Archives For Culture

7 City Church: What’s in a Name?

July 19, 2012 — Leave a comment

7 City ChurchIn January 2012, Stephen and I began a journey to plant a church in an urban part of Ft. Worth, Texas called “West Seventh.” You can learn more about our church planting vision here. This endeavor began with Stephen developing a prayer list of 10 specific, bold prayers that we felt were essential for this church plant.

Number 8 on the list was a name for the church: “Pray that God will give us a name for the church that captures the heart and vision of the church and connects with our target audience.” By “target audience,” we mean the area where God has called us to serve. At the time we felt this prayer would come naturally and easily…we had no idea it would take 6 months!

Being a research nerd at heart, we decided to begin the process by examining how other churches developed their name. Unfortunately, there is little information published, but the few articles and blogs we found provided some great information to start with:

1. The Word “Church” - We wanted to have the word “Church” in our name. This was something that the research showed us as imperative. People like to know what type of business/industry/facility they are visiting. No reason to leave people wondering what is going on inside your building.

2. Geography - We did not want to be land-locked geographically to an area. We needed a name that would tie in with the greater community and allow us to relocate in the future without changing our name.

3. Avoiding Fads - We had to avoid cheesy, popular names of the moment. Although there are some great name ideas, we had been in youth ministry for 11 years and knew we did not want a name that would sound like a youth group. In addition, we hoped for a name that would last beyond our tenure.

4. Web & Social Media Dilemmas – We had to make sure Facebook, Twitter, website .com, .net or .org, and other social media names were available. For some names this was easy, for others not so much.

5. Short & Catchy - The name needed to be short and catchy – in other words “brandable”. I know we are not Starbucks or Apple, but having a short, concise, and catchy name makes it so much easier to develop a logo and signage and to communicate the name.

Our next step was to research names of healthy urban churches across the country. It was exciting to see so many churches doing what we hoped to do in Ft. Worth. I loved how many of the churches used the city’s culture or an unusual biblical reference to inspire their name.

This part of the research helped us funnel down our next step in the name. We really liked two words “city” and “urban” and wondered how we could use one of them in the church’s name? Urban is a great word and is being redefined in many parts of society, but after polling the word to different generations and researching urban logo designs, we really felt the word “City” would be a better fit. So now we had “City” and “Church”, but we still needed the hook word, that would help drive our vision.

Over the next few weeks, we would pray, toss out ideas, pray some more, toss out more ideas, research more, but unfortunately, we hit a wall and nothing felt right. I had a friend share with me that the right name would “feel like giving birth.” You would know it deep down and it would resonate with the church.

Late one evening in June, Stephen and I were sitting in bed with our laptops (nothing like church planter office hours) and we had been researching for over two hours. I remember the evening so clearly. Stephen was looking down when he quietly said “City Church”, “Seven City Church”. When he said this, I could feel it and sense it in my spirit…that was the name!  For the next few days we mulled over it and shared it with friends.

We were so excited – God had answered our prayer perfectly! Our vision is to see cities transformed by inspiring community and influencing culture. The word “Seven” captured our vision so clearly:

1. It helped tie us to the greater community that the church is located in without land locking us for future growth.

2. Seven means complete and perfect – our prayer is for Ft. Worth to be a complete and whole city.

3. There are 7 areas of culture we pray to influence – business, government, media, arts and entertainment, education, the family, and the social sector.

You can learn more about our vision for 7 City Church at www.7citychurch.com. Check out our Facebook and Twitter links too. And if you’re another church planter trying to find the right name for your church, hopefully our journey will be an encouragement to you.

This post was written by Karen Blandino. You can follow Karen on Twitter here or check out her Facebook page here.   

 

In Church, Culture, Leadership, Miscellaneous 7 City Church, Church, Leadership
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GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution

July 16, 2012 — Leave a comment

GO!

My New Book is Coming in August

I cannot tell you how excited I am about the upcoming release of my new book, GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution. Writing is both a calling and a passion for me, and the message in this book has been cooking inside of me for well over twelve years. I’m so glad to finally share it with you.

So What’s the Message?

Do you feel stuck? Is your personal growth on pause? Is the gap growing larger between where you are and where you want to be? Do you want to help others grow but you don’t know where to start? My new book equips you to unlock your personal growth and inspire a growth revolution in others.

Whether you’re just starting your growth journey, you’re a lifelong learner with an unquenchable appetite for growth, or you’re somewhere in between, GO! will help you to:

  • Identify and close the gap between you and your dreams
  • Access the three on-ramps to personal growth
  • Create a customized personal growth TRAC
  • Experience the power of the five levels of personal growth
  • Embrace the five GO! Practices that take personal growth to an entirely new level
  • Leverage your personality type to grow to your full potential
  • Make intentional investments in others by using six growth deposits

GO! will not only challenge you to grow yourself and the people you influence, but it will also equip you with the tools to turn growth potential into reality. Whether you’re a pastor, coach, teacher, leader, HR professional, student, or you simply want to take your personal growth to a new level, GO! is your roadmap to get there.

What Others Are Saying About GO!

“Some books are written to inform, and others to inspire, still others to motivate you to action. In GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution author Stephen Blandino does all three. You will learn, grow and move forward. The concepts are real-life and the strategies, if followed, will actualize your full capacity potential.”

- DR. SAMUEL R. CHAND, Leadership Coach, Consultant, and Author of Cracking Your Church’s Culture Code

“Anybody who wants to become all that God wants them to be has to read GO! Stephen hits the nail on the head on how we develop personally so that we can maximize our God given potential!”

- HERBERT COOPER, Lead Pastor, People’s Church, Oklahoma City

“In business I’m always looking for a competitive edge, and in GO! Starting a Personal Growth Revolution Stephen Blandino gives you that edge. Through the five levels of personal growth you create a pathway for personal growth both for yourself and the people you lead. This book is one you’ll actually implement the wisdom it contains.”

- BILL BARNETT, Nationally Syndicated Radio Host and the Best Selling Author of Are You DUMB Enough to be RICH?

I hope you’ll pick up a copy of GO! upon its upcoming release. If you want to get the latest news on my new book, sign up in the top right margin to get email updates.

 

In Church, Culture, Leadership, Miscellaneous, Organizations, Personal Growth, Uncategorized Growth, Leadership, Learning, Lifelong Learning, Personal Growth
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We’re Launching a New Church Sunday, September 16, 2012

May 27, 2012 — 2 Comments

Today we want to share with you some BIG NEWS! On Sunday, September 16th, 2012, Karen and I are launching a new church in the Downtown/West 7th area of Fort Worth, Texas. God has been preparing us for this transition, and we are humbled by the doors He has recently opened (Check out the video below to hear more).

In the past few years, thousands of people have returned to Fort Worth’s West 7th cultural arts district and the Downtown area. And in the coming years, Fort Worth will open a new river walk area around Downtown with room for 25,000 more people to move into the heart of the city. Voted as having one of the top 10 downtowns in the United States, Fort Worth is booming with housing, restaurants, and entertainment venues.

We have a vision to see cities transformed by inspiring community and influencing culture. Imagine a church that shapes the future of societies locally and globally. Imagine a church that mentors and mobilizes emerging generations to create the future. Imagine a church that redeems people to Christ and restores societies to their God-intended design. We know we cannot change a city alone. It takes a team of churches, leaders, and Christ-followers to see transformation in the heart of these cultural hubs. Together we can change a city.

We have already secured a building at 2900 W. Lancaster. This 14,800 square foot facility (pictured above) is strategically located in the heart of the action.

Surrounded by new condos and lofts, this building is only blocks away from restaurants, entertainment venues, museums, the Movie Tavern, and Montgomery Plaza in the West 7th area of Fort Worth.

Christ Church in Fort Worth, Texas is mothering the church (we’ll reveal the new church’s name soon). Pastor Darius Johnston and the Christ Church team have committed to support our launch to see a church planted in this growing area of Fort Worth.

We would like to invite you to partner with us in PRAYER, GIVING, and GOING to help launch this church:

  • PRAY - Click here to request our latest prayer list or to join our prayer team.
  • GIVE - Click here to make a secure donation via Christ Church’s online giving option – be sure to put “Downtown Church” in the “Other” description box.
  • GO - Click here if you’re interested in being a part of this new church or would like to request more information.

Thank you for your support as we move into this new chapter of our lives. We look forward to keeping you posted as our journey continues.

 

In Church, Culture, Leadership, Miscellaneous Church, Church Plant, Community, Culture, Fort Worth, Influence, Leadership
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Making 21st Century gods Irrelevant

March 5, 2012 — Leave a comment

Most people in society would quickly deny that they worship a false god. While we may not worship statues, many other possessions and practices have captured our hearts in a posture of worship. It doesn’t take long for money, jobs, hobbies, fame, reputation, and stuff to sit on the throne of our hearts.

So what would happen if we made these “gods” irrelevant? I’m not saying that we don’t need money, or that we should quit our jobs, or that it’s a sin to have a hobby. And I’m not suggesting that your reputation is pointless or that it’s wrong to have material possessions. I’m simply asking, “What would happen if our love and commitment to Christ dethroned our 21st century gods and transformed how people view the Christ we serve?” Regi Campbell, author of Mentor Like Jesus, captured this really well when he wrote:

About 350 years after Christ, the Roman emperor Julian (AD 332-363) wanted to reinstitute faithfulness to the pagan religions of Rome but struggled because Christians were doing such good things for people, even strangers, that they rendered the Roman gods irrelevant.

Wouldn’t it be cool to render the pagan gods of the twenty-first century irrelevant by having millions of Christ followers become so genuine in their faith that they changed the world with their kindness, mercy, and generosity?

What in your life has become a god? What is preventing your faith in Christ from transforming all of who you are and mobilizing you to make a difference in the world? As Rick Warren observed, “The church has amputated its hands and its feet, and all that’s left is its mouth.” It’s time that the beauty of the risen Christ make our 21st century gods irrelevant.

 

In Church, Culture, Personal Growth
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Look: How God Calls People

February 14, 2012 — Leave a comment

When people talk about the “call” of God, sometimes it’s with a bit of mystery. In fact, sometimes it’s outright bizarre. But the idea of “calling” is found throughout Scripture. God calls people to tasks, projects, ministry, countries, roles, fields, and industries. Because calling originates with God, He’s big enough to determine the subject of your calling. The question is: how does God call people?

In Exodus 3, we read about Moses’ burning bush experience. Something grabbed me about the issue of God’s calling when I read this passage:

“God saw that he had stopped to look. God called to him from out of the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’” (Exodus 3:4)

I believe this verse reveals an important aspect of calling. Too often we expect God to knock us off our feet with an undeniable calling. In fact, most of us would admit that if we had a burning bush experience, we’d be able to hear God speak to us just fine. But notice what this verse says: “God saw that he [Moses] had stopped to look.” It was only after Moses stopped to look that God began to speak.

Sometimes I wonder if we miss God’s call because we don’t stop to look first. We’re so hurried with our busy schedules that we don’t stop to see where God is already at work. God might want to call you to serve the underprivileged, but He’s waiting for you to stop and look and those in your community who are struggling in poverty. God might want to call you to serve your local church, but He’s waiting for you to stop and look at the needs in your church. God might want to call you to run for a political office, but He’s waiting for you to stop and look at the needs of those you would serve.

I’ve said this before…Calling and vision is often birthed out of a need. But unless you stop to look at the need, the calling may never come and the vision may never form. If you’re wondering why God’s not speaking to you, perhaps He’s waiting for you to “look.”

 

In Church, Culture, Leadership, Personal Growth Bible on Leadership, Calling, Needs, Vision
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College Students’ Commitment to End Modern-Day Slavery

January 6, 2012 — Leave a comment

Louie Giglio’s Passion City Church just hosted the Passion 2012 Conference. Drawing 42,000 college students, this amazing event for 18-25 year olds is inspiring young leaders to make their lives count. And this generation is taking action. During the four-day conference, students gave $2.6 million to help end modern-day slavery. Take a look at their story.

In Culture Culture, Slavery, Video, Young Leaders
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10 Ways to Adopt Public Schools in Your Community

December 20, 2011 — Leave a comment

Three years ago Christ Church made a strategic decision to adopt a public school in Fort Worth, Texas. Since that time, we’ve adopted one high school and one elementary school. When we made this decision, we had no idea the impact God would allow us to have. Today I sat down with one of our pastors who has been instrumental in driving this initiative. Here are ten ways we adopted public schools and specific ideas you can employ to impact a school in your community.

1. Listen, Focus, and Act with the Right Attitude - Churches and leaders must approach their adopt-a-school efforts with one pure-hearted motive: “We’re here to serve…no strings attached.” Any other attitude will backfire. The key is to LISTEN carefully to the primary needs expressed by the administration, teachers, and students. Once you listen, strategically FOCUS your time, volunteers, and resources on the needs you’re best equipped to meet. With clear focus, ACT with excellence. Over the past three years, we’ve invested tens of thousands of dollars to help two campuses. We can’t meet every need, but we’ve built a tremendous amount of goodwill and helped many teachers and students.

2. Bless Teachers and Students - Teachers often have a thankless job and many students today are living in dysfunctional home environments. To brighten everyone’s day, we’ve served countless breakfasts and lunches to teachers and student groups. In addition, we’ve provided teachers and administrators with Christmas gifts as a simple expression of thanks.

3. Open Your Facilities - Each year we host dozens of school events and activities in our facilities free of charge. Whether it’s teacher training, principal training, choir concerts, special programs, ESL classes, Fish Camp, end of year celebrations, AP testing, or specific student groups, we work hard to accommodate many of the school’s activities. With school budget cuts, many of these activities would be limited or non-existent because they do not have a cost effective place to meet. This year alone we’ve had over 3,000 principals, teachers, students, and parents on our campus…some on multiple occasions.

4. Sponsor Opportunities That Broaden Horizons - For the last two years, we’ve helped the high school we’ve adopted by sponsoring a college trip for juniors. The trip includes visits to a couple of college campuses to encourage students to expand their horizons and pursue their college dreams.

5. Fund Dreams and Initiatives - When one of our pastors heard that the school’s basketball scoreboard wasn’t working, he found a coach and told him we would like to pay to have it fixed. The coach was moved to tears and said, “You would do that for us?” We’ve had the opportunity to fund drill team and track team travel expenses, and sponsor a student government trip to their annual convention. And, just last Sunday, we honored an elderly couple in our congregation who have blazed a path of faithful commitment to Christ. This couple loves to read and throughout their lives have blessed many people with books. So, in their honor, we committed $5,000 to fund the completion of book purchases for a library at a local public elementary school. Acts like these make dreams come true for students and teachers and build goodwill with the campus.

6. Mobilize Volunteers - Many times volunteers have helped with landscaping, hanging bulletin boards, washing windows, and cleaning the campus. On one occasion, we mobilized nearly 100 members from small groups to serve the campus as a Saturday morning service project. On another occasion, we labeled all of the textbooks for a new elementary school and help teachers set up their classrooms.

7. Pay Attention to Personal Needs - Sometimes it’s easy to forget that each teacher and student has a personal story. While we cannot change every person’s life, we can do for one what we wish we could do for all. When a teacher from the school was burglarized, we gave them a gift card to help replace items that were stolen from her home. In addition, just last week, a member of our congregation, after learning of the tragic murder of one student’s mother, stepped forward to help that student make her dreams of going to college a reality. Listen to the personal needs of teachers and students and then do for one what you wish you could do for all.

8. Partner with School Programs - The high school we’ve adopted offers a program that helps potential first-generation college students pursue a college education. The program prepares students with note taking and study skills, helps with college applications, and much more. We’ve partnered with this program by providing supplies, hosting meetings, and connecting students with adults who care.

9. Host School Assemblies & Outreach Opportunities - Earlier this year we conducted two daytime school assemblies for 1,400 students. Because of the time and resources invested in the school, these students heard a positive anti-drug message. In addition, that night, 430 students and leaders came to an after school rally on our campus where 111 students made commitments to Christ.

10. Pray for the Campus - We regularly highlight our adopt-a-school efforts and encourage people to pray. Whether it’s personally adopting a student in prayer or focusing on the school during a corporate prayer gathering, we recognize that prayer is essential to impacting our local schools.

The needs on local school campuses are too much for one person, or one church, to solve alone. But what could happen if we all worked together to invest in administrators, teachers, and students? God has given you and your church gifts, abilities, resources, and ideas that can make a difference. The question is, what will you do with them to serve a campus in need?

Question: What other ideas do you have to impact a local school? 

 

In Church, Culture Campus, Culture, Needs, Prayer, School, Volunteers
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Microsoft’s Vision of Productivity Technology

November 1, 2011 — Leave a comment

Microsoft is envisioning technology that will help people become more productive at work, home, and on the go. Check out this amazing video Microsoft released last week. It’s their vision of future productivity.

In Culture, Miscellaneous Future, Productivity, Technology, Video
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Why Leadership Development is Critical to the Great Commission

October 14, 2011 — Leave a comment

I’m pretty passionate about the development of leaders. If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, that statement comes as no surprise. But one reason for my passion is because I believe to my core that leadership development is crucial to the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

I just returned from a week of ministry in Gabon, Africa. Gabon is located on the equator along the west coast of Africa. During my visit, I spent three days training a group of 25 pastors. I was humbled by the gracious response of these leaders. During these rare instances when they have the opportunity to receive training, they’re like dry sponges absorbing desperately needed water. What we take for granted in America—the leadership books, training, conferences, and coaching opportunities–simply do not exist in many parts of our world. But my real purpose for going to Gabon was to meet with a group of pastors and national ministry leaders to discuss the need for a Bible College in that area to train future church leaders. Why Gabon?

Within the particular denomination I met with, I discovered they have roughly 100 churches throughout the country of Gabon. However, they only have 50 pastors. That means each of these pastors is essentially leading two churches because there simply are not enough pastors available to serve. And of these 50 pastors, only 20 of them have had any kind of training.

As I spent time with these pastors, it became increasingly clear why the development of leaders is so crucial to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Without leaders and leadership development:

  • New churches are not planted
  • Existing churches are under-served
  • People groups are not reached and the spread of the Gospel is limited
  • The discipleship gap widens
  • Basic Christian theology is almost non-existent
  • Servant-leadership is replaced by dictatorial leadership styles
  • Growth barriers are not broken
  • Church conflict is managed poorly
  • Ineffective ministry strategies are employed for lack of knowledge
  • Existing leaders experience burnout

Leaders are catalysts for change. The intentional development of leaders advances the work of the Kingdom and puts the Great Commission in reach. Pray for Africa. Pray for leaders. And the next time you wonder if leadership development in your ministry context is worth all of the time, energy, and resources…remember Gabon. And remember that the Great Commission hangs in the balance.

In Church, Culture, Leadership Africa, Great Commission, Leadership, leadership development, Missions
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15 Insights From Catalyst Dallas

May 14, 2011 — Leave a comment

I’ve spent the last 3 days at the Catalyst Conference in Dallas. Catalyst is such a great event loaded with great leadership teaching, fantastic worship, inspiring stories from culture-shaping leaders, and hilarious creativity. This year’s theme was “Take Courage.” Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from the event:

1.   A single act of courage is often the tipping point for something extraordinary to happen - Pastor Andy Stanley shared this thought in the opening session and then described three faces of courage:

  • Courage to stay when it would be easier to go.
  • Courage to leave when it would be easier to stay.
  • Courage to ask for help, when it would be easier to pretend that everything is okay.

Stanley observed that you never know what hangs in the balance when God says to stay while others say to go or when God says to go when it would be easier to stay. He said the only thing we should fear is waking up one day and being outside of God’s will.

2.  Our response to fear is either to seek to be safer or seek to be braver - Gary Haugen from the International Justice Mission made this observation and then observed that we want to know with certainty the path to take, how much it will cost, and be assured that it will be successful. Haugen says, “You can experience your power safely or God’s power dangerously.”

3. Creative Idea + Organization & Execution + Community Forces + Leadership Capability = Making Ideas Happen - Scott Belsky, CEO of Behance, shared this formula as a process to turn great ideas into reality.

4. We are living somebody else’s to do list. Don’t surrender to reactionary workflow - This was another great insight by Scott Belsky. He observed that most leaders live in reactionary mode and abandon the essential practice of finding quiet spaces to think and reflect. This practice helps us be proactive.

5.  You can’t equate the blessed life with the safe life. The purpose of life is not to arrive at death safely - Christine Caine, founder of the A21 Campaign, shared this principle as she championed the cause of justice.  Christine works relentless to see slaves freed.

6. Compassion is never compassion until you roll up your sleeves, cross the street, and show compassion - Another great insight from Christine Caine.

7.  Joseph’s power was not about being powerful. It was about saving lives - This quote from Donald Miller as he shared about the life of Joseph was a great reminder of the purpose of leadership, power, and influence.

8. If you’re not dead, you’re not done - These are Craig Groeschel’s words of encouragement to the older generation followed by a challenge to invest in young leaders by delegating responsibility, not just tasks.

9. You can’t speed up maturity…it takes time - Craig made this challenge to the younger generation, reminding them of the importance of maturity and faithfulness.

10. You overestimate what God wants to do in the short run and grossly underestimate what God wants to do in the long run - This was another challenge Craig Groeschel made to the younger generation.

11. If you want to be over, learn to be under with integrity - This was Groeschel’s challenge to the young generation. He also reminded the audience of Andy Stanley’s words to leaders serving under a senior leader: “Honor publicly results in influence privately.” By honoring your leader publicly, you’ll gain influence with them in one-on-one meetings.

12. Admit your failures - Although this sounds like an obvious lesson, Scott Harrison, CEO of Charity: Water, used it to powerfully illustrate the value of transparency in leadership. Scott gave an example of drilling for water and the effort failing. They posted the video to their donors and didn’t try to candy coat the failure (even though 95% of the time they are successful). This transparency has only deepened respect from donors for the organization.

13. Do you teach your people that sin is an external activity or a state of the heart? Do you train people to attack the root or the branches? - These were questions Pastor Matt Chandler posed followed by the challenge that, “Most people don’t deal violently with sin.”

14. Your fully exploited strengths are of far greater value to your organization than your marginally improved weaknesses - Pastor Andy Stanley shared these words in his closing session. Some of his ideas included:

  • The less you do, the more you accomplish
  • The less you do, the more you enable others to accomplish
  • Only do what only you can do
  • Great achievers are not well-rounded. They are men and women who play to their strengths and delegate their weaknesses. Don’t focus on being well-rounded; focus on developing a well-rounded organization.
  • Your weakness is somebody else’s opportunity
  • Stress is often related to WHAT you are doing not HOW MUCH you are doing. Your sweet spot gives you energy.

15.  Get in the habit of saying to your team, “I’ll let you decide that.” This is the greatest way to develop leaders - Andy Stanley noted that when the organization’s key leader makes all the decisions, they become the bottleneck to leadership development.

Those are my 15 insights gleaned from this year’s Catalyst Conference in Dallas.

Question: What insights could you add to the lessons above? If you attended Catalyst, what lessons would you add?

 

In Church, Culture, Leadership, Organizations, Personal Growth Church, Courage, Delegation, Execution, Failure, Leadership, Organizations, Personal Growth, Perspective, servant-leadership, Strengths
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