Update To NCO Ministerium

Today I shared a 10-minuted update on ClearView with my fellow GBC pastors in our district. I thought some of you might be interested as it provides a bit of a window into my heart about where we are at today. Here's the manuscript I used in preparation (minus a few names taken out for privacy). Thanks for your interest!

Recently, I’ve done a lot of thinking and soul-searching about why we’re doing what we’re doing. In this process, God keeps directing my mind to faces of people...faces of people I’ve come to love and care for as I follow God down the bumpy road of church-planting. My wife and I took this faith step with the desire to reach people for Christ. That passion is what keeps us moving forward.

ClearView Church exists to reach.... ....is in a management position at the local organization and is one of the most gifted networkers I have ever met. As our friendship has grown, I’ve learned that he has studied many religions and knows quite a bit about Jesus and the Bible. He just doesn’t believe...

I’m excited about ClearView Church because it is being planted to reach Carolyn. She’s a good mom and key influencer of ladies in our neighborhood. While our kids were playing together one day, I learned that to her, organized religion is a farce and the Bible is unreliable.

ClearView exists because of the Maurice’s of the New Albany area. Maurice is an extremely friendly, intelligent Ohio State professor. He’s also a Sufi... an adherent to an offshoot of Islam. As we’ve eaten breakfast together several times, he’s shared how the Bible is a great source of inspiration but of little value when it comes to Absolute Truth.

I’m excited about ClearView Church because it’s being planted to reach Joan. I met Joan while watching my 5-year-old, Seth, taking swimming lessons. She’s a friendly, sweet lady. She believes that Jesus lived but that it’s impossible He could have been anything more than a admirable man.

ClearView Church is needed in northeastern Franklin County because of the 40 homes on my street, of which I’ve met and talked with every family except 1, there are only 3 families that regularly attend church.

I’m excited about ClearView Church because, even though some of Columbus’ largest churches are in our target area, no church plays a significant, discernible role in the cultural or religious fabric of the communities we are trying to reach. Despite the handful of mega-churches within a few miles of us, most people that I meet (like the 6 I mentioned above) don’t have a commitment to a local church or, more importantly, a relationship to Jesus.

I see a need for ClearView Church because as we’ve served coffee on voting days, or participated in community events and festivals, or as I’ve participated in Chamber of Commerce networking functions- ClearView is the only church present where thousands of unchurched people are.

Two years ago, God began building a passion in my heart. It was to be able to echo Paul’s words in Acts 20:22-24:

22 “And now I am bound by the Spirit[a] to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

I want to finish the work that I believe God has assigned to me-- the work of loving...Carolyn, Maurice, Bobby, Jamie, Joan and thousands of others to a clear view of Jesus and His love and grace. In 5 or 10 years, I dream of looking out on an audience where ...’s and Carolyn’s are now Jesus-followers. They're in community with other believers. Their lives have been transformed. They’re now missionaries to their own spheres of influence. They are making a tangible difference in the community by being the church where people are already gathered. They are planting churches or resourcing church plants in some way.

I believe God is laying the foundation for something special in northeastern Franklin County. He may be laying it slowly, but it is solid. We have a clear calling and a good strategic plan. We have almost 400 people around the world praying with us. We’ve integrated ourselves into the fabric of the community through coaching soccer, Chamber of Commerce activities in Gahanna and New Albany, bi-vocational work, our children’s activities, neighborhood ministries, etc. We’re consistently meeting and serving many people at community activities. We have 5 family units committed to our work. In March, we started weekly Sunday gatherings in our home. These have been going well and are a time of visionizing, worship, teaching, and team-building.

Our hope is to gather one or two more families and then find a public place to rent for weekly gatherings. We’re asking God to provide 40-50 people for our team in order for us to be ready for “Grand Opening” services in October.

Today, I humbly but boldly ask for your help. As my sons (5 and 2) were in the car last night, 2 fire engines sped past with lights and sirens blaring. This is big stuff to my boys. A word picture hit me as I was thinking about this morning and trying to explain to them why two Plain Township (New Albany) trucks were rumbling through a Columbus jurisdiction. I explained that there must be a big fire somewhere- something big enough that Columbus fire had to call for help from another squad.

Think of me as a brother, better yet- a co-laborer, calling you in as another squad today. To me, the vision is compelling. The need is clearly discernible. A good plan is in place. Foundational work has been done. This being said, we’re a start-from-scratch work. The next few months are critical for us. We need people to team with us to bring this vision to reality. We’re working hard to find them, communicate the vision and need, and invite involvement. However, we’ve discovered the people that we are looking for are the proverbial “needle in the haystack” type people. Not everyone wants to plant a church.

Would you pray for us? Would you consider finding a way to communicate with your people about our work. I believe there is people that you know...or people that you know that know people... that God has appointed to help us. Would you tell them about ClearView?