Follow the Unsanctioned 2010 Orlando COG General Assembly Twitter Feed

If you want to share what’s going on at the General Assembly and you’re on Twitter, use the #COGga hashtag. For instance, I just tweeted: Quote: Track along with what’s going on at the Church of God General Assembly in Orlando by using the #COGga hashtags. http://bit.ly/bHtg6I Anyone who includes “#COGga” in a Twitter comment will have their comments aggregated with everyone else’s. You can find all of those Twitter comments at: FOLLOW #COGga COMMENTS HERE http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23COGGA Also, if you aren’t following me, you can at: http://twitter.com/pastortrav (my personal account…most of my twitter comments are on this account) OR http://twitter.com/missionalcog (my missionalcog account which I haven’t really used…not a ton of followers. But, this is where most of my GA tweets are going to be found). A handful of other good Twitter accounts to follow are: JERRY LAWSON - http://twitter.com/daystarjerry TOM STERBENS - http://twitter.com/tomsterbens MATT BOYD - http://twitter.com/boydm JONATHAN MARTIN - http://twitter.com/renovatuspastor RICK WHITTER - http://twitter.com/rickwhitter RAYMOND CULPEPPER - http://twitter.com/rfculpepper

Church Planting Initiative QUESTIONSI

As you can see below, I have posted my church planting proposal to the Executive Council for consideration for the General Assembly 2010 Agenda. It will not be on the Agenda, but has been referred to a study commission headed by Tim Hill. I spoke with him yesterday and began some good dialogue that I have been asked to continue with the other members of the study commission.

I would like to employ the readers of this board in helping me “perfect” and “flesh-out” this proposal. Again, you can read the whole thing here.

Please respond to the following concerns (and any others you can think of):

1. Since we are only at the beginning of the TOT reduction, is this proposal premature?
2. Is the matching funds proponent (local and state) a positive idea?
3. Should the funds be designated for a church plant/satellite and then sent to the state office for distribution or should it simply be reduced out of the monthly TOT check?
4. Should there be a cap (financial or time) on how much (or how long) you can give to a particular church plant/satellite? The only reason I ask this is so that local churches do not end up diverting tithes to a church that is not in the “planting” phase.
5. Finally, should I wait to see if the Executive Council will put this proposal on the 2012 Agenda, or should I submit it to the floor of the General Assembly through the motions committee?

My only hope is to help re-engage the COG as a church planting organization. Please help me think through both what the best plan is for church planting and what plan has the best chance of being adopted by the General Assembly.

Jerry Lawson

North American Church Planting Initiative

Below is the proposal I sent to the Executive Council for consideration for the General Assembly 2010 Agenda. This was referred to a study commission and will not be on the Agenda this year. What are your thoughts?

BACKSTORY

Like so many others, I have long been concerned with the lack of commitment from the Church of God to effective church planting.  Even in times when designated church planting funds have been used for church planting, it appears that we do not have an effective model, so our efforts often fail.  There may be several reasons for this propensity to be unsuccessful:

1. Lack of proper training in church planting.
2. Lack of ongoing support: mentoring, resourcing, encouragement.
3. Lack of connection with a local Mother-Church.

Most people recognize that the most effective model for church planting is when a local church “has a baby” or plants a church out of itself.  It has been well observed: “Churches beget churches.  Denominations do not beget churches.”

I offer a recent Daystar Church plant testimony as an example.  About two years ago, our Student Life Pastor, Greg Davis expressed his desire to pastor a church.  So, we set out to birth a daughter congregation and send Greg out as the church planter.  We wanted to make sure that we didn’t just send out a preacher with some money.  We wanted to send out the Daystar DNA.  So, we provided the new pastor with the following:

1. A complete structure to run the ministries of the church.  About 50 volunteers with the new pastor.  Each of these had been trained and served in the various ministries of Daystar.  Literally, the day they started, they were a junior version of Daystar.  Ushers, greeters, children’s ministry, follow-up ministry, prayer teams, media, youth, etc…were all trained and ready to go.
2. Demographic research: the new pastor and I spent much time discussing where, how, and when this launch would take place.  Now, not only is he on board, but so am I.  If it is in both of our hearts, we are more likely to team together to make it all happen.
3. Support of $50,000 from the mother church as well as much more from other resources.
4. Resources: Every spare piece of equipment, furniture, signage, etc… that we could round up was given to him.

What is the result?  Eighteen months into the new church plant, Chelsea Community Church is averaging around 350 in attendance.  The pastor is full-time and the community is turning on its head in revival.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

It is my belief that an effective approach to re-affirming our pioneering DNA is critical to our future.  We must do this now.  We cannot afford, as an Acts 1 and Acts 2 Church to compromise our commitment to our Mission in favor of other good but, lesser priority activities or line items.

So, why don’t we allow local churches to take a portion of their tithe-of-tithe, in the range (20%) of our historical financial commitment to church planting,* and use it to birth new churches?  If we could forge a church planting partnership with the Church of God, we could exponentially increase our church planting efforts both locally and internationally.

Further, such an arrangement could undermine the structural flaw which has caused, over the course of decades, mandated church planting monies to be appropriated by the state offices to fund other activities.  Instead of this money going through the state office, 100% of the church planting monies would go directly into starting new churches.

Therefore, I am proposing the following motion to be considered for strong approval by this Executive Council for inclusion on the 2010 General Assembly Agenda:

PROPOSAL

That local churches be permitted to invest up to 20% of their monthly Tithe of Tithe of the State/Regional Office portion of funding in establishing a new church or a new campus of an existing church.  The church and/or church planter would be required to raise matching funds to be eligible to receive this percentage of Tithe of Tithe church planting funds.

STRUCTURAL NOTE

Please attach this proposal to the appropriate place in the new financial structure of the Tithe of Tithe or it’s most appropriate place.

Authored by Jerry Lawson

*It was in 1929, the year of the Great Depression when the Church of God rallied together to declare a mandated commitment level of denominational giving to North American church planting.

Concerns for The Church

Today, I shared out of Ephesians 3:1-13 where Paul shares what the main business of the Church is.  Unfortunately, the Church gets caught up in a number of side agendas and forgets or marginalizes the life and mission Christ instructs us to live.

Rather than the Church being radically committed to the Great Commission and the Great Commandment, we often pick-up sidebar agendas and ram them to the front at the expense of our calling.  Below are some of the concerns I have for the church:

The Holy Spirit & Desert Roads

Crowds throng to the flash, the pomp, the explosive, the sensational. We want to see the explosive (dunamis) power of the Holy Spirit. We equate the Holy Spirit with explosive and immediate power. Well, we should. Holy Spirit power is explosive power!

But, it is not only the power to see the extraordinary or Acts 2 revival where thousands are ushered into the Kingdom of God.  Holy Spirit power is also the

Bartering Your Calling for Your Comfort

It’s funny how the goal posts have moved. We judge our faith quality by how God blesses us…as if God is the great cosmic pinata and our prayers are the stick that manipulates the candy out of the sky. Seemingly, gone are the days of conquest, spiritual adventure, raw Spirit-empowered engagement, pioneering, and the raising of Gospel outposts in spiritually barren frontiers.  Perhaps, we traded it away for a little more luxury, a little less trouble, and an absence of pain or resistance all for a predictable, non-circuitous journey.

I can’t imagine that God’s purpose is to save us to polish us up to make us his sanitized trophies to settle us as dust collectors on His heavenly mantle.

Remembering Our Heritage: What Happens When the Holy Spirit Saturates Our Souls

It’s easy for us to face off in different corners of the room advocating style preferences, etc… Styles change. Ministry flavor changes. God never changes. Neither does His calling on us as a people. Let’s not embrace style too tightly. In fact, throw style out the window…unless style alters solid doctrine (then we better have that discussion). Instead, let’s remember a beautiful heritage that God has called us to.

Jerry Lawson Brainstorms Us through A New Church Planting Mandate

When the Committee of Action executed the reduction of the Tithe of Tithe from 15% to 10%, they eliminated 100% of the church planting mandate for the Church of God.  A renewed commitment to church planting is needed for our fellowship during this era where for the first time in our history we are closing more churches than we are opening.

Join in the conversation as Jerry Lawson, lead pastor of Daystar Church in Cullman, AL leads us through a brainstorming session on developing/conceptualizing a new church planting mandate for our denomination.

Overwhelming #1 Issue in Florida (Tampa & Cocoa) Listening Tour = SEGREGATION

Without a doubt, the most discussed issue many times over at both Listening Tours in Florida (Tampa & Cocoa) was the issue of segregation in Florida and broader issues of segregation or limited denominational leadership opportunities.  To pass over this issue without correction, Download and read the documents from both Listening Tours for yourself below.  At the bottom, you’ll find the distilled, bulleted points highlighted for the Executive Committee on the issue of race and segregation.  You will not want to pass over those comments as they speak more deeply to the issue than even the data or this writer’s opinion.  With that said, I have to ask:

• What was the purpose of the Listening Tour?
• In light of these findings, what should the Executive Committee do?
• In light of these findings, how should the respective state offices and state ministers respond?

*It’s also worth noting that almost an exact equal amount of Latinos and Caucasians were at the Tampa Listening Tour with an equivalent number of Blacks (African-Americans, Jamaicans, Haitians, West Indian, etc…) at the Cocoa Listening Tour (see results).

Unification of Ohio COG, Comments from the Cocoa Listening Tour, and Hopes for an Integrated Florida State Office

*UPDATED TO INCLUDE: FL – Cocoa Listening Tour Transcript (below in red)

This week, Bill Isaacs, State Administrative Bishop for Northern Ohio announced a series of developments in the trajectory of the State Offices (Northern & Southern) in Ohio from his Facebook page.  There he said…

A Re-commitment to Our Leadership Responsibility

Two years ago, at the Engage 21 Conference in Cleveland, TN, Raymond Culpepper articulated the truth about our individual roles in being responsible for the leadership trust and formation of the COG going forward.  I thought it would be beneficial for us to remind ourselves of this well articulated affirmation of the individuals who make up the COG to “rise to the occasion.”

Why is this important?  Because, from time to time…

7 Years Later…INJOY Study Revisited

Over nine years ago the Church of God leadership secured INJOY denominational consultants to provide an analysis of our organization.  After two years of research the following report was presented to the Executive Council and published.  The is posted below. Do you think the report was objective/accurate? How do you think we as a denomination responded to the findings? What do you think has changed in seven years since the report was presented? COG Leadership Development:The Consultant’s View 7/12/02 For the past two years, the Church of God has benefited from an association with INJOY denominational consultants Dr. Conrad Lowe and Dr. Ron McManus. Recently they presented a comprehensive report with the Church of God Executive Council, which is shared here with COG News readers. John Maxwell Denominational Partnerships wishes to thank God and the leaders of the Church of God for the privilege of working closely together in the leadership development initiative. This endeavor has been a highlight of our ministry. As your consultants, we have seen the International Executive Committee—Dr. Lamar Vest, Dr. Bill Sheeks and Dr. Gene Rice—offer visionary leadership to the Church of God during these two years of partnership. In Dr. Vest’s vision statement, Charting the Course, the Church of God has a godly aggressive map to a great future. If implemented, the Church of God will not only experience transforming “leadership development” but will be the leader of Christian ministry in the USA. During Phase I, we witnessed this great vision cast across the entire Church of God in North America. Visionary leadership was modeled by the Executive Committee and the Executive Council. State overseers have invested in extensive training. Approximately 2,000 pastors and lay leaders have been trained in various ministry skills. Mentoring groups have begun in most states. Many growing churches have begun to grow, and many declining churches have accelerated, many plateaud churches have begun to grow, and many declining churches have stabilized. Finances, conversions and membership have increased. Church health and “excellence” have also improved for many churches. The future goal is that additional pastors and churches will be added as we move to more intensive leadership training. In addition, the leadership development initiative will add leadership “coaching” to the mentoring strategy. One of our tasks as consultants is to bring awareness of potential barriers to the vision of the Church of God. At this juncture in the process, we suggest there are five areas that should be addressed by the Church of God.

COMMENTARY: REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AS APPROVED BY THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

***UPDATE: COMPLETE REPORT MADE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BY THE COG ON 2/1/2010

I received a copy of a 12 page document entitled “REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AS ADOPTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL” It was asked that this document not be published so that time was given for it to be published by the COG offices.  So, I’m holding onto it and not publishing it until the COG puts it out soon.  But, I would like to go ahead and offer some commentary based on the content of the document.

First, I have to say these two bodies put out a number of strong actions taken to confront new realities of COG Gospel mission in the 21st Century.  It is a sweeping document.  And, our denominational leadership teams should be greatly appreciated for some most bold actions.  As is the case when even the most like minded people get together and discuss substance, I don’t agree with it all.  But, I love a lot of it.  Overall it is a very good document seasoned with an honest approach to some of our most taboo issues.

AMONG THOSE ACTIONS, THE PIECES I FIND MOST ENCOURAGING ARE:

1. Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) certification to insure integrity and financial accountability for our denominational offices.

8 Things I’m Looking Forward to in the COG in 2010

It’s 2010, which means it’s time for various reflective and proflective lists.  Feel free to add your own as I begin a series of lists I’ll be rolling out over the upcoming days and weeks.  Check it out what I’m most looking forward to in 2010 concerning the COG:

Merry Christmas

Kelly, Kourtney, McKenna, Blake and I wish you a Merry Christmas!  Smile, remember, and celebrate everything that is important, especially the reason for this time of year.  Thank you, Jesus for stepping into our neighborhood and living among us.

Thoughts about the American Church after a Few Weeks in Europe

Over the past three weeks, I was able to visit a number of beautiful Cathedrals, including St. Peter’s Basilica, Notre Dame in Paris, Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, the Duomo in Milan, and some others.

We went to Mass in a couple. It was striking sitting in the massive Notre Dame, attending mass with about 40 people (mostly tourists) while hundreds of tourists walked the interior perimeter admiring the architecture. The church in Europe, once the Bible Belt of the world is now just a shell. Beautiful architectural museums with gawkers looking at bodies of popes lying in state and relics of the past…forms with no power.  They left solid theology for nonsense and forgot mission in favor of monuments.

Ed Stetzer pointed out that the Bible Belt has moved multiple times since then. It’s the same story repeated (with less stellar buildings). We’re in process right now here in the US. Those of us that live outside of the southeast know what its like. Those living in the northeast, home of the Great Awakening can tell you about it.

But, for those of you that live within the confines of community hospitable to Chrisitanity, get ready. And, as you do, make sure your investment is in mission and that you are making disciples of solid Gospel-obsessed theology that aggressively promotes mission. Strong words aren’t sufficient. History tells us how it will go down.

Perhaps, the people of the new Bible Belts (S. Korea, Africa, S. America) will be so kind as to send their missionaries to reshovel our burnt over relics a few decades from now. God willing they can somehow capture our assets and repurpose them for mission- prying them away from our activities focused on life support, legacy formation, and monument building.

In the meantime, there is a lot of ripe low hanging fruit to be picked by American missionaries who want nothing other than Gospel propulsion in the cities, towns, and villages. You won’t reach them with anything less than a Jesus-focused Gospel. Hang up your trinkets, religious chicanery, and modern indulgences. They’re laughable to your emerging skeptical neighborhoods and friends. At the end of the day, these are the people that must be reached. They’re the ones walking around the perimeter of our churches looking over what will one day used to be.

Martin Taylor in the COG Blogosphere

Martin Taylor, my State Administrative Bishop (FL-Tampa) recently entered the blogosphere.  Make sure you pop in and check out his blog.  Bookmark it and link back as well.

In addition to blogging, he has a Twitter account too.  So, check it out and follow here.  In the event you aren’t familiar with Twitter, it is a micro-blogging tool that enables you to share your thoughts in 140 characters or less.  Sign-up and get in on the conversation.

Final Evaluation of Reallocation Results & Leadership Champions

I wanted to readdress this issue of “Leadership Champions who honored authority of the GA today“ because some good people have taken issue with my rendition of this. I probably need to correct that to say that in the end, I don’t think anyone put their name on the line to dissent in the final product in favor of an equal cut between World Missions, International Office, and the State Office.

Still, I wasn’t there…just going based on what I was told. I was speaking to it in the only venue I was given. So, if I’m inaccurate, it is because I was informed as a participant that was not invited to be a part of the official formation of a process I was key in initiating. So, for my uninformed view, I apologize for not being informed broadly enough…but, it wasn’t for lack of effort on my part.

Live Blog the Committee of Action Meeting Regarding the Reallocation of Resources

EDITED TO INCLUDE TRANSCRIPT OF LIVE BLOGGING EVENT.  LIVE BLOGGING TEXT IS INCLUDED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.  Stats from the Live Blogging Event = 167 replies and 5,684 views in about 3 hours.

Join me on Actscelerate to Live Blog the Committee of Action’s Reallocation of Resources Meeting. If you don’t want to participate on Actscelerate, use this thread to share your thoughts.  I’ll be back and forth on both but primarily on Actscelerate.  The thread I’ll be using there is:

http://www.actscelerate.com/viewtopic.php?t=45906

To watch the Committee of Action’s deliberation on the Reallocation of Resources, follow this link:

http://www.leeuniversity.edu/video/default.aspx

The Schedule is as follows:

Session One: Thursday, April 30, 2:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Session Two: Thursday 7:00 – 9:30 p.m.

Session Three: Friday, May 1, 9:00 – 11:30 a.m.

Session Four: 1:30 – 4:00 p.m. (if necessary)

All times are Eastern Standard Time (EST).

LIVE BLOGGING EVENT FROM ACTSCELERATE BELOW.

The Mission Is Not to Employ People

The following quote is lifted from Christianity Today’s article “Church Pink Slips” with special thanks Todd Rhodes for the link.  In tough times, should the church or ministry reciprocate the dedication of its employees by keeping staff employed?

“A ministry’s mission is not to employ people; it is to serve a cause or constituency,” said Jim West, managing partner of the Orange County, California-based Barnabas Group, an organization for Christian leaders.

The church’s mission must be to introduce people to Jesus in such a way that the entire community is changed, said Tim Stevens, [the executive pastor at Granger Community Church]. That can’t happen, he said, if the church loses its integrity by failing to pay its bills.

“It will be a sad day when the mission of the church is reduced to keeping people employed,” added the executive pastor, whose congregation gave laid-off staff members three months of severance and benefits and hired a career transition coach to help them find jobs.

As the Church of God trims a mandated 33% off of its denominational budget and faces a downturning economy, there is no doubt that we are facing this question.  In fact, leading into the decision to cut the Tithe of Tithe fees, one of the leading objections was that real humans would need to be released from employment.  In light of these realities and the comments in the article by people like Tim Stevens and Jim West, how aggressive should we be with staff/administrative reductions on the denominational level?  And, what should our disposition be toward such reductions?