New City Music

There are more than few who have asked about the New City music. What will music be like? What songs...?
Full Circle (the band) is still working on their line up - they haven't added this one yet, but I hope they do! This will at least give you a taste of what some of the music will be like. We'll mix in some originals and remix some good old hymns as well.
Enjoy David Crowder - Here is our King

Forgetting Something?

Feel Like You're Leaving Something Off the Calendar?

Don't forget Tuesday night prayer.

7:00 pm - 8:00ish pm

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Acts 2:42

Temporary Blindness

It is easy to lose sight of what is most important. How quickly our focus shifts. Life and busyness and even good things take our eyes off of the best thing. I am thankful when I am reminded and late yesterday afternoon I was once again reminded of my faulty vision - reminded of where to refocus - all through the words of a song I know so well... a prayer I sing with new hope and a renewed vision.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

The Gospel and Church Unity

In Jesus' 'high priestly prayer' of John 17 we find in three verses Jesus praying for the unity of his followers - not just the disciples who were with him daily, but for all who would believe in him because of them (v20).
He prayed in verse 11 that they may be one,
in verse 21 that they may be one,
in verse 22 that they may be one,
and in verse 23 that they may be perfected in unity.

Then, twice Jesus ties the spread of the Gospel to this unity: in verse 21, so that the world may believe that you sent me, and in verse 23, so that the world may know that you sent me.

That this is the topic of Jesus' prayer just before his arrest, torture, and crucifixion demonstrates its importance to him. Of all the things that could have prayed for, four times he prayed for the unity of his followers.

The question moves then to WHAT? What is it that unifies us, and/or for what are we unified?
Jesus doesn't give us that answer in his prayer - at least not directly.
There are numerous passages that deal with church unity and that point us to an answer. One of those is Philippians 1:27 which reads, Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving for the faith of the gospel.

First - WHAT unifies them:
In 1:5 Paul mentions their koinonia fellowship in the Gospel
In 1:7 He commends them for their koinonia partnership with Paul in the Gospel
In 1:12-26 Christ/Lord/Gospel are mentioned at least 12 times
And then verse 27 - conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of - WHAT? THE GOSPEL

The Gospel is the heart of their fellowship together
The grounds of their partnership with Paul
And the goal of their Christian walk

It is the Gospel that binds them together - the WHAT - is the Gospel.
The church should find the basis of its unity in Christ - in the Gospel.
In Him there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free - In Him we are ONE
The Gospel is about our common need and His incredible provision - the ground of the gospel is level - No matter who we are or where we are from - no matter how pretty or ugly - no matter how rich or how poor we all have the same disease and share in the remedy of His blood.

We are bound BY the Gospel
and...
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.
my paraphrase - I am in bods and may very likely die in this Roman imprisonment. I hope to come and see you again, but that may not happen. One way or another, my great hope is to hear that you are conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. And if you are, I will hear that you are standing firm in one spirit and with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.

The Greek wording is key to understanding the picture that Paul was painting here. Standing Firm is translated from a Greek military term. It is a battle term. The picture is of a war time unity - a battle mentality.
The adverbial participle that is translated as STRIVING TOGETHER is another military word that describes further what Paul meant by STAND FIRM. Standing firm is not a defensive posture, it is instead an OFFENSIVE posture. The picture that might come to mind for Paul's readers is that of Roman soldiers advancing side by side into battle. The battle to be won here is not for Rome, but for the Gospel! The church then is to be united in the cause of the Gospel. We are not to passively sit back, neither are we to barricade our doors in order to protect. We are to gear up for battle like soldiers and strive together to advance the Gospel and the Kingdom of God.

So - it seems we are united BY the Gospel and we are to be united FOR the Gospel. The Gospel is then the heart of who we are and what we are to do.

If this is the unity that Jesus had in mind when he prayed that his followers would be one, then is it any wonder that he tied the unity of his followers to the belief of the world?

The mission of New City Church is to see the Gospel transform everything within our reach - ourselves, our church, our city, and the world.
We understand that our church is more than a building, an organization, a man, or a service. We are a group of missionaries, a family of believers, a population of diverse individuals united by, striving for, and growing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Better said, we are "a worshipping community of missional theologians."

Biblical Basis For Missional Living - by C.Land

Following is a post from Mabel White's students minister, Caleb Land in a response to a question he received about the biblical basis for missional living:

I don't know why I haven't done a post on that before, so In no particular order:

The example of Jesus found in John 1 (particularly vs. 14) - This is huge. Verse 14 in the Greek speaks to Jesus literally making his dwelling among us, among humanity. He cared enough about us to come to us, why wouldn't we follow His example?
The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) - says, "Go" into the world, not "Attract People to You." We are supposed to go make disciples. This isn't just for missionaries called to other parts of the world, this is for all disciples to follow as illustrated by the work of the church in Acts.
2 Corinthians 2:14-17 - (our MSX theme)We are to be the Fragrance or Aroma of Christ in the world, both to the believers and non-believers. How can people get a good whiff of us if we only hang out with each other and hide in the walls of the church?
Matthew 5:13-16 - We are supposed to be the seasoning of the world and we are supposed to be the light that shows the lost world Jesus. Once again, we have to be in the world (but not of it) to do this effectively.
Acts 8:4-8 - The Christians are scattered by persecution, yet they preach Christ as they disperse. In this example God changes the culture of a Samaritan city through the work of Philip.
Jeremiah 29:7 - An OT passage that I believe applies to us as the church. Jeremiah tells the exiled Jews to pray for and seek the welfare of the pagan city where they are exiled. We as the church are exiles all over the world. We too should pray for and seek the welfare of our cities.

To which I commented:

John 17 is one of my favorites. Jesus prays that the disciples (and all who would believe after them - which is us) not be removed from the world, but that they be protected while they are in the world.
Matthew 28 - the Great Commission, the command is not GO (sorry Caleb) it is make disciples - GO is actually a poor translation of a participle - better translation is AS YOU GO. As you go to work, to school, to play, to coach your kids ball team... MAKE DISCIPLES
Acts 17 - Paul's contextualization of his message in the midst of the Areopagus.

Great thoughts from Caleb and great passages dealing directly and indirectly with our missional call. You can check out Caleb's blog at http://missionalstudents.typepad.com/missional_students/

Life On The Razor's Edge

I knew mine was a precarious place - I had no idea it would be this precarious. I am trying very hard to leave Mabel White better than I found her and to be above reproach when it comes to pulling people away from here.
Unfortunately, it seems that there are always those who, like Satan, accuse and blame. My heart's desire is that Mabel White would become a healthy, vibrant middle Georgia church and that she would have a major and eternal impact in our area. I pray for the church's future, for its leadership, and for the people who make up this body.
Pray for me as it seems these next months will be lived on the razor's edge.

Prayer and Communion

We had another great night of prayer tonight. Hearing the prayers of the saints (that's what we are called in Scripture) is always so encouraging. I feel ready for another day of battle.

After our time of prayer we ended the night by talking about our mission - to see the Gospel transform everything within our reach - ourselves, our church, our city, and the world - and then celebrating the Gospel through communion. I am not sure that there is anything sweeter that a group of believers can do together than share in the body and blood of our great Savior.

Just A reminder...

Colossians 4:2-4
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; (3) praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; (4) that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

One thing is crystal clear from this passage: it is God's will that we pray to him. Sometimes we struggle to know the will of God for our lives. But there are some things that you do not have to struggle to know. One of them is that God's will is that you pray to him. The text says, "Devote yourselves to prayer." God wills for you to pray to him. John Piper

Make time for Prayer at the Watson's House

Tuesday 7:00pm - 8:00 ish

I Present to You Mr. and Mrs. Colin Croft

New City's first wedding took place this morning at Jackson Springs Park near downtown Macon. Ashley Dunn looked beautiful, and Colin looked quite handsome, himself. This wedding was a lot of fun and it was great to meet some of Ashley and Colin's family and friends. The reception was at the Capitol Theater.
What a great day - a great time - a great new adventure for Ashley and Colin!

Gospel Transforation - the Goal

Below is a short summary that resulted from the earlier discussion on Form and Function. In the end, New City Church's goal is Gospel Transformation.

It is not the extreme that we seek, neither is the goal to see how close to some line we might be able to come. We desire to see the gospel transform everything within our reach - our selves, our church, our city, and the world. Doing so requires that we effectively communicate the true and transforming gospel of Jesus Christ - not watered down, not plus or minus anything - simply the Gospel. Within the bounds of Scripture we desire to use whatever means is necessary to achieve that goal and see Gospel transformation.
And for it, I fully anticipate some negative reactions.

Don't Forget - Prayer Night

Friends and Family of New City Church,
you are all invited to come and pray for New City and for a new city!

Tonight 7:00pm - 8ish

@ the Watson's house

If you need directions, give me a call - 478-957-9260

Cool Things #1024, #1025 and counting...

#1024

I met Chip Miller, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Macon last Friday for coffee. He had heard about New City and had some questions. Great conversation - turns out he really has a church planting heart and is reading some of the same stuff as I am reading (Driscol).

#1025

After our Friday conversation, Chip invited me to come and talk with First Pres' elders at their monthly meeting! So, I did. I had a great opportunity to share with another downtown church what New City was all about. I shared our mission and vision - They had numerous questions - in the end, I had a great time!

First Pres has 24 elders - I think that means that I have now spoken publicly to a larger group of Presbyterians about New City than I have my own church! How's that for crazy. God just continues to blow my mind by doing things so different than I ever would have imagined! What's next!?!?

Full Circle

Hey guy's,
I can't tell you how excited we are to be a part of New City Church, and how God is working in our ministry. We've decided on a band name - "Full Circle".
We wanted a name to describe not just the members of the band, but what God has done in so many people's lives. I grew up in a Christian home, and was in church every time the doors were open. But I was just in church - The building. I didn't grasp the concept of worship, or even what it truly meant to be a follower of Christ. I graduated high school and moved out of my parent’s house when I was about 17 (have you ever taken your dog off the leash at a dog park and watched it go banana's? that was me). I joined a rock band shortly after and started my journey. We played local bars, parties, and began to get a pretty good following. We eventually traveled the east coast and played with some pretty well known bands. Along with being in this "scene" comes a great variety of temptations – unfortunately I just happened to be one of those people who wanted to try them all.......at the same time. I didn't realize how this affected me, my relationships, and my family – I was alienated. I became addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Finally one day I realized that I had all these problems in my life (financially, legally, and with family) because of what I was doing. This began my path to recovery 10 years ago. With many tears, interviews with psychiatrists (I've interviewed quite a few) many prayers, and the love of my family and friends, and by God’s grace today, I feel like the most blessed man on this earth.
I walked out of Sunday school a couple of months ago to get a refill on coffee, and I heard this band playing. I walked in and my jaw dropped. I saw Keith standing off to the side and I started asking him some questions. Keith said he may have something I might be interested in, and that we would talk later. When he explained his vision of New City Church, it was like a gong went off. My mother always said that God would use me and my experiences one day to serve him, and here it was (doesn't it bother you when your mom is always right). When I started putting together a band for New City, I called my old buddies first. My old bass player was playing on a praise team in Warner Robins, but would love nothing more than to come and worship and play with us. My old guitarist had almost the same story. Drummer.....this is when it became more than a coincidence. God's hands were all over this.

The first time we all got together to practice for New City, it was breath taking, in a good way. The music wasn't perfect, the sound was off, we were all tuned differently, but we were there. We had come from the back doors and alleys of bars and night clubs, to not just playing Christian music, but worshiping together. We had come full circle.
We are now well on our way preparing for this fall and God has added to our original few - and He continues to. Please keep us in your prayers, and know that no matter what you are going through in life, God always has his hands on you.

Shannon Allgood

Band Practice, Waiting on the Rain

As an adult a rainy day is good - especially in a hot dry summer. But as a kid, rain was bad. I heard a church planter recently whining about how hard this church planting thing was... he's a few steps ahead of me in the plant and so I have secretly been dreading the hard part - its been like waiting for the rain.

So far, no rain. Yes, I am sometimes tired - its a BUSY time - difficult to keep up with everything, but I don't think I would say HARD. In fact, through all the busy-ness, its really been FUN - like a kid in summer with no rain in sight, God just continues to amaze me.

Tonight the band practiced - they are really sounding good. I am amazed at how God talents some people. I am also amazed at his continued provision. We had 2 new faces in the band tonight - Anny playing acoustic and singing some cool back up, and Eric on the drums. They just slid right in and played - almost like they had been there all along. Incredible.

I guess I'll keep an eye open for the rain, but for now I think I'm going to enjoy all the sunshine!

Help Wanted for First Friday

August 3 is the first First Friday in August and the next First Friday celebration downtown. If you aren't familiar with First Friday, here's the scoop:

First Friday in Downtown Macon April 6, 2007 - November 2, 2007
Times: 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.Location: Downtown
Macon Phone: 478-722-9909
On the first Friday of every month, downtown comes to life with music, art and entertainment. From 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., Macon's outdoor alcohol laws are suspended for the downtown area. One can stroll through art galleries, bookstores and eclectic shops with a glass of wine, or enjoy a cocktail listening to outdoor musicians. For more information and a line-up of events contact New Town Macon at 478-722-9909.

We will hit the streets with the New City Church fliers and begin inviting people to the September service and letting them know we are coming. This is a GREAT opportunity to experience downtown and to help hand out fliers and meet people. Take the family, eat at one of the many great downtown spots, then enjoy walking around downtown and meeting people. We'll meet in front of the Capitol Theater at 6:00pm and go from there!

Expected Attendance Up By 1 Strange Baby

Congrats to Clint and Helen Strange and welcome to the world Harrison Hart Strange - born late, late, late last night!

THE Mission of the Church

This summer, rather than having several Wed. night discipleship classes, we meeting together for a summer doctrinal study. This summer's study is What We Believe About the Church. Last night I taught on the Mission of the Church.
I am amazed at the simplicity of our mission. While there may be many, many activities in a church - both good and bad - the mission is singular. Jesus spent 3 years with his disciples, trained them, lived with them, built them up - prepared them for the mission. Then, just before leaving them (physically) he said, All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore, as you go (a participle), MAKE DISCIPLES, baptizing (a participle) them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching (a participle) them to obey all that I have commanded (Matthew 28:18-20).
There is only 1 verb - make disciples.
The commission is just that - make disciples.

Baptizing:
We make disciples primarily by being and speaking the Gospel - which leads to belief - which precedes baptism. Baptism into Christ, Baptism into the body of Christ.

Teaching:
We make disciples then by teaching those who have come by faith, all that he has commanded. While that is a great deal to teach, it can be summarized by
the great Command of Matthew 22 - Love God and Love People...on these 2 commands hang the whole Law and Prophets
AND
must include the command that Jesus made - make disciples.

I think that's pretty much it! The forms that our disciple making takes must be contextualized - it may not look exactly the same in Macon, Ga as it does in an African tribe, or in San Diego, CA - but the function is the same - Make Disciples.

If this is indeed our Mission, then everything we do must be judged by how it works to accomplish that mission. Activities are worthwhile only as they work to that end. Counseling is only truly biblical when it counsels to that end. Add to that the long list of church activities including children's ministry, and youth ministry, and senior adult ministry, deacons and elders and on and on and on - each should serve the same mission, and should be judged by how well it actually works to that end.

Giving to New City Church

Yes, there are already expenses - and thankfully God is already providing for the new church. Some of the costs:
$1,000 per meeting at the Capitol Theater (Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec, - renegotiate in Jan)
Acts 29 Boot Camp $300 plus travel, meals, room
Business Cards, Signage at the Capitol theater, upcoming children/nursery needs...

So - How can you give to New City Church?

The Macon Baptist Association has designated a line in their account for New City Church. This means that while we work to get incorporation taken care of as well as non-profit status, tax deductible gifts can be sent to New City Church thru the Macon Baptist Association.
Simply make your check out to the Macon Baptist Association and in the remarks section write for New City Church.

Mail checks to:
Macon Baptist Association
1080 Second Street
Macon, GA 31201

Thanks MBA for making this available!

New Town Macon Sends Out Press Release

Below is a Press Release from New Town Macon sent to 3,800 individuals and businesses. Great publicity!

New Town Macon

July 10, 2007
For Immediate Release

New City Church to Meet at Cox Capitol Theater bringing new people downtown
New City Church downtown, a church start, has reached a rental agreement with the Cox Capitol Theater and will begin meeting at the theater September 16, 2007. The new church is described as “comfortable, casual, and truly contemporary.” In a city known for music, New City Church’s band looks forward to taking advantage of the Cox Capitol Theater’s recent sound upgrades. Lead church planter and pastor, Keith Watson says, “New City will be about much more than a Sunday worship experience. We are looking forward to being vitally involved in the continued transformation of downtown Macon, and ultimately the entire city of Macon.” The new church hopes to positively impact downtown businesses by bringing people into downtown who may not normally frequent the downtown community. Watson also says, “New City not only wants our downtown businesses to thrive, we also want to be involved in serving the downtown community and helping to meet the many needs of the people of Macon.”

New City Church downtown will hold monthly services as follows:
September 16, October 21, November 18, December 16,
And will launch weekly services January 27, 2008.
Coffee @ 10:00 am,
Services @10:30.

For more information contact Keith Watson at (478) 957-9260,
visit www.newcitydowntown.org ,
or write to Keith Watson at 107 Kells Court, Macon GA, 31210.

Why Plant a Church?

Here's a great little video put together by Drew Goodmanson with National statistics that answer the question. It is quite compelling.

Downtown Service Opp

Bragg Jam 2007
New City Church has an opportunity once again to serve the Macon community - this time thru Bragg Jam. For those not familiar with Bragg Jam, here's what its all about:

Bragg Jam celebrates Macon’s musical heritage with a two-day music festival.It began as an indebted response to the deaths of Brax and Tate Bragg. Russell Walker, a friend of the family, organized a musical celebration of the brothers’ friends to honor them. The goal has consistently been the same: remember the Bragg brothers, showcase the city of Macon and its musical heritage, and raise money for the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail. The positive economic impact on the venues, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses has been greatly appreciated and is reflected in their willingness to participate year after year.
Bragg Jam is quickly becoming the premier musical event in Middle Georgia, and a reminder of what Brax Bragg will always be--an innovative wordsmith and a keen perceiver of human behavior, blessed with the ability to make it sound unique.

July 27 - 2 Volunteers are needed for The Capitol Theater 7:30 - 10:00 pm, and 2 volunteers are need from 10:00 - midnight at the Capitol

Saturday, July 28th at the Arts Festival - 2 volunteers are needed from 12:00 - 2:00pm, and 4 volunteers are needed from 4:00pm - 6:00pm

If you are interested - let me know. This is another great step in establishing ourselves as a church who is both with and for our city. I think we might be the only church volunteering.

UPDATE: Thanks to those of you who signed up to volunteer. As of now, all immediate needs for volunteers have been filled! Bragg Jam volunteer coordinators will stay in touch in case of any other needs! Way to go New City volunteers.

Already people are thinking diffrently about church!

Wedding Bells

I met with Ashley and Colin today to talk about their upcoming marriage and about their lives. What a great time. The really cool part is that Ashley is a waitress at 2nd Street Pizza (at the Capitol Theater). That's where Ashley and I met. Over the course of the last several months (and many slices of pizza at the Capitol) Ashley and I began to talk. She and Colin don't really have a church home or pastor, so they asked me if I would do the honors. I'm thrilled! I get to do a wedding for a pretty cool couple, meet more people that I don't know, and go to the Capitol for a reception!
On top of all that, I got an opportunity to talk about how the gospel transforms every aspect of our lives as opposed to empty religion which does nothing and specifically to talk about how the gospel impacts and changes marriage.
What a wonderful journey Ashley and Colin are about to embark on - I'm thankful that God has chosen to include me, and New City Church in their story.

What do you sometimes dream of?

For me - Its F L Y I N G...

No Page, that's not me!

Fire Destroys Sojourn Huntsville's Gathering Place

Pray with the many others from all over for Sojourn Church in Huntsville, AL. Fire recently destroyed The Olde Towne Brewery where the church gathered for worship. Pastor David Thew says that God is already doing some great things even in the midst of this loss and disruption. We can be sure, with the Sojourn worshippers that God is working all this together for good for those who love Him.

Here's a link to the story.

Not for Everyone

"We are a church for anyone but not a church for everyone." That's how church planter Scott Whitaker described his plant, StonePoint to me. Anyone is welcomed, but not everyone will want to be a part. What a great quote! I take the same position as it relates to the New City Church plant. That is why I post things about mission and vision and how those things will likely come to be.
For example, if New City looks like a church you would enjoy, BUT you want your children involved in a lot of church children's activities throughout the week, we are probably not the church for you. If you like the way New City looks, but you strongly believe that the church should teach/preach abstinence from alcohol, New City may not be the church for you. If you like a choir - you are welcomed at New City, but we will not have a choir - and you are not going to change that.
I had a great conversation today over coffee with someone who is prayerfully considering being a part of New City. They had some great questions on leadership, direction, accountability, and other things. To which, I sometimes had to answer, this is who we are, and where we are heading, and if you are not in agreement, maybe this isn't the place to plug in (there are after all, plenty of other churches to be a part of).
This may seem harsh to some, but I believe it is essential as we begin this new church. "Protect the vision God has given you" has been an often repeated battle cry from church planters I have spoken with and read. Again, it may sound harsh, but I am unwilling to sell out the vision that God has given me for New City Church in order to have someone be a part of what we are doing - there are plenty of other churches in Macon.

So, thanks Scott Whitaker - while New City Church will be a church for anybody, we will certainly NOT be a church for everybody.

Acts 29 - Phase 1 Officially Complete

Just a quick update...
Phase 1 of the Acts 29 Network Application Process is officially complete.
We have one more questionnaire to complete and then its off to Boot Camp in Raleigh in September. We will have an in depth assessment at the end of Boot Camp. Amy and I are really looking forward to Boot Camp.

New City Children

Children - Who is responsible for their spiritual life?

What will that look like at New City?

We believe that the primary responsibility for the spiritual well being of children lies with the parents, not the church. Following are a few of the passages we base this on...

Deut 4:9"Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children--"

Deut 6: 5"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Ephesians 6:
4"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Therefore, we see our role as a church, as a partner to parents in teaching the children that God entrusted to them. We will seek to involve parents in their children's activities and learning in church, and we will seek to equip parents with the tools they need for teaching their children.

This basic principle will guide us in the future as we structure the activities of our church. While we are not certain of exactly what this will look like in terms of structure and activity, some things we are certain of...

* We believe that children should worship with their parents at as early an age as possible. We realize that children mature at different rates and some children will be able to worship with their parents sooner than others. Therefore we will provide age appropriate opportunities on Sunday mornings during corporate worship gatherings for children to pray together, learn together and worship together. Our ultimate goal is not separate children's activities during worship gatherings, it is families worshipping together.

* We will never be a church of 7 day a week church activities for children. We want to urge parents to include their children in daily spiritual activities as well as missional opportunities.

* Our Life Groups (home groups) will include their children in the ministry and service projects that are taken on quarterly.

* Any future children's activities such as Kid Stuf will be designed to include the whole family and will be a tool by which as a community of believers, we partner with parents as they teach their children.

Missional v/s Attractional, a recent conversation...

Two recent conversations have led to this post and I want those considering New City Church to be very clear on the fact that New City will be primarily Missional rather than Attractional.
I will use a summary of the 2 conversations to explain the differences.
The church that I am presently on staff with is primarily an Attractional Church. As such, the majority of our programming is geared to do 2 main things - 1) attract our current members and keep them coming, and 2) attract other people to the church with the hope that they too will come. Attractional church programs gear everything (or most everything) toward drawing people to the church. Once at the church, the hope is that they might hear the Gospel and come to Christ. Attractional churches have reached many people. Our church staff is talking about adding some fields to our current campus. There is even talk of offering Upward Soccer in the near future. You know - If you build it they will come. The idea is to attract people to come to our fields and play. We hope then that they will come to our church. Then, when they come to our church we hope they will come to Christ.
Missional churches, on the other hand, probably would not build fields to house upward soccer. Instead, missional churches would equip and encourage their members to get involved in the city recreational soccer league. Missional churches would urge their moms and dads to become coaches and assistant coaches in the city leagues. They would help their members be salt and light in the world, not at the church. Missional churches desire to see their members take the gospel to the culture rather than trying to attract the culture to a place where they might see and hear the gospel.
Here's another example. My present church (along with most churches) has participated in Church League basketball. Most of the participants in Church League basketball are churched or have some church background. An attractional church hosts church league basketball if they are able. A Missional church, on the other hand puts its church team together and signs them up for public recreation basketball. There, the church team will have the greatest opportunity to make a gospel impact on its culture.

I bring this up because one of these conversations took place with someone who would say he is missional, yet his philosophy of ministry is clearly attractional. New City Church will be primarily Missional - equipping and encouraging believers to BE Christ in their culture, to BE the incarnation of the gospel in a lost world. There will certainly be elements of New City that will be attractive to people - just as there were elements of the ministry of Jesus that attracted people. But our goal is not and will not be attraction by programming. We will never have everything for everybody.

I pray that we never host a church basketball league. I pray that we never feel the need to have the latest and greatest to attract new growth or hold our current members. I pray that God would raise up in and through New City Church a group of missionaries who desire to be Christ in our city.

For a great article on missional church read Ed stetzer's A Missional Church.

Online Sermon

I had a great lunch today with someone who picked up one of our fliers downtown. It is good to hear other people's story and good to have an opportunity to share. As I left the meeting I began to think about something - for me and my family, preaching/teaching is vitally important in the decision making process of whether or not we want to be involved in a church. I have been to some churches that there was NO WAY I could be a part of because of the horrible preaching.
People are committing to join us in this plant who have never heard me preach or teach (that must be the power of vision - or a sign of desperation!).
So, I asked Scott Park to put a link on our web page for a sermon I preached here at Mabel White in February. It is from a sermon series on relationships and deals with the husband / wife relationship of Ephesians 5.
So, if you want to hear it - here it is!

A Sound Position on Alcohol

I checked the Acts 29 Network's written position on alcohol. I figured it was probably sound, biblical and well written. I was right. So, why re-write!? Here it is in part (or the whole) :

First, we believe that all drunkenness is a sin (Deuteronomy 21:20; Ecclesiastes 10:17; Matthew 24:29; Luke 12:45; 21:34; Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 5:11, 6:10; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Peter 4:3).

Secondly, we believe that many horrendous sins are affiliated with drunkenness. Therefore, getting drunk is a sin that can lead to other sins, such as incest (Genesis 19:32–35), violence (Proverbs 4:17), adultery (Revelation 17:2), mockery and brawling (Proverbs 20:1), poverty (Proverbs 21:17), late night and early morning drinking (Isaiah 5:11–12), hallucinations (Isaiah 28:7), foolish behavior (Isaiah 5:22; Jeremiah 51:39), murder (2 Samuel 11:13), vomiting (Jeremiah 25:27; 48:26; Isaiah 19:14), staggering (Jeremiah 25:27; Psalm 107:27; Job 12:25), madness (Jeremiah 51:7), shameful nakedness (Habakkuk 2:15; Lamentations 4:21), sloth (Joel 1:5), escapism (Hosea 4:11), and depression (Luke 21:34). In summary, sin leads to death and the sin of drunkenness produces only death and misery.

Thirdly, we believe that Christian leaders are to live their lives in such a way as to set a positive example of holiness for others to emulate (Hebrews 13:7). This includes elders, the male senior leaders in the church, who are not to be drunkards (1 Timothy 3:3; Titus 1:7).

Fourthly, we do believe that all Christians must at varying times and in varying ways give up some of their Christian liberties in order to love people of weaker conscience. Christians must make every effort to not lead them into sin by exercising freedoms in their presence (Romans 14:21; 1 Corinthians 10:31–32).

The Brewing Battle...

Is is right to insist on "rules" that are not biblical? Should we (as a church) impose man made "do's" and "don'ts" on those around us? I am not suggesting that we don't follow the laws of the land, neither am I suggesting that we toss out clear biblical teaching. I am referring to the question surrounding The Journey Church and their "Theology at the Bottleworks."
The following article is from Christianity Today:

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra posted 6/29/2007 08:55AM
Church planters who receive
money from the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) must now teach alcohol abstinence. The policy change was sparked by the Journey, a growing interdenominational church that borrowed $200,000 from the MBC to renovate a church two years ago. One of the Journey's outreach groups meets in a St. Louis microbrewery. Related articles and links

"Theology at the Bottleworks was started to reach people who are actively opposed to Christianity, by discussing contemporary cultural issues in a neutral environment," explained Darrin Patrick, founding pastor of the Journey, which attracts about 1,500 people weekly to three sites. Those who attend Theology at the Bottleworks grab a beer and discuss political or spiritual topics, such as the role of women in society, the legal system, or animal rights.

The outreach caught the MBC off guard, said interim executive director David Tolliver. "We need to engage the culture, but without compromising our biblical, traditional Baptist values," Tolliver said. "For me, that includes abstinence from alcohol."

Patrick said that the Journey adheres to the same theological confessions as the MBC, the state division of the Southern Baptist Convention. Because the Journey received the money by loan, not by grant, the new policy does not affect the church. But future borrowers will be scrutinized more closely, Tolliver said. Previously, church planters were asked to sign a statement agreeing to abstain from alcohol. Now they must teach "the strong biblical warnings" against drinking beer and wine. Though the Bible does not expressly forbid alcohol consumption, the new policy states that alcohol consumption is not wise.

The policy addresses an ongoing SBC debate. Baptists have championed alcohol abstinence since the late 1800s, but a growing number want the SBC to reexamine the issue, said Timothy George, dean of Beeson Divinity School.
"There is growing discontent, people saying that we shouldn't be mandating things that aren't spoken clearly about in Scripture," George said. "It's hard to argue that the Bible requires total abstinence."

After heated arguments at the annual SBC meeting in June 2006, messengers passed a resolution affirming abstinence. Mark DeVine, professor at Midwest Baptist Theological Seminary, sees the new MBC policy as part of a struggle between traditional churches and the young "emerging" church. The Journey's Patrick serves as vice president of Acts 29, a church-planting network led by Seattle pastor Mark Driscoll. Driscoll describes Acts 29 as "theologically conservative and culturally liberal." About one-quarter of Acts 29 churches affiliate with the SBC.

The controversy may not stop with alcohol. MBC executive board member Michael Knight, who chairs the theological study committee, has proposed that the MBC sever all contact, financial and otherwise, with Acts 29.
Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today.

I believe there are a lot of good reasons for a person to abstain from alcohol. Similarly there are a lot of good reasons to abstain from a lot of other things. The real question is, should we enforce as a "law" within a denomination something that cannot be biblically supported? Then, should we disassociate with those who do not follow our "law" or withdraw support from them? I think I am just tired of such garbage. I know it is a controversial issue in SBC circles, but only because WE have made "biblical" something that isn't.