I was going through some files that I brought to the new office and ran across some notes from Gary Lamb's Breakout session at Churchplanters.com conference. I really needed to hear that again... sometimes we don't need NEW INFORMATION... we need to be reminded again of the stuff we already know. Gary was talking about going all out to reach the unchurched. That's our vision at Journey... we have a laser sharp focus to go after the unchurched... Gary mentioned a couple of things I needed to be reminded of:
- Unchurched people don't engage in worship... that's a heads up for our band.
- Unchurched people don't give checks, they give cash (and I'll add, it's usually $1s or $5s... if we really want to go after the unchurched...
- THE DEVIL WILL GO AFTER US HARD.
That's what's been happening lately. He's been attacking me personally, my family, our church (health issues, marital issues, financial struggles, etc)... He's coming after us hard... He's whispering to me this statement: "if you'll tweak this or that, you could get more Christians and have a bigger crowd and more money. Then you'd be successful like (insert name of a church planter). I can't tell you how much I've thought about this over the past few weeks... I struggle with wanting to grow faster or have more money, or adding staff. The reality is, Auburn, Alabama is a very "religious" culture... we have almost 300 churches in our area... and it's tough to find people who are Disconnected. But here's the realization... Satan wants us to think that everyone's connected, that everyone's OK spiritually... Reality is, we have 80000 people who live in our target area. Research shows that about 30000 (very liberal estimate) are connected to a church... That leaves about 50000 that are disconnected, disinfranchised, lost, turned off, etc... So, the enemy wants us to leave them alone... but Journey exists to go hard after those 50000 people because we believe they matter to God and where they spend eternity hangs in the balance. Do you know how I know? I talked with someone today who has lived here 5 years and never connected to a church... They've visited, but never found a place to belong... The enemy screamed in my ear... don't ask her the "church question"... don't talk to her about spiritual stuff...He was coming hard after me... If I had listened to him, I never would have invited her to Journey. But because I remembered the Vision... Helping Ordinary People become Passionate Christ Followers...I intentionally talked to her about her life, her family, her spiritual background... and she's coming with her husband in a couple of weeks.
I wrote this so I could remind you AND me that our enemy, the devil is constantly prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour... and if you and I are focused on what God's called us to be and do as a church, we're cutting into his action. But the battle is worth it... the effort is needed... and our commitment to fulfilling the mission of Journey Church will honor God and impact His Kingdom.
Are you investing in someone who's disconnected?
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