So, we launch a church this week.
As I explained to the team last night, it’s not your typical launch. There are advantages to a typical launch, but Focus is aiming at a different approach and a different core of people.
No big service to kick off, no large gathering and no assessment based upon the number of people we attract to this launch.
Our launch, while exciting to us, will happen completely unnoticed to anyone else. Instead of a large gathering we will have two smaller gatherings meeting at two different points across the city..
and yet…we believe this to be an extremely important launch. We are exploring an entirely new approach to launching a church, and a reasonably different approach to discipleship itself. Naively or faithfully (depending on whether we are correct or not :-)) we are relying on Christ to lead the church and the Holy Spirit to disciple in an extremely practical and powerful way. It will be a powerful demonstration of what a church can be or a powerful lesson in how not to do things :-). Either lesson is a worthwhile one.
We are launching two enthusiastic, partially-bonded groups in houses in two different parts of the city. Together they will learn how to serve each other through the Grace of God, leading to discipleship in a many-to-many format. We will follow this up with regular training and accountability from me (as senior pastor/elder) with the Focus Group Pastors. We will meet as a larger gathering on Sunday evenings to celebrate the groups.
I’ve noticed that it’s difficult (though not impossible) for a church to continue its ministry in ways different from how it began. The priorities and foci expressed in the first launch tend to dominate priority going forward. So we’ve started with the groups, hoping this principal works on our behalf as well. Going forward accountability, training, resources and assessment will all center on the groups and not on our Sunday night gathering or any other criteria.
Any programs that do begin will be begun by the groups themselves and only for limited beneficial periods of time.
What we did do at last night’s service was appoint our Focus Group Pastors, pray for each other, and celebrate with display of talents, gifts and stories, which we shared with each other,. It was fun to revel in the diversity of the group and equally to embrace the unity of our cause to live lives integrated under the leadership of Christ.
If you’d like to join Focus, that’s done by joining one of our Focus Groups. Contact me or visit Focusabq.com for more information.
If you’d like to visit on Sunday Night you are of course welcome as well.