Does our Piety Keep us from following Jesus?

I’m reading an article from the Winter 2010 edition of Leadership Journal.. Some of you may have seen this.

On page 15, there is an article regarding a pastor who decided to “live like Jesus” for 1 year. I encourage you all to check it out.

The last section of the article asks him “Are there aspects of our piety that can keep us from following Jesus?”

Ed Dobson states:

“The whole evangelical subculture – having our own colleges, conferences, publishing companies – everything mitigates against our being out in the real world. So you have to deliberately make the effort to build relationships with those who are outside the faith. I tried to find ways to associate with sinners, like Jesus did, during my year of living Jesus-ly. I found that people everywhere are really interested in Jesus – specifically in your personal journey with Jesus.

We should be encouraging people to build relationships where they live and work. Maybe not going to the bar, like I did. But we can’t be so concerned about appearances that we fail to take the gospel to the lost. When Jesus spoke with the Samarian woman at the well, he was breaking all sorts of cultural norms. But he wasn’t sinning. The key is to avoid sin, not to avoid the appearance of sin.”

This resonates with me a lot. We are beginning Launch Team meetings in a local pub next week. I’ve had a few questions about it, but no one has chastised me…. yet.. But the people we’re trying to reach are really excited about it. We’re getting a good response so far. I’m excited about getting out the house and getting into the community.

Since we moved here, I’ve not regularly attended Sunday morning church services. I visited around before we began our own weekly small group meetings, but I tried to change my point of view and step out of my pastor shoes.

I agree with this guy.. Our Christian subculture works against our ultimate goal of gospel advancement. We do more to separate ourselves from the people we’re supposed to be reaching, instead of going out there and introducing them to Jesus.

All of our Christian programs have some good aspects to them. I know we’re trying to train up our families in the ways of the Lord.. But in that, are we preventing them from sharing Jesus? I think many of our churches are doing just that. We have so much stuff that keeps our church people busy doing church stuff that they never get out of the church to make new friends who aren’t Christians.

My challenge to us all is to stop worrying about what church people think, and passionately pursue non-Christians.

Launch Team Meeting Schedule – February 2010

Hey folks!

For those of you waiting for the meeting dates and times for our Launch Team meetings, your wait is over!!

First, let me apologize. I was hoping to have this posted a week ago, but it took a little longer than I expected to get a confirmation back for our first meeting place. Also, I got my dates for the Superbowl messed up. I first thought it would be the last Sunday in January, so I set a preliminary first Launch Team date of Sunday Feb 7. Come to find out, that’s when the Superbowl is, and the following Sunday is Valentine’s Day!

So, we’re gonna learn early how to be flexible!

For the first 2 weeks, we’ll be meeting on Monday night, instead of Sunday night. From there on out, we’ll be shooting for Sunday nights. So, here’s the schedule for February.

Monday, February 8, at 6:30 pm – The 3rd floor @ Union Jack Restaurant Pub – Old Towne Winchester Walking Mall
www.theunionjackpub.com
101 North Loudoun Street
Winchester, VA 22601-4717

Why are we having a church meeting at a pub?? Because it’s a great atmosphere, good food, and we can relax. Besides, Jesus said a lot of stuff about meeting people where they are, and going out into the highways and bi-ways.

Agenda for the night: Make friends, short Bible devotion, share the vision and values of Renovate Church, discuss how you can help, and where we’ll have our next Launch Team meeting. Pretty simple.

If you want to eat, you are welcomed and encouraged to eat with us. You can feel free to eat before you come if you’d like to save a few bucks too. The church will provide appetizers; drinks and food will be on our own tabs.

Monday, February 15 @ 6:30 pm – meeting place to be announced

Sunday, February 21 @ 5:30 pm - TBA – this will be our regular meeting time

Sunday, February 28 @ 5:30 pm – TBA

Some answers to some Frequently Asked Questions:

Why are you starting a new church? Because there are people far from God who need Him, and we’re here to introduce them to their creator. We’re not better than any other church. We’re just different. Come to a launch team meeting to find out more.

What is a Launch Team Meeting? It is a meeting of anyone who wants to help us start this church, whether in a leadership or supportive role. It’s not a church service, although we’ll do a short devotion, as well as work through the nuances of our vision and mission, and work to plan a life-giving, transformational, community impacting church.

Why don’t you have Sunday morning services? We plan to, eventually, once we can do them well. Right now, a Sunday service would include me playing the guitar, my wife singing, and me teaching. Trust me, I’m simply not that good all by myself. The people of Winchester deserve quality, and we’ll do our best with the resources we have.

Why do you have meetings in restaurants and bars? Because we don’t really care about what other churches think about us. Also, if you want to reach people far from God, you need to be where they are. You can’t do that very well if you stay inside a church building or a house all the time.  Being in public also makes us more visible to the community, and we just don’t have an advertising budget yet.

Aren’t there enough churches already in Winchester? No. If every church was filled to capacity, there wouldn’t be enough churches to hold the rest of the community. We welcome other church planters and new churches to Winchester, and hope to do some collaborative ministry with them.

What do you believe? Are you part of a denomination? What can you tell me about your church? First, I encourage you to check out this blog, as well as our website. There is a wealth of information that would introduce you to Renovate. We encourage you to come to a Launch Team meeting to find out more.

Finally, if you have any further questions, please email Brandon at b3.bowers@gmail.com or Facebook me at www.facebook.com/theb3 or follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/theb3

Newsletter Update December 2009

The following newsletter is being distributed online and via snail mail. Check it out and feel free to leave your thoughts! The formatting got a little messed up, but you get the idea!!! Click on the blue text to download the .doc file and read it with better formatting.

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Renovate NewsletterNov09

Hello Friends!

I wanted to take a minute to update you on our lives in Winchester and the progress we’ve made with Renovate Church since moving to Winchester VA in June 2009.

First, Shelley and I are both doing well in our jobs. We’re both working at colleges, and we enjoy what we’re doing. Being bi-vocational, commuting church planters is very challenging, but we are beginning to build some relational inroads. Chloe is doing well in school. She’s learning to read, can already count to 100, can write well, and she’s only 4 years old! She continues to amaze us every day. We have also recently found out that baby #2 is on the way!

We’ve been living in the community of Stephens City, which is a neighboring community to Winchester. There are a lot of housing developments here, and we’ve begun to connect with our neighbors.

So far, we’ve held several relationship-building, community outreach, meet-and-greet type events, like an end of summer party, a Halloween block party, info sessions, as well as taking advantage of similar opportunities that friends have hosted. We’ve found that this area has a huge commuter culture. Many people, including ourselves drive more than 45 minutes, or even an hour and a half (one way) to work, and making new friends is challenging. People here want to connect with others, but are slow to trust newcomers. Although I grew up here, I’ve been gone for 10 years. Reconnecting has been a top priority, and our biggest challenge.

We’ve begun a small, home based Bible study, which meets on Monday nights. Conversations have been messy, to say the least. Our people have been out of church for years, have tons of hurts and church junk, and we’ve been sorting through the incongruencies between who Jesus is and how Christian often behave. We’ve been studying the Gospel of John, which is a great “Intro to Jesus” book. We’re truly learning how to live out our mission statement, which is to “Engage the emerging culture in ways that re-present Jesus Christ.”

I have been able to complete the legal and administrative requirements for starting a church early. We are totally legal, have our own tax ID, website, and all that good stuff! Donations directly to Renovate Church are tax deductible!

I want you to know that although it’s difficult to stay connected with all of you, we value your prayers, your influence, and your impact on our lives. You have impacted us so much already, and you’ll never know how much!

This coming holiday season present some interesting opportunities for us, and for Renovate Church. Here’s how you can help:

1. Pray
   1. We need leaders in our church. As part of our commitment to reaching people who don’t go to church already, I have not recruited Christians from other churches to join us. This presents leadership challenges, as well as relational challenges. Shelley and I can only do so much ourselves, and we are limited in our circle of relationships. We need God to supernaturally send us leaders, as well as those who are far from God. This is all about people, and we need to connect with people and build deep friendships.
   2. I am still compiling our Board of Overseers. This is a group of leaders who I trust, who I count as mentors, and who are willing to hold me accountable. I’m looking for 3 more people, from ministry, non-profit, and business worlds, who are willing to invest in my life as a pastor and leader. They also make up the initial board of the church, for legal purposes.
   3. Spiritual and mind battles. Every day seems like a spiritual and emotional roller coaster. When we don’t see the results (in man’s eyes) that others have, or there just isn’t enough time in the day, it wears on us. This is challenging in ways that can’t be put into words. I even cut a toe off in a lawn mower this summer! Luckily, they sewed it back on! That too was an unexpected challenge!
   4. Supernatural guidance. There is a fine line between human effort and divine intervention. Every day, every event, every plan made is a balance between doing what we’re called to do, and allowing God to be God. We are doing the things we know to do, but there comes a point where it’s no longer up to us, and it’s up to God to do the work.
2. Give
   1. Ministry costs money. We all know that. Right now, Renovate is supported by generous givers like you and your church, as well as my family’s income. There are several ways to give:                                       i.       Commit to a monthly gift personally, or as a church                                                                       ii.      Quarterly special offerings from your church                                                                                 iii.      A missions-designated special offering for Christmas. I’ve seen churches raise thousands of
      dollars for missions and church planting. ‘Tis the season to be giving!                                               iv.      Tax returns. This is usually a big sacrifice. Most of us look forward to this each year. Your                            sacrificial gift could result in a transformed life                                                                             v.      Your gift will allow us to continue to hold more relationship building events, do more
      community outreach, marketing/promotion, and simply bless people!

   3. Go

   2. Maybe you or someone you know is interested in church planting. We need people who will commit to be leaders in the Winchester community and surrounding area. We are purposefully bi-vocational. It may be slower growth, but it allows us to be in the community, shoulder to shoulder with the people we are reaching. Our prayer is for leaders from within and from outside of the area to step up with us and transform our community for Jesus.
   3. Send a mission team from your church! We can canvas the area with fliers, do service projects, and bless this community in ways that will change your life just as much as it will transform the lives of those here in Winchester.
   4. Let me come to your church! I am booking Sundays after the holidays. Think of this as a Missionary on furlough type event. By inviting me to your church, it allows me to update your congregation on our progress, and give them an opportunity to sow seeds into our ministry.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it’s not been too long! Below is all the info you’ll need to contact us, or to give. Thank you in advance for your prayers, your gift, your invitation, and your time!

Brandon Bowers,

Lead Pastor of Renovate Church

Checks can be written out to “Renovate Church.” Our church and personal mailing address is 106 Ian Court Stephens City VA 22655. My cell is now 304-671-4472. My email is b3.bowers@gmail.com and our website is www.renovate540.com

What Should I Tell Them?

I’ve been listening to the song, “Should I Tell Them?” by a Christian music artist by the name of Shaun Groves today. I’m posting the lyrics below so you can read them, then I’ll do some follow-up commentary.

Walking with you is not without hazards
Trippings this traveler’s curse
Price paid for falling is more than my stumble
In a world that is watching and waiting for words

But I listened when You said to go
And I set out in spite of my fears
About truth mixed with my imperfection
And the question of what to say when I got here

And now that I’m here
Should I tell them that
You are the one who has made me
And saved me and set up a home there inside
Should I tell them that I am a perfect example
Of all You can do with a life.
What should I say to them?
What if I’m failing them?
What should i tell the tonight?

Now don’t get me wrong
I’m thankful to be here
With this song to sing and a spotlight on me,
But lately I’m wondering if you are mistaken,
If you’re seeing all of me there is to see.

Cause on every face I detect
The same questions I’ve posed to you
Like do you speak through the imperfect
Are we too dirty for your light to get through?
I want your light to get through.

What should I tell them when
They’re thirsty Lord
My cup is empty Lord
Come and lead me here in this place
Cuz I’m honest, yeah, but I’m unprepared
And I’m just plain afraid

I find these lyrics to be very powerful, especially as a church planter. (I usually am not a fan of a lot of Christian music. Much of it is cheesy, insincere, or manufactured to sell CD’s. Groves, and a few other artists are pretty authentic in their lyrics, and I really like that..) Anyways, sometimes, I feel so many feelings of inadequacy, but in the end, I know God called me to do this, therefore I must.

I moved back to my hometown ,where my family and my friends are. So if this thing crashes and burns, there’s no saving face. I try to keep my ego out of this, try to stay humble, try to keep focused on God and what he’s calling me to do. But like the song says, I’m imperfect, unprepared, and just plain afraid.

So I want to be straight up in saying that I’m not the super pastor who seems to have it all together. I need help. I need God’s help. I need the help of my family, friends, and those who may become part of Renovate. In the end, it’s not about me, it about the simple gospel, and Shaun Groves states it pretty clearly – Jesus is the one who made me, and saved me, and set up a home there inside.

I’d also like to encourage not just other pastors, but other believers here. Don’t feel like you need to keep up some facade of perfection. Everyone knows that if you come off looking perfect, you’re either really fake, or just a great liar. Let down your guard and let people see the real you. They can relate to that, and in that, you make a friend, who you can then tell them about Jesus.

Also, don’t worry about your feelings of inadequacy. My favorite Christian cliche is “God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.” What he’s asked us to do comes down to some simple concepts – be friends with people who are far from God, and tell them about Jesus. So how many non-Christian friends do you have? I mean people you hang out with, not just random people at work or school. If you’re having a hard time answering that, then I beg you to get out of your Christian bubble and meet some new people. I’ve heard a few atheists say that the reason they don’t believe in Jesus was because if what the Bible says is true, then it would be the best news on Earth. And if that were the case, then they didn’t understand why more Christians weren’t sharing the news.. Wow. Very powerful.. It’s our responsibility to do this simple stuff, and from my experience, non-Christians are pretty fun people!

If your cup is empty, allow Jesus to fill it. If you’re unprepared, Jesus isn’t.

Just be willing.

The Christian Life, Without Expectations

The title of this blog is somewhat of a misnomer. There really is no Christian life totally without expectations. Even non-Christians have preconceived notions on how Christians should talk, act, and live life.

What I would like to propose is the Christian Life Without False or Unrealistic Expectations.

There are two groups on my mind and my heart as I write this:

1. Christians (and non-Christians) who try so hard to live up to unrealistic expectations placed upon them by other, well meaning, but often pretentious people.

2. Non-Christians who may be interested in God, yet refuse to take the next step due to the expectation that they must be perfect Christians, with Stepford Wife type lives, never making a mistake, looking pretty all the time, smiling all the time, and always living their best life now… Yes, that’s an underhanded slam at all the “how to live the perfect Christian life” books that have been written in the past few years.

Jesus gives us a simple expectation to live by in Matthew 11:28. I’m quoting this from The Message translation, because it’s worded perfectly to make my point

^28-30“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Here’s what I’d like to say to my two groups of people tonight:

To group number 1: Give yourself a break. The expectations placed upon you are more than likely unrealistic and unbiblical. It’s ok to screw up sometimes. You don’t have to live the perfect Christian life. We all know that you are tempted, think bad things, are worn out, and need a break. I am thinking about specific people here that I know and consider to be my friends. Jesus (and I) care about you. If you are being forced to live the perfect life in order to keep up a facade of perfection, then stop it. If not, you’re gonna explode someday. You’ll resent those people and yourself. Learn to make mistakes and live in the grace of Jesus Christ before you go off the deep end and make some really bad irreparable mistakes.

To group number 2: Being a Christian is supposed to be easy. You are allowed to come just as you are. Jesus doesn’t expect you to be perfect before you begin to follow him. You won’t even be perfect after you start following him. Just simply be willing to follow him, and the other stuff will fall into place. You can still have fun. You can keep your friends. You still get to enjoy life. The difference is that through your relationship with your creator, you’ll find the desire to do the “bad things” in life to slowly slip away. You’ll want to do the right things, and eventually, you’ll find it easier to do them.

I’ve been on both sides of the coin. I’ve been in church, afraid to let anyone know I was struggling. I was afraid that if people knew what I was dealing with, they’d think I was a horrible person, or that it would make the church look bad.

Bullcrap.

I’m a real person, with real struggles and temptations, just like you. I can say that over the last 2 years, and more so in the last few months, I have learned to walk in the “unforced rhythms of grace” more and more. Let me tell you that it’s a lot more fun. I’ve found myself able to better relate to non-Christians. I’ve found my ideas about church and church people changing. I’ve found my expectations of myself and others to become a lot easier and lighter. I’m finally able to come to God just as I am, without pretense, honestly, transparently, and with simplicity. It’s been great.

If you belong to either of the above groups, I’d like to invite you to join in the simple Christian life with me. Let’s do life together. Let’s eat, drink, be merry, have fun, study the Bible, share our struggles, and all the good, bad, and ugly of life..

Let’s just be friends… Without expectations.

Update and Reminder

Hey everyone! Just a quick note.. We’re moving our time for Community Group from Sunday evenings to Monday evenings at 6:30. We’re trying to be flexible and accommodate as many people as possible. This goes into effect this upcoming week, Oct 26th.

As we grow, we’ll be offering more groups at different days, times, and places around the region. If you are interested in leading or coming to a group, then let me know!

If we get enough interest and commitment, we’re more than happy to take another look at adding a Sunday night group, but for now, we’re going to Mondays.

So far, we’ve been looking in the Bible book of John. This is a great “Intro to Jesus” book, and the conversation has been going great. If you have any questions, are interested in checking out Renovate, or would just like to chat, then feel free to comment here on the blog, or email me at b3.bowers@gmail.com

Also, our Halloween Block Party is October 31, during Trick or Treat hours. We’re keeping this simple.. A bounce house and a candy table. If we have enough people, we’ll do a Trunk or Treat instead of the table. This event is more of a way for us to simply meet people and connect. If they ask questions, or conversations lead towards God or Renovate Church, then we’ll go there. If you are interested in participating, please let me know. It’ll be at my house on Halloween Night!

Thanks!

Brandon Bowers
b3.bowers@gmail.com

Book Review – Finding Organic Church by Frank Viola

The subtitle of this book is “A Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Sustaining Authentic Christian Communities.” I’ll say that is a correct subtitle, if you agree with Viola’s approach to church and church planting.

I will start this blog the same way Viola starts his book, and that is disagreeable. He lost me when he stated (my paraphrase) that we cannot take culture into account in our church planting. He also states that Paul did not take culture into account when he planted the New Testament churches, so neither should we. I disagree with Viola on this. Culture in the Bible is, like today, mostly implied and assumed, and not explicitly written.

I believe NT churches were planted based upon the culture of that time, and had Paul planted churches today, they would look MUCH differently.

Viola does a great job as differentiating different types of churches. There are many buzzwords in Christendom today, and they all do tend to blend in together at times.

I also like that he states the church is a living organism (thus the term organic) and he also writes about the birth and maturing processes of an organic church.

Since I disagree on Viola’s premise that his model is the only biblical model of church, much of what he wrote doesn’t apply to how I am planting. I read the book in hopes of taking some golden nuggets and applying them, especially since Renovate is beginning in a house/small group model before we begin regular Sunday services.

I did find a few golden nuggets, and the best of them all was his chapter on the Seasons of an Organic Church. He likens them to the weather seasons we go through, each with different stages of growth, death, etc. This chapter could apply to any church, regardless of the nomenclature or label assigned to it.

Throughout the book, Viola does a nice job of pimping his other books. In fact, he basically starts this book by telling the reader to go back and read his other books, since they all build upon each other. Nicely done there Mr. Book Seller.

Overall, I’d say it’s a well-written book, and definitely has some great points, especially to those who are planting Organic churches the way Viola defines them. My biggest criticism is that Viola is surprisingly legalistic with his beliefs on the house church/organic church paradigm being the only biblical model.

I get it… Church SUCKS!

So as we go on this journey of starting a new church in Winchester, the biggest common denominator for why people are not going to church is “Church People”.

I may get slammed on this one, because many of my friends and colleagues are “church people.” By that, I mean people that regularly attend church more than once or twice per month, and actively practice the Christian faith. So while I hope not to offend anyone, I’ll just say that if you’re offended by me saying that church and church people suck, then I also suggest that you look in the mirror and well, STOP SUCKING!

In the last few weeks, I’ve heard a lot about why people don’t attend, don’t attend regularly, or are looking for another church to attend. I’ve heard about church bosses and poor leadership. I’ve heard about inconsistencies between faith and practice. I’ve heard about boredom and church services that last too long. I’ve heard about too much focus on money and not enough focus on people.

Our tagline at Renovate Church is “Transforming Church, Transforming Life”. I hope in our church that we can right some of the wrongs that we’ve all seen. When people tell me the things they’ve been telling me about their church experience, I can empathize. I’ve been there, seen it, and designed the logo for the t-shirt.

I believe that we’ve been sent  back to Winchester to “re-present Jesus Christ” in a new way. That doesn’t mean we’ll get it right all the time. I’m pretty sure I have lots of flaws, and we’ll screw something up. This also doesn’t mean that we’re better than any other church in town. That would be a pretty arrogant thing to believe, and totally against our core values. But we’re going to take our calling, our experiences, and our values and do our best to transform this region for Jesus Christ. Why? Because that’s what it’s all about.. Creating community, transforming our larger community, and transforming lives.

So yeah, I get it.. Church sucks. Church people suck too. I say that as a 25 year veteran church person. And I also know that at some point, people will say that Renovate sucks (how dare they!!) and that our people suck, and that the Lead Pastor sucks too. If you’re looking for something sucky in church, you’ll find it. But if you’re interested in being part of something that wants to transform church and people from suckiness to non-suckiness, then give us a try. Check out our meeting schedule on the calendar section of www.renovate540.com or contact me at b3.bowers@gmail.com if you’d like to grab some coffee, (or dare I suggest a beer) to talk.

Kick Off Party Was Great!

We had our first ever event tonight. It was a great success. I am very pleased with the turnout. We had a lot of fun reconnecting, playing some volleyball, and of course — eating!

Thanks to all who came out, and for those praying for us and supporting us. I truly believe we are called to “transform church, transform life” here in the Winchester VA region.

We had several people reply online or via phone that they were unable to come tonight. We already planned a follow up night next Sunday, September 20, at 5:00pm. If you’re interested in checking it out, or know of someone who may be interested, please have them check out the calendar section of our website for details. www.renovate540.com

Community groups start up on October 4. Info for that is also on the website.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, let me know!

Brandon Bowers

Fall Kickoff Party

It’s that time folks! We’ve been planning, asking questions, strategizing, reconnecting, and all that good stuff!

On Sunday, September 13th, at 5:00pm, we’ll be having our very first Renovate Kick-off Party! This is for anyone and everyone.. So if we’ve talked with you about Renovate, you’re interested in finding out more about us, or if you just want to get out of the house and hang out with some cool people, then come on out! We won’t keep you too late either. We know everyone has work and school the next day!

Here’s the plan… We’re gonna get together, have some food, music, and anything fun we can get into.. We’ll throw a sporting event or something fun on the TV for those interested.. If you’d rather throw a ball around though, then bring it with you. We’ll be indoors and outdoors, so bring a lawn chair or blanket too. If it rains, we’ll just be inside.

It’s gonna be family-friendly as well, so bring the kids along. If you’re coming and can bring something like food or drinks, then contact me and let me know. The idea is that we simply want to get everyone together, have fun, and just let people connect with each other.. If we’re gonna be a church family, we kinda need to see if we like each other first.

So it’ll be fun, low-key, and no pressure to make any decisions about Renovate. We’ll take a few minutes at some point in the evening and share the vision and ideas for the church, and the rest of the time, we’ll be having fun, hanging out, and playing some games. If you decide you want to hear more, then we’ll have a follow up time the next Sunday evening on September 20th for more details.

Interested? Email me at b3.bowers@gmail.com or inbox me on Facebook and let me know if you’re coming, how many are coming with you, and if you can bring anything.

Oh… The address… 106 Ian Court Stephens City VA 22655

My phone.. 813-777-0118 (we’ll change to local soon)

See you there!