Travis Johnson

Looking forward to having Chris from Compass Pointe Church  in Lakeland and Benny from Freedom Culture in Miami at Life Pointe tomorrow.  I also love the tradition we have where visiting pastors treat me to lunch.

The 2007 Exponential Conference (National New Church Conference) was excellent. In case you missed it, you can get the audio to the plenary sessions here:

Plenary Session 1 with Wayne Cordeiro
Plenary Session 2 with Ed Stetzer
Plenary Session 3 with Dave Ferguson
Plenary Session 4 with Bill Hybels

For the rest of the pre-conference podcasts, click here.  Thanks to Steve Addison for the heads up.

Ben Arment shared a good post here about the growth stages a church goes through.  I'll summarize his summary like this:

While there's no scientific pattern, this does explain how some styles of churches (like us) grow.

In the past, Awakenings or Revivals came by way of persecution, crusades, student-led prayer ministries, and overseas missionary endeavors.  I believe there may be an awakening taking place today and church planters are involved in a big way.  I'm blown away by how many really awesome guys are laying it down to establish new life-giving churches.

I am glad to see my friends, Brent and Sarah Stephens going public with their decision to plant a church in the Atlanta-area town of Acworth.  They are leaving a relatively comfortable, upwardly mobile denominational position working for someone I consider to be one of our very best denominational leaders to step out into the arena of the unknown.   I'm incredibly proud of Brent and Sarah.  I've known both of them for over 10 years.

If you know of anyone in the Acworth area that would like to be a part of a launch team for a new church, have them check out www.acworthchurchplant.com.  I'd also encourage you to consider supporting these guys in prayer and with cash.  Its an awesome thing to be a part of the mission of Jesus.  Its a beautiful thing to be a part of the Church. 

I guess Bill Hybels had a beef with the video because of Mark's perpective on women in ministry.  I too find Scriptural support for girls to be pastors or even Apostles. Nonetheless, Mark Driscoll brings home a message to men on church planting in my kind of language.  He makes me want to go fight someone.  Mark is leading the way, drawing people to the central message of Jesus in a city where God is largely unrecognized.

I'm registered for Exponential.  I'm looking forward to seeing some of the fellas there.  I'm signed up for the Post-launch track.  I can't wait.  On Friday, the 27th, we have a crew going to the Wired Church Regional Conference at Flamingo Road Church as well.  They'll be in Simply Strategic Volunteers and 1st Impressions tracks.

My friend, Chris Elrod was on Fox News yesterday talking about "man church."  Watch it here.

This coming Sunday, we will have been in Flagship Cinemas for 1 year.  It has been a good home for us.  In a couple hours, I'll be meeting with a few of their corporate execs to discuss some really groundbreaking opportunities that are availabale to both us and the theater. 

We've discussed it in the past and it looks like we are all on board.  It looks like we'll be able to map out next steps to create exceptional worship environments for us and second to none corporate presentation and high-tech gaming space for community business and youth.

These new developments will significantly cut down our weekly setup time as well as greatly improving our environments.  Flagship Cinemas also has locations in Massachussetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Maryland.  If you are a church in those areas or know of one that is in need of quality meeting space, check these guys out.

Was taking care of church business yesterday with Matt Robinett and on the fly got to hang out with a couple great guys/pastors.  Spent some time with Nathan Griffis, a church planter in Weston...wish he would start blogging.  Spent some time with Rich Wilkerson, pastor of Trinity Church in Miami Gardens.  I love pastors that are down to earth, real, and straight-forward.  I don't know all of Rich's story here in Miami.  But, he's been at Trinity for 8 years and they are in the community in a big way.

We are coming down to the last days of the due diligence period for selling our church building.  The building and property is rock solid and the only contingency is the inspection.  Still, I know that anything can happen.  Deals are never deals until they are closed and the money is in the bank.  That's the way big deals work.  Chase, uncertainty, victory (immediate and delayed).

When I was in corporate sales and marketing, I loved the chase.  I loved the strategy behind long, complicated deals.  And, of course, winning tasted good.  Losing fuels the fire to be better next time.

To be honest, if I was in a typical church, surrounded by people fearful of change, I may miss it.  But, we are constantly in flux, pursuing change.  For the last two years we have been pressing every button, pursuing the angles, and going for broke.  At times, it has been difficult and even scary.  But, it has been right and God has always come through.  The journey has been an adventure.

So, as we wrestle and embrace change, we stand at the precipice of a new day in our existence. A multi-million dollar contract is teetering ready to close...but it is possible it might not...anything is possible until the deal is closed. We could wish for the perfect ingredients before we do anything.  Or, we can launch out and go for the mission of the Church of Jesus Christ in a big way.

Seth Godin said in a recent post that one of the biggest factors in the success of the US isn't our natural resources or location. It's that so many people in this country came here seeking a thrill.

I echo those sentiments.  Our success in mission does not rest with the selling of a physical church property.  It rests in the fact that God is who He says He is and we put our faith in action, seeking a great thrill on an eternal mission of connecting people with a Holy God.  God did not call us to play it safe, to give up on the verge of victory, or to become satisfied or stagnant upon realizing comfort.  Really, playing it safe sucks.  That's how you lose.  Going "all in" with a radical pursuit of the mission is the only way to get it done. 

Monday at 5 PM, the deal is set to go hard.  If it happens, we have less than a month to get out.  If it doesn't, we'll likely dip back into the market place and recontact potential buyers.  Regardless, I'm all in.

Ed Stetzer just made this research available.  It dispels some myths about the average church plant.  It also paints the stark reality of planting.  Check it out here.

After service this morning where we concluded our God at the Box Office series, I stopped by the new Homestead campus of Christ Fellowship.  I chatted for a few minutes with Eric Geiger.  Last Sunday was their first preview service.  Today was their official launch.  Signage was excellent, parking lot was packed, and hospitality was friendly. 

I couldn't be more excited for our city.  I'm also looking forward to the new friendships with our partners in ministry.

First, let me say that I have not spoken with Brian about this.  My comments are totally mine.  I only know the story about their series, "The Best Sex Ever" from his blog and the front page of the Tallahassee Democrat.  I know big things are going to come out of this for Genesis Church.   Brian is a quality leader.  He is surrounded by strong leaders.  They are going to come out of it very strong. Still this has me scratching my head.

Our schools are slammed by morally ambiguous sex-ed classes, teen pregnancies, scandals involving teachers having sex with kids, and Leon High School asks a church that is renting their auditorium to remove their billboards promoting a Biblical perspective on sex. 

Brian handled himself with a ridiculous amount of respect for who he's working with in the school.  That says a lot about him and Genesis Church.  I think it would be interesting to see if the school holds themselves to the same standard.  A quick perusal of their sex-ed curriculum would most certainly point out their selective use of free speech squashing activities.  Bummer for them.

Brian Hunter and I go back to college and seminary.  I was maybe a year or two ahead of him at Lee U.  I didn't know him well during our undergraduate.  But, we ended up working together at North Cleveland doing the Master's Commission program there.  From there, I went to Chicago.  He went to Toronto.  We both ended up in Florida.  I came to the promised land (Miami).  He went to the den of the devil (Tallahassee, home of the Semi-noles).

Since arriving in Tallahassee about three years ago, he and his team have absolutely rocked taking Genesis Church from 9 to somewhere over 1,000 people.  Brian is a thinker.  He's solid as a person.  He's a gifted speaker and leader.  He's a decent person.  He's the newest addition to my Blog Roll.  I bet you anything, he'll be a daily read for you.

Church Plant Timeline

If you are a planter or prospective planter, it is a must read.  It comes from Church Planting Resources, a tremendous resource of information for planters and pastors.  Thanks to Drew Goodmanson for the heads up.

I just finished lunch with Matt Mahaffey.  Cool guy.  It looks like he's planting a church in Pembroke Pines in January '08.  It really sounds like he's going in with a strong plan and great support.  When he gets down here, we'll definitely have to hang out.  He'll be on his way back to his church in Indy soon.  But, first, I think he'll be stopping in to hang out with Bob for a little while.

Sunday, Nathan Griffis will be visiting with us at Life Pointe.  He'll get a good dose of Life Pointe hospitality for the weekend he's away from his church in Clermont.  He'll be planting in Weston soon as well.  I've gotten to know Nathan a bit.  He's a sharp guy with a lot of hopes resting on his shoulders (no pressure, Nathan).

It really seems like a decent number of planters are heading down this way.  That's exciting.  Miami and Broward definitely need more churches.  Or, maybe I should stay, our city needs more Christ.  Miami is an awesome place and deserves a ton of focus by church planting groups.  Anyway, I'll throw out a huge welcome mat for Nathan and Matt. 

I just sent off our registration for the Churchplanting Redone Conference on February 26-27 at Mountain Lake Church in the Atlanta area.  There is a great lineup of speakers and workshops, including Shawn Lovejoy, Dave Ferguson, Ed Stetzer, Matt Carter, and Perry Noble.  Gary Lamb and Michael Lukaszewski are doing breakout sessions.

Joe Herrera is coming with me.  So, we are rollin' Miami Mafia style.  Travelling with Uncle Joe is never dull.  He loves God and wants you to as well.  If you don't, he won't hurt you.  But, he might send someone by your home to pay you a visit.

If you are going, give me a shout. 

Derek Brown is sharing three pieces of advice from various Church Planters on Harmony Blog.  Tomorrow is my day.  So, check it out.

I've been enjoying some church planting wisdom via Derek Brown's Harmony Blog.  If you are a planter or planter-to-be, check it out.  So far, there have been tips from Tadd, Gary, Bob, Jonathon, and Tally.  Good stuff.

I got an email from Matt Miller, the student pastor at Flamingo Road Church.  He'll be opening their newest location at Regal Cinemas in Sawgrass.  Matt is going to be hanging with us on Sunday, October 1st.  I'm looking forward to it.  I have great respect for Troy Gramling and Raul Palacios at Flamingo.  I'm definitely praying for Kingdom success for Matt and Flamingo. 

tagged: Flamingo Road Church - Troy Gramling - Regal Cinemans - Church Planting

We are doing a Love and Sex series right now at Life Pointe.  Some of the things I said in week one definitely created conversation.  It is typical for me to be slightly off the cuff with some comments.  But, week one had me charting new lands.

Today, we had an incredible crowd, especially for labor day weekend!  With so many new people, I felt I was appropriately off color while still getting the point across.  I know that there were several people who made decisions to honor God with their sexuality and with their lives.  That really fires me up.  I will also say thank you to a great faith community for opening up and being honest about life.  You guys give me the freedom to openly confront real issues in our community without acting like a bunch of starched-collered Pharisees.

Next Sunday, we strike gold with the kicker message, "Great Sex."  I believe that most sex lives are dysfunctional.  The best sex lives ought to be those had by God's people.  A lot of relational foundations need to be poured and repoured.  This will be a day that can do that very thing for a lot of people.  So, this is a super-critical Sunday to invite friends.  You may not want to invite your parents though...definitely, think that one through first. 

Now, we had planned to start podcasting these messages a couple months ago.  But, I felt like this should be an in-house conversation.  So, we've decided to keep a lid on things until our next series and make the CDs available through the church.  We'll start regularly podcasting on October 1st.

It was great to have Jason Hitte from Discover Life Church in Melbourne, FL at LPC today.  Jason is leaving the staff of his brother Ken's church to be a lead guy soon.  I know he is going to do very well.  It was great to catch up and share over lunch today.

Excerpted from "Confessions of a Reformission Rev," there are three types of people (only two have long-term futures with said organization) found in all growing organizations as told to Mark Driscoll by John Phelps:

This is in reference to growth and leadership.  My prayer for myself and my team is that we learn how to rise and learn how to attach ourselves and support the momentum of others.  Additionally, we should pray that when we become an encumbrance to the growth and vitality of the ministry, we have a soft enough heart to change or to find a place where we are not diminishing or endangering vision and mission.

Tomorrow, I speak on the Sacraments as a part of our Origins series.  Is there power in the Sacraments?  Some of my Catholic friends would say yes- the Sacraments impart grace.  There are certainly differences between Christians on the number and power of the Sacraments (Baptism, Communion, feet washing, anointing of the sick, ordination, marriage, reconciliation of a penitent).

Truly the only impartation of Grace is from God.  Any rite or practice by man is simply observation and acknowledgement of God's grace.  Thank God that all of life is God given- the entirety of a grace-drenched life is sacramental.  Either all of a grace filled life is sacramental or none of it can be.  I do not believe that lessens the reflective nature of Communion.  In fact, I would say it heightens our value of the redemptive work of Christ in us.

I was bragging on Brian on my old blog, talking about their name change and move to Leon HS in Tallahassee.  In the past three years, Brian's church has grown from 8 people to 1,000 on Easter with over 400 people professing Christ!  I am betting that this fall they will have around 1,500 people on Sundays. 

Check out the newly launched Genesis Church website. Remember to pray for these guys. They are going after the prize in a huge way. I can't wait until ReFormation '06 in September when guys like Brian, Jamie, Phil, Mike, Chad, Roscoe, and Pete get together to talk about ministry.