Here is our Easter Ad and the branding we are going for. We are going to be launching a series on the Apostle’s Creed. I know some of the modern church critics will be surprised that we are launching a series on doctrine. Not bad for a church who waters down the Bible.

Can you believe it is almost Easter??????????

We ended our parenting series today and all I can say is “ugh…” I got to be honest, I laid a big egg. It was just one of those mornings where things were not right, things were not clicking and I could tell we were not feeling it. Those days are getting fewer and fewer but we were struggling today bad. I always feel as if we have let our people down when that happens. We tell our people to invite their friends and we will make sure they see that church can be fun and that God loves them. They are counting on us to make a place for their friends and it eats me up when we miss the boat like that.
BTW, for all those who hate to hear about our attendance it was good. I know that upsets you but God keeps sending people.
Oh yeah, in one of those moments you wish didn’t happen. I was talking about the need we as parents have to spend time with our children. I was telling our crowd not to tell me they didn’t have time and I WANTED to say something about quit sitting around in your underwear when you get home from work and try playing with your kids. Instead what I said was, “You need to get out of your underwear and play with your kids.” I only had about 25 people tell me about it after church.
I felt like an idiot….

We ended our parenting series today and all I can say is “ugh…” I got to be honest, I laid a big egg. It was just one of those mornings where things were not right, things were not clicking and I could tell we were not feeling it. Those days are getting fewer and fewer but we were struggling today bad. I always feel as if we have let our people down when that happens. We tell our people to invite their friends and we will make sure they see that church can be fun and that God loves them. They are counting on us to make a place for their friends and it eats me up when we miss the boat like that.
BTW, for all those who hate to hear about our attendance it was good. I know that upsets you but God keeps sending people.
Oh yeah, in one of those moments you wish didn’t happen. I was talking about the need we as parents have to spend time with our children. I was telling our crowd not to tell me they didn’t have time and I WANTED to say something about quit sitting around in your underwear when you get home from work and try playing with your kids. Instead what I said was, “You need to get out of your underwear and play with your kids.” I only had about 25 people tell me about it after church.
I felt like an idiot….

I got to have breakfast with the newest church planter in Cherokee County, Ross Wiseman today. Ross launched Embassy Metro Church in January in the movie theatre about 15 miles south of us. He has visited The Stone and I had talked to him for a brief second but today was the first time I had a chance to hang with him. Our area is ate up with church plants but the fact is over 80% of the people in this county are unchurched!!!!! There is room for a whole lot more church plants according to the numbers.

Meeting with Ross reminded me of where we were 18 months ago and of how blessed we are here at The Stone. God has shown us so much favor in regards to attendance (there I go again), lives changed, favor with cheap rent, favor with great offices, etc.

Church Planters get me pumped up. As I sat and listened to Ross talk about his vision, it reminded me of my blind stupidness when we started. I hope I never lose that!!!! I want to be around guys who think they can reach every person in the city and that no one is going to convince them they can’t! Ross reminded me of that today.

While we were meeting, Eddie Johnson walked in. Eddie pastors Watermarke Church just south of us. Watermarke launched about a month after us along with about 4 other churches. 18 months later we are the only ones left standing.

Anyway, there are some pretty sharp planters in our town and it cool to get to hang out with them every now and then.

Go get em guys!

Avery is 19 months old and today wore this first hole in the knees of his jeans climbing a huge rock outside. I watched him climb it, slip off and fall a good little ways to the ground. He got up knocked the dirt off his jeans then walked over and kicked the rock. He had a hole in his knee and was bleeding and all he cared about is kicking that rock’s butt.

That is my boy.

Some my say this doesn’t sound good, but they would be wrong.

Check it out here

I was asked today if I would be open to co-hosting the “Best of Canton Award Ceremony” with another pastor in town. I agreed in a second. If the other pastor agrees, it should be a hoot!!!! I do pretty good on the fly and I love to make fun of people so I think this was a job designed for me.

Since I am so about numbers, I have a question:

Does anyone know who the biggest church meeting in movie theatres would be? Is there anyone running over 1000 in one location?

I would really like to check out a movie theatre church bigger then us and find out what they are doing. Someone needs to do a theatre church conference (maybe us when we get big time). I know Mark is doing a Theatre Church Forum at the Buzz Conference but I’m talking about a conference focused 100% on churche meeting in the movies.

Anyway, any help you have on larger movie theatre churches would be great.

If you’ve read this blog very long you know that I am not a fan of most Christian music. I’m not sure why but I am a lot of it is very popish and I just don’t enjoy that style of music.

However Tim has been bringing in some stuff into the office lately as we search for new songs to do on Sundays that is really good. It seems like a lot of the newer churches (we have been guilty of this big time) get in a very big rut with playing the same stuff every week. I think the first 5 months of the church if it wasn’t done by the Passion guys, we didn’t do it. I love the passion stuff but I have to admit it got old quick. So Tim has a generous budget to buy new music with (don’t worship pastors have it made?) and I think it has really improved our worship bringing in new stuff.

I have learned that with music you normally buy a CD for ONE song that actually fits your church. We are normally looking for something that is VERY upbeat, guitar driven, and almost punkish in it’s sound. I don’t know why but that seems to be our style.
Anyway you guys probably already know most of these guys but here is two or three of the different groups Tim has brought into the office in the last few months.

Desperation - I think these guys are from Ted Haggard’s place. They have two songs (rooftoops and this is my life) that are GREAT. Very punk sounding. Great CD, check them out.

Planet Shakers - Open the Gates is a song that has become my new favorite. Great CD with some rocking stuff. I think they have been around a while but good, good sound.

Hillsong United - We have been playing these guys for about a year now and in my opinion they are putting out the best worship stuff today. Our style would be modeled a great deal after them. If they put it out, we pretty much play it.

Anyway, got any others? If so, shoot me an e-mail and let me know.

Perry had a great post today about a topic that I have been taking a little heat for lately. I do get a kick out of those who get upset about you talking about numbers. I have learned that is normally those attending a small, non-growing church that seem to ahve the biggest issue with numbers. I find it funny that we have NEVER talked about numbers in our service unless to talk about how many we started with and where we are now, we have NEVER set an attendance goal, etc. yet people say we are all about numbers.

The fact is we are about numbers but you wouldn’t get that from a Sunday morning service. Numbers represent lives. It is that plain and that simple. The bigger the number of people we have, the bigger the number of people who are hearing God’s word. That pumps me up!!!!!

We didn’t start RSC to make no impact, we started it to change Canton with the Gospel. It is hard to do that without people there.
To read Perry’s post, click here.