Why We're Not In.

Ever since Craig Groeschel announce the "ONE PRAYER" series he and many other leaders are doing in June I have been praying and seeking the Lord whether we (Dahlonega Assembly of God) should participate in this unprecedented event.

At first I wanted to be a part of this event because everyone was "doing it" Even though I've been preparing a sermon series for men in the month of June. It's been crazy seeing all the hype this event has been getting honestly I felt like I was in Jr. High again. It seem like all the cool kids had the newest, coolest, baddest, pair of shoes and I wanted to get a pair because the "cool kids" had them. You see a lot of men and churches I respect and admire are participating in this amazing event and because of that I wanted to have our church participate. Realizing this was my only reason I wanted our church to participate I seriously had to repent.

Why? It's not like teaching on PRAYER is a bad thing or uniting churches around the topic of prayer is a bad thing...my gosh I think that we need to teach more about the power of prayer in the life of the Church but, I discovered that I was putting my need to feel accepted or apart of the group over the needs of my church. Networking is one thing...being needy is another. So after much prayer I have decided that "WE'RE NOT IN" this year. Let me explain before ya'll start cussing me out and telling me that I don't want unity in the church. Actually it's because of UNITY that we're not participating this year.

First I want to say I LOVE THIS IDEA! WHAT A VISION!!! If ya'll knew me you would know that I'm all about networking. I love when we (Pastors and Churches) can come together and get beyond our denominational walls and theological views and just preach Jesus! An event like this screams JESUS to the disconnected and connected! Even though this event has the potential to literally change the direction of our churches and culture, is this the right time for OUR church to get involved in a event like this?

On Easter 2008 we took the Senior Pastor position of a 31 year old church. Before ya'll start knockin' on old churches, let me tell you that we are so honored that God gave us this opportunity to pastor the people in our church and in Dahlonega Georgia. God totally knows what kind of opportunities turn my crank. I love taking something old and making it new again. I love taking something that has lost its identity and helping it find its identity again. That's why my wife and I don't see taking a 31 year church as a challenge but an opportunity. We see it as an opportunity to experience the rebirth of a 31 year old dream.

After saying all of that it comes down to this;

My desire is to see Dahlonega Assembly of God reach people with the message of Jesus all over the world by using every method available to us. I love the old saying, "Don't change the message just the methods." We must find new and effective ways to share the gospel. The problem is that when the coolest trends come out we, at times, try to force it to fit our churches. I'm not intersted in trends, I'm interested in seeing lives transformed. It's very important that we (Pastors) use wisdom, discernment, and pray for God's timing when we venture into unknown waters. I AM CURRENTLY NECK DEEP IN UNKNOWN WATERS! Even though I personally want to jump into the ONE PRAYER series head first I MUST ask myself; "is our 31 year old church ready for this kind of experience." I'm sure some of you might be thinking to yourselves, "I wonder who's pulling his strings...maybe the board, maybe the biggest tither" just to let ya'll know absolutely no one is pulling my strings! I don't want to jump ahead of myself as our church builds onto the legacy that already has been laid. Even though the use of technology is going to be a huge part of our churches DNA. I've decided that I'm not interested in having the most trendy and popular church but the most healthiest church.

The way I see it is if we jumped into the ONE PRAYER series with everyone else (because of my need to feel accepted) it would be like putting a baby in the driver's seat and screaming...DRIVE! I'm not calling the people in my church a bunch of babies but my wife and I just birthed new VISION, MISSION, and PURPOSE into our 31 year old church. So it's important that they have an understanding where we are going. I'm beginning to learn the way to have long lasting healthy thriving growth is by having patience. PATIENCE sucks! Yeh I wrote that...but it's true. In my opinion patience is the most difficult characteristic to develop but it's essential. A life without patience is a life in a constant state of setbacks. I don't know about you but I'm tried of seeing the church and my life in a constant state of setbacks.

Second, we (I) need to be okay with taking baby steps towards our new identity and purpose. So many times in the past I have been so jacked up about the future that I didn't communicate clearly where God was taking us which birthed frustrated, confused, burned out, bitter, people. I refuse to let this happen again. Once again I'm not interested in trends but transformation!

So after reading this LONG blog I pray that my heart is transparent about the ONE PRAYER series. Although, technically we're not in we will be praying with all of you and your churches for God to move through and in our churches like never before!

Again, I want to make it very clear that I'm NOT saying that the ONE PRAYER is a trend but, I believe getting our church united around the new vision, mission, and purpose that the Lord has given us needs to be my first priority. Once we know who we are and why we exist then this will help us unite and be more effective with others in the future.