Filed under: Church, Pop Culture | Tags: C3 Church, Churches, Orlando Sentinel, Strip Malls
Listen y’all. I am so proud to be a church that is making an impact in our city! Check out this front page article about C3 Church in the Orlando Sentinel on Saturday!
Strip Malls Get Saved By Churches!
Use what you have. What could God use, that he’s already given you, to help you today?
If you’re focused on what you don’t have, you can’t see what you do have… What has God blessed you with that you’ve overlooked?
Filed under: Church
What would the Old Testament hero, Shamgar twitter about?
START WHERE YOU ARE, USE WHAT YOU HAVE, DO WHAT YOU CAN!
Filed under: Church, Connections, Friends, LOVE, Personal | Tags: Diversity, Orange County, Orlando
One thing that I love about C3 Church that I don’t think that I have ever really talked about on my blog is the diversity that God has blessed us with. When I say diversity you might think I am only talking about race but you would be mistaken. Race is only one aspect of the diversity found at C3 Church. We not only have diversity in race but diversity in age. We have diversity in socio-economic levels. We have diversity in religious denominations or no religious affiliation at all. God has blessed C3 with just an incredible melting pot of different people with one desire to “love God and love others!”
I really believe that C3 church is truly a microcosm of Orlando. Orlando is a very diverse metropolitan area where many different races and cultures combine. I think that every church should reflect their culture through diversity. If you take an honest look at your church congregation and 98 percent of your congregation is representing only one race or culture then I think you are missing the boat. In fact Orange county is now so diverse that minorities are now the majority of the population in our county. C3 Church is in fact very close in mirroring this trend in the Central Florida area. It is truly a blessing to see our racial diversity at C3 Church.
I also heard it said that as we transitioned C3 Church to a more contemporary model that the older generations would not come. Well to be honest with you that could not be a more incorrect statement. Yes we had a lot of “churched” senior adults move to other churches in our transition but God has brought in a lot of older un-churched folks who have found Christ and some older Christ-followers that love others so much that they enjoy C3 Church and the work that is being done. So diversity in age, young and old!
We have people that speak English and second languages such as Spanish, French, German, Korean and the list goes on and on which represents a diversity of cultures. We also have Catholics, Methodist, Pentecostals, Baptists, Presbyterians, non-denominational, etc. and most of all un-churched religious backgrounds. Diversity is part of C3 Church.
I am so proud how God has given C3 Church the platform and ability to speak the truth of the love of Christ not only to a select few but to ALL people here in Orlando. Loving God and loving others, that’s what it’s about at C3! Love Wins!
Next week we will be starting a new sermon series called “Tweet This!”. Obviously this series is based on the popular social networking program called Twitter. We will be taking a look at some characters in the Bible that will encourage your walk with Christ. Some of these characters you might know of and some you might not.
This will be an interactive sermon series so in case you don’t have a Twitter account you probably should get one. (Link to set up a Twitter account) It is going to be a blast as we take a look at some great stories in God’s Word. Join us at C3 Church on Sundays and on Twitter as we “Tweet This!”
Well, what to say? I have recently had a conversation of sorts (electronic/internet/blog) with a friend that has some specific views on how a church should do ministry and reach out to people who don’t know Christ. The conversation was civil and good natured. I will also say that this person was not any part of C3 Church or the church that preceeded C3 so this conversation was not driven by the particular set of circumstances that involved the transition of C3 Church. So this person is a personal friend who has a point of view of what some would call “seeker sensitive” churches.
What was truly sad about the whole exchange is that my friend seemed to equate anything that was creative or out of the box thinking for reaching non-Christians as being flawed and shallow without merit for changing people’s lives. My friend had a such a set of pre-conceived notions about “seeker sensitive” churches that no matter how I tried to spur a different way of thinking about church it was automatically rebuffed.
I realize that if you ask ten different churched people the definition of “seeker sensitive” you will get ten different answers with most of them having a negative conotation. The fact of the matter is we have never labeled C3 as seeker sensitive but we have said that we are definitely sensitive to people seeking meaning to their lives. We have the answer, and it is Jesus Christ.
Here is my last response to my friend and the response I got back.
ME
Not only I but many of my Christian brothers not only are working our hardest to see people saved but also withstanding attacks from our Christian brothers. It seems that so many times we are fighting the forces of Satan and the forces of religiosity all at the same time. So it just is very personal for me. I guess that is a part of the burden that we must carry. I know that normal people were not offended by the Gospel that Jesus brought when He was on the Earth, it was only the religious elite that were screaming bloody murder and eventually had Jesus killed. So, I know I’m in good company and God sees my heart. I know that you meant nothing personal. I would just love for everyone’s focus to be on the “fish” instead of the “net”. Thanks for the discussion and God bless you _______ and your ministry.
RESPONSE
Just remember…nets get holes sometimes. 
People will eventually get tired of all the cool, flashy, nets…and then what remains? The fact that we should be building relationships with people, and preaching the truth…that is the “net” that will remain firm when our culture and society constantly fluctuates… That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!
What was sad that even in the response the “net” was the focus not the “fish”. What my friend seems not to get is that the “net” is not what we use to keep the “fish” once they are caught. Once the “fish” are caught they are hauled onto the the “boat” which is the truth of scripture and the life changing power of Jesus Christ. So it’s ok if the net fluctuates and is fluid in order to initially catch the “fish”. In fact I don’t think a rigid net that never fluctuated would be very effective in catching fish. The fact of the matter is that when the “fish” is the focus the relationships are built the truth is preached and lives are changed.
I tried through the exchanges to get the point accross that the message of Jesus Christ and the Gospel were sound and unchangeable but the vehicle or way we delivered that message should change and be relavant to our culture. My friend was so convinced that marketing, relavant worship, excellent media etc. was so antithetical to the truth of scripture that the mere use of any of these tools meant that the church was watered down or subscribed to a social doctrine of the Gospel. I could not convince my friend that you could have marketing, relavant worship, excellent media etc. AND the truth of scripture and genuine life change in people.
I’ve said all of that to say this. I hope that I never become so hyper focused on just one view or angle that I can’t see anything else. It’s like the old proverbial saying, “You can’t see the forest, for the trees”. It was like there was only one thing going on over and over in my friend’s mind to the point that nothing else I could say would even get them to look at something through different eyes. I hope I’m always looking for new ways and new ideas to reach people. The way that we do church should never be static. Evaluation of the methods and way we do church, to present the unchangable truth of scripture, should constantly be on the table for discussion. I hope I am always sitting at that table because the “fish” are what matters not the “net”!
We had an incredible afternoon where we baptized more than 25 people at the Blanchard Park YMCA! It is just incredible to see how God is changing lives at C3 Church!
People in line to get baptized in their C3 shirts!
More people in line waiting to get dunked!
Some friends & family watching Pastor Byron & Pastor Barry Baptizing C3ers!
The incredible “C3 Church baptism celebration”, vanilla cake with buttercream frosting and strawberry filling made by Davis Bakery in Avalon Park. The cake was unbelievable!
Another all around great day at C3 Church!
Filed under: Church | Tags: Church Music, New Traditional Church Music, Worship
Whether you agree or disagree with this blog post by Tony Morgan it is very thought provoking. Check this out. Hope you like it!
This Sunday we start a new message series called “So You’re Dead…Now What?” We will be taking a look at what happens to us after we die. This should be a provacative and life-changing message series. Death is the big unknown to us, so we are going to unlock the mysteries of what happens when our life ends and our eternity begins. Come join us at C3 Church. You don’t want to miss it!
We had a great day at C3. We had over 10 professions of faith and over 840 people in attendance. The presence of God was inescapable at church yesterday. The energy was incredible as God changed so many lives. The message of the Christ’s crucifixion from the perspective of the theif on the cross was powerful as the last message in the “Right Where You Are” series. So many lives were touched as we wrapped up our “Feed the Families” food drive as well. It was one of those Sundays where you just had to thank God for the way that He moved. I feel so blessed to be a part of a ministry that has a heart to connect the community with Christ. Easter @ C3 Church! Unbelievable!
loveworshiplovelife 