I love the power of small groups.  In a small group, people are known, loved, accepted, challenged, and served.  But here’s my problem with most small groups…they are primarily educational not transformational.

For the past 20 years churches have been moving adults away from the classic Sunday School model and into home-based small groups.  Unfortunately, the only substantive change was the location and time of our meetings.  We may have a bit more group discussion and ice breakers, but we have essentially taken the Sunday School model (based on the educational model given to us by society) and moved it into our homes.

Now don’t get me wrong…I’m all for people gathering together to study the Bible.  But if this is all we do, I think we are missing some of the latent power of small groups.  What if - in addition to studying the Bible - our small groups participated in a variety of transformational experiences?

• Working together in a soup kitchen
• Leading the worship & teaching at a chapel service in a homeless shelter
• Doing a prayer walk around their communities
• Hosting a block party so they could connect with the un-churched
• Preparing & taking meals to shut-ins
• Host a “love feast” (the Lord’s Supper - Jude 12)
• Adopt-a-block to make sure people have the basic necessities (food, clothing, bedding & toys for kids)
• Travel together on an overseas missions trip

What are some transformational experiences you have experienced - or would love to experience - with your small group?

In my quest to run a half-marathon, I have begun reading various running magazines and books.  I have quickly discovered there is a whole new language I need to learn.  From muscles I’ve never heard of (but I’m supposed to be stretching) to running form & technique, the language of running is definitely foreign to me.

It made me wonder how foreign our language is in the church.  Do we use language that the average non-churched person would understand?  Are people sitting out in the audience confused and unfocused simply because we use words that - though familiar to us - are foreign to them?

Let me give you an example of a simple change in vernacular at Great Oaks.  We don’t use the term “elder.”  While it is a word that is understood by many church-going people, we are striving to eliminate the language barrier for people who have never stepped foot in a church.  We simply refer to that group of individuals as our Leadership Team.  Plain and simple…and understood by all.

Every tribe and every culture has a unique language.  Listen to accountants or Scout leaders or engineers talk - especially engineers - and you will discover a foreign language that includes numerous acronyms and code names.  And that’s fine for everyone who is a part of that sub-culture, but when your culture is intended to connect the unconnected…to unite every person who walks through the doors regardless of background or knowledge-base…you cannot afford to have a “secret” language.

If you are a pastor or church leader, take some time this week to pick up a magazine focused upon some topic you know nothing about.  See if you can understand what they are saying without referencing any other material.  Now go back and evaluate what you say on stage on Sunday morning.

Are there words you use that new people won’t understand?  Are there sub-ministries or retreat facilities you reference by name but don’t explain?  (e.g. “Culture Shift will be meeting at The Barn tonight at 6:30pm.”  What’s Culture Shift and where is The Barn?  New people don’t understand your language, so provide explanation or translation anytime you reference something like this.  “Culture Shift - our ministry to HS students - will be meeting at The Barn tonight.  The address for this off-site location is in your bulletins.”)

Do your best to eliminate the language barrier.

During the month of July, we shut down our K-5 programming here at Great Oaks.  We do this to give our volunteers some much-deserved rest and to encourage families to experience worship services together.

In an effort to make our services more kid-friendly, we are including some Nickelodeon-type elements.  This past Sunday, we had kids volunteer their Dads to come up on stage for a whip-cream pie-eating contest.  I was hosting this portion of the service, and, therefore, responsible for picking out which Dads would get the pleasure of joining us on stage.

During our first service, I noticed two young girls in the back of the auditorium enthusiastically waving their arms in an effort to volunteer their Dad.  I called out to him to join me on stage and then quickly chose two other Dads.  As the first gentleman & his daughters made their way onto the stage, I realized that I didn’t know who he was (1st clue).  No worries…we’re a growing church, and I don’t know everyone.

The Dads were soon wearing garbage bags to protect their clothes and burying their faces in a plate full of whip cream for 30 seconds or so.  After the service, I made it a point to track down the one guy I didn’t know and very quickly thanked him for being a good sport.  He smiled but didn’t say anything (2nd clue).

I found out Monday morning that it was his first time ever attending Great Oaks!  I wonder if he’ll be back this Sunday…

Welcome to Great Oaks where on your first visit we point you out in the service, have you stand on-stage in front of hundreds of people, and participate in potentially gross and embarrassing activities!!!

At Great Oaks, we are constantly asking people the question, “What’s your next step towards God?”

We want people to be constantly thinking about where they are in their relationship with God and where they are going.  The reality is that everyone has a next step…whether you’ve been walking with God for 80 seconds or 80 years.

In a conversation with our Lead Pastor this afternoon, we discussed what the next steps may look like for the church…not the people in the church but the church as an organization.  We feel like the last two years has been an intense time of laying the foundation for our internal processes.  Now that the foundation has been laid, it’s time to move forward with the next stage of our Vision.

It will be interesting to see where God is going to take us.  Wherever it is…and whenever it is…I know it will require a great deal of commitment, sacrifice, faith, and prayer from everyone in the church.  Together, we will help the church confidently take her next steps into the future.

In November, I partnered together with leaders from Eastview Christian Church in Bloomington/Normal to host a roundtable discussion for 22 Small Group Pastors.  Since that time, I have been wrestling with a couple of statements that were made during our discussions.

It would be great if I thought these statements were wrong, but deep down inside - in places where Small Group Pastors don’t like to talk about - I agree with them.  I’m just trying to figure what they mean for small groups at Great Oaks.

“Everyone needs to be in a relationship - not necessarily in a formal small group.”

“There is a danger in declaring small groups as the end-all-be-all of spiritual growth.”

“The church may not need to organize the relational life of people.”

I have also been reading Activate: An Entirely New Approach to Small Groups by Nelson Searcy.  This book has been confirming some recent thoughts I’ve had about the most effective way to develop our small group strategy at Great Oaks.  Included in Activate are several statements similar to the ones above.

All of this to say…I’m not 100% sure yet where we’ll land with small groups at Great Oaks, but I am up for the challenge!

Today is my one year anniversary at Great Oaks Community Church!  It was one year ago today that I made the first of too many drives down from Cortland. It was one year ago today that I unpacked my books in my office and set up shop.  It was one year ago today that a new phase in my life and my family’s life began.

It took eleven months to sell our house, so I lived in an “apartment” (provided by a generous family in the church) four days a week and spent three days a week up with my family. It has only been about five weeks since we finally moved the family down, so even though I have been here for a year, it feels like I’ve just arrived.

Throughout this past year, I have been continually amazed at the people of Great Oaks.  I truly love being a part of this church family, and I am looking forward to what God is going to do through all of us as we partner together to take our next step towards Him.

Here’s to another great year!

I can breathe again!  There was a ton of work building up to this last weekend with the start of our 40 Days of Purpose campaign and the wedding in Chicago, but I am all past it now.  I have spent the last 48 hours following up with the last few people who needed to be placed in small groups, and I am really close to being done with that.

We still have some big events coming up in the campaign, but it feels like there has been a huge weight lifted now that the Kick-Off weekend is over.  The weekend services are getting planned out; the small groups are starting to meet; the prayer teams are praying.  A lot is still happening, but there just seems to be a different feel around here.

Of course, we are not letting down our focus or our guard.  The campaign is just beginning and the stories of changed lives are going to start rolling in (in fact they have already started - God is good!).  This is the very moment we have been praying and planning for, and we are going to stay diligent through the entire campaign.

And yet…it doesn’t stop at the end of 40 days.  As we have been already been praying and talking about, the 40 Days of Purpose campaign is the launching point…it is the first step in accomplishing the Vision that God has given Great Oaks.  We are already planning for “Day 41″ and beyond - new events, new programs, new classes, new experiences.

Bring it on!!!

We launch our 40 Days of Purpose campaign one week from today!

It all starts with a church-wide prayer gathering next Thursday night, September 4th. (In fact, we are having an open prayer gathering every Thursday night during the campaign.) On Saturday, September 6th we will be hosting a ginormous Tailgate party (we provide the meat; you provide the side dishes and dessert) during which we will show a 35-minute presentation from Rick Warren about the Five Purposes. On Sunday morning, we will have a Small Group Connection where people can get plugged into one of our 40+ small groups for the next 8 weeks. Busy, busy times…

The Campaign Leadership Team met last night to pray and review our plans for the campaign. We spent the first 25-30 minutes praying over the campaign elements and asking God to change lives. There were a lot of dreams and fears expressed during that time, so we took some time to talk openly about them following the prayer time. It was amazing to see how unified this Leadership Team is in their desires/hopes for the campaign. One of the most exciting things to see was how everyone understood that the 40 Days campaign isn’t the end; it is a launching point for the future of Great Oaks. We talked about what is going to happen in the church and in people’s lives on Day 41 and beyond.

If you are a part of Great Oaks, I hope & pray that you are open to the Holy Spirit during this campaign and beyond. I pray that you allow him to change your life and draw you into an intimate relationship with Him.

If you are not part of Great Oaks, we would really appreciate your prayers during the next 8 weeks. God is going to do some amazing things, and we need your support as we stay dialed into His presence and leadership.

I’m looking forward to sharing some stories in the coming weeks of how God has changed lives around here!

I am partnering with our First Impressions team leaders this Saturday night to host a training event for our volunteers. With Ethan in school and Karen & Morgan in Florida, I had plenty of silence this morning to read Mark Waltz’ book, First Impressions: Creating Wow Experiences in Your Church.

Much of the information was not new to me as I have spent years focusing on customer service - whether it be in the church or the marketplace. However, it was a good reminder of these things in preparation for the training, and there were also some new ideas that were sparked as a result of reading the book.

Whether you work for a church or a business, I would definitely recommend this book. It is a quick read with potential for amazing impact.

So I am sitting in the hospital room earlier today with my Dad & his wife listening to the nurse explain the next steps in Dad’s recovery.

It involved multiple doctor’s names & phone numbers, medicines to take & when to take them, a schedule of upcoming doctor visits, how long he needs to rest, what he needs to avoid doing for the next few hours, what he needs to avoid doing for the next few days, and what to do if he starts bleeding excessively (direct pressure and call 9-1-1). My brain hurt…and I wasn’t even the one coming off of anesthesia!

How in the world are my Dad & his wife supposed to remember all of that? The answer was a thick binder with tons of pages (and a few extra bandages).

In the midst of this whole interaction, I began to once again appreciate being a part of a “simple” church. We do a few things with great intentionality and growing levels of excellence. We still have some work to do, but our goal is to make the next step so simple to understand and so easy to take that people are left without an excuse for not taking it.

Weekend Worship Services lead to Connection Events which lead to Small Groups which lead to Changed Lives.

Foyer - Living Room - Kitchen

Simple enough.