March Update

It’s been a while since my last update so let me fill you in. Christ Community Church Westside was officially birthed on February 15th. Our first meeting went well, though it had the first date feel about it! I think at that stage there were a number of fears and an apprehensiveness about the future. Since that time it has been amazing how quickly everyone has bonded. Fears have dissolved and everyone is content and looking forward to what the future holds for us.

We’ve just begun some discipleship groups that will meet fortnightly, our hope is that these relationships will be key for our mutual encouragement and growth. To begin with we are going to be reading through ‘Living the Cross Centered Life’ by CJ Mahaney followed by ‘The Prodigal God’ by Tim Keller, with a chapter of the Bible to study with each chapter. Also from this Sunday we’ll be turning our attention to a focus on reaching our area with the gospel. I think this, as with all churches, will be our greatest challenge.

On the home front we just had a little baby girl, Sarah Grace, so there’s been plenty of adjustment and not much sleep! Hence the lateness of this update!

All said there’s a lot to praise God for over the past month or so. The following are some key areas for prayer:

• For ongoing deepening of relationships and enjoyment of Christ together.
• That the Lord would form us into a missionary community that is engaging the lost with the gospel.
• That our discipleship groups would be genuinely helpful in growing us in Christ.
• That the our family would adjust well to life with 3 children!

Thanks so much for your prayers. Your brother,

Luke.

 

Mission In Community

Often evangelism is relegated to an individual pursuit. Each person to have their own ministry to their own group of friends to lead them to Christ. Now, there’s certainly a place for a personal ministry, but I also think the Scriptures call us to mission in community.  The key passage for this is John 13:34-35. The love of Christians for each other is a powerful testimony, as long as unbelievers get to see it! The church is to be a light, a whole new nation who’s values, life and love are only explainable because of Jesus and the transforming power of the gospel. But if we only ever do mission as a solo effort, this powerful witness is negated, slowing and even hindering our efforts to proclaim Christ.

In addition mission in community makes use of the giftedness of the body. Whether your a socialite, an evangelist, a quiet servant, a giver, all these are invaluable for the mission of the church as we would work together. Solo, everyone lacks what’s needed, but together, the body functions and witnesses far more powerfully. It’s also great to have some accountability. Having your own ministry you soon run out of puff, courage, ideas, even hope. But a group, serving together can encourage, give perspective, provide prayer and courage to do what you never would have alone. In short, to not do mission as a community, is to forgo one of the main means the Lord gave us to reach a lost world.

Now there’s no need to throw out the idea of having a personal ministry, but it needs to be placed in the context of doing mission as a community. That means forming teams about mission. It means engaging the community at large with others and not just on your own. It means introducing your unbelieving friends to the Christian community in creative ways. It means Christians and unbelievers sharing life together. It means inviting others into ‘your’ ministry and you sharing in theirs. It means one anothering in the body and inviting unbelievers into it.

This can be done at your church, in your small group, in your workplace, where ever. But lets not go it alone!

 

February Update

Praise God we have a launch team of some 20 adults and 10 children from around the Western Suburbs of Brisbane. We’re looking forward to our first meeting together on the 15th February, to be held at our home. Thanks again to all of you who are partnering in prayer with us. If you do live in Brisbane there will be a prayer time for the plant to be held on Wednesday evening February 4th at the home of David Cunningham. Please contact me for further details. luke@christcommunity.org.au. Covetting your prayers,

Luke.

 

Big or Small?

Some such as Mark Driscoll argue that big churches are the way of the future. That younger people flock to big churches, that they have a real buzz about them that’s attractive. They can also resource big things and use staff in more specialised ways.

Equally as ardently, others, such as Steve Timmis, argue for smaller churches. They would say that a small context is the only place to really live out the gospel together without becoming an institutional nightmare. And that only smaller churches allow for the rapid multiplication of churches that we need in the Western world.

So where do I stand? Personally, I agree with them both. Big churches do have an attractive buzz about them and small is necessary to live out the gospel. So ideally, I’d like to have a big, small church. So what does that look like? I think that almost everything should be pushed down into small groups. Things like ministries, events, outreaches, training, etc. If the small group can’t sustain it, then don’t have it. This keeps you from becoming an institution with many layers of management and massive amounts of resources going to keep the machinery rolling. It also keeps church simple, based on relationships and living out the gospel. At the same time, I acknowledge that it makes sense for one guy to teach many rather than many having to replicate the same teaching. It is also great to worship the Lord in a packed room with lots of others rather than in a small room with a bad musician. So I think there’s a place for a large group gathering of small groups. So ideally, I’d advocate a big, small church.

There is ofcourse a place in God’s Church for both big and small churches. And big or small, what probably matters more is that the church is centred on the gospel. There’s great big churches and small churches and horrid ones of both as well!

 

A Good Place to Start

Welcome to the westside plant blog. This is the place where you can keep up with the goings on of Christ Communities Westside Church plant. It’s also the place to read and interact with my musings on church planting and other issues we encounter.

So where to start? I think the place to begin any plant is with prayer. Unless the Lord builds the house, we surely labour in vain. We must begin and continue in total, utter and complete dependence upon the Lord. There will be moments of great joy, other times of great dissappointment, but if we know that the Lord is with us, what does it matter? So can I call you all to pray. To pray desperately, passionately, honestly and deeply. As long as our eyes are set upon the Lord, he will be glorified, honoured and magnified in whatever way he desires to use us. You’ll notice a page called prayer, this will be often updated so you can join in praying with us.

This is Jesus church. May he be glorified as the one who builds it,

Your Brother in desperate prayer,

Luke.