Pastorpreneur

It has been a LOOOONG time....so here's to catching up

Not sure I have ever gone this long without posting to the blog...ouch!  So...here is one of those whirlwind updates for the Pastorpreneur family...here is what's been "up" since Easter:

*  Weekend services at CVC have been great, with our series on "Jesus in Da Crib" helping us address relationship health, including one particularly intense week where I spoke about lust, pornography, and adultery. 

*  The Thrive Conference was OFF THE HOOK in every possible way.  Unbelievable speakers, environment, impact, oh man!  70+ people from CVC attended and many are still "messed up" in the best possible sense of the word.  We also launched Thriving Churches International  at the conference and are already seeing great responses.  Over 1200 children were sponsored for Compassion International and there are over 1000 pre-registrations for Thrive 2010!

*  Family is doing really great; Dena is finishing up her first year of a Master's Degree at Biola/Talbot in Apologetics, Rachel is completing her last year of high school/first year of community college-she leaves for William Jessup University in the summer.  Joshua and Harrison are doing well in school and playing baseball like crazy.  Pam and I are going to see Jennifer and Derek this week for a reception in Derek's family home in Carver, MA.

*  God is on the move in so many dimensions...and we get to experience it every day.  Thanks so much for your prayers and support!  

Love is Here-Easter triumphs!

What an amazing Easter celebration we had at CVC.  We had 8 services on our Minden campus and 3 services at our Dayton campus with combined attendance of over 4200 people.  This in an area where only 100,000 people live within 30 miles of us and typically only 5% attend church on a given weekend.

Today, I was just given a list of 488 "barrier" cards that were dropped into a chest at the foot of the cross during our 8 services at the Minden campus.  UNBELIEVABLE.  I will be reading and praying over that list for quite some time....believing God for His working in the hearts and lives of the hundreds who made decisions to name and surrender the barrier that was keeping them from experiencing the love of God in Christ.

We are humbled and awed at the stewardship of these lives; pray for this weekend at CVC as we start a new series called, Jesus in Da Crib.  We'll be looking at how Jesus radically alters our relationship map.

Love is Here...NOW!

I grew up going to church every Easter (multiple services!) so I relate most easily to those for whom the Easter expeience seems like an annual experience without much personal impact.  SO...every year I pray that history will become HIS STORY and therefore make it OUR STORY.

This year at CVC we are doing our human best to demonstrate the connection and personal impact.  We've already had our first two services on Friday and have our next two today (4:30 and 6 p.m.), followed by 4 on Sunday (8,9:30,11,12:30).  Pray that we will be faithful to the TRUTH and to the STORY of the RISEN KING!

Join with followers of Jesus around the world in celebrating the Risen Christ this Easter!

Pastorpreneurs say God is not Dead!

Several years ago I coined and trademarked the term Pastorpreneur.  Here is what I wrote in the first edition of the book in 2003 (a new paperback version of the book has just been released by Abingdon Press

As I have shared the concept of partnerships with a number of pastors, some have called this “an entrepreneurial strategy for churches.” It combines the aggressive goals of business with God’s heart for people. I later merged these ideas and coined the term pastorpreneur. A pastorpreneur is a pastoral innovator, a creative dreamer who is willing to take great risks in church ministry with the hope of great gain for

Chris

t and his kingdom. Like any good entrepreneur, this kind of leader isn’t wild-eyed and foolish. He assesses goals, opportunities, and risks very carefully, but he is willing to attempt great things for God. His path is checkered with successes and defeats, but his successes touch many more people than if he had chosen to play it safe, and he learns from his failures so even they are stepping-stones to future gains.

Since that time, the term has appeared in a number of places including online definition soure sites, Christianity Today,  Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox, and in The December 2005 Edition of The Economist.  Most recently, John Micklethwait, the Editor in Chief of The Economist and Adrian Wooldridge, the Washington Bureau Chief of the same publication, wrote in the April 7th, 2009 edition about the fact that "God is not dead" (whew..that IS good news!) in response to the Newsweek article of April 13, 2009 declaring "The End of Christian America".

In the article, the writers cited Rick Warren and      Bill Hybels as positive examples of Pastorpreneurs.  Both men have positively impacted my life and ministry and I'm excited about their Kingdom Impact.

Pastors and Entrepreneurs AND Pastorpreneurs...all for the glory of God!

Thrive 2009 Sold Out-Studio Seating Now Available!

Well friends...I'd been warning you that Thrive 2009 would sell out.  And, it has.  BUT, in order to squeeze in more people, we are going to provide up to 600 additional seats at a RECESSION BUSTING price of $50!!  Oh my goodness...you still get to experience all the amazing stuff of Thrive (I was in a programming meeting yesterday and you better get your seatbelt on)...and catch all the breakouts...for about 80% OFF the base price. You can register here for the $50 Studio Seating

 

Ministry happens best with Friends

I never wanted to be in a vocational ministry setting (really wanted to be a pro baseball player, but that's another story).  But, since having a strong and specific sense of call from God at the age of 16, I have been really fortunate to serve in ministry with friends.  In addition to my amazing wife and children who have been the bedrock of my life since day #1, and my extended family who are constantly a source of support and encouragement, I have 30+ years in ministry where I've gotten to "network" before networking was cool.  Here are a few of the "peeps" that I'd love to call out with a "public" thanks for what they sown into my life:

*  My # 1 team at CVC. The Pastoral Staff, Accountability Team, and Worship Arts Team are all a joy to work with every week; all the peeps at CVC rock!

* Amazing friends and ministry partners at Thriving Churches (new website coming soon!) and Ray Johnston and Bayside Church.  I can't say enough about how excited I am about Bayside Church, Thriving Churches and the future

*  Lots of awesome Southern and Northern California pastor friends including:    Glenn Gunderson, Tom Mercer, Jack Hamilton, Dane Aaker, Andy Vom Steeg, Tim Brown, David Cooke, Bob Cherry, Pete Shaw.

*  Great ministry network leaders like Conrad Lowe, Paul Borden, David Travis, Greg Wiens, Bill Hoyt, John Kaiser, Billy Hornsby, Chris Hodge,

*  Stellar ministry leaders (some of whom are friends, others primarily acquaintances)  from whom I have and continue to learn from "afar":  John Maxwell, Lyle Schaller, Peter Drucker, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Andy Stanley, Ed Young, Larry Osborne, Mark Beeson, Mark Batterson, Tony Morgan, Tim Stevens, Craig Groeschel, Brady Boyd, John Bevere, Mark Driscoll, Dave Ferguson, Scott Hodge, Perry Noble, Ed Stetzer, Nelson Searcy.

So...why list all these people?  Just spending some time thanking God for people who have sown into my life over the years, whether they knew it or not?  THANK YOU!

Thrive 2009 Conference Sold Out-BUT WAIT, GOOD NEWS!

The Thrive 2009 conference on April 30-May 2nd is technically sold out.  That is not too surprising to me as God has used that conference to touch many lives and the momentum building there is substantial.  What IS surprising is that they are going to allow just 300 more tickets to be sold.  The reason they can do this is that they are going to ask 300 folks from Bayside Church to sit in overflow seats during one general session.

If you want to register now, click on this link.  God is on the move, and I want to join Him!  

Kingdom Agenda not on my Schedule

Yesterday (Monday) I had a day where I had about 3 good chunks of time where I wanted to read, write, and get ahead on teaching and vision preparation.  It was going to be a good day and I was going to do what I thought God wanted me to do.

I ended up having a 17 hour day...where only about 6 hours of the day's activities were on my scheduled agenda.  The rest got either added, expanded, or down right changed.  I struggled with frustration all day about not getting my agenda "done".  Then, about 10 p.m. I felt like the Holy Spirit said this, "Thanks for cooperating with my agenda today instead of yours".  OUCH!  I ended up repenting and giving thanks to God for letting me hear His voice about HIS agenda instead of mine.

I went to bed with a sense of peace.  I woke up with peace.  The work will get done.  HIS work will get done.  My understanding of what He wants me to do is less important than what He wants me to do.  Make sense?  Making more sense to me today than it did yesterday...

Thrive 2009 Conference...better act quickly...

I have some inside information.  I could tell you my source, but then...well...you get the picture. 

The Thrive 2009 Conference is "technically" sold out.  However, we are actually going to sell just 400 more spaces and ask the dear folks at Bayside Church if they would be willing to spend one general session in the  overflow rooms.

Franklin Graham, Frances Chan, Brenda Salter-McNeil, Ray Johnston, Sherwood Carthen, Nick Vujicic are all General Session Speakers.  But this year, we have added some "Super Breakouts" in addition to the 50 plus breakouts on all the key ministry areas.  Super Breakout speakers include Larry Osborne, Chris Brown, Bil Cornelius, Eric Bryant, Gerardo Marti, David Chow and others. 

Thrive is like a "Niagra Falls" of refreshment and this year will be no different...PLUS, I happen to know that there are some amazing announcements that will be made this year.

So...if you have not yet registered, Don't Delay any Longer--REGISTER NOW

See you there...I'm yours for Thriving! 

God-Size goes Aussie!

One of the amazing things about writing is how the process typically begins in a small fixed location where the author's life is focused.  Then, through the marvels of an increasingly small and interconnected world, the writing and its impact goes viral.

So, I just received a very cool review of God-Size Your Church from Wayne Field, an Australian Pastor who has a most excellent website resource.  Not only did Wayne give a good review, but I'm pleased at the response to the book so far.  If you want to check out my books on Amazon, go ahead and click the link.

Thanks Wayne for your kind review!