Clearing a blind spot

I have to remind people that "The Church" is not the problem. The "problem" is engaging an emerging culture in the same fashion we did 40 years ago.

As leadership structures shift from Millennials to Gen-Z, the world will be fundamentally different from what Boomers inherited.

In a recent visit to Panera, a man named "Jim", who has been hostile to the gospel, suddenly warmed to learning about Jesus. What changed?

In previous conversations, my status as lead pastor could not escape Jim's presuppositions about Church. His arguments were "strawmen" against all things Protestant and Catholic. There was no room for me to speak because I represented the nature of his frustrations. Yet, this time things were different. Why?

When another man seated with us asked "what is a chaplain?" I said, "Like a college campus minister, I serve a community but I'm not on staff at a Church. I'm like a pastor without walls". In a flash Jim's countenance change. He said, "This is a wonderful idea". From that point forward we had a wonderful gospel centered conversation.

Jim (not his real name by the way) is a great example of many people beyond the immediate circle of the Church. They refuse Jesus based on ideas projected towards organized Churches. By sidestepping his perceptions, I was able to step into the gap.

My interaction with Jim fits the Engaging section of the graph below.

We are creating a series of short videos explaining the nature of community chaplaincy. Here is one from our first series.

Financial Update.

We have two funding models. They are as follows:

Phase 1 Raise two years of support. We call these two years our booster engines.
Phase 2 Establish long term indigenous support with local churches and community leaders coupled with existing institutional grants.

If Phase 1 is called our booster engines, then Phase 2 is our sustainable orbit. We are currently at 25% of Phase 1. To reach orbiting altitude we need monthly partnerships (we divide onetime gifts by 12).

Two other needs:

We have two other partnership opportunities available.

Prayer Simply put: "We need your prayers". If you are willing to pray for us on a regular (daily, weekly) basis, please let us know. While telling us does not make the prayer effective, it is super encouraging.
Words - Words can come in two distinct forms:
- Collaboration and Advocacy.
Long term we need both. Presently advocacy feels more pressing. Getting the word out is both essential as well as a path to building a sustainable model. While we are SO GRATEFUL for support from our existing network, advocacy leads to a larger network which fosters a special form of encouragement.

Building a support network is an essential part of the process. By faith we will once again fully engage the community.

Status Update

As previously stated, we are 25% funded.
We are waiting for our 501C3 determination letter. This is a slow process with the IRS. Once this is received all contributions (previous and present) are retroactively applied.
Our supporters have provided the airfare and three days of rental car use. With this partnership Heather and I will attend a pastoral care conference this Fall. THANK YOU!
We are not the first to launch community chaplaincy. However, the demand far exceeds the supply of pastors. Our work is charting the path for other Churches and individuals. We must raise 100% of our support.

New Vertical

Quick explanations for advocates

Chaplaincy is a new title for some, so below are some quick descriptions of New Vertical:

Here is a link to our channel for short educational videos. New Vertical - YouTube
In the 70's the culture was 90% Christian. The local pastor could reach the community on Sunday. Moving forward less than 30% identify as Christian. If the local pastor is like a tank driver, Market place chaplains are like infantry support. We need both, and we need them both to support each other.
Think Young Life (student ministry) to the business and community leaders. Marketplace Chaplains can connect with a Chamber of Commerce or other civic groups as an extension of a local Church's mission.
Picture the names on the banner in the outfield. NEW VERTICAL engages the leaders of those businesses. The health of these operators impacts the health of a community.

Grateful

You are loved and we are grateful. His Grace is enough.