The Agency

CHRISTMAS INVITES

As we are heading into the Christmas season, this is a great time to create conversations and invite people to church. Start thinking about who and how you are going to invite someone. Pray for opportunities to talk to them about God and look to share your story.

Here's a few ideas to create conversation or build relationships with your neighborhood, family or for you co-workers:

- Bake cookies to pass out or have a cookie exchange.
- Go caroling and sing as bad as possible
- Throw a block party featuring snow forts, sledding, food, or whatever else you can think of
-  Put an ice rink in your yard
- Help your neighbors put up their lights.
- When people ask you what you're doing for Christmas, include Christmas at The Journey in the conversation. Invite them to join you.
- Plan a party or gathering after or before one of the Gatherings. Invite people to join you for that part and make it part of your event.
- Don't be a scrooge. Be holly jolly this Christmas.
- If you're talking about gifts or whatever, bring up the HOPE project.  

Make sure you utilize the invites, information and resources on our website. 

MISSION 101 & BEGINNINGS GROUP

Do you feel like you have something more to give? Do you have a desire to make a bigger impact? Here's a couple opportunities for you to consider:

MISSION 101 - We have an intensive short term group that will prepare you to focus your potential and lead you into opportunities for God to do big things in and through you. We will be offering this session early in 2012. If you are interested, talk to a staff person or email Shanna, our office admin director at admin@thejourneycc.com.

BEGINNINGS GROUP - We have groups designed for people to explore God and ask questions. It's on the front lines of life change. If you would like to be an apprentice in a group, contact Mark at mark@thejourneycc.com. New groups are in the works for early 2012.

If you want to take next steps, we would love to help you reach your God-given potential to change the world.

LESS IS MORE

Almost every month, we kick off a new series at The Journey. We'll spend a month on one main concept and we'll break it down into four key points over the month. Why? This approach is based in how people apply concepts to their lives, how they digest content & how life change happens.

When we share about God & His ways, we want to do it in relevant, creative & memorable ways. We don't want to be arrogant, but we want to present things with respect to God and to people at different places spiritually. We could talk over peoples heads to make us look smart or to pretend we are deep, but we are more focused on relationships, not religion. Our goal isn't to just share knowledge for people to fill up a notebook. Our goal is for people to apply God's words to their lives to experience a real relationship with Him. IT'S ALL ABOUT LIFE CHANGE. We want to give people a BIG concept each month and break it down into real steps they can take to experience God in their lives. When you think about it, that's pretty deep. Most people can't remember what they heard at church the week before, so we try to hammer home a key concept over a month.  Hopefully, there's some memorable & relevant next steps to walk away with and to apply to your life. We review some key concepts each year that are big issues in everyones lives. Basically, it's a journey, a process. Some people might say we aren't deep enough because they want to experience a "wow" with some random piece of knowledge they've never heard. We're more concerned with applying God's word. With all the smartphones, facebook status updates and info on the internet, our lives are filled with random information. So we see this strategy as less is more - give people more steps and thoughts on less topics to help them experience God & His ways. We're in it for the long haul. This is why we also talk about next steps, give ideas and opportunities to apply God's ways in our lives. God is the one who changes lives so we always point people to Him. 

So what about you? This is a key concept for all volunteers especially those teaching kids, teens or leading a group. This is a great idea for your family & raising your kids as well. Are you communicating with the goal in mind? Are you just sharing knowledge or is it about next steps?

For more thoughts on this topic, check out Teaching Less For More on practicalspeaking.org. A lot of these thoughts are developed from the leadership of Andy Stanley and his team. If you want a copy of 7 Practices of Ministry, ask one of staff to hook you up and take your next step as a leader.

JOIN ME

One of the best ways to let God work in you is to be open for Him to work through you. If you look beyond yourself, you will begin to find yourself. Whether it's investing & inviting with people far from God, volunteering at The Journey, serving in the community in a network, helping out in your neighborhood, or even just living out Gods ways - as you take your steps, ask someone to join you. Think about it? As you serve or volunteer, doesn't that make you feel good? When you make a difference, doesn't that bring purpose & meaning to your life? As you feel God working in & through you, don't hog that feeling & experience, share it. Ask someone to join you in whatever area you serve or volunteer. 

We want to create an environment and expectation for people to join in. Some people are just waiting to be asked. Most people won't just sign up. Think back...how did you get plugged in? Hopefully you are having a great & meaningful experience. You're probably thankful they asked. Do that for someone else. As we continue to grow and take steps as a church, we are going to need more people to join in. In fact, that is one reason why we're doing more sites & networks - to give more opportunities to serve, volunteer, connect and experience God. 

We aren't going to stand up and plead for volunteers. We might let people know and highlight volunteers, but we aren't going to beg. That doesn't work. An upfront appeal for help can seem like "hey jump on this sinking ship". But this ship ain't sinking, we need more people because we are growing. We are never going to have a bunch of people just sign up. So YOU are the best wayto help people take next steps...ask someone to join you.

1) Ask someone you know to just try it some time.
2) Tell them why you like to volunteer/serve.
3) Tell them  how it helps you and others.  Share your story. Share the vision.
4) If they have questions, you don't have to have all the answers.
5) You are even qualified to train them because it's about just sharing what you know.
6) Staff & Ministry Coaches are always available to help your friends if they want to help out.

This is a team effort. Help others JOIN IN as you keep taking your next steps. For more thoughts on this topic, check out Replace Yourself on practicalspeaking.org. A lot of these thoughts are developed from the leadership of Andy Stanley and his team. If you want a copy of 7 Practices of Ministry, ask one of staff to hook you up and take your next step as a leader. 

CHURCH FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE CHURCH

When we started The Journey, we saw a need for something different. There are a lot of churches doing some good things in our area but they did the same things and looked like the other churches. We realized that if we were going to reach people who weren't getting reached, we would have to do things that other churches don't do. We began to think, ask people and research why people don't go to church. What has kept them away? Why did they stop going? With that in mind, we began to think about how we could break down walls and unfold arms for people to be able to connect with God. We wanted to create an environment and some steps for people at all different spiritual places on their journey. We want people to experience relationships, not religion. There are a lot of things that play into this process like style of music, music playing before church, coffee bar, language we use on stage or publications, what's on the slides, being relevant, how the message is presented, the look & feel of the building, dim lights, volume of the music...the list goes on and on. This doesn't mean we water down the message, avoid hard topics, or don't call people to follow God. It means we don't make assumptions, we respect people & the process and we present everything for people to take first steps or next steps.

We never want to lose sight of this. Every week we have guests. Every week might be someone's one of only shot at church; the one time that they give God a chance. We want to make sure that in everything we do from Sundays, to Networks, to Kids/Teens, to Group, to our own relationships - we live with that pressure. We never want to overlook people just because we're focused on ourselves. So what about you? In your areas of serving at The Journey & in the relationships in your life, are you sensitive to those far from God?

For more thoughts on this topic, check out Listening to Outsiders on  practicalspeaking.org. A lot of these thoughts are developed from the leadership of Andy Stanley and his team. If you want a copy of 7 Practices of Ministry, ask one of staff to hook you up and take your next step as a leader.

BIG QUESTIONS INVITE

This month, we're tackling some big questions about God & life for our Sunday Series. This is a great opportunity for you to invite someone to The Journey.

As an agent who lives out the mission, will you except this challenge?

1) Pray for a specific person(s) to invite to this series. Pray for boldness to invite them. Pray for their hearts to be open. Pray all this week.
2) Send them e-invite, give them a postcard, send them a facebook event invite, or just ask them.
3) If they say yes or maybe, follow up with them so they don't forget. Maybe do breakfast before church or lunch after with them.  Maybe offer to pick them up so they don't have to walk in alone.
4) If they say no, don't give up. Don't be pushy. Try again later...maybe with Christmas.
5) If they come, follow up. Ask them what they thought. Maybe share something that was meaningful to you. Don't be weird. Don't force it. Just be yourself and share from your heart.

Take advantage of this next series and let's be the light and live the mission.

Here's some more ideas on how to invite people on Next Steps Page.

 

RESOURCES ONLINE

When we talk about relationships, not religion at The Journey, our goal is to help people take first & next steps. We aren't interested in just pretending to be religious. We want to be in a real relationship with God and we want people to take action - next steps - in their relationships. We know that our relationships with others are connected with our relationship with God. Sometime people need to take steps with their families, in their marriages or even with their money because those relationships can cloud our lives if they're off track. Most importantly, we want people to take first steps & next steps with God beause He can bring life, focus, meaning & purpose.  So if you haven't seen the online resources yet, make sure you check them out here.

As an agent, it's key that we take our next steps so we can help others take their next steps. So check them out for yourself and make sure you're familiar with them so you can point others that way too.

NARROW THE FOCUS & THINK STEPS NOT PROGRAMS

At The Journey, we focus on relationships, not religion. We want people to take first steps and next steps to look beyond themselves. Our bottom line is for people to connect with 3 Key Relationships: with God, with people far from God, and with other journeyers to help each other in life. We want that vision to determine all that we do as a church. We don't want to just do some good things. We don't want to just start some various events or programs. We do want to help people take steps in those relationships. 

Have you ever gone into a restaurant and they have a huge menu and you have no idea what to order? They might have everything from italian to mexican to asian. That usually makes me feel overwhelmed with what seems like a whole lot of nothing. I typically enjoy the speciality places. They do a few things and they do them well. They are known for those things. 

We want to be a church that does relationships well. A church that is focused and does things with quality, not quantity, so we are more effective. So we have our vision that drives us. We don't want to do things just because that is the way they've always been done or just start a program just because it sounds good. Instead of just thinking about meeting a need or starting various programs, we think through what steps are needed to help people experience relationships, not religion. What steps do you need to have a personal relationship with God? What steps do you need to take to look beyond yourself? As we think through those steps that help people walk through the three key relationships, we also want to narrow the focus. We want to make the steps clear & easy. If there are too many steps on the menu, the most effective steps can be lost. We often get asked to start certain programs. A lot of times we say no or maybe later. It's not because we are against these things; it's just that we are thinking through steps and narrowing the focus. Lots of activity doesn't equal taking next steps in relationships. We don't want people who are busy in good activities, but don't have time to personally connect with God, or looking beyond themselves, or invest in relationships with people who don't know God. We constantly evaluate our steps and how we can make it easier for people to connect in relationships.

For more thoughts on narrowing the focus & thinking steps, check out practicalspeaking.org. A lot of these thoughts are developed from the leadership of Andy Stanley and his team. If you want a copy of 7 Practices of Ministry, ask one of staff to hook you up and take your next step as a leader.

 

CLARIFY THE WIN

Could you imagine a soccer game with no goals? How about a competition on Top Shot with no targets? What about basketball with no hoops? It would be hard to win with nothing to hit. The same is true for us as a church. We want to have a vision, a target, because if we aim for nothing, that's exactly what we'll hit...nothing. So as a church we want to clarify the "wins". We want to know what we are shooting for as a church so we know if we are accomplishing the vision (aka winning).

You might hear us say that we are all about relationships, not religion. For us that means that we don't want to just do some religious activities or have some religious thoughts. We want to be a church filled with people who are in a relationships with God and they are living it out. That is why we say we want people to take first steps & next steps in their relationships, especially with God.

Jesus did clarified the wins. He was asked what is the greatest thing to do in life. His answer: Love God with all your heart and love others as yourself. In his last words on earth, Jesus gave a goal for all of those who follow Him. He called us to go make disciples. Jesus said it's all about relationships - with God and others and those far from God. So the bottom line for us is to help people experience those 3 key relationships: with God, with people far from God, and in a relationship with others where we can be in a mutual relationship to live life together and encourage each other to look beyond ourselves.

So we have this vision of relationships not religion. We want people to take first steps & next steps to look beyond themselves. We want people to be in a relationship with God, with others on the journey and with those far from God. Every place has a mission statement these days - some are on a plaque on the wall. I've heard this question: Is what's on the wall matching up with what's going on in the halls? It does no good to clarify the wins if we don't actually live them out. I love seeing people plugged in B90X right now & those who pick up Journey Bibles. I love seeing the baptism videos. I love seeing volunteers grasp the vision and give up time to serve. I love seeing people invite others to church. I meet new people every week. I love seeing marriage restored. I love seeing people make an impact serving in our community and all the way to Kenya. I love seeing that because we know we are hitting the target. There are lots of good things we can do as a church but we never want to lose site of those 3 key relationships. It's all about relationships, not religion!

For more thoughts on clarifying the win, check out practicalspeaking.org. A lot of our thoughts are developed from the leadership of Andy Stanley and his team. If you want a copy of 7 Practices of Ministry, ask one of staff to hook you up and take your next step as a leader.

BELONG BEFORE BELIEVE

There has been a long standing concept of you have to have it all together before you can serve or be part of a church. I never really understand that. The Bible is full of people with messed up lives and if the apostle Paul still felt like he had a long way to go, then so do we. We have seen the opposite of this concept at The Journey as well. We have given people the space to process their questions and explore a relationship with Jesus. Many people come for a long time before they even believe. Many people feel part of our church before they believe...they feel like they belong here. This has made some interesting and challenging dynamics. We have people who serve in many areas that are still in process. You might see someone in the band or welcoming you at the doors...they might feel like they belong before they even believe. Life is a journey...it's organic. Not everyone takes the same steps in the same order. We have to set some boundaries - like leaders or people who teach the lesson in journey kids need to have an established relationship with Jesus - but we will continue to live with some tension in this area. So invite someone to serve with you. It will open conversations about God and it can help them take their next step towards or in their relationship with Jesus.