Sunday, July 31, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Starting Strong... New City Church Warner Robins
On August 14, at 6:00PM one of New City's bands will begin playing the first official nccWR song set. We'll sing together for the first time in WR. We'll pray together for the first time in WR . The Gospel of Jesus Christ will be clearly communicated from the Scripture for us for the first time in WR . We'll follow Jesus by calling people to repent and believe the Gospel for the first time in WR. We'll share the sacrament of communion together for the first time in WR. It will be incredible! For those who have been longing for this day - and praying for this church there will probably be tears of joy and happy laughter.New City Church downtown started with 20 +/- people and 2 months of prayer and planning. The mission we understood - how we would carry it out was mostly a mystery! We had little idea what Missional Communities would actually look like - most of us had never heard the word missional. We had no idea what it would mean to be With and For our city and engage its people right where they were. Still, in January of 2008 we launched weekly services - filled with church planting ignorance!
Not long after that start, the seeds for New City Church Warner Robins found soil in a few from Warner Robins who dreamed of something different for their city. Little by little the number of people coming to Macon from Warner Robins grew... and they formed a Missional Community. Early on we communicated to those first travelers from Warner Robins that their Missional Community was more than a Missional Community - it was the first of a core group of people who would one day plant a church in their city. And they continued to grow and formed another Missional Community. And they continued to grow and have just recently started their third Missional Community with a fourth in the planning stages!
Here's where I am going - These communities of people in WR know the mission - gospel transformation. They get the vision. They have worked, served, and given to see the mission and vision happen. August 14 is NOT their start date! They have already begun and they are off to a strong, strong start!
I was asked recently by a church planter in the starting days of a plant, "what would you do differently if you could start over with your plant?" My answer: nothing. I really wouldn't. BUT I can say this... our WR Campus Pastor, Patrick McConnell, and the teams and team leaders getting ready for the launch of New City Church Warner Robins have no idea how far ahead of downtown's start that they are! God has graciously put together an incredible group of people and an incredible opportunity in Warner Robins!
I am so excited about August 14... I am more excited about what has already happened in Warner Robins and what is going to happen after August 14! If you are in WR and not in church, or know someone in WR without a church home, let me STRONGLY suggest that you join us August 14, 6:00PM at The River Community Church's building for the continuation of New City Church Warner Robins!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
New City Church ALBANY?
Planting the gospel by planting new churches has been our vision even in the dreaming phases of New City Church downtown. Our vision statement includes this:
We dream of a church intent on planting new churches that will engage cultures around the world.
By "intent on planting new churches" we mean aggressively seeking to plant new churches. I recently explained to another church planter that at New City Church we are constantly looking for ways TO plant churches as opposed to reasons why we can't (not large enough, not enough money, not enough leadership support...).
A few months ago I received an email from a pastor an hour away who wanted to talk with me about church planting. That email led to other emails and phone calls and meetings and an Acts 29 Boot Camp and seems now, to us taking another aggressive step in seeing our vision happen. This week the Elders of New City Church welcomed Andy Blankenship on board as the lead planter of New City Church Albany!
Andy, Mary Kathryn, and their 3 little ones will be moving later this month to Albany. Andy has taken a position in a nearby school system where he will work as he learns his city, trains with the New City Elders, and begins the process of planting a new New City Church.
I am constantly amazed and very thankful!
Friday, July 1, 2011
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