Does our city need another church?

Does our city need another church?
Man, did I ever wrestle with this question when I felt God leading me toward church planting back in 2005. "I hear you God but why here? Why Charlotte?" Let's be honest, does Charlotte really need another church? And soon that burden became a passion...and that passion lead to what is now Ridge Church. In a few weeks we will celebrate two years of Sunday morning services. But the problem that required the Genesis of Ridge wasn't lack of churches. It was a desperate need for an environment where church people could bring there un-churched friends, and where un-churched people would love to attend. Our city was in desperate need of a church that partnered with families; a church that spoke in relevant but biblical terms; a church that extended messages that were practical and applicable; a church where worshipping God was enjoyable rather than endurable; a church where people could experience a personal relationship with God without the trappings of religion; a church where community with other believers was/is paramount. I'm so proud and honored to be part of it! Last week we had 55 kids in just our kindergarden-5th grade environment so clearly something is working in our partnership with families.
-->If you havent' heard this story--Just Ask Tammy, If this city needed another church. Ask her about partnership with families. Ask her if it matters. Ask her about the power of community...

Load in Church: Like a box of chocolates...

Load in Church: Like a box of chocolates...
In my last post I highlighted a few of the amazing stage sets that our production/creative team is able to pull off even though we are in a load in context as a church. To add to the already challenging task of creating appealing environments for people of all ages, we've had to learn to be creative on game day too. In the words of a great theologian--Load in church is, "...like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get."- Forrest Gump.

Bird Cage?
One morning we arrived to discover a brand new bird cage in the foyer of the facility. That's right a bird cage! First week we covered it up until we realized that all the kids loved it. Now our children terrorize those birds every week while their parents check them in. If I had to guess I would say "sippy cups" now strike fear into the heart of those birds!

Defibrillator?
Another week we arrived to find a new "defibrillator" attached to the wall right beside one of our waumba rooms (pre-school).

Today...we arrived to find this little problem:
In case it isn't clear in the picture--that is a pad lock for a door. Behind that door were all of our Waumba supplies! (preschool ministry) But thanks to Volunteer hero of the day, Matt Rich, here was the solution and result.Seriously, I bet there wasn't another church on the planet today...yes I said planet--that required the use of bolt cutters in order to pull off their preschool environment. I'm just saying...this thing is an adventure. And none of the happy people that showed up and dropped off their children in Waumba ever knew this had happened.

**To the people that work so hard, give so much, serve so faithfully, and show up with game day creativity for the sake of our mission.--THANK YOU! It matters. Peoples lives are being changed.

If your church was mobile...

If your church was mobile would you cut corners? What would your children's ministry look like? Would you have guest services? Would you change your stage with each series? Would you pay attention to form or just function? Well, Ridge Church is mobile (meaning we rent a facility and set up our church from scratch every Sunday) and I'm so proud of the staff and volunteers that believe God's mission should be handled by devoted and loving people and surrounded by excellent environments. Here are pictures from a few of our recent series at Ridge Church (Rusty Burchard and the service program team are the creatives behind all of this:

Listen and Learn Series

There's an APP for That Series Your Move SeriesDomino Effect SeriesSay Series

Losing Your Religion Series

Together SeriesStaying in Love SeriesYou don't know what you are missing. Come experience it for yourself! [Ridge Church]

Michael Hyatt Interview

I'm sharing this video for two reasons:

1. Michael Hyatt has a great perspective on the role of social media to Christian leaders. He is one of the handful of people that I follow on twitter. I select the people I follow by virtue of either close relationship, or whether or not they add valuable content to my world...(or both). Michael consistently brings helpful content into the world of his twitter followers.
2. My big brother "Scott Brown" is actually doing the interview. I've looked up to him for years as a spiritual leader and phenomenal business leader. He is the managing editor of a magazine called "Outcomes" (pick up a copy if you are a leader) as well as being a VP in his company Christian Leadership Alliance. Proud to call him family!

How Can Christian Leaders Get Started with Social Media? from Michael Hyatt on Vimeo.

There's an app for that

New series starting Sunday at Ridge Church called "There's an app for that!" I think this series is going to be a game changer for a lot of people. Last week we gave out a little homework assignment that I wanted to reiterate here on my blog. Normally using your phone in church is "taboo" (yet oddly common:-) but we are giving everyone temporary permission to break the rules. Download a Bible app this week for your smart phone or ipod touch because you'll need it. Youversion is the one we recommend--so go HERE to download it. AND...good news for you old school Bible Sword drill champions. You will have an opportunity to re-live your glory days this Sunday. If you are reading this and wondering "what in the world is a sword drill?"--just know that you are more normal than the people that immediately understand the phrase--AND for the record PLEASE do not bring or allow your child to bring a real sword to church this week! See you at 10am.