Mark Waltz | ...Because People Matter

Cry of the Soul on Good Friday

As I've reflected on Good Friday this morning, I keep going over the angst for freedom my wife, Laura, captured in a poem she recently penned. With her permission I'm sharing it with you. It is the cry of the soul in bondage, and the reason we look forward to Easter. Thank you, Love, for sharing your gift.

CRY FOR FREEDOM

The heart has no ears to hear freedom

Yet it’s ransacked inhabitants demand liberty

In search of existence without due ransom.

From the walls of frailty come silent screams of rebellion

Laced with the double-edged sword of survival.

The flailing dance secretes the disengaged limbs of nonconformity

And exorcises them to their ultimatum of life.

Picking up the pieces of their determined autonomy

The search for attachment is rewarded

In mis-fitted rituals of independence and cohesion.

Alas! The soul is submerged in the serene solace of individualism,

Never to face the evils of compliance again.

Good Friday. Every Day.

From the archives...June 2005

This Friday a bunch of us will gather in church buildings to observe Christ's death. Good Friday. In our brief half hour service at noon at Granger Community Church, we'll pause to reflect on the Lord's Supper. It'll be a poignant and sacred moment.

Rightly so, the church, years ago, began to practice the sacrament of communion corporately as they gathered for services. Now, this sacred meal is shared in local churches weekly, monthly, quarterly, on special occasions throughout the year, not just on Good Friday. Some use wafers, others loaves of bread. Some us Welch's grape juice, others drink wine from a common cup.

But, I sometimes wonder, what if Jesus didn't just foresee the corporate sacrament? What if Jesus looked at his disciples over a meal they'd shared often and suggested, "Every time you do this, that is, every time you eat together, every time you share bread and drink wine, remember me."

What if Jesus really hoped that two, three, four times a day we'd pick up a sandwich and remember? What if Jesus really hoped that several times a day, we'd "break bread" with a friend, a family member, a co-worker and we'd remember? Remember him. Often, every day, throughout the day. What if every time we talked with our mouth half full to someone across the table, we made eye contact and remembered?

What if we remembered Jesus and the way he loved people, as we sat with other people over a meal? What if we remembered Jesus and the way he sacrificed for people, as we hoped this time spent over a meal would be win somewhere down the road? What if we remembered Jesus and the great price he paid for the relational connection we share over this meal?

What if?

I still look forward to the corporate sacrament of the Lord's Supper at our church. I believe it's a practice that honors him and inspires us. But since I eat every day, I want to build a habit of celebrating Jesus every time I taste a food I love, every time my thirst is quenched by drink.

Remember.

​

We Respect You, So We'll Let You Pay

We’ve done some informal surveys and discovered that when people decide to go to church for the first time, or they decide to go to church again after years of not attending anywhere, they often do so with a fair amount of fear. They have not-so-fond memories, or they’ve heard stuff through pop media, and they enter our church—or any church—with a fair amount of hesitation, even fear.

• How will I know where to go?
• Will they ask for my money?
• How will I know when to sit, stand, or kneel?
• Will I be the only “normal” person there?

We want every person who decides to attend our church—especially those filled with fear and apprehension—to feel “at home," welcome and accepted. We want them to know we expected them; we’ve prepared for them.

Remember: we want our guests to feel “at home.” We want them to experience “familiar.” We want them to be able to drop guards and fears that keep them from experiencing the wonder of God’s love through the message of Jesus Christ. 

So, consider this: many of our guests—our focused audience—walk into Starbucks (or the coffee shop of their choice), order and pay for their own coffee/drink 3-7 times per week, or more. They know it. It’s familiar. They’ve “been here before.”

When a guest walks into our church they smell the aroma of coffee, they see a “Starbucks-esque” cafe... and they know exactly what to do. It’s easy, it’s familiar... they feel at home. The questions of “what to do when” are suspended for the moment. Once the edge is off there’s space for taking the place in, getting acclimated, even sharing a conversation.

It’s a crazy social phenomenon: when a guest—or anyone—gets a 12-ounce cup of anything in their hand, they’re more relaxed. They have something to do with their hands. Particularly, if others in that space are also enjoying a beverage, they feel “normal.” Six foot, three inch, burly men can hide behind a cup of coffee or a bottle of water!

Fears subside. Our guest is experiencing a social norm for themselves in our environment. There’s a sense that they’ve “been here before.”

Note this reality: our guests, your guests, have paid for their own coffee every time they're in a coffee shop. They expect to pay their own way. But is it right to charge guests for their beverage in churchworld?

Many churches don't. It's free. This isn't an indictment on churches who provide free coffee and pastries. But, please if you do - brew quality coffee, and please don't serve day-old, sale-priced danishes. It reflects poorly on Jesus and insults your people. 

Most growing churches discover that "free" was at one time an affordable offering. But as they've grown, they've learned that the hundreds and thousands of dollars spent on "free" isn't free. Everythying costs something. Someone always pays. 

At Granger we respect our guests enough to let them pay for their coffee (and their pop, and cookie, and sandwich). Why? Because to many people, free = cheap; especially from a church. Sadly, it's often true. Churches brew crappy coffee and give it away. We should do better than that. We think it's helpful to brew quality product and let our guests pay - like they do anywhere else. 

But, we're not "anywhere else," you insist.

True. But at Granger we don't provide a coffee option because our members, "insiders," need coffee. We provide a cafe experience for the sole benefit of creating an "I've been here before" familiar environment. We do so to put our guests at ease. We charge them so they never feel like they're getting a "hand-out" from "those church people."

By the way - a side benefit sees all proceeds above expenses going right back into ministry. Every person - including "insiders" - gets the privilege of resourcing ongoing service to the community through our ministry. 

Remember. We want to meet people right where they are.We want to create an experience where people feel accepted, welcomed and respected. We want people to drop their guard, relax their fears and be open to the message of God's grace.

"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some." - Paul,  1 Corinthians 9:22 

article adapted from How to Wow Your Church Guests: 101 Ways to Make a Meaningful First Impression | Group Publishing, 2012 

Learn more about The Eatery | Reads & Things and GCC's 2016 Vision 

Spoiler Alert. Kinda.

I promise: If you've not seen Oz: The Great and Powerful yet, don't worry, I won't reveal anything here. No spoiler alert about the movie. 

But, I did spoil the entire movie for my family last week. No, really. Spoiled it.

My wife, Laura, and our daughter, Olivia, had especially been looking forward to seeing the movie, so Wonder Dad that I am, I left the office early one day last week and surprised the fam with a trip to the theater. Liv's boyfriend, Jacob, was home for spring break too, and being the caring, supportive boyfriend he is, he eagerly celebrated the family excursion (such a smart young man).

I'd done my homework and locked in the time sequencing. Leave the office by 2:30. Leave home by 3:15. Be in the theater for ten minutes of previews by 3:45. Perfect. 

We were close. Really close. But after concessions and a restroom stop it was 3:50 before Laura and I sat to save seats for our kiddos who were still finishing up the pit stop. 

Strange. Seemed like the movie was already playing. Zipped right through the perpetual previews. Missed 'em all. Well, that's never happened. Five minutes from "show time" and the previews are over and the feature film is rolling. 

Ah, the kids. Defying all the cell phone rules (which we'd missed this time), Laura flashed her phone light to guide them to our seats. As Liv sat down she whispered, "Is this the end of the movie?"

That's it! I thought, we're about to roll back into a significant flashback. Good. We didn't miss that much! 

But over the next few minutes... no flashback. At all. This really did look like an ending. THE ending. 

Spoiler. No alert. No notice. It WAS the end.

"Quick! Let's go! If we're in here at the very, very, credits-are-rolling end, we'll not get back in the theater for the next show."

Frustrated we stepped out into the lighted hallway and looked at our ticket stubs. 4:45pm. 

We looked up at Theater 2's scrolling marque: 1:45pm.

Then I remembered: Oh, yeah. It was 4:45, not 3:45. Crap.

It was the end. The end of the movie. The end of my Wonder Dad reign. 

The mystery that had lingered from the movie trailer was now revealed. Sixty-second trailer. Three-minute movie ending. Over. Done. 

Or was it? I insisted that while we knew the end, we still didn't know the "how" leading up to the end. Surely, we could still enjoy the movie (Yes, I was scrambling to redeem what I could of my dad-self.).

So we bought more concessions, refilled our drinks and sorted through the disappointment while we waited for the 4:45pm showing. 

Turns out, in life, we do know the ending. Jesus is Lord. He is the ultimate, victorious King. 

The credits haven't rolled, but we've gotten a peak at how this whole thing winds up. Redemption and restoration will be the final chapter on a story that has no end. 

Of course, this Story isn't enjoyed from a comfortable spectator seat. This Story requires me to get out of my seat, actively engaging my unique, God-created role. 

So, I'll treat today like a new beginning. I'll enter the Story, invited by the Author, and engage my part. I don't have to know all the details yet. The joy of the moment isn't spoiled by the revealed ending. The joy is in the process. The fullness is in the experience. 

You in?

What Are You Trying to Say?

While our daughter, Liv, and her boyfriend, Jacob, were home from college for spring break this past week, we made a rare stop at McDonald's. While chatting between salty bites of fries, I read aloud the little quippy graphics on the paper bag intended to distract me from what was happening to my biological system as I downed a couple double cheeseburgers lathered in extra ketchup.

This message didn't make my burger taste any better. I don't want to be crude, but honestly, the phrase "post-consumer" didn't help me appreciate the "green consciousness" of the fast food giant. I immediately thought about what my post-consumer experience was going to be, and the thought of this paper as recycled fiber was, well, disturbing. "Recycled" would have been enough.

As my eyes scanned the reused fiber bag I laughed out loud at the effort made to help me feel better about my food choice. The fries I was drowning in ketchup (Yeah, I suppose I hoped the acidic ketchup would help kill off the coma-inducing fat before I got into my vehicle to drive away.) were - wait for it - "all-natural!" As in real food, a healthy vegetable choice. As opposed, of course, to semi-natural potatoes. What would that be? Boxed, flake, instant potatoes? Maybe. Still, "all natural" didn't make this meal any healthier. And just what is a "select variety?" Isn't that an oxymoron? 

Finally, the invitation to be a McDonald's cook was laid out with a curious creation of vocabulary: "Hamburgerology." Tell me if I've missed anything? Cooking a burger must go something like this: Remove frozen meat patty from freezer. Throw the icy disc onto an already grease-soaked grill. Wait the few minutes for new grease to form, flip the patty over. Place on bun. I think I just graduated. I don't know that a high school student reads this invitation and thinks: "Resume development." 

Is it helpful that McDonald's uses recycled paper products? Certainly. 

Is it good that the company uses real pototoes. I think so.

Has McDonald's provided employment for thousands of high school students as their first job; made it possible for young parents to work a second job to support their family; and given value to thousands of seniors who want to engage people and serve their community? Yes, yes, yes.

However, in an attempt to re-image themselves with the public, McDonald's has thrown a dozen graphics on their food bags targeting multiple audiences and convincing no one. If, in reality, these messages are intended to bring new customers into their stores or increase the frequency of the occasional diner, another communication vehicle is needed. After all, the only way you read these messages is to purchase their food. As in - already be a customer. Even a reluctant one.

I'll probably go back to McDonald's in another six months. But it won't be for the wonderful potatoes or the "go green" factor. I'll be hungry and in a hurry, and I'll grab a burger. 

Hmm. Now, that might be an honest marketing angle focused on the actual interest and need of the customer. Hungry? In a hurry? We're your food stop.

Now, you knew this was coming. Think about your church. Think about your business or non-profit:

• What is your church or organization communicating?
• Who is your audience? 
• What are you trying to say? Are you set on communicating image? Or are you attempting to listen to your audience?
• Is your message saying what you think you're saying? How do you know? How will you find out?

For help answering these questions and more, check out Kem Meyer's Less Clutter, Less Noise.

OUR ROAD Film Screenings Begin Tonight

I've had the opportunity to view this film several times now. It has not grown old. It's not losing it's impact on me. These stories are our stories. These stories are the stories of the Gospel, of the Good News. These stories lift my story to the surface and help me celebrate...and consider God's story.

Thanks again to the people of GCC - in the region as well as several of our online friends across the country - who have agreed to open your home for screening parties (over 200!)! 

Nearly 800 people have already signed up to attend a screening. 

There's still time. Parties are offered starting this evening through March 23. 

Find a party near you and sign-up here.

Max on Isolation

The following article is written by Max Kerr, a new friend at GCC who has figured out how to come out of isolation and connect with people. He says it well. Enjoy.

You can sit among thousands and still feel alone.

It happens every weekend at GCC.

It’s amazing how easy it is to feel alone in a crowd. Have you ever felt this way? I’ve been there.

Sometimes it’s nice to walk into a church where you are known by no one, because you can truly recharge without any responsibility. If you’ve been pouring your life into others throughout the week this is something you might need.

I can identify with that. I totally understand the need for a boost. I love coming to Granger Community Church and being filled up through the weekend services.

It’s simply the nature of a large church, like the Granger Campus, that people can slip in and out anonymously. That’s not good or bad, it just is.

The problem is when that’s the extent of my church experience – when it begins and ends with a weekend service.

CHURCH ATTENDEES ANONYMOUS It’s easy to keep your distance. It’s easy to stay uninvolved. It’s easy to avoid people even when you’re sitting among 2,000 of them.

You figure someone else will get the job done. After all, Granger is huge. You might think, “They don’t need my help.”

Well that’s a lie. And it isn’t what God has in mind for us.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10

Yes, church is a time for you and I to be poured into. We need that. GCC is very good at bringing some of up there down here.

But at some point I have to help with the feeding. At some point I must stop merely going to church, and be the church.

This was a tension I dealt with for a couple of months after I began attending GCC. I felt the call of Christ to get involved. I knew I couldn’t merely spectate anymore.

It was time to jump in.

SWIMMING OUT OF THE SHALLOW END I felt the pull to get involved for awhile. Then GCC began a big volunteer push.

It was at this point that I officially ran out of excuses.

Honestly, I couldn’t make myself visit the volunteer tables after service the first weekend. Fear held me back. I have a friend (I know, right?) who likes to say “Fear is a lie.” This is a good quote that he probably stole from someone.

Thank God for second chances and second volunteer weekends. They go hand in hand. And do you know what happened when I marshalled the courage (after my wife pushed me) to approach the volunteer tables that second weekend?

Absolutely nothing awful.

I didn’t get eaten by a bear or slapped in the face with a raw marlin. It wasn’t that bad. Fast forward to now.

I volunteer with the communications department nearly every week.

•  
  • I’ve been involved in multiple awesome projects.
  • I now know a bunch of people at Granger and they’re all fantastic.
  • I’d estimate I know about 1000% more people than when I began attending.
  • Seriously.

 As my wife likes to say, “We wouldn’t know anyone at Granger if it weren’t for you.” That’s not true. Now we know EVERYONE.

TURN IN YOUR CRUTCH, PLEASE So if you aren’t volunteering or getting more connected, why not? What’s holding you back?

Is it fear? Is it time? What are your excuses?

Here’s something to think about.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” – Matthew 25: 35-36

The church is everywhere its people are. You can be anywhere and serve Jesus. Do so with some of the folks from Granger Community Church. Get connected!

You just have to get started.

1. Visit the volunteer page.

2. Pick something.

3. Take action and get in touch with someone.

Yep. That’s pretty much it.

You can hold babies, clean floors, donate food and clothing, do improv, play an instrument at services, visit the sick, greet people at events, and much more.

Not ready to volunteer?

Join a Bible study or a small group. Watch Open Road at someone’s house you’ve never met. Participate in a workshop like Beyond I Do. Where there was once just a crowd there will now be connections.

Do something outside of your comfort zone. You won’t regret it. You’ll meet so many awesome loving people you won’t know what to do.

You might even meet me.

Start connecting.

Hatching This Easter.

We're getting ready. We're already meeting Sunday mornings.

We are saving you a seat, but you'll want to be early on Easter. 10:30am Central.

Bring a friend. Or two. Or three.

Convenient for Who?

This is an ink pen. Its base is wrapped with a hair tie. Can you see what's bound in the hair tie? Yes. That's human hair. Hair that was held by the tie before it was wound around this pen. 

Convenient, I suppose. Finished with it in your hair, just wrap it around the pen you're using until you need it in your hair again. To each his - or her - own. 

Unless the person using the hair tie is a restaurant server and she hands her pen to her customer to sign their bill. 

That customer was me. Convenient for her. Disgusting for me. I dropped - maybe I threw - the pen on the table and asked my wife, Laura, for hand sanitizer and a pen. Gross.

It's easy to live in Convenience World. We don't intend to impede on anyone else. We just don't think. 

This was just a pen. But, think about the conveniences we hang on to, maybe insist on, without thinking how it impacts someone else. Say...your church guest or your neighbor.

• It's convenient to park in the main lot closest to the door. You're serving after all! And you must be on time (It would have been inconvenient to leave earlier.). However that convenient parking spot could have been a guest's easy to find spot.
• It's convenient to find my friends and catch up. But if that's all I do, I miss the opportunity to welcome and engage someone new to our church.
• It's convenient to rush out of my neighborhood and just wave to my neighbors. But I may be missing relationship and a chance to communicate care with my time.
• It's convenient to ignore the turn signal on the car next to me and not slow down to let the driver in front of me. But, it might be a small way to defer, to care, to be second.

How is your convenience creating a not-so-great experience for someone else?

Irresistible.

It's not a new word. But for me, it kinda is. 

I've had the privilege of partnering with the lead team of Oakhills Church in San Antonio over the past several months. My friend, Gerry True, is a member of that team. I've literally been blessed to work most closely with Gerry as Oakhills continues to take steps to see every person engaged, belonging, being discipled and making disciples, and being the church right where they are throughout the greater San Antonio community.

Gerry began using this word, irresistible, with me over the past month. He's dreaming and working with the teams of Oakhills to be just that: irresistable. 

What is it to be irresistible? 

I tell my wife often that she's irresistible. That makes her blush and smile. After 30+ years of marriage I'm still crazy attracted to my wife. I'm in love with her... and I love her. As deeply as our love has matured, I'm still captivated by her beauty and person.

As you read this it probably doesn't affect you the same way as it does her. But, truth be told irresistibility has largely taken on a sexy, provocative meaning in our culture. But is that all there is to being irristable?

Our senior pastor, Mark Beeson, has often observed, "It has taken the church 2,000 years to make Jesus Christ, the most winsome Person who ever lived, boring!" Truth is, Jesus is irresistible. His love, his grace, his acceptance of our broken selves is flat-out irresistible.

Gerry asked me:

• How do we make our environments irresistible?
• How do we make our church irresistible?
• How do we make our message before the message irresistible?
• How do we make our teams irresistible?
• How do we make our own lives irresistible?

This past weekend I posed the question to our guest services team at our Granger campus: How will you create an irresistible environment this weekend? How will you behave in a way that is irresistible? 

What do you think? What does irresistability look like in your church? What could it look like?

Leaders in Our Multisite Vision

This past weekend at our Granger campus I had the distinct privilege of introducing our multisite campus pastors, Gene Troyer and his wife, Brenda and Nyke Gatlin and his wife, Nichole. What a hoot! I introduced Nyke and Nichole and their family on my blog some time ago and introduced Gene and Brenda to our Elkhart people here. 

Please join me in praying for...

• each of our pastors and their families. Pray for their marriages - that they will be infused with joy, a deep sense of partnership and unwavering commitment. Pray for their children as they follow Jesus in their parents' footprints.
• Gene and Nyke as they lead. That they'll do so with clear focus on our shared 2016 Vision. Pray they will discern best from better and great from good. Pray they'll understand the unique opportunities in their respective locations - to influence leaders, impact culture and transform their communities with the love of Jesus.
• our people - the Church - that they will continue to be the church where they are. Pray for our people as they step up to love their communities, whether it's a coat drive to care for school kids or a food drop to feed the hungry or partnerships in art culture.
• a facility in LaPorte that will accomodate our kids' ministry, provide seating for at least 300 adults per service with ample on-site parking. That we'll identify, fund and occupy this space within a very short time - even just a few weeks!

I'm thanking God for what he's doing - not merely putting up facilities - but building his church, around his mission through a clear and compelling vision. Gene and Nyke are the right men to pastor our people, to lead with confidence and help us raise the B.A.R. for the sake of Jesus and the people who matter to him!

If you live anywhere between South Bend and Michigan City and you're even a little bit curious about how you might add value to our new launch in LaPorte join Nyke for one of two brief info meetings this coming weekend at the Granger campus in the lower level Great Room...

• Saturday, November 17, 6:30pm  (Eastern) OR
• Sunday, November 18, 11:00am (Eastern)

And if you live in, near or around Elkhart, check out GCC-Elkhart at 2701 E. Bristol Street...

• Saturdays, 7:30pm
• Sundays, 9:30 and 11:30am

Pick a campus. Join the vision. Now is the time!

By the way - follow Gene here and here. Keep up with Nyke here and here.

All for the Cause

Justin Moyer, Gene Troyer, & Loren Sloat

Pictured here with our GCC-Elkhart campus pastor, Gene Troyer, are two of the most dedicated men I know. I snapped this pic with my phone last weekend just prior to our baptism service. Indulge me as I unpack this quick but significant story. 

A year ago we didn't have a Saturday evening service in Elkhart. A year ago a young couple asked to be married in our Elkhart auditorium on a Saturday afternoon. Of course, we said, let's celebrate your wedding there! We did forecast that they'd need to do an early afternoon ceremony because we anticipated we may be offering a Saturday service by that time. Indeed we have offered a Saturday evening service for the past month now.

Then, several months ago we scheduled an all-church, every campus, all services baptism weekend - on October 6/7. With a Saturday service in Elkhart... with a wedding scheduled. 

Our challenge? Wrap up wedding pictures and set for the 7:30pm service by 4pm. Between 4pm and 7pm we needed to set up a portable baptistry, fill it and heat it. Impossible. 

Enter Loren and Justin. Impossible was only a challenge for them. 

Using a clean fertilizer tank, they filled it at Justin's shop and heated it on a trailer beginning on Friday. On Saturday they hauled the warm water to our campus, set up the baptistry, and syphoned the warm water into it. It was ready before 6:30pm. And the water was 90 degrees.

When they committed to this plan they didn't know if we would have one, five or no one being baptized on Saturday evening. But, they couldn't imagine asking anyone to enter cold water for their baptism. Believe me, Adam was grateful for warm water Saturday evening!

Of course, Justin and Loren stayed to empty and collapse the baptistry. Joyful, content that they had leveraged their time, ingenuity and heart for the Kingdom. Thank you, gentlemen. We're all so grateful!

Of course, they represent the scores of volunteers who make ministry happen at GCC-Elkhart. Men and women like Dave, Linda, Denny, Frank, Dennis, Becky, Gary, Melissa and others who maintain the lawn, set fresh flowers, repair, clean and honor God with their time and excellence. People like Emily, Sherry, Carl, Zena, Barbara, Jim and Judy and many more who create a welcoming space and offer a warm cup of coffee. Friends like Brad, Kim, Joel, Chad, Judy, Chris, Becky and others who share the love of Jesus with our kids. The list goes on and on. Willing men, women and students who offer up their time and talent to point to Jesus and value people.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17 

Going Public.

This weekend at Granger Community Church we'll celebrate God's grace with dozens of men, women and students. Scores will enter the waters of baptism to proclaim not just their acknowledgement of God's grace in their lives, but to go public with their resolve as a disciple of Jesus. Using the words of Kary Oberbrunner, they are committing to...

• following Jesus with their whole life - everything - including their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
• being formed into Jesus' likeness. 
• being transformed and then transforming culture.
• living in the world as Jesus did (and does).
• being the church, the incarnation of Jesus...right where they are, wherever they are.
• learning to embody the Word to others.
• living as the hands and feet of Jesus in this world.
• seeing people as people, not projects to convert.

                                                                       (from Kary's book: CALLED: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be)

Every service this weekend is an opportunity to refresh our own commitment to being a disciple of Jesus.

• Elkhart: Saturday, 7:30pm; Sunday, 9:30 & 11:30am
• Granger: Saturday, 5:00 & 7:00pm; Sunday, 9:30 & 11:30pm

Haven't signed up yet? There's still time. Go here for all the details, choose a service time and we'll meet you in the water this weekend!

Already proclaimed your trust in Jesus through baptism? Pray for those who've committed to go public and for those who are still deciding. Invite someone to attend with you. Come prepared to celebrate and encourage the growing family called Granger Community Church.

Here's a recap of our baptism weekend this past Easter. Enjoy!

Spiritual, Not Religious

This past weekend my friend and our founding pastor, Mark Beeson, observed that many use religion to try to get to God. Practicing rituals, saying prayers, keeping rules - all an attempt to be good enough. But being good enough isn't the point. We can't be. We won't be. All that can be done, has been done. Jesus has "done" it, so we don't have to "do." Grace, God's grace alone is our hope and salvation. (Watch the entire message/service here.)

Another friend, Scott Schofield, shared this article by Alan Miller posted in CNN's religion section. Miller's postulation is that today's youthful generation touts: "I'm spiritual, but I'm not religious." He observes that they claim an individual spiritual experience, rejecting institutional religion. His take? By doing so they take little responsibility, make few commitments and render little help to actually improve our world. 

To flip his notion, we are to believe that a mere return to institutional religious experience will position spirituality in it's rightful place - in religion. Really?

Does religion get in the way of true spirituality? Or is true spirituality found in a religious context? 

I accept that many have been turned off to religious institutions. After all religious institutions have killed, abused, turned God into a personal, plastic Genie, promising he'll make our lives peachy and whole. Miller's right: too many churches teach a "God wants you happy, successful and beautiful" kind of message. I'm turned off to that disappointing religious institution too. 

A return to religion either has us working "be good enough" formulas of performance or worshiping a "be happy" God who indulges our consumer "me first" entitlement. Neither of those seems right.

Religion can't be the answer. The institution can't define spirituality. 

I think Miller has a point: (my paraphrase here) Rejecting religion for an impotent personal spirituality isn't an answer. You've traded worthless for worthless. 

There's another answer.

• The Church isn't an institution. She is the Body of Christ where family is experienced. 
• The Church is not a building, it's a movement. 
• It's not a collection of beliefs and rules, it's a collection of Jesus-believers and followers. 
• It's not an assimilation machine, it's an experience of relationships that call God's designed best out of each of us and infuses a common vision worth giving our lives to.

It's what our 2016Vision is all about: the Church (both religion and spirituality) reimagined. We're not reinventing Church. That's not up to us. We're merely trying to recapture what Jesus started. Which wasn't a new religion. He started the Church. And it starts with personal relationship with him that fuels life-giving relationships with everyone around us.

As to Miller's assertion that we've got it wrong: I must admit, I'm not religious, I am spiritual. But that's not because I'm better. It's just that everyone is spiritual. Everyone. It's our created being. 

I would say this: I'm thankful my identity is found and experienced in Jesus alone. And that makes me part of his global and eternal family. I need the bigger group of believers calling me forward. I want to be part of the bigger movement, part of Something bigger than me, so my life really counts.

I must say, Mr. Miller, you got me thinking. Want more reading that will make you think... and rethink church? Check out Missional Moves (here or here or here) by my friends Rob Wegner and Jack Magruder. Get ready to reject religion and have spirituality redefined.

Meet GCC-Elkhart's New Pastor

Gene & Brenda Troyer

Last weekend Mark Beeson and I introduced Gene Troyer as our new pastor at our Elkhart campus.(Did you miss the announcement last weekend? - check it out here.) This is an exciting fresh chapter for Granger Community Church, and particularly GCC-Elkhart! Gene and Brenda have been well received already. As our founding pastor, Mark Beeson, delivered the good news of salvation this weekend, it was a privilege to share the stage with Gene and experience his shepherd heart for our people. Gene loves Jesus and is passionate about seeing people who matter to him experience his grace. 

Gene and Brenda just celebrated 24 years of marriage and are the proud parents of Cody (Bethel college senior) and Morgan (Northridge HS senior). Gene and Brenda are natives of the Elkhart/Goshen area with a broad network of leadership, community involvement and influence. Their priority of enriching their marriage and nurturing their kids is apparent with a cursory glance at their Facebook and Twitter timelines (check them Gene's FB here, Twitter here; Brenda's FB here, Twitter here). 

Gene is a strategic, goal-tackling leader with a shepherding heart for people. He is a visionary, seeing what can be and what it will take to make it so. He's eager to see our campus and our surrounding neighborhood activated with Jesus at the center. He's a team player, calling out the best in leaders and motivating teams. He's the right leader for our campus. He's a faithful friend, a trusted confidant and a brother in Jesus. 

I'll be joining Gene this coming weekend for our baptism celebration in each service in Elkhart: Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 9:30am and 11:30am. I'm looking forward to assisting Gene in the water!

Don't sit on the sidelines, waiting to see what Gene will do. Our vision is clear. Our approach is simple: we're a team. The vision calls for each of us to step up and bring our significance to the game. Play like a champion and check out these opportunities to connect and grow:

• James Bible Study. Follow the link here and explore options for groups in your area or join other Elkhart peeps on Monday nights at the Granger campus. These short 8 weeks, studying 5 brief chapters will help you develop new friendships and have clarity about living on mission with Jesus. 
• Volunteer. Join our children's team, serving on Saturday evenings or Sunday mornings. Check out guest services, facility care or arts opportunities. Greet guests, maintain a prestine environment or sing, play or provide technical arts support to our worship experience. Check out volunteer opportunities here. 

Gene is on board. Are you?

GCC-Elkhart's Next Big Step

This is big. This is big and exciting. This is critical.

This is big, exciting and critical to the next chapter of our 2016Vision through GCC-Elkhart. Watch this...

Choose a Slogan that Motivates: Your Audience AND Your Team

Delta's current slogan is "Keep Climbing." I don't know what that means. After all, that's what I want any airline to do: keep me in the air. Their slogan doesn't distinguish them from any other airline. Their slogan doesn't promise anything related to my experience and the people who'll deliver that experience.

I haven't had many awesome experiences with Delta in the past couple years. I did hear a positive story recently about Delta. One. But my experiences, not so much.

What's been disappointing has not been the flight. Those have been fine. The disappointments have always been about people. Customer service. Inflexible policy. No communication when it would have been helpful. No smile. No eye contact. No sense that a customer service rep enjoyed their job or liked people. More than not, these kinds of interactions (or lack of) sum up my Delta travel experiences.

Delta's slogan from 1980 was: "Airlines are the same. Only people make the difference." I wasn't flying much then to know if their service matched their slogan, but it seems more focused and promising to me.

I must add: my wife, Laura, and I experienced some friendly people in flight today. I even got extra peanuts. It was really just one associate at our connection gate who apparently had given too many seat assignments and the task became routine. She didn't speak to me, smile, thank me or look at me much. She just did her task. Customer service may not have been her job. It's unfortunate. One team member in one encounter adds to the disappointment previously...and so it piles.

There may be a slogan there somewhere.

What message are you sending?

Guest Services Training Now Available on Video

With the help and encouragement of my friend, Kim Volheim, and the expertise of Ben Sanders and company with BXFilms, I recently completed a video teaching that apparently many have asked for over the past few years. This is not the complete 6-hour Guest Services/First Impressions training that I teach, but it is packed with many of the best practices from that workshop.

WiredChurches is now making this training tool available for other churches. My hope is that these short training videos can be used as stand-alone resources to train your teams or used to supplement your local training program. Here's a brief synopisis of each element:

• Section 1: People Matter (Time: 21:30)
  • How do you meet people right where they are? 
  • How do you prepare before you serve so your serve is genuine?
  • How can your own experiences prepare you to communicate athentic value and care for others?

• Section 2: Your Serve Matters (Time: 30:46)
  • How do you navigate the tension between the values of experiencing community with teammates and welcoming new guests?
  • What if you threw out team labels for the sake of one single focus?
  • What rules will kill your serve to new quests? 
  • How do you create your own best practices?

• Section 3: Team Matters (Time: 35:20)
  • What does empowerment really look like?
  • What's the trick to recruitment?
  • How do you develop community on your team when the task has to be done?
  • How do stories impact the power of your team's serve?

Order your down-loadable video here.

Thanks again, Kim, Ben and the entire WiredChurches.com for your work to make this resource available.

2012 Global Leadership Summit: Bill Hybels - 2

All photos and fact blocks courtesy Willow Creek Association: willowcreek.com

Some people never hear the final talk. They miss the critical nature of the last word. I have a wedding rehearsal to lead at 7pm and dinner would be nice before that, but this is where I am - in the last session of the Summit. There's a word or two for me. I'm listening:

•  Bill's take on the local church for the first 18 years of his life was simply "hopeless." Too many of us grew up hoping the local church wouldn't do more damage to the name of God among people who needed to know how he loved them.
• But when the local church is led by the Holy Spirit, the character of Jesus, the Love of the Father... as was the Acts 2 church, it is the hope of the world.
• Our confidence in the local church is found in Matthew 16:18: Jesus is building the local church and He'll see that the gates of hell do not, cannot prevail against it.

I'm taking these questions with me. 

• If it's true that every child, every individual needs an intersection of a fired-up Christ-follower from a fired-up local church to present hope that changes the composition his/her heart.
  • Who is the fired-up Christ-follower who will intersect the life of my neighbor? The clerk at Meijer? The kid who goes home to an empty house? 
  • What's my role as a leader in the local church - Granger Community Church - to equip every person to pursue Jesus radically, to give their lives as fired-up followers of Jesus who'll intersect their neighbors, the Meijer clerk, the kid going home to an empty house?
• Do I fully trust that this is Jesus' church? 

Maybe you've read the questions I'm asking after each session of this Global Leadership Summit and thinking, "Why aren't you more certain about what you believe?" "Are you really this messed up?" Fair enough. Maybe. Truth is, I don't want to be guilty of assuming I know my own heart. I don't want to presume to know my own motivation. I don't want to ignore the power of careful evaluation. 

That's what this Summit has been about. Not merely taking a few notes. Not finding what affirms me. These two days are about recalibrating, asking tough questions and allowing the Holy Spirit to awaken, to challenge, and to transform me. So the hard work happens following these two daays. The hard work comes over the next several weeks as I journal, pray and respond to the work of the Holy Spirit.

I hope you'll join me. 

2012 Global Leadership Summit: Geoffrey Canada

All photos and fact blocks courtesy Willow Creek Association: willowcreek.com

Geoffrey isn't pastoring a church, but he is leading Kingdom work. It represents the kind of work our 2016Vision challenges us to engage: to be the Church where we are; to love our community where they are. I grabbed this today: 

•  Geoffrey's perspective on our responsibility for others was clarified in his opening comment: "We have allowed..." 
• While they're currently serving a 100-block area in Harlem, Canada's first step was one block. Then two. Then three.
• It is not "exceptional" that Harlem Children's Zone provides medical, dental and recreational services. Geoffrey noted: "It is exceptional that there are people in our country who think providing those services is exceptional."
• Their goal is not to see kids miraculously survive Harlem and become successes; their goal is to see the community so changed that kids have the same opportunity and probability for success that exists in the "best" communities across the country.
• Ultimately the Zone first failed. Geoff resisted the temptation to hide, to scale back the vision, to set lower expectations. 
• It's easy to look at staff and forget who we're working for. We build loyalties to each other, when the people we're serving are our people... the kids, the students, our families. We tend to give a staffer or a volunteer leader another chance... to change, to improve, while the people we're serving don't get another chance. We have to know when to cut people loose.
• Using different langauge, Geoffrey said what Mark Beeson often reminds us of: "You're staff hat, your leadership hat, your Christ-follower hat never comes off. Never."

I'm wondering: 

•  Do we say we're risk-takers while doing everything possible to ensure success? Only taking steps when success is guaranteed?
• If we fail, do we back off? Consider it a bad plan, wrong timing, too big a vision or do we, will we resurrect the big hairy audacious goal and go for it again?
• Do I, do we, fundamentally believe that every person has worth and is capable of greatness? Do I, do we, fundamentally believe that people matter?

2012 Global Leadership Summit: John Ortberg

All photos and fact blocks courtesy Willow Creek Association: willowcreek.com

I like John a lot. Not just because he wrote the forward for my second book, which he did (Although, I'm still convinced he must have thought he was writing a forward for that other Mark from Granger Community - our founding pastor, Mark Beeson, when he agree to include his craft-full writing inside my binding.). I appreciate John's insight. His grasp on emotional, intellectual, spiritual, physical, mental... all of is, of us, as one package. It's all spiritual...and it's all being transformed. John's among the best at helping me get it.

And I wish I'd gotten everything John had to say, but lunch ran into this session for me. That said, here's what I'm getting today: 

• Jesus was and is the ultimate leader with unimaginable impact on the world as we know it.
• What we know of community - where our common ground is our God-created humanity - is because of Jesus. Only Jesus could assemble the "motley" crew of followers, both in ancient days and now, who have so little in common, except that each is made worthy by him.
• We calendar based on Jesus' life, hospitals were built, art was revolutionized, politics put in perspective, women were given value, children were seen as treasures. 

There aren't words to translate John's inspiring and brilliantly researched message of who Jesus is. You'll need to buy his new book. 

No gnawing questions from this talk like I've noted in previous posts from this Summit. I'm comforted all over again by this Jesus, this near and present Jesus who loves me where I am and loves me too much to leave me where I am.

2012 Global Leadership Summit: Mario Vega

All photos and fact blocks courtesy Willow Creek Association: willowcreek.com

Granger's 2016Vision is challenging us to the impossible: by 2016 be a movement of 100,000 Christ followers engaging the Kingdom through 2,000 churches. Mario is leading the way. He's charting the course ahead of us. I know I've missed some things, but here's what struck me:

• Citing King Saul's ultimate failure, we see that a lack of integrity is revealed when greed and arrogance within result in external behavior of unfaithfulness. 
• When a leader falls, the faithfulness and integrity of all who follow become vulnerable. 
• Integrity lost cannot be fully restored. The past is always part of one's story.
• Choosing to embrace integrity over friendship with someone unrepentent is a tumultuous process. It is a journey of integrity that walks through the pain of denial and depression to emerge in action for what is right.

Bill Hybels followed up Mario's message with a trust audit. It's worth walking through this with God...

• Is there any area of life that compromises our personal integrity?
  • financial integrity
  • legal questions...is this even right by the civil law?
  • sexual behaviors...addictive patterns
  • deceitful relationships

I'm asking...

• Is there anything I am denying? Anything I am ignoring? Anything I am hoping will just go away? What action do I need to take based on God's faithfulness and his call for a life of integrity?
• Am I trustworthy? Is my leadership reliable? Is my life worth following?
• Is there anything I see in a teammate that needs to be questioned?

2012 Global Leadership Summit: Pranitha Timothy

All photos and fact blocks courtesy Willow Creek Association: willowcreek.com

I've been to Chennai. We've had scores of our people go from Granger Community. We have people on the ground there engaged in this kind of kingdom rescue. I'm gripped and grateful as I listen. Here's what I've noted: 

•  Pranitha's embrace of God's message to her from Isaiah 42 reflects beautifully what it is to not see ourselves as Christ, but to embrace his work as our own... to join him in what he is doing.
• Rather than speak immediately to the courage required to lead the work she leads, she humbly expressed her gratitude for Gods transformative work within her.
• Her serving, her surrender of her life to God, and her ultimate trust that God is good are responses of her gratitude to God for the freedom she experiences in him. 
• Pranitha lives what Patrick Lencioni spoke of earlier: the three core values in the previous sentence keeps her work focused, her mission clear and her behavior consistent. She has clarity because of what she beleives about her God. 

I'm asking: 

•  Do my core values, my core belief in who God is and what he has done set my trajectory with the same courageous trajectory?

2012 Global Leadership Summit: William L. Ury

All photos and fact blocks courtesy Willow Creek Association: willowcreek.com

I've felt only slightly successful navigating family conflict and customer service gone awry. I still need help. Seriously, I need to pay attention. Let's get to it: 

•  Interesting... Bill started by talking about the imperfection and conflict that exists in the family unit. Now, I am listening. 
• Our most common interactions probably involve negotiation, whether we see it that way. 
• It is a core competence for leadership.
• The goal isn't the elimination of conflict necessarily. 
  • Competition makes business work.
  • Varied opinions and approaches make government work (does government work?)
• We tend to think the challenge in succeeding with negotiation is the difficult person we deal with. It is not: we are our own biggest barrier.
  • How do we "go to the balcony?"
  • Get perspective so my emotional stuff doesn't escalate the conflict. 
  • Restrain reaction. Pause. Listen. Don't react.
• Must separate the people from the problem.
  • We tend to be soft on the person... and therefore are soft on the problem.
  • OR we tend to be hard on the problem... and therefore are hard on the person.
  • This requires listening to the person. Putting our selves in their place. Seek to understand where someone is, how they feel, what they're thinking. Give them basic respect: everyone has worth.
• Focus on interests, not positions.
  • What's behind the position... Why does the person want it? Why do I want it?
• Generate options
  • Identify creative options that help everyone find fulfillment and success with the desired interests.
• Use objective criteria
  • Ego and will get in the way of resolving conflict because standards for resolve are not objective.

I wonder:

• If Bill Ury has ever considered the above principles in light of Philippians 2 or Ephesians 4 or Matthew 5.
• How can I improve my communication with my wife, my daughter, my team based on Bill's summary of successful negotiations.
• How I shift the potential that I think negotiations are about getting what I want? 
• How my communication approach with everyone would be better if I understood most conversations as negotiations - so that I keep these best practices in play. 
• How the Holy Spirit works in the human heart in conversations where egos are set aside and people learn to walk together.

 

2012 Global Leadership Summit: Patrick Lencioni

All photos and fact blocks courtesy Willow Creek Association: willowcreek.com

Patrick makes me laugh. I'd probably listen to him... while watching him... regardless what he said. Besides that, he's ADD, which I relate to, he's also an ENFP (I'm in INFP) so I love his style and approach to presenting. But, the truth is, his content jolts me. Simple. Profound. Makes sense. Challenging. It's tough to take good notes while laughing, so without his incredible humor, here are the thoughts I grabbed:

•  Organizational health is the most critical aspect to success. It's free; any organization can be healthy. But they aren't.
• Two requirements for success:
  • Be Smart (marketing, finance, technology, etc)
  • Be Healthy (minimal politics, high morale, minimal cofusion, high productivity, low turnover)
• It's too easy to spend time, resources and intentionality on the Smart stuff. Much harder to pay attention to the "healthy" stuff.
• 4 Disciplines
  • Build a cohesive leadership team (see Patrick's work in 5 Dysfunctions of a Team)
  • Create clarity by answering the following critical questions:
    • Why do we exist?
      • Core purose may have little to do with the product/service outcome (i.e. - MaryKay exists to provide business opportunities to individuals.).
      • Churches typically get this one rather easily.
    • How do we behave?
      • Much more difficult for churches.
      • This needs to be boiled down to one, two or three behavioral values. 
      • You're willing to be punished for them.
      • Too often organizations list values that are actually nothing more than aspirations.
    • What do we do?
    • How will we succeed?
      • This is about strategy: 
        • Keep it simple.
        • Empower people by centering their behavior and decisions around those core, few values.
    • What is most important, right now?
    • Who must do what?
  • Over-communicate clarity
    • Must repeat it at least seven times...
    • If your team can't imitate you wnen you're gone, you're not communicating effectiveluy or often enough.
  • Reinforce clarity

I'm still wondering:

• How healthy am I? Am I modeling and living what I want from my team?