Vision Night and Letter

The following post contains a recent letter the Leadership Team of NCC sent out to all our financial and prayer partners in 2010. We remain extremely grateful to God for allowing so many people to be involved in what He is doing in Northwest Arkansas. And remember that this Sunday night, December 5th we are hosting our Vision Night at 5:00pm at the BGC to share with the church the vision, strategy, and direction for 2011. Plus we will have subs from Jimmy John's so bring an appetite.

Dear Northwest Community Church Partner:

The Leadership Team of Northwest Community Church would like to thank you for your continued prayer support as well as the financial contributions you made to the launch of Northwest Community Church. We are grateful for the opportunity to plant an Acts 2 church focused on leading people to experience a new life in Christ.

Since our official launch in February we have averaged 50 people in our Sunday morning worship services at the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club. The exciting fact about that number is that many of the people worshiping with us on Sundays were totally unchurched prior to attending Northwest Community Church for the first time. In addition, we started four community groups this year that serve as our primary vehicle for ministry and discipleship. In order to attract new people we remain committed to a lifestyle of evangelism that is focused on developing friendships with people who may be far from God by intentionally looking for ways to serve our friends and neighbors. Whether we are helping kids at the Boys and Girls Club decorate pumpkins or providing logistical support for a local mountain biking festival, our church is committed to getting out into the community to serve and build relationships with new people. It is our love for God and his love for people that compel us to step out of our comfort zones, follow the Holy Spirit’s promptings, and connect with people who may have never encountered the love of their heavenly father.

As we approach the end of the first year, we ask that you do three things:

1. Continue to pray for the church’s effectiveness, health, and sustainability.

2. Come join us for a worship service and witness firsthand what God is doing at NCC.

3. Consider making a year-end financial contribution in the life of a new church.

Thank you for your involvement in Northwest Community Church. Upon receiving your contributions receipts in January 2011, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

In Christ,

Will, Greg, Rob, and Kevin

Casting the Vision of Church Planting

Beginning tomorrow Sarah and I are going on a 10 day trip across parts of TN and GA casting the vision for church planting. We will be speaking in and/or meeting with three churches and one parachurch organization who have decided to invest in the life of Northwest Community Church as we lead people to experience a new life in Christ. It is always a privilege to talk with anyone who understands the value of the local church. Like others, we believe that healthy local churches are the hope of the world and we are honored to partner with likeminded people who want to see healthy churches planted that will one day help plant other local churches. In fact, there are very few things in life that get me more excited than to talk about healthy, life-changing, gospel-centered, Acts 2 style churches.

We will conclude our trip by leading a fall retreat for Northway Student Ministry (NSM) from Macon, GA November 19-22. As always, I am excited to speak to a group of high school students who desire to live out a radical faith. My talks to NSM will focus around David Platt's book "Radical" which has proven to be a very convicting read for me over the past several weeks. In fact, Northwest Community Church better get ready because we are definitely going to read this book together in 2011. The funny thing is that the group of students I will be speaking to from NSM will be larger than our entire church!

Please pray for us as we travel. Pray that God will use us to pour into others and cause people to see the Kingdom benefits of church planting. Pray too for Northwest Community Church as they continue to lead Bella Vista to experience a new life in Christ.

Fall Festival at the BGC

Last week Northwest Community Church had the privilege of serving at the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club's Family Fall Festival. It was a great time to meet new families and practice the principles we have been learning from our Just Walk Across the Room series. We were also able to help each child decorate a pumpkin which made for a ton of fun. Kids are hilarious, creative, and provide so much energy to any event.

Click Here to see some of the pictures from the Fall Festival.

Wild Ride

It's so funny to me whenever people ask, "Hey, how's the church going?" I literally have no idea how to answer that question. Part of me wants to spill my guts and tell them 100 stories about how God is amazing and is changing my life through the church planting experience. On the other hand, almost everyone who asks that question is just trying to be nice and make conversation so I simply say "It's going well" and nod my head.

This past month at Northwest has been exciting. God is working in the life of our new church, people are growing in Christ, and some spiritual light bulbs are clicking on for the very first time. At the same time, this whole process is messy and unpredictable. For every exciting story that has taken place at Northwest, I could share stories about 10 other loose ends or things that I have no foreseeable solution for. But that is what makes this whole journey so exciting. Almost on a weekly basis I have to remind myself that Christ did not come to this earth so that we could have safe, predictable, nicely packaged lives. Rather Christ came to bring redemption, radical transformation and change in a world that desperately needs Him. When we choose to follow Christ, we sign up to be involved in that same process. And the bottom line...I would not have it any other way. So the next time you ask me how's the church going, just be ready for an ear full.

This week I have enjoyed reading in Colossians and ask that you pray a similar prayer for Northwest this week: "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ...Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should." Colossians 4:2-4

Oklahoma Sports and Fitness Magazine

In order to recharge my batteries and tackle the challenges of church planting with renewed energy, I need a steady diet of outdoor adventures. This year, one of my goals is to trail run the entire 165 mile Ozark Highlands Trail which basically runs across the western third of Arkansas. Typically I will knock out a 15-20 mile section on a Saturday morning once a month. It usually takes several hours to set the runs up due to the fact that the trailheads are in remote areas and require leaving one vehicle at the start and one vehicle at the finish. Besides the thrill of adventure, my favorite part about trail running is being able to share the experience with a group of friends and the conversations we have about life along the way. This month I was able to document some of my experiences on the OHT in the October/September issue of Oklahoma Sports and Fitness magazine which is tying to broaden its readership into parts of TX, MO, and AR. Here is a direct link to the article:

http://www.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=45391

The Way It Should Be

Last week I had the privilege of having breakfast with Robert Cupp and Chip Jackson of Fellowship Bible Church in Rogers. Our topic of conversation was focused on how effective, healthy churches are able to stay focused on the mission and vision of the church. As I went home to process our conversation, I began to write down a few takeaway points on a whiteboard in my office. Here are some lessons I learned:

1. The mission/vision of the church should be the focus of everything we do. They are the reason we exist as a church.
2. There are two main "drivers" or growth agents in a church: organic, life-change, God stuff and the organizational, systems, processes stuff. Both are important and should walk hand-in- hand towards fulfilling the mission/vision of the church.
3. The entire organization/structure of the church must enhance the mission and vision of the church. Do not ever allow the organization of the church to hinder the mission and vision of the church.

This past Sunday evening, the Leadership Team of NCC (Kevin, Greg, Rob, and Will) along with our wives met to evaluate our first six months as a church. It was one of the most refreshing, encouraging, and Christ-honoring meetings/conversations I have ever had. We started the meeting off with a conversation about our vision of leading people to experience a new life in Christ. We asked ourselves, How well are we achieving our vision? For the remainder of the meeting we allowed this question to filter our decisions concerning structure, budgeting, and planning. I only wish that every pastor, leadership team, and church could have conversations about the "business and organization of the church" as it relates to what God has called them to do. I truly feel blessed to serve alongside a group of people who are committed to allowing God's leadership and calling to determine how we operate as a church...this is the way it should be.

Sundays at Northwest Community Church

Every Sunday morning a group of incredibly efficient volunteers shows up early so that Northwest Community Church is able to host our worship services in the gym of the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club on Forest Hills Blvd in Bella Vista, AR. What originally took us several hours is now down to a precise 50 minute process. These guys run like clockwork and make Sundays so much fun. Here's a glimpse of how we do church on Sunday mornings

• The truck and trailer pull into the parking lot at 8:00am sharp
• Setup is completed by 8:50am
• Band does sound check until 9:15am
• Our team has a time of prayer until 9:30am
• We are ready to greet people and share a cup of coffee before worship at 10am

Here is how it all works...

Communion

This coming Sunday Northwest Community Church will host our very first communion service. We are excited to celebrate what Christ has done for each of us individually and what he has done for our church corporately. In addition this Sunday we will start a new 5 week series on the 10 commandments which will allow us to see the character behind a loving God who desires a relationship with everyone. Through out this series we will begin to see that God's rules are not a condition for a relationship...Rather they are a confirmation that a relationship already exists. It's the kind of teaching series which could transform your entire view of God and his plan for your life. Invite your friends and don't miss out.

Days of Service

The past two days have been wonderful days of service in the life our new church plant. The entire launch team of Northwest Community Church is grateful for the support, encouragement, and hard work of the students at Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville, KY. They completed service projects at two different Boys and Girls Clubs in Benton County, hosted a free (no donations accepted) car wash in the Bella Vista town center, and last night helped our church present Screen on the Green as we invited the entire community to a free outdoor family movie night. The ten students from Walnut Street managed to wash between 160-170 cars in a 4 hour time period! We literally almost caused traffic problems. It was so funny to see the look on people's faces when we refused to accept their donations and explained to them that we simply wanted to serve the community in the name of Christ with no strings attached. People were almost uncomfortable with the idea of receiving something for free. Servant evangelism truly is one of the most effective ways Christ followers are able to win over people's attitude towards Christ and his church. Our prayer is that people will be drawn to our church as a result of our serving spirit.

As Walnut Street travels home today, please pray for their safe travels. I am completely humbled by their commitment and willingness to serve in the name of Christ. In addition, I am spurred on by their example and pray that one day Northwest can encourage other local churches in the same way.

July 4th Weekend

This week is an exciting week in the life of Northwest Community Church. We have two important events designed to connect and serve the families of Bella Vista. If you are within driving distances, get involved. Otherwise please lift us up in prayer specifically on Thursday and Friday of this week.

Beginning on Wednesday evening we have the youth group from Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville, KY arriving to be involved in what Christ is doing at Northwest. The students will stay in the homes of our church members and serve alongside us for three days while we invest in the families of Bella Vista. On Thursday, July 1 from 12pm - 4pm Northwest Community Church is hosting a totally free car wash (no donations accepted) at a newly opened gas station in Bella Vista, The Finish Line. This is our way of partnering with local businesses in an effort to serve the community in tangible ways. Then on Friday evening, July 2nd we are hosting our very own "Screen on the Green" on the lawn of the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club. This will be another event designed for families to develop new friendships. We are showing the movie "Up" which will start at dark. Be sure to tring your own lawn chair and invite your friends and neighbors.

Please pray that the Bella Vista families who need to be connected with our church will see the ads we put in the paper or receive one of the 7k postcards we mailed out inviting them to these events. As always, our desire is to see unchurched families come to experience what a new life in Christ is all about. In addition, please pray for the students and leadership of Walnut Street Baptist Church as they courageously serve in our church plant. Pray that this experience will ignite in them a passion to see other churches planted around the globe.

Suggestions For A More Radical Christianity

As a follow up to my previous post. Here are five suggestions Dr. Rainer presented in response to the cultural trends facing the church in the U.S. These suggestions are meant to lead the church towards a more radical Christianity:

1. A broken heart for the lostness of humanity.
2. Become an Acts 6 Christian...The early church was in danger of being good instead of great. If the pastors have to do all the "church work" the church will not become great. All the church is to do ministry. Ministry is never to be "hired out."
3. Be missional and incarnational in your community. In other words Christ followers must live intentionally as if they are being sent out into the community for other people to see Christ living in them.
4. Help raise the bar of church membership.
5. Move from churchianity to Christianity. Instead of business as usual we must live differently and proclaim the radical message of the gospel.

On the surface, few churches or Christians could disagree with Dr. Rainer's message. You might even say these suggestions are no-brainers. And yet radical Christianity as Dr. Rainer pointed out is basically a heart issue. Churches cannot merely make cosmetic or programatic changes and expect an entire congregation to live out a radical Christianity. Likewise, individual Christians cannot make outward changes to their lifestyle and suddenly expect God to use them to change the world. True spiritual transformation always starts with the heart and works its way out.

As sobering as these realities are, I am not at all discouraged. And here's why...God has given Northwest Community Church all the raw materials for a life-giving, world-changing, God loving, people loving, healthy church. I am truly honored to serve alongside a team of people who are committed to live out a more radical Christianity.

Cultural Trends

A few weeks ago, Greg and I had the opportunity to worship at the Church at Pinnacle Hills on a Sunday night. The speaker that evening was Dr. Thom Rainer who is a former professor at Southern Seminary and is now serving as the CEO of Lifeway. Dr. Rainer's writings have proved to be extremely helpful to our entire launch team. In fact, I had our team read Simple Church as we were laying the ground work for Northwest Community Church and developing the process for how we were going to achieve our vision of leading people to experience a new life in Christ. At any rate, Dr. Rainer's talk that evening was divided up into two parts:

1. 7 Cultural Trends in the U.S.
2. 5 Suggestions for a More Radical Christianity

Both sections were insightful, challenging, and accurately dealt with current reality. In fact, it was the truth behind Dr. Rainer's talk which compelled us to plant Northwest Community Church and God willing will allow us to plant other healthy, missional churches. I'll you the bullet points of Dr. Rainer's talk and make my own comments along the way. Oh yeah, and I will break this blog up into two sections so it does not get too lengthy. And by the way, I feel certain Dr. Rainer is about to come out with a new book addressing the essence of his talk...buy it when it comes out, you will not regret it. Seven Cultural Trends in the U.S.:

1. The lostness of the U.S. is increasing. This a no-brainer. All you have to do is talk to your neighbors to realize this fact and yet most churches are doing absolutely zero about it. There are 80 million Americans born 1980-2000 (makes up the largest generation in U.S. history) and only 15% are Christian.
2. The attitude of the unchurched in America is changing from receptive to indifference. People don't see the importance of church.
3. There will be no successful senior adult ministry in 10 years because older Boomers do not see themselves as "old" or "senior."
4. Family will be the most (and is) important core value to Millennials (1980-2000). Typically Boomer and Builders had very private relationships, but that is changing.
5. In less than 20 years there will be no majority group in U.S. racially. Churches that are going to reach Millenials must be cross-cultural.
6. Boomers my become the first generation to become more receptive to the Gospel in older years. The reason...Boomers have tried everything and nothing satisfies.
7. How healthy churches define community is changing. There is a move to become more missional (one who is sent) and incarnational (in the flesh). Churches who are serious about impacting cultural realize the advantages of sending people out from their campus and into the community as opposed to always expecting the "lost" to come to us.

Despite the fact that these trends are sobering, there is hope. In fact the beauty of the church is that it can adapt to fit any cultural at any time without ever compromising the life-giving message of Jesus Christ. Dr. Rainer's suggestions for a proper response to these cultural trends will be in my next blog.

Pics from Family Easter Event

Click Here to check out our pics from the Family Easter event we hosted at the BGC on Friday, April 2. Also, you can see more pics and find out about the latest happenings by joining our Facebook Group appropriately titled Northwest Community Church.

Serve People

Last night Northwest Community Church partnered with Arvest Bank, the BV Fire and Police Departments, and the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club to host a community wide Easter egg hunt and cookout. Despite the thunderstorms we had a great time indoors. Because of the hard work of dozens of volunteers we were able to serve over 250 hamburgers and hotdogs to Bella Vista families. In addition, we had face painting, games, and over 2,000 Easter eggs for the children to find. The event was a huge success and we look forward to connecting with more and more families in the BV area in the months to come. Serving others truly is the best way to enjoy life. Don't sit on the sidelines. Get involved in what God is doing at NCC.

Healthy Signs

The last two weeks at NCC have really been encouraging to me. For those of you who might be following us in other parts of the country, let me explain. Last Sunday, Bella Vista got this crazy mini-snow storm where it went from 70 degrees on Friday to about 8 inches on snow on Sunday morning. However, that did not stop us from having church. A small group of us gathered at the boys and girls club without any equipment and held a worship service...we prayed and studied a beautiful passage in Acts 15 where the early church stood at a major crossroads. In fact, grab a Bible and read the story. Pay special attention to the speeches of Paul, Peter, and James. These guys got it right! Basically the early church (consisted of primarily people with a Jewish background) had to decided if they were going to open the church up to outsiders/Gentiles. Do we want a church for "church people" or do we want to risk the church getting "messy"? And thus began the 2,000 year struggle that every church faces...the gravitational pull to turn inward. How is this encouraging?

As always, God provides us with hope. When a church decides to point people to Christ and asks God to help them focus on "outsiders" God steps in and does amazing things. The early church got this and Northwest Community Church gets this.

As for yesterday, we spent the morning focusing on another passage in Acts (Acts 2:42-47) which paints a picture of how a healthy church is supposed to act as it focuses on reaching new people. This is perhaps may favorite passage in all of Scripture because it truly shows us how the local church is the hope of the world. You just can't fabricate that kind of community...It only comes from Christ working in people. I literally intend to spend the rest of my time on this earth casting out the vision of the local church. It just does not get any better than that.

Finally, I have got to tell those of you who have not been able to join us at Northwest Community Church that we have truly got the most amazing launch team ever. This group of people understands servanthood and sacrifice like you can't imagine. I am humbled and honored to be on the team.

By the way, don't forget to pray for our big family Easter egg hunt/cookout this Friday evening.

What's About to Happen?

Tomorrow morning at Northwest Community Church we will start a two weeks series to prepare us for Easter weekend when we will host a community-wide Easter egg hunt for Bella Vista. I'm going to give you a little hint...the church is not just for church people.

Also, here are a few things you can be in prayer for over the next several weeks:

1. We are sending out 4,000 postcards this week inviting families to join us on Friday, April 2 from 4-7 p.m. for a free cook out and Easter egg hunt at the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club. Pray that God will allow us to connect with some young families who will join us for Easter Sunday.
2. On Easter Sunday we will start a new series entitled Baggage which will show us how Christ wants us to trade in all the baggage we carry around. In exchange, Christ wants us to experience a new life in Him.
3. Pray that on Easter Sunday God will draw the people we have been inviting to give church a chance.
4. Pray that our launch team will be prepared to minister to people, develop friendships with people, and reach out to folks who may not have been to church before.

Launch Service

Yesterday Northwest Community Church hosted our first official worship service in Bella Vista. It was exciting to see the months of planning and prayer finally come together as God faithfully provided the people and resources needed to launch a new local church. It was encouraging to see 73 adults and 7 children gathering together for worship, prayer, fellowship, and teaching. Our worship service reminded me that there is nothing like the local church in whole world. We are truly apart of something far greater than ourselves when we serve in Christ's church...what an amazing privilege! Click Here to see pictures or check out the album on my Facebook page "NCC Launch Sunday."

We kicked off NCC with a series entitled "What's Church Got to Do With It?" by looking at the role of a great church in our life. The phrase that will guide this series as we unpack what Scripture has to say about a great church is...

"A great church exists when people make a great commitment to the great commandments and the great commission and do those with great compassion."

Even though our new church is only 1 day old and we are made up of imperfect people, we want God to shape Northwest into a great church. Join us next Sunday and invite some more imperfect people to check out Northwest Community Church.

Launch Week

Well. It's finally here. This Sunday is the official launch of Northwest Community Church in Bella Vista, AR. The past few months have been an exciting journey. God has opened doors and provided people and resources in ways that we could never have anticipated six months ago. It's also exciting to think that after Sunday we will finally be able to shift our focus from launching the church to actually being the church.

One of the most encouraging aspects of this entire process has been the team of people God has assembled to launch NCC. If you have not gotten a chance to worship with us during our preview services, be sure to come meet some people on Sunday. You will not be disappointed. Not only does our launch team love Jesus but they are also fascinating people who like to have a ton of fun. For instance, a few days ago Bella Vista got several inches of snow which provided us the perfect opportunity to sled on a hill right behind our house. It was so funny to see all these kids out there sledding alongside a group of 20 year olds. It reminded me that life is just too short to hang out with people who don't know how to have a good time. Check out some photos of our launch team on our recent day of sledding in Bella Vista by Clicking Here.

Before Sunday, be sure to go to our website and use the "Tell Someone about Northwest" button on the top of each page. Also, invite friends, neighbors, and family members to attend the launch service with you this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. at the Bella Vista Boys and Girls Club. Come experience what a new life in Christ is all about!

Invest in the Life of Northwest

At Northwest we now have several ways you can give to God's work through your tithes and offerings:

1. You can give on Sunday mornings.
2. You can mail a check to NCC at P.O. Box 5128 Bella Vista, AR 72714.
3. You can give online through our secure website. Check out this new feature simply by clicking on the Invest in the Life of Northwest button on our homepage.

Why do we give to the local church?
"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it..." Psalm 24:1

As Christ Followers, we believe that we are stewards of God's resources because He is the owner of all we have.Throughout Scripture, we are reminded of the importance of generosity. The Bible tells us that giving is an act of worship and should be done with a spirit of thanksgiving.

Give. Pray. And don't miss launch Sunday.

Desperate and Committed

This past Sunday was the final preview worship service before the official launch of Northwest Community Church. We had a great service as our worship planning system starts to gain some serious momentum. I continue to be amazed at the team God has assembled.

During the teaching time this past Sunday we saw how Moses responded to an impossible task by doing two very simple things. When Moses was fighting against all odds, he got desperate to hear from God and he chose the health and well-being of the community over his own. Moses' example has church planting application written all over it. The launch of a new church from scratch would be an impossible task if it depended solely on human ingenuity and effort. For Northwest Community Church to succeed, we must remain willing to submit to God's vision for the church and be committed to the long-term growth of the entire body. True spiritual health/growth does not happen in isolation, nor does it fully occur in lives that are only half-way committed. Rather God works the most through people who are desperate (for him) and committed (to his local church). Please pray that Northwest Community Church will become the type of church that leads people to become desperate and committed.

Serve the Teachers

God continues to open up in-roads into the community of Bella Vista. It seems that almost every day I am able to either have breakfast, lunch, or coffee with someone new. Along the way, God has confirmed the fact that Bella Vista is the perfect place to launch Northwest Community Church. I am so grateful for how far we have gotten over the past 4 months. Sometimes I am amazed as I look back on the milestones God has allowed us to achieve in such a short time period: moving to AR, Sarah starting a new job, signing a lease on the BGC, finding a house to rent, hosting our practice services, meeting helpful churches in the area, forming a committed launch team, raising financial support, purchasing portable church equipment, and building key relationships in the community.

As you pray for NCC this week, please pray specifically for this Friday morning. We have been given the opportunity to serve breakfast to the 75 teachers at Cooper Elementary School in Bella Vista. We want to show the teachers our gratitude as we invite them to be apart of our very first official worship service on February 21st. Pray that God will give us favor with the teachers, that He will allow genuine friendships to be established, and that the teachers will be drawn to not only attend our church but to also tell others about us too.

Oh and don't forget that this Sunday (1/17) at 10 a.m. is our last preview service before our launch in February. We're pumped about the service especially since Greg and Cassi Luka will be here for good.