Another Slideshow

Slideshow

This is just an experiment I'm trying out with a slideshow program.

The Land of 10,000 Hits

The Core website has now officially logged 10,000 hits! At 8:18 pm on Friday, June 1, a user with the IPN "02-064.154.popsite.net (66.19.229.64)" visited our purpose page, and rolled us over to 10,000. He or she started at the "openmic" page, most likely getting the URL off a poster downtown. He or she then proceeded in the following link-path: community, gatherings, regroup, frontporch, happenings, goodstuff, conversation, thebigidea, bios, staff, partners, story, values, beliefs, and mission before arriving at purpose.

The user in question is from Springfield, uses Windows XP and Internet Explorer. The June 1st visit was his or her first visit to The Core's website, and it lasted about 24 minutes.

I know this stuff is probably boring to you, but I thought some people might find a profile interesting of a first-time web visitor, who clearly is interested in learning more about The Core.

If you are reading this, and you are the 10,000 visitor, e-mail me (Ryan) and I'll buy you a drink of your choice at the MudHouse. Thanks for stopping in!

By the way, The Core website, and The Core Blog have been neck-and-neck for awhile, approaching 10,000. But the website won, as the blog is still 25 hits shy. Granted, these counts are not entirely accurate, but they're close enough.

Baptists' Uneasy Relationship with Tongues

As a person with a Pentecostal background, I've always heard Baptists characterized as people who don't believe in speaking in tongues. Well, it turns out (according to LifeWay, a Southern Baptist research outfit,) that fully half of all Southern Baptist pastors believe that Speaking in Other Tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit still given today, even for public use!

When we were thinking about affiliating with the Southern Baptists, I was asked if I believed in Speaking in Tongues. When I said that I believe it is a gift still given today, I was viewed with a tinge of suspicion.

Can it be true that HALF of Southern Baptist pastors have a secret belief in Tongues? Surely there are some who are public about it, but there can't be very many... otherwise the Convention would move to accept Tongues as a respectable Baptist belief, or they would renounce those who hold it.

I still consider Tongues a sectarian and controversial issue, therefore I will not promote it publicly within The Core. I am not just running a non-denominational church, I consider myself to be a non-denominational Christ-follower. I believe there is good reason to show respect to those on both sides of any controversy, and that is what we will do.

Now I'd like to see LifeWay do a similar survey on Eternal Security, and whether or not the consumption of alcohol is a sin. After all, knowledge is power.

Front Porch Personnel

Hey there... just some thoughts from Ryan about how the Front Porch might be run (it's coming up very soon!)

For now, I'd like to just list a few important roles (all of which are unpaid, for now anyway) that people must assume in order to keep the place running efficiently.

Manager - The first Manager of the FP will be Christina. She will coordinate volunteer schedules, cleaning, stocking, and the business of keeping the place open. You might call "Front Porch Manager" a position, instead of a role, but the rest of these in the list will be roles, to be assumed by individuals for a particular purpose at a particular time, not something you'd put on a business card.

Host - A Host is someone who has gone through Front Porch training, understands the missional-relational vision, and has some basic experience with the nuts and bolts of the place. This person would be trusted to oversee the operation of the facility during normal cafe hours, show hospitality to any guests who come in, and coordinate clean-up at the end. A host may possess a key to the building, but not necessarily.

Barista - This is a person who wants to work at the coffee bar, and serve other hospitality functions of the Front Porch, but has not had time to gain the vision or experience that a host needs to have.
Event Leader - Anytime there is an activity, event, concert, gathering, etc at the FP, a particular individual will be the designated Event Leader. This person will be responsible for everything that happens within the context of that event. This may sound obvious, but it can be easy, if we're not careful, to have a concert or something, and no one knows "who's in charge".

Helper - This is anyone who wants to volunteer to serve the needs of the Front Porch in a particular way. Some ways to be a helper include: cleaning, equipment repair, computer maintenance, soundboard or projector operation, childcare, or get your diploma! Wait... forget that last part. Anyway... this person will coordinate a time with the FP Manager to come and help out however they see fit.

At no time will the Front Porch be open without at least two people present. One of these two people must be a Host. The other person can be anyone, as long as they keep an awareness of the Host's safety, and are willing to help whenever needed. If two people are scheduled to be at the FP, and one has to cancel, the FP will remain closed until a second person is found.

Got some more stuff about FP protocol coming soon... For now, let me know your thoughts on what I've said so far.

Keep it Simple

Ok, how about this:

The Core is a church.

The Core has a building downtown, under renovation, called the Front Porch.

The Core has a gathering Sunday morning called Re:Group. It hopes to add other similar small gatherings in homes, or wherever they can occur.

The Core has activities, including Open Mic Church, Missional Relationship Workshops, Leadership Meetings and Hangouts on the Square.

The Core has a strong outreach element, which enables members from other churches to get involved in meaningful ways, and results in plenty of potential uses for the Front Porch.

The Core has team members, currently they number 7. Team members are expected to be involved in a substantial way, but are not required to attend Re:Group, or abandon memberships with other churches.

The Core has overseers, currently they number 6. Overseers are expected to guide the overall vision and direction of The Core, and are expected to be committed to an effective weekly small group.

The Core has family members, including everyone we have contact with.

The Core has supporters, who see the need for what The Core is doing, and want to help.

The Core has a vision to be an example to the World of what it means to have a relationship with God, and put all your trust in Jesus. It also has a vision to be an example to the Body of Christ of what it means to BE THE CHURCH, and not simply go to church.

The Core is simple. As it grows, it may become more complex. However, there is no need to add complexity prematurely. And even as complexity comes, it must be organic, and spring from the diversity of people's gifts and callings, rather than a confounding administrative structure.

This proposed re-statement arises from a realization of mine: You have to pick your battles. We cannot re-define the entire church all at once. We have to conform to certain things in order to maintain meaningful points of contact with Christendom. My concession to call The Core "a church" would be one of them. Here is another one:

Lots of churches have a strong commitment to small groups. The church Matt & Melissa Stephens are attending in Chicago has virtual 100% involvement in weekly small groups among members. Instead of trying to start The Core from scratch, and alienate people ideologically, let's start with something everyone understands, and just make some modifications.

Almost every church has a weekly service (let's call that a "worship gathering".) And many churches, as I mentioned, have weekly small groups (let's call them "home fellowships".) I think the worship gatherings are a good thing to have regularly, but having them weekly really causes people to put too much emphasis on that type of activity.

So let's have our home fellowships weekly, and have a worship gathering monthly, so the focus is on the small events, not on the big ones. Also it will free people up to get more involved in regular community-building and outreach efforts.

Then let's give the home fellowships an extra level of autonomy, so they are not expected to do everything "through" The Core, or "in concert" with The Core. Their meeting places, discussion & teaching topics, music, fellowship and giving can happen however they see fit. Also, we can ordain their leaders to conduct baptisms, weddings, funerals and communion. The Core will maintain oversight of home fellowships in order to manage their finances, hold teachers accountable for biblical doctrine (and provide them training,) urge them to contribute to wider fellowship and outreach efforts, and help them grow without losing intimacy, splitting ineffectively, or lacking strong leadership.

This concept is not unlike the "Free Market" cell-group model that has recently been gaining popularity.

Then our monthly worship gathering could occur, let's say, the third Sunday evening of each month. We could probably even start out by holding it at the Bellwether, and then switch to the Front Porch when it's ready. It wouldn't have to be terribly different from a typical up-to-date "church service" except that it would happen less often, take place in a much more casual, stimulating atmosphere, and probably be more interactive, thoughtful and unpredictable. It could be geared toward believers (without being too intensive) and near-believers (without being too secular.) Those who are interested in a more instensive experience can join a home fellowship. Those who are interested in a more secular, open-ended experience can come to Open Mic Church.

I think that's it for now (as if that's not enough to chew on!)

Nap Time

Here's an idea that my cousin Ben gave me for the Front Porch.

Nap Time! Seriously.

We could have it right after lunch and call it "Front Porch Siesta" or something like that. If lunch ends at 1:30 or so, then people could take a nap from 1:30 to 3:00. Who knows?

We could draw the blinds, turn off most of the lights, and have a sign up at the front that says "Shhh! Nap time."

Of course, we're not bringing in cots or anything... people could just sleep on the couches, the comfy chairs, or even bring in a sleeping bag if they want.

I think this could be very popular with the downtown office crowd. I've known quite a few people to take a nap on their breaks, but often they have to put three chairs together, or go out to their car or something. I'll bet an idea like this would make the 10:00 news, too.

You wouldn't have to sleep, obviously. You could sit in a chair with a lamp nearby and read, pray, or journal or something.

Naturally, this would only work if we had someone manning the Front Porch during that time who was comfortable with something like that. It might seem a little strange.

Anyway... just wanted to get the idea blogged before I forgot about it.

Peace in.

Upcoming Relationship-Building Events

Written by Phillip, posted by Ryan

Missional Relationship Workshop- April 10

If you’re anything like me, you were taught all your life that God wants you to “evangelize” or “witness” or something like that. You may also have learned countless tactics to make your efforts more effective. And if you’re like me, you’ve also become frustrated with this approach, always feeling like you’re trying to sell a used car.

When I finally got it through my head that evangelism is nothing more, and nothing less, than building purposeful and loving relationships, everything changed. So now we’re holding regular Missional Relationship Workshops to help each other in this journey.

Our next workshop will take place on April 9th At the Bellwether Gallery, from 7-10 pm. See the map. Coffee and refreshments will be provided. Please previous post entitled “Missional Relationships”. Although a few things have changed since it was written, this post will give you a great glimpse of how this workshop is approached. Feel free to e-mail me (Phillip) for further information.

Hanging at the Square - Saturday evenings starting April 14

That’s right, you saw the title. It isn’t an event, a workshop, or an assignment. We are just hanging out, and getting to know a wide variety of people. We are going to hang out at Park Central Square most Saturday evenings, beginning April 14th. Anyone who wants to join us should meet at 8:30 pm on the northwest corner of Boonville and Olive, one half block north of the Square. Bring some water to hand out, guitars, hand drums, or just yourself; nothing difficult about just being yourself and hanging out. Feel free to e-mail me (Phillip) for further information.