Day three of our Frazier trip we heard from Dale Galloway, Steve Seamands, Lloyd Reeb and Bryan Collier. Dale Galloway talked about how to start a lay ministry revolution. Steve Seamands talked to us about empowering the laity for ministry is more about the power of the Holy Spirit and less about technique. Lloyd Reeb talked to us about marketplace ministry. Many high capacity folks in our churches want more than church jobs that are about ushering and daily tasks of the church. They want to make a difference in the world and many have time, resources and skills to make a big difference in the kingdom. They want to give their lives to something. Our job as pastors is to help them find that thing they could give their lives to.
By far the best talk was by Bryan Collier. Bryan is a former Beeson pastor who planted a church in Mississipppi called The Orchard. His passion to reach unchurched people is contagious. He shared his story about how God has started from zero people to 2000 in worship in 7 years. They have developed a reputation in that community that The Orchard is a place where the misfits fit. He said many things but here are a couple.
- The measure our church is 'successful' isn't judged by how many people we do have, but by how many we don't have.
- Spiritual maturity is measured by how the people they do have love the people they don't have.
- don't be a jack of all trades church, do 2-3 things well.
- they have 20,000 unchurched persons in their town. To illustrate this they put a picture for every thousand people in their office walls to remind them who those unchurched people are and their stories. They put a face on a number
Today we go to workshops led by staff of Frazier. I am looking forward to talk to their discipleship guy and learn how they disciple beleivers. We are heading out in the afternoon so we can go home to be with our wives and children. I will report again in a few days.
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