GlocalNet

Guest Blogger: Bobby Vaughn - Director of Church Planting, NorthWood Church

I’m an avid twitter-holic.  I have it on my phone, all my computers, and I even wake up to check it in the middle of the night (under the covers, of course, so my wife doesn’t catch me).  Many of you know exactly what I’m talking about (don’t deny it).  This morning on my twitter feed I read that someone wrote an article giving advice to young entrepreneurs, so I went to read. What a great article! I won’t go into the entire details here (click on the link to go read the entire article for yourself, it’s worth the time), but there was a paragraph that caught my attention and made me want to share it with you.

Jon writes:
“You guys are young. You’re already light years ahead of where I was at your age. And whether what you are doing now becomes a huge success or it doesn’t the most important is who you guys are becoming. Businesses come and go. But the stuff you learn now and the networks you guys build will be with you for the rest of your lifetime. And you’re in an incredibly fortunate position to be realizing that at a young age. Most people don’t figure that out until they’re in their 30s, 40s or later and they’re saddled with a mortgage and ton of credit card debt and they have families and then at that point there’s little chance they’ll step on the entrepreneurial treadmill.

“So do all of that. Take as much risk as you can as early as you can. Put yourselves in positions where there’s a really good chance that you’ll fail. And learn, learn, learn. We’re moving into a world where the person who is learning 8/10/12/14 hours a day is at a huge advantage over the person who isn’t. The world is changing ridiculously fast right now and that’s to your advantage if you’re continually sharpening the saw. And there has never been a better time to do that. With blogs, podcasts, Twitter, more great books than ever. You are really in an absolutely amazing position.”

Great advice.  Put yourselves in positions where there’s a really good chance that you’ll fail.

Godspeed.
(*original article taken from http://jonbischke.com on March 17, 2009) …

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1.  Connect with the rest of the world:
Our “methods” aren’t working.
Our “pride” demands that we connect so that we can be humble learners.
The church really is global now.  Really, it is . . . no joke . . .  we are not alone in the U.S.  Really!

2.  Love people more than the church:
Yes, the church is the people.  The problem is we focus more on the institution than the constituents. 
The church is a reflection of the disciples being made - make disciples and serve people.

3.  Rediscover God:
No revival came out of a church growth movement - but revival has produced church growth.
No revival came out of church planting - but church planting came out of revival.
Get on your face before God and pray - ask him to reveal himself to you.
Spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, meditation, Scripture reading aren’t niceties but necessities.

4.  Let new believers and young people shape the form of the church more than yesteryear - or yester-century.

http://www.shapevine.com

Here’s an interview Lance Ford did with me on Shapevine - thought some of you might like it. 

Thursday and Friday we had a gathering of church planters, pastors, and church planting leaders that met to go over KINGDOM—> DISCIPLE—> SOCIETY—> CHURCH.  We did something new with a group called “WildWorks” that has worked with Leadership Network for years. Their leader is Tom McGhee and has been a friend of mine for years.  They facilitate conversations that lead to results - so we used their process and it was good.  No doubt we learned some things and will make adjustments as needed but it was well worth the adventure.  I always love being with church planters and the excitement about what God may be doing with them.  We started out and ended up on our knees.  Church planting is a holy adventure - one that must be born from God and directed by him at all times.  Rock on guys young and old, black and white, pentecostal and presbyterian - the world awaits the Good News and Good hope of people living out the Gospel.

Turbo is March 5th & 6th. In order to ensure we have proper materials and resources available for everyone, we are closing registration on Friday, February 27th.  Be sure to register now! Click the Turbo link above to go to the registration form! If you have any questions regarding the Turbo event, click on the “Contact Us” button at the top right-hand of this page!

November was a whirlwind travel month for me.  Nothing, of course, compared to Bob’s normal travels, but busy for me nonetheless.  I was on eight different airplanes in 15 days.  Some of you are chuckling beneath your breath, “rookie.” 
For those of you who travel a lot, you know the magazines in the back of the seat in front of you like you do your own children.  Ashamedly, I admit to an addiction to Sky Mall – the most expensive cheap “stuff” on earth!  They have everything a big kid could ever want.
On my last flight, I was reading in American Way Magazine.  One of my all-time favorite authors and poets is the great Maya Angelou.  If you have not read her book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” you have to – especially those of you who are planting churches (the book may be out of print, I cannot find it on Amazon or anywhere else – only textbooks and reading guides).  She, as the author of the article puts it so elegantly, is American royalty.  Controversial?  Yes.  Poignant?  Absolutely.  And she moves people beyond themselves to think of the others around them.
In this article, Angelou is quoted as saying, “I’m grateful for being here, for being able to think, for being able to see, for being able to taste, for appreciating love – for knowing that it exists in a world so rife with vulgarity, with brutality and violence, and yet love exists. I’m grateful to know that it exists.”  That quote struck me.  I sat on the plane for the next two hours and contemplated that sentence.  In a world that screams, “DOOM AND GLOOM” every time you turn on the tele and open a newspaper, especially in the recent months, we sometimes forget about the most powerful tool… love.
Even in the religious world and the neo-Christendom of the west (or some would like to think), we tend to see more of a “the-world’s-going-to-hell-in-a-hand basket” mentality. 
But I take heart because I have seen the heart of a new generation.  I have seen more churches with young and young-at-heart leaders begin to see that engaging society with the hope of love (remember, Deus Caritas Est – I John 4:16) is what Christ mandated.  I’ve offended some of you, I know.  But ask yourself, …

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Yesterday Nikki and I got home from Vietnam (and me for a jaunt to Australia).  She led our education team there that taught at the University.  This summer she’s done a lot of stuff - traveling across the country and the world - from Romania to Vietnam to teach anything from special education to health and hygiene.  In these pictures one is the airport with us leaving a couple of weeks ago.  The other two, we are eating supper with Ti’s parents in Hanoi (the Vietnamese boy we’ve adopted as our own), the other is a new exchange student that will be coming to live with a NorthWood family in a week or so.  We were trying to get him ready for Texas life!  Nikki’s been at the heart of all of this, in our family, at NorthWood, outside of NorthWood.  I’m asked a lot how did I get so lucky and what makes an exceptional pastor’s wife, leader’s wife, etc.  Here are some answers . . . . .  .

1.  They love God.  You can’t force that.  They have to love him, even more than you.  You see that not in just what they say, but how they live and what exudes from the m.

2.  They practice personal worship.  I’d like to think I had something to do with that, BUT, I know that that comes from her.  Generally speaking, the light is on in her study at 5am with her reading her Bible and praying.

3.  You have to be honest with each other.  Nikki and I for all our faults have always been able to do that.  Whether she was challenging me or I was challenging her.  We fight sometimes!  There I said it - it’s true of most people.  It’s OK - as long as it’s not demeaning or destructive.  You have to be able to say what you think - go back and forth - process things. 

4.  You have to force to keep them out of your shadow.  Many men who lead have long shadows - that’s just the way it is.  BUT, help your wife find places she can bloom without you.  It keeps her own sense of self-worth and contribution high.  Sadly, some husbands want their wives under their thumbs and under their shadow.  You bet, your wife should be supportive and involved in your ministry - …

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Tomorrow, Friday, August 8 is the final day for registering for the August 14 & 15 Turbo.  Register now to lock in your seat by clicking on the above “Turbo” in the menu!  The next Turbo will be March 5 & 6 with registration for that Turbo will be opening up on September 1st.

In order to alleviate some of the confusion that is likely to ensue following this post, let me give a brief definition of terms here:

Intern:  Someone who attends our weekly Church Planting Classes and receives coaching/mentoring for 9-months. (unlimited amount of planters accepted)

Resident:  Someone who raises support for a one-year, staff position at NorthWood before starting a new work somewhere in the world. (Only 4 accepted)

We coach, mentor, and train many church planters (or “community developers” as we call them) here at NorthWood every year.  We have several ways that we do this. 
First, is our internship program.  This is for people who have a passion for planting a new church, but lack some of the training and experience needed to become a full-fledged Resident Church Planter.  This is a 9-month process where planters from around the world come to a once-a-week classroom setting to learn from Bob, NorthWood staff, and other leaders.

Next, is our Residency Program.  This is a one-year program where 4 people are chosen to spend the work-week with NorthWood staff serving in ministry positions.  These four individuals must meet our requirements in the assessment and application process.

The process for both the internship and Residency are as follows:
First, fill out this application and submit it with your resume (there is a place to attach it to your application).
Next, go to http://www.churchplanterprofiles.com and do the complete online pre-assessment.  Be sure to put “Glocalnet” as your agency.  (This costs $79, but is necessary to go to the next step)
If you are wanting to become a Resident and you pass the pre-assessment, you will then be asked to attend a face-to-face assessment with your spouse at one of our approved assessment centers.
If you are interested in learning more about our internship or our Residency Program, click the “contact us” button at the top of this page and someone will get back with you soon.

While we always accept people from around the world for our training, we are looking for people who are called to plant specifically in the following areas:
Washington D.C./Maryland area
Dallas/Ft. Worth
Detroit
Denver

Even if you are not looking to plant in these areas, please apply!  We want to see churches planted around the world!

One more thing, we are still accepting …

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Just a reminder to all Church Planters, Pastors, and Business Leaders looking to make a transformational difference in the world.  We have seats available for the August 14 & 15 Turbo.  Click on “Turbo” above and fill out the registration.  It’ll be a time of interaction with Bob, NorthWood Mission staff, and some very special guest speakers!  Hope to see you there!

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