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I am a Baptist church planter from Southaven, MS. I have been on a journey for several years that has led me to this place. I have been reading many of the posts and threads and find that many of the thoughts shared here express the very things I have been thinking in the back of my mind for 8 years of "institutional church" ministry. During those eight years, I served as a pastor in East Texas for 1 1/2 years, an intern in St. Louis, MO for a year, and as a Youth Pastor in Southern AR for two years, all while attending 5 years of seminary. While I am grateful for those who "suffered" through my preaching, labored to teach me what little I know, and showed grace when I did stupid stuff, I bring an enormous wait of dissatifaction with the status quo. I read the Gospels and the Book of Acts and find very little resemblance between what I have experienced my whole life in churches and what I read.
Since moving my family to North Mississippi to plant churches last August (2006), I have bee reading and studying ferosiously. Our team began this project wit the intention of planting a contemporary, attractional, programatic church. We had no plans of building a structure, but had thoughts of meeting in community centers and theaters. As we began searching and studying we found ourselves sitting in Los Angeles, CA, at the end of January 2007, at the Organic Church Planting Movements Conference by CMA, an organization led by Neil Cole. Many of you prabably know who I am refering to. He wrote "Organic Church" and "Cultivating a Life for God". My journey over the last several months culminated at that conference and solidified our plans to let God use us to build a network of simple, organic churches that meet in houses, work places, bars, gyms, soccer fields, restaurants, coffee houses, and whatever location two or three can gather together to become fully equipped followers of Jesus Christ.
I figure that reading these threads will help give me insight and direction from those who have been engaged in this journey for quite some time. I look forward to the dialogue.
Thanx!
-------------------- Sharing my "chaordic" journey with others.
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Hello brother, So good to hear from you and of your experiences and especially of your desires to seek the Kingdom. The harvest is truly great, the labors are few.
Jeff, think how far you have come and what you now know that you didn't know before.
It was reported, btw, that hundreds of house churches have recently appeared in New Orleans. Think of that.
Feel free to start some new threads with specific comments or questions.
Again, thank you for the introduction. God's grace is upon you - Jesus is within! Let us arise and go in his strength alone. The battle is His!
posted
Thank you for the warm reception. I will probably delay posting new threads for a while. I am interested in reading other sojourners thoughts at this time. I may post comments and ask questions. I look forward to the interaction.
Thanx!
-------------------- Sharing my "chaordic" journey with others.
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