1. Because we understand that found people find people…and we will not stop doing whatJesus commanded us to do.

• Matthew 28:18-20- “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age.”
• Matthew 9:35-38 – “When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field”

2. Because we understand that saved people serve people…and we will not stop doing what the Bible commands of us.

• 1 Peter 4:10 – “Each of you should use whatever gifts you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
• Matthew 20:28 – “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

3. Because we understand that growing people change…and we will not stop praying for Jesus to change us.

• Psalm 139:23-24 – “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

4. Because we understand that we can’t do life alone…and we will obey what the Lord has instructed us to do in Hebrews 10:24-25.

• Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
• Ecclesiastes 4:9 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.”

5. Because we understand that we cannot out give God…and so we will obey what God’s Word teaches.

• Malachi 3:6-12- ‘”Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
• Proverbs 3:9-10- “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine

Those of us at the school to teach character education were asked to go to our classrooms and were given permission to turn the television on with the students.  I spent the morning with high school students, watching as the towers crumbled and life as we knew it was transformed before our eyes.  We talked, cried and comforted one another.   Adolescent problems didn’t matter in light of what we observed on that morning.

That morning was significant in shaping my calling to plant a new church. It galvanized my motivation to take the gospel to the unchurched and those far from God.  I was challenged to view the events of 9/11 through the lens of the Great Commission.  I couldn’t help but wonder what the eternal destination would be for over 3000 people that perished on that day.

It is normal and understandable to be horrified, angry and experience a gamut of emotions in the middle of all the circumstances surrounding the attacks of 9/11.  We experienced loss and grief as a nation.  Our security was challenged and we felt backed into a corner.  As the dust settled, the natural and human response became vengeance.  I completely supported the leadership of our nation based on scripture in Romans 13, but I believe strongly the Body of Christ has a Biblical mandate that is distinct from the State Government.  I think of the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 5:43–45 (HCSB)
43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies  and pray for those who  persecute you,  ⁴⁵ so that you may be  sons of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

On Sunday morning September 11, 2011 at Church at the Grove, we will be celebrating 5 years as a church.  We will celebrate the many decisions of individuals who have turned to follow Jesus and the many baptisms that have taken place as a result.  In the midst of this celebration, we will pause, pray and reflect on those life-changing events of 10 years ago.  Our challenge that day will be simple:  The hope of change in this world is not revenge, bombs, bullets or even the ballot box.  The hope of this world is taking the Gospel to all people, groups and nations.

We must not allow the contemporary clash of cultures to distract us from fulfilling the timeless mandate of the Great Commission!  Maybe our focus of the Gospel should be toward those that consider us among their greatest enemies.

Matthew 28:18–20 (HCSB)
18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  ¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples  of  all nations,  baptizing  them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember,  I am with you always,  to the end of the age.”

I was able to spend some time with a few different people this week that helped remind me of why we do what we do at Church at the Grove.

I spent some time with a friend that is hungry exploring faith issues and the Bible for the first time in his life.  It is so refreshing to see that hunger for the Word of God and the things of God.  This is why we started Church at the Grove!  We desired to build relationships with people born and raised in the first “post-Christian” generation that didn’t have the Bible and Christian foundation that so many have had in previous generations, especially here in the Bible Belt.  This friend is vigorously pursing God through reading the Word and becoming a part of the Church at the Grove family.

I spent some time with a precious family that has gone through a recent tragedy in their family and it is so encouraging to see them lean into God during this tough trial.  They have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love from their Grove family and are trusting God as they continue to move forward.  I always think I am going to visit someone in need and encourage them but often I am the one that leaves a home being encouraged by the family I visit with.

I was able to cast the vision I believe God has given Church at the Grove with a family this week.  It never gets old sharing the mission and vision God has given us.  It is so humbling and surreal to see how God has delivered on what He promised us He would do just over 5 years ago when we set out on this adventure!  As I shared the heartbeat of our church and what I believe is distinct and significant about Church at the Grove, I was overwhelmed again with gratitude and resolve to move forward faithfully to accomplish what God has led us to do!

Can I remind you?!

Vision:

God has called us to reach out to the first generations born and raised into a “post-Christian” American culture.  We desire to share the gospel with these generations and see God build a church of influence!

Mission:

Church at the Grove exist to develop people who follow Jesus and Make Disciples.

Strategy:

We seek to fulfill God’s Vision and Mission for Church at the Grove through:

• Creating Environments where people can explore faith at their own pace.

• Encouraging relationships.

• Starting discussions and conversations that lead to sharing the hope found in Jesus.

Simply put, we want more than anything else make much of Jesus, glorifying Him through touching individual lives with the love and grace of God.  Love God; Love people!

Keep praying, Keep investing, Keep inviting!

PROFILE OF THE LUKEWARM

Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe ‘good Christians’ do, so they go. (Isaiah 29:13)

Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church… as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? (1 Chron 21:24, Luke 21:1-4)

Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives. (Luke 6:26, Rev 3:1, Matt 23:5-7)

Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. They don’t genuinely hate sin and aren’t truly for it; they’re merely sorry because God is going to punish them. Lukewarm people don’t really believe that this new life Jesus offers is better than the old sinful one. (John 10:10, Rom 6:1-2)

Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for ‘extreme’ Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call ‘radical’ what Jesus expected of all his followers. (James 1:22, James 4:17, Matt 21:28-31)

Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbours, co-workers or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion. (Matt 10:32-33)

Lukewarm people gauge their morality or ‘goodness’ by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hard-core for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street. (Luke 18:11-12)

Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives. (Luke 9:57-62)

Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul and strength. They would be quick to assure you that they try to love God that much, but that sort of devotion isn’t really possible for the average person; it’s only for pastors, missionaries and radicals. (Matt 22:37-38)

Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focussed on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and connect with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are awkward or uncomfortable. Their love is highly conditional and very selective, and generally comes with strings attached. (Matt 5:43-47, Luke 14:13-14)

Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go, or how much time, money and energy they are willing to give. (Luke 18:21-25)

Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is mostly focussed on today’s to-do list, this week’s schedule and next month’s vacation. Rarely, if ever, do they consider the life to come. Regarding this, C. S. Lewis wrote, ‘If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.’ (Phil 3:18-20, Col 3:2)

Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor. They are quick to point out, ‘Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only the love of money is.’ Untold numbers of lukewarm people feel ‘called’ to minister to the rich; very few feel ‘called’ to minister to the poor. (Matt 25: 34, 40, Isaiah 58:6-7)

Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the base minimum, to be ‘good enough’ without it requiring too much of them. They ask, ‘How far can I go before it’s considered a sin?’ instead of ‘How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?’ They ask,….’ (1 Chron 29:14, Matt 13:44-46)

Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This focus on safe living keeps them from sacrificing and taking risks for God. (1 Tim 6:17-18, Matt 10:28)

Lukewarm people do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don’t have to trust God if something unexpected happens – they have their saving account. They don’t need God to help them – they have their retirement plan in place. They don’t genuinely seek out what life God would have them live – they have life figured and mapped out. They don’t depend on God on a daily basis – their refrigerators are full and, for the most part, they are in good health. The truth is, their lives wouldn’t look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. (Luke 12:16-21, Amos 6:1)

Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their partially sanitised lives with holiness, but that couldn’t be more wrong. (Matt 23:25-28, Matt 7:21)

Scripture Memory:
1 Chronicles 29:11-12 (ESV)
¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.
¹² Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Action Step:
Surrender everything to God, Listen to His voice and follow through!

Random Thoughts:

I am so thankful for what God has done in and through Church at the Grove over the last 3 years but it is time to look forward to what God has in store for Church at the Grove in the future.

Yesterday, we launched ADVANCE 09, a Faith Initiative that will prepare us spiritually and financially for the next phase in the life of Church at the Grove.  It will allow for 5 specific things in the life of Church at the Grove.

1. We will transition our Sunday gatherings in January 2010 to the 450 seat auditorium at the new Walnut Grove High School in the community of Walnut Grove. 
2. We have had a heart and vision for the community of Social Circle since the very beginning of Church at the Grove.  The ADVANCE Faith Initiative will allow Church at the Grove to launch a Sunday gathering in the community of Social Circle set for teh fall of 2010. 
3. The ADVANCE Faith Initiative will allow Church at the Grove to begin setting aside finances specifically for a piece of land in the Walnut Grove area.
4. The ADVANCE Faith Initiative will allow us to consider an additional staff member to facilitate future growth in the life of Church at the Grove.
5. We plan to set aside a portion of our ADVANCE Faith Initiative funds specifically for the mission projects in our local community and for the partnerships we have developed for global missions.

I am asking our church to do three things during this Faith Initiative over the next two months. 

• Surrender
• Pray
• Follow Through

It has been an incredible ride over the past 3 years, but it is time to look forward. 

We have worked together to complete a complete Home Makeover on a home in our Walnut Grove community! 

We have witnessed almost 100 people turn to follow Jesus as a result of God’s work through Church at the Grove! 

We have serve countless meals to Youth Middle School teachers, Walnut Grove High School teachers, Walnut Grove Elementary School teachers, Athletic Teams, Foster kids and families and many more groups. 

We have Loved Loganville!

We have baptized around 75 people!

We have had part in planting over a dozen churches in 3 years! 

We started with about 50 people, Launched with 183 and now average over 300 people in attendance in our Sunday gatherings. 

We will have over 100 adults in Community Groups this fall!

Our students have packed and served lunches in Monroe, loved and ministered to children in backyard Bible Clubs, helped clean up after Katrina in Mississippi, served people in New Orleans and reached out to their friends on Wednesdays at the CLC!

We initiated and facilitated a complete Home Makeover for a family in Walnut Grove that now attends Church at the Grove! 

We have partnered close to 100 children with local heros and helped make their Christmas something to remember!

We soon will take part in sending two families across the globe to help people find their way back to God through Jesus.  We look for partnerships to carry Jesus across the globe!

We have partnered with a local organization “Resurrecting Hope” to help make a difference in the lives of the homeless at the Atlanta Union Mission. 

We have loved and supported local Teachers and Educators in our community.

We have consulted and provided leadership to numerous church planters and leaders locally and nationally. 

We have only just STARTED! 

Don’t miss the next three years!

People still ask why I (we) would start a church when there are plenty of churches in this community and all over the United States.  The overly simplistic answer to this question is “to fulfill the Great Commission here in our community and all over the world.”  What does this mean and how does it play out in planting a local church in a community that has many other churches? 

Ed Stetzer, in his book Planting Missional Churches, shares with us some amazing statistics related to the “church-to-population ratio” in the United States.

• In 1900, there were 28 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
• In 1950, there were 17 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
• In 2000, there were 12 churches for every 10,000 Americans.
• In 2004, the latest year available, there are 11 churches for every 10,000 Americans. 

You can easily begin to see the need for starting new churches simply by looking at the lack of new churches started to keep up with the explosive population growth!  That does not even take into consideration the number of churches that close their doors every week because they have lost the ability to have influence in the lives of people in their community.  Churches are dying every week and their needs to be new churches birthed in communities that can reach people with the gospel of Jesus.

NOW, consider that the existing churches in many communities are doing a good job at assimilating those “already convinced” Christians by providing good children’s, youth, and adult programs that keep everyone busy and happy.  Many existing churches have either never had any influence or they have lost their ability to influence the people in their community who are “unconvinced”, “disconnected” or “unchurched”.  We know that 85% or more of those people in their 20′s and 30′s do not go to church anywhere.  The percentage of people that do not go to church increases with each younger age group and generation. 

Here is the question?  How are we (Jesus Followers) going to reach these younger generations that will not ever step into an existing church that focuses more on the “already convinced”? 

We must start new churches that can be “laser focused” on taking Jesus to these younger “unconvinced” “people groups”!

That is why Church at the Grove exists!  We started Church at the Grove to reach out to “those least likely to go to church”!

That is why we will not accept doing church for:

• People that are currently unhappy at their church.
• People that simply want more contemporary music.
• People that like wearing jeans and leaving their shirts untucked.
• People that want a new environment for their children.
• People that want “cool” teaching with pastors that build brick walls and throw skittles around.
• People that want to come and sit and do nothing to help us reach disconnected and unconvinced people.
• People that want to shop churches until they can find where they can be fed.
• People that have no intention to serve and get involved.

We will be laser focused on the mission that God gave us in the beginning:

We exist to develop people who follow Jesus and Make Disciples.  We want to be intentional in going after those people that are the least likely to go to church.  We will create environments where people can explore faith at their own pace.  We encourage relationships through community groups and we will BE IN OUR COMMUNITY to start discussions that lead to sharing the hope found in Jesus!

Check out this post from a while back and ask God to create a passion and a compassion in your heart for unconvinced people.  Ask God to show you where He wants you to be to maximize your gifts and influence for His Kingdom!

Be thankful for the person, people, and/or the church that influenced YOU toward Jesus and then get out of your “church bubble” and walk across your street, room, neighborhood or community to talk to someone about Jesus!

I just about came unglued!  I felt like Bobby Cox probably feels when he comes out of the dugout after an umpire clearly misses a call on the field.  It was all I could do to keep my composure, but because I am a good pastor and want to stay in the good graces of the people in this community, and largely because I don’t want to go to jail, I kept my composure and have waited until now to fully address the comment.  To that person who doesn’t cross paths with “those people”:

• ‘Those people’ are created in the image of Almighty God.
• ‘Those people’ simply need to hear that their creator loves them and created them for a relationship with HIM.
• ‘Those people’ are who Jesus Christ died for on the cross.
• ‘Those people’ are all potential children of God.
• ‘Those people’ are dependent on YOU to authentically and genuinely show them the true character of Jesus Christ.
• ‘Those people’ are why I, Craig Story, and more than a dozen families left the secure confines of a wonderful, established church home to launch Church at the Grove.
• ‘Those people’ are why we will resist the distractions of becoming a “comfortable” church that exists for those inside the church rather than those outside the church.
• I used to be one of “those people” and if it wasn’t for a brother inviting me to his church and a host of ‘church people’ who opened their arms to this “those people”, I would not be a Christ-follower, much less a church-planting pastor. 
• God loves “those people”.
• We all were one of “those people”. 

Now, to the person who made that statement:  If you are not willing to get off your lazy, affluent-American Christian, “I need another Bible study”, “I don’t give a rip about people dying and going to hell” BEHIND, then politely take the fish off your car and turn in your tithing envelopes! 

Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost.  Check out Luke 19:10.  What was lost was a connection with HIS prized creation on earth: HUMANITY! 

Charles Spurgeon said that if all of the elect had a stripe painted down their back, he would spend his life running up and down the streets pulling up shirt-tails and sharing the gospel. (paraphrased)

If we can’t get that simple truth and apply it to ALL that we do as the CHURCH, we simply need to close up shop and go home.

Whew!  Man I feel better!  Have a nice day!  Oh, and go walk across your office, street, or neighborhood and have a conversation with one of “those people”. 

• Authentic Relationships

Among the characteristics of the Buster (Gen-X) and Bridger (Millennial) generations is the longing desire for meaningful and accepting community.  Church at the Grove desires to be a community of acceptance and belonging for those outside the faith.  Christ places such an emphasis on our relationships with one another that He makes them the litmus test of true spirituality.  It is amazing and challenging.  Clearly, He meant for our relationships to each other, and our willingness to serve each other to be the greatest apologetic of the Christian faith.  Huge Groves of red cedars dot the western coast of the United States.  From a distance they appear tall and sturdy and strong.  But underground, their roots are shallow.  When  one falls, others often follow.  The only thing that holds up these majestic trees is that they lean on each other.  Their branches literally reach out and touch one another.  Their roots intertwine and support one another.  Not one of them can stand alone.  The journey of life is too difficult to make alone!

• Intentional Simplicity

One of the unique characteristics of Church at the Grove is found in our intentional effort to accomplish more by doing less.  This focus on simplicity will empower us to do the few things we do with excellence, and empower individuals and families to pursue missional ministries in their neighborhoods and circles of influence.  We will seek to maximize the time of individuals and families by maintaining a very simple calendar so they can use their time effectively to impact their community. 

• Faithful Stewardship

Stewardship is defined by how Time, Talent, and Treasures are handled.  Church at the Grove will seek to manage God’s resources with integrity and balance.  In addition, we will seek to lead people to faithfully manage their valuable resources in ways that honor God and most effectively fulfill His purpose. 

We launched a church, CATGrove, a year ago.  In light of being into this endeavor for one year, I have been reflecting on our vision, mission, and strategy.  We have six core values (or ministry filters as we like to call them).  These filters are in place to help us focus and say “NO” when necessary.  Everything we do “filters” through these values.  I will post 3 today and 3 in the next day or two.

Biblical Faith

God has revealed himself through the Living Word of Jesus Christ and through the written Word of Scripture.  The first and most important filter is the Bible.  We receive the scriptural mandate to take the gospel to all people from God’s Word.  Matthew 28:18-20  It is the final authority on matters of faith and practice for the ministry of Church at the Grove.  While our methodology may be non-traditional, it will be filtered through the value of Biblical Faith.

Persuasive Compassion

Matthew records Jesus moving through the towns and villages teaching and healing the sick.  He states that upon seeing the crowds, “Jesus was moved with compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36)  Compassion can be defined as being moved deeply to the point of hurting in your stomach for someone’s plight and pain.  Compassion doesn’t stop there but responds with action toward those in need.  Compassion is “simply being broken to the core to the point of action”.  Persuasive Compassion is an intentional response to those in need for the purpose of bringing them to Christ.  The first generations born and raised in a post-Christian culture will need persuasive compassion from a community of Christ-following believers. 

Missional Responsibility

We desire to fulfill the mission God has given the Church. See here; and here and here. In both Old and New Testaments we encounter a God who is on a redemptive mission in the world.  In fact, we are astounded at the lengths to which God will go in pursuit of his mission to redeem the crowning achievement of his creation — people.  In North America, the term “mission” has been associated with either sending called people to other parts of the world or giving financially toward reaching others around the world.  With the United States now being among the largest mission fields in the world, and the fact that there are now multiple generations born and raised in a post-Christian culture, we must address the need for churches to think “missionally” in a local context.  What if each individual believer and household could see their home as a “base” for missional operations to reach the entire neighborhood for Jesus?  This is a core desire for Church at the Grove!