Chicken and Egg

Presently Heather and I live in two realities. These are:

Offering the Gospel to marketplace leaders (the essentials of New Vertical) as we have been for the past 25 years.
Building the foundations of NEW VERTICAL as a chaplaincy organization.

So when people ask, "How long have you been doing this?" I say somewhere between 5 months and the last 25 years.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In this season we are: building networks, raising support, and exploring ways to strengthen discipleship channels. God has blessed us with an amazing platform, and we are taking each day step by step.

Below are two recent ministry opportunities.

Grateful in the Rockies

A HUGE thank you to our supporters. Your contributions made it possible for Heather and I to attend a recent retreat with Bent-Tree.

Bent-Tree is a ministry dedicated to pastoral wellness. We were blessed with an opportunity to speak on Love and Repentance in breakout sessions and small groups with 50 pastors and their wives.

New Vertical Chat - this month

As mentioned in our last update, shepherding in the GAP requires a nonlinear approach. Therefore, we are recording a 4-part chat to be released this month. This first installment is titled "Is Christianity Left or Right?"

It is a conversation between me and a friend (local business owner) who is openly unsure about Christianity. This is not a theological debate, rather it is a gospel exploration. Additional installments we hope to explore with other friends:

Micro Stewardship
Hospitality (contrasting Sunday service with restaurant servers)
The Invisible Community Coach (athletics)
And several other conversational reflections I have on a weekly basis.

Each installment is designed to be a whimsical invitation to explore gospel truths. We will send a special update when the first series is published. Here is a snapshot of things to come.

Financial Update.

We are at 37% of our Phase 1 budget. Reminder. 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.

We are a 501C3!

By faith we will see NEW VERTICAL continue to expand its discipleship engagements.

You can help by advocating for us with the following:

Coporate matching funds. Often times large organizations (J&J, IBM, GE, etc.) will match giving for 501C3 organizations. Is your organization one such place? Often a Corporations will match an employee's charitable donations.
Family Offices and donor advised boards. If you can advocate for us we would be grateful.
We can pursue dedicated grants. While we plan to engage groups such as the Lilly fund, Maclellan Foundation, etc., we also need advocacy. If you know a gatekeeper at a similar organization, we would love an introduction.

The need for marketplace chaplaincy is big. By faith our network can connect us to individuals on Wallstreet and Mainstreet who have a heart for leadership ministry.

This week and beyond:

This week: I will attend two conferences.
- The first is designed to equip marketplace leaders with the gospel.
- The second is designed to present the gospel to non-Christian C-Suite leaders in the Tech Industry
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, it is super encouraging.
Words - Words can come in two distinct forms:
- Collaboration and Advocacy. Getting the word out is both essential as well as a path to building a sustainable model.

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

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.