EnterMission - Rob Wegner

idochurchonline.com

Online church is an exploding phenomenon. One article claims, "At least 35 churches, among them some of the best known in America, are doing internet Campuses with more jumping on board all the time. By one estimate, as early as 2010, 10% of Americans will rely solely on the internet for their “religious experience.”

Some people are opposed to any kind of "virtual" experience of church.  I understand their concerns. If virtual church becomes an end in and of itself, it will be dangerous. Virtual community/church can not and must not replace real world community/church.  

Yet, every week, GCC has hundreds and most weeks, thousands of folks who watch service online. 

If any church had a couple thousand people gathering outside their building spontaneously every week, wouldn't any thoughtful leadership ask, "How can we move these folks closer to Jesus and each other?"

GCC has that happening.  The place outside our building is called the world wide web.  So, we've been asking, "How can we help those folks take further steps toward Christ together?"

This week, Mark Meyer, our Internet campus director,  led our Leadership Team on a tour of our developing online campus, idochurchonline.com. Mark is a long time friend of mine.  Back in the early days, he and I dug the foundation for the student ministries of GCC.  Now, once again, Mark is laying another foundation and bringing amazing leadership to this new initiative.  His team is asking some powerful questions:

What if virtual church is an access point to take a first step toward Christ? 

Just like our current weekend service is a safe place to hear a dangerous message, an online campus is a safe place to take a step and simply explore what it would mean to follow Jesus. In other words, virtual church isn't designed to replace the entirety of real world church.  It becomes a front porch with a very clear door toward deeper engagement.

How may "virtual" steps lead to "real world" community, service, and growth?

Every week, people visit our real world services and hide from real community and life-changing service.  We're not ok with that. We create opportunities to step out of weekend into real community and service, both inside and outside the building.  Why can't we do that with the virtual online campus?  For example, why can't a virtual online experience turn into a decentralized movement of houses churches, doing life together and serving their community?

My family already attended service on campus last night, but we gathered at three different computer terminals this morning for the online service experience.  It really is engaging!

Here's the "auditorium" where you can see who else is attending.  You can move the cursor over each seat and see the name of the person "sitting" by you. Unlike a real service, I can scan quickly over every seat and see everyone who is attnending.  If I want to talk to one of these folks...

I can click on the "Who's Here" tab.  You can see that behind each name, if the person chooses, they can reveal their Facebook or Twitter info.  This allows opportunity for deeper virtual engagement.

 

In addition, there's a live chat room where I can discuss the service with folks currently attending with me.  The Internet campus pastor is there to moderate the conversation and inform us of opportunities:

...to move deeper into other virtual experiences (bible study groups, etc.)

....or to move into "real world" engagement in my community, as it develops.

Click the Map tab, you can see where people are attending from around the world. The other day, we had over 50 people who jumped into services from States all over America and three other countries.  India included!

I think the possibilities are HUGE. Let me just paint on possible scenario.

Imagine hundreds of bivocational pastors hosting groups in their homes or third places (think: Starbucks, meeting room at work, etc.).  While GCC can provide meaningful support through offering the service, additional teaching, leadership training for leaders, these decentralized missional communities could engage meaningful laser-focused service and deep relationships in the places they live and work. 

That get's my heart pumping.

idochurchonline.com goes live in a few weeks.

What do you think could happen?  What possibilities do you see on the horizon?

Baptism Through the Eyes of My 10 Year Old Photo Genuis

Baptism is a sacramental moment.  As a pastor, few moments rival the sacredness embodied in the water, as I become a conduit for grace, facilitating a holy moment of surrender and faith between each individual and the Lord Jesus.  Each baptism is special to me.  Each person is a masterpiece of God's grace.

This year, two of them were special in a very personal way.

Words can't describe the joy Michelle and I shared today as we baptized our Whitney.  Nothing better than being "Pastor Dad" for my own family. 

Maddie, our budding photographer, captured the essence of the day.

Tune back in later for the other story.

Groundbreaking on Kalavai Colony Community Center and Lift Off of GCC August Team!

Raj just sent me this photo.  Ground has been broken and the foundation is being laid for the Kalavai Colony Community Center (KC3).

Yes!  Kingdom breakthrough!  The short video below provides a "before" look at the construction sight and overview of the community-transforming initiatives that KC3 will house.

Another GCC team leaves today, picking up the baton from the long line of GCC teams that have gone before them.  Each team member has responded to the call of Jesus and then engaged a rigorous training process.  They are ready heart, mind, body, and soul. As one of their pastors, they make me so proud I could almost burst.

The current team will function in two villages where GCC has planted churches. They will:  

• Begin construction of the Kalavai Colony Community Center.
• Teach conversational English.  Conversational English unlocks the door to vocational and academic opportunity in India.
• Host health camps that will revolve around teaching basic health, hygiene, sanitation, and nutritional.  Over 80% of illness in a village can be alleviated through this type of education.
• Fire up three new small businesses: A rope shop, a flower shop, and goat-raising.

As you can see, the impact will be profound.

They are more than ready to join in the action. I hope you will too!  Our team leaders have all been iphone-equipped and twitter-trained, so you'll experience "in real time" reporting from the field.

Here's the part you can play to make a difference:

1. Follow along at the team blog.  Take a few minutes every day to "go to India."
2. Engage the global conversation by leaving them encouraging comments.  Imagine how morale will soar as they read scores of messages from the GCC family back here in Indiana.
3. Support the team in prayer.  Your prayers are powerful and will reach all the way around the world instantly.

Here we go!

KC3 in Kalavai from Gene Ort on Vimeo.

The First Ever...

I received an email yesterday that made me so happy, I was bent over with laughter.

Back story: The US Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that 154,000 vets are homeless on any given night.  The VA adds, one out of every three homeless men found sleeping by a dumpster has risked his life serving his country.  These brave souls who once stood in the line of fire to protect our freedom, now wear hand-me-down clothes and sleep in an alley. Unbelievable. This story has to change.

New story: South Bend will soon be the home to America's first shelter exclusively for homeless veterans!  God's people are now writing a new story for these homeless vets.

Through a collaborative partnership between GCC, EnterMission, Center for the Homeless (CFH), and Miller's Veterans, a recently purchased building on 747 S. Michigan St. will be renovated into a place of safety and transformation for homeless Vets.

Amazing, eh?

The real catalyst at the middle of this great new work is Robert Miller, Former Superior Court Judge and retired lieutenant commander in US Naval reserves, who served in WW2 and Korea. 

Last December, while reading a story in the paper on homelessness, Judge Miller saw a picture of a homeless vet sleeping in a coffin-like box. The image shook him to his core. 

"When I looked at the picture...I didn't sleep much that night. I kicked the covers for three or four more nights and thought, I better find out what I can do."

Those sleepless nights birthed, Miller's Veterans, a new "platoon" of homeless vets who were living at the CFH. They've formed a drill team and began marching the parades, leveraging the community created to renew their spirits, help them regain self-respect, and give them a fresh start toward a new life.

That vision has blossomed into a vision for this new facility.

Two years ago, when GCC was building Monroe Circle Community Center, 70% of the labor was volunteer labor, both skilled and unskilled.  After a tour of the Community Center, lead by our Director of Life Mission, Jack Magruder, the quality of the work the people of GCC had accomplished in partnership with the people of Monroe Circle left Judge Miller almost speechless. 

So...it's building time again!

The GCC construction team, Granger Student Ministries, and Merge, under the leadership of Maribeth Roncz, GCC's leader of the CFH Team, are getting geared up to be the muscle and backbone behind this great new project.

It's time to add on to the Kingdom, bringing up there down here for homeless vets in MIchiana.

A few days ago, we sent off our "Letter of Intent" for partnership to Steve Camilleri, Executive Director at the CFH, and Former Superior Court Judge Miller.

It was Judge Miller's response email that made me laugh with joy.  These are his words.  I hope his heartfelt eloquence moves you the way it moved me.

"The poverty of the human language will not permit me to fully express the acceptance, approval and deep appreciation for your Letter of Intent to Partner and the extremely generous terms therein contained. I have just concluded a discussion and review with your good friend Steve Camilleri, speaking on behalf of the Center, who has gladly directed me to advise that his sentiments are identical, and even more so, if that is in fact possible. This isn't like we have to take your word for your proposal. Your work products scream of your talents and abilities."

If you're wanting to get your fingerprints on this, you can come to any Second Saturday starting this fall and join the party.  In addition, we'll have deeper opportunities throughout the week for those with the availability and certain skill sets.

BTW for Church Leaders: We often get asked about partnership and the tools we use to develop them.  If you'd like to take a look at the Letter of Intent, you can download it here.

Download Letter of Intent to Partner-CFH

A Month in India Part One: Deepening the Well

We're seven days out from our launch date for "June in India."   Many people have been asking, "What will you do while you are there?"  I'll take the next few posts to explain the goals of the next month.

To understand this trip, you need to understand what we call the "Bore Well" Church Planting model.  A bore well requires significant drilling to excavate dirt and stone, providing access to the clean water in underground aquifers.

Since 2002, GCC's church planting strategy depends on increasingly focused networks of men and women, being led into deepening levels of training, relationship, and partnership. 

We're drilling deep, both in the lives of those we are training and in the villages where these churches are planted.  This increasing depth and richness of impact is only made possible through the combination of a laser focus and long term commitment.

June is about deepening the well of living water we been drilling in Tamil Nadu for seven years.

The Bore Well strategy involves four overlapping layers of training (pictured above), that involve both "classroom" modular training and in the field coaching.

Kingdom of God Training (KGT): This is the foundational training and funnel entry point designed to give men and woman the basics of church planting.  We currently have over 200 church planters being trained, each of these in batches of 30-50.  The training cycles is 18 months.

Purpose Driving Training (PDT): The 50 best and brightest of each cycle of the KGT training are invited to the PDT training.  PDT coaches the new church plants in church health and balance.  We offer this training to batches of 50 pastors at a time over an 18 month cycle.

Leadership Development Training (LDT):  Out of PDT, a small group of 8-10 planters are invited and equipped to become "the pastor of the pastors" and the "leaders of leaders."  The pastors become network leaders within the larger movement, not only caring for their congregations, but other pastors and churches.  LDT is an on-going relationship and not time bound.

Community Transformation Training (CDT): Due to the exceptionally  complex and time-consuming nature of community development initiatives in a developing world context, GCC offers a final layer of training and implementation for a small number of churches who moved through all the previous layers of training. The purpose of this training is to prepare indigenous churches to determine real vs. felt needs in the community, negotiate government bureaucracy, develop a technical survey of issues to intercept, and create a workable project plan for handling both community contributions (funds, labor and expertise) as well as outside (NGO, government, church-to-church) partnership. To date, of the almost 600 churches in the movement at various levels of training, 12 churches have successfully completed CTT training, with 3 moving forward into workable community development plans.

The strength of "bore well" model lies in the overlapping and reinforcing levels of selection, commitment, training, implementation, and demonstrated impact.  At each level, the church is provided "bit-sized" chunks of training and support through coaching.  Those who prove faithful and effective, are given greater opportunity to experience additional training and opportunity.  Everyone is supported at their level of giftedness and capacity. 

This model developed organically over the last eight years through the equal collaboration of the people of GCC and the churches in Tamil Nadu.

So, with that framework in mind, the trip in June will add value at each one of the levels of the bore well.   I'll break that down in the next few posts.

Interested in reading more on Bore Well Church Planting?  Download Bore Well Church Planting Model

Are you pastor or church leader interested in seeing the model in action firsthand?  Check this out.  

From Fan to Follower

                                                                    Photo: Mark Beeson

Monday I posted on the commitments from this last weekend's service.  The stories behind the commitments have been rolling in.  Here's one of them:

Hey Rob
I just read your blog...
I've been meaning to send you a note to THANK YOU for opening my eyes and changing my heart! Your message during this series really touched me!

Until yours and Marks message, I hadn't realized my slow [and completely unintentional] progression over the past several years of going from a "follower" to just being one of God's biggest "fans" but the reality of it finally hit me yesterday like a ton of bricks!

The emotion of it overwhelmed me to the point that I could hardly breathe...but I stepped out and made that walk literally shaking and sobbing...took hold of my rock and made the commitment to move from FAN TO FOLLOWER!!!

When I got back to my seat I felt my daughter's arm around me and I cried so stinkin hard...but then all of a sudden it was like someone poured warm honey over my head and slowly I could feel the heaviness in my heart go completely away!
GCC has such love and compassion for each and every life...
Thank you again for impacting mine!!

Jesus is worth your full devotion.  Your surrendered life is the greatest gift you can bring. The choice to live as a follower (vs fan) will be played out in the small decisions you make every day.  The little choices you are making this moment...and the moment after that...and the moment after that...

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.                                            2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV

One Prayer Sudan Update: After 25 years of Civil War...

Check out this report from the frontline of the One Prayer church planting movement in Sudan.

Sudan OnePrayer Report April 2009 from Gene Ort on Vimeo.

GCC Weekend Update: Slam Dunk

I just posted the report for One Prayer, 667 new churches with over 44,000 participating in Bible studies, each of those representing men and woman who matter to God.

Well, here's the update from our last weekend. 

We asked people to move this weekend; from karma to grace, from admiration to devotion, from fan to follower.  

Literally hundreds stepped forward to leave their burden of sin and pick up God's burden of building the Kingdom.  We just got "the numbers," again each representing a man or woman who is precious to God.

We asked people to define their commitment in one of three ways, here is what they said:

Already committed but rededicating   307

Beginning today to follow Jesus          134

Considering a commitment to Jesus    12

Each of these of these men and woman will be invited to move into relationships and environments that will equip them to take their next step in full devotion to Jesus.

I can only say that I'm filled with awe at what God is doing through this movement called Granger Community Church.

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.             Luke 10:2 NIV

One Prayer Update: Slam Dunk

ONE Prayer ‘09/’10 is just around the corner.  At this point, over 1100 churches are committed!  Over the last year, we've been tracking the progress of the One Prayer church planting movement started during last year's One Prayer campaign.   

The team at Lifechurch.tv asked the EnterMission team to connect the hands of the churches in One Prayer with potential church planters in four countries: Sudan, China, Cambodia, and India.   The dream?  Plant 500 churches in 18 months.

We're pleased to announce that the dream is reality.   With six months still left in the this cycle, take a look at these figures:

Cumulative ONE Prayer Figures YTD 2009:

Pastors Enrolled:  609

Evangelistic Contacts:  65,563

Bible Study Participants:  44,618

Baptisms:  7,112

Churches Planted:  667

That's what you call a slam dunk!   The Kingdom is forcefully advancing through the loving service of these men and woman planting churches on the frontline of the Great Commission.   I can't wait to see where we end up!

Here's an breakdown on the individual countries:

Phase III Detail per Focus Area

Sudan

· Pastors Enrolled:  245

· Evangelistic Contacts:  26,466

· Bible Study Participants:  18,938

· Baptisms:  3,544

· Churches Planted:  82

India

· Pastors Enrolled:  240

· Evangelistic Contacts:  11,737

· Bible Study Participants:  6,886

· Baptisms:  3,558

· Churches Planted:  150

Cambodia

· Pastors Enrolled:  64

· Evangelistic Contacts:  8,479

· Bible Study Participants:  5,667

· Baptisms: 10

· Churches Planted:  295

China

· Pastors Enrolled:  60

· Evangelistic Contacts:  18,611

· Bible Study Participants:  13,127

· Baptisms:  0*

· Churches Planted:  140

Prostitution and GCC

Raj just sent us an updated report on one of our on-going projects.  Over the next couple posts, I want to tell the story.  A story about Prostitution and GCC.   I have to share it. I've shared snippets of it before, but I want to unfold it in greater detail.

To understand this story, you must understand devadasi.

Devadasi is a religious practice in parts of southern India whereby parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple. The marriage usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty and requires the girl to become a prostitute for upper-caste community members.

Such girls are known as jogini.  They are forbidden to enter into a real marriage.  Andhra Pradesh  has identified 16,624 devadasis within its state. Although the practice of dedicating devadasis was declared illegal by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 1988, the practice is still prevalent in around 14 districts in that state.

Yadagiri Gutta is a town situated in the Nalgonda district. This little town of has a population of around 10,000 people. In this area, the people groups who regularly surrender young girls to jogini roles, as temple prostitutes, are mostly from the Dommra people group. However, the “real” tragedy of this community is that virtually all of the women in the Dommra people group are surrendered to being jogini at birth and therefore are not able to legitimately marry.

A Devadasi normally gets $ 2 to $ 5 a day. If she is young and good looking she may earn $10-$12.   Even though they are not married, they are the primary source of income for their families, including their own children and other relatives.  The men will demand good food, pocket money for drinking and unnecessary spending.  In addition, although they can never marry, they are responsible to find spouses for their brothers and their own sons to.  This also places a financial burden on them. 

Due to all of these reasons, they often borrow money from money lenders at ridiculously high interest rates, up to 120%.   That's right...120%.  Essentially, they are slaves to a debt they can never repay.

There are hundreds of lodges in this town. Normally, every day around 5,000 visitors come to this town. During the week ends, more than 10000 people come to visit the temple and the temple prostitutes. Apart from the temple prostitutes, there are also hundreds of “standard” commercial sex workers also living in this town. As a result, much of the town’s “central industry” revolves around the sex-trade, and so lodge owners, temple priests and even local police are reluctant to give up their financial asset base. In addition, the town has actually attempted to cultivate a reputation for catering to “business people”, and there is a high value on “upscale prostitution” in the community to continue to attract sex-tourism and a higher flow of capital from wealthier clients.

This entrenched system of injustice has become an lucrative revenue stream for the entire village. 

Most people in the village can't imagine anything different.  Most people don't want anything to change.

But, when Jesus and His people show up, entrenched systems of evil become the target of a Kingdom offensive.   The followers of Jesus can't stand still when they see prisoners who need to be free.

More later...