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Written by Paul Johansson
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Thursday, 02 February 2012 14:40 |
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Central,
Viral Church? What’s that all about? This Sunday we gather around Luke 10 where Jesus “appointed seventy others and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” (Luke 10:1) Jesus was creating a ‘Viral Church.’ To “go viral” gets its name from actual viruses in nature. These microorganisms can live and multiply only by invading other living cells. A virus then uses its host’s reproductive system to multiply its viral DNA, make new viruses and spread them onto neighboring cells to repeat the process.
Adam Penenberg wrote VIRAL LOOP, describing how some of America’s fastest-growing companies – Skype, eBay, Facebook – all expanded through viral marketing. They created products that their users had to spread in order to use. But before these companies, there was Jesus. Wherever Jesus wanted to go himself, he had others go and spread the message for him. Jesus was setting up the Kingdom of God on the idea of spiritual participation and not just spiritual consumption. He was creating Viral Church. Isn’t that what Church is meant to be? Maybe the early church was the first viral network. Can we recover that vision today? Or in other words, can we GO? This Sunday we will be considering some of the viral aspects of Church? It’s all about being sent and going!
But before we come together on Sunday around this Word from Luke 10 consider why we don’t go. What is preventing us from being sent by Jesus and going into ‘every town and place where he himself intends to go’? Consider some of the following reasons and pray that the Spirit will set us free so we can GO!
BLINDNESS and DEAFNESS – Frantic busyness seems to be the norm of postmodern life. The 24/7 wired world we live in seems to encourage us to keep our heads down, our eyes on the screen and our ears closed to the ancient and timeless Word.
EGO – Ken Blanchard says EGO is an acronym for “Edging God Out.” At times we do not want to stand with John the Baptism and live in such a manner of “He must increase and I must decrease.”
RIGIDITY – The Kingdom of God doesn’t always play by the rules we recognize.
FEAR – There are times we know what to do and we know how to do it, but we remain paralyzed by fear.
DISOBEDIENCE – Sometimes it is as simple as living our life according to the song; “I Did It My Way.” In contrast we are called to sing and live; “Have Thine Own Way, Lord!” To listen to and do the Will of God is the most important and enduring human responsibility. Pray with me that this Sunday the Spirit will move us beyond ourselves so we can GO into the towns and places and prepare the way for the coming of Jesus.
Paul J
P.S. Yesterday about 35 of us gathered for the first preview session on PASTORATES AND D4D GROUPS. This weekend there two more opportunities to hear the unfolding vision. You can respond to this email and let me know if you can come on Saturday morning at 8:00 or Sunday at 12:15 following the 11:00 worship.
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How would we do church without a building? |
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Written by Paul Johansson
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Tuesday, 31 January 2012 17:29 |
Central Family,
How would we do church without a building?
One of the questions that I asked myself throughout our year of discernment in 2011 was; How would we do Church if we did not have a building? As we lived in ACTS and EPHESIANS during 2011 a vision began to emerge as to how we, the body of Central, could go deeper into the life of Christ and wider in our mission for Christ. Do you remember the song, DEEP AND WIDE? As we go deeper into the mystery, meaning and mission of Jesus our witness will grow wider in this world. Faithfulness to Christ always births fruitfulness!
As I shared last with you last Saturday, "I don't know that I have ever been as excited about being a Pastor as I am at this point in my life!" It is exciting to see how God is leading, guiding and growing the vision of Central being rooted in PASTORATES and D4D GROUPS. I am looking forward to the six preview sessions that are planned to help you get a better perspective of PASTORATES AND D4D GROUPS. The first one is tomorrow at 12:15 in the Family Life Center. The five additional ones are:
- Saturday, February 4 at 8:00am
- Sunday, February 5 at 12:15pm
- Wednesday, February 8 at 12:15pm
- Saturday, February 11 at 8:00am
- Sunday, February 12 at 12:15pm
A light meal will be shared at the 12:15pm sessions and pancakes will be served at the Saturday morning sessions. You can sign up for one of these sessions by simply responding to this email and indicate which session you plan on attending. Your presence and prayers are greatly appreciated as move into this new DNA in our life together at Central!
I am exceedingly grateful that I am part of the Central community of believers. Every Sunday I am overwhelmed by the witness of different members of this body. Whether it is the joy-filled high five from a three year old or the encouragement of a widow in her eighties – God is present in and through so many of you!
Thanks!
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Tanzania Missionary Visit |
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Written by Paul Johansson
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Saturday, 28 January 2012 11:42 |
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Central Family,
Greetings!
Tomorrow I am excited to introduce to you Dr. Steve and Bethany Friberg, missionaries to the Maasai in Kitumbene, Tanzania. The Fribergs hosted Central's Tanzania mission teams in 2007 and 2011. Steve is a medical missionary amongst the Maasai people and oversees over 20 village healthcare clinics and Bethany leads the Maasai Naapok Bead project which provides meaningful work and economic support to Maasai women. Steve and Bethany will be sharing at all four worship services. Immediately following the 11:00 worship you are invited to join the Fribergs for lunch to hear more about what God is doing in and through the Maasai people.
On a personal note I want to thank many of you for your prayers these past two weeks. Martha, Andrew and I had the privilege of visiting our oldest son Stephen in India. It was such a blessing to meet his co-workers and fellow interns. Stephen sent back with me a hundred IJM 2012 calendars that he purchased to give as gifts to his prayer supporters. The calendars provide more information about the specific work going on in the office that he is at. You can pick up one of the calendars tomorrow at the Welcome Center.
In the last two 'Christ Connects' you heard from Pastors Sonja Dixon and Jeff Krogstad about their excitement for PASTORATES and D4D groups. As we walked through ACTS and EPHESIANS in 2011 a vision began to emerge that will take us deeper into the life of Jesus Christ and wider in our mission of making disciples of Jesus. Your Church Council and Staff are excited about the vision of being a community of believers that is rooted in PASTORATES and D4D GROUPS!
What are PASTORATES? What are D4D GROUPS? What is the VISION that emerged during our year of discernment in 2011? I hope that many of you will join me for one of six preview sessions that are planned;
- Wednesday, February 1 at 12:15pm
- Saturday, February 4 at 8:00am
- Sunday, February 5 at 12:15pm
- Wednesday, February 8 at 12:15pm
- Saturday, February 11 at 8:00am
- Sunday, February 12 at 12:15pm
Soup and salad will be served at the 12:15pm sessions and pancakes will be served at the Saturday morning sessions. You can sign up for one of these sessions at worship tomorrow or simply respond to this email and indicate which session you plan on attending. Your presence and prayers are greatly appreciated as move into this new DNA in our life together at Central! As I shared in the recent newsletter, "I don't know that I have ever been as excited about being a Pastor as I am at this point in my life!" I am continually amazed and humbled by the privilege I have of knowing, loving, serving and honoring Jesus Christ.
After worshipping in Chennai, India and Moscow, Russia these past two Sundays it will be fun to be with many of you at worship tomorrow! At some point today or tonight take a few minutes to pray that the Lord will speak to you as we hear the witness of Steve and Bethany tomorrow. My hope and prayer is that many of us will hear God's call to freshly offer our lives to serve and love Jesus Christ with every fiber of our being!
Together we are called to lose our lives so Jesus can be lifted up and draw all persons unto himself.
Paul
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Written by Jeff Krogstad
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Thursday, 26 January 2012 17:50 |
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Brothers and sisters in Jesus,
I have always longed for the church to become what the New Testament describes. Last year as we preached and studied our way through the book of Acts, I dreamed time after time about a church that lives in community, gathers around God’s Word, shepherds its people, and pours the love of Jesus into the world. This kind of church is what Jesus was talking about when he said, “the gates of hell will not stand against it.” This is not a church hiding behind fear or cheap slogans, but rather a church that lives boldly in the name of Jesus and by the power of his Spirit, secure on the foundation of his Word, giving its life away so the world might know Jesus.
We have seen glimpses of this kind of Jesus-following church off and on through the years. At Central we’ve had different kinds of studies, classes, groups, and missions that point more and more toward this vision. Each time we step out into a new mission venture or dig deeper into God’s Word, his Spirit shapes and forms and draws us along in Jesus’ wake. We continue to see people equipped to share their gifts through these means. As we grow together as God’s people at Central, we become better stewards of the most precious gifts entrusted to us — the lives of our children and youth.
I recently had the privilege of speaking at the Confirmation Retreat at Timber Bay for our freshmen. It was so exciting to see the adult leaders who came on the retreat not as chaperones, but as fellow followers of Jesus, modeling this Jesus-following life for our confirmation students. The deep love I saw lived out that weekend between leaders and students is a clear beacon pointing forward to where God is leading this church. It is not simply a life of individual belief, but of deeply rooted communities where we share life together.
That is why I am so excited about the direction we are heading at Central. In the coming days you will hear more and more about two important movements that will shape us in the years to come: Pastorates and D4D groups.
Pastorates will provide each person at Central the opportunity to be part of an extended family of Jesus-followers. These mid-sized gatherings will be places to worship, to share life together, and to reach into the world with Jesus’ love.
D4D groups will provide an opportunity to build a deep connection with two to four other believers. In these cell-sized discipleship groups we can grow intentionally together as we dig deep into God’s Word. Our goal is to sharpen each other “as iron sharpens iron,” as the Bible says, in an environment of trust, encouragement, and accountability.
During the last eleven years, I have spent more hours than I can count working with Alpha. Many of you have participated in the Alpha course and you know the power of God’s Spirit working through those ten simple weeks of meals, talks, and conversation. It was amazing last Sunday to see the number of people who stood in our morning worship services to indicate that they had participated in Alpha! Statistically in the last seven years, well over 700 people have completed Alpha at Central. Wow!
The reason I point this out is that Alpha does not emphasize head knowledge about Jesus, or completing a program, or passing a class. Rather, Alpha is about relationships. Shared meals, hard questions, and good conversation provide a rich environment for people to grow closer to Jesus and to others. These are the same elements that undergird our movement toward pastorates and D4D groups. And like Alpha, these ventures will come to nothing without the power and presence of God’s Spirit moving through his people.
Will you join me in praying for Central in these days as we anticipate what God will do in the next three to five years? May we continue to be shaped and formed into the church of Jesus, sharing our lives together, growing closer in love with him, and building his kingdom!
Yours in Jesus Christ,
Jeff
Jeff Krogstad, Associate Pastor
Central Lutheran Church
Elk River, MN
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Written by Sonja Dixon
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Wednesday, 18 January 2012 14:57 |
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we launch into this new year of 2012 I am so excited about what God is doing in and through Central. In Luke 4 Jesus announced the Spirit of the Lord was on Him as He came to proclaim, to liberate, to heal, to restore. As the Scripture was fulfilled in their hearing more than 2000 years ago so this Scripture is fulfilled in our day and in our hearing. Jesus still proclaims good news, still liberates, still heals, still restores and now by the power of His Spirit we, the church, are one of the visible expressions of His work in the world. What a privilege! What a responsibility!
In an effort to bear more fruit in our work and witness, we want to consider again what it looks like to be mature Christ followers. The worship themes for the next several weeks will be from the Gospel of Luke and will provide a biblical foundation for making disciples of Jesus. The results of this past year of discerning God’s design for Central have led us to establish pastorates, mid-size groups of 25-35, meeting in homes regularly to study God’s Word and to serve one another. Will you join me in praying that God’s Spirit will enlist and employ Kingdom workers as we launch six to eight pastorates this winter?
We also recognize that real spiritual growth often happens in the context of a small group, 3-5 men or women in authentic relationships, willing to be accountable to one another for the purpose of maturity in Christ. Will you prayerfully consider connecting to a designed for discipleship (D4D) group?
As I picture life together at Central in the next years I see a buzz of activity, not centered around programs but rather flowing out of relationships. My hope is that this body of Christ will experience fresh passion to share the love of Christ with our immediate neighbors and coworkers as well as with our global community. Opportunities for discipleship and for mission abound. I pray God’s Spirit will anoint us to be Jesus’ reflection in the world- proclaiming, liberating, healing, restoring.
Anticipating God’s presence and power,
Sonja Dixon
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