Church Updates

by Dave Kludt of Kairos Hollywood

So far, 2011 has been spent deepening roots in a city with tough soil. Over the last few years, Kairos Hollywood has rounded the five-year mark as a church plant and we’re now approaching ten, with the last few years being marked by significant change and transition. While instability is one of the more common threads connecting new city dwellers in Los Angeles, and especially Hollywood, this year in particular we have been trying to practice and live into some of the long-term rootedness we feel God calling us to.

Throughout the summer, we have limited our large (usually weekly) Sunday Gathering to every other week in order to give our community the time, space, and energy to engage our neighbors and city in new ways. In the last few months, our mid-sized communities have adopted “City Ministries” – long-term, regular partnerships or commitments to join God’s redemptive work with a specific demographic or location in mind. We desire to see these ministry partnerships grow deep into the DNA of Kairos Hollywood and our neighborhood.

We’ve continued to prune and cultivate our church structure to be more conducive to discipleship. We are now working to begin the third round of “discipleship workshops,” intentionally small, committed, and closed groups focused on spiritual formation and discipleship. While we don’t think there is a “silver bullet” that can cure the church’s discipleship problem, we are moving forward in faith that the people of Kairos will “clothe themselves in Christ” allowing our community in Hollywood to better reflect Christ’s redemptive work.

While there’s always more room to grow and live into God’s new reality for our city, it’s exciting to see that “it’s happening.” Our desire to see our community experience life and breakthrough in our relationship with God – it’s happening. Our desire to grow deeper in our relationships with each other – it’s happening. Our desire to see Kairos Hollywood move past the walls of the “church building” and “be the church” in our city – it’s happening.

Our prayer is that, God-willing, these things will continue to happen as our community continues to live into God’s faithful promises.

By Ben Sternke pastor of Christ Church in Ft. Wayne, IN.

Christ Church’s mission is to join God in the renewal of all things by planting a network of missional communities in the neighborhoods and networks of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Doing church this way requires a foundation a discipling culture and a lot of leaders, so our first step in the process has been to simply spend time discipling people who will be leading missional communities and discipling others.

We have spent the first half of 2011 discipling leaders in Huddles and modeling missional community life as a church. This summer four new Huddles were started by people in our initial Huddle, and we are working toward launching 2-3 Missional Communities on September 25. We’ll be spending the rest of the summer strengthening the relational bonds of our core group of leaders (creating the “extended family” atmosphere MCs need), training our core leaders in relational mission so they can disciple others into this, and helping MC leaders clarify and hone their vision and start well.

It has been great to see the growth that has happened in people as they step out in mission and leadership. Those who have embraced the call to make disciples and join with Jesus in his mission are the ones who are bearing the most kingdom fruit, and it’s exciting to be able to part of equipping people to make disciples who can make disciples. We’re excited to see where God takes us this fall after we launch our MCs.

18 years ago, my wife Terri, 3-month-old son Caleb, and I drove into Howard County, Maryland, to start a church.  It was an “against all odds” story on many levels, but by the grace of God a church was born.

Over the next several years a lot happened in the life of Cornerstone: over 150 people were baptized, and many people were discipled and sent out all over the world. Relational evangelism took place, several church plants were birthed and supported, worship was authentic and engaging, children and youth were discipled, leadership structures were set up and engaged to do the mission of God, justice and compassion ministries were not only born but done on a healthy kingdom level such as the CWS, Paul’s Place, Samaritan Women, and the D.R. ministries. In short, “ community” happened.

Some time ago, Terri and I began a process of evaluating God’s call in our lives. We have always wanted to only be where God called us to be.  For the first time in the entire history of this church, I created a resumé to test the waters so to speak.  Open to staying at Cornerstone, the call of God became clear, it was time to make a move.

In truth, it is the new definition of insanity, to pursue this opportunity.  The pay cut will be huge and the risk will be high. It is an opportunity to be missionaries, for the second time, here in the United States.

The President of Bluefield College, along with The Ecclesia Network that Cornerstone is a part of, and the Baptist General Association of Virginia, approached Terri and I to come to Bluefield, Virginia to plant a church with the eventual hope to also launch a church planting training center there.  This will be a bi-vocational opportunity as I will also be an adjunct professor, part time campus spiritual formation director, and possible consultant to new church starts as well as established churches.

Even though the opportunity focuses on many of my “sweet spots,” Terri and I never thought we would go back into the world of being missionaries/ church planters.  Yet the call was clear, to head to this college town to begin a new work.

On paper it does not make sense as here we are in our mid 40s, taking such risks and to go back into fund raising to make this work.  Yet it is where we are called.

As one pastor buddy put it, “Spending the second half of your life pouring into the next generation is not a bad way to invest yourself.”

Please pray for Terri and I as we plant a church, for the second time, in Bluefield VA.  It will be a bit of culture shock, as all we have ever known is urban/ suburban life, yet we are so excited.

Please also pray for Cornerstone Community Church of Columbia Maryalnd, as they seach for a new pastor.  If you know someone that is interested, either contact Chris Backert or myself

Warmly in Christ,

Bruce and Terri Hopler

by Geoff Holsclaw
Co-Pastor: Life on the Vine

The last 9 months have been a roller-coaster: for me personally and congregationally.  But God always brings the right people along at the right time.  This has been the major revelation for me/us this year.

When the Lord called away one of our co-pastors we were, understandably, left with a big vacuum.  Rather than immediately going out and finding someone to fill his shoes, we decided to just wait, listen, and observe how Christ might be leading us in this new time.  So we entered an extended transitional time as a congregation.

But immediately some holes that were left, or created from reassigning duties, were filled.  As our children’s minister moved to fill certain pastor roles that had been opened up, a young couple jumped right in and continued to breath life into the discipleship of our children.  Three gifted preachers were identified and utilized (we share the pulpit here).  And a talented musician helped me organize the worship ministry as I shifted some of my duties, and two other gifted leaders helped keep us organized and connected.  So we have been blessed and cared for in this transition.  And not only that, but during this time of transition God has confirmed the long-term ministry of two from among us who will shortly join our pastoral team.

In all these little ways, and the big ones also, I have learned again how great is the Father’s love for us: that He never leaves us without what we need, if we will just wait and listen, and respond in faith.  So, although I have felt somewhat scrambled every which way, along with many in our congregation, our journey home as been filled with great people, i.e. the Family of God.  As I say around the Table, “God has not left us alone, but have provided everything for us.”

Love on the Vine: lifeonthevine.org
Geoff’s Blog: geoffreyholsclaw.net

Our nation’s capital is a city of contradictions in many ways. It is the capital of the richest country in human history and yet has some the highest poverty rates in our nation. It is the most educated city in the U.S. but has some of the lowest performing public schools. It is the capital of democracy and yet does not have representation in Congress. It is a city where people move to change the world and yet where few have time left to love their neighbors.

In 2010, Aaron and Amy Graham felt a call to start a new church in the midst of these contradictions. They had lived in Columbia Heights for three years after planting an urban church in Boston and going to graduate school. They moved to DC to change the world and yet found that its hard to change the world outside of a thriving Christ-centered community.

The District Church is located in Columbia Heights, the most diverse neighborhoods of DC. With a heart for urban ministry and for multiplying leaders they seek to bring together sometimes opposing streams of the church. The District Church seeks to lead many people into a new relationship with Christ and to make such a deep impact on the community that the neighborhood would weep if the church ceased to exist.

In less than a year they have already seen many people who left church in high school or college come back to faith in Christ. They have seen people extend their stays in DC and seen dozens of people’s hearts break for the kids and schools of our city.

If you sense a call to the city and have an entrepreneurial spirit than we’d love for you to join us. We are launching a leadership residency for people who are called to start a church or start an urban ministry.

People from all different walks of life and different parts of the world continue to move into America’s urban areas.  Increasingly, to “go to the ends of the world” means going deep into the heart of city.  Each American city has a unique identity.  We believe that Portland’s unique identity aligns well with many of the values, ideals, and teachings found in the gospel.  While Portland remains largely “un-churched,” the heart of the gospel is not too far a reach for Portlanders.  We believe that through serving the needs of others, building relationships, and sharing life with Portlanders, we will effectively build the church and share the gospel.  We seek to holistically live each day in the way of Christ.  By doing so, we hope to be a visible creative expression of the Kingdom of God in Portland.