May 2008 Archives
Atlanta Road Trip Days 2 & 3
Day 2: We just entered the world of gps. The checking-things-off-the-list part of me is thrilled by the instant feedback. Did you know that if you drive faster, the estimated time of arrival decreases? I know . . . it’s profound. But the goal for Day 2 and Day 3 was to see how much we could knock off the ETA. By the end of Day 2 the DeLillo/Laing caravan had traveled 1028 miles over two days.
Day 3: “He who will remain anonymous” had a spiritual experience at the largest cross in the western hemisphere with a local highway patrol. Let’s just say that it set our ETA back about 20 minutes. (Which made up for the 20 minutes I had already knocked off Day 3’s ETA). I walked away with a written warning—Tammy would be proud. My kids were silent for at least the next ten minutes of the drive. Tucker thought I was going to go to jail. Day 3 ended with the DeLillo family in God’s Country or at least the land of mullets and the Dixie Stampede—Branson, MO the family reunion capitol of the world. The Laing’s landed in Madill, OK.
As I write I am looking at Lake Tanycomo (name for Tany County Missouri (MO)) from the great room of Gary Smalley’s Ranch House—now the Branson Sunset Inn—a full service bed and breakfast, owned and operated by my parents, John and Adena DeLillo. The Branson Sunset Inn will be our base station for the next few days as we go to few shows and avoid the ticks and chiggers.
See the pictures!
Andy Who?
“Andy who?” Four years ago that was the question most asked when I would refer to North Point Community Church. In terms of buzz, not much has changed on the “left” coast in the last four years. I still have to tell church people that Andy is Charles Stanley’s son and that he didn’t inherit First Baptist Church of Atlanta. However, four years later, North Point Community Church has nearly 30,000 in attendance at three campuses in the greater Atlanta area. They have helped plant 14 other churches, 15 including us, in the last four years. An impressive profile for a church that isn’t even in its teens.
But why? We know of megachurches all over the US. Many of them began in the 70’s and 80’s and took nearly 20+ years to reach mega. How did North Point do it in 10 years? Most of the books would point us to leadership. And that would be true. At the helm of North Point is a world class leader and communicator. But . . . what mega church doesn’t have an excellent communicator/leader? I don’t think we could point to a single megachurch that has a merely average communicator. In addition to a world class leader and communicator, North Point has a simple, reproducible strategy—and that is certainly no small testimony of the caliber of leadership Andy has brought to NP.
Thom Rainier in Simple Church (2006) demonstrated that there is an undeniable principle at work: simple churches are vibrant, healthy, growing churches. In summary, simple churches clarify a simple strategy; they align everything they do around a 3 to 4 step process designed to move people through discipleship. To steal a phrase from Tom Collins they do this with an almost fanatic rigor or discipline—Rainier would call it “focus.”
North Point has done this and they currently represent a growing minority of churches that get it. This is one of the many reasons the lead team of River Park Community Church is excited to be joining NP as a strategic partner. We look forward to learning from people further down the road. We hope with the help of North Point to be able move further faster. We know that the 96% of people in our community that think church isn’t for them need this kind of church.
Day 1: What happens in Laughlin . . . .
A six hour drive and the cheapest hotel on the planet lands us in lovely Laughlin—a place where the low hotel prices would even drive a Baptist to a casino. Don’t let Janna know that I told you, while I am doing the truly spiritual thing—blogging on our trip—she is currently trying to win our childrens’ college tuition at the nickel slots.
This is day one of the River Park Community Church road trip to Atlanta, GA. For those of you joining mid-stream, RPCC has been invited to be a strategic partner of North Point Community Church. We are on our way to a four week internship in Alpharetta GA. For all of you who are wondering . . . we are crazy or just obsessively too cheap to fly. We are currently two families, two cars, four adults, six kids, (seven years and under) and a thule full of luggage. Thank you Jesus for portable DVD players!
While in Laughlin I have been thinking deep and spiritual thoughts. Laughlin is a lot like church. Here are the top ten parallels I discovered while breathing all of the second-hand smoke . . .
- Laughlin really hasn’t changed in the last 30-40 years.
- I think the furniture in my hotel room came from the church resources catalogue.
- They have gilt mirrors—Paul and Jan Crouch would be proud.
- Those curtains and that bedspread would make a great theme for our church nursery.
- The foyer has a peculiar smell.
- The demographics are aging . . . and so is the paint.
- They have potlucks . . . but they call them buffets
- Members have privileges . . . I’m just not sure what they are and don’t know how to become one . . . but I am sure it is involved.
- You can spend all day and come out with less in your wallet than when you came in.
- They’re still busing people. Mostly from Chandler, Arizona, and the local retirement home.
What happens in Laughlin . . . well . . . it should stay in Laughlin. Especially that top ten.
See the pictures!
Snoozing & Losing
- There is a cumulative value to investing small amounts of time in certain activities over a long period.
- Neglect has a cumulative effect as well.
- There are rarely any immediate consequences for neglecting a single installment of time in any particular arena of life.
- When you reach a crisis, small changes are often insufficient; radical change is often required.
Here's why I bring this up: There was a time when The Church was the most influential and well-respected institution in the State of California. You can see that by simply looking at a map. San Francisco? Named after Saint Francis. San Jose? Saint Joseph. Sacramento? The sacraments of the Church.
I only recently learned that the City of Ventura isn't really the City of Ventura. It's actually the City of San Buenaventura -- named for Saint Bonaventure.
Incidentally, Bakersfield got its name because, during the summer months, all the fields in that region are hot as a baker's oven.
I totally made that up.
But back to my point: The Church was once the most influential and well-respected institution in the State of California.
And now, just a little over 10% of the population attend any kind of church on any kind of regular basis (and here I'm talking both Catholic and Protestant).
How did we get here?
Well, at some point in time, the Church decided to hit the snooze button rather than serving others. The Church chose to sleep in instead of living sacrificially. The Church decided it was better off keeping the folks it had rather than reaching out to others. The Church neglected its duty, fell asleep at its post and woke up to find itself irrelevant and marginalized.
And now we're at a crisis that won't be fixed by tinkering or noodling or cutting back a little here or trying a little more there.
We're at a crisis that can only be fixed by radical change. And that's what River Park Community Church represents: radical change.
We're not talking about a radical change in our core theology; we're talking about a radical change in the way we live out our theology -- a radical change in the way we engage others -- a radical change in the language we use and the service we offer and the way we think about things like the church's mission and strategy.
We are gripped by the reality that we can not afford to hit the snooze button one more time. And with God's help, we want to restore The Church he instituted to its proper place: front and center at the crossroads of society as the most influential and well-respected institution in our world.
Any questions?