Hey everyone can’t wait to see you this Sunday night 5:30 pm for our 2nd preview service! Come and see more of our vision to see Christ transform ourselves and this city. Also there will be a great dinner for everyone immediately following the service.
Here is the address for where we are going to be meeting.
3845 Southern Parkway
Louisville, KY 40214
Alan Hirsch in his new book Untamed says, “of all the ways culture influences the church, nothing has had more of an impact on us than that of a consumerist view of society.” We have been nurtured in a system of good & services that attacks us in a really disturbing way. It tells us what our basic needs are & aren’t. For example, my 8 year old son was watching cartoons the other day when suddenly the commercial came on for moon sand, some ridiculous type of sand that sticks together & who’s only promise should be “this will make a mess”. The commercial ends with the phrase, “every kid needs moonsand!” So he thought he needed it. He said with all sincerity, “dad every kid needs it.” I explained to him without any real success that every kid needs, food & water, clothes, a home, love and a relationship with God. Moon sand doesn’t really make that list, but even from a young age we are indoctrinated into a consumeristic culture that effects how we view everything!
Every other commercial teaches us that their product is more than a want but a need. More than a could have and more of a must have and we buy it. We buy the product and we buy the lie. The lie that we are some how less than whole if we don’t own the latest technology, the latest comfort or unless we haven’t tried the double down from KFC. It is a frightening lie because it reaches past our questions of what we desire and attacks our basic human needs. Suddenly our pursuit of the products of our culture somehow becomes intertwined with our pursuit of joy & happiness.
I would love to report that the church has been unaffected by the longing of our culture for goods and services but its seems that too often the church has become a vendor of its own religious goods and services. So we seek out the church with the best worship and the best preaching and seats that are comfortable and kids programs that are great.
Here is my concern in just a few weeks May 23rd we will roll out our first preview worship service (I don’t even like that name – we need to change it). On that day there will be a crew of people from all over the city who will swing by & check out what we are up to. The question we are asking ourselves is not how can we wow them with our creativity, laser lights & deep wisdom. The question we are asking is how do we begin now to create disciples & not consumers who are simply showing up each week to purchase religious goods & services at our place. We don’t want to become the cool young church in town, we don’t want to be the creative church, we just want to be a faithful church. In fact we think there is a generation of young people who are dieing to reach past the superficiality of the all consuming church & to begin to experience an all consuming God. A God who calls us to give our lives as a living sacrifice to each other & to our communities and most of all to Him! A God who calls us beyond getting fed each week or being entertained each week. A god who gives them a purpose & a church who frees them up to dream.
What happens when we feed or entertain is we create a perpetual cycle of dependency where you show up week after week to consume the food we have for you but never quite learn to eat on your own. It works for both parties, we have churches full of people waiting for us to deliver the meal, waiting for us to wow them & in the process stroking our egos. The problem is there is no gospel progress here. The church is for itself & as we get fat at the table of consumerism each week the world goes hungry!
So as we proceed with getting ready for our 1st “preview worship service” (again terrible name) our goal is not to provide a religious product, its not to provide any religious goods. We need to stop seeing the church as a consumable product & to begin seeing it as a family & a group of co workers called together because we are the light of the world! Because God actually has a plan & a hope for our communities & for our lives & the church is the center of that hope.
So here’s the question how do we move from codependency in the church to a healthy dependency on God?
Discuss!
- Ben Hardman
Today we have a guest post from one of our Avenue Faithful Erin Rommann!
The Avenue -
A place where broken people come together to encourage, support, and uplift. The Avenue is a place where community is more than meeting once a week. It’s about living out Acts 2 – breaking bread together, sharing all things in common, and giving what we have as there is need.
Though every one of us are far from perfect we’re coming to understand that our Beloved’s grace is sufficient for us, His power being perfected in our weakness. I love the Avenue b/c we come together as a people in desperate need of the grace and love of the Savior and out of that have something to offer to others – true grace – true community – real hope.
He is the reason for the hope seen, the motivation behind the sacrifice, the giving, and the blessings. I love the Avenue because we are a people made passionate and filled with hope because of the grace and mercy we’ve received.
We are far from a perfect church, no where near to being a perfect people, but individually and together we seek the daily transformation and hope found in Christ and offer it to all.
That is why I love the Avenue
By grace we have been saved!
Because I live in Kentucky, I’m a big basketball fan (Go Cards!), so it’s only natural that March is one of my favorite times of the year. With that comes watching unhealthy amounts of college basketball. As I spent many nights on the couch vicariously living my athletic dreams through these college basketball players, I picked up on some announcer comments I had never paid attention too. My guess is that you’ve heard this phrase used over and over again too. This phrase was heard no matter what game or conference was being broadcast.
Several times throughout March Madness I have heard the announcers describe the players as “kids”. “…this kid is really going to be good”, “…the coach said he’s one of the best kids he’s ever coached”, “the kid has a future in this game…” etc, etc. I look to see who they are talking about and it is a male, 6’8” tall, 290lbs! That is not a kid that is a grown man! Now I realize when they are not referring to his stature but to his age and experience. And that is exactly what has caught my attention.
When did it become commonplace to refer to 18-22 year old individuals as kids? Back in the day, they would have already been married with children and had full time jobs for several years. It’s almost as if we don’t expect much from this age group because they are just “kids” and are still learning and growing. When they mess up, we sometimes excuse it because they don’t know any better yet.
I see this sometimes play out in living out the Gospel as well. First, whenever a new believer accepts Christ, I feel the church doesn’t expect much from them. Yes, there is a season of growth and learning and maturing as a Christian. But is important to remember that they have now received the blood of the Lamb and the power of the Holy Spirit. They are now “more than conquerors!” We should not load new believers up with responsibilities that wisdom tells us is for seasoned believers; but that doesn’t mean they are “kids” and not capable of much for the kingdom.
I have also thought through this in how it looks in the life of a new church. Here at The Avenue, we are a baby church, full of vigor, ambition, and youth. We look to spread the Gospel with a fire and ambition that is rarely matched by more established churches. However, we are also just learning to “walk” and “talk” like a church. We are learning and will make mistakes. So should we be viewed by the community and other churches as just a “kid”? Will other not expect much from us because we are new? Will we not put much pressure on ourselves to advance the Gospel because we are a “baby” church? May it never be!
Let’s change “that baby church will impact the city one day” to “this baby church is changing this city”. Let’s change “that baby church will has a future” to “that baby church is the future”. Change “let’s partner with The Avenue because they need our help” to “let’s partner with The Avenue because God is using them!”
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
All of Us > Some of Us – We believe that God has called all of his people to restore and redeem a broken world. The church is not a building we gather in but a family we become a part of. Not so we can be served, but so that we can use our God given talents and gifts to change our community.
One of the best experiences in my life was being part of a mission trips with a group of middle school students. At the beginning of the trip each of the kids awkwardly got together to listen to the instructions of a local who instructed them in the work we would be doing for that week. The task was to reclaim a block from disrepair and restore a sense of ownership back into the community. You could see the looks of disbelief grow on the kids’ faces as they began to understand the enormity of the task. They began to doubt and question themselves. I can’t clean this much stuff! There is no way we can get this done! But as you probably suspect, the kids accomplished all of this and more. They discovered the power that can be unleashed when everyone contributes. They discovered that when they serve others they really gain more than they give. They discovered that partnering with people different than them is strange at first and unforgettable by the end.
The funny thing is that at the end of these trips I can always see the change in students. The girl who was so self absorbed becomes the girl who gives her favorite 100 dollar sweater to a homeless lady. The guy who never says a word shares a faith story that moves everyone. And even though these trips are spent without hot showers, TV, or a host of other things, everyone always thinks they end too soon.
Anyone who has been on a mission trip knows what I’m talking about. The only problem is that we wait until we’re hundreds of miles away from home to experience this life. If you look at the early church what you see is a group of people that lived this out in the context of everyday life. Church wasn’t just listening to a great speaker or hearing a great band and then going home thinking that was it. Sure worship and teaching were and are an important part of our expression of faith. But it can’t end there. God has gifted all of us in ways that demand we use those gifts.
So many stories of people coming to know Jesus start with the words, “I never really thought much about God until somebody…” Finish the sentence in a million ways. Was my friend when no else would be, fixed my car when I didn’t have the money, helped me get a job when I’d looked everywhere. God has given each of us something we can use for Gods glory and to restore and redeem a broken world.
Here at The Avenue Church we will be people that never gets so caught up in some of us that all of us aren’t contributing. We will be people that learn from, encourage, and give to each other. We will be people that recognize the God-given value in everyone and help everyone find a way to contribute.
How have you seen this value played out in your life or in situations around you?
As believers we share a calling… no matter where you go, what you do… do it as ambassadors of Jesus… teaching His way, sharing His gifts and extending His kingdom. We have felt the call to do that in Old Louisville. We are going that we may heal the broken, free the afflicted and raise the name of Jesus Christ above any other… and we’d love for you, wherever you are and whatever you do, to be a part of that.
Right now there are over 30,000 people under the age of 30 at the University of Louisville & Old Louisville who are not attending a church. 53% of University of Louisville students say they did not have a conversation about God in the last year. No church is currently reaching more than 1% of the University students on any given week. Old Louisville is the youngest neighborhood in the city it is among the city’s poorest & Louisville’ 4th district has more violent crime than any other neighborhood in the city. Project 28:19 is an initiative of the Avenue Community Church to reverse these numbers and bring renewal to the city and the people.
Project 28:19 is taken from Matthew 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Visit www.project2819.com to give and help spread the word.
Lots of people are asking how they can help and how they can get involved. You’re in luck because we have lots of needs! Below is a list of all the things we could use. To donate these items please drop them off at 1146 S. 3rd Avenue Louisville KY 40203. or email Travis Whalen at travis@thelouisvilleproject.com
OFFICE SUPPLIES
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY NEEDS
My hope for this blog is that we can not only give you information & encouragement about a new church, but that we can invite some of you into the personal journey of transformational work that God is doing in us through the roads He is asking us to walk. With that being said Sarah and I realize that this journey is just as much about God making His home in our hearts as it is about Him making His name known through His church in a new area of town.
Here are 3 things I am learning about church planting:
1) – Church Planting is lonely
Maybe my journey is unique but after serving on a church staff of over 350 people for the last 7 years my first days in an office alone seemed very quiet & lonely. I suppose its not even the lack of people that are around but it is just as much about the fact that right now I am the only employee at my church. I think its more about the fact that not everyone gets the vision, not everyone embraces the vision & very few people are willing to do more than give lip service to what God is doing. Even in the middle of overwhelming support by friends & family. The reality is most days we are standing alone in this, we have already felt the huge weight of people who we thought would support us who have let us down.
Here’s the good thing about this – Scripture tells us God sets the lonely in families & we can already see a family beginning to form with our launch team. Scripture also tells us that Jesus knew what is was like to be lonely – In that Loneliness he knew to depend first on His father – I pray that I am learning the same.
2) Church Planting is Demanding
Everyone told me this would stretch me & challenge me in ways I could not imagine. To be honest I heard that but thought, “well I have served in ministry for 15 years in some tough places & I am ready for whatever happens.” Reality is, I am learning how demanding this is & I am learning to take time for my family (which means saying no when it sometimes it disappoints others). I’m learning to rest when I need rest (which means not feeling guilty when I stop for a moment). More than anything, I’m learning I can’t simply depend on my power, gifts or abilities. I must depend on Him. “His power is perfected in my weakness” not’ “His power is limited by my weakness.”
3) Church Planting Places me on a strange pendulum of humility & confidence
The word inadequate has come to mind often these past few weeks. I feel inadequate making fund raising calls & setting up fund raising events. I feel inadequate when doing anything involving math or finance. I feel inadequate in leading, in making big decisions & in discerning Gods will in so many areas of the church. Church planting is all about ups & downs! There are some days where I feel like I have the power of the Spirit flowing through me in such a way that I can knock down walls & other days where I wonder how God could ever use a guy like me to accomplish His purposes. What I am learning however is that Jesus called ordinary & unschooled men & he is still doing that today. Ultimately, I am learning to trust Him more than I trust myself. Knowing that my ultimate confidence is found in him & that I need to learn an enormous amount of humility over the next year!
Like I have said so many time all the questions of “how” lead us to “who” – It His church, & may He be glorified not only by the church we become but also in the journey it takes to get there!
I am dreaming about what happens when the 11 following movements take place in the church & this month we are talking about how to facilitate these movements @ the Louisville Project. What are your thoughts? How do you accomplish it? Which movement is the most difficult? Which is the most significant?
1. Moving From running programs to building people
2. Moving From running events to training people
3. Moving From using people (volunteers) to growing people
4. Moving From filling gaps to training new workers
5. Moving From solving problems (self help) to helping people make gospel progress
6. Moving From clinging to hierarchical leadership to developing team leadership
7. Moving From Focusing on our individual church to forging ministry partnerships
8. Moving From relying on training institutions to establishing local training institutes
9. Moving From focusing on immediate pressures to aiming for long-term multiplication
10. Moving From engaging in management to engaging in ministry
11. Moving From seeking church growth to desiring gospel growth.
These 11 general ideas are adapted from the book the Trellis & the vine by Colin Marshall & Tony Payne. (great read)
What an amazing night @ the Post last week. Please spend some time watching the announcement on video & seeing what God is doing in the future.
Our HOPE is in Him!
Watch the video above & let me know your thoughts here!
