http://www.stephengray.org Stephen Gray Blog RSS Feed misc@bitsculptor.com (Eric Schlange) Mon, 8 Feb 2010 7:04:48 CDT Bitsculptor RSS OAF v1.0 http://www.stephengray.org/img/logo-rss.gif http://www.stephengray.org http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/School-of-Hard-Knocks/id/19/blog.asp Church planting reminds me of the Indiana Jones movies. Every plant is a new adventure full of excitement and potential doom. Indiana was always chasing the elusive prize and never knew what pitfalls he would face around the next corner. None the less, he pushed ahead and faced each problem in a new and creative way. Remember the scene in the third movie where Indiana was standing on the side of... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Fade-Away/id/15/blog.asp In Feb 09, my new book Full Disclosure: The F-Words of Church Planting, will be releaed from ChurchSmart Resources. In this book Barry Smith, my co-author and I speak about the dangers of Fade-Away. What is fade-away? It is the constant and unfortunate fading of vision, most churches suffer. Below is an expert from this book. If you like what you see, you can pre-order the book in the store. In 1... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Eating-The-Elephant/id/64/blog.asp Ever been in a situation where the Elephant in the room was obvious yet no one wanted to address it? If you have been in ministry for any length of time, the answer to that question is YES! So often we want to change things or to see things change but have little courage to face the Elephant head-on. We walk around it, ignore it, point in another direction or blindly walk into it time after time. ... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Haiti-Earthquake/id/63/blog.asp As most everyone knows by now a massive, 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, January 12th. The damage to buildings is extensive and the number of deaths is estimated, by the American Red Cross, to be upwards of 50,000. World Vision, a Christian humanitarian charity organization, is on the ground rushing emergency supplies to survivors of this catast... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/No-More-Lone-Rangers/id/62/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 691 3939 General Baptist 32 7 4837 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-par... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Change-is-never-easy-But-it-is-necessary%2E/id/61/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 429 2449 General Baptist 20 4 3007 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Coorporate-Self-Esteem/id/60/blog.asp The size of a congregation will, by and large, set the agenda for its future viability and effectiveness. We become what we think we are. The congregations attitutde about themsleves will set the pace for the future of the churches effectiveness. As Solomon wrote, as a man thinks in his heart, so he is. Prov 23:7. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts.The self-image of a congregation is v... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/The-call-to-plant/id/59/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 735 4193 General Baptist 34 8 5149 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Recessions-Impact-On-Christian-Organizations/id/58/blog.asp New Survey - The Recession's Impact on Christian Nonprofit Organizations by Ashley High How are Christian nonprofits surviving the economic downturn? A recent survey conducted by J. David Schmidt Associates for the Christian Leadership Alliance discovered the main ways Christian nonprofits are reducing expenses and handling the economys impact. Below are the results of Economic Outlook Survey: ... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Ten-Deadly-Sins-of-Dying-Churches/id/27/blog.asp Why are our young people leaving the Church and how can we regain their attention? Can we, as Christ followers, help the younger generation rediscover an essential quality to the Church? Those pressing questions were the catalyst behind the research revealed in essential Church by Thom and Sam Rainer. According to the authors, more than two-thirds of young adults drop out of church between the age... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/The-Power-of-10/id/57/blog.asp God is doing some amazing things through the Power of Ten challenge. Some churches have adopted the Power Of Ten as a church-wide challenge and others have used it as a Sunday School Challenge. Everday God is bringing us new churches, leaders, and church planting opportunities. God is up to something big and it is exciting to know that we are a part of His great plan. Over the next few months I e... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Friendly-Fire/id/56/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 128 730 General Baptist 6 1 896 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false According to Webster's dictionary the word fidelity means “The quality or state of being faithful.” Fidelity is synonymous with words like devotion, faithfulness and allegiance. No doubt these are qualities ev... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Is-the-and%2334Institutionaland%2334-Church-Anti-Biblical%3F/id/55/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 585 3337 General Baptist 27 6 4098 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false Over the last few years the demonizing of the institutional church has ramped up. The Church, as it stands, has been called the bad guy in the midst of all kinds of cultural and societal changes. As Ben Wit... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/The-Barnabas-Factor-Part-2/id/54/blog.asp v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} Normal.dotm 0 0 1 701 3998 General Baptist 33 7 4909 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-styl... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/The-Barnabas-Factor/id/53/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 1010 5758 General Baptist 47 11 7071 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in ... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/The-State-Of-The-Church/id/52/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 1348 7686 General Baptist 64 15 9438 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Financing-A-Church-Plant/id/51/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 511 2915 General Baptist 24 5 3579 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false The amount of money it takes to start up a new church is always a big issue. When I was trying to start my church, it affected me. I spent thousands of dollars on things like rent, promotion, equipment, the day-to-day bills, and then... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Leadership-In-Church-Planting/id/50/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 562 3208 General Baptist 26 6 3939 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Finding-Leaders/id/49/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 104 596 General Baptist 4 1 731 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Reaching-Critical-Mass-Quickly/id/48/blog.asp Normal.dotm 0 0 1 1259 7177 General Baptist 59 14 8813 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Dont-Be-Married-To-The-Church/id/7/blog.asp Dont be married to the church? What? Why would anyone ever blog about that? As a preachers kid I understand this problem in ways I wish I didnt. As a pastor of 21 years I have not only experienced the effects of this problem in my life, but also helped to promote it in many ways. In my fathers generation, it was widely accepted that the church always came before the family. Why? Somehow his servic... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Volunteers-or-Missionaries%3F/id/46/blog.asp From the inner cities to the plains of Mid-America, Volunteers are an important part of our society. Political campaigns, para-church organizations, and non-profits of every form and kind would not be able to function without a good volunteer base. It is safe to say that your church would not be able to function week-to-week without a strong group of volunteers. As I have considered the state o... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/The-Power-of-Ten/id/45/blog.asp Our national event, the Missions Ministry Summit, was a tremendous success. Wednesday night, July 29th, I was given a brief opportunity to share my thoughts and cast cision for what I believe God would do 2010 through National Missions. Like any good pastor, I had spent weeks praying, and dreaming about what I might say before those who attended the MM Summit. I was fairly confident of what I... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Go-After-Men/id/44/blog.asp It has been a while since I wrote a new blog. I have spent the last month traveling far too much. April 21-24 I attended and spoke, at the invite of Ed Stetzer, at Exponential 08. Exponential is a national conference designed with the church planter in mind. The seminars covered everything from Nuts and Bolts of church planting to the Organic Church movement. I highly recommend this conference to ... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Life-in-the-margin/id/20/blog.asp Over the last few days I have been engrossed in a book called Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson. Dr. Swenson starts the book by sharing how progress, which was suppose to give us more time to do the things we want, has actually robbed us of proper margins in our life. The technology that was suppose to take our work and si... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Satisfied/id/43/blog.asp If Only... Those are two of the most haunting words in the English language when joined together. If only I hadn't..... If only I could..... If only it would..... If only I was able to ..... Fill in your own ending to those phrases. We all have them don't we? Even in our ministry we tend to look out over the horizon of things to come and gaze behind us saying if only.... If only God had giv... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Top-12-Church-Innovations/id/42/blog.asp I have spent the last few days in Dallas, TX. at the Ideation Conference hosted by Leadership Network. Sixty of the top church dreamers and innovators were invited to come and be a part of this conference. Several of those present were from across the pond. (England, Germany, Denmark, Australia). It was an awesome experience hanging around with people who have a passion for, and love the church. ... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Doing-Proper-Follow-up%2E/id/41/blog.asp Having a good follow-up/assimilation strategy in place prior to your launch, is one of the most significant and important jobs to tackle. Yet, in all the church planting books on the market few, if any, address this enormous task. Failure to have this system in place will kill your momentum. Too often church planters allow their pride to get in the way of creating proper measures to re-invite firs... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/Breaking-200/id/40/blog.asp A church plant is a lot like a boulder on a barren mountainside. Youve seen this same rock in many adventure movies. Perhaps youve seen two nondescript cowboys desperately prying it loose, and then watching it fall. It quickly picks up speed, knocking other smaller rocks loose. Rocks smash against other rocks, breaking them from their resting places. All at once, a clamorous noise ensues, dust ris... http://www.stephengray.org/w/title/The-Churchs-Task/id/17/blog.asp As I was doing my devotions this morning I read the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. What an amazing story! Just imagine the look on the faces of those who witnessed this miracle. I wonder what I would have thought if I were there? The response of the crowd was mixed. Some hated Jesus and other became believers on the spot. In the midst of this story is a strange happening that oc...