Blogs are a unique communication. They aren't necessarily a good decision to have a book discussion, but they are a good place to log some good points about a book. They are a good place to pose questions. They are a good place to post short interviews. I thought we might give that a try. All we need are some good questions. I'll start with me.
Seven Questions
When did you plant The Crossover? What were the circumstances? We started The Crossover at the beginning of 2000. Our five year anniversary is this month. We felt like God was calling us to plant a church that would reach out to the unchurched, who might feel like they needed a more relevant option for church. We've been somewhat successful at it, but nothing like I dream.
What is the best thing going for you at your church? Our leadership is pretty secure in our vision. Whenever I start to waffle, they straighten me out with some vision talk. It should probably the other way around, but I assume they wouldn't be so clear on it if I hadn't told it to them clearly.
There are several leaders who are stepping up in their own calling. One family has taken in a couple of troubled teenage boys. Another family is reaching out to all kinds of troubled kids. A group of young adults are pretty serious about getting a youth ministry started. A lady just took over the worship planning. Three men are working so much remodeling our new facility. Another man has started publishing much of his writings in the newsletter that he publishes for us.
I'm hoping to take some of our leaders to Glocalnet conference in May to get a better grasp on Community Development and Nation Building.
What would you like to see in your church that you just can't get going? Community. There are so many backward people, tending toward paranoia. They are easily offended and not very trusting. They have low self-esteem and community can cause them to think things that just aren't true. Small groups are some of the answer, but our hope is that in our new facility, The Bridge (which is a converted storefront), we will be able to have some community opportunities to have fun and build trust.
What would you do differently if you could start over? Honestly, I don't think much about it. This has been a journey. We've done our best and learned as we went. We've found that we can't predict God's twists and turns. So we are trying to prepare more than plan. (This is a chapter title out of
The Present Future)
What books/authors have significantly influenced you? Everything by Leonard Sweet. Kreeft's work with Pascal has been important to me.
What are you reading right now? The Present Future by Reggie McNeal. He seems to be putting the right questions into a readable, discussable form.
What is your prayer for the church? To be followers of Christ. He is moving and has opportunity for every person and every community every day. It is frustrating to me today that he doesn't always want my involvement where I want to be involved. It is exciting to see people doing work that they came to out of their journey with Christ.
Who's next for the seven questions?
