Relevance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday we hosted our 5th annual Relevance Conference.  It was a huge success as about 900 leaders from 150 different churches and organizations attended.  Our teaching team did an amazing job of unpacking why we need to be relevant, what the term “relevance” really means, and then how to be relevant in our churches and ministries today.  Let me just  tell you, the team knocked it out of the park!  God really moved and I hope a year from now we can celebrate what He is doing around the 5-state area.

Another highlight was having Bill Hybels with us in the afternoon.  He and Bob did an interview session, and the wisdom Bill brings always amazes me.  I also had the chance to pick him and others from his team up at the airport and spend additional time in my car with him.  Just for the record…this guy is the real deal on and off of the platform.

Our huge hope and prayer is that God would use these 150 or so churches to change our region for Christ.  As Bob said, let’s start catching fish!!!

Does anyone who was at the conference have any thoughts around relevance?

Odds & Ends

Holy cow have I been busy lately.  Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but it has been a whirlwind of things going on.  Here are a few of the things happening at EBC…”in the trenches” style!

• -Many of our global partners from around the world are here this week.  We have been busy preparing for them, and then I had the chance to introduce them at the services this weekend.  God is doing some great things all over the world.  For more details about our partners, click here.
• -Our leadership team went on a 3-day retreat this past week and had the chance to seek out what God would have for us next.  You will hear more about this in the coming months, but all I have to say is… fasten your seat belt!!!
• -Met with the generosityteam today.  What a great group of volunteers we have helping with that value at EBC.  They are so passionate and SO want others to experience this value in their lives as well.
• -The last few weeks I have spent a lot of time with our various ministry leaders.  What an UNBELIEVABLE team we have!  We lost one of our best this week in Chris Luk, who is getting married and moving out of state.  We will miss her dearly.

Anything cool going on ”in the trenches” as you serve or are connected at EBC?

What can we learn from them?

So, just the other day I was re-reading one of my favorite books of the Bible–Acts.  I love the account of the first church and how it operated and functioned in Acts 2.  I love how 3,000 people came to know Jesus Christ in a SINGLE DAY!  Then, they were all baptized and celebrated this new found faith.

But what comes next is really cool.  Check out Acts 2:42.  It says “The devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  Did you catch that word at the beginning of the verse?  It says they devoted themselves .  These brand new believers devoted themselves.  The church can help guide people, but it is really up to each person to devote themselves to teaching, community, and service.  In case you couldn’t tell, these are what we call the “Big 3″ here at Eagle Brook.  If you haven’t already…devote yourself today!

Odds & Ends

Hey everyone.  It is Saturday morning and I am having a great relaxing morning.  Just got done having some coffee and have been reading Andy Stanley’s new book, “The Principle of the Path”.  Outstanding book as usual from Andy.  Here are some other things going on in the trenches with ministry at Eagle Brook these days.

• -We are out of room.  Plain and simple, we are at an average of 80% capacity with all services at each of our campuses.  This past weekend we had about 13,000 adults and kids in attendance, but will be prohibited from continuing our mission or reaching people for Christ if we don’t make more space.  We have looked at many options and have to continue to be creative.  Should be fun!
• -I led our ministry leaders through a section of the book “Creating Magic”, by Lee Cockerell who is an executive with Disney.  We looked at the topic of listening to understand.  We all need to get better at this.  It is so tough to completely and truly listen without jumping into action first.  Check out the book…great stuff.
• -Our student ministries are leading about 150 students through an experience this weekend called “Revamp.”  It is an inner-city experience that is going to rock their worlds.  Can’t wait to hear the stories of transformation!
• -Grouplink took place this past week and we had over 200 people get connected into a small group for the first time!  Very cool…in the meantime, if you are not connected yet, I encourage you to seek out people around you and create a small group yourself.  We will help you along the way, but the best way to connect is with people you already know.

That’s it for now…anything exciting happen within ministry at EBC that others should know about?

What a week!

It has been a crazy, exhausting, yet incredible week.  Like we said at church tonight, we have seen incredible things take place over the last week.  We saw 322 people put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ!  We saw just short of 20,000 come through our doors and hopefully experience a place of grace, a place that they can begin to experience God in a new and deeper way.  We saw hundreds of students come to our ministries this week and be challenged in new ways to live beyond themselves.  We saw people who struggle with addictions find hope this week.  We saw thousands of kids learn about Jesus in a relevant way this weekend.

That was my week.  What a week it was!  Any “God” moments happen in your life this week?