Run with God

Systems for Multisite Campuses Media Support

As I've indicated, 2009 is the year of the "System"...

I wanted to take a moment to discuss a couple new systems that we are putting into place to help our Multisite Campuses step up to the next level:

1) ADVANCED TRAINING: If you've ever been to one of CF's Ministry Rallys, you can appreciate the emphasis that we put on training. Once a month we are going to do Media Training at a different CF Campus. In January we are going to be at CFDT, February CFPB for Ministry Rally, March CFR, etc.

The goal of ADVANCED TRAINING is to train Media Volunteers how to do things better. Instead of training during a service where things can be a little chaotic, we're opting to gather everyone together and help them learn how to run their systems better on a weeknight where there's more time to talk. Check out the Seminars we've taught in the past...

We are opening ADVANCED TRAINING up to any new or existing volunteer on any CF campus. Adult venue or Age-Graded venue, you're more than welcome to attend. Get with your Worship Leader or Age-Graded Director and let them know you are wanting to attend. If you're with another church, we'd love to have you too. Email me at jreed[at]cfmiami[dot]org.

I'll blog date/times (and the specific Seminars) for the January ADVANCED TRAINING once we get it finalized. See you there.

2) CF HEROES: Several months ago we started a Multisite Tech Support Program called Heroes. We're fine-tuning the system and looking for help.

With CF Heroes we are looking for Technologically Aware people to help occasionally provide TECH SUPPORT, to fix problems when they pop up, at our Multisite Campuses. So if you're an Audio Guy, A Video Guy, an IT Guy, an Electrician, or you understand the basics of Signal Flow, be a HERO. Email hero[at]cfmiami[dot]org and help save a Multisite Campus by providing TECH SUPPORT.

Just this past week CFR had a problem with their audio system. When problems pop up, we need Heroes to arrive on the scene to:
1) diagnose the problem
2) fix the problem... or
3) figure out a "Plan B" where the service can still function.

Sounds scary, I know, but it's a lot of fun, especially for the HERO. (CFR's issue was a blown channel on their amp. We ended up installing a completely different speaker setup that was "borrowed" from another campus for their second service.) Plus, you really are a "Hero" when the problem is fixed... the people at the Multisite Campus are very appreciative. It's a cool thing.

CFPB Media Peeps. Many of you are moving to a "one week on, one week off" rotation. I've heard from many of you that you're willing to still help in your "one week off"... this would be a GREAT THING for you to help out with. Use your Media knowledge to help other campuses! See me ASAP.

These are two different ways that Christ Fellowship volunteers are serving in Media, working hard to help campuses all over Miami. Thanks for investing your time. We could not do this without you.

Buy Gear? Do I have to?

Alright. I think I'm done. Other than a couple VGA cables and some minor adapters that I've probably forgotten to buy, the buying for the multisite campuses are done.

Thank God.

I used to be the guy that loves gear. I'd flip through the newest B&H or Sweetwater Catalog... drool through the MacZone flyer or the CDW ad...

And now, after buying for four campuses (CFH, CFDT, CFR, and CFWK) and creating multiple venues on each campus (Anchor Harbor, Way Station, Revolution, and the Adult Venue) the CF Crew has bought A LOT of gear over the past year.... 16 venues worth...

Happily, I'm done.

No more specs. No more diagrams. No more charts. No more salesmen. No more descriptions.

It's time to stop. Stop acquiring and start using...

Of course, there is still CFPB's Studio Relo, and a ProTools HD Recording Studio we're currently building... so I guess the buying never stops!

Buying... You can't stop it, you can only hope to control it.

Megachurches across America

NY Times wrote a story last week on Megachurches in America, and how they create and operate their own economy. Huh, ministry through business. Interesting concept.

NY Times defines "MEGA"church being a church over 2,000 members. To the left is a map created by NY Times showing the geographical representation of those churches. I was asked this weekend by a reader what I thought about working for a Megachurch. Honestly, it doesn't feel megachurch. CF has five campuses. All of the campuses are healthy, growing, vibrant. Aside from the Palmetto Bay campus, all the campuses are no where near that 2,000 number.

I guess that's the idea of the multi-site model. You get intimacy in ministry, but the programs and resources of a true "megachurch". That's the beauty of CF. There are five different campuses. Five distinct styles. One church.

Unless I'm really unaware of where Miami is on the map, I don't think we are listed on the NTY map. Oh well.

Thank you, God, for an opportunity to serve you. Allow us to impact Miami, not for our glory, but for Yours.

Housecleaning Top 10

Been a busy couple weeks. I've had some people ask why I'm not blogging much lately. Honestly, I'm so busy "living" my life that I really don't have time to write about it. I actually had some "Me time" today to think, process, and overall defunk what's been going on lately.

Let me catch you up:

1) CF Downtown is going great. The Worship Center conversion will be a monumentous (is that a word?) task. Good news is we're developing a multi-phase plan, and what felt like an insurmountable task is slowly starting to come together.

2) C28's is a Key Sponsor for Wayfest happening Saturday, November 10th at the Sound Advice Ampitheater in West Palm Beach. Also as part of Wayfest, C28 West Palm is hosting an intimate artist signing with Seventh Day Slumber and Storyside B... SSB will also be performing an acoustic set in the store. How cool is that!

3) Pray for C28 in general. Most of the stores reside in Southern California, which is currently being ravaged by fire. I was calling one of my reps earlier this week, who told me "Uh, I gotta go. My backyard's on fire and we gotta get out of the house." Crazy. Absolutely crazy.

4) There are some new CF Bloggers, and I can personally recommend both of these guys. Carlos Lollett is the worship leader for CF West Kendall, and Berchman Paul is the worship leader for CF Homestead. Thanks to E for the reminder.

5) Wanna make God laugh, make plans! The old adage has really rung true in my life over the past month. It seems as if God is content keeping me running. So we'll keep running. God, I trust that you know what You are doing in my life. Keep opening doors and I'll keep running through them.

6) Anyone see Joel Osteen bench 300lbs on TV recently? I've had multiple people tell me they saw him do it. I can't find the video on YouTube, and I'm going to pull a doubting Thomas until I see him do it. The man is a beanpole (albeit an extremely rich beanpole) and I do not see how he could throw that weight up. 300lbs on his chest would break him like a twig.

7) I'm mentally working through a blog redesign for the site. Not like I got time to do the work, but maybe I'll get a day off in December and can have fun with it then.

8) There's a good chance I will be at four different church locations this Sunday. No, not kidding. I'll be sure to blog my day. I think it may be a 200 mile day. WooHoo!

9) Are you celebrating Halloween this year? If the secular world has taken Christ out of Christmas, is it possible that we have commercialized Satan's holiday as well to the point that children getting free candy is no longer glorifying to Satan either? (Don't know the answer, just thinking...)

10) God-sized news this weekend @ CF. Eric's teasing the info again. Come celebrate with us and see how God is moving across Miami.

Church Cowards and the USA Today

USA Today ran an article on Wednesday entitled Some search for church by way of the Web. If you still buy the physical paper, I'm told it's on D8.

Nothing groundbreaking. Let me give you highlights.

"82% of churches with more than 200 worship attendees have a website." That could be an impressive stat. coming from a guy that started a company that built websites exclusively for churches, this is misleading. I cannot tell you how many pastors I talked to over the years who would say something to the extent of "Why should I pay you to do this when my 10 year old (Please, no more 10 year old jokes relating to my iPhone irrelevance.) can do the same thing with Microsoft Frontpage)." So, while 82% of them have websites, what are they broadcasting on them? How/What are they connecting to the culture/their target audience.

To continue quoting the article:

Semblance of a connection

This reality leaves [Steve Clark, Pastor: Evangelical Free Church of Salt Lake City] with mixed feelings. On one hand, he's glad to be communicating with people far and wide. But he also is concerned about offering a tool that creates the semblance of a spiritual connection but doesn't ultimately satisfy a thirst for God.

"It definitely concerns me if it stops there," Clark says. "That's not actually attending church. You miss the benefits of community, of being with other people who will correct and encourage you."

I totally and completely disagree with this. Are you not surprised?

You don't think community can be created online?
Tell that to the 120 people who are my friends on Facebook.

You don't think the Internet can create a venue where people can communicate, correct, and encourage?
Um, ever been on a blog? Discussion Board? Forum? Ever sent an e-mail? Ever talked via IM? All of these are viable communication forms that enable us to communicate, correct, and encourage.

I have friends across this country that I keep up with on a regular basis. We talk, we share, we pray... rarely is communication verbal. More often than not, its text-based communication via the Internet.

What's frustrating to me is that we are NOT doing things differently than the early church did. The Media Small Group I lead is going through II Corinthians. IIC is basically Paul encouraging and correcting the church in Corinth. (More correcting than encouraging, but both play a part). Did Paul do this face to face? No. He tried to, but unforseen jail time prevented him from making the trip.

So what did Paul do. He wrote a letter. Text communication. Paul didn't abandon the church he started. He didn't say "you need to figure out your problems on your own." He didn't say "Find someone else to solve your problems". He communicated with them the best way he knew how. He wrote a letter.

To quote Tom Bandy, EasumBandy & Associates (Church Consulting Company) from the USA Today Article:

"The Web has allowed people to be cowards about profound religion," says Bandy. "It allows us to hide behind our e-mail, jargon names, URLs and stuff like that. But religion is really an act of courage — to submit, to surrender, to be vulnerable to the other, to that which is beyond yourself."

Yes, people will hide behind usernames (what's a jargon name?). But they're probably hiding from judgmental Christians who would criticize them for their mistakes, views, etc. These people are searching, seeking... they oftentimes are being vulnerable. But no, really, thank you for limiting the spiritual depth of thousands of people across America who use the Internet to communicate and invest in people's livevs.

Funny. I never viewed Paul as a coward. I guess he was, though, because what he said he didn't say face to face. Maybe I'm a coward too, for saying what I say via this blog. Maybe being a coward is a great place to be.

I'll wrap this up with a quote from Paul. II Corinthians 1:13-14 "For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Sitting in Postmodern Pews...

So I got to sit in a pew, er, folding chair today... this time the service was in English.

I'm proud of the Homestead Media Crew. I walked into the Worship Center this morning and told my crew that "I'm going to do an excellent job of not doing anything today. This is your show. Do it."

They did it.

Jeff, welcome to irrelevance. It's a great place to be.

I thoroughly enjoyed sitting back and doing absolutely nothing. As a matter of fact, I went to an entirely different church today (Life Pointe in Homestead) and saw someone else preach today. (I'll get there later...)

I love the fact that after six months I've worked myself out of my job.
I love the fact that they understand the purpose behind what they do.
I love the fact that they are self-reliant.
I love the fact that the service (worship, teachings, and TRANSITIONS) went smoother than I have ever seen at a service in Homestead.

It's not only that they don't need me. They're also doing it better than I would.

Sweet.

BTW, Eric spoke on my favorite person in the Bible... Job. I haven't done an in-depth character study on Job in five years. I think I'm going to revisit that in the coming months. Ironically, last time I studied Job, eBeliever (my first business, graphic and web design) died due to someone elses negligence. Maybe Job wouldn't be a good idea after all... Enter "the Curse of the Job" - duh duh duh duh. "Is God Really Good?" is a question that I've debated with people many times, and Eric did a great job presenting the theological and the practical arguments. Download the Podcast. It's worth a listen.

As I mentioned above, I got to check out Life Pointe, a non-denom theater-based church not far from CF Homestead. (CF West Kendall is coming up, and I'd like to see what theater churches are doing these days.) Travis Johnson (Sr. Pastor) and I have had a borderline stalking relationship. We've talked for months via blogs and e-mail, and never took the time to meet.

Well, I took the first step. Amy and I sat in their pew (er, stadium/theater seating) and enjoyed Travis' message on God's view (and culture's view) of sex. Awesome. We stayed for the message, but I was convicted to go back to CF Homestead so I could be irrelevant over there. So, sorry Trav for not sticking around. We'll have lunch someday.

Be praying for Central Baptist this week as they will be voting this week about merging with Christ Fellowship.

God, guide our steps, our direction. Use us to bring You glory.

Christ Fellowship Downtown?

"How can we reach Miami if we're not in Miami?"

Eric announced last week that we would be launching our third campus in February, 2008. Christ Fellowship West Kendall. (I blogged it several weeks ago). In addition, Eric dropped a little teaser last week that we should be praying about other opportunities, and that a church had approached CF about helping them in their ministry. Well the bomb finally dropped this week.

"How can we reach Miami if we're not in Miami?"

Miami's first Southern Baptist Church, Central Baptist Church, is prayerfully considering asking us to partner with them in ministry.

No, it's okay. Go ahead and gasp. Everyone else at CF is right now.

Let me put it into context. Here's the map of Central Baptist and surrounding:

Bayside Marketplace. American Airlines Arena. Bayfront Park. A lot of what makes Miami great. Aside from that, though, there is a lot of need in Downtown Miami... and a lot of potential Kingdom Impact!

"How can we reach Miami if we're not in Miami?"

The leadership of Christ Fellowship has been meeting with the leadership of Central for several months, and we have finally gotten to the point where Central Baptist leadership is taking the CF proposal to Central Church members for vote. We will find out, within a month, if CF Downtown is becoming a reality. Stay tuned, and pray!

God, align our will to Yours. Curb any selfish ambition we may have and hear our requests as a humble desire to see You glorified in Miami. If it's in Your will, allow us the opportunity to use Central Baptist as a device to impact Miami for Your name.

Christ Fellowship West Kendall

I've totally ignored something huge... my apologies.

Several weeks ago, Eric Geiger announced that Christ Fellowship is starting our next campus in West Kendall. Huge upswing in West Kendall area... CF has some 2,000 people members living in that area already! We're praying for a large startup team to help us seed the location. We will be meeting at the Regal Cinema 16, a brand new location just West of the Turnpike on the North side of Kendall Avenue. This is an INCREDIBLE LOCATION!

I got to do something cool today. Hector, Landon and I got to hang out in an empty movie theater and dream about what the venue is going to look like. I've never done church in a movie theater, but I can say this... I am going to love it! The Room Acoustics are PERFECT! Designed specifically for audio at this level. And visually? We've got a HUGE CANVAS to work with! Mark Batterson speaks of Video Screens becoming "Postmodern Stained Glass" in the modern church... so we've got a virtual canvas almost fifty feet wide, three stories tall to work with...

At one point today Hector and I were discussing lights/projection, and we hear Landon speaking to us, but we can't see him. Evidently, behind the projection screen is a series of scaffolding, and Landon found his way back in there, and was over 20 feet up in the air, behind the movie screen. He's bouncing around on the scaffolding, looking at where we can mount the speakers...

The worship experience, on paper, will be phenominal for the West Kendall Campus. We've already begun praying for the Campus, that God would honor our efforts by making His presence known on in West Kendall. God, use our gifts, talents, and abilities to further Your Kingdom.

CF Homestead: Home Sweet Home

CF Homestead got some God-sized news today! We have a home in Homestead. I haven't blogged on it, so let me catch you up.

After CF had already planted and started CF Homestead, we were told that the Miami Baptist Association owned some property in Homestead that was donated for the purpose of starting a church. And oh, the property is worth almost $6million. (The property is right next to the new BJ Wholesale Club). The MBA is literally looking to give the property to someone to start a church in Homestead.

MBA, meet Christ Fellowship. CF, meet Miami Baptist Association. After a bunch of meetings, prayer, fasting, and three unanimous votes (does that ever happen in Baptist politics?) WE GOT THE PROPERTY! I repeat, we were given 4.8 acres of prime Homestead real estate so that we can build a building.

Really, how awesome is that!

We're speculating that we are looking at a 600 person worship venue, with appropriate children and youth worship venues included. However, we now have to raise funds for the new building project, and I've been told that this project will take 2-3 years.

So, until 2010 comes around, we'll still be setting up and tearing down in a school every week at the Charter School.

God, thank you for entrusting us with this incredible gift. Give us the opportunity to impact Homestead and surrounding areas with the message of Your Saving Grace. We are not worthy to receive this, but may we use this to bring glory to You.

Internet Church

I asked if anyone has had any experience with Internet Campuses... I didn't expect NBC to post a response on Nightly News with Brian Williams. Thank you, NBC, for some insight...

Nightly News ran a story on LifeChurch.tv and their Internet Presence in Second Life. Great stuff. Read the article and view the story at this link.