guide to Church Planting, which is less of a how-to book and more about letting God use the gifts and wiring He’s given you. Don’t be limited by what a spiritual gift test says you should or shouldn’t do. Rather identify the things in you that can be used and pour gas on them. Most of all, be yourself and the unique leader God created you to be.

You can learn more about Mosaic Christian Church at www.mosaicchristian.org.

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Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Red Letter Challenge

One of the best times of the year to start an all-in church series is the Sunday right after Easter. The team at Red Letter Challenge have become the 40-day church series experts…they created not only a 40-day church series, but offer unique daily challenges as well for everyone in your church to complete. It’s a fun, amazing time and many people take steps towards Jesus! Pastors, grab your free 40-day challenge book here and see what your church can do!

Source: Loving the Church You Serve with Carl Kuhl

The post Loving the Church You Serve with Carl Kuhl appeared first on Passion for Planting.

Source: Getting Our Language Right

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By Discipleship.org: We change our oil every 3,000 miles. We rotate our tires every 6,000 miles. We can check lights, fluids, and tire pressure regularly. We can even subscribe to Motor Trend.

Yet we can still run out of gas.

My guess is that if you’re receiving this newsletter, then you know how important disciple making is. It’s the church’s core mission. So, we ought to learn best disciple making practices, read up on disciple making culture, and attend workshops on making actual disciples, not just converts.

Even still, you can run out of fuel.

How? Disciple making must be fueled by solid theology.

If you don’t have a solid theology that undergirds and sustains your disciple making efforts, your disciple making will run out of fuel. “Out-of-fuel” can look like a theology which props up one’s own traditions but has stopped pursuing the way of Jesus.

Out-of-fuel can also look like a theology which veers off into theological progressivism and eventually leaves the way of Jesus behind altogether.

Theology matters. Solid theology fuels effective and faithful disciple making. Bad theology derails us from our core mission. Taking our cue from the late Dallas Willard, we are convinced that, “The gospel we preach, the gospel we uphold, and the faith we coach determines the disciple we get.”

That is why we are grateful to announce Theology Thursdays as a regular feature of the Discipleship.org Collective. Starting Thursday, April 15th at 10 a.m. CT, Theology Thursdays will be a weekly, one-hour deep dive into crucial topics of theology. Hosted by myself and Renee Sproles of Renew.org, here are some of the topics we will be exploring:

Who Is the Holy Spirit? (with special guest Dr. David Young, Author of A Grand Illusion and King Jesus and the Beauty of Obedience-Based Discipleship)What Is the Gospel? (with special guest Dr. Matthew Bates, Author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone and Gospel Allegiance)What Is Sin? (with special guest Dr. Anessa Westbrook of Harding University)How Can We Understand and Value Our Bibles? (with special guest Dr. Orpheus J. Heyward of the Renaissance Church of Christ)What Christian Convictions Are Essential? (with special guest Dr. Chad Ragsdale of Ozark Christian College)

We hope you are able to join us for Theology Thursdays as we seek to fuel disciple making with God-honoring theology.

The post Disciple Making must be Fueled by Solid Theology appeared first on Discipleship.org.

Source: Disciple Making must be Fueled by Solid Theology

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By TheChurch.Digital: Pre-COVID, very few churches were doing groups online. Now as a result of social distancing, churches had to onboard their groups very quickly to digital methods. Interestingly though, as we’re coming out of the COVID and getting back to the building, some churches report up to 90% of their groups are staying online.

So, since our groups are staying Phygital, let’s talk about how to give our groups purpose. In a recent webinar I (Jeff) did with Gloo we talked specifically about strategies to get our groups on mission… multiplying…

So many challenges for 2021’s church. So many opportunities for ministry not of large masses, but of smaller individuals. This is the heart behind this conversation to get our Phygital Groups to Multiply.

If you’re enjoying this episode, subscribe for free using your favorite podcast app below:

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ON THE SHOW

Source: PODCAST 119: Phygital Groups that Multiply

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