Every family, team, and organization goes through it.  Seasons where momentum is diminished, relation- ships show fatigue, focus is lost.

Recently we’ve needed to invest considerable energy into restoring health and rebuilding systems on a few teams at the Elkhart Campus.  There was a significant need to recalibrate and identify spots where the big picture had gone out of focus.

Through multiple conversations with leaders and key team players, reoccurring themes began to surface, revealing areas that had contributed to team fatigue and reduced momentum.  That led to low morale on the teams, which quickly translated into lower impact.  And the stakes are way, way too high on what we do to function that way!

What causes these seasons?  Why the lost energy, the slip in vision?

Sometimes the reasons are just “gross”.

Through this process, our inclination to fall prey to a number of “Gross Tendencies” began to emerge.  Four in particular seemed to contribute to the struggles we were experiencing on our teams.  I’ll share two of them today, the other two in a post next week.

Gross Tendency #1:  We grossly underestimate the time and complexity involved in success.

We live in a speed based world where you can be virtually anywhere on the planet in 24 hours.  Microwave this, drive thru that.  Instant message, cell phone, 3G…fast, fast, fast.  And we STILL want it faster.

Ever wonder how long it takes a plane to get off the ground?  Well if you’re talking a 747, it’s roughly 9500 feet – close to two miles!  It takes time to get something big off the ground. And consider this – in reality there are several variables that affect the exact distance it takes: weight distribution, air pressure, temperature, elevation of the runway, and more.  As a result, the pilot must be aware of the complexities and be ready to adjust to them for a successful takeoff.

The speed culture we live in skews our reality and creates an expectation that all things will happen in an instant. As a result, unrealistic expectations are shaped. The value of long-term planning and process is diminished. And it’s through process that clarity comes.  Clarity leads to the ability to define the win, which translates into…yep, success.

Launching successfully and maintaining success takes great time and process, usually more than we anticipate.

Gross Tendency #2:  We grossly underestimate the impact that consistent investments make.

It’s not just true in financial planning.

At our church our weekend services are 70 minutes.  There are 10,080 minutes in a week.  It’s easy to assume that all the good we can accomplish in those 70 minutes won’t stand a chance in the other 10,000 plus each week.  So we get tired in it, we begin to see it as simply routine, don’t see it being worth the effort.

But such an assumption would be dead wrong.  Why?  Well, spiritually speaking, what a church sets out to do doesn’t revolve around just natural things.  This is a supernatural work, where God takes what seems small and does much. (ever heard the story of Jesus taking five loaves and two fish and feeds thousands? Yowza.)

In addition, huge impact can come through relational investment over a period of time.

• 60 minutes each week with a counselor?  Relationships can be saved or restored.
• 45 minutes each week with a piano instructor?  The next great pianist can be groomed.
• 70 minutes each week with a well prepared, inspiring teacher who loves Jesus? Eternity can be changed.

Don’t grow weary.  Don’t lose sight of the power of small investments.  Behind the seemingly routine tasks, don’t miss the people and their life stories. Don’t underestimate the difference you make through relational capital, through joyfully investing into the lives of others every week.  Over time the impact can be huge.

Starting to make Spring Break plans yet?

This family has.  And it’s not what you’d expect.

Neil & Anne Batie and their great family attend GCC-Elkhart.  Anne connected with me last weekend after a service to share what their family is doing over spring break to help families in New Orleans.  Here’s the email she sent yesterday:

Spring break is getting closer and we have big plans!  Neil, Anne, Katie, Nicole and Christian are going to New Orleans with Youth For Christ.  The victims of Hurricane Katrina are now in their fifth year of recovery.  More than 80,000 families are still living in temporary housing, FEMA trailers, or community shelters.  Michiana Chain Reaction and Youth For Christ have partnered together with Urban Impact Ministries to send a team of volunteers, which we are part of, to New Orleans during Spring Break 2010 to help rebuild homes and lives in southeastern Louisiana.  Please join us in donating to help fund this outreach, it will cost each team member $400.00.

You can mail a check to
Youth For Christ
174 State St
Elkhart, IN 46515

Please put Batie New Orleans in the memo. Youth For Christ will send a tax receipt to anyone who donates no matter what the amount is.

Can you help the Batie family in this effort?  Do it.  They’re giving up spring break to do this – let’s help make it happen.

When we’re born, we don’t CHOOSE who is in our family.  We don’t choose our dad, our mom, or our sibling if we have them.  No one takes our vote.  Our opinion and influence doesn’t shape these decisions.  I’m not saying we don’t love them – for the record I love my dad, my mom, and brothers! – we just don’t CHOOSE the people who will make up our family. 

HOWEVER, we do influence and shape the TYPE of family we will be.  Collectively, each person contributes to the overall family culture – how we’ll function, communicate, handle conflict, what level of love and loyalty we’ll express, how we’ll celebrate our differences or be turned off by them, and so on.  Through it all, we will be a family.  And we’ll shape what kind of family we will be.

For those who join into a local gathering of believers, we don’t CHOOSE who will be part of a particular church. We can invite and influence others and pray they’ll be receptive to the gospel of Jesus, but in reality a gathering of believers includes people we ultimately have no say in.  I’m not saying we don’t love them!  We just don’t CHOOSE the people who will make up our spiritual “family”.

HOWEVER, we do influence and shape the TYPE of family we will be.

For the past several months I’ve been logging thoughts in a journal on the type of gathering I want to belong to – my spiritual family. This past Sunday night at The Gathering I shared these thoughts and the type of community I dream for us as an expression of Granger Community Church in Elkhart.  We aren’t just a campus of GCC; we ARE GCC.  We don’t just mirror a campus – we carry a mission. We are the Church.

Let’s Be The Church.

• A place where we come to treasure Jesus above all other things, people, or desires.  Knowing Him is our greatest pursuit.
• A place where frequent conversations take place that are centered around spiritual things, where all are personally encouraged to fall deeper in love with Jesus.
• A place where all are accepted and relationships are cultivated.  Where love traverses differences and all are embraced no matter who they are, where they’ve been, or what they’ve done.
• A place where people know and are known in such a way that we sense each others needs – be it relational, emotional, spiritual, financial, or physical – and attempt to meet those needs whenever we’re able.
• A place where people believe in what God is doing in such a way that they give their best – generously, sacrificially, and joyfully.  A place where our best abilities, resources, time, energy, and influence are used to help others know Jesus and grow in Jesus.

Let’s choose to Be the Church.

• A place where people want to participate, not just observe.
• Where people come early and stay late.
• Where people come with anticipation and expectation.
• Where all people – regardless of tenure or perceived maturity – are regularly making significant decisions to move forward in their faith.
• A place led by gifted, godly men and women who are not just strategic thinkers or idea generators but spiritual leaders.  Spiritual leaders who lead with joy, who pray for those they lead regularly, who love those they lead evidently, who love Jesus and his church obviously, and who model authenticity and faith as they too take next steps in their walk with Christ.
• A place where the honor, glory, fame of the Father God is the driving force behind all we do.
• A place filled with people possessing an audacious faith to change the world around them in this generation.

Be the Church.

• A place where stories are told – frequently:  stories of broken lives being restored and made whole, stories of marriages that were fractured being healed, stories of addictions being overcome, stories of people who had lost all hope not only finding hope but sharing that hope with others.  Stories of casual, even calloused followers of Jesus becoming white hot once again with passion and purpose.  Stories of miracles – of hearts healed, of bodies healed.  For my kids to grow up in a place where they see and experience miracles.  A place where these stories and more permeate our daily conversations.
• A place where these stories are told – not only in our conversations – but in conversations throughout the community around us.  People talk about it, they sense it, they see it, they’re drawn to it, and they themselves become part of the story.
• A place experiencing transformation and joy in a way that only God can author; only God can orchestrate, only God can take credit for it.  I have no interest in being a part of something man-made, or emotion-driven, or guilt-driven – but Spirit driving.  A place that is undeniably His place filled with His people who are filled with Him.  And this can only happen when we choose to Be the Church.

Be the Church.

Some random thoughts and reflections on last night’s Gathering:

• I knew we’d be ready:  the band, the tech team, my message, etc.  What I didn’t know was (1) if anyone would show up, and (2) if people would come ready to engage.  Boy did they ever.
• This was a huge growth step for our campus in Elkhart.  It takes a lot to “pull off” a night like that, and our teams did outstanding.
• I like it when the doors open at 20 minutes before things start and there’s already a big crowd hanging out in the lobby.
• I like it when we run out of chairs and have to set up more.
• I like it even more when the chairs are empty because people can’t sit still, they’re standing and singing and shouting to their King.
• The band and vocalists were amazing.  You think I mean talent?  Yes.  You think I mean heart?  bigger Yes.
• I loved seeing new faces in the crowd.
• I loved seeing faced in the crowd that have been serving in Elkhart since day one – through good days and tough days – absorbing and enjoying the experience.  Almost like a proud parent, knowing the investment you’re making really is making a difference.
• That’s the first time I’ve spoken live at the Elkhart Campus.  I loved it.
• It’s been rare that I felt as confident and clear on exactly what I was supposed to teach as I did last night. (will post that tomorrow)
• The stage enhancements were cool.
• The sound was awesome. Best it’s been there yet.
• I think we knocked off some dust on the old RVs in the building.
• I’m concerned our high energy may have caused structural damage to the building.
• Jenn Marr and Nicole Moyer are heroes.  They both came anticipating a night of worship and community with friends, but when the need came up for help to take care of children they both stepped up and offered to help.  Jenn and Nicole – you have no idea how much that means to me.  So thankful for you.
• We launched 6 new groups last night.  Did 3 of them really fill already, and the other three are almost full?  Cool.
• I like it when people don’t want to leave after it’s over.  I don’t care how spent I am, I’ll stay and talk and share life and celebrate with people as long as they want.  Last night they wanted to stay for a long time.
• I love the new expression of GCC that is growing in Elkhart.  We are one church – cut us and we bleed the same.  But – it’s a new expression of this great church.  I love that.
• I’m excited for the next Gathering in June.
• I’m convinced we will Be The Church.

If you were there, what are your thoughts?

Sometimes products and events can be “over described”.  Our enjoyment and excitement causes us to exaggerate a little:  “That was the most amazing taco ever! Umm…it’s a taco.   The excitement is great, the description is just a little overboard.

And sometimes we do that with church services and church programs.  We don’t intend to – we just enjoy the experience so much that in the moment it feels like the most amazing, most awesome, most impacting, most “wow” thing we’ve been a part of.  And we want others to enjoy it with us.  So we can’t contain our excitement in talking about it – which is a great thing.  But sometimes the description is just a little over the top.

So it can be normal to respond to someone saying “that was the highest level of energy, worship, celebration and community I’ve ever experienced” with a gracious smile and a “wow, that’s great man”, all the while thinking:  That’s nice. You’re excited.  How sweet.

I get all that.

But…. :)

That’s what last night really was.

That really was the highest level of energy, worship, celebration and community I’ve ever experienced.

I’ve never been in a room with Jesus followers that came with as much anticipation and expectation as I saw last night.  Virtually every person in the room was fully-engaged, enjoying the worship of our King and a fully-alive community to belong to.

And isn’t that a huge part of it?  Isn’t the potency of the experience in part driven by the expectation and participation of those there?

I truly don’t know how to describe it. And maybe that’s the point.

So I won’t try.  I’ll just enjoy it. And celebrate that Jesus enjoyed it.  And His church enjoyed it.

But – I know this.  I wouldn’t be able to over describe it.

THIS Sunday night (March 7th) at 6pm we launch a new experience at the Elkhart Campus! The Gathering will be a quarterly celebration where we come together for worship, communion, teaching and community.

Think high energy.

Thing life-giving.

Think “don’t miss this”!

We’ll also use the night as a springboard to launch a new season of Group Life at our Campus! Groups will be launching throughout the area, providing a place to belong, ask questions, wrestle with your faith, study resources, and connect with new people in new ways.  To say I’m jazzed would be an understatement!

I’m as excited about this new experience together as I have been about ANYTHING we’ve done since we launch the Elkhart Campus.

Yep – it’s THAT big.

It starts at 6pm at the Elkhart Campus. Childcare is available for infants-5th grade.  Set the DVR to record your favorite Sunday night program and join us!

And what was it I was saying I couldn’t do today?

What am I excited about right now?

Can’t wait to roll it out to the Elkhart Campus this Sunday!

He’s a Student Pastor in New Jersey.  And he’s an awesome one.

Looks like he’s enjoying his job.

This picture just had to be shared!

This was Jeremy’s note with it:  “A scene from last week’s EPIC pillow fight, pj’s, and pancake night…we had over 100 in attendance!”

Four things:

• Over 100 junior high students?  at a church of 600?  Unreal.

• Pillows, pj’s and pancakes?  Kinda makes me miss being a student pastor.

• I’ll admit it.  I would love to hit Jeremy in the head with a pillow, too.  :)

• Knowing the impact that student ministry can make, I’m thrilled that we’ve recently launched Elkhart Students.  It’s off to a great start!  There’s a crowd of students gathering every weekend at 11:30 for connection, growth, and fun. Trust me – If I was a student I’d be there.

Rock on, Jeremy.

Rock on person hitting Jeremy with the pillow.

Rock on Elkhart Students.