Launch 411

Well it's been a while since I've posted, so I thought I would bring you up to speed real quick. We've been pretty busy getting things ready for the new service that launches on April 11. Zach has been working hard getting the band ready and we've been working hard getting the new set and several ministry teams together as well. We have more than 100 people committed to helping in almost every conceivable area. I am so glad to be part of a church that really is committed to doing whatever it takes!

We are working on a web site that will be up by March 26th with video's and other info about the launch. the site is www.gccn.org/launch411

You can also follow us on twitter at @launch411 or @rpaughjr or @grovecityzach

The Three Rivers Church

Question: What happens when three rivers come together in one spot?
Answer: Lots of turbulence, spinning, chaos, confusion and muddy water. The actual term for this is "confluence". A confluence is a body of water that is formed by the flowing together of two or more streams, rivers or the like.

When three rivers come together there is alot of noise and confusion and misdirection. I feel like this is the exact context the church is in as a result of three huge cultural rivers converging.

The three rivers are modernism, post-modernism and post-Christianity. These three massive rivers are converging on the church and are creating lots of turbulence, spinning, confusion and muddy water. If we are not careful, we can easily lose our direction in the chaos. It can be a scary time for the church. In fact Leonard Sweet calls it the Perfect Storm. Lot's of ships go down in storms like that. But the ones that can ride it out and figure out ways to be effective and culturally relevant are going to have some sweet opportunities to minister to people during this turbulent time!

What I Love About Grove City Nazarene

I've been on staff at GCCN for 13 years. I love this church! There are lots of things about this church to like (and probably lots of things about this church that people don't like). But the thing that I like most about GCCN is the non-stop desire that every staff member has to see this church become the very best that we can be. To become more effective at loving people and loving God.

If you could sit in on some of the staff meetings I get to be part of, you would walk away thinking this is a horrible church! We are always talking about the things we don't like or things that need to change so we can love people better and love God more.

The truth is . . . this is a pretty good church, but there are lots of things we can do better! I wanted to start this blog to share with my friends what God is doing in my life and hopefully here at GCCN as we seek to become the church that God wants us to become.

I would love your input as well. There are some pretty exciting things in the planning stages right now. I'm honored and excited to be part of them. I'm also excited to share them with you in the days ahead! Let's do this together!