June 2008

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT LETTING ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS – Thanks!

Read part 1 and part 2 of this series.

We have four potential locations that we are currently considering for our Sunday morning services.  Each location has strengths and challenges.  We are, by no means, locked in to these spots and are completely open to the idea of some fresh lofts or clubs that we might not know about yet.  Here is what I can say about all of these locations – they are relatively affordable, accessible, safe, and could accommodate the type of ministry we want to do.  Let me give you some details about all of them and I’d love to get some feedback from you.

Option # 1 – The Plaza Theatre on Ponce next to the new Urban Outfitters

Summary

The Plaza Theatre is an independent movie theater located very visibly and prominently on Ponce de Leon Avenue a few blocks from Whole Foods and next door to a new Urban Outfitters store.  The theatre has a very vintage look, is in a very high traffic area, and has very community-friendly owners.  It is really the only independent theater in Atlanta and has a really funny history.  In the 70’s it served as an X-Rated theater and even as a live burlesque spot. 

Strengths

Great visible, easy-to-find location that already has pretty good name recognition.  It’s vintage, independent history and feel are edgy and unique – which is some of what we want to capture with our church.  It’s owners are community-centered and purchased the theater with the community in mind.

Challenges

Parking is a major problem here Monday-Saturday, but I am not sure what it looks like on Sunday morning.  The theater is very, very old and it shows in many ways – carpet, chairs, technology, etc.  It is known for showing horror movies and the Rocky Horror Picture Show – not sure if that’s a challenge or not!  It is only a two screen theater – so space may be a challenge if we want to offer a lot of classes for children.

Option #2 – Grady High School across from Piedmont Park

Summary

Grady High School has the best reputation of any public high school in the city of Atlanta and inside of our target area.  It is located right across from Piedmont Park and a pretty high-traffic shopping center.  It is about 1/2 mile away from Whole Foods.  Atlanta Public Schools is pretty friendly to churches and I have already toured this facility a few times and looked at contracts.  The last church plant that I oversaw was done in a public school so I am pretty familiar with how they work.  I live in this school district.

Strengths

Grady High has a pretty good reputation in our city.  This school is very diverse because its feeder schools come from affluent and impoverished areas.  We want to reach both communities.  The school has a theater, a cafeteria, and a gym that we could use for our main service and tons of classroom space.  We are considering hosting a meal every Sunday and the school has an available kitchen as well.  Parking would rarely be a problem here except if Piedmont is having a major event on a Sunday morning. 

Challenges

Like most stuff in this area of town, the school is pretty old, but has undergone recent renovations.  Grady is not located on a major street like the Plaza Theatre.  The school theater would be the best for Sunday services, but it is kind of disconnected from the classrooms that we would use for children’s ministry.

Option #3 – Midtown Arts Cinema on Monroe St. next to Trader Joe’s

Summary

The Midtown Arts Cinema is located in a very popular shopping center next to Trader Joe’s and some cool, independent restaurants and businesses.  It is really across the street from Grady High School and Piedmont Park.  It is known for showing independent films, but also shows the new hits as well.  The theater is older, but is very well kept and has 6 screens and a good sized lobby.

Strengths

This theater is very well-kept and larger than the Plaza Theatre.  Parking here is normally a problem on Monday-Saturday, but I have a hunch that Sunday mornings would provide ample parking space.  This is a very high traffic area, but not as much as the Plaza Theatre.  The fact that it offers more space and more theaters is a big plus for the type of ministry that we want to do.

Challenges

Like Grady High School, this theater is easy to find for community regulars, but is not on a main street like the Plaza theater and is tucked in the back of the shopping center.  This theater would likely cost a little more than the Plaza.

Option #4 – Inman Middle School inside of Virginia-Highlands

Summary

Inman Middle School is in the middle of a very residential area inside of the Virginia Highlands neighborhood.  It is perhaps the best middle school in the city and is in our school district. The facilities are really nice and Atlanta Public Schools is open to us using the facility.  I toured the facility and like it a lot.

Strengths

In addition to having a great reputation, these school facilities are very nice and the area is safe, clean, and green.  The school has classrooms for children’s ministry and a nice gym and auditorium we could use for our main service.

Challenges

This school, while located downtown and inside of our target area, is not on any main streets near any high traffic areas. It may be a little difficult to find on Sunday mornings and would require pretty good signage.   Parking is rather limited since it is a middle school and not a high school.

OTHER OPTIONS THAT WE ARE ALSO OPEN TO:

Castleberry Hill – an emerging downtown neighborhood of lofts, restaurants, art exhbits, coffee shops, and more.  This area really needs more churches and the demographics fit who we are targeting.  This area is outside of our preferred geographic location, but would allow us to reach this community and still have some presence in our preferred location.

Atlantic Station – a brand new live, work, play community that is probably the most popular destination in all of Atlanta.  With thousands of brand new residents and tens of thousands of workers and shoppers there regularly, this is a high traffic area that could use a few more church plants.  It is only about 1 mile from our preferred geographic location and would allow us to reach both areas.

Nightclubs downtown – a few churches that we really admire like Mosaic in Los Angeles have made great use of nightclub space.  Several prominent clubs exist downtown that are regularly available on Sunday evening.  We are still open to this.

We are also open, although maybe down the road, to the idea of a leasing a space to build out something like a coffee house that we use for services on Sunday morning.  This is a major undertaking, but really appeals to us in areas like Castleberry and Atlantic Station.

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Earlier, I discussed the general neighborhood where we hope to begin holding Sunday services on 1-11-2009 and detailed 5 practical reasons for launching in this area.  Beyond those 5 practical reasons, I want to give you the more esoteric rationale for planting near the Whole Foods on Ponce in downtown Atlanta.

It feels right.  In my gut, in my mind, in my spirit -it clicks.  I sense a release from God to do this work in this area.  I would really, really like to launch a church in Atlantic Station and we may do that down the road, but I am sensing a pretty strong calling to the Poncey-Highlands area of our city and being called to an area makes a difference.

Atlantic Station is cool, its hip, its new, and its and is going to need some more church plants, but feeling a sense of calling for an area is a big deal.  It creates momentum and energy.  Being called to an area produces passion and excitement.  Because I feel called to that area, I want to see it flourish in every way possible.  Most church planters (including me) can imagine planting pretty much anywhere, but feeling a confirmation from God that you are in the right place at the right time creates a confidence that really helps.

Next I will detail four potential locations for our Sunday morning services and would love your gut reactions and honest feedback.

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One question that I get asked almost as much as any other is "Where is the Courageous Church going to have Sunday services?"  I am always very surprised that so many people ask this question and I feel that it reveals that Sunday services are still the "main thing" in the minds of most people.  Our church is going to have six practical ways that it fleshes out it’s mission (Sunday services, creative use of technology, small groups, random acts of kindness, addressing courageous causes, and through a bold covenant), but people always want to know about Sunday services – they are really an established part of the national Christian brand.  The other 5 ways that we will flesh out our mission will require effort to introduce and are not already assumed by the people.

The Courageous Church won’t begin having Sunday morning services until 1-11-2009, but we’ve already scouted out several locations, prayed, done a bunch of research on what other churches are doing, and even talked to a few places to look at costs and contracts.  What we have settled is a very specific geographical location in downtown Atlanta and this area of town only has but a handful of options for where we could hold services. Since we can’t actually hold our Sunday services inside this Whole Foods on Ponce in downtown Atlanta, we want to be less than a mile from it.  Here’s why:

1.  This is my area of town.  We shop at and around this Whole Foods several times per week.  I live 1 mile from this location.  Our kids will go to school in this district.  My office is within walking distance of this Whole Foods.

2. This area of town is full of life and traffic.  Whole Foods is the center of gravity for this area, but dozens and dozens of other businesses and offices have caused this area of town to be outrageously busy.

3. This area of town is diverse.  Whole Foods is partly responsible for this, but this area is a microcosm of the ethnic, national, and socio-economic diversity of all of Atlanta.

4. The vast majority of people that frequent this side of town are highly un-churched or de-churched, but express an openness to spirituality and community service that I feel presents an open door for something fresh and new.

5. This area of town is within 3 miles of 6 major colleges and universities and about 50,000 college students.  I was a student leader in college and still have a huge passion for college students and know that the suburban churches that are so far away from these campuses will have a much harder time reaching them now that gas prices are so high.

((I have a lot more to say, but my wife just asked me to make a pregnant lady food run…haha!))

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A few weeks ago I hosted a research group at my home to help us get a small glimpse into the perceptions people have of church, what they are looking for in a church (if they are looking), and what issues locally and internationally really pique their interest.  Much of what is revealed in the book UnChristian was revealed through our survey and discussion as well – particularly the idea that church folk are particularly hypocritical and have no real values or code that they (we) live by.  This was easily the hot button issue of our night.

Seven years ago I remember reading Erwin McManus deal with this very issue in his book An Unstoppable Force.  The bar for what it means to be a Christian has been set so outrageously low, he said, that we are really only scratching the surface of what God has in mind for us.  He proposed setting a new Radical Minimum Standard (RMS) for what it means to be a Christian that better reflects that clear call of God for all of us.

Does your church have a code or covenant that members/partners are encouraged to live by?  How does it work? We are considering creating one.

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After going through a two-day assessment and communicating with some great leaders for the past few months, we just learned that The Courageous Church was approved to be an ARC church plant.  I am so absolutely stoked about this opportunity and all of the possibilities that will open up because of it.

ARC (Association of Related Churches) was formed about eight years ago to provide support, encouragement, coaching, and financial stability to church plants.  With the goal of planting 2000 churches by 2020, the ARC movement is beginning to really pick up steam.  Right now the number of churches is a small, potent force that I really
expect to begin growing exponentially over the next 2-3 years.

Beyond the fact that ARC churches are highly relational, extremely well organized and efficient, they have a passion and zeal that is amazing.  When it was my turn to speak to the entire group at the assessment center, everyone cracked up when I said that ARC churches are undercover Pentecostal – but what I meant was that ARC churches are Spirit-Led and have a passion for the Lord that is so real it’s tangible.

I first learned about ARC while reading the blog of Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of LifeChurch.tv.  Craig is a guy that I really look up to and I was very surprised and interested when I found that he was so impressed with the quality of ARC that he wanted LifeChurch.tv to be a part of the movement.  Some of the most awesome pastors in the country, like Dino Rizzo, Greg Surratt, and Chris Hodges were ARC pastors that I already admired from afar, but I didn’t even know that they were with ARC until I read this blog post.

I met Chuck Angel, the Senior Pastor of BridgePointe Church here in metro Atlanta at the assessment center this week and am really looking forward to spending some time with him, Kevin, and the BridgePointe crew in the months ahead.  Having an ARC church like BridgePointe close by is going to be a major asset for us as we prepare to launch.

I’ll continue to blog about our relationship with ARC in the days and months ahead.

Keep praying for us! We need it.

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My new friend Paul Peterson just posted, in great detail, his experience at the ARC Assessment Center this week.  My wife, who is 6 weeks pregnant, is sick like one of the monsters on 28 Days Later so I will try to post my thoughts on the assessment later tonight or early tomorrow.  Paul pretty much says it all though!

He was one of the guys that I was uber impressed with and I am completely confident that Paul and his wife Sherri are going to launch an awesome work in Ohio when they launch Walls Down Church in the Cincinnati metro area later this year.

Gotta run – family calls…pray for us and send me any pregnancy nausea tips you may have that you or your spouse actually tried.  Thanks!

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