Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Comments on the below video.
So the below video is a Gresham Campus exclusive. We have Joe, Aaron and Matt doing a little worship for us after the bible study. Joe wrote and composed this song call "my sunshine in the rain" and he performs it here with Aaron playin lead guitar and Matt doing his amazing talent of beat boxing... no other campus has that! Love it!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Bible Study now every week!!!
Hey all!
Just thought I'd inform you that we have finally decided on a day and time to make our weekly bible study. This is going to be a great opportunity to get into the word much more than just on the weekend. Not to mention the great fellowship that it brings too! It will be starting this monday 9/22 at 7:30pm sharp. The location will be at Aaron and Heathers place at 642 SE 208th Ave... right next to the campus location. If you need more information or would like directions to it please email me at greshamcampuslhc@gmail.com or call my cell # 503.329.5203. Thanks everyone. Oh and this is a RSVP type of event just b/c space is limited at the moment. Let me know if you can make it.
-Tim
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
September Newsletter
So we have a few important updates to talk about in this Newsletter. We have some cool new changes that are coming up for our campus. As we go into this new series at Living Hope called “Beyond Belief, what’s next?” I can’t help but ask “what’s next for our campus?”
One of the next major changes that our campus will go through is that we are changing our service time to 11am, Sunday mornings. This change will take place on September 21st, 2008. If you didn’t know already, we have been meeting Sunday Nights at 7pm. The biggest reason for this change is the fact that we are moving into a season where many are going back to school, or children are going back to school and we can understand why an evening service just doesn’t work well at the time. We will still be at our house in “the upper room” until we get a few more people to help out with areas of ministry. Which leads me to my next thing I would like to talk about…
We are having a meeting and time of fellowship this next week on Monday, September 15th at 7:00pm at our house. We would like you to come if you are interested in helping us start this campus or if you feel that God is leading you to the next step which is maybe volunteering time or resources to this campus. Please RSVP if you will be able to make it!
Blessings,
Tim Reed
Campus Pastor/Director
Living Hope Church
Gresham Campus
503-329-5203
644 SE 208th Ave.
Gresham, OR 97030
One of the next major changes that our campus will go through is that we are changing our service time to 11am, Sunday mornings. This change will take place on September 21st, 2008. If you didn’t know already, we have been meeting Sunday Nights at 7pm. The biggest reason for this change is the fact that we are moving into a season where many are going back to school, or children are going back to school and we can understand why an evening service just doesn’t work well at the time. We will still be at our house in “the upper room” until we get a few more people to help out with areas of ministry. Which leads me to my next thing I would like to talk about…
We are having a meeting and time of fellowship this next week on Monday, September 15th at 7:00pm at our house. We would like you to come if you are interested in helping us start this campus or if you feel that God is leading you to the next step which is maybe volunteering time or resources to this campus. Please RSVP if you will be able to make it!
Blessings,
Tim Reed
Campus Pastor/Director
Living Hope Church
Gresham Campus
503-329-5203
644 SE 208th Ave.
Gresham, OR 97030
Monday, September 1, 2008
Pastor John's Blog Aug 31st.
Quoted by Pastor John Bishop of Living Hope Church
"I am fully convinced that multi site is part of God's plan to build His Church in the 21st century.
I believe we can leverage the technology of our day to touch more lives than anytime in our history.
Living Hope started multi siting simply because we really ran out of room in seven weekend services. As a church of over 5000 people, we have an auditorium that seats only 500. Pretty small, but of course 4 years ago, we were only 400 people.
Because I think people are mostly cared for better in smaller environments, the campus idea is brilliant. We started on Easter 2006 with a series entitled "Unthinkable You" It was a movie theme and we launched 5 camuses in 5 movie theaters on Easter 2006. Since then we have moved out of all but one theater. They are good, but now we are pursuing permanent locations to better accomodate each church campus.
We now have over 15 locations (including campuses in New Zealand, India, Phillipines and Kona). We have started alot, closed some and are (as of this blog) reorganizing our approach to being a church in multiple locations. We have merged with a couple different churches (different blog), but I believe this will happen more and more as plataued churches or churches without leadership pursue merging.
I have a few thoughts and want to encourage pastors to risk and allow ONLY GOD to do through you what he alone can (and wants to) do.
Also, LH attenders and members. I can't stress enough that going to a campus, serving and being known is one of the ways your faith will grow the most. It isn't about the campus as much about you serving and being willing to "go"
Multi site campuses are very much part of the DNA of Living Hope Church. Have been and I can safely say, will be. Ask Brent in Kona, or Peter in New Zealand. For some reason beyond what we can "know" they simply work.
I want to share some random thoughts about multi-site here. Although this is mostly for church leaders and church planters, I hope it speaks to everyone.
These are a few thoughts of a sequence of posts on multi-siting. I hope to share as much as I can with church leaders. Be encouraged. Learn from our mistakes (there are plenty) and believe BIG for God.
In a multi-site environment.....
1. AUTONOMY MORE THAN AUTHORITY
I have learned the hard way (a statement you will hear from our teams alot). When a church begins, the denonminational tendency is to exericse inappropriate authority that simply isn't biblical. Multi-siting. One church in multiple locations. The campus has to have necessary authority to change what needs to be changed in order to change the world around its location. Often times, what I "think" works at our main campus doesn't work in a rural area, or worse, what I think will work for a campus doesn't at all. It has been a learning process as we have tried to be discerning, to listen to God, to give our best, we have in effect taken autonomy away from our campuses by trying to hyper "organize" them to smell like us. Very bad. The church is organic. It is a living, breathing organism, not a planned out organization. Being organized matters and helps, but it doesn't make the church the church. There are plenty of churches who look the right way that are closing their doors every day. One example still comes to my mind. One of our campuses wanted to do a pajama party for women to reach out. I thought it would never work and by the way we don't do pajama parties so I said no. Bottom line. I should have allowed them to risk and in risking to fail. Probably, it would have been awesome. We won't know.
Also, what works in the PNW may not work in Georgia? What a thought. Churches have to be led by leaders and driven by vision. If I copy another churches "programs" that is saying to God that all churches should be the same. Heck no.
We are not Northpoint. Duh. We don't have millions of dollars to reach a city. We are who God has made us to be. We are in the area God has allowed us to be and we have what God has allowed us to have. I have to learn to work within what is there to reach who isn't there.
Autonomy is about independence and the church is about dependence. A campus ought to be independently dependent. They have to have vision and the freedom to reach people in the communities they are in. I really think more churches ought to start campuses.
Side note: If you are not growing, campuses are the worst form of church growth imaginable. Fix what is wrong, fill the space you are in and do it for the right reason. It isn't a fad or a church growth model. The pastors I know and the churches that have multiple campuses that I follow are doing stuff right to have to think muli site to start with. Go back to what is right, what is wrong and change how you approach ministry. If what you are doing isn't filling building, more buildings won't grow a church.
More on that in a later post.
The next thing dove-tails from the first thing.
2. DNA more than DEVELOPMENT
To see Living Hope grow from a few hundred to thousands in a few years was something I didn't think about (to be real) when we went down the multi site road. I wanted to expand and reach more people. I think that is a good and God honoring goal. The problem was.... I underestimated the value of DNA in our church.
I faulted on trying to develop pastors, making sure they fit biblical requirements, we focused on space and geographical issues. We bought plastic bins and filled them up. We spent countless hours trying to develop stuff and erred on the side of development, to the expense of DNA transfer.
Churches that grow are growing for a reason. You can say it is buildings and locations, but I would argue that point. There are churches closing inspite of buildings all around America.
IF a church is growing, the Senior leadership team has an obligation to move beyond organizational and developmental issues to DNA transference. Seriously.
For us. I didn't do this as well as I should or could have.
DNA is both caught and taught. I thought it would be caught and life would be good. Not so much.
You have to be intentional here. DNA is critical. DNA amounts to things like reaching people who are lost (more than programming services). It is about helping the next gen leaders understand why you do what you do. Again, if you aren't growing, bail on the multi site idea and fix the problems.
DNA transference for us was about involving the Next Generation. Meaningfully. Not stacking chairs all the time, but really involving them. I could have (and now am) doing better at unpacking what is at the core of our DNA and how can I communicate it in a way that doesn't box a leader in, but takes the lid off and allows him or her to be free to serve and risk and love the people entrusted to their campus.
In fact most of our pastors have been part of LH's culture, so the DNA for them is caught. I am learning the value of DNA being taught as well.
IF DNA is transfered, development will happen better.
Churches will either be natural or super-natural.
These two things are a few random thoughts that I was having after hearing about and praying about so many churches that are beginning to go down the muli-site road.
Exciting times we are finding ourselves in.
Hope this helps?
It is time to radically turn our cities upside down for the cause of Christ.
“...Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. Acts 17:6
Churches ought to be making more waves, waves to reach our cities, waves to love our cities, waves that result in putting a towel around our arms and serving our cities. Let's be the generation known for this. The generation that makes Jesus famous. The generation where churches are unified, where God's voice is loud and people are loved.
The question that makes me think is "IF WE CEASED TO EXIST, WOULD ANYONE NOTICE?"
OK, no more preaching.
JOHN"
I thought that his blog was right on. Here is my response to him;
You're right on John! I know you were talking to all of our pastors and leaders through this blog, but in a way I felt you were speaking directly to me and our campus here in Gresham. I can "riskingly" say that our campus is very different but also very similar to the rest. Isn't that what makes the body of Christ so amazing??? We are reaching an area and group of individuals that otherwise may not have been reached without this church and it's people risking it all. Isn't that the true definition of the Rhino?! ONLY GOD could take this church and transform the hearts and minds of it's body and do what has been done so far. And we won't stop until that glorious day comes when see Jesus face to face.
"I am fully convinced that multi site is part of God's plan to build His Church in the 21st century.
I believe we can leverage the technology of our day to touch more lives than anytime in our history.
Living Hope started multi siting simply because we really ran out of room in seven weekend services. As a church of over 5000 people, we have an auditorium that seats only 500. Pretty small, but of course 4 years ago, we were only 400 people.
Because I think people are mostly cared for better in smaller environments, the campus idea is brilliant. We started on Easter 2006 with a series entitled "Unthinkable You" It was a movie theme and we launched 5 camuses in 5 movie theaters on Easter 2006. Since then we have moved out of all but one theater. They are good, but now we are pursuing permanent locations to better accomodate each church campus.
We now have over 15 locations (including campuses in New Zealand, India, Phillipines and Kona). We have started alot, closed some and are (as of this blog) reorganizing our approach to being a church in multiple locations. We have merged with a couple different churches (different blog), but I believe this will happen more and more as plataued churches or churches without leadership pursue merging.
I have a few thoughts and want to encourage pastors to risk and allow ONLY GOD to do through you what he alone can (and wants to) do.
Also, LH attenders and members. I can't stress enough that going to a campus, serving and being known is one of the ways your faith will grow the most. It isn't about the campus as much about you serving and being willing to "go"
Multi site campuses are very much part of the DNA of Living Hope Church. Have been and I can safely say, will be. Ask Brent in Kona, or Peter in New Zealand. For some reason beyond what we can "know" they simply work.
I want to share some random thoughts about multi-site here. Although this is mostly for church leaders and church planters, I hope it speaks to everyone.
These are a few thoughts of a sequence of posts on multi-siting. I hope to share as much as I can with church leaders. Be encouraged. Learn from our mistakes (there are plenty) and believe BIG for God.
In a multi-site environment.....
1. AUTONOMY MORE THAN AUTHORITY
I have learned the hard way (a statement you will hear from our teams alot). When a church begins, the denonminational tendency is to exericse inappropriate authority that simply isn't biblical. Multi-siting. One church in multiple locations. The campus has to have necessary authority to change what needs to be changed in order to change the world around its location. Often times, what I "think" works at our main campus doesn't work in a rural area, or worse, what I think will work for a campus doesn't at all. It has been a learning process as we have tried to be discerning, to listen to God, to give our best, we have in effect taken autonomy away from our campuses by trying to hyper "organize" them to smell like us. Very bad. The church is organic. It is a living, breathing organism, not a planned out organization. Being organized matters and helps, but it doesn't make the church the church. There are plenty of churches who look the right way that are closing their doors every day. One example still comes to my mind. One of our campuses wanted to do a pajama party for women to reach out. I thought it would never work and by the way we don't do pajama parties so I said no. Bottom line. I should have allowed them to risk and in risking to fail. Probably, it would have been awesome. We won't know.
Also, what works in the PNW may not work in Georgia? What a thought. Churches have to be led by leaders and driven by vision. If I copy another churches "programs" that is saying to God that all churches should be the same. Heck no.
We are not Northpoint. Duh. We don't have millions of dollars to reach a city. We are who God has made us to be. We are in the area God has allowed us to be and we have what God has allowed us to have. I have to learn to work within what is there to reach who isn't there.
Autonomy is about independence and the church is about dependence. A campus ought to be independently dependent. They have to have vision and the freedom to reach people in the communities they are in. I really think more churches ought to start campuses.
Side note: If you are not growing, campuses are the worst form of church growth imaginable. Fix what is wrong, fill the space you are in and do it for the right reason. It isn't a fad or a church growth model. The pastors I know and the churches that have multiple campuses that I follow are doing stuff right to have to think muli site to start with. Go back to what is right, what is wrong and change how you approach ministry. If what you are doing isn't filling building, more buildings won't grow a church.
More on that in a later post.
The next thing dove-tails from the first thing.
2. DNA more than DEVELOPMENT
To see Living Hope grow from a few hundred to thousands in a few years was something I didn't think about (to be real) when we went down the multi site road. I wanted to expand and reach more people. I think that is a good and God honoring goal. The problem was.... I underestimated the value of DNA in our church.
I faulted on trying to develop pastors, making sure they fit biblical requirements, we focused on space and geographical issues. We bought plastic bins and filled them up. We spent countless hours trying to develop stuff and erred on the side of development, to the expense of DNA transfer.
Churches that grow are growing for a reason. You can say it is buildings and locations, but I would argue that point. There are churches closing inspite of buildings all around America.
IF a church is growing, the Senior leadership team has an obligation to move beyond organizational and developmental issues to DNA transference. Seriously.
For us. I didn't do this as well as I should or could have.
DNA is both caught and taught. I thought it would be caught and life would be good. Not so much.
You have to be intentional here. DNA is critical. DNA amounts to things like reaching people who are lost (more than programming services). It is about helping the next gen leaders understand why you do what you do. Again, if you aren't growing, bail on the multi site idea and fix the problems.
DNA transference for us was about involving the Next Generation. Meaningfully. Not stacking chairs all the time, but really involving them. I could have (and now am) doing better at unpacking what is at the core of our DNA and how can I communicate it in a way that doesn't box a leader in, but takes the lid off and allows him or her to be free to serve and risk and love the people entrusted to their campus.
In fact most of our pastors have been part of LH's culture, so the DNA for them is caught. I am learning the value of DNA being taught as well.
IF DNA is transfered, development will happen better.
Churches will either be natural or super-natural.
These two things are a few random thoughts that I was having after hearing about and praying about so many churches that are beginning to go down the muli-site road.
Exciting times we are finding ourselves in.
Hope this helps?
It is time to radically turn our cities upside down for the cause of Christ.
“...Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. Acts 17:6
Churches ought to be making more waves, waves to reach our cities, waves to love our cities, waves that result in putting a towel around our arms and serving our cities. Let's be the generation known for this. The generation that makes Jesus famous. The generation where churches are unified, where God's voice is loud and people are loved.
The question that makes me think is "IF WE CEASED TO EXIST, WOULD ANYONE NOTICE?"
OK, no more preaching.
JOHN"
I thought that his blog was right on. Here is my response to him;
You're right on John! I know you were talking to all of our pastors and leaders through this blog, but in a way I felt you were speaking directly to me and our campus here in Gresham. I can "riskingly" say that our campus is very different but also very similar to the rest. Isn't that what makes the body of Christ so amazing??? We are reaching an area and group of individuals that otherwise may not have been reached without this church and it's people risking it all. Isn't that the true definition of the Rhino?! ONLY GOD could take this church and transform the hearts and minds of it's body and do what has been done so far. And we won't stop until that glorious day comes when see Jesus face to face.
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