Mark Waltz | ...Because People Matter

Attractional or Missional? Yes.

There's quite a debate going on in church-world these days: are you a missional church or attractional church? It's a heated debate. Most seem to think it's one or the other. Either you're intent on drawing a crowd to your campus, to your weekend, to your message OR you're taking the message out there, off the campus, meeting people in their context. Which is it?

At Granger, we think it's both.

Last week our own DC Curry - student ministries director extraordinaire - was in Japan playing with Notre Dame in the Japan Bowl (ND whooped 'em - 19-3). He was there with ND, but he was there as a Christ-follower. He was there as GCC's student director. His "hat" never came off. He was missional.

This week he and the rest of our student staff are leading a high school team of 38 (including our daughter) in missions work in Monterray, Mexico. 

All week long our South Bend community center has continued to serve the people of Monroe Circle - with relational care, food, and community.

On Thursday another team of adults leaves for India, bringing hope to a small community of otherwise outcasts.

And at home? On our campus? We're inviting friends and family to explore relationships as God intended them. We're teaching through a communication series called Sand Traps, attracting people who would otherwise write off church as irrelevant and stoggy.

Check this out: the following two videos played in the same weekend service. One making a comical point about how arrogance can mess up relationships. The other celebrating the missional work being done by the people called Granger Community Church.

Attractional or missional? Yes.

Kalavai from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Golfisode - Episode 3: The Arrogance Trap from Granger Community on Vimeo.

Back for a Minute...

So, after quite a break I'm back for a minute to say I'll be back after another break. I'm sure that breaks several blog and leadership rules. But, it's my blog, right? And you are reading it... So...

I'm taking the next week to spend with family... and a hammer, rake and paint roller. It's a stay-work-project-cation. Sounds like work, fun, too little sleep and all with the people I enjoy most. While I'm out the next week, I'm looking forward to...

• Finishing Tim Keller's The Prodigal God
• Also finishing Peter Rollins' The Orthodox Heretic
• Ripping out an old shed (and discovering the adventure that awaits inside)
• Sun with family at the lake
• Sleeping in... staying up late (as in ... now)
• Maybe a little XBox (probably... likely... pretty sure)

In the mean time - I highly recommend you...

• Check out the launch of Sand Traps with classic Mark Beeson story-telling that gets to the heart of the scripture lesson as only Mark can! - HERE
• Read Tim or Peter's books with me (above)
• Get registered for Willow's annual Leadership Summit, August 6 & 7! If you attend Granger, you can do so here; if not, go here.
• Keep up with people who are currently blogging this week, like:
• • Mark Beeson
  • Tim Stevens
  • Kathy Guy
  • Kem Meyer
• If you're not following me on Twitter, you might catch a snippet or two of the week here.
• Wanna keep up to speed on all things Granger Community, follow @gccwired on Twitter here.

I'll check in here again after the 20th.

Behind the Scenes @ Granger

2 weeks away. 2 days. 24 leaders.

There's still time to sneak behind the scenes with the senior management team at Granger Community Church. We invited 24 leaders to join us last year for the first time. Not for a conference. Not for programmed sessions. Not for hours of teaching.

We're inviting 24 church leaders again this year. In just 2 weeks. If you lead your church, you're invited to a 2-day conversation. With our senior team. With other great leaders from other great churches.

We've cleared our calendars May 6 and 7, just 2 weeks away. We want to listen. We want to share. We want to invest in you and your ministry. We'll drill down on...

• how we do life together
• administrative issues and decision-making processes
• first Impressions and guest services
• creative brainstorming and planning
• spiritual development and training
• missions impact and partnership models

The cost of the 2 days includes all meals and hotel lodging - all you have to do is get here. But register quickly. Register today. Register here.

You've Got Choices

If you missed Mark Beeson's message this past weekend about connecting and belonging, go check it out here! It's a "must see" service! It was a service of inspiration, humor, and high energy arts all aimed at helping us take a step toward significant friendships (at least four of them) with others whose feet are pointed the same direction - toward Christ.

There are always abundant opportunities to connect at Granger Community. Granted, it requires a step... or two. Sometimes another. But, every month, every week opportunities exist to connect and grow.

However, this week, there are an abundant array of options at the church building to do so. Make a choice, and move toward community and growth in your journey:

• Monday night is Group Night: Join dozens of others for Starting Point (this time for single adults on the Granger campus; for any adult in Elkharat on the 27th) or View Point (Bible study) groups on the Granger campus tonight. It all starts at 6:30 pm. It's not too late to join in!
• Hillsong Concert: Tuesday night... if you have a ticket. Yes, they're sold out. So, if you're looking for an opportunity to join others in a night of worship and singing - plan to join us for First Wednesday on Wednesday, May 1st at 6:30 pm at the Granger Campus.
• Journey Bible Classes: Wednesday night. 3 choices. All Bible. With other people with some of the same questions you have. Check out the options here.
• VolunTOUR: Next weekend, after every service - at Granger and at Elkhart. Curious about where and how you can make a significant contribution with your life while meeting some new friends? Check it out this coming Saturday and Sunday. 

P.S. Stay connected to the Elkhart Campus here and at Jeff Bell's (he's our awesome campus pastor) blog here.

Easter '09 | Boomin'

f

(Photo by Mark Beeson)

God's original design for his creation was order, creative order. Harmonious. Rhythmic. In sync.

A selfish inclination to define identity and worth left humankind painfully disconnected, out of sync with God and his created purpose.

Jesus came on the scene, on our level, in our disjointed world of oppression, injustice, and poverty to create a pathway, a sense of wholeness again. He showed us what the Father's love looks like. He lived and died by values that are "other world", and yet, intended to be our world. In sync.

That's the EASTER message. And at Granger Community Church this weekend, it's boomin'!

30 Day Sex Challenge | Is Sex the Point?

I know, I know. It seems like a crazy question to ask a week into this month-long sex challenge: Is sex even the point? It is, obviously. But maybe not.

• What's the point of a football player spending hours in the weight room? To bench record weights? To sweat a lot? No, the point is to play ball better on the field.
• What's the point of studying for an exam or doing daily homework in school? Merely the grade? No, the point is to be equipped for life experiences, including the workforce.
• What's the point of spiritual practices? To know more about the Bible? To be an expert "pray-er"? Hardly. The point is to live a transformed life after the Way of God and his agenda.

Maybe sex isn't the point. If you thought it was and it's created tension in your marriage and bedroom. Call a timeout.

The point is not to merely get to the end of a month and be able to say, "We did it for 30 days!" The point is not to set new records in skill, frequency or creativity (although there's nothing wrong with that, I'm sure). The point is to journey toward intimacy. And intimacy isn't just about the physical act of sex.

Intimacy is about connection.It's about listening. It calls for selfless denial. It involves changing your agenda, your priority, your behavior. Intimacy may culminate in the bedroom, but it doesn't start there. Intimacy starts in the heart. It's a mindful, willful decision. It shows up in phone calls, non-sexual touch (that might mean you don't expect anything after giving the back rub, guys), doing the dishes, and parenting the kids. Intimacy, romance... foreplay. It starts way before the bedroom.

Is sex the point?

Kinda. It will be a helpful practice.

Here's what my wife and I have discovered over the past week:

• We've had more intentional conversations about our shared life, goals, and sex.
• We've been more careful to speak positively into each other.
• We've flirted more.
• We've listened better.
• We've ... (you don't need to know everything).

So, ask yourself: Do I want to love my spouse better at the end of this 30-day journey? Or do I just want to look back on a month of great sex?

Answering that question could be a challenge.

Some of you would do well to start over with a 30-day Romance Challenge. Yeah, romance.

By the way, there's a good chance you'll still have sex this month.

(Missed getting the book from our bookstore? You can order it here from the authors, Paul and Susie Wirth.)

(Curious about where you can get your own bedroom door hanger and other tools for the journey? Check 'em all out here.)

Get Your Head Out of the Sand!

At Granger Community Church we're committed to meeting people where they are. We've discovered that most people who are unchurched aren't too concerned with Levitical law, Jewish ceremonial cleansing rites, or how to parse a Greek verb. Most people are trying to navigate challenges related to parenting, a flailing sense of self worth, how to make a living, and even personal sexuality. So, that's where we want to meet them. Right where they are.

We just finished up week two in our weekend series, Sex for Sale. The Bible has a lot to say about sex. God created it. So, we're not afraid to talk about it.

But it seems some people are very afraid for us - the church - to talk about it. Ironic, I think.

I'm speaking specifically about churched people who consider themselves to be Christians. I don't understand them. I want to. But I don't. I don't want to be unkind. But this might sound a bit frank.

Get your head out of the doggone sand!

I've heard parents in our office, at our guest services desk, and on the phone - angry, rude, unkind, scathing - sharing a piece of their mind because their sixth or seventh grader will be expected to sit through the service (Our age appropriate ministry that runs concurrently to the adult service only goes through fifth grade.) Are you kidding me?

I'm shocked that any parent would choose to not talk with their child about sexuality before middle school. In fact, with no suggestion of the "right" age, conservative Christian parenting expert, James Dobson's Focus on the Family website calls parents to "get started now" with the sex talks. Parents who have decided not to talk with their children, especially delaying past third or forth grade, have merely decided to bury their head in the sand while their child's peers and the media "educate" them on sex. Such education is certain to be distorted at best, perverted at worst.

I wonder:

• Does this topic open too many wounds, scratch too close to personal distortions connected to parents' own sense of worth? Is it just too difficult to face the truth inside their own life?
• Does the discussion of sex in church present a risk of guilt and shame, because parents feel unable to speak with any sense of moral authority to their own kids? (God offers forgiveness. You can start again.)
• Do some Christians think "spiritual life" is about believing the right stuff, having a great "worship" experience, with little to no integration to real life - like relationships, sexuality, finances, or attitude?
• Do some parents not want the church to "force" the conversation they're not willing to have with their kids?

I just wonder...

By the way - when your head is in the sand, it's dry and suffocating. And when you spew on others who refuse to bury their head, all they can see is... well, your back side.

Hillsong London @ Granger Community

Jason Miller, my friend and fellow pastor at Granger Community Church, just announced that our church will be one stop of 10 cities for Hillsong London. Their coming next month!

For all the details - read Jason's post here.

(I know - some of you hate following the link off this site, but you should be reading Jason's blog anyway. Enjoy!)

30 Days: A Journey To Intimacy | Make Her Shine

This past Sunday I was standing at the back of the auditorium in our weekend service when my friend, Thane walked over to me. Thane's wife, Sarah, wrote, appears, and did her own voice-over for "My Story" (below). As Thane stood beside me, I listened, got choked up, then smiled, then choked up again. Thane's eyes never drifted from the screen. He knew, as I did, that Sarah wasn't merely writing poetic prose. She wasn't portraying someone else in a dramatic presentation. This was her story. Thane was moved all over again.

When we stepped out of the service, I looked Thane in the eyes and said, Thane, I know that God is at work in Sarah, but don't miss this. You are loving her well. You are helping her experience her worth and value. Keep loving her.

To every married man - get this:

• Your wife's identity is ultimately to be understood, realized, and lived out in Jesus. She's created by God and being redeemed by the work of Jesus' Spirit within her.
• But, people are still his number one plan for developing people.
• Your wife will blossom, grow, develop, and shine because you value her.
  • Call out the best in her.
  • Treat her like the treasure God made her to be.
  • Remember what attracted you to her and refresh her memory.
  • Ask God to help you see her as He sees her.
  • Love her.

She'll shine.

Enjoy this video of Sarah's story and Angie Henry's performance of the moving song, Breath Me that follows.

My Story from Granger Community on Vimeo.

30 Days of Sex | Announcement or Next Step?

I'm posting this video clip from this past weekend for two audiences, two purposes.

First, Granger Community Church attendees and members:

• If you missed the weekend, you missed this unapologetic recommendation from our senior pastor, Mark Beeson. Interested in an approach to your sexuality and relationships that honors God and the people closest to you? Then, get these resources. Today. There's a limited amount of each title. The bookstore will be open prior to and following Journey Bible Classes this Wednesday - beat the weekend rush, get the book(s) while you can!
• If you're married and you've picked up the book, 30 Days, A Journey To Intimacy, then, just remember: "the Beesons are with you!"

Second, friends of Granger Community - church leaders and pastors:

• Mark Beeson's recommendation of these resources is a great example of what an intentional promotion looks like. This is no mere announcement.
• Church services are cluttered every weekend across the country (the globe) with announcements that few people pay attention to because it's just more noise, another menu item among dozens.
• Stop making announcements. Offer "next steps." Next steps are practical, doable steps that many if not all in your weekend service can take on their journey toward and with God. More than just one more thing to do, next steps help people actually apply the teaching that was so helpful to them when they heard it.
• Next steps help people take the message of the weekend into their world of relationships and activities. Next steps help people engage the process of discipleship in every area of life, integrating Jesus' way as the norm for living.

Pay attention: this is good stuff - 

Beeson's Recommended Reading from Granger Community on Vimeo.

30-Day Sex Challenge | Week One

If you're married and you attended the first week of our new series at Granger Community Church this weekend, you know about the 30-Day Sex Challenge. If you picked up the book (over 500 copies were sold), you know a little more about the challenge.

Personal conversations, Facebook, and Twitter-world were marked with a variety of thoughts about the challenge. Mark Beeson announced during weekend services that he and Sheila were taking the challenge, doing the 30-days, something like that. Others commented that they were "working on the challenge - the reading part, that is." I overheard one man say that his wife asked him to do the reading and give her the summary. I don't know if she'll make a similar request of the sex part or not: "just give me the summary."

I've heard a female or two suggest that the whole challenge must be a "man's idea." I silently agreed, but defended the challenge as "mutual."

The temptation for every married man will be to declare "day one" of every-day sex as soon as possible. The likely temptation for many women will be to read the book first, looking for any loopholes to the challenge that's become very personal.

Here are some considerations as you embark on week one of the challenge:

• Read the Wirth's (they authored the book) story in part one (pages 1-36), including a sneak peek at the book's 4-part challenge (spiritual, emotional, sexual, and physical). This will give you context for this intimate journey of rekindling and enhancing your marriage relationship, not merely a 30-day check-off of sexual obligation.
• Review the Granger Notes from the weekend message. Specifically, use the "Questions to Ponder this Week" on the back page of the notes. Identify at least two to three questions to discuss with each other. They're all great questions, but I personally recommend question #3, #4, #6 and #10.
• Spend a little time this week remembering what drew you to each other in the dating season of your relationship. Remember the butterflies in your stomach, the all-day consuming thoughts of seeing each other again, the little, special things you did for each other to say "I'm thinking of you" and "I think you're special." Practice a couple of those things this week. Open the car door for her again. Cook his favorite meal - with candlelight. Send a card - in the mail. Call on the phone and ask her out - for a real date that you actually plan.

It's week one. Seven days. Don't put it off. The reading, I mean. And make time to talk about it. What you read, of course. And, really, it is a 30-day sex challenge. Don't put if off. Yeah, I mean the sex. Just do it.

Wired. Churches. Granger.

Get Here.

• take the bus
• hop a plane
• drive your car
• start walking now

Bring Someone With You.

• your pastor
• your spouse
• your neighbor
• the bus driver
• your Starbucks' barista

Pack Some Stuff.

• your Bible
• a pen
• another pen for the bus driver
• a couple layers of clothes - it's Indiana
  
• a little cash for the cafe

Expect.

• exuberant worship
• practical tools
• engaging teaching
• less clutter, less noise
• new ministry networks

Register.

• now
• online
• here

Volunteering... as Staff

Twenty years ago I worked in human relations in a non-profit agency for six years. During those tenures I volunteered in local church ministry. I led students, taught classes, and chaperoned youth events. Then I spent half a dozen years on a church staff as a youth pastor. From 1997 to 2000 I worked in the marketplace in retail management. Those years were fulfilling years, but they also reminded me of the tremendous contribution our volunteers make.

For the past nine years I've served on the senior management team at Granger as pastor of connections. My entire week is given to serving the church's mission to reach and disciple. I've empowered volunteers. I've trained volunteers. I've celebrated volunteers. Volunteers who give time, energy, and talent for the cause of Christ.

So, a couple weekends ago I strapped a radio to my belt, slipped a headset on and served in the volunteer role of "point person" for our weekend services. I volunteered.

Our point persons run command central for the weekend. They are the communication hub for coordinating needs and requests from children's ministry, ushers, greeters, traffic team and more. They fulfill an enormously responsible role every weekend... as volunteers.

Here are some observations about my volunteer weekend:

• I walked miles around the church campus. I went home Saturday night with a blister on my left heel. Band-aid on Sunday.
• I handled more radio calls than a Bell operator on a party line in 1957 (I have no idea what that means. I just know the radio on my belt kept the headset chirping with activity.).
• People will let you know what you're supposed to do if you don't.
• Timing matters.
• Prompt timing matters.
• People will let you know what you're supposed to do if your timing isn't prompt.
• I touched more volunteers and staff than I ever do when I'm merely roaming hallways and being "present."
• Our volunteers are phenomenal. They give and give and give. And smile all the while.
• People really do create the "wow."
• When volunteers are empowered, they will lead, sacrifice, serve, and make a profound difference with their lives.
• It was a ton of fun!

I will "volunteer" again in the role of "point person." I'll wear different shoes, but I will volunteer again.

Psyched about WiredChurches and INNOVATE '08

It starts tomorrow morning. Shelley Arredondo and I get to spend the day with a room full of people who drove, flew, and got up early to explore the whys and hows of making their churches more welcoming to guests who are seeking Jesus. This workshop invigorates me: I always meet people who inspire me with better ideas than I've had. I'm always encouraged by the bold steps leaders and pastors are willing to take for the sake of people who matter and for the honor of the God who created them.

Then, Thursday and Friday mark red-letter days on my calendar. The INNOVATE conference will bring 800 plus pastors and church leaders - paid and unpaid - from across the continent to our campus in little Michiana. The purpose is not to create a bunch of GCCites. It's not to re-make churches into who and what we are. We are who and what we are because of a unique call on our church, a unique leader and his team, a unique collection of God-SHAPEd people, and a unique demographic surrounding our church region. Another church cannot possilby be GCC.

Innovation is about tapping the original and reinventing the familiar. Innovation is about creating, but it's more than being creative. Innovation is about bringing 100% of who we are to the Kingdom table and expecting God to do something crazy explosive with it, well beyond our meager 100%. Innovation is about team, risk, thinking, rethinking, getting practical and moving. Innovation is about connecting real life with a real God in real time.

It's going to be a radical few days of inspiration, connections, and kingdom-building.

See you there.

GCC Multi-site Preps for Strong Launch

My wife, Laura, and I arrived in time to listen from the back of the room as Jeff Bell, campus pastor of Granger Community Church: Elkhart, coached and celebrated with the Elkhart campus volunteers. It was a moment. Prayer, cheerleading... and cheers! This team was ready.

Today was the first of two "soft opens" at Elkhart. The core group, numbering just under 200 today, set up the Encore Theater like they will every Sunday beginning October 5 - just 3 weeks away. Today was all about running a typical Sunday morning, from set-up to tear-down with a complete service for adults and children's ministry in full gear.

Most of us forgot it was a "test" run.

This worked.

People were engaged. Laughter filled the room during the Culps song medley and the Mr Economy interview. During the  worship/singing experience, people worshipped. They clapped, applauded, and sang. With energy!

Jim Tomberlin, founder, president, and senior strategist of Third Quarter Consulting was with us for our initial launch. He has listened, learned our culture, advised us well within our own community context, and joined us to celebrate this new venture of 100% on-screen service experience. His comment: "Looks like this works!"

All of it worked. This is GCC where people matter to God, excellence honors God and inspires people, the ministries of the church are led and practiced by people gifted to do so, ministry is happening in teams, and people are intentionally taking next steps to follow Christ... together.

Next week: "soft open" number two at the Elkhart site

September 27/28: Commissioning service for the entire Elkhart campus group at the Granger campus

October 5: Grand Opening at the Elkhart campus. We're expecting a crowd!

Did I hear Jeff Bell say, "800?"

Change I Can Believe In

Tonight 1,560 adults poured onto the Granger campus for the first night of Journey Bible Classes! That's nearly double our former New Community crowd! Here are some interesting BUZZ observations:

• Including children and students in their own Bible learning environments - over 2,000 people were in the building tonight!
• People who'd only driven past the northeast parking lot, hoofed it to the building from waaaaayyyy out there. There were reportedly as few as only a dozen parking spaces unused.
• People waited in traffic for more than 15 minutes, trying to get into the parking lot. And several smiled as they talked about it!
• Volunteers stepped up to greet, disseminate materials, sell resources and drive shuttles.
• People left classes making comments like:
  • "I felt stuck. I needed this class to get my Bible study back on course."
  • "I thought I wanted another class, but this will be so foundational to the rest of my journey."
  • "Really practical."
  • "Great content. Look forward to next week!"

Our staff was "all hands on deck!" They...

• parked in the "gotta hoof it" parking lot.
• modeled well by being on time and prepared.
• came willing to give up their seats and stand if necessary.
• generated joy, encouragement and celebration among our people.

Every team - facilities, tech arts, IT, communications, children, students, connections - gave above and beyond, responding to whatever needed done with out-of-the-box problem-solving and invested ownership in the vision and implementation of these new initiatives. Unbelievable teams of ministry partners!

Our volunteers stepped with "can do" attitudes, portraying again their sense of humility and joy to be included in what God is up to at Granger. They rock! Special thanks to Tanya, Dennis and Joyce! You nailed it!

My assistant, Julie Smies, has exemplified servant leadership these past few weeks as the burden of administrative details has grown to match the mach pace at which she's been required to run. Long days, short nights, too many Starbucks coffees, and too few breaks have characterized her recent weeks. She gets IT, has IT, and is driven by IT. Jesus shines in her life. We simply wouldn't have experienced this God-sighting of a launch without her!

Somethin's up at Granger Community. I believe Someone is up at Granger. Jesus is leading the way!

Person Julie Smies

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Numbers Matter

Because numbers = people, these numbers from our weekend services are God-honoring and worth celebrating:

• 700+ = people who went forward in the weekend services to acknowledge that were not merely asking Jesus into their life, but were surrendering their life to follow Jesus, taking up their cross - their burden - to bring healing, restoration, salvation to others in the world.
• 370+ = people who were baptized into Christ after weekend services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

You can watch the service here.

Oh, and by the way, update on our Journey Bible Classes this Wednesday:

• 1424 and counting!

God's at work in the lives of our people.

• What will the impact of this ministry be as thousands continue to take their next step toward Christ -
  
  • immersed in scripture
  • investing and inviting
  • belonging to each other
  • serving others
  • doing the next right thing?
• What will happen as people obey what Jesus commanded: love God and love others? What will happen as the church is the Church?

We've prayed, hoped, wrestled for over a year with the promise: I have provision you know not of (Ephesians 3.20).

Get ready, church!

Baptism, Significance & Salvation

Photo by Gene Kaiser, South Bend Tribune

It's an annual event at Granger Community Church. And every year hundreds enter the water to be baptized, declaring their commitment to follow Jesus as his disciple. For years we traveled to a nearby lake; last year we met at Coveleski Stadium, using portable pools.

This year we brought the celebration to our campus. After every service people were given the opportunity to exchange their burden of sin, guilt and shame for a different burden. The biblical call to salvation. A call to pick up the burden of every Christ-follower: own his agenda, his kingdom work to redeem, to restore, to recreate the world. To bring justice, love and mercy to every inch of the globe. Salvation. Not fire insurance. Not a transaction, but a lifestyle.

Hundreds have responded all weekend. I'm on my way back out to baptize some more people who are going public to follow Jesus!

In Case You Missed It... Rob Wegner on Death

This is only one portion of Rob's message from this past weekend. You'd do yourself a favor by watching the whole message here. But, this stands alone. Rob and the creative team, including producer, Jeff Petersen nailed this compelling short film contrasting two lives, two deaths.

Person Jeff Petersen

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Another Side of the REVEAL Stats @ GCC

Tim Stevens and I were talking yesterday about some of the outcomes we're praying for as we launch some key changes at Granger this fall based on our recent REVEAL study. When Tim told me what he was thinking about posting, I decided then I'd probably just link to his post. It's really good stuff. So good, that I've just ripped it and dropped it here for you to read in case you missed it at his site. Enjoy.

Why I'm Glad Some at Granger Don't Believe in the Bible

A few weeks ago, Mark Beeson shared with our church some of the findings from the Reveal survey that our church took in January. He told the church that we aren't happy with some of the results.

For example, the survey revealed that 57% of those attending Granger do not believe in the authority of the Bible. Ouch. I mentioned here that the results were jarring to us. And they were.

But I can think of some worse statistics. I would much rather be in a church where 57% don't believe in the Bible than in a church where 100% of those attending do believe in the Bible. That would be awful!

Imagine a church that was completely filled with those already convinced...where no one invited an unchurched friend...where the Christians had grown stagnant in their pursuit of knowledge and stopped putting the gospel into practice...where the church had made Jesus so unattractive that no one on a search for purpose or meaning would consider coming. If I found myself in such a church, I would be weeping.

Our survey found that 56% of those attending Granger do not believe Jesus is the only way to eternal life. We aren't happy with that, and we are making some changes to bring that percentage down.

But you know what? If it decreased all the way to 0%, we would be much less happy than we are today. If we make all these changes, and the end result is that one year from now we have a church where 100% of our people believe Jesus is the only way to eternal life--we will have failed miserably.

You might not know that 15% of the people who attend our church every weekend are still exploring Christianity. That's awesome! We don't expect pre-Christians to believe Jesus is the only way to eternal life. In addition, another 42% in our church are baby Christians. They've given their life to Jesus, but they are still very young in their faith. Most of them didn't grow up in church, and for many of them, Granger is their first and only church experience. They come, make a decision to follow Christ, and then begin to learn and become un-programmed from the values and philosophies of the world. So I'm not surprised that many of them don't have their theology straight yet.

No, we aren't happy that 47% of those attending don't believe in salvation by grace. But in a community steeped in Catholic traditions, we're pretty jazzed that hundreds are coming and learning and taking steps. Yes, we want to see that percentage come down, but we'll be very sad on the day that we find everyone at Granger comprehends the grace of Jesus.

The bloggards* will tell you that these stats prove we aren't a church. They are partially right. When anyone asks me, "How many are in your church?", I typically answer this way: "That's a good question, but there are around 5,000 who attend each weekend." We've believed and taught for years that a crowd is not a church. At Granger, we build a weekend experience to draw the biggest crowd possible, because we believe that if more people hear the gospel, more people will respond. But we don't for a minute believe that a crowd is a church. But we are leaning on Jesus AND working our butts off to turn the crowd into committed congregation of believers who are serving, giving, growing, and inviting their friends to join them on the journey.

I will cringe if the day ever comes when only the church gathers on the weekend...or when the supposed mature Christians stop inviting their friends to hear the good news...or when we have a church filled with people who ace their theology exam but flunk their practice-ology test.

My name is Tim Stevens. I'm a pastor at Granger Community Church. And I couldn't be happier.

Bloggards = Bloggers who hide behind their keyboards shooting verbal arrows from afar but are too cowardly to go to the source. (Yes, I made this term up.)

And by the way - My name is Mark Waltz. I'm a pastor at Granger Community Church. And I couldn't be happier. Thanks, Tim.