All posts tagged Mark Beeson

Mark Beeson :: AND Conference

by Tim Schraeder on 09/23/2011 in ANDconference with No comments
  • We have a call from God to receive the life and to embrace it… to allow God to change the very essence of our being.
  • Then, we are to give it away.
  • In the economy of God, we won’t lose anything in the process.
  • We are called to do life on mission.
  • God brings us from where we are, just as we are, to a new way, the Jesus way.
  • God doesn’t require us to be qualified.
  • God has a love beyond anything we could imagine, have known, or could experience.
  • We have not even seen the depth of God’s love.
  • God sent His Son because He loves us.
  • His only begotten Son gave his life for you, me, and for every person we will ever see.
  • We receive life, love, and an amazing call to a life of meaning, purpose, and significance.
  • God calls us not to choose one of many ways, but to choose The Way.
  • There is a way that’s not that way.
  • We need to turn our feet, our lives, desires, and affections and follow Christ.
  • In that following, we are constantly giving it away.
  • Sometimes that giving away is done in an organized way… we’ve got mission, vision, and something people want to be a part of.
  • Sometimes we give it away on mission, individually.
  • We share our faith with others and show them The Way.
  • We keep giving out, handing it off, and passing it on.
  • Our days become valuable when we recognize they are numbered.
All of it is really ATTRACTION
  • The way we go about ministry individually, corporately, in small groups and in weekend services is attractional.
  • If there is no plan or structure, it’s unattractive.
  • We need to be attentive to growth.
  • You don’t get to choose problem-free living, you only get to choose your problem.
  • God is going to do what He said He is going to do.
  • Jesus did not die for nothing… He came to seek and save the lost.
  • People will be attracted to our corporate gatherings and to our live as we are conformed to the image of Christ.
  • Everything is attractional.
  • At the end of the day, the disciples were like Jesus.
  • Jesus was attractive.
  • We should be like Christ.
  • It’s a great challenge for all of us, but that’s what God is calling us to do.
  • People were filled with awe.
  • God has prepared people to hear our message.
  • Many people live with low character.
  • They don’t stick to their commitments.
  • Maybe one of the things we should consider in our work for Christ is if we are attractive, if we are looking more like Jesus.
  • Are we caring, honest, trustworthy, dependable, on mission, valuing the right things, etc?
  • The more we are like Christ, the more attractive we will be for Christ.
  • Genesis 27 – Jacob and Esau
  • We do absolutely nothing to deserve God’s favor.
  • We’ve come to think that the patriarchs of our faith are heroes.
  • That’s not always the case.
  • God is the hero in the story of Jacob… it’s the story about God intersecting Jacob’s story.
  • God takes us where we are and begins a training program.
  • God trains us to become more like Christ.
  • We move from an untrustworthy place to a place of attractiveness.
The Mouse vs the Dinosaur
  • Are you building your team around 1 or 2 people? A dinosaur?
  • Or are you empowering others? Are you discipling thousands of mice?
  • Determine not to build the church on high capacity, high character people.
  • Build hundreds and thousands of the 80%… missional communities, etc.
  • 10 people can lead hundreds, 100 can lead thousands.
  • Unleash, empower, and train people who have been relegated to the back row.
  • Don’t ignore people’s potential.
  • The 80% can do more than the 20%.
  • This will change the world.
  • It will bring the Kingdom to where it needs to be.
  • It will revolutionize the church in America.
  • This is how the Gospel is going to come…
  • …by small groups, missional communities.
2 Peter 1:5 -8
  • What are the steps God wants people to take?
  • We aren’t doing this alone, we are together.
  • Faith
  • Goodness
  • Knowledge
  • Self-control
  • Perseverance
  • Godliness
  • Mutual affection
  • LOVE
  • For if you posses these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive.
  • This is what God calls us to do: to attract people who we are, what we do, and what we build, all for His glory.
  • Realize who you are but remember how God changes and inspires you with His presence.

Exposed :: Lessons Learned from the Last 12 Months

by Tim Schraeder on 09/25/2009 in Innovate 2009, Notes with 2 Comments
  • 60% of churches across the country have an average of 60 people.
  • What might happen if every local church, every congregation, every pastor in rural communities would light up, ignite?
  • Nothing man-made, but the fire of God from the hand, altar and Spirit of God… what would happen?
  • Many do not try because they are convinced it can’t be done because it’s never been tried.
  • Every now and then God calls a leader to dance the fine line between insanity and radical faith
  • Someone needs to manifest faith alive to us.
  • What would happen if we weren’t trapped by what is and what’s happened?
  • Are our prayers too small?
  • It’s time for a God-sized dreamed and a God-sized vision?
  • It all starts NOW.

The Church Has Changed…

  • “I have a grave concern that church has become a building in America.”
  • The consequence is that people drive by and they don’t see the Church.
  • We need to open the blinds and let the world see the truth.
  • How could Jesus tear down the curtain just for us to put them back up so no on could see our imperfections.
  • “Shake us God, move us from the feeling of hamsters on wheels, instead remind us we are your kids chasing after your dreams”
  • God’s call for us to come to the world… one that’s really not that excited to see us or welcome us.
  • We must stay rooted deeply in God’s Kingdom.
  • We need God’s people.
  • God’s people need each of us.

5 Stages of Innovation

  1. People deny innovation is required.
  2. People deny that the innovation is effective.
  3. People deny that the innovation is important.
  4. People deny the innovation will justify the efford required to adopt it.
  5. People accept and adopt the innovation, enjoy its benefit, attribute ti to people other than the innovator, and deny the existence of stages 1-4      - Alexander von Humboldst’s “Three Stage s of Scientific Discovery”

  • It’s amazing what you can get done when you don’t care who gets the glory.

Methods Change

  • We’ve got methods that need to be modified.
  • We begin with the Scripture… that’s what we’ve always done.
  • We exegete and apply… read, study, apply.
  • We’re in a culture now that’s shifted so dramatically that our old method of teaching doesn’t work.
  • You have to consider the culture you are bringing your message to.
  • The value people used to place on Scripture has dropped, dramatically.
  • The premise of the message is being questioned in our culture.
  • Many see the Bible as a good work of fiction.
  • It’s no longer the authoritative word of God in people’s eyes.
  • People might not get the point at the end of your message because they don’t agree with your opening premise.

A New Method?

1 – Start with Real Life

  • It’s worth considering starting with real life.
  • What if we started with the human condition?
  • Real life, real problems.
  • What if we started there, then…

2 – Exegete Life

3 – What Does the Bible Say?

4 – Apply /Illustrate

  • There’s only one place in the Bible where Jesus started teaching from the word and ended with application.
  • Jesus met people were they were and talked to them where they were.
  • He was effective because he listened to people.
  • We need to answer questions people are asking.
  • When Jesus comes no one will wonder who He is.
  • We’ve got to figure out how to apply and illustrate how people are meant to live their lives in this broken world.
  • We’ve got to live out for them.
  • We’ve got to show them.

You Don’t Have It All Together and Neither Do I :: Mark Beeson

by Tim Schraeder on 09/24/2009 in Innovate 2009, Notes with No comments
Five ways to describe him: Visionary. Gifted communicator. Committed to Christ. Passionate about his family. And as normal as your next door neighbor (but only if that’s a good thing).  What he does for Granger: No, not everything. He’s the first to admit that. Instead, he focuses on the areas in which he excels (have you heard him speak?) and gives Granger’s leadership team the freedom and encouragement to do what they do best, without micromanaging them. In 1986, Mark and his wife, Sheila, planted the seeds of Granger Community Church in their living room, with fewer than 10 people. Their dream was to reach out to those who weren’t currently attending church for whatever reason and share the truth that they mattered to God. And though it began without fanfare, Granger flourished at a phenomenal rate to become one of the top 30 fastest growing churches in the country. More from Mark: markbeeson.com
There has never been a time like this.
  • There is a new terrain we must nativage together.
  • Today in the world everything you do is instant, global and permanent.
  • Things are instantly captured and sent around the globe and forever there.
  • It’s a new day with new challenges.
  • We wonder what the role and place of the church is around the world and in our local communities.
  • Is there any significance in it at all?
  • Until this generation you needed teachers and masters to learn the craft and trade… today you don’t need a master, mentor or teacher, you’ve got google. You can get knowledge without human touch.
  • That’s never been the case until now.
  • We can get knowledge through the web, but can we get wisdom?
  • The Church is going to have to face one of the great challenges on the horizon… the challenge of technology.
  • We’re going to need a well-defined theology on the value of human touch, material world connection.
  • We are moving into a virtual society.
  • What is the value of incarnation?
  • What is the value of community?
  • It’s important that we leverage new technologies to seek it.
  • Where does the material world weigh in on physical touch and community?
  • If you don’t tweet, text, Facebook or blog, you need to… or you should maybe consider quitting your job.
  • Our business is the people business, so we must connect with technologies that make friends with people we’ve never seen.
  • If we’re going to have moral authority to speak into the lives of others, we need to be engaged and leveraging technologies they are using.
  • If we are going to be relevant today we better figure out what “that” is, how “it” works and what God has to say about it.
  • People today have friends they’ve never met, seen or touched. The definition of community is changing.
  • If we apply good theology to technology we can leverage it for good.
  • If we ignore it we might find ourselves without influence in culture because we can’t even communicate with culture.
  • Our great challenge is to figure out a way to be able to bring people together in creative fashion to bring the love of God to the world.
  • We should pray, regularly and continually.
  • As our culture changes, we need to build teams to communicate and connect so that Christ is glorified and everyone knows who He is… that He is Lord and King.
  • These innovations are so critical and we’re going to have to understand to get done what we need to get done, we need to collaborate and build teams.
  • We need to bring different people together around different projects to bring God glory.

Exposed… How it Really Is.

  • Exposed. Being exposed is threatening for many of us because we are in pain.
  • There are moments of difficulty and pain that can grow you and stretch you like never before.
  • In your valley, know we have all been there.
  • Time have been tough and this has been a challenging season.
  • You’re not alone.

Building Teams

  • Every one of you who is trying to build a team… how do you make a team out of people that are so different?
  • That’s what God is calling us to do.
  • He calls us to take people He’s brought to us and bring them together.
  • What do you do to build a team?
  • There are things that weave teams together… our mission, vision, values that we share.
  • Our mission weaves us together.
  • Our vision holds us together.
  • Our values bind us together.
  • It all creates unity.
  • Unity is not uniformity.
  • Everyone has a past… what you see isn’t always what you get.
  • Everyone has momentum. What’s behind it and what’s pushing people?
  • The laws of physics apply to humanity as well.
  • People need an outside force to change their course.
  • Sometimes all people need is clarity. Clarity on the mission, vision and values.
  • Specify the mission, vision and values of your local church.

2 Questions to Ask…

  • WHY should people go to church?
  • WHY do I think people should come to my church?
  • If you can’t answer that, you might need to rethink why people need church at all.
  • Is what we’re doing worth people changing their course for?

Teammates

  • When we all agree on the mission, vision and values, it creates a team.
  • We say, “I’d like to do this with you…”
  • Most people spend more time interacting with their teammates than with you, the leader.
  • If you have a bunch of knuckleheads around you that can’t play well with others… good luck finding people to join your team.
  • There’s no value in collaborating with people who can’t collaborate.

We have to understand that every group is a free association or a covenant community.

  • Free association society is something you are born into. You didn’t earn it.
  • This culture, has been for the church, favorable.
  • We’ve had people born in the culture that have had a bent toward the values we teach.
  • You can’t enter into a covenant community until you commit to it.
  • To get into the community you have to learn about it.
  • The Church in America free association… it’s not a covenant community. That’s why it’s been decline.
  • It’s become a free association culture in the church.
  • The early church never knew this. They were required to keep a covenant.
  • We’ve failed to insist on teaching covenant.
  • Anything goes and community has been lost… it can only be recovered by people who will do covenant.

To a world where anything goes, we’re inviting people to covenant community. Where people are known and loved, valued and cherished, and know God’s purpose for their life. And then they are able to invite people into the fabric of God’s Kingdom.