It is an exciting time in my life. For the past years, I have served as the pastor for Discovery Church. When we planted Discovery Church, we desired to be a church for people who did not like church. Further, we wanted to be a church that planted churches. In voting to merge into the One Life Network, we believe that we are going to be able to see the vision that God has given us fulfilled in new and exciting ways.
The big question I’ve been getting is: What’s next?
One step is to connect. As the automotive great Henry Ford said, “Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” As we become One Life West, we need to get to know each. Build relationships across the church. We’ll be giving you some specific ways that you can connect with others and creating some opportunities for this to happen.
Another beginning step we will be taking is train. We want to make sure that everybody is on the same page. Doing life together in Christian community is sort of like running a three-legged race; progress only happens when we work together striving for the same goal. We will be having opportunities to sit down together and learn some important lessons. Further, as people get integrated into the areas that they feel called to serve, we will need to learn some processes so that there is consistency and excellence in all that we do.
Finally, I want to invite you to pray. It’s been said, “One should never initiate something that he cannot saturate with prayer.” Our heart from the beginning has been to see God move in a fresh and new way through the Tri-State area and specifically on the Westside. We are going to be encouraging you to pray. Starting next Monday, we will be re-launching the email blasts with specific ways to pray for the Westside. If you are interested in receiving those blasts, let us know so we can add you to the distribution list.
These are exciting times. I cannot wait to see what God has in store as we spend our one life in service to Him.
Showing posts with label FAQ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FAQ. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
FAQs re:Staffing and Leadership
Since the elders of Discovery Church announced their recommendation to join the One Life Network, there have been several questions asked. Over the next few weeks, we hope to address those questions here. As always, if you have another question, feel free to let us know and we'll either answer you personally or in an upcoming FAQ.
1) The elders have made this recommendation to the congregation, but are the staff members at Discovery Church on board with this?
Yes. Janet, Kitten and I were engaged in the discussion with the elders throughout the process. As you read in Marty's post yesterday, Janet and Kitten offered valuable insight throughout the process. As the elders voted to make the recommendation, the staff stated their support at the same time. Click these links to see why Kitten and Janet are excited about partnering with the One Life network.
2) What will happen to the Discovery Church staff?
They will be drug out into the streets and shot. Not really! This is actually one of the questions that our elders asked as we investigated the process. Trey will serve as the campus pastor for the Westside campus of One Life. Kitten and Janet will still be intimately involved with our ministry. We will probably take a step back and evaluate where people are, who is on board, and then allow people to serve in roles where they are passionate and gifted. At the same time, others might join us who bring experience and passion in areas that we have not begun to fully explore yet.
3) Will there be an elder board for the westside campus of One Life?
The One Life Network is governed by a board of elders that oversee the ministry throughout the network. It is reasonable to assume that each campus will have some representation on that board. The elders are concerned with the vision and direction of the network. Each local campus will have its own leadership team that will direct the day-to-day operations of the campuses. 4) You're not leaving, right?
No. I'm not going anywhere. I am excited about serving alongside you for years to come still. As long as God continues to lead us together, I'm here. You've read why many of the staff and elders are excited about the possibilities. Next week, I'll share with you some of the reasons that I personally am excited.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
FAQs re: One Life
Since the elders of Discovery Church announced their recommendation to join the One Life Network, there have been several questions asked. Over the next few weeks, we hope to address those questions here. As always, if you have another question, feel free to let us know and we'll either answer you personally or in an upcoming FAQ.
1) Is there really a network of churches or is it just one church?
Yes, Virginia, there really is a network. On the surface, it might seem that there is only one church that is a part of this network. However, the One Life Network was designed from the very beginning to be a network the plants churches to reach unchurched, secular-minded people. The Henderson campus was the first plant of the One Life Network.
2) Are there going to be other campuses besides Henderson and Westside?
Yes. The One Life Network elders are working with a launch team that will start a new campus in Warrick County in the fall of 2011. With the launching of this new campus and the re-launch of Discovery Church, the One Life Network will grow to three sites. As God continues to lead, other sites may be added in the Tri-state area and around the world. To hear more about One Life's heart and plans for other sites, click here.
3) Why did they choose the name "One Life?"
The name comes from the idea that we all have one life, and one life only. No one knows exactly when that one life will come to an end. We should be asking the question: What matters most? What should we be doing with that one and only life? The founders of the One Life Network believe that they have the answer to that question: a true, vital, day-by-day relationship and experience with Jesus. The passion and desire of the One Life Network is to create an environment where people far from God can experience Jesus.
4) Who provides the leadership for this network?
Each local campus will have their own leadership or management team. This team will deal with the day-to-day operations of that local campus. These local teams will be led by a Campus Pastor and be accountable to the One Life Network board of elders. These mature, believing leaders are given charge to direct the affairs of the church. Among this board of elders is the Senior Pastor of One Life, Bret Nicholson.
Monday, November 29, 2010
FAQs re: Discovery Church & the EPC
1) Why did Discovery Church join the denomination in the first place?
When Discovery Church was forming, we decided very early on that we wanted to be connected to a larger network of churches. As we began evaluating potential networks to partner with, we chose to align ourselves with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). We chose the EPC because of agreement in core doctrinal teaching, how they handled essential issues vs. non-essentials, and church government.
The EPC is a Reformed denomination tracing its roots back to John Calvin and the Reformation. It looks to Scripture as a primary source of wisdom and knowledge in theological matters. It also draws on one of the great theological statements in church history, The Westminster Confession. These roots united us with church history and served as an anchor as we established our identity as a particular church.
The EPC is an evangelical denomination as well, which was equally important to our board. The core beliefs of an evangelical church center on the person and work of Jesus Christ, a high view of Scripture, and a strong belief in the gospel (euangelion in the Greek). The EPC expresses these core beliefs in its’ Essentials. In the Essentials, the denomination has complete unity. In non-essential issues (like women in ministry, spiritual gifts, etc.), the church shows a great amount of grace.
Finally, EPC churches reflect a presbyterian form of church government. They are led by elders who seek the will of God on behalf of the congregation. We did not want to place too much control in one individual (as episcopal polity might). We did not want too much control placed within the masses either (as congregational polity might). We wanted godly leaders to wrestle with the issues on behalf of the congregation.
In addition to these reasons, we loved what we saw in the Midwest Presbytery. We enjoyed the fellowship of churches working together in an area to advance the gospel. We delighted in seeing them address missions in a way that led to people going to serve others around the world. We loved that they took important issues like church discipline and ordination very seriously.
2) Is there a problem with the Presbytery or denomination that caused this?
To quote our southern friends: “Heavens no.” By no means is this recommendation rooted in a sense of failure by the Midwest Presbytery or the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in any manner.
3) If not, why are the elders recommending we seek dismissal to independence now?
The recommendation has more to do with the idea of merging into the One Life Network than as a reaction to anything EPC-related.
Several months ago, Trey met with one of the One Life elders to discuss what the Network would look like. There are several different models of networks or associations in the church-world. Some are very loosely tied together churches (like the Willow Creek Association or Life Church.tv -- Open). In these types of networks, churches come together for leadership training or might share creative elements, but maintain their own teaching, leadership, church identity. Another model would be a tighter network where churches actually joined together (or merged) and began to share the same identity (an example of this would be LifeChurch.tv -- United). In between these two ends of the spectrum are a variety of other network or associational connections. As the vision for the One Life Network was shared with Trey, the question was raised of whether Discovery Church would be interested in partnering at that level. Trey referred that question to the Discovery Church Session.
Discovery’s elders met and decided that they wanted to learn more about One Life and what the network would really look like before they made any decisions. The elders attended a preview service intended for the One Life -- Henderson Children’s ministry volunteers prior to its launch. They met a few days later with several members of the One Life board to discuss vision, mission, and strategy questions. Following that meeting, the Discovery elders each completed a SWOT analysis on the issue of merging with One Life. They determined that there were no “red flags” and would enter into a more dedicated season of prayer. At the end of that time, they met again and determined that they felt God’s leading to continue the discussion of what this merger might look like. Following another meeting with the One Life board, the Discovery elders met together, prayed, and voted unanimously to recommend that Discovery Church seek release from the Midwest Presbytery to independence so that we could merge into the One Life Network.
Again, let us reiterate: this has more to do with the sense of God leading us to partner with One Life than anything else. There is no condemnation or judgement of the Midwest Presbytery or the EPC in this recommendation.
4) What is the process for dealing with this recommendation?
One of the beauty’s of the EPC is that they have a very defined Book of Order that lays out clearly the process that guides us in the steps ahead. The first step is to notify the Presbytery about the recommendation. Trey did this on Friday, November 26th by sending an email to the stated clerk of the Presbytery. John Manon, the clerk, responded with a gracious note that the Presbytery will walk through this process with us and wishing us the Lord’s blessing and guidance.
The next step is to have a congregational meeting in which the recommendation is discussed. The Discovery Church elders have called a congregational meeting for Sunday, January 9th at 11:30 AM. The meeting will be held at Bob’s Gym West with a lunch and childcare provided. There will be no vote at this meeting. At that meeting, a second congregational meeting will be scheduled where a vote will be held. Presbytery will have the chance to have representatives at each of those meetings.
In the interim period, we hope to introduce you to the One Life leadership, give you a chance to hear their vision for ministry in the Tri-State area, and ask them your questions as well. We will also be letting you hear why our leadership team (the staff & elders) are excited about the possibilities that merging with the One Life Network would afford us. Finally, we will also be answering some frequently asked questions (FAQs) online. If you have specific questions, we encourage you to contact one of our elders.
When Discovery Church was forming, we decided very early on that we wanted to be connected to a larger network of churches. As we began evaluating potential networks to partner with, we chose to align ourselves with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). We chose the EPC because of agreement in core doctrinal teaching, how they handled essential issues vs. non-essentials, and church government.
The EPC is a Reformed denomination tracing its roots back to John Calvin and the Reformation. It looks to Scripture as a primary source of wisdom and knowledge in theological matters. It also draws on one of the great theological statements in church history, The Westminster Confession. These roots united us with church history and served as an anchor as we established our identity as a particular church.
The EPC is an evangelical denomination as well, which was equally important to our board. The core beliefs of an evangelical church center on the person and work of Jesus Christ, a high view of Scripture, and a strong belief in the gospel (euangelion in the Greek). The EPC expresses these core beliefs in its’ Essentials. In the Essentials, the denomination has complete unity. In non-essential issues (like women in ministry, spiritual gifts, etc.), the church shows a great amount of grace.
Finally, EPC churches reflect a presbyterian form of church government. They are led by elders who seek the will of God on behalf of the congregation. We did not want to place too much control in one individual (as episcopal polity might). We did not want too much control placed within the masses either (as congregational polity might). We wanted godly leaders to wrestle with the issues on behalf of the congregation.
In addition to these reasons, we loved what we saw in the Midwest Presbytery. We enjoyed the fellowship of churches working together in an area to advance the gospel. We delighted in seeing them address missions in a way that led to people going to serve others around the world. We loved that they took important issues like church discipline and ordination very seriously.
2) Is there a problem with the Presbytery or denomination that caused this?
To quote our southern friends: “Heavens no.” By no means is this recommendation rooted in a sense of failure by the Midwest Presbytery or the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in any manner.
3) If not, why are the elders recommending we seek dismissal to independence now?
The recommendation has more to do with the idea of merging into the One Life Network than as a reaction to anything EPC-related.
Several months ago, Trey met with one of the One Life elders to discuss what the Network would look like. There are several different models of networks or associations in the church-world. Some are very loosely tied together churches (like the Willow Creek Association or Life Church.tv -- Open). In these types of networks, churches come together for leadership training or might share creative elements, but maintain their own teaching, leadership, church identity. Another model would be a tighter network where churches actually joined together (or merged) and began to share the same identity (an example of this would be LifeChurch.tv -- United). In between these two ends of the spectrum are a variety of other network or associational connections. As the vision for the One Life Network was shared with Trey, the question was raised of whether Discovery Church would be interested in partnering at that level. Trey referred that question to the Discovery Church Session.
Discovery’s elders met and decided that they wanted to learn more about One Life and what the network would really look like before they made any decisions. The elders attended a preview service intended for the One Life -- Henderson Children’s ministry volunteers prior to its launch. They met a few days later with several members of the One Life board to discuss vision, mission, and strategy questions. Following that meeting, the Discovery elders each completed a SWOT analysis on the issue of merging with One Life. They determined that there were no “red flags” and would enter into a more dedicated season of prayer. At the end of that time, they met again and determined that they felt God’s leading to continue the discussion of what this merger might look like. Following another meeting with the One Life board, the Discovery elders met together, prayed, and voted unanimously to recommend that Discovery Church seek release from the Midwest Presbytery to independence so that we could merge into the One Life Network.
Again, let us reiterate: this has more to do with the sense of God leading us to partner with One Life than anything else. There is no condemnation or judgement of the Midwest Presbytery or the EPC in this recommendation.
4) What is the process for dealing with this recommendation?
One of the beauty’s of the EPC is that they have a very defined Book of Order that lays out clearly the process that guides us in the steps ahead. The first step is to notify the Presbytery about the recommendation. Trey did this on Friday, November 26th by sending an email to the stated clerk of the Presbytery. John Manon, the clerk, responded with a gracious note that the Presbytery will walk through this process with us and wishing us the Lord’s blessing and guidance.
The next step is to have a congregational meeting in which the recommendation is discussed. The Discovery Church elders have called a congregational meeting for Sunday, January 9th at 11:30 AM. The meeting will be held at Bob’s Gym West with a lunch and childcare provided. There will be no vote at this meeting. At that meeting, a second congregational meeting will be scheduled where a vote will be held. Presbytery will have the chance to have representatives at each of those meetings.
In the interim period, we hope to introduce you to the One Life leadership, give you a chance to hear their vision for ministry in the Tri-State area, and ask them your questions as well. We will also be letting you hear why our leadership team (the staff & elders) are excited about the possibilities that merging with the One Life Network would afford us. Finally, we will also be answering some frequently asked questions (FAQs) online. If you have specific questions, we encourage you to contact one of our elders.
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