BLeach

Friday Morning in Philly

This morning I did Rocky's run. It was cold and raining, but I put my head down, braved the winds, and made it to the Art Museum. Pretty exciting to run the steps for the first time. I resisted the urge to throw my arms in the air at the top of the steps. Didn't want everyone to know I'm new to the city!

Spent this morning in University City at Saxby's Coffee. I love seeing so many college students. My heart starts beating faster when I think about the fact that there are 170,000 college students within a few miles of where I'm staying in Center City. We've got an amazing opportunity in front of us.

Getting ready to head to the airport to pick up Leah. Can't wait to see her!

Worship Under the City Lights

I took a walk tonight through Center City Philadelphia, worshipping and praying--but mostly worshipping. I walked to the Art Museum but stopped short of the steps. I'm saving them for my first run, in honor of Rocky. Maybe in the morning.

So many thoughts ran through my mind, but two of them dominated the others.

First, God's greatness feels tangible. The buildings, the architecture, the history; it all seems to boast about the greatness of a city shaped by the hands of men. But the reality is that this city, in all its man-made greatness, is less than three hundred years old. Yet under the city lights, I worshipped an eternal God who will reign long after the influence of Philly has faded.

Second, I'm honored to serve God by loving this city. Sometimes in this season of transition I get to thinking about the "sacrifices" I'm making. But tonight those temporary inconveniences were all put back in perspective. The truth is, there's no sacrifice involved with this assignment. It's a joy to obey God, and the ultimate adventure to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

How Far Must a Missionary Go

I arrived in Philadelphia yesterday around noon, and met Brian Bolt. Brian is planting discipleship homes and churches in Pittsburgh, modeled after the ministry he was discipled in, Victory Outreach. I got to spend the afternoon in West Kensington getting to know Pastor Titus and some of the other Philadelphia Victory Outreach leaders. 

They were patient with all of my questions and taught me a lot about the city. Vision oozes from these guys! They've already bought three buildings on their block and are praying in the rest of them! They work toward total transformation of lives, which in turn transforms the neighborhood.

Last night Brian hooked us up with tickets to the Sixers game. I'll be honest. I felt a little dirty, like I was cheating on the Pistons by sitting in another NBA team's arena. Now I'm wondering if a commitment to good missiology has to impact my allegiance to Detroit's sports teams. I know Paul became all things to all men, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to give up the Pistons and Red Wings! 

Pray for me!

The Importance of a Long Runway

 

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty (Proverbs 21.5).

March is strategy month for The Philly Project. One of my goals this month is to map out a detailed plan that will guide us through the next four phases of our church planting journey: preparation, pre-launch, launch, and post-launch.

Fortunately, we have a long runway ahead of us to build enough speed for take-off. We're still probably at least 10-11 months away from officially launching the church. Yet my hope is that every task our team tackles between now and liftoff will be an intentional step in the direction of becoming the church God wants us to be.

There are many sources informing the development of our strategy, but the most important by far is the Holy Spirit. We're not going to plant this church out of our heads, or my past experience, or an inspiring book. My goal this month is to spend at least five hours a week praying specifically over the formation of our launch strategy. I want to catch God's heart, and make sure our team's activity is consistent with His activity.

Here are three questions for you to consider:

• What is your team "ramping up" for? 
• Are you being careful to work on the organization and not just in it? 
• How are you making sure that God is in the center of your strategic planning?

The 1876 Revival in Philadelphia

In 1876, Philadelphia hosted the Centennial Exposition to commemorate the first 100 years of the United States of America. One million people converged on the city--a breathtaking number at that time of the development of our country.

That same year, DL Moody came to Philly to hold nine weeks of revival services. An atmosphere of prayer and worship covered the city. 8,000 people attended a morning prayer meeting to kick off the crusade. And by the end of the nine weeks, 900,000 people had attended the evening services at the old Pennsylvania Railroad depot at the corner of Market and 13th streets.

I dream of a day when the churches of Philadelphia will unite again, and a spirit of prayer and worship will so explode in the city again that its effects are even more transformative and enduring!

The Unreached, Unsaved, and Unchurched

Last week I spent a morning with Johannes Amritzer, my church planting European friend. Last summer Johannes started SOS Church in Downtown Stockholm. He also works with church plants all over the world. 

In the States, most church planters mention the unchurched when they talk about who they want to reach. But Johannes breaks it into three more specific groups.

• The Unreached: People who have never heard a presentation of the gospel (Hindus, Buddhists, some atheists; usually in other parts of the world).
• The Unsaved: People who are somewhat familiar with the content of the gospel, but have never experienced its power (most of the people Johannes encounters in downtown Stockholm).
• The Unchurched: People who have experienced the gospel, but for various reasons are not currently involved in a local church.

SOS Church is extremely focused on the unsaved, especially since there are very few unchurched people in Europe. The fact that there are so many unchurched people in our country is probably the reason that it's possible for a church in the U.S. to launch, and grow to thousands in just a few years without actually talking about the simple gospel that much.

In a city like Philadelphia, we'll meet a mix of unsaved and unchurched people. I'm trying to think about what a church would look like that successfully reaches both. Honestly, it might be a little more comfortable to focus solely on unchurched people. But if I'm going to move my family to the East Coast, and encourage other families to do the same, then I want to see atheists, and agnostics, and people far from God experiencing the power of God.

Additionally, I want my life and ministry to count for the unreached people of the world. I'm sure this means, finances, and occasional trips, but I've also started praying for people in our church to be called to move as missionaries to unreached people groups.

Let's make our lives count for the gospel!

Our Weekend in Philadelphia

Leah and I got home last night from a packed weekend in Philly. Here are a few random reflections from a busy three days.

• It was an adventurous drive to Philly on Friday morning. We hit bad weather through the mountains on the turnpike, and then had to detour off the turnpike for over an hour because of an accident involving 16 semis!
• We stopped at the PennDel District Office on the way to meet some of the AG leaders in Pennsylvania. Great guys--and they're excited about what God has called us to do in Philly!
• We stopped in Wayne, PA, just north of Philly, to meet a pastor. Next to the coffee shop was a great ice cream store called Gumdrops and Sprinkles. Leah felt God's Presence there. It's going to be a fun place to take Gabby for daddy-daughter dates.
• Friday night we had dinner in the home of a pastor and his wife just outside of the city. We laughed a lot. Felt good to make some new friends and allies in Philadelphia.
• It was late Friday night by the time we got downtown. I dropped Leah and Nick off at the house where we stayed and spent almost 30 minutes trying to park!
• I ended up parking next to the park where they shot the opening for Fresh Prince of Bel Aire!
• It was good to have Nick Poole with us Friday and Saturday. Nick is the MCM church planting director at Allison Park Church. He's an incredible asset as we prepare to plant in Philly.
• We started exploring the city first thing Saturday morning. We started in Northeast Philly, and then drove south through Kensington, Fishtown, Northern Liberties, and South Philly. 
• Found a great little coffee shop in Fishtown. They have a garden in the back that will be great to sit and study in once all the snow finally melts!
• Grabbed huge Cheesesteaks for lunch at Mama's, and spent the rest of the day feeling the effects. Leah vowed to never eat one again, which I pointed out will probably be a difficult promise to keep!
• We had a great conversation with our waitress that gave me another glimpse into the mindset of thousands of young adults in Philly who are far from God.
• After lunch we spent some time in Northwest Philly exploring Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls, and Germantown.
• It really is amazing how unique and different each neighborhood is. Still seeking God about where to live and focus.
• Saturday night we had dinner with a friend of mine from College, and her roommate at their house in Fairmount. They really love the city and taught us a ton!
• On Sunday morning we worshipped at Highway Tabernacle in Center City. Highway has an incredible history of ministry in the city, and their pastor, Otto Wegner, has really mentored us as we prepare to move and start the church.
• After the service we met an incredible young couple who are considering moving to Philly with us to be a part of our leadership team. We took them to Jones, our favorite downtown restaurant, and then to check out the Liberty Bell.
• We got home last night, just in time for the closing ceremonies. Finished the weekend with human leaves, giant inflatable beavers, and way too many mounties. Canada sure is an interesting place.

We'll be back in Philadelphia in two weeks. Today I'm full of faith and anticipation, excited for God to continue to bring this dream together!

What God Wants, How He Wants It

The Time It Takes To Plant A Church

 

The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article last week titled The Time It Takes To Win It All.  The reporter estimated that an NFL team puts in 514,000 hours per season.  That's 100 hours for every yard gained on offense.  Coaches, managers, and players make a profound investment for the chance to win a Super Bowl.

I knew this from personal experience nine years ago, but preparing to start a church takes a lot of time.  It seems like a glamorous thing to do...for about a minute!

We're currently working on a strategic document that will outline all of our goals for the next 11 months, along with the tasks that will need to be accomplished to reach those goals.  It's an overwhelming list to look at.  By the time we launch a new church we'll also have thousands of hours invested in The Philly Project.

But it's worth it.  I absolutely believe that.  Every hour of prayer, every phone call, every meeting, every conversation, every day of research, every road trip, every sermon, every outreach, it's all worth it. Because one day we'll hold up more than the Lombardi trophy.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3.18).

State of Emergency

With twenty something inches of snow on the ground, and another six to ten inches expected tonight, I'm getting a little worried. 

The week we launched COTK was the week of 9.11.  This time, during my first weekend preaching here in Pittsburgh, the governor called a state of emergency because of all the snow.  We haven't scheduled a date yet for the launch of the church in Philly, but when we do, you may want to circle it on your calendar and plan a trip to the West Coast.

By the way, someone actually asked me once at a church planting conference if I planned to start our church the weekend after 9.11.  Believe it or not, I do not have a morbid fascination with disasters.  The only disaster I'm praying for when the Philly church launches is disaster to the Kingdom of darkness in Philadelphia.  Would love for Satan to have to issue a state of emergency!