Serving Friends at Memorial Park

This last Friday, August 7, we had the opportunity to serve our friends from Blue Cross Blue Shield at Memorial Park.

We hosted employees' families by providing and operating a rock wall, two kids inflatable bouncers, as well as a cotton candy and snow cone booth.

The volunteer team of about ten people from Encounter did an awesome job as well as some volunteers from our Helena sponsor church Big Sky Fellowship.

We see it as just another way to share God's love in tangible way by "being the change" in Helena.

What an awesome way to make a difference, demonstrate God's crazy love in action, and engage our culture! We invite you to to Be The Change in Helena and join us in our next project at Encounter Church.

You can also find some great photos of the effort on Facebook here.

Making Helena Greener - Be The Change

The Making Helena Greener project was a huge success!

A group of us landscaped and planted donated flowers at the Helena YWCA home for women this last Friday, July 10. In a sense, we were involved in redeeming the landscape.

It was a lot of hard work, but it was a joy to serve others in a tangible way — with no strings attached. Honestly, I was blown away by all the people that showed up and gave up their time and effort on a Friday night, no less. You guys are awesome!

What an awesome way to make a difference, demonstrate God's crazy love in action, and engage the culture of Helena! We invite you to to Be The Change in Helena and join us in our next project at Encounter Church.

You can also find a bunch of photos of the effort on Facebook here.

Listen to the Vision!

At Encounter, our vision is to free people to encounter Jesus.

Connected to the image of Moses' burning bush experience, we want to be something out of the ordinary that catches people's attention so they can hear the voice of God.

We want to remove as many obstacles, distractions, and barriers as we can so that this generation and beyond can have an authentic, life-changing encounter with Jesus.

More specifically, we have found that people tend to like Jesus but not the church. They have been turned off by traditional models of "doing church." Their view of what the Church and what following Jesus is supposed to be has been skewed by many things — but primarily by a lifeless, passionless, empty representation of faith that is judgmental, self-righteous, and downright boring.

In a broad sense, we envision a dangerous church, an assembly, a gathering, a faith community, a group of people, who are drawn together to pursue what it means to boldly follow Jesus beyond Sunday, and in the missional context of real life.

HAVE YOU FELT IT?
And this vision is not just mine or Andrea's, but one planted there by God in each one of us drawn to Encounter. Each of us has sensed the vision, we have then seen it articulated, and now we have begun the process of growth that will see the vision come to life. Like a seed that has been planted, it must now be watered and cared for as it matures into reality.

Have you sensed the vision? Have you felt it gnawing at your soul? Have you been discouraged in the valley as God has been molding you into the shape of the vision? We have too, but we are not satisfied with anything else but an authentic and bold following after Jesus and His vision planted within us!

LISTEN TO THE VISION!
I am going to be bold here and just say it. If you are not connected with a church here in Helena — if you are not living out your faith in a passionate and life-filled way with others in a faith community — you are missing out on something incredible!

You REALLY should come be a part Encounter. If you don't live here in Helena, you should move here. Seriously, we will help you! Seriously, the next six months at Encounter are going to be AMAZING! You should listen to the vision that is stirring in your soul and come be a part of what God is doing in Helena!

So let's get together and talk more over coffee.
Give me a call today!

The Vision Will Be Made Real

"We always have visions, before a thing is made real. When we realize that although the vision is real, it is not real in us, then is the time that Satan comes in with his temptations, and we are apt to say it is no use to go on...

"God gives us the vision, then He takes us down to the valley to batter us into the shape of the vision, and it is in the valley that so many of us faint and give way. Every vision will be made real if we will have patience...

"If you have ever had the vision of God, you may try as you like to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never let you.

— Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, July 6

5 Most Asked Questions

As we've been sharing with people our heart for this generation and how we're planting Encounter here in Helena, we get a number of different questions. Here are some of the most common ones.

#1 WHEN DO YOU GUYS MEET FOR WORSHIP?
It takes a lot of planning, preparation, and work to plant a church. We are currently looking at two public launch dates - the earliest is October 2009. But for us, the weekly worship event is only a part of who we are. Before we launch our public worship events, we have even more important work developing our Church Planting Team and meeting the needs of our community.

In the months leading to our public launch, we will be holding regular small groups for spiritual growth, planting team meetings to cast vision and develop leadership, informational meetings for those who want to find out more, and community impact events to serve our community and create awareness.

In fact, if you want to see what we're all about, we want to invite you to a great small group study study in March. Click here to find out more.

#2 DO YOU HAVE A BUILDING? / WHERE ARE YOU MEETING?
Looking forward to our public launch, we will begin looking for meeting locations in April and May 2009. But we plan on being portable from the beginning so that we can focus our efforts on people and relationships.

But just because we do not have a building does not mean we will not meet together. Our small group and planting team meetings are already being held in various locations throughout Helena. Some meeting will be in homes, but we also want to meet in some public spaces like the library. We feel that it is important to have a presence out in the community we serve.

#3 IS ENCOUNTER ONLY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE?
We are creating a faith-community that is welcome to young and old, believers and nonbelievers alike. Our intentional strategy, though, is to design our gatherings and events for a younger audience. That's because we believe that experiential, relevant, and technologically-enabled gatherings are more likely to reach a younger generation AND also reach older adults. But the reverse is not true. When we design our services for an older audience, the younger crowd will not show up.

#4 WHAT IS THE CHURCH PLANTING TEAM?
Instead of forming what some call a Core Group, we have chosen to plant and launch Encounter with a Church Planting Team. The Church Planting Team are those people that form, serve in, and launch a new church plant. While involvement in the Planting Team can be defined for a short-term or long-term commitment, it involves four essential expectations.

1. To serve strategically within the church plant (including Planting Team meetings)
2. To participate in a small group or discussion
3. To invest your life into others both personally and through community impact events
4. To give financially during your commitment with Encounter.

Contact us to talk more about getting involved in the Church Planting Team.

#5 HOW CAN I HELP ENCOUNTER?
There are many ways you can help us reach this generation in Helena. In a recent post, we outline five key ways you can actively help us in planting and supporting Encounter.

1. You can become a prayer partner.
2. Your church can sponsor Encounter in various capacities.
3. You can financially help us with a one-time gift or ongoing monthly support.
4. You can join us as a member of the Church Planting Team. (Yep. Maybe even move here!)
5. You can spread the word about Encounter.

These are just a few of the most common ways, if you've thought of another be sure to contact us and let us know.

Thoughts And Reflections From Andrea

I asked my church planting partner to share her thoughts and reflections about our follow-up Church Planters Training this weekend. These are Andrea's notes for each day...

THURSDAY
It all began Thursday evening when church planting couples (including us) shared their visions and plans for planting churches in Butte, Townsend, and Helena. It was awesome to hear about how God is moving in these communities. It is great to see the heart of the church planters to make a difference in their community and to see lives changed for Jesus. It was a reminder that God is definitely at work in the world and in Montana.

Looking back, Eric and I spent many frustrating hours on our presentation together. Near the end of that preparation, we we're reminded to listen to God's voice and trust in His power to help us put together this master plan for Encounter. The outcome was an awesome presentation that inspired and encouraged those at the retreat.

FRIDAY
Friday was a time of gleaning valuable insight about church planting both from teaching sessions and conversations with other church planters throughout the state. We discussed the importance of using our time wisely; allotting time for building relationships, taking a sabbath, and actually doing ministry.

We also explored ways to plan message series to make the most of our time and to allow others to be involved in the process. The ultimate goal being to communicate a clear message that will result in life-transformation.

Another powerful discussion was about the the importance of differentiating between a church OF small groups and a church WITH small groups. We were also able to share inspiring church planting experiences with one another and share our challenges.

SATURDAY
As a the retreat came to a close, Eric and I led a time of worship with the other church planters. A time of prayer followed giving us the opportunity to pray for one another and the challenges we were facing. It was great to get to know the other church planters. We've already begun the process of developing friendships and helping one another.

Conversations With This Generation

We've had some connections with this generation in the past few weeks. In our conversations, they've expressed excitement at what God is doing with Encounter.

They're concerned about their friends who won't go to a church because they don't fit in or feel that the atmosphere is cold and judgmental.

They want a church in Helena that won't judge them by what they wear, how they look, and what their past is like - no matter how many piercings or tattoos they may have.

They're praying for a church for "all those people who don't want the dried out version of Christianity or don't feel comfortable with most other churches."

Our strategy is derived from Jesus' call for us to love God and love others - and so we intend to encourage and equip people to pursue three vital relationships: to ENCOUNTER GOD (to love God), to EXPERIENCE COMMUNITY (to love fellow believers), and to ENGAGE CULTURE (to love others).

As we continue to meet with people and share the vision of Encounter, our challenge is to ask those with a heart for the disconnected to join us in creating the culture of our faith community. A few people with a vision is great. But many people with the same vision who are making it happen becomes a church.

If you really want to see Encounter become a reality, we challenge you to step up and help make it happen. Contact us to find out more.

Staying Attentive to God's Leading

Several weeks ago we wrote about being attentive to God's leading. It seems that you can analyze and evaluate information, seek Godly counsel, and consider all the pros and cons - but after all is done, we need to be attentive to what God's Spirit is speaking into our lives. "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25)

After much prayer and consideration, we've decided to partner with the other network we've been discussing. You know them as the Montana SBC. We have recognized that God was moving us in a certain direction to plant a relevant church in Helena for this generation, while at the same time moving the Montana SBC to do the same through their "AA Strategy."

We can't ignore that our paths crossed and we feel that the Spirit was leading us to this decision.

ARC'S CRUCIAL ROLE
ARC is an incredible church planting organization and has been an important step in this process and we wouldn't be in this place without them. Attending the ARC Church Planter Assessment helped us evaluate ourselves and gave us a professional opinion as to our suitability as church planters.

We are so grateful they approved us as ARC church planters and were willing for financially partner with us as well. We hope to nurture the relationships we've formed through ARC and will still partner with the organization in a different capacity.

MORE ABOUT OUR PARTNER SUPPORT
There are comparable funds and resources available through the Montana SBC. In contrast to ARC, none of the funds from the Montana SBC will need to be paid back - regardless of whether we succeed or fail. Of course, we feel the only way we will fail is if we pursue this passion in our own strength and power, without God.

We are already forming some sponsorship relationships with churches here in Helena and Montana and will also receive assistance with fund raising a portion of our salary and startup costs through other churches in the SBC network. We are already praying that God will open those doors wide open. Like ARC, another portion of funds will come from our own fund raising and Encounter's Planting Team.

PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS & SUCCESSFUL MODELS
The relationships we've already formed within the Montana SBC have already been a blessing both on personal and administrative level. While the whole process through the SBC is a bit more fuzzy than ARC's straight forward plan, they do have proven success with our model. Here are some great churches affiliated with the SBC network:

• Sandals Church - Riverside, CA
• The Flood - San Diego, CA
• C3 Church - Clayton, NC
• Mosaic - Los Angeles, CA

OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH MONTANA SBC
One thing we were concerned about is the kind of oversight that the Montana SBC would have over us. We don't want such oversight and traditions to be a barrier to the vision God has given us to reach those who have been turned off by church. We've made it pretty clear that we are seeking to plant a relevant, engaging, missional church here in Helena.

We've gone over a number "hot-button issues" to see where we stand, but for the most part the SBC allows churches to be autonomous within the network. In addition, we are in theological alignment with the Montana SBC and are impressed by the SBC emphasis on global missions; probably the best organization for missions in the world.

NON-DENOMINATIONAL APPROACH
We've carefully examined the implications of this partnership, and feel that we can still pursue a non-denominational approach while still aligning ourselves with the Montana SBC. We maintain that the un-churched are more open to attending a church that appears to not have the "baggage" and institutionalism associated with many denominations.

While Encounter is partnering with the SBC denomination, is in alignment with their theology, missions emphasis, and cooperative program, we will focus on the heart of Jesus in our teaching and practice. As Paul expressed it, we will be about "preaching Christ and Christ crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2) rather than building denominational walls.

WHAT'S NEXT?
One of our first training experiences with the Montana SBC was the Church Planters Boot Camp we attended last weekend. We are planning some more training near the end of February to follow up. As we move into March, we will be visiting potential sponsor churches and forming valuable relationships, and learning more.

Hannaford Transition News

About two weeks ago, my pastor and I discussed more about Hannaford's ability to support our calling to launch Encounter - And on Sunday, January 18, announced the timeline for my transition from the Hannaford Worship Ministry. Our last day leading worship at Hannaford will be Sunday, March 1 and will be preceded by a "sending out" service.

We are very excited and also just a little saddened. As I said last Sunday, Andrea and I have been greatly blessed by the friendships we formed here at Hannaford. And while we are excited about this great vision He has called us to, we will cherish these next weeks of worship we will share together.

As another church planter friend expressed it, "Moses has to leave his homeland to get to where the Lord had him to go"

We ask that you pray for a blessed sending out and commissioning service that will allow our family at Hannaford to support us and the mission of Encounter in prayer.

HANNAFORD WORSHIP MINISTRY
The night before the announcement, we gathered about 25 of Hannaford's Worship Ministry together to facilitate an informal time for fellowship, prayer, and Q&A. Our goals were to discuss any concerns and questions to help ensure a smooth transition while confirming Hannaford's commitment to excellence and hearfelt worship. Please pray for our ability to facilitate a smooth transition for Hannaford with such a short timeline.

THE COMING MONTHS
I was explaining to a friend recently that there is a lot of work to do before we launch. We've been working hard on financial backing and network support - and that work will continue. We have been quiet about this calling for months out of respect for Hannaford's leadership, but now we have the freedom to share the vision of Encounter with others.

During the next few months, we will be praying to meet others that share our passion to see the unchurched in Helena begin a growing relationship with Jesus. We'll be praying for God to bring people our way to join Encounter's Planting Team.

BE A PART OF WHAT GOD IS DOING
We thank God for challenging Andrea and I with this vision, but now we also pray for others to come along side us and become a part of what God is doing for this generation in Helena. There is much to be done, there are many workers needed, much prayer required, and there will be funds required. Please pray whether God is calling you to this vision as well...and if so let us know here.

Vision and Values Revisited

Andrea and I just spent a few days this weekend with other church planters doing some basic training. We used the opportunity to revisit our vision, mission and core values. We also examined our timeline and the important mileposts we need to achieve as we work toward launch.

As we discussed various aspects of what it takes to develop a vibrant and transformative community of believers, we were reminded that there is a lot of work before us. In fact, we're both overwhelmed and excited!

At the same time, we recognize that it's been a long time since we've first strategized with North Point Ministries. This is a great time to develop a vision and express our mission in our own words - to personalize the same mission and strategy we've been communicating but in a way that directly reflects our hearts.

ENCOUNTER'S VISION:
Freeing people to Encounter Jesus Christ

ENCOUNTER'S MISSION:
Leading people intro a growing relationship with Jesus

ENCOUNTER'S STRATEGY:
By creating environments where people are encouraged and equipped to:

• Encounter God - Growing faith through intimacy with Jesus
• Experience Community - Developing authentic relationships by doing life together
• Engage Culture - Transforming people by investing in trust relationships

ENCOUNTER'S CORE VALUES:

• Authentic — We will be real and transparent in our life struggles and successes in order to remove barriers in our personal relationships with Jesus and others.
• Relational — We believe life transformation happens best in the context of personal relationships.
• Relevant — We will speak into people’s lives with the true relevance of Christ in ways that they can experience God through "touchstones" in their life experience and culture.
• Creative — We know there is life in the creative actions of our God and want people to experience that life as a result of all we creatively do through Jesus.
• Intentional — We believe that when we are purposeful and focused in our actions, we stand a much better chance of being able to accomplish significant things.
• Excellent — We will do the very best that we can with what God has given us because excellence honors God and inspires people.

We would love to hear your comments. Leave one by clicking on the word "comments" below.

What's Happening With Encounter

I thought this word cloud is a cool representation that artistically reflects what's happening with Encounter right now. It is created by a handy tool called Wordle that generates a word cloud from the content of a specific web address. I entered the URL for the Encounter Helena Blog and this is what I got!

We are really excited about what God is doing behind the scenes for Encounter. What I can tell you is that we are attending another Church Planting Training and Boot Camp this weekend. Things are also progressing at Hannaford.

Stay posted for some big announcements soon!

UPDATE: I received an email from Bill who mentioned that perhaps God or Jesus should be big in the word cloud instead of the word "church." Yeah, I'd like that too.

You know the whole thing is generated by the words on this blog so we must be using the word "church" a lot. It makes sense because we are planting a church for those who don't connect with traditional church. (Hey, I just used the word "church" four more times...or is that five.)

Anyway, if you have any comments or thoughts on the word cloud, be sure to leave a comment by clicking on the word "comments" below this post.

2009 Is Here - Are You Ready?

As another year comes to a close, we can't help but look back. For some of us, 2008 was a difficult and challenging year. Some of us experienced setbacks and even life-changing tragedies.

For others of us, 2008 was a stellar year. Some of our dreams came true - those we hoped for and some that we didn't even expect. Most likely, however, 2008 was a mixture of blessings and challenges.

HOW 2008 BEGAN FOR US
For us, we started 2008 in an atmosphere of uncertainty and burden. God had laid on our heart a passion which we had not seen pursued. A passion for the disconnected and un-churched of our generation. I saw young adults in their 20s and 30s that were disengaged in the life Christ had for them - and I began the year with a burden on my heart to do something about it.

AN UNCOMFORTABLE JOURNEY
I've said before that God places within us the ability to see “broken things” in areas that we are passionate about. God is not calling us to complain or fret over these “broken things,” but to let them serve as fuel for action based on His leading.

We acknowledged this burden and earnestly sought God's desire in prayer for many months. I can honestly say that it was an uncomfortable journey. After all, we were at a pretty comfortable place in life. We had been greatly blessed serving in worship ministry at a growing church in Helena. We had made many friends and really just begun to build this ministry.

Through all of this, God was speaking a deeper passion into our lives - the vision and desire to connect people with Jesus. Specifically what we call “this generation” and “those who are far from God.” We desperately resonate with those who are not familiar with or who do not connect with traditional church models - who see traditional church as lacking or irrelevant at best, and repelling at worst. And we want to be able to help the true, authentic Jesus become real in their lives.

As I said before, God was calling us to an uncomfortable place. We asked why He had thrown us this "curve ball" asking us to embrace a journey seemingly full of risk. Rick Warren says that “neither past nor future generations can serve God’s purpose in this generation.” What we’ve realized is that God has been preparing us for such a time as this. He's given us not a new vision, but a broader one encouraging others to worship God not just with song, but with their whole lives.

DISAPPOINTMENT AND ENCOURAGEMENT
Our catalyst for planting a new church in Helena developed out of talks to form a strategic partnership with North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. While talks looked encouraging, we eventually came to an impassible wall - our leading to reach young adults in Helena, Montana. Had we been led to plant in a larger metro area somewhere else, we very well may be planting as a strategic partner with North Point.

But the need for a high-impact, relevant, and missional faith community in Helena overshadowed the ease of partnering with North Point. Our burden was clear and so as one door closed, we began to look for other open doors of partnership to plant Encounter Church, Helena.

While investigating church planting networks, we also presented our heart to our home church in hopes of partnering with them to reach an overlooked and un-reached group in a way that Hannaford has never attempted. We are still hopeful Hannaford will choose to act upon their spoken to desire to reach all of Helena in and effective and relevant way.

We also attended the ARC Church Planter Round Table to find our more about our compatibility with their initiative to plant 2000 churches. We were then invited to their select ARC Church Planter Assessment - resulting in ARC's recommendation of Andrea and I as church planters with their respected organization - a great encouragement.

Finally, we began talks with another church planting 'network' - one with experience and ties here in Montana. I can say that Andrea and I have discerned God's Spirit moving in this relationship bringing their vision to plant high-impact churches in Montana together with our vision to build a relevant, missional faith community in Helena.

THIS IS THE YEAR
This new year brings in a whole new emphasis for Encounter Church. These first months will solidify our partnering relationships and we will begin to communicate God's vision for Encounter specifically with individuals. We will begin to build our Church Planting and Launch Teams. And by the end of the year, God will have prepared us to launch out into our community to touch lives like Helena has never seen.

We know that God has already begun to work in the hearts of those who also desire to see this generation grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. There are those who will be taking their first steps in exploring faith, those who will be finding out who Jesus is, and also those who will be making a deeper commitment.

Our challenge to you is this. Imagine what God will do in 2009. Imagine how He will move and change you. He may even make you uncomfortable this year and ask you to step out of your comfort zone. And I am challenging you to be ready...to recognize that going out on a limb with Jesus is really the best place to be.

As Mark Batterson says, "Jesus didn't die to make us safe. He died to make us dangerous." Are you ready?

Let us know if you want to get together and find out more about Encounter Church will impact Helena and how you can be involved as a prayer partner or a part of our Church Planting Team.

Being Attentive to God's Moving

In addition to ARC, I mentioned in a previous post about another established "network" of churches in Montana that has been seeking to partner with us in planting a high-impact church like the one we've outlined in our prospectus.

We had a follow-up meeting in Butte with a few other leaders in this network. During a deeper conversation, we discussed the expectations on both sides, and explored how such a partnership might work. We see it as a great benefit to partner with a network that knows and understands Montana culture, but also had a large infrastructure throughout the country to support us and our vision with resources and funds.

I have to tell you that Andrea and I are really excited about this opportunity, but It is a difficult decision that we must consider carefully. If we join this Montana network, we would not partner with ARC financially but could still draw from the other resources and the relationships we've already formed with other ARC church planters.

We can't ignore how God has set upon our hearts to plant a missional, outward-focused, and relevant church community in Helena - while at the same time, He's led this network of churches to plant the same kind of churches in Montana's biggest cities. And then He's allowed our paths to cross. We must always be attentive to God's moving in our lives and circumstances. This is why we've pursued this opportunity in addition to the other partnerships that have emerged.

We ask that you pray for our wisdom in this decision of partnership. We want to be able to clearly hear and heed God's guidance as we consider which network partnership will allow Encounter to effectively seek out God's vision for us.

What's The Link? Looking at Hannaford Sponsorship and ARC

We still have a few more considerations before we can move forward with ARC. First, ARC requires us to secure a "sponsor" church to come alongside us. We've asked Hannaford to be our "sponsor" church through ARC. In this case, a sponsor church is expected to believe in our vision enough to vouch for us both spiritually AND financially.

The sponsor church must really be sensitive to where God is moving and trust that He will complete what He begins. Although ARC will match all the funds we raise dollar-for-dollar (up to $30,000), if the church plant fails,the "sponsor" church will commit to repay the funds that have been provided through ARC. Even if the church plant is successful, these fund must be reimbursed from the new ministry.

With that said, we submitted a proposal to Hannaford in September - and then I had an opportunity in early November to meet once with the elders to explain our passion and how Hannaford can be a part of reaching this un-reached group. Their response was cautious, but we are still waiting to hear more.

Hananford is a great church home for many, but like many churches in Helena it has been largely ineffective at reaching the unchurched and dechurched of this generation. For Hannaford itself to be effective in reaching this generation, there is a good chance it would need to abandon it's core. A specific, targeted approach is required to reach this generation and it would be difficult and possibly unwise for Hannaford to make the required changes.

This is why I have asked Hananford's leadership to partner with us so that we can work together to expand God's kingdom in this way. We are currently preparing a list of specific ways Hannaford can help launch this new ministry of Encounter and are praying they will see the benefit of sponsoring us through ARC.

Another Possible Partner

As one of our new church planting friends expressed it, we are beginning to burst through the doors that God is opening. Before our trip to Atlanta last week, we also had a meeting with another network of churches right here in Montana.

This network of churches is looking to plant new high-impact churches that are life-giving, missional, and relevant to this generation. And they are focusing on the seven largest cities (Helena is one) where 65% of our population lives.

In the next 24-26 months, they want to see a significant spiritual impact by planting a new church in each city. Here are some of the characteristics of the churches they will be planting:

• Strong lead planter with planting team
• Large launch: 150-200+
• Utilizes media, music, and technology
• Multiplication built into the DNA
• Above average funding
• Above average expectations

A local network and partnership intentionally focused on reaching the unchurched and dechurched of this generation could be a great benefit. This is an established network in this area that understands the culture of Montana.

In this network however, these new high-impact churches will be the front-runners of their existing churches in these cities. We would be blazing new ground without the benefit of sharing in the experience of churches that have already been successful with this type of approach (like we would with ARC). Right now, we need to learn more and we need to learn soon.

What Happened with ARC...

Just wanted to recap the ARC Assessment we attended in Atlanta on December 1 & 2. It was an intense and wonderfully rewarding experience. You can read all about it our previous posts here.

WHAT HAPPENED
In short, we met about 11 other church planting couples from across the country and participated in a number of private interviews and group activities designed to assess our suitability for church planting. All the while, an impressive team of ARC Assessors watched and evaluated our every move. The pace was quick and intensive. The feedback, networking, friendships formed, and encouragement received was immeasurable.

HOW ARC HELPS
Our hope for the assessment was that ARC would agree to partner with us to help us during our path of church planting, and to also help us with funds. ARC can match the funds we raise for the launch of Encounter church dollar-for-dollar. That's awesome because it means that each dollar that someone gives toward our launch is effectively "doubled." In addition, ARC will make sure we meet our budget during our first year after launch as a new ARC church.

THE RESULTS
ARC notifies it's prospective church planting couples within 48 hours of the assessment. The result of the assessment is usually one of three responses:

• Recommended for ARC church planting
• Conditionally recommended for ARC church planting (pending experience, etc.)
• Not recommended for ARC church planting at this time

We got our call from ARC's Michael W. Smith (no relation to the artist) on December 4 and it was a big "yes." ARC recommended us for church planting and has agreed to partner with Encounter Church. It was awesome news!

THANK YOU
We want to send a great big thank you to all who have been praying for us and to those who helped us get through this ARC Assessment process in Atlanta. We never could have done it without your encouragements and without the funds and donations that came in. God has moved through you in a great way.

HELENA WILL BE CHANGED
This is just the beginning steps of a birthing process - a long process of seeing a new faith community in Helena with a specific vision to reach those who don't like, those who have been turned off, and those who just haven't connected with the more traditional approaches to church.

This is an opportunity to see those in this generation and more, go further in their relationship with Jesus. Whether it is exploring faith for the first time, or even if it mean recommitting to Jesus in a deeper way than ever before, we can know that Helena will be changed.

Just Got The Call...

Just got the call. It's official, ARC wants to partner with us to plant Encounter church here in Helena. God has great things in store!

ARC Assessment Reflections

We arrived back home today, met with the kids, and headed out to Hannaford to help with some tech aspects of the Christmas production there. In addition to that, a dear friend's battle with cancer is getting more intense - and so have our prayers for him. It seems like there hasn't been a moment to breath since we flew into Helena this afternoon.

As I sit here tonight, I can't help but look back over the last few days in Georgia at the ARC Assessment. What an amazing experience of growth and encouragement! In addition to the obvious purpose of pursuing ARC's help to partner with Encounter, we've come back with so much more.

WE'VE BEEN HUMBLED
We spent nearly two days with 11 other couples who are on a similar journey. They are each taking the biggest risk of their lives, giving their all, and seeking to follow God and His specific plan for them. Each couple is stepping out in faith to see significant growth in God's Kingdom in their specific community. One plant is a downtown, urban church. One is already holding a worship gathering in a bar. Another is seeing people of different classes and races truly know Jesus for the first time - all in a community wrought with racism.

After hearing these stories, I am humbled to know a God that can start such exciting and bold endeavors. I also know that He will continue to radically supply the strength and provision to help these faith communities grow so that Jesus will be made famous through them.

Finally, I just feel blessed to have met, struggled, and discussed our passions with each couple. All day long in different airports and at home, I have already been connecting with these new friends, encouraging them, and in return being encouraged by them.

WE'VE BEEN MENTORED
Another blessing we've come away with from the ARC Assessment is meeting the individuals of the assessment team itself. The team was comprised of pastors, planters, and ARC associates that were all there for one purpose - to see new life-giving churches come to life. We were blessed with words of wisdom, encouragement, and challenges all designed to make us more "successful" in fulfilling God's vision through Encounter.

WE'VE BEEN CHALLENGED
Finally, Andrea and I were challenged. In participating in the exercises and in our private discussions with the ARC counselors, we were able to identify some key growth areas we need to work on. We were inspired by the vision of the other couples and realize that we, too, need to be able to clearly communicate Encounter's vision. We have realized that Andrea and I make a great ministry team, and should not be ashamed of, nor shy away from that blessing. We were challenged to clearly define the "win." But most of all, we realized that what we've been saying is really actually true: relationship and growing faith are the key to pursuing God's dream.

FINAL REFLECTIONS
ARC is dedicated to seeing new life-giving churches planted. Every new church plant presented at the ARC Assessment was determined to reach the unchurched and the dechurched of this generation - which tells me several truths: 1) those are the types of dynamic and relevant churches that ARC plants, and 2) that is what is missing in many of our cities and towns across America.

I thank God for challenging Andrea and I with this vision, but now we also pray for others to come along side us and become a part of what God is doing in Helena. There is much to be done, there are many needed, and there will be funds required. Please pray whether God is calling you to this vision as well...and if so tell us.

ARC Assessment Day 2

Day two of the ARC assessment was intense, challenging, encouraging, and insightful. One thing I can say...we are exhausted!

THE ASSESSMENT
The day began early with a devotional by pastor Chuck Angel, who hosted most of the day's activities. Angel encouraged us church planters to be as skilled in encouraging and building our relationships as we are in building a church, vision, and structure. Focusing only on the latter can be lonely. And we are most vulnerable when we are lonely.

Throughout the day then, we participated in mostly group simulations and exercises in which each individual planter's character qualities and job tasks were being observed by the ARC Assessment Team.

One exercise was an analysis of a church planting scenario. A potential scenario was presented and the attending church planters were divided into groups to determine the positives and negatives, as well as the pros and cons of the situation.

Another challenge was to create a comprehensive church plant proposal in a short amount of time. Divided into groups again, we were to choose a city from a preselected list, research demographics, develop a vision, strategy, ministry approach, and financial needs. Each group was then required to make the proposal in front of the panel of 15 ARC Assessors who played the role of potential partners and investors.

Comprised of pastors, pastors' spouses, church planters, counselors, and marketplace leaders experienced with church planting and ARC churches, the assessment team uses a predetermined grid of standards by which to record and measure their observations.

Each church planting couple had one more private interview to discuss the passion, vision, and strategy of their church plant. And then finally, there was a special time in which the ARC assessors prayed over each of the church planters for encouragement and God's blessing.

As I said, the day's events were exhausting. Not so much because of the time, but because of the effort and concentration put forth for each of the activities and assessments.

WHAT NOW?
As hoped, Andrea and I were able to identify some of our unique strengths and also some weaknesses. The key now is to build upon our strengths and to intentionally complement our and/or improve our weaknesses.

We will now be looking for the panel to meet together to discuss, evaluate, and collate their observations and impressions from the two days and pre-assessment tests, and then to return one of three assessments:

• Recommended for ARC church planting.
• Conditionally recommended for ARC church planting
• or not recommended for ARC church planting at this time.

The Assessment Team was very clear that ARC's determination does not necessarily reflect God's calling for us to plant a church, but merely whether we are a "fit" for the ARC life-giving model and methodology of church planting.

GOD'S VISION
Andrea and I are assured of God's direction in planting Encounter here in Helena, whether ARC decides to officially partner with us or not. While we feel Encounter may be a good "fit" as a life-giving ARC church, ARC may not. And so that will move us on to our next step in securing the partnership that God has already prepared for this church plant.

Helena needs a faith community like Encounter - a faith community with a vision to engage this generation into a growing relationship with Jesus through an invest and invite culture, authentic small group opportunities, and excellent and irresistible worship gatherings.

ARC Assessment Day 1

Today was the first day of our ARC Assessment. Earlier in the afternoon, we participated in an individual couple interview answering personal questions about our marriage, life experiences, and ministry.

Later in the evening, we gathered with 12-14 other candidate couples. After an initial mixer and then dinner together, each couple was given ten minutes to share their story and vision for a church plant.

It was amazing to hear from the different couples and hear how God has led them down this path of church planting. There were some amazing stories. I wish I could share some right now, but I feel the need to keep some of the discussion confidential.

Each couple's sharing was also followed by an open Q&A time when ARC assessors asked direct questions regarding the couple's vision and life experiences. They had some very good and very difficult questions. Good stuff!

All I can say right now is wow! What an amazing group of people. It will be interesting to see how the day plays out tomorrow as we share more, break into groups, answer more interview assessment questions.

Until then, please keep praying for us!