We've come to the time when we must reevaluate where Freedom Church stands and how to proceed. The assessment we've made is that we need to change our approach to ministry and to the church.
Since late summer, several people who have listened to me have asked me about whether or not we should be planting a church instead of continuing to work in a parachurch capacity. Many have stated that I would be more effective in media ministry and as a conference speaker and evangelist. I have wondered the same thing myself and each encounter of this type has raised that question again and again.
The other side of the coin is that when we set forth on this journey, we set evaluation points to determine whether or not this was likely to happen. The obstacles are enormous. The challenges are huge. While we have found many people who would like to be a part of Freedom Church, the reception of the vision in the rest of the church in the area has been something less than warm. A couple have been supportive and encouraging, but most write off the vision as either unneeded or too far removed from their experience to work. Funding simply hasn't broken loose from any quarter. A few have given cash but no organized help has ever come. Without it, FC just won't happen.
The other part of the evaluation is what doors are opening. While I do not hold to the so-called "Open Door Theology" as a steady guide to determining the Lord's will, but it can be a good indicator of a need in the Body of Christ. Looking at the Jesus' Outsider episodes that have been popular, observing what's happening in and out of the church, and having conversations with ministry leaders and people in the local community have all pointed in one direction. There are some things we need to talk about and we just aren't, at least not at the level they need to be discussed. Many of these are areas that my lovely bride and I have the experience, knowledge, and passion to engage in these conversations. The opportunities for that to happen are already starting to become apparent.
The truth is plain for us to see. We are no closer to launching Freedom Church than we were a year ago. I am overloaded beyond any real capacity to accomplish anything. I am essentially working five jobs and none of them are getting the attention they deserve. I am still working in the mobile industry, a day a week in construction, Jesus' Outsider, Deep Mystery Studio, and Freedom Church. I am restructuring everything in my life (See my personal blog for more) to line up with a clearer vision from the Lord. I am trimming the fat and that means some things are dropping away and others are getting the pause button pushed to be revisited down the road. Freedom Church is the latter.
For now, we are pushing the pause button on Freedom Church. We will be revisiting the issue down the road but as of right now, we are not going forward with the launch. That doesn't mean that it won't happen but it does mean not now. We might not even be the right people to do this. Maybe we need to look for that person and give our support to that individual. Instead, we are throwing all of our efforts into Jesus' Outsider (including changing the Facebook page to Jesus' Outsider Ministries), Deep Mystery Studio, and speaking engagements and conferences. I will also spend a lot more time writing not only blogs but other projects that have been on the back burner.
All of the energy and donations so far will be redirected into these ministry efforts especially the Sex, Porn, and Freedom conference announced in the last blog post. Further information will be on my personal blog and the Stainless Steel Soapbox. I know this will be a blow to some of you but not really a surprise to most of you. We must do what we believe is right in the Lord and at this stage, this is it.
For all of you who've been supportive and encouraging, thank you. We hope you'll stay with us as we further refine what the Lord has for us.
The Story of a Church for People Who Don't Know How to Do Church
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Reignition
My lovely bride and I attended the Truth Conference this past weekend. If I said that it was incredible I would be understating it. There was a large amount of information in a short period of time and some fantastic resources. For us, the key moment came in Josh McDowell's opening address.
Josh talked about the barriers to the Gospel we face in this modern age. The first is the information glut that is the internet. There is a lot in great stuff out there but there's even more garbage. His point on this one is that we all need to do our homework before we teach or speak publicly. The Science of apologetics is more important than ever. On this point, I can't really disagree. I've debated too many atheists, agnostics, and other non-Christians over the years. I'm very grateful for my background in science and history fanaticism. Even with that, I still need to know more to be effective. However, the need to study more was not the key moment.
The key came from the second barrier, the vast increase in pornography especially online. If you've listened to my podcast, Jesus' Outsider, you know I do a lot of work in this area as does my lovely bride. That sexual and pornographic addictions are increasing wasn't a surprise neither was the shift in cultural attitudes created by the growing acceptance of its use. The thing I had forgotten was how few of us are talking about it. Living in this world with all of the resources we use, sometimes it looks like the conversation about sexuality in the church is in full tilt. Unfortunately, it isn't. No one, outside of the ministries we get our resources from, is really talking about just how bad it really is in the church. Porn, sexual addictions, and all sorts of other "unique" sexual lifestyles are deeply embedded in the Body of Christ.
Why do we talk about it? Because we get it. We both have very interesting backgrounds, to put it mildly. We have fought this junk continuously for years. We have to take extra precautions to prevent falling back into it. If, as people who have served Christ for many years, we need to work extra hard to keep our sexual purity, then how many others do as well. Worse, how many don't bother to work to stay pure and just give in to the lure of sexual sin?
The need to do something real was driven home. We have had a conference in mind for a long time dealing with this issue directly and honestly. In fact, we started to work on it but a series of circumstances forced us to put in on the back burner. That has now changed. It's time to do the work to make this happen.
I already have a good format in mind with a shortlist of possible speakers beyond Kim and me. One of the most important segments will be Kim giving her story for the first time in public. It's more than a little scary and heart wrenching but it highlights the results of living a lifestyle that millions of women have been introduced to through Fifty Shades of Grey. The truth behind this supposed romance is very dark. For my part, I'll be sharing statistics and the technical side of porn including apps, filters, and other helps for breaking the addiction. We have other speakers in mind but until we have them confirmed, we're not going to share.
Now, for the challenging part. To pull this off, we need a lot more money than we have at our disposal. We're going to need at least $3000-3500 to cover all of the expenses of putting on the conference. We are going to charge admission with the proceeds going toward the launch of Freedom Church but we would like to have the resources to put it on before the first ticket is sold. Once we hit the first $1500, we will set the date.
To raise the funds, we're seeking individual donations on the support button on the Freedom Church page until a separate page is set up. We are also seeking ministry and business sponsorships including setting up tables in the resource area, banners, and other recognition. If you're interested or know someone we need to talk to, please get in touch with us at contact@freedompia.org.
We will be sharing more information as it develops and can be made public. We will also throw out some hints on the content as we approach the day to wet your whistle.
Pray for us as this is going to be a difficult to do for a host of reasons.
Pastor Mike
Josh talked about the barriers to the Gospel we face in this modern age. The first is the information glut that is the internet. There is a lot in great stuff out there but there's even more garbage. His point on this one is that we all need to do our homework before we teach or speak publicly. The Science of apologetics is more important than ever. On this point, I can't really disagree. I've debated too many atheists, agnostics, and other non-Christians over the years. I'm very grateful for my background in science and history fanaticism. Even with that, I still need to know more to be effective. However, the need to study more was not the key moment.
The key came from the second barrier, the vast increase in pornography especially online. If you've listened to my podcast, Jesus' Outsider, you know I do a lot of work in this area as does my lovely bride. That sexual and pornographic addictions are increasing wasn't a surprise neither was the shift in cultural attitudes created by the growing acceptance of its use. The thing I had forgotten was how few of us are talking about it. Living in this world with all of the resources we use, sometimes it looks like the conversation about sexuality in the church is in full tilt. Unfortunately, it isn't. No one, outside of the ministries we get our resources from, is really talking about just how bad it really is in the church. Porn, sexual addictions, and all sorts of other "unique" sexual lifestyles are deeply embedded in the Body of Christ.
Why do we talk about it? Because we get it. We both have very interesting backgrounds, to put it mildly. We have fought this junk continuously for years. We have to take extra precautions to prevent falling back into it. If, as people who have served Christ for many years, we need to work extra hard to keep our sexual purity, then how many others do as well. Worse, how many don't bother to work to stay pure and just give in to the lure of sexual sin?
The need to do something real was driven home. We have had a conference in mind for a long time dealing with this issue directly and honestly. In fact, we started to work on it but a series of circumstances forced us to put in on the back burner. That has now changed. It's time to do the work to make this happen.
I already have a good format in mind with a shortlist of possible speakers beyond Kim and me. One of the most important segments will be Kim giving her story for the first time in public. It's more than a little scary and heart wrenching but it highlights the results of living a lifestyle that millions of women have been introduced to through Fifty Shades of Grey. The truth behind this supposed romance is very dark. For my part, I'll be sharing statistics and the technical side of porn including apps, filters, and other helps for breaking the addiction. We have other speakers in mind but until we have them confirmed, we're not going to share.
Now, for the challenging part. To pull this off, we need a lot more money than we have at our disposal. We're going to need at least $3000-3500 to cover all of the expenses of putting on the conference. We are going to charge admission with the proceeds going toward the launch of Freedom Church but we would like to have the resources to put it on before the first ticket is sold. Once we hit the first $1500, we will set the date.
To raise the funds, we're seeking individual donations on the support button on the Freedom Church page until a separate page is set up. We are also seeking ministry and business sponsorships including setting up tables in the resource area, banners, and other recognition. If you're interested or know someone we need to talk to, please get in touch with us at contact@freedompia.org.
We will be sharing more information as it develops and can be made public. We will also throw out some hints on the content as we approach the day to wet your whistle.
Pray for us as this is going to be a difficult to do for a host of reasons.
Pastor Mike
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Signs of Change
A recent conversation on a ministry group I'm a part of sparked some thoughts far too detailed to post in a short comment on Facebook. The group is aimed at those of us who find ourselves classified as subculture ministries which merely means that we reach out to people who are considered to be outside to cultural norms, whatever those are.
The post, by a good friend and big part of the start of Freedom Church, posted the following:
"God is not looking at your forearms to determine whether you can share His Gospel with others. He’s not looking to see if you have too much makeup on or are wearing pants instead of a skirt. It’s ridiculous to think that God is so shallow that He would stop you from coming to Him because of something external. No, God is concerned with your heart and your mind. When you allow Him, not people's ideas, to transform the way you think, it will always be a positive thing."
This started a short series of posts about transformation. One commenter asked that if people do not leave their culture, how will the world know that they are changed? He did state that outward appearance wasn't necessary for salvation but did wonder about evidence speaking to the change. It was answered in brief and quite well by the moderator for the group, but there is still more to be said.
I had to set back and really consider where to go with my thinking and how best to express it. The question boils down to this: When you accept Christ, do you have to leave your particular subculture as evidence to the transformation Jesus brings?
It's a loaded question that needs to be broken down a little further. There are some cultures built around that which is sinful, usually around some type of sexual immorality. If this is the culture you're in, then yes, leave and be free from the sin. This is a much broader group than many people realize and includes a lot more than the first one that pops into most Christian's heads. These groups are ones that Christians do not become part of to reach but stand and show them the door to His freedom through love and relationship without participating in the sin.
Most subcultures do not fall into these categories. Most are just outside of what is considered to be normal society but aren't in and of themselves sinful. There's nothing wrong with being Goth, a biker, metalhead, punk, nerd, or any other group that you can think of that fits the outsider label. If they are not sinful, then why do we expect them to adopt cultural normative dress and lifestyles?
This is the same mistake that Christian missionaries from Western countries have made when preaching the Gospel in nations with different cultures. As much as preaching Christ, many also tried to Westernize the people in the name of Christ and civilizing the people. This resulted in a lot of failure in reaching people who truly need Jesus. Fortunately, most modern foreign missionaries have learned the lessons of the past and embrace local customs and attire as part of reaching the culture.
I do not mean to say that we need to alter the word to fit a culture nor that Christ needs to change a culture. But, that doesn't mean changing clothes, removing a tattoo (unless the tattoo is pornographic or directly blasphemous), or musical style preferences. It does mean abandoning sin and changing from a follower of the flesh to a disciple of Jesus. That is a change of the heart and mind and will be evident in the life of the person through behaviors, both leaving some behind and developing new ones.
Who better to see the change that the people you identify with, the group you are most comfortable? They will see the change first before anyone else could. They know the person best as they were before Jesus and are most likely to notice when that transformation begins. This is one of the most effective tools in Jesus' toolbox when it comes to reaching sinners in need of grace, the word of our testimony.
Instead of expecting people to adopt to church normative culture so they can fit in with us, why not let people be who they are yet transformed by the renewing of their minds? It's not the job of the church to make everyone look and think exactly the same but to preach the Gospel of Christ where it is needed. Last time I checked, that was to everyone for we are all in need of Jesus and His freedom through salvation.
-Pastor Mike
The post, by a good friend and big part of the start of Freedom Church, posted the following:
"God is not looking at your forearms to determine whether you can share His Gospel with others. He’s not looking to see if you have too much makeup on or are wearing pants instead of a skirt. It’s ridiculous to think that God is so shallow that He would stop you from coming to Him because of something external. No, God is concerned with your heart and your mind. When you allow Him, not people's ideas, to transform the way you think, it will always be a positive thing."
This started a short series of posts about transformation. One commenter asked that if people do not leave their culture, how will the world know that they are changed? He did state that outward appearance wasn't necessary for salvation but did wonder about evidence speaking to the change. It was answered in brief and quite well by the moderator for the group, but there is still more to be said.
I had to set back and really consider where to go with my thinking and how best to express it. The question boils down to this: When you accept Christ, do you have to leave your particular subculture as evidence to the transformation Jesus brings?
It's a loaded question that needs to be broken down a little further. There are some cultures built around that which is sinful, usually around some type of sexual immorality. If this is the culture you're in, then yes, leave and be free from the sin. This is a much broader group than many people realize and includes a lot more than the first one that pops into most Christian's heads. These groups are ones that Christians do not become part of to reach but stand and show them the door to His freedom through love and relationship without participating in the sin.
Most subcultures do not fall into these categories. Most are just outside of what is considered to be normal society but aren't in and of themselves sinful. There's nothing wrong with being Goth, a biker, metalhead, punk, nerd, or any other group that you can think of that fits the outsider label. If they are not sinful, then why do we expect them to adopt cultural normative dress and lifestyles?
This is the same mistake that Christian missionaries from Western countries have made when preaching the Gospel in nations with different cultures. As much as preaching Christ, many also tried to Westernize the people in the name of Christ and civilizing the people. This resulted in a lot of failure in reaching people who truly need Jesus. Fortunately, most modern foreign missionaries have learned the lessons of the past and embrace local customs and attire as part of reaching the culture.
I do not mean to say that we need to alter the word to fit a culture nor that Christ needs to change a culture. But, that doesn't mean changing clothes, removing a tattoo (unless the tattoo is pornographic or directly blasphemous), or musical style preferences. It does mean abandoning sin and changing from a follower of the flesh to a disciple of Jesus. That is a change of the heart and mind and will be evident in the life of the person through behaviors, both leaving some behind and developing new ones.
Who better to see the change that the people you identify with, the group you are most comfortable? They will see the change first before anyone else could. They know the person best as they were before Jesus and are most likely to notice when that transformation begins. This is one of the most effective tools in Jesus' toolbox when it comes to reaching sinners in need of grace, the word of our testimony.
Instead of expecting people to adopt to church normative culture so they can fit in with us, why not let people be who they are yet transformed by the renewing of their minds? It's not the job of the church to make everyone look and think exactly the same but to preach the Gospel of Christ where it is needed. Last time I checked, that was to everyone for we are all in need of Jesus and His freedom through salvation.
-Pastor Mike
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Updates Long Past Due
To say that 2015 has had a rough start would be stating things mildly. Health issues and the financial challenges they brought about have set back our time table a lot. By this point, the first of the small groups was to have started, a new promotional video release, and a location for the seminar set. Unfortunately, none of that has happened. There are a lot of people we need to meet with to get the ball rolling again that we have not been able to make happen.
First and foremost, to reassure all of you, the fire has in no way diminished. Our passion for glorifying God and preaching His Gospel to those not currently being reached still burns with a bright flame. The trials of the last few weeks have done nothing to deter the vision the Lord has given us. Freedom Church is still coming.
The seminar we've been planning is still the plan. The more research we do, the more people we ask, the more convinced we are that we need to move forward. The need is tremendous. However, for obvious reasons we are moving the date back until May. The final date will be set once we have a location. We need help finding one. To keep consistent with the planned location, Washington or East Peoria would be ideal however, locations in Peoria are not out of the question. The preference is for a host church that we can partner with that sees the need but, failing that, other locations are options that will need to be considered.
Thanks to an overly busy holiday season and the trials of the last several weeks, most of the needs have not changed. The list (copied here from a previous post) hasn't changed.
1. Final legal filings for incorporation as a religious corp. We have most of the funds for this but need the rest. This is the smallest part of the need.
2. Promotional expenses. In addition to press releases, we are going to produce radio spots to run on both Christian and secular radio stations. We can produce the spots in-house using Deep Mystery Studio, the facility used to record Jesus' Outsider. The cost will be to air the spots.
3. Mailers to churches with information about the conference and fliers that can they can post.
4. Participant hand-outs
5. Speaker fees for outside speakers
6. Fees for the host church or facility.
However, we are no longer promoting the GoFundMe campaign. They charge too much. I would rather have the normal charges of credit card processing through PayPal than the additional cost of a crowd-sourcing service. I have been less than impressed with the service. They haven't done anything to warrant the fees they impose. Contributions can be made through PayPal either on this page or on the FC site.
Work continues. I hope to have my voice back soon so that I will start recording soon and be able to create the promotional videos for the church and for the seminar. The storyboards for the seminar video are almost complete.
Prayer support is greatly appreciated. The trials that have slowed our progress are not finished yet. The vision continues, the fire burns as bright. Trials cannot stop the plans of the Lord.
First and foremost, to reassure all of you, the fire has in no way diminished. Our passion for glorifying God and preaching His Gospel to those not currently being reached still burns with a bright flame. The trials of the last few weeks have done nothing to deter the vision the Lord has given us. Freedom Church is still coming.
The seminar we've been planning is still the plan. The more research we do, the more people we ask, the more convinced we are that we need to move forward. The need is tremendous. However, for obvious reasons we are moving the date back until May. The final date will be set once we have a location. We need help finding one. To keep consistent with the planned location, Washington or East Peoria would be ideal however, locations in Peoria are not out of the question. The preference is for a host church that we can partner with that sees the need but, failing that, other locations are options that will need to be considered.
Thanks to an overly busy holiday season and the trials of the last several weeks, most of the needs have not changed. The list (copied here from a previous post) hasn't changed.
1. Final legal filings for incorporation as a religious corp. We have most of the funds for this but need the rest. This is the smallest part of the need.
2. Promotional expenses. In addition to press releases, we are going to produce radio spots to run on both Christian and secular radio stations. We can produce the spots in-house using Deep Mystery Studio, the facility used to record Jesus' Outsider. The cost will be to air the spots.
3. Mailers to churches with information about the conference and fliers that can they can post.
4. Participant hand-outs
5. Speaker fees for outside speakers
6. Fees for the host church or facility.
However, we are no longer promoting the GoFundMe campaign. They charge too much. I would rather have the normal charges of credit card processing through PayPal than the additional cost of a crowd-sourcing service. I have been less than impressed with the service. They haven't done anything to warrant the fees they impose. Contributions can be made through PayPal either on this page or on the FC site.
Work continues. I hope to have my voice back soon so that I will start recording soon and be able to create the promotional videos for the church and for the seminar. The storyboards for the seminar video are almost complete.
Prayer support is greatly appreciated. The trials that have slowed our progress are not finished yet. The vision continues, the fire burns as bright. Trials cannot stop the plans of the Lord.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Stalling and Restarts
If you're wondering, yes we've stalled out at Freedom Church. Any momentum we've had has been lost over the last several weeks. Unfortunately, all of my personal time has been spent trying to make enough money to pay the bills and purchase groceries. In addition to FC, I'm working three jobs, two for other people plus Deep Mystery Studio. As you can imagine, that leaves nothing for FC. There are videos to produce, people to meet with, and a huge list of other tasks that aren't happening right now. If you're reading this and I owe you a coffee meeting, I truly apologize. I am trying to stabilize things so I can make those happen.
Some things are going to hold off until some decisions are made and actions taken. Until I have more control of my time, the small group/Bible study will have to wait. It needs to happen, but as long as I work most weekends at one job or another and can't predict what time I get home at night, we can't schedule it. At the moment, I don't feel like I have the room to breathe much less get anything important done.
However, if we are to meet a goal, something has to happen. We are planning to hold a seminar as both a fundraiser and introduction to the larger church. There are areas of knowledge that many people in the church are lacking that are putting our kids and ourselves are risk. Essentially, it's about what the world is throwing at us in the realm of sexuality and how to remain pure in the midst of it. We'll be teaching about social media, especially apps that parents aren't familiar with that are used for all sorts of activities that we don't want anyone to engage in. The changing face of porn is also an essential topic. We need to know where it's coming from and how it's getting into our homes. It will be more than just a presentation of facts, we'll talk about how lives are destroyed on multiple levels, including the lifestyle romanticized by Fifty Shades of Grey by someone who lived it.
The plan is to hold the event the first Saturday in February, just before the Fifty Shades movie hits theaters. All we need is a host church, preferably in Washington or East Peoria. We will provide snacks and all materials, handle ticket sales, and everything else involved. Whoever hosts is encouraged to participate and to have a table of their own. The purpose of the seminar is to help people in the Body of Christ understand what we are up against and how to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to bear to bring freedom to those who need that bound in the world's chains. Yes, funds above the costs of the event go to starting FC, but our aim is to equip the Body to protect itself and serve the hurting.
We would also like other related ministries and organizations to be represented. Any ministry is welcome, but we would especially like to have Christian counselling services on hand. Youth ministries are encouraged to set up as well. We want as many resources as possible for the attendees to be able to make use of the information and stories they'll hear. We're praying about whether or not to charge for tables or ask for a voluntary donation.
Until then, we need to raise $1000 for some expenses we have yet to cover including finishing the incorporation and other needs we have to get started. There's a PayPal link on this page and our homepage. If you prefer, we have a GoFundMe campaign that you can use to make a contribution.
Freedom Church has slowed, but we are not out. The Lord is still in this work and we need your support and prayers to accomplish His mission.
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