Scott's Thoughts: Mon, Sep 27, 2021
Reading Time: under 5 mins
Few Misc Items
Temporarily Wonky Preaching Scheduling During Sep-Oct – I mentioned this a couple Sunday mornings ago, but wanted to reiterate that, because of a couple conferences, vacations, and some 3rd campus planning that requires a few of us to be away for a week, we’ve needed to gerrymander who preaches when a bit, so I’ll only be preaching half of the Sundays from Sep 26 through Oct 31. After that, we’ll be back to the “normal” of me preaching around 80% of the time, so you can all breathe a huge sigh of relief. It’s all gonna be ok. (New folks: I promise I’m kidding. In our digital world, where people are tailoring “church” to suit their preferences and watching a Pastor who lives in another state, I have no illusions that I’m in most FCCers’ Top 10. I’m not even in my own!)
Few Important Updates Are Forthcoming ASAP – There are a few important things about which a number of FCCers have recently had questions, and there are good answers, but we’ve had a couple unplanned temporary interruptions and a few loose ends that need tying before publicly communicating the latest. Since that’s all quite vague, I’m referring to a number of big picture things like 3rd Campus Updates (things we’re nailing before scaling, financial picture, results of recent Greene County School Board mtg, location, Campus Pastor, emerging timeline of launch, etc.,) upcoming launch of Next Steps (and likely some small changes to worship service times/flow,) and the upcoming Annual Membership Update Renewal & 7 Habits Survey, about which an Elders Letter is soon to be sent. Wish I could tell you more, but we’re not quite there yet and it wouldn’t be helpful to speculate on details of unhatched chickens. (Friendly Reminder, in case you’ve never read this: "7 Factors in Launching Campuses".)
Upcoming Brown Bags & Bibles Plans – For the throngs of rabid followers, here are our current plans:
This Week’s Coffee Convos with Evan Wolfe – Join me for an H7-focused convo with my ministry friend Evan, who is Lead Minister at Poplar Ridge Christian Church in Piney Flats! If I recall correctly, (which we shouldn’t count on,) I think Evan and I met at Camp ACC back in the day, when I was Youth Pastor at FCC, and he was a High School camper. Now he’s a careful, thoughtful, and intentional top-notch preacher and leader doing a great job helping PRCC reach their community for the sake of the gospel. Send in questions at office@fccgreeneville.org or reply to the group txt msg we will send out re this ST and CC.
We are Designed Such That “The First 3” are Essential – You need to know, up front, that our strategies are designed to destroy the pathetic consumer Churchianity that hasn’t served to keep families and communities strong. I promise, I’m not saying this to be difficult, but to be honest. Over many years, I’ve seen many come and go at FCC because they incorrectly assume they can translate their previous church experience or personal expectations to their experience at FCC, but I’m here to tell you–I wouldn’t count on it because we have designed things to work a certain way. And it only works here if you understand that your care, connection, and growth at FCC will only happen as you “meaningfully participate” in “The First 3” Habits:
Few Misc Items
- New Babies! – If you’ve seen the Pulse Videos the last 3 weeks, you’ve seen that we had 3 brand new babies born in recent weeks! How cool is that?! Congratulations to the Carlsons, Whitteds, and Burkeys!
- Thank You, Faithfully Serving Peeps! – As I do every Sunday, I went away yesterday morning grateful for so many of you who faithfully show up to serve without fanfare simply because you are sold out to living for the goodness and glory of God. Thank you. As you can read on this webpage about our multisite strategy, your service is not just about “making our programs go,” as if institutional momentum is the main goal, but it’s about a Kingdom-centered people-and-community-building strategy. When you show up, you are not only exercising spiritual muscles and modeling faithfulness, but you are also helping reach people for Christ and build strong families and communities. Thank you.
- Are the Algorithms Playing You? – If you’re depending on the internet, the socials, and what those over the age of 45 consider “news outlets” for reliable factual information, okay, fine–you can still get some of that. But if you’re looking to those sources for trustworthy cultural analysis based on a worldview seeking to build meaningful long-term national and community health? Forget it. Won’t happen. It’s time we disabused ourselves of the idea that any such objective and unified source of truth about the world exists apart from the truths deriving from God’s character and nature. Not only is the news cycles controlled by man-centered ideologies focused on worldly power, but the algorithms are playing us. Unseen mathematical formulas ensure we do not see the whole picture even as they also ensure we feel we do. Click-bait isn’t just the ridiculous headlines at the bottom of the page anymore; it’s the headlines and comments from sources we trust and people we know. One empathetic friend’s comment doth not the truth automatically make. And doomscrolling will slowly but surely warp your moral faculties. This is why a Biblical worldview for filtering eternal truth from temporary fiction is more important than most self-proclaimed Christians have given it attention. Friends, if you’re not filling your heart and mind with the truth of God’s Word because you’re addicted to the feeding frenzy of algorithmically-controlled chaos, you will reap the truth of what you allow to be sown in you. When you eat at the world’s table, you are enjoying a meal that feeds its desires and destroys you.
Temporarily Wonky Preaching Scheduling During Sep-Oct – I mentioned this a couple Sunday mornings ago, but wanted to reiterate that, because of a couple conferences, vacations, and some 3rd campus planning that requires a few of us to be away for a week, we’ve needed to gerrymander who preaches when a bit, so I’ll only be preaching half of the Sundays from Sep 26 through Oct 31. After that, we’ll be back to the “normal” of me preaching around 80% of the time, so you can all breathe a huge sigh of relief. It’s all gonna be ok. (New folks: I promise I’m kidding. In our digital world, where people are tailoring “church” to suit their preferences and watching a Pastor who lives in another state, I have no illusions that I’m in most FCCers’ Top 10. I’m not even in my own!)
Few Important Updates Are Forthcoming ASAP – There are a few important things about which a number of FCCers have recently had questions, and there are good answers, but we’ve had a couple unplanned temporary interruptions and a few loose ends that need tying before publicly communicating the latest. Since that’s all quite vague, I’m referring to a number of big picture things like 3rd Campus Updates (things we’re nailing before scaling, financial picture, results of recent Greene County School Board mtg, location, Campus Pastor, emerging timeline of launch, etc.,) upcoming launch of Next Steps (and likely some small changes to worship service times/flow,) and the upcoming Annual Membership Update Renewal & 7 Habits Survey, about which an Elders Letter is soon to be sent. Wish I could tell you more, but we’re not quite there yet and it wouldn’t be helpful to speculate on details of unhatched chickens. (Friendly Reminder, in case you’ve never read this: "7 Factors in Launching Campuses".)
Upcoming Brown Bags & Bibles Plans – For the throngs of rabid followers, here are our current plans:
- Finish our current series on the “Ordo Salutis,” (i.e., the logical “Order of Salvation.”) We pick up next Tue, Oct 5, at noon on Facebook Live, we’ll continue with “Death,” and will finish up in the coming weeks with “Glorification.”
- Then we’ll work through the Elders’ Position Paper on “Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage.”
- Read and discuss The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution, by Carl Trueman. This is one of the most important books of our time and worth the effort to read well. (Then I think we should do Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe, by Voddie Baucham. And then Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents, by Rod Dreher. And then Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity, by Alisa Childers. And then…)
This Week’s Coffee Convos with Evan Wolfe – Join me for an H7-focused convo with my ministry friend Evan, who is Lead Minister at Poplar Ridge Christian Church in Piney Flats! If I recall correctly, (which we shouldn’t count on,) I think Evan and I met at Camp ACC back in the day, when I was Youth Pastor at FCC, and he was a High School camper. Now he’s a careful, thoughtful, and intentional top-notch preacher and leader doing a great job helping PRCC reach their community for the sake of the gospel. Send in questions at office@fccgreeneville.org or reply to the group txt msg we will send out re this ST and CC.
We are Designed Such That “The First 3” are Essential – You need to know, up front, that our strategies are designed to destroy the pathetic consumer Churchianity that hasn’t served to keep families and communities strong. I promise, I’m not saying this to be difficult, but to be honest. Over many years, I’ve seen many come and go at FCC because they incorrectly assume they can translate their previous church experience or personal expectations to their experience at FCC, but I’m here to tell you–I wouldn’t count on it because we have designed things to work a certain way. And it only works here if you understand that your care, connection, and growth at FCC will only happen as you “meaningfully participate” in “The First 3” Habits:
- H1: Engage in worship.
- H2: Serve on the team.
- H3: Connect in a small group.
Posted in Scotts Thoughts