Church planting at SC3.

We have said from day one that the best way to advance the gospel is through the planting of  gospel-centered churches. As an eight your old church, we still are as just committed to this, in fact,  God continues to shape this vision for Summit Crossing. I want to take a moment and give a brief summary of church planting, how you can join in and pray, and how we are currently investing in church plants.

Here’s how we are planting locally. We are actively planting churches throughout our city through the multiplication of missional community groups. As missional community groups form in a particular area that is outside the immediate radius of our Madison campus, we look to raise up leaders, train them, and prepare them for leadership. As of right now, we have traction in two specific areas where missional community group multiplication is happening, leaders are emerging, and disciples are being made. This is really the definition of planting churches, making disciples that make disciples. As this disciple making process grows in a particular area, we will send out leaders to lead them in weekly gatherings. These weekly gatherings DO NOT define the plant, they are the result of  a heathy church plant. Please be in prayer for this process and for the leaders that are currently leading in these areas.

Here’s how we are planting regionally. We are currently partnering with churches in our region that have launched and that are in line with our DNA. We currently are supporting three churches through finances and the sending of families. These churches are in Memphis, Decatur, and Nashville. We also have funds set aside to help other churches that emerge that are planting within our region.

Here’s how we are planting nationally. We are currently partnering with a  network called Acts29. This network is committed to planting churches throughout the U.S. and the world. This network assesses church planters, resources planters, and offers coaching for churches. We invest in this network because they are theologically sound, gospel-centered, and have a commitment to church planting. Our funds that we invest in this network help plant other churches around the country.

Here’s how we are planting globally. We actually have several partnerships around the world that have a passion to plant gospel-centered churches. One of these partnerships that we are heavily investing in is E3. We invest funds, and send individuals out regularly to join E3 in planting churches in Africa and India. We have been blessed to be a part of this church planting movement.

Let’s keep pressing, planting, and praying for God to move in a powerful way. Thanks for joining us on this mission.

Paul

 

Key thoughts on new Marriage Series kicking off.

We are kicking off a Marriage Series at Summit Crossing on January 22nd called “Two Become One.” I want to address a few questions you may have.

1) What will this series cover? This will be an eight series that covers the main idea that marriage is designed by God for God’s glory and our good. After spending some time praying over the sermon direction for 2012, the Lord led us to address this key issue in our culture. Marriages seem to be struggling more now than ever. No one is immune to the battlefield we face sometimes in marriage. We will take a look at God’s design for marriage, how that was shattered, our roles in marriage, intimacy in marriage, and more. This will be an important series for our families, and this would be a great series to invite friends, neighbors, and co-workers to.

2. Is this series for married couples only? Absolutely not!  Here are three reasons. 1) Although the content of this series will be targeted at married couples, the content is important for everyone. The biblical principles we will discuss can be applied in other areas of life as well. Such as, grace, forgiveness, communication, roles, and other topics that will be taught on will be helpful for married couples or singles. 2) If you are single, there is no better time than now to learn this information prior to getting married.  3) And finally, our culture views singleness as a weakness, however, we will address the error of this mindset, and actually discuss the positive aspect of being single. It’s also a gift from God.

3. Is this series appropriate for my children to sit in on? We love providing age-appropriate programs for our children. We also leave it up to each parent to decide when their child is old enough to come into the worship center and experience our adult worship service. We encourage families worshipping together. During this series, most of the content will be appropriate for children. However, in week five we will discuss intimacy within marriage, so this may be a Sunday you would want to check children under under the age of 12 into our kids ministries.

Looking forward to walking through this important topic of marriage with you. Please begin praying now that God would move in miraculous ways during this series.

Paul Whaley

 

5 reflections from Ruth

We kicked off our series in Ruth yesterday, and God was extremely gracious to our church. This is a great story with profound implications for our lives today. As I reflected on our first Sunday studying this book together, I was reminded of five very important truths.

1. Having God but nothing else is more than enough.

2. When God grabs our hearts, we cling to Him.

3. God not only knows the pain we are facing, He has a plan for it.

4. No matter how hopeless we feel, hope is real.

5. Our emptiness is erased by the fullness of God.

The story continues next week as we enter chapter 2.

 

The Gospel and parenting

Raising my kids has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I want to raise them in up to love God and love others. Some parents want their kids to be rich one day or famous, but not me. I just want them to impact the kingdom of God.  I don’t want them to grow up as idolaters, in other words,  I don’t want them to treasure their cell phone over a love for God. But how? How do we combat culture’s sway towards materialism, popularity, and the desire for celebrity culture. How do we train our kids to be Kingdom minded verses worldly minded? How do we redirect their behavior when it’s headed in the wrong direction? I have read many books on this, talked to other parents, and listened to podcasts dealing with this issue. There is just one thing that is for sure, we must learn to gospel our kids. We can discipline them, talk to them, ground them, shelter them, or take their cell phones away, but unless we learn to gospel our kids, we will miss it. We may create behavior modification, but their hearts will not be turned towards God. We may get them through school, which may lead to a good job. They may even become productive citizens in this country. But is that really all there is? Is that the complete role of the parent? Is the goal to just keep them from breaking a bone, help them make a good grade, and prepare them to move out one day without a major trauma? If it is, then behavior modification parenting may work. However, if we want our kids to reflect the glory of God, we must instill the gospel into their hearts and minds. The gospel must drive us as parents. In other words, when our kids misbehave, it’s our role to help them see their sin and turn to Jesus. So, how do we do that? Well, I am still learning my self, however, here are a few things I know.

1) We must know the gospel ourselves. We can’t pass something along we are unsure of. The gospel is this in a nutshell: We are sinners, and Jesus is our only hope. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

2) We must look for opportunities to have gospel conversations. In other words, when our children struggle, look for a way to bring the gospel into the discussion. For example, the other day Luke was struggling with completing his homework. I kept telling him to finish, and he was down right obstinate.  He kept saying he already knew how to do the work and it was a waste of time to actually do the homework. I was furious; however, by God’s grace, I stepped back and thought about a way to gospel him in this situation. I shared with him that his rebellion, which stemmed from arrogance, was a sin issue. Christ has forgiven us of our sins, and we are no longer bound to it. Luke became a Christian several years ago, so I reminded him of the sacrifice Christ had made for him, and he didn’t have to live under that sin any longer. I challenged him to repent and rethink his attitude. This  became about him and his relationship with Christ, not about his dad making an unreasonable request any longer. The gospel is a powerful thing.

3) We must commit to daily prayer and to community with believers. First, we must pray daily that God would guide us and strengthen us for this journey. This is a heavy calling. Second, it is essential that you join a community of believers that are on this same journey. I am amazed at what I learn from others that are committed to the same thing. Parents, do not go at this in isolation. Find a place where you can find encouragement and where you can encourage others.

The gospel has the power to transform lives, and may the power of the gospel guide our parenting.

His,
paul

 

Creating movement

At Summit Crossing, we talk about changing our city a lot. The gospel has penetrated our heart and soul, and we know it’s through the power of the gospel that this city will be redeemed. This past Sunday, I taught from the Sermon on the Mount, and we continued to discuss what it means to live in the Kingdom of God. Living in His Kingdom, means joining Christ in His mission. After speaking on this serious issue of pursuing a God-centered mission, one of our church members came up to me afterwards and posed a pointed question. She asked, “How are you and elders going to lead us?” I thought to myself, “Lead us? What do you mean, I just preached my guts out, didn’t you listen?” But, the question was a good one, it’s not enough for us to be challenged to flee from the idea of cruise control Christianity, we must take action. So, what does that action look like for us? What does it look like for us as a church. We can’t just talk about it, we must create movement that leads to a real mission. This question hit me at a good time because I have just stepped out of teaching for a month to take a sabbatical. This question is haunting me in a good way. 

Here’s what I know so far about creating movement for the glory of God. First of all, good sermons aren’t enough(not that mine are that good), however, as important as good doctrine is, there is more. Second, a mission statement is not enough(not that ours is that good), but a statement on a piece of paper is not going to change someone’s life. Third, good music is not enough(although it’s the best thing we have going for us) however, a tight band is not going to create traction that will turn our city upside down. Fourth, great small groups are not good enough (although we have great community), creating community is still not enough. I could go on and on. There’s only one answer, we have to know the gospel, connect others to the gospel, and love the world with the gospel. This is the answer, now how do we put feet to that. It still just sounds like a fancy mission statement. 

Here are some steps I am praying through over this month and would like for you to pray for me as I seek to cast vision in this area for our church.

1) Community groups must be gospel-centered communities that are on mission. They must be missional communities. This means we must train our leaders to lead with gospel intentionality. To put it more specifically, discussions must center on the gospel, problem solving is centered on the gospel instead of trying to fix people’s problems with some earthly advice. We must learn to direct the broken(which we all are broken) to the beauty of Jesus! And finally, we must train our leaders to get in the game and lead with dirty hands and dirty feet, we can’t lead where we aren’t going ourselves.

2) Create a culture of generosity in our church that floods into our city. We must learn creative ways to give of our time, resources, and talents. We must give at a level that if Summit Crossing closed, the city would mourn. 

3) Church planting. We know that if this city is going to be transformed, it will require more churches that will stand on the truth, connect people into community, and that will live missionally. Lord, give us great vision and strategy in this area!

4) Continue pressing truth during our large group gatherings! 

This are just a few key steps that are rolling around in my head.

Looking forward to the journey ahead as we continue to create gospel movement within our city. These are exciting days!

His,
Paul

 

Where’s the urgency?

I had the opportunity to speak at our community life leader’s workshop this past weekend, and I left so excited about the future of our small groups. Our leaders are committed to growing personally and growing their groups for the glory of God. After I spoke on modeling missional living, we had a Q & A time. There was a great question thrown out that led to great discussion. The question was this, “How do we know when is the right time to move from living the gospel out to actually sharing it with someone?” In other words, if we have built a relationship with a non-believer, and recognizing that we don’t know when they may die, how do we move from modeling the gospel for them, to sharing that Jesus is their only hope? Without Christ, we are headed to hell? That could be an uncomfortable conversion. However, if we are truly living the life Christ called us to, we must have a pattern of sharing that message with people we have built relationships with. The question is when, and how? 

There are four important principles to apply that will help you determine when and how. 

1. Focus on how uncomfortable it will be for the person to spend eternity in hell, not how uncomfortable the conversation may be. This will bring perspective into view for you. 

2. Live with a sense of urgency. Move from assuming you may have 20 more years to share with the person the good new of Jesus to thinking that every time you see them may be the last. This will move you to a place of greater sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leading. We shouldn’t beat people over the head with the gospel(this will just drive people away with a bitter taste in their mouth), but we shouldn’t miss an opportunity to share if the Holy Spirit has prepared the way.

3. Trust in the Holy Spirit to guide you. This means preparing beforehand by praying for the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart to an opportunity to share. Then after prayerful preparation, it means we look for opportunities to relate the gospel to their lives. In other words, listen for areas in their life where you could apply the gospel to, such as marriage, life’s struggles, desire for material things vs. spiritual things, etc. If you are relying on the Holy Spirit’s guidance, rest in the fact that He will provide you with an opportunity to share. 

4. Remember that God is sovereign. Live in such a way that acknowledges that God is in control. If we truly believe that God alone has the power to save, and that God alone determines who will be saved, it means the results from our sharing the gospel are totally in His hands. We are called to be faithful not to present a flawless speech. Live in such a way that brings honor and glory to God!

Let’s live urgent, spirit-filled lives, that glorify our sovereign God!

Paul

 

5 years of Easter celebrations

This was our 5th Easter to celebrate as Summit Crossing Community Church. There are a few things that have changed over the last few years of celebrating. The crowd has grown from a core group of 25 or so to over 500 in worship. We actually have the resources to not only print out bulletins, but to create a veil that was torn on stage, which was awesome by the way. We had an entire praise band leading us in worship instead of one acoustic guitar player. We had 4 services with our multi site service instead of just one service. We have seen several changes take place over the years, but the message of Easter remains the same. Christ has risen! The same message goes out every year. Our prayer is that the message will take hold in people’s hearts, and it will change them forever. Here are a few unchanging truths found in the Easter story that we discussed yesterday.

1. The resurrection is a beautiful message for the oppressed.

2. The resurrection is a beautiful message for those who doubt.

3. The resurrection is a beautiful message of forgiveness.

4. The resurrection is a beautiful message of purpose.

5. The resurrection is a beautiful message of eternity.

Our risen Lamb now stands at the right hand of God. He rules and reigns and every knee will bow in worship.  Share the resurrection story with someone this week! 

His,
Paul

 

Seattle Acts29 trip download

Well, I’ve been back a few days now from my trip to Seattle. I had the opportunity to attend the Acts29 bootcamp in Seattle last weekend. It’s a weekend for church plant pastors to come and be trained, encouraged, and challenged. I was certainly challenged! I will probably blog a few posts from this trip, but I will start by downloading from a few messages that were geared toward a church plant pastors call, is it confirmed?  And, are you prepared to endure? So, first of all, here are 8 evidences from the book of Acts that  a call that is confirmed.

1) Is the Holy Spirit at work in your life? Check

2) Is the Holy Spirit out ahead of you? Check

3) Is my call obvious to others? Check

4) Has God shown power in my calling? Check

5) Has God provided the plant with a core group? Big Check

6) Is the church plant reaching lost people? Praying hard for that one!

7) Has God given me a burden for the city? Check

8) Has Jesus shown up and told you to plant? Check

After hearing this message by Driscoll on a confirmed calling, he later shared what it takes to endure as a pastor. Briefly, here is that list.

1) We are called to endure physically. I gotta quit drinking gravy!!

2) We are called to endure spiritually. Must minister from my life, not make ministry my life!

3) We are called to endure emotionally. Don’t forsake the sabbath!

4) We are called to endure maritally. Never take my wife for granted, take time for date nights!

5) We are called to endure parentally. Make sure I leave work at work and give my kids my attention.

6) We are called to endure theologically. Lord, continue to teach me and mold me and give me the strength to hang on! 

7) We are called to endure financially. Gotta quit going to Conners so much! 

Now, below are some statements that were said that stuck with me.

- Has the church become a religious cushion?

- Has church become a retreat center?

- Is your idea of missions in a far away land?

- Is your church fellowship driven or missional driven?

- Has worship become a la carte?

And finally, here are some take home thoughts that God put in my heart to consider.

- The movement has to be a gospel movement.

- Our gatherings must be gospel saturated, not sprinkled with it.

- Is it time to shift gears in making our community groups missional?

- Do our stories include stories with lost people in them?

This conference certainly was a spiritual marker for me, and I can’t wait to see what God does in the midst of the mission at Summit Crossing. I am so thankful God has allowed me to take this journey with others who love Jesus and love His church. He has blessed SC3 with courageous leaders who have a heart and passion for the city. For His glory!

Paul

 

My expectations for Acts29 bootcamp!

I’m packing up for a trip to Seattle. Brandi and I are headed to the Acts29 bootcamp. This is a church planting network. Since the beginning of Summit Crossing, we have had deep in our DNA a desire to plant other churches. This is an opportunity for us to possibly partner with an organization that is doing it. It will also provide for our leaders resources and training. As the lead teaching pastor, I desperately want to be stretched as much as I possibly can in order to be the leader God’s called me to be. I am expecting big things from this conference and from the teaching sessions. I will have the opportunity to hear guys that I respect greatly and that are passionate about the gospel. My prayer is that God will impact me greatly and reveal to me His will and continued vision for Summit Crossing. 

Here are some expectations I have for the conference.

1) To sit underneath incredible Bible teaching.

2) To have my flame for church planting fueled.

3) To glean ideas for our church in tangibly loving our city.

4) To come back with even a greater passion for teaching His word!

I can’t wait to see what God does during this time, and the fact that I get to spend it with my beautiful wife is just gravy! It’s all for His glory. See you in a few days, and I will post a blog on the conference when I get back!

 

What does it mean to really be free?

Last week in our series in Exodus, I discussed that freedom comes with a price. The only thing is, true freedom is paid for by Christ, not from our own resources. Jesus came to set us free. Therefore, if we are going to experience true freedom, then we must exchange our sin for a Savior. The problem with most Americans is that we never sense our urgent need for deliverance because we have learned to live on our own human resources. In a country with resources that flow and the freedoms to indulge in them make it difficult to recognize our problem with bondage. But what happens when our economy crashes, and that sustaining power that we have grown to trust in vanishes, what then? Or what happens when our mate who we have placed our trust and happiness in finds out they have cancer and has 2 months to live, then what? My wife is the most amazing person on the face of the earth, she is brilliant, beautiful, and has a bold faith. I am blessed beyond measure. But if my faith is in her, then I am missing it. We have a propensity as Americans to trust in our man-made gods, and therefore we miss out on what Christ came to give us. Until we admit our sin, and ask Christ to forgive us, we will never live as freed men. We will go through life in captivity and ultimately just wasting it away. I don’t care who you are or what you have done. If you have earned millions or skied in the swedish alps, it’s a wasted life without Jesus.

Here’s the thing, we were discussing this in our small group last night and a great question was asked. “If Jesus came to set us free, and I’m a Christian, then why do I still struggle?” It’s a great question, and a valid one. We must look deeper into what Christ meant when He said in John 8 that if you know the truth, the truth will set you free. The truth is actually the person of Jesus, and what He is saying here is that when you know Christ personally, then you have been set free from the PENALTY of sin. That means that as long as we live on this earth, we will struggle with sin, but Christ died a bloody death so that we would receive forgiveness of those sins and so one day when we walk into eternity, we will never struggle with sin again!  That’s freedom! Without Christ’s payment, we could never experience freedom. What’s amazing about this relationship is that once we grasp this truth it begins to fill us with overwhelming gratitude. Therefore, the more we grow, the more we will choose Jesus over the world, which means the chains that have us tied down in certain areas will begin to loosen. 

Freedom is a powerful thing, and only Christ can truly offer it to us. Don’t miss that! 

His,
Paul