September 2006

Recently, I was getting a little discouraged about some of the financial support or lack of support that we have received from churches. It seems like churches are either struggling and can’t help support a new churchplant or they are growing and need to build another building and so can’t support a new churchplant. That is not an exaggeration, just an observation from about a month of calling churches.

Anyway, we have one church in Atlanta that has been supporting my family and this new work for about one year. We don’t really have a long relationship with this church. We have met with their Missions Pastor, filled out a belief/vision statement, and we do know one other staff person of this church. Last year after beginning a relationship with the church they agreed to pray for us and to give $100 a month. Wow, this was huge and a giant blessing.

But, the good stuff doesn’t stop there. This week we received a letter saying that the church’s Missions Council prayfully decided to increase the giving for 2007 to $300 a month. Did you see the key word in that last sentence? As good as it was, it wasn’t the “$300″. The key word is “PRAYFULLY”. That’s it. That’s all we ever ask a church to do in deciding whether or not to partner with our new church.

Thank you Dunwoody Baptist Church for your wonderful financial gifts.

But, thank you Dunwoody Baptist Church for your prayful consideration most of all.

 

Life is good,

Billy Mitchell

Some of you might be wondering exactly what a “Hot-Spot” is. At our brand spanking new church we call our home group or home Bible study or cell group or home team, etc, a “Hot-Spot”. Earlier this summer I was in California and in about a 5 minute span saw a dozen signs promoting Hot-Spots for their businesses. For some who may not be familiar, in this context a hot-spot is an area where wireless internet is available. As I walked by the 12th Hot-Spot sign a simple thought hit me, this is a place for a computer to get connected with the invisible. The internet is hovering around us in these Hot-Spots and cannot be seen by the naked eye. That’s pretty cool.

When I returned I began calling our future in-home Bible studies “Hot-Spots” and later added our own tagline to this, “A Place to Get Connected With The Invisible”. Personally, I love this name and what it implies and it appears to communicate to the young, computer savvy Port Saint Lucie culture.

And as previously stated, “Woo-Hoo we just had our first Hot-Spot” last night. Seven of us men met at one of our family’s homes and had a wonderful time together. We are going to spend the next 12 weeks looking at the book, “Waking The Dead”, discussing the biblical themes in it, praying together, and ministering to the needs around us (and eating, of course). Personally, I had not realized how much something like this was missing in my own life. After all, I’m a pastor right I left this group feeling connected with not only God (the invisible) but with a handful of guys who struggle like me and screw up like me and who want to see Port Saint Lucie, Florida, and the ends of the earth changed like I do. Together, side by side, we are on mission to do these things. I’m not the only soldier in the battle! I’m a part of a strong, resourceful band of brothers. Watch out world!!!

Thank you God for bringing this first Hot-Spot together and I pray for many, many more.

Recently I saw an article that listed the incomes of many of the CEOs, Presedents, Founders, and Talent of many “Christian” radio/tv programs. I have to admit that I was left a little speechless by this list. Some of these salaries were extremely, extremely high. My initial feeling was one of anger and probably judgment, but then I began to simmer down and think more clearly about what I was looking at.

I began to listen to some of these programs with fresh ears and one thing jumped out at me before that I’ve never thought about or possibly paid any attention to. Repeatly through these programs an announcer will say something like, “The ministry would not be available without your help. It’s because of your financial gift that ________________ is on the air and growing the Kingdom for Christ.”

For the first time I began to ask the question, would the church and/or the Kingdom actually be better off if there were no “Christian” radio or “Christian” television programs on the air? What if these people, extremely gifted people, would use their gifts, talents, and abundant resources to see that hundreds or thousands of new churches were started? What if the 2 million Christian radio program budget was used to see a church planting movement begin in Miami, Boston, or Bangkok? Which would actually benefit the Kingdom more?

While wrestling with this question I could almost hear the “Christian” radio/tv guys whispering in my ear, “But we reach people through apologetics, family issues, legal issues, etc. that would not or have not been reached by the church.” I definitly see that side of the argument, but I wonder if “Christian” radio/tv has impersonally filled a need that the church should be filling personally. Perhaps because of “Christian” radio/tv the church has thrown her hands in the air and said, “Well we don’t have the big name/status/resources of ___________________, so we should just let them do it.”

It seems a lot like the male leadership void in many of today’s North American churches. Many churches design their services to attract women, because they know that women are more likely to come and get plugged into the church. Well, women do come, get plugged in and take on many leadership roles and men stay at home and watch football. Because of this men are woefully absent in leadership roles within our churches. How does that cycle stop?

Do I think those people in “Christian” radio/tv are doing what they do out of selfish ambition (money or to make a name for themselves)? I have no idea. If someone held a gun to my head and told me that I had to answer this question I would probably say that many “Christian” radio/tv guys have pure motives and there are some who don’t. I have no way of really knowing who is who, but I believe Daddy will take care of this oneday.

What I do know is that if a local Christian desires to be clearly and effectively taught God’s word, I take it as a challenge to either be that teacher or help equip that teacher. If a family needs some good, biblical counciling than I commit to either help them personally or help them find someone to council them personally.

Does any of this really matter? Honestly, I’m not quite sure. What I am sure of is we Christians are losing this war in North America. TWO OUT OF TEN NORTH AMERICAN CHURCHES ARE GROWING! We need to shake things up and try something else. We need to stop doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result.

I will continue to wrestle with things like this and pray that God shows the leaders of North American churches what changes He wants to make. I also pray that we will have the courage to see these changes put into affect.