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MCM Ministry School (Pittsburgh)

23 Apr

Most of you know that Jamie and I are going to be planting a church in Pittsburgh next year (I’m still amazed that God would choose us)!  What many ofmcm-ministry-school-logo you don’t know is that we will be joining an amazing church and a network of churches called the MCM (Multi-Church Movement).  This network is based out of Allison Park Church which will be supporting us and sending us out to plant Lifestone Church!  We are so grateful for this tremendous church and leadership (Pastor Jeff Leake and Nick Poole).  I can’t say enough about these two guys and their heart for “Kingdom Growth”.  They give people like me an opportunity to fulfill the vision and calling from the Lord to plant a church in the great city of Pittsburgh!  They lead leaders and they pastor pastors!  They are true inspirations!

Grafted into the Allison Park community and located on the campus of Allison Park Church is a branch campus of Mission SOS called the MCM Ministry School.  Here is a description of what this fantastic ministry is all about:

The MCM Ministry School is designed to provide a prospective student not only with classroom training but with real life experiences in ministry.  Every day we involve students in our PRAYER SCHOOL.  Once a week, we engage in PRACTICAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH in connection with one of eight churches that have been planted in Pittsburgh.  Once a year, the students participate in an INTERNATIONAL TRIP to work in partnership with Mission SOS in a Signs and Wonders Festival among UNREACHED PEOPLE’S GROUPS.

The passion of the MCM MInistry School is to raise up faith-filled adventurers who are committed to living out the supernatural lifestyle of the book of Acts.  The practical experiences come in the context of a growing church that is actively planting churches and sending teams to reach unreached people groups.

The ‘09 MCM Ministry school year will be starting up this September and is looking for students who want “the practical experiences that come in the context of a growing church that is actively planting churches and sending teams to reach unreached people groups”. I truly believe that for some of you, this is the ministry opportunity that you have been waiting for.  Don’t hesitate to get plugged into this amazing school and church that is “Kingdom Minded” through and through!

If you are interested in learning more, you can go to the NEW MCM Ministry School Website and see it for yourself!  Also, Allison Park Church will be hosting an OPEN CLASS DAY on May 8th from 9am to noon.  If you are interested in talking to someone about this tremendous ministry school, you can contact the leadership and administration of the MCM Ministry School through the above website or contact me and I can connect you with them ASAP!

A New House to Build God’s House!

21 Apr

I have gone through some long and trecherous situations in my life, but none compared to finding our first house!  Last night was the culmination of our house searching because we agreed upon a price with the seller of a FANTASTIC home right in the heart of Pittsburgh.  We actually got the call from our realtor, Rachael Schafer, around 9:50pm last night which interrupted the last ten minutes of 24.  Once she called, I picked up the remote and tried to press pause but suddenly realized that I don’t have TIVO!!!!!  But this phone call was well worth it.  We are going through the never ending paper procedures, getting the loan from the bank and closing the deal as we speak, so it’s not complete, but it will be soon!

I can’t help but view this house as more than just a house.  To me, it represents the provision of God!  By God providing this great home for us, he is proving to us that he doesn’t call the equipped, but he equips the called!!! This process so far has been one God event after another, which I have to admit, has stretched my faith time and time again.  But you know what, God has stayed true to his word.  This new house is going to be the base station, if you will, for our growing family, ministry, friends, and much more!  This house is going to be a foundational piece in the formation of building Lifestone Church and creating a Life-Giving culture in and around the city of Pittsburgh!  I am so thankful that God sees the bigger picture!  All we have to do is obey the Holy Spirit tugs and follow his leading!

Thank you God for this new house you have provided us (I will post pictures soon)!

Thank you God for this new spiritual house being built in Pittsburgh…Lifestone Church!

What will Lifestone Church be like???

15 Apr

I have had this question asked of me several times over the last few months “What will Lifestone Church look like?” and I thought I would try to give a little preview of what you would experience at Lifestone Church.  My wife and I have put together some key aspects of what we consider to be an effective church environment.  These four key aspects are very important to us and will be embedded into the everyday culture of Lifestone Church.  Our intentions are for every person who darkens the door of Lifestone Church to feel and experience this environment and atmosphere.

Attenders of Lifestone Church will have:

  1. A Relaxed Church Experience – We want people to feel as relaxed in church as they do in their home!  We believe by making dress comfortable/casual, always keeping people in the inside loop of what’s going on, and making our facility easy to get around and locate things, we can assist people in having a very relaxed and stress-free church experience!
  2. A Relational Church Experience – We want to create a relational hub that will propel people into conversation and communication that will impact their daily lives.  Church should be a relational experience for every person of every age!  Our hope is for people to instantly feel the relational connection with Lifestone Church and it’s community!
  3. A Relevant Church Experience – We want to be extremely relevant in three specific areas of our services: the Media, the Music, and the Message.  You will experience all types of high-quality/high-energy media formats in most parts of our services.  The music and worship will be of contemporary and modern styles.  And all the messages/series will be delivered in an applicable, biblical, and personal way!
  4. A Real Church Experience – We want to be a real community of Christ-followers who are open and transparent in our everyday lives!  People are fed up with fake churches and are looking for churches who possess real people, with real problems, being real open!  Our hope is that people will sense the genuine yet, spiritual nature of the people at Lifestone Church and desire a real connection.

As we reach out to the unchurched people of our community, our hope is that they will feel welcomed into a relaxed, relational, relevant, and real church environment that will lead them to much more than just a “church” experience, but a “God” experience!

Sound like a church for you???  You know how to get a hold of us!

Winding Down to Rev up!

15 Apr

This week we are trying to wind down from a very busy and hectic last week.  Last week was a tremendous opportunity for my pittsburghwfie and I to spend time in Pittsburgh and get many things accomplished as the launch date to Lifestone Church inches closer and closer.  Can you believe that in less than a year, Lifestone Church will be an official spiritual and relational presence in the city of Pittsburgh?  I can’t believe it is actually going to be a reality in less than a year!  I thought I would take a few minutes and break down our week to show you some awesome things God is up to:

  1. Church Planter’s Assessment – This was the final step to recieve the support, backing, and approval of the PennDel district of the Assemblies of God to plant a church.  By the grace of God we assessed very strong as church planters and are well on our way to impacting the city of Pittsburgh for Christ!
  2. Opportunities – While we were in town, I took the opportunity to visit with my mentor and spiritual father, David Thomas, Lead Pastor of Victory Christian Center in Lowellville, Ohio.  What a tremendous man of God he is and it is always so good to talk and spend time together!  During our time together, God has opened up three opportunities for me to share our vision and calling to the city of Pittsburgh.  I spent an extended period of time with Victory’s Masters Commission students sharing what God is up to in Pittsburgh, and this coming October and November I have been invited to share at Victory Christian Center and a Pastors/Leaders conference called the “NXL Conference”.  I am very excited about these opportunities to share what God is doing in Pittsburgh!  I am so thankful for these oppotunities, but I am praying for more of these encounters to occur over the next year!  If you are a pastor or maybe you attend a church and would like to have me come and share our vision for Lifestone Church and Pittsburgh, please email or comment me and we can talk!
  3. Details, Details, Details – I was able to connect with the leadership of the Multi-Church Movement, Nick Poole and work out a bunch of necessary details as we will be transitioning in less than two months!  God is a God of detail, is he not?  We have been believing that God will work out all of the intricate details of this entire process and after this past week, He is well on his way!  Thank you God for your provision!
  4. Housing – We searched long and hard for three out of the six days we were there!  We only found one house that “WOWed” us and of course we put an offer in.  Only to find out, three other offers went in just before ours on the same day!  One offer was accepted and unfortunately it wasn’t ours!  Big bummer!  But that means the perfect house for us is still out there (we will be heading back this weekend to look at more)!
  5. Church Location – Nick Poole and I spent an afternoon in the SouthSide and ate lunch at one of my favorite places, Primanti Bros.  Great Pittsburgh food!  We also met a business owner in the community and established a relationship there.  Not to mention we searched and found several potential Lifestone Church meeting locations!  God open up the right one for us!
  6. Launch Team Member – I also spent some time with a future launch team member!  He is a great guy and is going to be a tremendous asset to our team!

God is “no doubt about it” up to some huge stuff and I feel so honored that he would choose my family and I to have a role in transforming the city of Pittsburgh for Christ! If you are interested in becoming a launch team member or want to know more about Lifestone Church, please email me (you will find a link to my email in the side bar) any time!  I would love to talk with you!

It has only just begun!

Planting for Growth

24 Mar

Why do we plant churches?  What is our goal?  Purpose?  Agenda?

Over the last two years, God has submerged my heart into the fast paced current of church planting.  I have talked to church planters, leaders, researched statistics, read books, listened to messages, the whole nine yards and I have to say, I have heard and experienced some very good stuff!  Successful stuff!  Trendy stuff!  Popular stuff!  Edgy stuff and so on.  But all in all, what is the purpose of church planting?  Is it a current fad that has become so “IN” that people have fallen to the drawing of the flesh rather than obeying the tug of the Holy Spirit?  Unfortunately, this might be the case in some situations, but true church planters plant for three reasons: to invest in people, to invest in the church, to invest in the Kingdom!  In other words, church planters are called to initiate GROWTH!

Three “Growth Goals” that should be the heart and soul of any church plant (These are in no specific order):

  1. Growth Goal #1 – Spiritual Growth (individual) – This is the constant and continual transformation of an individuals heart towards the things of God.  Giving opportunities for people to grow and mature in their relationships with the Lord is key in a church starting and growing healthy.  This is where you must create a culture in your church that breeds spiritual growth.  Everyone’s church culture might look and feel different.  No surprise there!  This dynamic is simply about creating an environment where people can get in tune with God on a regular basis and grow in him.  If an individual truly wants to grow spiritually, they can grow on their own, but they will grow deeper and faster in community! Something important to remember: You might find it very difficult to impact a community and generations whose hearts are away from the Lord, if personal spiritual growth is not occurring at all levels of the church.  Focus on growing BIG people!
  2. Growth Goal #2 – Church (corporate) – Although ministry is not about numbers, each number in the church and community represents a person.  Not only should our goal be to assist people in growing their spiritual lives and hearts towards God, but an important growth goal of ours should also be to impact as many people as we possibly can for Christ!  In other words, reaching the masses (numbers).  As we witness to, befriend, laugh with, hug, cry with, and give to people in our community, the more people we impact and the more growth the church experiences!  Don’t be afraid to discuss numbers, WHEN YOUR PRIORITIES ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE! An important growth goal of planting a church should be to grow corporately!
  3. Growth Goal #3 – Kingdom Growth (eternal) – When you commit to playing an active role in growing and advancing the Kingdom of God, the other two “growth goals” will automatically fall into place.  They will automatically be passions and desires of those people and churches who are “Kingdom Minded”.  Being “Kingdom Minded” is more than just going on missions trips, it’s about changing our view Christianity from a religion to individual relationships, the church, the world, and why we do what we do.  It is the (Matthew 6:33 principle) “Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you”.  This means, building a church just to build a church……NO WAY…… it’s about possessing and launching a vision for growth (individual, corporate, Kingdom of God) into as many communities as we possibly can.  By committing to grow BIG people, you are advancing the Kingdom of God and by committing to grow God’s local/corporate church, you are advancing the Kingdom of God.

GOD LOVES GROWTH. He made people to grow physically so why can’t they grow spiritually?  If He wants people to grow spiritually, why can’t the church they attend grow physically?  If the church is growing spiritually and physically, then the Kingdom of God is growing!  It’s a wonderful union between God and His creation!

We plant churches to GROW!

Excitement is in the air!

18 Mar

Well, March Madness is just beginning in college basketball.  I have to say, I really look forward to this time of the year!  I remember when I was a kid, I would live for the NCAA tournament and putting together my bracket.  I would literally get a huge sheet of poster board, create a 64 team field with rulers and permanent markers, then sit in front of the TV during the selection show and fill it all in (was anyone else crazy like me???).  I would then put it up on my wall and keep track of the wins all the way to the championship game.  I remember how much excitement and adrenaline ran through my veins during these few weeks out of the year.  It literally consumed my life for this short period of time.  Although i don’t quite get that excited anymore, and my large sheet of poster board has shrunk to an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of copy paper that is already pre-printed for me, I would have to say there are several things in my life right now that I am that excited about!  First is my family!  I am so excited about what God is doing in my wife, daughter, and I.  I can’t help but think of how undeserving I am to have such wonderful gifts in my life!  I get more and more excited everyday thinking about what God has planned out for my family in the future!  The second thing I am so excited about is what God is doing in Pittsburgh.  If you would like to pray for this new church work, here are some key things happening that you can be praying for:

April 3-13, 2009

1.  We will be traveling to Mechanicsburg, PA to conduct our interview with the church planting director of the PennDel district of the Assemblies of God.  This will be a milestone in the process of planting Lifestone Church because without the approval of our district leadership, we are not permitted to become church planters in this district.  So needless to say, this will be a very important interview for us and we would appreciate it if you would intercede before the Lord for us on the morning and early afternoon of Monday, April 6th.  We are confident that the Lord has called us to plant a church in this district and we believe that the Holy Spirit is going to confirm that in all of those who are involved!

2.  We will be spending some extensive time in Pittsburgh, specifically the South Side looking at possible meeting locations for Lifestone Church.  We will be looking at places such as theater’s, old church buildings, elementary schools, and any other possible great locations in the area!  Please pray that God will start opening doors, planting seeds, and connecting us with key people in South Side for the purpose of making some head way in locating a meeting place for Lifestone Church!

3.  We will also be spending some time in Pittsburgh looking at some possibilities for housing.  There are several key things that we are looking for in a house.  I won’t bore you with all the details, but would graciously ask if you could pray that God would meet our needs (NOT WANTS) in finding a place to live.

4.  During the week, I have several meetings lined up with key leaders from Pittsburgh and other locations!  Let me just say, these meetings are going to bring clarity to so many different areas of this process.  We are trusting that the Lord has all things under control and is going to work all of the details out, and then some!  Please pray that the connections and meetings I have scheduled for this trip, will be fruitful for Lifestone Church, the Thomas family, the city of Pittsburgh, and most importantly the Kingdom of God!

We serve a BIG God!  He can do all of this and MORE!!!!

Calling – God first/man second

13 Mar

Early next month, my wife and I will be traveling to Mechanicsburg, PA to be interviewed by the church planting leadership of the PennDel district of the Assemblies of God.  This is the final step in approval to plant a church in this specific district in the AG.  We are very excited yet we are also nervous not knowing what to expect.  On the flipside, we are very confident that the Lord has called us and set us apart to lead this church.  Monday, April 6th is the date to be exact.  We would appreciate your prayers as we continue the journey of pursuing God’s dream for the city of Pittsburgh!

I am so honored to be a part of a fellowship that takes church planting very seriously!  These steps that we are taking towards approval to plant a church are all necessary, but we all must remind ourselves in times like these that God’s approval is primary!   I am not trying to belittle leadership (uumm..I am one), organizations (uumm..I am a committed to one), positions (uumm..I have one), and standards (uumm..I agree with them), but when you think about it, everything is secondary to the Lord’s affirmation!  Isn’t it??  If the Lord is truly affirming something, His servants will know it is Him!  In other words, if this calling is really inspired by God (uuummmm yeah!), our district leadership in cooperation with the Holy Spirit will recognize this same affirmation!  I think this really shows us God’s desire to cooperate with man in building and advancing the Kingdom of God!

Approval from orgzanizations, ministries, leaders, etc. are all very important and absolutely necessary in Kingdom work, BUT, man’s approval and critque means nothing if the blessing and calling of the Lord is not in place!

Remember, God FIRST, man SECOND!

Authentic Community

11 Mar

Community is not just where you plant your church, it’s who you are!  Building and developing “authentic community” (real lasting relationships) is vastly important in planting a church because where authentic community is nurtured, that’s where lives are changed.  In the current church plant we are involved in, we have a saying, “we are doing life together”.  I think this represents a very real dynamic that happens when authentic community is a main priority in the church.  People aren’t just “existing” in that church but they are “doing” life together.  People aren’t just “on their own” but they are doing life together.  An authentic community is intentional about relationships and seeks to change the culture of the community they live in through those relationships.

Our vision for Lifestone Church is “to create a Life-Giving culture in and around the city of Pittsburgh”.  One way that we will attempt to really create spiritual and relational life in our community is by the applying the concept of “doing life together” in an authentic and real way!  Actually viewing and living our lives with the God-given purpose of being relational.  In my opinion, this is the “x-factor” in ministry!  Or better yet, you could call it the “IT-factor”.  When a church as “IT” (authentic community) at it’s core, that foundation is solid as a rock and ready to build upon..

It truly is amazing what God can do with people who believe in the power of relationships and community!

Three Months Away!

7 Mar

We are officially three months away from a major landmark in the process of building Lifestone Church.  What is it you ask????  Well, in three months we will be packing our things, taping up boxes, filling up gas tanks, and hitting the open road as we move our family to the wonderful city of Pittsburgh.  This is obviously a huge step in the entire process because it is kind of hard to build a church when you live five hours away from it’s location.  We truly look forward to laying our roots down and becoming Pittsburghians!

As I think about this journey that we are about to embark on, I can’t help but think of the faithfulness of God!  I remember when He first spoke to me about this calling over a year ago.  I had no clue how or when it would work.  I had no connections in Pittsburgh.  I had no money.  I also…well…I think you get the picture.  But let me say, when God wants to accomplish something, He will often use the most unlikely source to accomplish it.  I seemed to be a very unlikely source in this situation for many reasons.  But I knew what I heard and I knew who it was, so I did not doubt and I did not question.  One year later, we stand three months away from this huge move and practically all of the above issues are either resolved or in route to.

I am thankful that God desires to plant a “Life-Giving” church in the city of Pittsburgh.  I am even more thankful and humbled that He has chosen me to accomlish this through!

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