Our Baby Boy is 18

Posted in Tribute on August 19, 2008 by shanecraven

Jordan Shane Craven turns the big 18 today!  It doesn’t seem possible!  I remember his birth like it was yesterday…I remember him being the only baby in the nursery of the first church I pastored for a few weeks…I remember everyone gathering at Shallowford Hospital in Dunwoody, GA on that Lord’s Day Sunday morning…and so much more!  Now, he is getting grown.  He’s an unusual young man and leader who has loved God, loved learning, loved his family, loved Northpoint Church, and the Georgia Bulldogs.  Our journey as a family has been full of risk and obedience to God that didn’t always make sense in the natural.  The possibility always exists for kids to respond negatively as God calls us to different ministries.  It hasn’t in our case.  (we give the praise to God)

God’s favor has been in our favor with all of our kids.  We’ve done a lot of things wrong in this life, but the crown jewels for Kim and me are our kids, who will hopefully come behind us and do greater things for God than we ever did.  Jordan is a National Honor Society member, a Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society Member, and has a phenomenal GPA.  He has exceeded and achieved everywhere we’ve gone.  He can do anything, is very conscientious, and has an amazing work ethic!  Kim and I are so proud of him, not for what he does, but rather who he is. 

I get emotional thinking of him being little, and us loading up the car many times for fun trips, his big brown eyes looking at us when he did wrong, and him going off to college one day soon.  He’s been a jewel to this Craven family.  We love you Jordan!  Your dreams will come true!  Never give up on them, and remember, let God’s dreams for you become your dreams for you!

Happy Birthday!

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Robert Powell Wins Lottery

Posted in Giving on August 19, 2008 by shanecraven

Robert Powell won over $12M dollars in the Florida lottery recently and took home $6M.  He was ready and prepared to drop $600,000 into the offering plate at his Baptist church in Florida, as a tithe, but the church refused it due to the fact that I assume they view it as “tainted.” 

First of all, Robert, we’re launching a new church for people who don’t go to church, which is about 80% of our area, and we will be happy to be in receipt of your $600,000 gift!!!!

Second of all, come on……Bill Stafford said it years ago when asked the same question:  “Sure we’ll receive it.  It’s been in the hands of the devil long enough.”  That’s one way of looking at it, but let me give you some other ways.  ALL of EVERY resource is God’s!  He made it, created it, and is in the process of handling all dollars.  I’m sure God Himself will be happy to have some of His resources voluntarily submitted back into His kingdom. 

Remember, all churches receive financial gifts each week from men who are into gluttony….all churches receive financial gifts each week from women who are into adultery…all churches receive financial gifts each week from students who are drunkards…all churches receive financial gifts each week from people who acquired the green from a dishonest business deal.  Every church does this very willingly and they never look back!

We don’t think through things.  I am amazed at inconsistent hypocrisy and we wonder why this generation dislikes church!

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Ben Arment

Posted in Church Planting on August 18, 2008 by shanecraven

Too good to pass up sending along to you:  If you are considering being a part of a church plant, then make sure you read Ben’s thoughts here.  Great perspective!

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Wineskins

Posted in Church Planting on August 18, 2008 by shanecraven

You know, the Bible is so clear about trying to put ”new wine in old wineskins.”  To me that means, that forever we will be making element and mental changes to our services and churches, while never compromising any page of the scripture.  It’s called packaging changes, language changes, and M.O. changes.

Kim and I were in two different churches yesterday:

Interestingly enough, both of these guys are amazing leaders, both of these churches provided fabulous worship experiences, both of these churches have grown at a racecar pace, and both of their churches meet in buildings that, at one time, had vibrant, growing, energetic denominational congregations meeting in them.  For whatever reason, these churches no longer needed the space.  My thoughts began to run, as Kim and I had just been in a similar setting in Charlotte, NC a few weeks ago where Next Level Church had bought a building of an established church that had gotten down to 30 people.

Here is and was my premise and I said to Kim regarding Charlotte: “Not that he ever would have wanted to, but I’m postiive that that church would have never voluntarily let Todd come in and transform their current church to healthiness.  They would choose to die before they would do that.  Todd’s church had to be started from the outside with no hoops to jump through, grow so much they were out of space, and then purchase that church at a later date.”  28 of those 30 people are now in Next Level Church, which has more than 600 in attendance. 

Why is that?  It’s happening all over the United States and will happen even more.  Churches that won’t radically alter their current way of doing church and mentality of doing church, will continue to decline, falter, and fail, and whether you like it or not, will either be given away to another church, leased by another church, given back to a denomination, or bought by another church that has moved to the area and launched a new church, which, by the way, is the greatest evangelistic tool this side of heaven!  This is the very reason that revival is coming to America through church planting.

ILLUSTRATION:  I had a good friend tell me the horrible story of his parents drowning in a local lake.  He said that when he found them, they were hanging on to an old log there in the lake and here is the most fascinating part.  He said that what they didn’t know was that if they had just put their feet down into the water, they could have walked out.  The water was that shallow. 

Many, many churches need to just put their feet down and walk out of their mess.  However, very few established churches really want change!  They ALL say they do, but most don’t.  There is too much history the old way, too many people pleasers, and too many of the old guard in the church cemetary for the current crew of leadership to hold fast and make the radical, renegade, and pioneer changes necessary to find new life for their church.  They will hang on to their history until their death, if need be, so that everybody left will be proud of them.  All of this in exchange for a slow death of the once vibrant body; All of this posturing while 80% of their county attend no one’s church.  The Bible was way ahead of it’s time…it knew what it was talking about!

Coming soon, to your town!

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A Great Friday Afternoon

Posted in Pastor on August 16, 2008 by shanecraven

So enjoyed lunch with a new friend, Matt Evans, pastor at Rockbridge Community Church in Dalton, GA.  It’s one of those kinds of relationships that has an immediate connection and affinity.  What an encouragment for me, personally.  You are talking about a guy that has the “fragrance of Christ” in his life…a breath of fresh air.  God has used Matt, already, in our journey in many, many ways!  Yesterday, even more so…all I continue to say is, wowww!  God is ALWAYS at work raising up great men like Matt to lead people into His presence.

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A Reminder For Us All

Posted in Church Planting on August 15, 2008 by shanecraven

A few more reminders of why we are planting a new church:

  • To save those that are far from God
  • Existing churches just aren’t doing it
  • The only state growing in church population is Hawaii
  • 3,660 churches started each year;  4,600 close
  • We need 38,802 new churches just to keep up with population growth
  • Every generation has experienced a percentage decrease in those that profess Christ
  • Only 2% of your kids’ generation will be Christ Followers

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First Launch Team Gathering

Posted in Launch on August 14, 2008 by shanecraven

We met for the first time last night in our home with our launch team and interested parties, and all I can tell you is, wowwwwwwwww!  It exceeded my expectations!  We thank you Lord!

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Externally Focused

Posted in Externally Focused, Uncategorized on August 13, 2008 by shanecraven

The thing I love about church planting is that it is Kingdom work right out of the chute.  Why else would you start a church, except for the call, of course, but everything you do impacts and reduces lostness.  One of the ways to change a city is to serve it and other churches.  Jesus represented and modeled this concept very well.  No need to be apprehensive to partner with other kingdom activities…No need to be jealous of another new church right beside you in town…No need to be concerned that your church didn’t get the gig…No need to be concerned!  Reason: In the greatest of cities with the greatest of new church plants, from 1991-2004, the unchurched population grew from 39 million to 79 million people- Imagine that, with all the kickin’ stuff all these great churches have going on!  We need everybody!!!!!  Remember, the average county in America has 80% of its population who attend no one’s church on a given Sunday.  Hello!

We are excited at Origin Church to have as one of our core values, Irresistible Service.  We are partnering on mission with an event called The Gathering by supplying them paints and paint brushes for the big event next week-  this is an event where children and students come together from Dalton, Ringgold, and Chattanooga, for a night of worship.  They promote unity to be a generation united for Christ.  Good job Derek and Dillon!

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It Can Be Overwhelming

Posted in Thoughts on August 12, 2008 by shanecraven

As we get rolling here on the ground, oftentimes I find panic setting in.   You can feel like you have to get a pace cranking that is faster than a speeding bullet.  When I was not yet on the field, I had a nice and respectable pace that I enjoyed and I realize that I must re-connect my mind to that line of thinking simply because “God builds the church,” and Shane doesn’t.  The mind is so powerful, for the good and the bad.  We literally have to control and tell our thoughts what to do.  God never had in mind, a self-propelled way of life.  We have a choice of how we think.  I have found this discipline to work for me many times. 

I get into a good groove and think right, but every now and then, the enemy sows an attack on my thought life that paralyzes me, and causes me to regress into discouragement or depression, saying, “Shane, you can’t do it, it’s too tough, you don’t have the staffing, the funding, the know-how.”  I’ve heard it said that if you change your mind, you change your life. 

We’re not God!  We are all on the starting team in His kingdom, no doubt, but His plan is being worked out for us, and if we are listening quietly, obeying, available to move to the left and right at any moment, God will give peace.  I think it’s when we lock in on something that we feel is permanent that God begins to unveil a lack of rest and lack of peace.  Reason being: He knows ALL things and we don’t.  Therefore, we don’t know our chapters and seasons like He does and we should never be unavailable to do ANYTHING for Him at any moment. 

Here’s a thought:  Don’t (I’m speaking to me too) have more expectation and standard for your ministry and life than God does!  No more-no less.

God’s will is God’s work;  Go to the next best place He has for you!  Add value to somebody every day of your life.  Practice the art of “Thank You” power.  It works!

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Westridge Church Planting School

Posted in Church Planting on August 11, 2008 by shanecraven

We officially started attending this 5 month school this past Saturday.  Brian Bloye is pastor and Jim Akins leads the school.  It is fabulous stuff!  It has all the nuts and bolts a planter needs to make it happen.  Additionally, God is all over these guys!  Some great statements:

  • You need 100 names of people praying for you.
  • When you get down and discouraged, this is the time you will be hit with your besetting sin.
  • Never respond to personal attacks.
  • People like choices-  It takes all kinds of churches to do different types of ministries in different areas of a town.
  • If you’re here to start a church for Christians, you’re in the wrong place.
  • If your church shut down today, would your town miss you?
  • Church Planting is one of the greatest adventures that a pastor will ever undertake.
  • Church Planting is an adventure that will keep your prayer life up to date, challenge your faith, and give you the most exhilirating feeling imaginable.
  • Sometimes the most dangerous place to be is in the center of God’s will.   -Erwin McManus
  • This whole county belongs to God.  Don’t be afraid to start another church in your community. 
  • Celebrate with everybody.
  • Church Planting is Kingdom work.
  • Ranchers take new territorty (church planters); Shepherds take care of the flock (pastoring established churches).
  • Our job is surrender.
  • I believe if you’re church planting, you are doing the will of God, if, you are walking with God.
  • Church Planting is the most rewarding thing God could call you to do.
  • Church Planting is the best evangelistic strategy known to man.  -Peter Wagner
  • Church Planting was the New Testament strategy for fulfilling the Great Commission.
  • No county in America has more Christians today than it did a decade ago.  (Wowww!)

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