Interest Meeting
We did it! We had our first interest meeting. I can’t wait to tell you about it.
Update
On Sunday our day started early, we gathered with our own church family at Riviera Baptist Church for a wonderful time of worship and fellowship. I taught a class on evangelism, then kid’s class on Noah and the flood. No we did not get into Nephilim with the elementary age kiddos. Then we participated in our church-wide Simeon Trust class on First Principles.
Sunday really is the best day of the week.
Then the hustle kicked in, if it wasn’t there before. Rachel got to cooking the meal for our guests with the wonderful help of our beloved sister Linda. The kids were just shy of feral barbarians engaged in turf wars and Pokémon trading. I got audio and visuals dialed in with some help.
In the evening I waited eagerly for our guests and got to see some really dear people come and support us. I tried to sell people on a new MLM idea I had, but they just wanted to hear about the church plant. It felt a little insensitive but I guess I understand. I preached on Christ as the King, Head, and Foundation of the church and then shared about the doctrine of Coram Deo Baptist Church.
Clarity
Spending almost all our time on what the church believes is not the flashy or sexy strategy. It doesn’t “hook them’ (as the kids say). However, our conviction is that it is Christ and our confession that binds together a local church family. That means that we need to be up front with what we believe and why.
According to Carl Trueman’s Crisis of Confidence (not sponsored), without a clear confession (statements of doctrine committed to) it is impossible for the church to really thrive. Some folks do this with a relatively straightforward statement of orthodoxy regarding essential doctrines such as the deity of Christ and the Trinity. We, however, believe that the Christian life is more robust than just those doctrines, though they remain essential, community requires unity and unity requires transparency. The church wants to know the doctrine of the church, and if they don’t they ought to!
The questions we got during our Q+A were astute and relevant, allowing me to see where I needed to provide greater clarity. It was also encouraging to hear from people who were serious about the church.
The night was a heart-filling success and God was glorified. I left even more excited to see what God was going to do.
Prayer Requests
That God brings the right people to be a part of our core planting team.
That God provides clarity and open doors for a potential location.
That God provides for us financially to support the church and allow me to commit to full-time ministry.
Don’t miss out on our last interest meeting in January.
