Our answer...keep praying!

Last week we received news from the real estate broker about our potential property that we asked you to pray about.  The rental company has written in their lease agreement that this property may not be rented to Houses of Worship.  Why we didn't hear about this detail 6 weeks ago when we first investigated this location is a bit puzzling, but also we found out that the broker we had been dealing with is no longer with the company, so read between the lines if you want to.

Thank you for praying - God said "No!"  So, we need to keep praying for Him to show us a place where He will say "Yes!"

On a different note, we also had a nice meeting with Tom Walsh who used to be a pastor on staff at NBC and has planted two churches in Connecticut.  He gave us helpful advice and he's a great guy to spend time with too.  Tom will also be the speaker at our Sr. High winter retreat so I'm sure the kids are in for some great teaching.

I wish you and your family a Blessed Christmas!

Ask and you shall receive...

Sorry for my recent "blog-silence."  Life has been busy at NBC recently with Thanksgiving, and now the Christmas season and all the extra things happening at church this time of year.

Here's something specific to ask the Lord about.  We have found a possible site to meet at on Route 25 in Selden.    Please pray that the Lord would show us if this is the place for us to plant.

If this is the place, there are some issues.  The rent is a great value, but there is what is called a 30 day kicker clause to the lease.  Basically that means either party can give 30 days notice to leave or be allowed to leave without financial penalty.  Given the current state of real-estate and the economy, this may not be an issue as these spaces have been open for some time and it's unlikely that a new tenant would show up and want this space very soon.  However, contracts have conditions written in them for when things don't work out favorably between two parties.  Honestly, I'm not comfortable with this clause because if we are to invest our time and resources in building out the new facility, it would be a shame if we had to clear out that quickly without a new place to meet and we also would lose the costs of construction improvements we made.

So,  please also pray that a lease agreement could be reached where we would have more notice than 30 days.  In my mind 90 days would be the bare minimum, but longer would be better.  The only advantage to a short kicker clause is if we outgrow the space we are not liable for the rent for a long time.   Pray that God would work out an acceptable arrangement between us and the landlord.

If this is the place, then we need confirmation as well as some concessions by the landlord.  If not, we need to find a place soon.

The Importance of a Clear Vision

Last week we had a great meeting with Tony and Tom of Integrity Christian Fellowship in Yaphank.  Tom and I worked together in the Pro-Audio Business and we've both made the jump into ministry.  Tony is the senior pastor of this 4 year old church plant.  They shared many great insights based on their experiences, and we also had a great time of fellowship and prayer.  The lunch was pretty good too!

We asked them if there was any message that they found helpful to re-iterate often as their church was in the formative stages.  Without hesitation, Tony said "Vision."  Cast the vision of who the church is and who it isn't at least every month or two.

So in this week's Blog Post I will try to cast our vision.  This vision is the same as that of Northport Baptist Church.  However, we may express it through different methods and have different emphasis as we see who God brings our way.

The vision can be simply stated as "Reaching Up, Reaching In, Reaching Out."  We "Reach Up" to God in Worship, "Reach In" to encourage each other, and "Reach Out" to share God's grace and love (the Gospel) with the world.  Let me elaborate on each point.  You might want to look up these verses to do your own Bible Study.

1. Reach Up - God seeks worshipers (John 4:23).  We worship Him with our lives (Romans 12:1) and with our lips (Hebrews 13:15.)  When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he said we are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30.)  We want to express our love to God.  A key aspect of loving God is obeying God.  Jesus said in John 14:21 "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me."  In order to properly worship God with our lives, it is important that we know his commandments, which are expressed in His Word - the Bible.  So we will strive to explain and unpack the treasures in the Bible with an emphasis on understanding what God requires of us in how we live.  And then out of the overflow of loving and worshiping God, we will:

2. Reach In - We strive to encourage each other to love and grow in our faith (Hebrews 10:24-25.)  With our busy schedules it is important that we make it a priority to meet together regularly. These gatherings need to be worth-while and leave us with the knowledge that God is really among us (1 Corinthians 14:25).  A key vehicle for this will be the small group ministry - meeting in families homes throughout the week.  While it is possible to encourage each other in the larger gathering on Sunday, we have found it to be much more effective to minister to each other in small groups.  I have so enjoyed the fellowship and prayer times with our small group, and we want to encourage everyone to be a part of this.  We will strive to not over-schedule church activities so that we crowd out vital small group ministry.  Finally, out of the overflow of loving and encouraging each other, we will:

3. Reach Out - Just before Jesus ascended to heaven, he commanded his followers to go out and make other disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) who will then also follow God.  And then these will reach out to others.  Our mission is to be an outpost where people will share the Gospel, lives are changed, and they in turn will be used by God in reaching others.  This is not "just playing Church!"  Yet, I believe that this will be most authentic and effective when we reach out of the overflow of Loving God and building up His Body (the Church) first.

The Biblical pattern can be found in Acts 2:46-47: "And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes...praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."  Notice that the early church Worshiped God together and shared fellowship in their homes. And look who was responsible for the growth - the Lord!  As we reach out we do so in the confidence that He will bring our friends, family, neighbors and co-workers to a saving Faith in Jesus Christ.

Well, that's the vision in short form.  In future posts I will try to elaborate on some details of how we will express and execute this vision, but until then, please keep on praying!

7 Big Church Planting Mistakes

I found this post helpful which is a summary of a talk given by Ed Stetzer on mistakes made when planting churches.  I excerpted a portion below. You can read the full post over at churchrelevance.com


"All too often church planters run gung-ho into church planting like they’re storming the beaches of Normandy but then get mowed down. I share mistakes, so that hopefully you can avoid them.

ED’S BIG 7 CHURCH PLANTING MISTAKES

1. Forgetting the mission.
   Our motivations can naturally be mixed. We often focus on our own agenda rather than God’s agenda. If at the end of the day, you could have done it without God, then God isn’t in it. The goal is God’s glory. You can’t become distracted by the tools.
2. Being married to a model.
   If you are more excited by the “how” than the “who,” then you are being distracted. I must be sure that I do not fall in love with someone else’s ministry model and mission. If you listen to other churches’ success stories, you can become distracted by the model. ...Too many church planters plant a church in their head and not in their communities.
3. Not taking care of yourself.
   (1) First and foremost, you need to take care of yourself physically. If you don’t take care of yourself, then you will not be able to properly prioritize God in your life.  If I am not taking care of myself, then I will never be able to be who God wants me to be.
   (2) You also need to take care of yourself spiritually. Your people need more a pastor who has been with God than an entrepreneur that is full of ideas.
   (3) And you need to take care of your family. Your family will be with you in the end, but often the people you start a church with are not the ones you finish a church with.
4. Arrogance.
   I was too sarcastic and didn’t listen well. There are different reasons people are arrogant, but my arrogance was from trying to desperately prove myself to others. I needed to realize that my Father in heaven is already pleased with me.
5. Not taking believers deeper.
   People who are yearning for maturity are longing for what Christ followers need. But I made the mistake of thinking their quest to go deeper was not aligning with the church’s mission to reach people. If your vision doesn’t take people deeper spiritually, then you have a bad vision. 
6. Ignoring hidden agendas.
   Every person in your church has a vision for your church, and it may not be the same as your vision for the church. Often the people you start with go away, and the people who stay try to hijack the vision a year later.
7. Afraid of finances.
   Part of why I was afraid of finances is because of the popular mindset of the time that said that talking about finances would offend seekers. Talking about money is fine… just don’t talk about money in a creepy way."

Good things for us to remember as we pray!

Practicing the Power of our Absence

Last week I had an injury that required hospitalization and I'm on the mend and doing well.  I had the opportunity to as Pastor Ayars says "practice the power of my absence."  When you can't be somewhere in person, be praying.  Four of our pastors went to Brookhaven Town Hall and prayed with view of township in sight.  In case you are not familiar, this is located on one of the higher hills on a mostly flat island and you have some pretty spectacular views.  They prayed for the harvest that will come as we move out in faith reaching the new community.  I've been praying more while I'm unable to do more.  Funny how that is so often overlooked.

This week I joined Joe and Paul at a breakfast for pastors sponsored by the Brookhaven Coalition for Religious Freedom.  It was an opportunity to meet and pray with elected officials and candidates for the town.  At this breakfast I saw a friend I used to work with "back in the day" who is now also in ministry.  It was a great reconnection.  He's part of a recent church plant and he and his senior pastor offered to share what they've learned.  What a blessing!  We are so looking forward to see God work as more and more people reach out into this community.

First Steps - Prayer!

Last night we had a great first gathering for those who are interested in praying for or even being a part of the church plant.  It was an incredible evening.  Pastor Ayars shared from the Great Commission and Acts 1:8 the motivation for going out and making disciples and moving outside of our community.  Joe Garofalo has conducted extensive research on the demographics of Eastern Long Island, and he presented the findings that are helping us to focus on planting in Brookhaven township.  I (Bob) challenged the group to pray, especially considering that we will be entering into "occupied territory" that is currently not being served by many God-honoring churches.  There will be opposition, and the remedy is to all commit to pray.

We then had a time of intercession, where I handed out a bookmark of some current known prayer needs for the church plant.  If you would like, you can download a copy of the bookmark to print out.  We would so appreciate your prayers.

We are encouraged by our first gathering, and trust that God will send others to pray and be used in Building His Church!

Building His Church - a starting point...

What an exciting time!  We will be using this blog to chronicle the progress on our new church plant in Brookhaven township.  It's important that we have people committed to pray for God to lead us and prepare the way as we move into this new area.  Unlike building a physical building where you can see progress as you drive by, much of what takes place here would be invisible.  However, this blog is where we hope to inform what God is doing, how we are progressing, and to share needs that come up.

Please check back in here regularly and pray as the Lord leads you.  Thanks!