WOW. We had an incredible service Sunday despite all of the crazy things that happened. We had 311 people with us this past Sunday which is 100 people more than last year that is 50% growth in one year and I think God is pretty awesome for that. Every week people are finding a new relationship with Jesus Christ here at Relevant and all I can say is that I am blown away to be part of the most awesome church in America. So here is the train wreck from Sunday that God still showed up at.
Let be begin by saying never have a prayer time before your service and say God it does not matter if the sound, music, and tech go well we just want you to show up. Because He may just take you up on the offer. That is the stupidest prayer I have ever prayed and let me tell you God and I had a conversation between services and I told Him hey God we need you to show up in all of the areas because they all matter. I know the prayer sounded spiritual but after closer scrutiny I realize it was not spiritual at all. Here is what happened in the first service because of my foolish prayer.
- One of the songs our incredible band of professionals started was in the wrong key. Not a good thing.
- Our transition video that set the stage for the sermon ended before the punch line. Not a good way to start a talk.
- My mic decided to have a short in it thus it stopped working as soon as I started talking.
- our new parking tent for parkers is no longer operational due to the creative dismantling of it by two college grads (who are great guys and I love them both)
Now you may be saying Paul this could just be coincidence but to that I would say bull. Because I believe God really does answer our prayers and when we decided that we do not need Him to show up in all of the areas of our ministry we find out what happens. Now I can say all of our staff got a good laugh out of this but it was a real lesson that we learned. God is so concerned about every facet of our ministries and if He is concerned then we as leaders need to make all of the areas of our ministry a priority. If I hear one more church guy say we just want the spirit to show up at our service, but they never plan for that to happen I think I am going to puck. Sometimes I wonder if God does not show up at our churches on Sunday because we did not create an environment for Him to show up. Now I know the theological problem with this because someone is sure to say well Paul God is omnipresent He is everywhere all of the time and that is true. But if that is true then why are more churches closing their doors than opening them.
I think the problem is planning and preparation. When we have guest into our house we plan and prepare our home for their arrival and we make sure the food and environment is warm and inviting. So why is it that so many people do not come to church? Maybe they feel that they are cold and impersonal. This is going to have to change if we are going to make an impact on this generation.
I am so thankful that I hang out with guys in this area that are changing lives for eternity. In fact I meet with 6 church planters yesterday who have been doing church for less than 2 years and there was a combined number of over 2000 people who were in church Sunday who were not in church 2 years ago. WOW GOD you are awesome.
If you are a church planter out there reading this keep doing what you are doing and if it is not working try something new. As church planters we have that privilege to try multiple things until we find out what works.
Peace Out
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