One Week From Today

One week from today we will be in Fort Wayne preparing for a meeting with our potential launch team.

It's a beautiful thing.
We are so ready.

God has given us so many good contacts. The small group of people we are going to share with in that meeting are believers who are missional (they want others to experience what they have experienced in Christ), live in the area, and all are young- most married couples.

Beyond that, they are friends.

And some of them at least will become partners. Missionaries.

It won't be easy. It's more like signing up for the army than going to the carnival.

But I believe it is something that God honors (he has done so huge in our lives so far).

What could ruin our mission?

Grumpy Christians.

The most sincere threat to our mission to reach people who do not yet follow Jesus is not evil. Not rejection. Not pluralism. Let me paint for you a picture of my last day with The Development:

It's a day when we get filled up with people from other area churches who didn't like the way things were at their church. It was all about them and they weren't getting their itches scratched, so they up and left.

These people will be dealt with. They will be encouraged to have their personalities disappear behind the banner of the mission...

or find someplace else to grump.

Our mission to minister to the souls outside is too dear for me or other leaders to spend our time catering to Christians who think it's all about them.

One thing I learned from Acts class this semester (thank you, Dr. Jon Weatherly): The purpose of the book of Acts is to chronicle the vigorous advancement of the Gospel.

I want to be a part of the vigorous advancement of the Gospel.

And I won't let anyone get in the way. Those who want to join me in that advancement are welcome. Not those who think church should be a member-focused endeavour.

With that note, I begin my detailed prep for the Launch Team meeting- one week from today.