I Have Moved My Blog!

You can find me now at secondchair.wordpress.com!

The Intersection of Mission and Market

No, this does not refer to an actual street corner in Spokane but to a merging of two components that have historically been kept apart – business and ministry. This story takes place in Portland, OR where I had the opportunity to sit down with Ryan Saari, a staff member of the Eastside Foursquare Church. What prompted our face-to-face was the surprising discovery that the motel my wife and I were staying in was owned by the church. I was intrigued. How does a non-profit run a for-profit business? How did they come up with the capital to invest in this property? What impact are they having on the community through this venture? Ryan agreed to meet with me at the Sacred Grounds coffee shop – also operated by the church. If you have read much of my blog you know that I am a strong cheerleader for Next Generation leaders. Ryan is one such leader and it was great to meet him and hear about the Eastside story and what God has in store for Ryan down the road.

A few years ago Eastside was looking for a location for their church and they came across this rundown motel that was for sale. They ran the numbers and determined that this would make a great location for their church and the motel could be a viable business operation for them. In order to operate the motel they had to form a for-profit LLC. The LLC pours it earnings back into the property and gives away the rest to ministries that the church is connected to – a rehab center that operates on the campus and a family shelter. The motel operation provides an income stream to ministries that generate little or no income themselves. This is the intersection of Mission and Market. A successful market (the motel) the supports mission (the church, rehab center, and shelter). It sounds pretty simple. It is. But it wasn't easy.

When the church approached their denomination for financial backing for the project they were turned down. No surprise here. Denominations are not in the habit of supporting marketplace ventures and are among the most conservative investors. So the church found financial backing from private investors. Later, when the motel was operating successfully the denomination backed the project. It took some time for the motel to turn a profit, though. The place looked like a crime scene from CSI. The majority of the rentals were hourly. This was not a place that most travelers would choose to stay. So Eastside poured money and energy into an amazing top-to-bottom transformation complete with pillow-top mattresses, granite slab tub surrounds, and granite counter tops. My wife and I stayed there for six nights recently and found it to be perhaps the quietest and most comfortable motel we've ever stayed in. It was exceptionally clean and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The motel has affiliated with the Choice hotel corporation operating as a Quality Inn and a Rodeway Inn. (The remodeling of the Rodeway side is not yet completed and so the room rates are a bit less.) They also operate a small conference center converting the space that the church uses into meeting rooms and banquet facilities catered through their on-site coffee shop operation.

As Ryan described it, the church was looking for a 7-day relationship with the community. They are so much more than a steeple on the corner where people can enter and partake in services on Sunday at 11. This is a church that very literally has their door open and their lights on 24-7. The model has been so positive for them that Ryan is making plans to plant another church in Portland in the next year that will also intersect mission and market. That's another story for another time!

The Move Has Commenced!

I am moving my blog to another site where I will be posting all new content as of today. Eventually I will move all previous posts there. Make note of the new location: secondchair.wordpress.com  See you there!

The Ultimate Small Group – pt. 1

Over the years I have attended and even led several different small groups. While most of them were good experiences there were some that just didn't meet up to expectations or the group members just never really jelled into a group. With the cumulative effect of those group experiences I think I can speak with some first-hand authority of what a typical church small group looks like and what an ideal small group should look like. The typical small group asks only three things of its members.


First a typical small group asks that group members attend – usually every other week. And that's a huge mistake because every other week is not really frequent enough for you to connect with others in the group. If you happen to miss a week or the group gets cancelled one week, then it can be four weeks – or more – between meetings. A group that meets only once a month begins to feel and function like a committee – not a small group. In order for there to be any sense of closeness, that group is now going to have to meet for several months – essentially meeting over a period that is 2-3 times longer than a weekly group – for group members to connect.


Beyond attending there is little else for group members to do. Some level of consistent attendance is seen as the best we can hope for in a typical group. There is no shared leadership, or shared responsibility for hosting. Beyond those two roles (host and leader) the only role left is to attend. Why is that a problem? The clearest reason is that if there is not shared leadership then there is not shared ownership. And without shared ownership there is a weaker commitment on the part of the attenders to even show up.

In part 2 of this series I will identify the next item that a typical small group asks of its members but I'd like to hear from you. How often does your small group meet? How does that work for you?

FEARLESS – A Review

Max Lucado is such a prolific author that we might understand if he had just wanted to "phone-in" his latest book by writing on a simple subject. Instead, Lucado tackles a tough issue that is common to all of us - fear. It might be fear of not mattering, fear of violence, or fear of facing overwhelming challenges but we've all been there – we're all there – at one time or another. Lucado writes in his classic story-telling manner addressing the reality of fear with both clarity and understanding. Woven through the narrative you will find the generous application of God's Word to each of fourteen different fears. This combination contributes to a powerful book that will challenge the way you view both life and death. It will help settle your anxiety over the future and even your doubts of God's existence.  Fearless opens by declaring that Jesus' most frequent command is some form of "do not fear."

On p. 13 Lucado writes, "Fear may fill our world, but it doesn't have to fill our hearts. It will always knock on the door. Just don't invite it in for dinner, and for heaven's sake don't offer it a bed for the night. Let's embolden our hearts with a select number of Jesus' "do not fear" statements. The promise of Christ and the contention of this book are simple: we can fear less tomorrow than we do today."
 In chapter 10 Lucado makes a strong case for a healthy (read: biblical) view of death and challenges us to face death not with fear, but with courage. It is a chapter worth reading more than once.

I have read many of Lucado's books and would consider Fearless to be among his very best. I am especially pleased with the discussion guide included in the book. While some of Lucado's previous books fell short when being used for small groups, I look forward to using Fearless as a small group study. Fearless should be on everyone's reading list.

Guide To The Almost Perfect Marriage – A Review

Rick Burgess and Bubba Bussey are a pair of very funny men. In their latest book, "Rick & Bubba's Guide to the Almost Perfect Marriage" they tell numerous stories about married life that will make you smile and even laugh out loud! You may even see yourself in these pages. Written in a 'Readers Digest" format with short chapters it is an easy book – especially for men – to have handy in certain rooms of the house when there is an urgent need for reading material. If you are looking a light-hearted commentary on the state of marriage be sure to pick up a copy. If you're looking for something that will help you wrestle with some of the struggles in your marriage and find helpful solutions for those struggles, then this is probably not going to be helpful. So throw a copy in your briefcase for your next flight or give as a birthday of Father's Day gift to the men in your life. Just don't expect it to unlock any of the secrets to living that almost nearly perfect marriage.

Facebook Trends

Like the rest of the world, the use of Facebook and Twitter has exploded at our church - and its spreading through all age groups. We have formed group pages for several of our key ministries and for our church. We are finding that targeted communication to the members of these group pages is much more effective than a general email announcement. (Maybe email is becoming the same as bulletin or pulpit announcements and being filtered out by most?) Among the staff I am probably the most active Facebook user and so recently I began to notice some trends that we needed to talk about with our volunteers.

For reasons I don't fully understand, it is clear that many people who use the internet think that their activity there is completely private - or at least limited to a handful of people. So they post comments that are somewhat questionable and crude. Things like: abbreviations for four-letter-word-filled phrases; quiz results that reveal a darker or even sinful side of themselves; suggestive videos; or embarrassing photos of other people. We can't (and don't want to) monitor the activity of those who attend our church but we do want to provide some guidelines for safe and sane use of social media sites by those who provide ministry through our church - especially when they have minors as friends & followers.

Here's a working list of suggestions:

[1] As a ministry leader you are strongly encouraged to post only those items to Facebook, Twitter, or your blog that you would willingly say to the entire church. Ephesians 4.28,29

[2] As a ministry leader it is generally  inappropriate for you to initiate a friend request with a minor. It may be appropriate to accept a friend request from minor if you have a ministry relationship with them.

[3] The creation of any Our Savior’s Baptist related Facebook groups should be done in a format that does not permit the general public from viewing the group page. Membership in the group page should be on an approval basis by the page administrator.
[4] Married ministry leaders should give their spouses full access to email, text messages, and social media sites. 

[5] Photos of minors (under age 18) who are part of our ministries should be posted only to the appropriate Facebook group and not to your own wall.
[6] Leaders should refrain from tagging minors in photos.

[7] Ministry leaders & volunteers should refrain from publishing the results of quizzes that are questionable.

[8] Ministry leaders & volunteers should refrain from using common abbreviations for foul language.

[9] Ministry leaders and volunteers should refrain from posting comments that are critical of Our Savior's members, leadership, ministries, or other leaders/volunteers. Philippians 4.13
[10] Be smart!

These guidelines are not yet in their final form. I would appreciate your feedback or suggestions of how they might be improved.