It’s Time

It’s time for a love revolution… I know we’ve all grown so tired of cliché sayings… only problem is, there are some that are oh, so true. We need this as a nation and world more than ever now.

Oversold

Sorry I have not updated in a while. It’s about time, right? So… what’s new? Well, I wanted to take some time to speak about a big project I’ve been working on. I am so excited about it, because this is one of those things in life that can only be explained by God in how it’s coming together… so, I wanted to share it with you! Simply put, it looks like I will be a part of a short film and possibly a feature… all from an idea

Back in the fall of 2005, I did a video sermon on fear @ Horizon. I had been inspired by some in the church that have really taken the time to communicate through multimedia in relevant/fresh ways and wanted to take a shot at it as well. I really enjoyed making this piece on fear, but it took about 80-100 man hours to complete. This was mainly because I had never done something like this before and learned many things in the process. So… I was thinking… what should I do next? I had in mind at that time to do a modern day Hosea story/sermon on video. Even pitched the idea to Dave Reichley (we worked together so well on the Grace video series) and I know he loves movies as much as I do… so, we started (sorta) working on it. Then… big changes took place in our lives as a family, and we ended up in the SW – following the call of God.

Fast forward to fall of 2006, I went to LA to see my best friend Paul Morrell. Our families got together to enjoy a weekend in LA and I pitched the idea to him of a video sermon on Hosea.

He flipped. The next night, he told me that was all he could think about and that this should be more than a video sermon… it should also be a MOVIE. lol – Paul had moved back to LA after reading the Dream Giver book to follow the dream of making movies. So… this seemed to fit.

Well, after that, Paul began to research people/stories that would be good as a backdrop to our new movie. In the process he found the Treasure’s website: http://www.iamatreasure.com/ – it’s a ministry to strippers and women in the sex industry. One of the stories was of a woman named Crissy, formerly Crissy Moran, a very famous porn star that left the industry boldly to follow Christ. (Crissy’s porn site still makes 4.5 million dollars every year and she’s been out of the biz since 10.06). Anyway, the story really gripped Paul and he forwarded it to me. (Side note: Harmony, the creator of this ministry and former stripper herself is Crissy’s mentor – Harmony spoke at Elevation a few Sunday’s back and shared what she does with our church and we have a few in our midst that will most likely connect with what she’s doing. Very cool…). Here is Crissy’s public MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/yourfriendcrissy Exciting that Elevation Church is listed in her top friends!

In time, we were able to connect with Crissy and tell her about the project and our idea. What’s exciting is that she has agreed to help play the role of our modern day “Gomer” – and her boyfriend Grant has agreed to play the bad guy/pimp character in our story. A local LA actor will play the pastor/prophet of the story. I can tell you, it was a bit surreal seeing actors memorizing lines I had written in order to get the part. Crazy… Crazier still? Me, writing a movie script. lol – well, the short film version anyway. I do not have the time as a church planter to write a full movie script, but this I was able to manage. But so you know… the third draft for the feature is in process. How exciting is that?

So, here’s the deal: we begin shooting this at the end of this month. Paul has really done a great job putting all of this together. He’s secured all the essential elements to make this short film/video sermon an amazing piece. On top of all of that, my other best friend Josh Smith (of Ashes Remain fame) has written all new songs inspired by this story. Some of that will be revealed in this piece as well. It’s a thrill to know that my two best friends in the world (next to Kimme, of course!!) are working together with me on this!

And speaking of friends, I consider Grant and Crissy dear friends of mine as well. This process has really allowed me the privilege of getting to know both of them.  I can’t wait to get this done and release it this fall! I do hope everything goes well… pray for this, won’t you? If and when words gets out who is in this video, it will most likely spread over the entire world…. and in turn, so will this message of hope and grace. I feel like the story of Hosea is one that needs to be remembered and brought into our culture’s psyche.  When we do release it, I am hoping to really make an impact on the Phoenix area – there are so many here that need to hear about God’s grace.

And all of this has really inspired me to do more of this sort of thing… like, take these awesome stories of the OT and bring them into our context – so people can know that these stories are not just old stories, but REAL stories and they STILL SPEAK. Looking forward to doing some more… and hopefully some not so sexually focused. lol – Between Harmony coming and the Hosea story, that seems to be the focus now. Looking forward to more on other stories like Joseph or Ester, etc.

Anyway… That is the latest, I suppose…. please pray for all of this, won’t you?

- David

Elevation Church: How We Define Leadership

Thoughts on Leadership / Facilitators / Mentorship:
David CowanJune 2006/January 2008
Definition of Leadership:

We have typically equated discipleship with leadership, making the two terms synonymous with each other in our community. We are basically saying that those that are leading people are leaders. Yet there are a few things to clarify:

What does it mean to lead someone?
Well, if we have defined leadership as being synonymous with discipleship, the answer is that we lead someone through discipleship. So, what does that mean?We have often described this process as “connecting.” Many times we ask one another, “who are you connecting with these days?” Of course, “connection” takes place in various ways:

Sunday morning chat, possibly a first time conversation.
Grab some coffee together, or grab lunch or dinner.
Chat at Link Group, etc.
Spontaneous gatherings of community (Ashes Remain shows, Cartel Coffee Lab, football, movie nights, etc.)

Connection/Discipleship is lived out in different phases:

Social: In this phase of the relationship, neither person knows each other that well, but there is a desire to get to know each other more. Perhaps there are common interests, goals, or relationships?
Friendship: In this phase, each person gets to know each other a little more. There is regular, or at least semi-regular, times in which each get together.
Vulnerability: In this phase, the relationship has deepened to a level of vulnerability in which both people are able to trust one another and spur each other on towards Christ-likeness.

Somewhere between the friendship phase and the vulnerability phase, connection becomes discipleship. This is an important distinction because with it comes our definition of what a leader is. In other words, if all one does is connect (i.e. social setting gathering, casual conversation, etc.) this person is not leading. Though one may be good with the initial element of what it means to lead, they are not leading unless there is a pattern of developing relationships past this phase and into discipleship. Yet, if one does develop relationships past any initial connection phase, one will see a leader leading.

BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATION:
Notice how Jesus’ time with his disciples took this same course from initial contact to vulnerability.

Can leadership be measured?

Leadership in our context is investment in people. This makes measuring results difficult for obvious reasons. Living the Christian life and investing in others is more of an art than a science. Yet still we are able to say, “that person is a leader.” Why? Because there are multiple examples of one’s leadership as this is lived out within the community.

In other words, leadership is demonstrated. In what ways is leadership demonstrated?

Jesus said in Matthew 7.15-20: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”In this passage, Jesus beautifully articulates that evidence of one’s character is born out in the fruit their life develops. Likewise, evidence that a leader is in one’s midst comes from the fruit of that leader’s life: the people they have invested in.Pause for reflection: Think for a moment about your investment in people. Who is now living out their faith because you have invested in them? Who is pursuing Christ-likeness like never before because of your encouragement to do so? Who is being vulnerable with you, confessing their sins and seeking to move forward towards what God has called them to do or be? I realize this exercise can make you uncomfortable. This may look like I am asking you to brag on yourself, but I am not. I am asking you to really own up to whether or not you are leading others to pursue their relationship with God and helping them by walking beside them in that journey. If you cannot think of anyone, this is not a moment to be discouraged, but rather a moment to consider what needs to change in your life.

Cross the Threshold of Connection to Discipleship:
A connector generally waits to speak or meet up with people in his/her Link Group until the Link Group actually gathers. A disciple maker, on the other hand, has been doing so between the meetings. He/she knows that Link Group happens between the meetings, not only during. In doing this, a facilitator at Elevation is investing in others and in time, new leaders will emerge. Multiplication is impossible without this.

Another Layer of Leadership: Decision/Task

We have described the first and most important part of leadership at Elevation: discipleship. Yet there is another form of leadership that is necessary as well. What about the over arching vision of the church? What about the budget? What about the details of things? In other words, who is to make decisions about such things?

A Suggestion From the Apostle Paul: In many ways, the early church dealt with the same issues we face as a church in the 21st century: Who is a leader? What are their qualifications? What do they do? How do they do it? And, of course, the early church had task oriented issues to deal with as well as we do now. Just who is to lead the church in such decision making? Paul gives this person in such a role the name: “Overseer.”

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task.” (1 Timothy 3.1).

This leader is to be healthy in many respects: if married, this person is to have a healthy marriage, children that obey and respect their parents. Paul explains the importance of this by saying: “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” This person must also be temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, or a lover of money. Paul also warns that this person may not be a recent convert “or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.” (1 Timothy 3.1-7).In this manner, Paul describes the qualifications for an overseer. Notice that Paul describes that such a leader is not to have been a recent follower of Christ. He doesn’t give a time period or requirement in this passage, but judging from Paul’s own life example (found in Galatians) perhaps three years is a good enough time period for growth.New believers are contagious! And what’s the first thing each new believer wants to do? New believers want to help serve in any way they can. So, without giving it much thought, such a person generally finds that they are thrust into decision making roles quickly, soon burdened with task-oriented decisions. The fire fades… burn out ensures… and the once excited disciple is now needing to disengage a bit to be healthy again. Perhaps there is a better way? Giving each new follower of Christ time to simply focus on loving people in their Link Group and grow as a disciple can be the best thing we as a church can do for them… allow them the space to grow. Once seasoned a bit with life in Jesus (again, perhaps 3 years) let them stretch their wings a bit and help with this second tear of leadership. Now having been equipped with life experience in Christ, they will be able to take on this task in a more healthy manner.

Link Group Facilitator and Link Group Mentor: Discipleship/Mentorship

As has already been established, there is a Biblical precedent for a distinction between the two tiers of leadership: discipleship and task oriented. In the context of Elevation Church, these distinctions are laid out in the roles of a Link Group Facilitator and a Link Group Mentor.

Link Group Facilitators are individuals that have taken the first step into making disciples within the Elevation Church context. LGFs are those that desire to help serve the Body by facilitating spiritual discussions in LG and connect with their group’s people through the week. They serve, in essence, as shepherds to the people in their group. If someone needs prayer, they pray. If someone needs accountability, they provide it. LGFs begin that lifelong lesson of learning how to love people and lead them into a more fully devoted “followship” with Jesus.

So, who are Link Group Mentors and what is their role in the body? Well, LGMs are individuals that were once Link Group Facilitators themselves and may still yet be facilitating a Link Group, yet their Link Groups have multiplied a couple of generations. Because of the distinction of proven multiplication in Link Groups, LGMs take on more of the role of a coach by mentoring and pouring into the lives of other Link Group Facilitators. In Elevation’s context, a Link Group Mentor may coach/mentor as many as 3-5 Link Group Facilitators.

Along with the distinction of being a coach/mentor – the Link Group Mentor also serves the body in the second tier of leadership as it has been established. Each LGM is eligible to serve on Elevation Church’s “On Mission Team.”

Why we have an ” ON MISSION TEAM”
Imagine if you will, a Link Group Facilitator meeting where no task-oriented items are mentioned. Imagine time spent together speaking about the one task that matters most: making disciples… playing an integral part in developing fully devoted followers of Christ. Imagine a meeting in which most of the time together as facilitators was spent in prayer, in discussion about Link Groups, and how each facilitator was doing with their own walk with Christ. I believe it’s possible…

Likewise, imagine a task-oriented team of people that have a proven track record of discipleship that own the Vision of Elevation which is: To Multiply Congregations Comprised of Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus Christ.

The primary task of the On Mission Team is to serve the whole church at large – working with the leadership and direction set by the Core Staff – by taking care of task oriented things, and only those things that help Elevation Church accomplish it’s Vision. In other words, the OMT is to be about keeping the main thing the main thing: multiplying congregations of fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. The task is to stay on mission with the work God has invited us to join Him in. Since this is the role of the OMT, no one that has recently become a Christian can serve in this capacity. Only people that have had the time to grow and a proven track record of multiplied discipleship can serve in this capacity.

But because we value the call of disciple making more than that of position, no OMT member will be able to serve longer than two years. Instead, they will be encouraged to devote their time into investing fully into their Link Group Facilitators.

The OMT works with the Core Staff, Campus Pastors, and Lead Pastor to see that the vision and mission of Elevation is not only being met, but is charting the proper course for the future. It’s role is to do the task oriented decision making to free up Link Group facilitators/leaders to focus on people.

At the same time, another role of the OMT is to generate dialogue about the needs and concerns of the various campuses. How are the campuses doing in regard to Elevation’s Core Values? The answer, in turn, tells all how we are doing as a church with keeping our values:

Simplicity:
“Love God; love people. For all of the Law and the Prophets are summed up in these.”
Matthew 22:37-40

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28.18-20

Unity:
May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know you sent Me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17.23

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12.4-5

Integrity:
Just as He that called you is Holy, so be Holy in all you do. 1 Peter 1:15

Relevance:
I have become all things to all people that by all means possible I might save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22

Creativity:
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10

Quality:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lored as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. – Colossians 3.23

Multiplication:
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. – John 12.24
This is the goal… this is the vision… this is the course. Now let us run the race and hear “well done.”

David Cowan,
June 2006/January 2008

Update 8: The Purpose of Elevation Church

i am long overdue for another update on things. first of all, i truly hope that all of you are doing well! kimme and i love hearing from you and receiving notes in the mail! keep them coming!

let me begin with a bit of church planting news on our end. it’s old news but something i’ve not blogged about. this has to do with our purpose statement. we have finally nailed down what it is. ;p

The purpose of Elevation Church is to multiply congregations of fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

now for a bit of explanation… there are two assumptions that exists among churches that appear to be prevalent. both assumptions are good assumptions but at their core, however, they are flawed in my opinion.

one assumption is this: if a church focuses on planting churches, that church will raise up fully devoted followers of Christ. this assumption seems good, but in truth a church could plant churches that simply proliferate a “sit and soak” mentality that is so prevalent today. numbers may grow, but numbers do not necessarily represent disciples.

the second assumption is like the first, just in reverse order: if a church focuses on disciple making, that church will plant new churches. again, this assumption appears good on the surface but the results do not always match the assumption. congregations do not just happen organically. there has to be an organized effort of some kind to begin a congregation.

at elevation church, we believe that Jesus’ words with the Great Commission were not merely suggestions… they are our marching orders as the church. we are to make disciples! at the same time, Jesus told the church to wait on the Spirit in jerusalem… when the Spirit empowered the church, He did so by creating the church planting movement.

this is why our purpose statement includes both disciple making and congregation starting. these two things are why we exist, and both support and undergird each other. thought i would share!

Update 7: Dated 1.2.08

so, yeah… what in the world happened to my blog? lol – it’s called updating to the new iweb without backing up my files. smooth move, right? well, that was way back in august/september of 2007 just in time for all kinds of crazy-busy things regarding elevation! wow… so much to catch up on! but the biggest news is that elevation church moved from chandler to tempe… due to reasons that would take too long to explain, God led us to move as a congregation from chandler, az to the tempe marketplace’s harkins theater. this has proven to be a great move for us. we are now within a couple of miles from the campus of arizona state university. we are now poised to multiply all over the phoenix area – being strategically located at the crossroads of phoenix and the east valley. though the move was a bit of the pain, we all now see that God’s hand was guiding us to something better than ever.

now that the site is up and running again, i will try my best to keep the updates coming once again! please stay in touch!

1 Year: Dated 8.1.07

it is a shameless plug to throw in the picture of me and my good friend bono for a second time in this blog, but all i can say is that this picture really sums up this last year for me: absolutely amazing experiences! But this picture also reminds me of something bono once said at the national prayer breakfast nine months before this picture was taken:

A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord’s blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it. I have a family, please look after them. I have this crazy idea, etc… And this wise man said: “Stop!” He said, “Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Get involved in what God is doing—because it’s already blessed.”

to me, that’s the essence of church planting/missions/following Christ. we are not to assume as a community or individual that we are doing things that will be blessed by God. we are to join God in His work and get busy doing what He’s doing, pure and simple.

God was at work here in arizona long before we sensed God’s call to come out here. there were people like phil mcconnell praying for workers to come and help with the harvest of souls taking place here in phoenix. others were praying, too… people like louis spears and byron banta… and frankly, so were we… we knew God was sending us in a new direction and God burdened our hearts for the southwest.

so, all of this brings me to this post. it was one year ago to the day that kimme and i pulled into phoenix with the kids… we had just visited the meteor crater that arizona has to offer (best preserved in the world, btw) and made our way to our temporary home for five months at the foot of south mountain. this introduced us to the awesomely rugged terrain of arizona, filled with daily experiences with coyote, huge rabbits, roadrunners, javelinas, and the occasional (twice) scorpion. thankfully the later is no longer an issue since our move to chandler!

we were here all of two days and josh and elizabeth were going to school, which caused some parental concern: how would they adjust? would they make friends? let me just say that maryland was really hard on our kids. there would be tears about going to school, tears about being picked on at school, bullies, etc. not so here… in fact, both josh and elizabeth have an amazing amount of friends here, it’s unbelievable. it was like a dark cloud was lifted from them! so, obviously, that makes us happy to see our kids loving their friends here and really making this home.

and though we came here without a core group of people, God instantly began to introduce us to amazing people here! it was like instant friendship in most cases! we were invited for dinner in people’s homes over and over again. friends like tim and eyrn watson or jason and amy silberschlag instantly became a part of our lives. and this is friendship shone in practical ways… everyone here knows of eyrn’s legendary cooking for link group. who in their right mind cooks for 20 every week? she does… the watsons are amazing… also, when kimme was sick at one point soon after moving here, jason and amy came over with a card just to let her know they were thinking about her. love and caring like this has never happened to us before. even with the loss of loved ones while in ministry, we never experienced the kind of community that matches the one we experienced over a simple cold. it’s been great to be surrounded by a community like the one God has planted here… and all of this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface… what can we say about mary taylor? has there been a better friend to the family? i just feel lucky to have been the guy to baptize her. she is an amazing example of a servant of Christ.

what about staff? wow… i have the privilege to serve with two incredible people: danelle bushnell and beth ann davis. both of these women love God will all of their hearts and are very passionate about their callings in leading worship and children’s ministry. it is a total God thing how we connected with danelle… likewise, God’s way of bringing beth ann here (as mentioned in the previous blog entry) is just a reminder of God’s amazing love. and this is not to forget kimme… all i can say is that i have married the most amazing woman God ever made. of course, this is my opinion, but i think i’m right! she is as much a part of this church plant as i am. in times past, it was only me that people knew. now, it’s much different and different for the better. i am ever blessed to serve along side her in the Kingdom.

and what about link group? how is it that community can come from nothing? how astounding is it to be a part of something that once was not? for me, it just doesn’t get any better than this! our current link group is the best i’ve ever been a part of… and it’s self-sustaining. while kimme and i were away to perform pat and steph luby’s wedding, link group went on without us… that’s a huge step for any church plant so early in it’s life. soon, ours will multiply to beth ann’s place. what an amazing and diverse group God has brought together: single college students, single professionals, married without kids, married with kids, and divorced with kids. it’s a mixed bag, but it makes for great community gumbo!

and last but not least, our sunday services have been awesome as well. we were totally blown away at the huge crowd of friends that came in for our first service. we had at least 15 people come from maryland, california, and florida to be a part. word is that many of them will return for our launch service in october (the 21st). the lasting friendships made in ministry are bound in Christ; together, we make up the Body of Christ. words simply cannot describe that first service… with ashes remain and beth ann leading worship to pastor byron closing us out in prayer, it was one of the most memorable moments of my life.

why? because we are embarking on something that has already been blessed by God. He is at work; we are simply joining Him.

thank You, God, for such a blessed year…

Willow Creek Leadership Conference: Dated 8.07

last week i had the privilege of attending the willow creek leadership summit by simulcast. as always, the event struck a cord with me and this time i thought i would blog on a few of the presentations that stood out to me and share my thoughts on each.

message from bill hybels:
first of all, bill hybels never ceases to deliver when it comes to leadership conferences. every one of his messages are timeless and “spot on.” this event was no different. he opened the summit with a message entitled “a vision to die for.” the basic point he drove home was the difference between a hired hand and a shepherd (see john 10) and how this relates to vision/leadership. the shepherd is willing to die for the sheep and for the vision. he is willing to endure the attacks of wolves for the sake of the sheep. he is willing to take the enemy head on even to the point of death. the hired hand, on the other hand, does not have as much invested. sheep are his job, and that’s the way he sees it. he loves a few, but not the whole. he looks like a shepherd; he does his duties (it’s his job, remember?) but the true essence of what it means to be a shepherd is not present. he is neither tender or caring. he is self-absorbed. he did not build the sheep pen, nor did he find the sheep… he just manages this flock he did not bring in. undoubtedly, such a difference of perspectives can lead to conflict, esp. in regard to vision.

hybels sets this metaphor as an example to illuminate vision and vision casting. ever had a vision you were willing to die for? i can honestly say that i have (and still do). for that vision i am willing to endure the attacks of the wolves for the sake of the sheep. why? because i believe the vision God has given to us is for the betterment of the flock. the vision God has given us at elevation (see archives for blog on vision), we believe, will enable us to do greater things together than we ever could apart. but in time, there could be those that did not labor to build the sheep pen, nor did they bring in the sheep… and theirs will be a different idea of how to do this “sheep thing.” These hired hands could even convince others that the shepherd is a fool, that the task is too costly or too great. hybels explains that vision leaks. vision must always be cast because even among your most trusted leaders vision has a tendency to wain over time. it’s the shepherd – the leader – that must cast it faithfully and never assume that everyone gets it. there must be a collaborative effort to discover and fulfill the vision God gives to each congregation.

this raises the question for me: is vision to constantly change or remain the same? my thoughts are that a vision that is constantly changing is no vision at all. instead, vision is like a living thing… it never ceases to be what it is: “the vision,” but like all living things, there are developmental stages within it’s life span (that is, until the vision is fulfilled). in other words, vision is not changing from vision 1 to vision 2, but vision part one to vision part two of the same story. make sense? when vision leaks the story line gets week, and so does the ending. may every God-given vision end with a great twist and story end! ironically, with God every story’s end just sets the stage for the next great plot in God’s story for His people. what an awesome God we serve!

conversation with carly fiorina:
the second session was a conversational interview between hybels and carly fiorina. carly was once the leader/ceo of hewlett-packard from 1999-2005 and is recognized as the one that brought this company from the brink of mediocrity to the cutting edge of innovation (a core value of h-p). you would think that she was on top of the world in 2005! she was one of the most influential leaders in the marketplace of the world and doing what she loved.

the only problem was that she was fired in 2005. fired? yep. in her book, Tough Choices, she spills the beans. apparently two men in particular had their own vision/idea of what h-p was to do that was contrary to fiorina’s leadership. when she didn’t agree with the new plan, she was seen as someone to be removed. fiorina was a constant roadblock to their plans. she was asked to leave quietly as if this were her idea, to take one for the team so to speak for the betterment of the company. she refused. sure… she lost her job, but she stated that she did not lose her soul in the process.

all of this reminds me of what happened to steve jobs of apple. many people may not realize that jobs, who founded apple in the 70s, was fired by his board of directors in much of the same fashion as fiorina. jobs brought on a ceo/type manager from pepsi to help jobs lead apple, but this in turn came around to bite him. the board took sides with the new guy and left jobs without a job from the very company he started. ouch! of course, the rest of the story is being written now. apple, once a great innovator and cutting edge leader in technology, soon became a joke among the technology community. once apple was finally on the brink of ruin, they returned to jobs and asked him to be an interim-ceo in 1997. when asked about the challenges of leading apple again, jobs said that the number one problem with apple is that apple forgot what it meant to be apple. (vision leaks, anyone?) suddenly, apple was again on the cutting edge of innovation.

both of these firings of effective leaders reveals a powerful truth for any leader: you are not immune… you are not above it all… in one moment, all that you’ve worked for may be gone. i am reminded of a passage out of ecclesiastes:

ecclesiastes 2.20-21:
“So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.”

there are moments the shepherd is treated like a hired hand. wolves come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes even dressed in business causal. but irregardless, the leader must not let such events be like they took one’s soul. each leader should take inventory on what happened, realize how it happened, and learn from it to lead another day. as fiorina states, defining moments help define the leader. if you find yourself in a position like jobs or fiorina, don’t let ‘em take your soul. give your future to God and let Him guide you from this to the next. learn to shake the dust off and let peace return to you:

matthew 10.11-16:
“Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

wisdom of an englishman in marcus buckingham:

simply put, this message was incredible… marcus brought the leaders of churches a challenge: rethink the way you lead; build upon people’s strengths but only manage weakness. this is the complete opposite of what the world perceives as the right thing to do. i have a sneaking suspicion that the same is true in churches. according to his research, individuals and organizations that build on strengths rather than on focusing on weaknesses are far more likely to be effective in their work. the implications of this are huge, esp. in regard to church life!

nearly every church makes staff members follow a job description, right? now, this is a good thing in many ways. everyone that holds a job should make sure they are meeting expectations. but what should those expectations be? does the church just need slots filled? what “work” for those slots should be expected? this is where the business world and church collide, imo. the business world thinks in terms of slots to be filled to do a job, while the church thinks (or should) think in terms of giftedness/strengths. in other words, the church should be thinking “what is the spiritual gift set/strengths this person has and how will that help the body,” rather than “hey, we need a youth minister.” it may be difficult to think in these terms, but if churches were to think this way, i think we would all see less of a drop-out rate of ministers leaving the ministry. this sort of talk can also be wary for a manager/detalied/oversight sort of person because it’s messy and doesn’t fit in nice categories: “what? just paying a worship leader to lead worship? that’s silly… there must be more to their job than that.” or “what? just paying someone to plant churches? how do you manage their time? how are we supposed to measure the results?” that is a manager talking…

a strength-based leader would think of things differently, and most likely like my dear friends at mid-maryland baptist association. when kimme and i were being interviewed and considered as church planters in 1999, i remember asking them what their expectations were: “what meetings am i expected to attend? what forms am i to fill out? what hours am i to keep?” they basically just laughed at me… and bill crowe, the director of missions at that time summed things up from his strength-based leadership: “david, you have been given the task of starting a church. if there is not a church here after two years of funding, we will know that you didn’t do your job. if there is, then everyone will know you did your job well.” that’s a strength-based leader! he was basically saying that they knew my passion was starting churches, and that church planting was what God had called me to. beginning works from scratch was a strength, so bill basically said to go and do what i am good at. what a release that was! what empowerment!

what if churches began thinking differently about job descriptions to be more like covenants? what if a church allowed the freedom for a staff member to say: “here is my passion… this is what i love to do! i will do it with all of my heart! God has given me this giftedness/strength, and i would love to serve this church body by sharing this!” and what if this relationship was reciprocated by the church at large by affirming this person’s gifts and coming up with a plan to manage their weaknesses? just so you know, that is what we do here at elevation church. working on staff at elevation means building on your strengths. it also means covenant-based job descriptions rather than expectation-based job descriptions. if you would like a copy of staff covenants, shoot me an e-mail and i will send you a copy: dave@elevationchurch.tv

the shadow mission: john ortberg
this was another incredible moment at the leadership summit. i will put john ortberg at the top of the list of most gifted speakers in the church today. he always manages to capture a text and retell it in such a way that it grabs my attention, making me think of things in different way. using the story of ester as the backdrop, ortberg explained how everyone of us has a God-mission. at the same time we also carry with us a shadow mission, a mission that is directly opposed to the God-given mission. the concept of a shadow mission can also be applied to a church or organization.

think for a moment about all of the occurrences of the light/dark analogy in scripture. Jesus said He is the light of the world. john tells us that we are to come into the light and no longer walk in darkness. john also said that the darkness has tried to overcome light, and failed. ortberg takes these and applies them to our lives suggesting that we each have the choice to follow God’s mission or our own shadow mission… which will you choose? which will your church choose? will we be in step with the Spirit? or will we do what we think is good? even a shadow mission can appear good. it can make sense. it can be reasonable. and all at the same time, it can prove to lead us away from God’s great purpose for our lives or church.

all great stuff to ponder! thanks willow creek!

Update 6: Dated 6.27.07

so, yeah… wow… it sure has been a while, eh? sorry about the recent lack of posting on my part for those that actually read this blog! what can i say? so much has happened since my last entry! namely, core building! i love this random shot of some of us @ starbucks (nothing like a rock star to add flavor to a picture… thanks josh! lol)

1. beth ann davis arrives!
perhaps the biggest news is the arrival of beth ann to serve elevation as our worship leader! kimme and i have known beth ann since the summer of 2004 when she served as an intern/summer missionary/worship leader/all around people connector for horizon of towson, md – our second church plant. since then, beth ann and i have always stayed in touch and prayed for one another. once it became clear that God was calling us to arizona, i began speaking with her about the possibility of moving here to help us with this church plant. her story of how God brought her here is amazing…

and here it is…

i really encouraged beth ann to come out here to arizona and experience this place for herself so that she could clearly see if God was in this for her or not. when i found out she was making it to our first service, i was so happy to know she would be here to not only see arizona, but also experience elevation at it’s inception. needless to say, that first service was amazing… and it was so great to see beth ann in action again (along with josh and the rest of the boys of ashes remain) leading worship! i don’t think i have ever seen such joy on her face!



before she left, beth ann and i made a covenant to fast and pray together every wed. for God to show her clarity concerning His calling/will for her. in less than a week, she called me to say that really this was an act of futility. she already knew God was calling her here. so, i asked if we stop fasting (lol) and she said no… she was accepting God’s call without a job here. she was working for state farm in a job that required specialized training and every time she looked for openings here there were none. so, we were to continue to fast and pray for an opening or for God to provide.

within days, guess what opened in tempe, az? not just one, but two jobs for the exact type of work she had been trained for! i think we were both stunned in how quickly God had moved this time. so, i asked again if we could stop fasting (lol) and she said no… again… this time because she still had to go through all of the hoops of state farm to see this through, and according to her, they were typically slow at processing change like this.

guess what? her request and their approval spread like wildfire, even to the point that she did not need an interview. apparently, she was so highly recommended by all of her superiors, she did not even need one. so, when was she to start work here in arizona? the beginning of june! so, in a matter of six weeks or less beth ann went from praying for clarity, to actually living here!

how awesome is that? we are so thankful to have beth ann here. she makes a tremendous addition to our team! welcome beth ann!

2. busy with powerplant!
i was privileged to have spent an entire week with some pretty amazing people this month. thanks to phil mcconnell, i was able to connect with a ministry of the north american
mission board called “powerplant” -
p2 is basically a way for jr. high and
high school students to connect w/
a church plant and serve that plant
by doing missions, and in return the
hope is that some students will re-
direct their life’s course towards
being either involved with a church
plant as a lay person or actually serving as a full-time missionary that starts churches.

elevation had the opportunity to work with the youth of el encino baptist church of fresno, ca – led by gilbert salcedo, this band of wild youth (lol) helped us put on elevation’s first ever sports camp – leading a couple of kids to Christ!



i already miss these guys!
remember our handshake!

on top of that, i also had the opportunity to speak on
church planting to nearly 90 students and student leaders
from texas, california, oklahoma, and arizona. by weeks end, there were 13 people that felt God’s call to work in church planting! how awesome is that!?

3. preview service stage continues!
we have now had three preview services with our last one on father’s day, serving 48 people… set up is getting smoother and friends are inviting friends! it exciting to see the momentum grow – both churched and unchurched alike are checking out link group and our preview services. please, keep praying for us! Namely, pray for that eryn watson will cook less delicious food (remember the problem with fasting!) – her cooking may be the end of me! who makes homemade cheesecake!? homemade red beans and rice?! homemade chili?! homemade desserts and foods of all types! she does! and i am grateful!

4. leaving to perform pat luby’s wedding/trip to baltimore/allentown!
in a matter of hours, kimme and i will be boarding a plane for san jose, ca and then grab a car and head to santa cruz to officiate our friend pat luby to his beautiful bride, stephanie. what’s gonna rock most of all is at least two days break with just the two of us in cali without kids! all thanks to the gracious lubys! thanks, guys! and also thanks to mary taylor for watching josh and elizabeth for us! you rock (but don’t tell anyone i said so!) then, it’s back to phoenix for less than 24 hours, to do laundry and re-pack for a week-long trip to the northeast. God willing, we will fly into baltimore, md and then drive to allentown, pa to see my mom and step-father for a week. it has been a long time since the kids have been to ya-ya’s house, so this will be a real treat! we are all really looking forward to both of these trips!

continue to stay in touch, everyone! it is always good to hear from you all!

Core Value: Multiplication: Dated 5.12.07

i was never good at math. i loved history, literature, and humanities – but math? no way. it was one of the subjects that always seem to allude me growing up. the only way i could do well in a math class was to work very hard, spending hours each night in homework. however with the hard work came a payoff of a good grade, and along the way there were a few “a-ha!” moments where a math concept that evaded me was finally understood.

one concept that alludes most of us in Christendom is multiplication. multiplication has become a bit of a buzz word in the last decade, especially in church planting circles. the beginning of the recent church planting movement was initially one of finding a planter to start a church. Then, it was to plant churches that start other churches. but the zenith of the movement came with the idea of a multiplication of churches.

that just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? say it with me: a multiplication of churches. it is easy to say it; it is an entirely other thing to accomplish this.

so why is this a core value of elevation church? multiplication is a core value because it is the means to accomplish our vision as well as the evidence of our vision being fulfilled… in other words, our vision is to create a movement of multiplying campuses and the only way to get there is through a core value of multiplication at all levels. what levels?

1. individual multiplication:
each and every Christian is charged with the responsibility to make disciples… in other words, we are to invest in the Kingdom not by means of finances (though that’s important) but rather by investing in the very thing that thieves cannot steal, moths cannot eat, or rust destroy: the human soul… we are to invest in people. and this investment of love, time, and friendship is called discipleship.

Jesus was not a leader that only connected with His main entourage. Instead, He connected with the spiritually unconnected: tax collectors. prostitutes. the lame. the blind. the sick. the unrighteous. this is so often forgotten! how is it that leadership in churches forget to follow their Savior’s lead? leadership is not about only spending time with the right people. many times, it means spending time with the wrong people.

remember this passage?

Matthew 9.9-13:
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

matthew was one of the wrong people. he was a greedy tax collector, and his friends were prostitutes and sinners. yet still Jesus loved him, spent time with him, and called him. and what of judas? Jesus invested in judas as well as the other eleven for over three years knowing all the while that he was later to betray Him. what does this teach us? discipleship is not about efficiency; but rather obedience to the Holy Spirit’s directive to make disciples. I, too, have experienced a judas or two in my day. i know what it is like to have spent countless hours investing in someone only to see them continue to make no progress, or worse still turn their back on God. but does this mean we are to stop taking risks with people God leads us to work with? not at all! for ever one, there is always eleven that make the difference!

pastors that spend all of their quality time with those that already get it are missing out on the most elementary level of multiplication (as well as a real blessing). if a pastor cannot lead someone from being sick to healthy, from lost to found, from unsaved to saved… there is no way he will ever understand multiplication. is it any wonder why the average church in america fails to baptize one person a year? and of those that do, how many people are led to the Lord through discipleship by the lead pastor? any at all? by this, i am by no means suggesting that the one doing all disciple making should be the pastor of the church… making disciples is the charge for all believers. my point, however, is that if the lead pastor does not lead by example in this – those that follow him will follow suit. such a man would essentially be an administrator, not a pastor or church planter, and the end result of his leadership will be addition at best.

the true test of a leader in a multiplying congregation is what one sees with Jesus and matthew: taking someone from lostness to being a fully devoted follower of Christ Jesus. without this evidenced in leadership (and/or general membership) of a church, there is no hope for multiplying churches.

2. link group multiplication:
the second level of multiplication occurs at the link group/small group level. i’ve often told people that if they were to take a picture of elevation church they would not take a picture of a building, but rather the people of elevation. our identity is not wrapped up in property, a building, a logo, or personalities… our identity is found in Christ. together, as a community comprised of small groups (which we call “link groups”), we form elevation church… a part of the Body of Christ. multiplying at the link group level means making room for more to be a part of the Body…

multiplying a link group can make some believers particularly upset. why mess with a good thing? why do some have to leave the group to form another? why can’t someone just hang out with their friends like before? why does the group have to divide? (- of course, divide is the wrong word to use, but that word best describes how some feel with multiplication). the answer to all of the above is that these are necessary to make room for other people to connect and be a part.

the downside of having a great community of friends is that you don’t want to disturb it with new people or change, yet these are needed in order to see multiplication through. a link group always looking in will never see beyond itself to look outwards. but of course all of this requires balance. without community within, there is no chance for community for those without. link group is the church expressed in a close-knit/intimate way that reaches out as much as it reaches in… link group is the church in motion throughout the week… link group comprises the Body of Christ on mission.

3. campus/congregational multiplication:
the third level of multiplication occurs at campus/congregational level, and for elevation this is key.

elevation church multiplies at the congregational level like most churches do at the small group level. when a small group in most churches multiplies, both of the new groups are still a part of the same church. the same is true at elevation church with her campuses. once a campus reaches 300-350 in attendance, it is time to multiply and send a group to begin a new campus. however, each of these campuses are uniquely tied together – sharing the same resources, the same creative talent, the same vision, the same values, and the same beliefs. in time when there are say 10 campuses all over phoenix, each group may only have 80-300 people… and yet together they could comprise a church of 3,000. the hope would be to combine these campuses once a quarter (at least) for one large group experience for worship.

the benefits to this are enormously huge, esp. in regard to a multiplication of churches.

planting a church requires significant fund raising. now, imagine a multiplication of churches planted. how does one afford this? create a company? get some money bags around? how about this, instead? how about several congregations sharing their budget and working the problem together? if one takes a hit, the blow is absorbed by all… if one succeeds, the blessings are shared by all. if a campus grows and is ready to multiply, they do not need to create a company to build resources… (as a side note, i find it intriguing that many churches that speak so much and make much to do about community find themselves turning to fund raising schemes and non-profit businesses to raise their resources for multiplication. it would appear that there is a disconnect somewhere… churches start churches, not business models or clever fundraising ideas.) ideally, they would not need to lobby their own congregation in a big fundraiser. instead, all of the campuses would pull their resources together.

it would look like this:
let’s say we have a campus in chandler, another in gilbert, and one in mesa. the chandler campus has grown to the point in which they are ready to multiply. chandler also has made some key inroads to having a campus in tempe. in this model, guess what the new mission of the gilbert and mesa campuses are? to make sure they pull their weight in seeing this happen… by sharing this exciting news with their people… by expressing the larger vision that we are on mission with people we may not hang out with or grab coffee with… that we are a part of something greater than ourselves… and that their budget will take a hit by providing for the new campus start up but it takes the hit because every campus is sharing the burden.

now, what if there was no vision/mission/values/financial connection like i describe? chandler would try to do this on their own. any connection, if at all, with other campuses would amount to pennies on the dollar for start up, if any support at all. since it’s not a shared vision, this plant would do all of it’s own creative content, raise all of it’s own support, and most likely really struggle to even add another congregation. this process would have to be repeated over and over again in order to multiply churches. sound likely? i think not.

one model demonstrates multiplication at all levels, another demonstrates that at best it can hope for addition. though it may experience multiplication at the individual or link group level, it will not succeed in multiplying congregations.

the hardest part of all is putting aside our own interests for the sake of the whole. when this happens, multiplication happens. but if we draw the line in the sand and say, “no… this is mine” – we will fail to see multiplication.

John 12.24-25:
I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

unless a congregation dies to self, it too remains only a single church. but if it does, it will become many. again, i appeal to the difference between the jerusalem church and those that followed. in jerusalem, people died to self as individuals and gave to their own church (which is great!) but from antioch onward, the church died to self and gave to those in which they did not have a direct relationship with (even better!). elevation seeks to do the latter…

need a modern-day example? any sports fans out there? i hope so!

ever wonder why in the nfl a team in such a small town like green bay wisconsin can compete with teams in such large cities like new york or la? ever wondered why it is so different in baseball? simply put, the nfl exhibits a level of profit sharing and salary caps and the mbl does not. one league shares the wealth, another does all it can to preserve it’s own.

back to my earlier example in tempe… this little campus will have the ability to thrive and grow with the help of it’s sister campuses in chandler, gilbert, and mesa. tempe can rest assured that when their tithes and offerings are low, that the other campuses are helping share the load. tempe will learn by example from the others in preparation for their own multiplication to scottsdale. chandler, gilbert, and mesa will all grow from this experience as well knowing that they – together – are a part of something larger than themselves and their own community. they will see first hand the results of all-out partnership… partnership in whole, not in part.

that’s the goal… that’s the vision. i am convinced that if elevation ever sees the day where as a church it ceases to catch hold of this, the means for multiplication will be thwarted at the congregational level. like fresh cut flowers, things might look good for a while, but in the end our means to multiply would be compromised.

Update 5: 1st Preview Service: Dated 4.22.07

the time finally arrived last sunday… elevation church’s first corporate worship service!
after many months of meeting only in link groups, we finally made our way to our first service in the harkins theater next to the chandler mall. i wasn’t sure what to expect. i wasn’t sure how many would respond, or how many would bring friends. but all of this just made the upcoming service even more exciting, sort of like awaiting Christmas. in preparation, we did all the busy work: we made sure we had a sound system, a printer, signs, keynote slides, video, a projector, coffee, bagels, tables, storage containers, etc. and a lot of this was possible by a little help from our friends… we had approximately 12 people come in from maryland and florida to help us with this first service. what a wonderful team of people we had! special thanks also goes out to eryn watson who made over a week’s worth of incredible meals large enough to feed our entire group two times over… eryn and tim watson are some of our closest friends out here. we are so grateful that God connected us, and i am sure everyone else was thankful, too – esp. for the food.

to get ready for this service, we also prepared spiritually… our very first communion as elevation church took place on the friday before. this was something i had been anxiously been waiting for… i was so glad the moment had finally come, and God did not disappoint. it was quite simply an amazing moment together. in fact, we had someone accept Christ that night in response to Gospel – in the explanation of what the new covenant is, someone responded. the Spirit of God was ever present with us, and this continued all the more towards sunday. i was so thankful to have so many present from our first two church plants there with us for this communion as well… all of this reminded me of the early church – esp. antioch onward – where strangers are made friends and united together in mission. Christ is what binds us together and not we ourselves.

my heartfelt expectation for this first of many services was that the Spirit of God would permeate everything that was done, said, or sung. and my prayer was that this service would be, in essence, a commissioning by the Holy Spirit for elevation church. i think anyone and everyone that was present would acknowledge that this is exactly what happened. the presence of God’s Spirit was perhaps even more present than during the communion service, if that were possible. the worship was led by josh smith and ashes remain (seen above in the top picture) as well as beth ann davis (see the bottom left picture in the middle). from the moment they began until the end, the worship in music was saturated with the presence of God. the message came out as i had hoped (perhaps i will post a transcript of the first message later), for which i am grateful. and in closing, pastor byron banta offered up a commissioning prayer. if you have not had the privilege of meeting byron, do yourself a favor and get to know him. he is a man of God like none other i’ve seen. his prayer was powerful as we (meaning elevation people) all gathered into the middle of the theater to be prayed over by the rest that were there. all in all, we had 67 people at our first service and hopefully gained about 6 or 8 new people in the process. many of that 67 were “well-wishers,” meaning they came to bring us support but will most likely not be involved in the long term. many of them were not well-wishers but rather people that may plug-in to elevation if they have not already. totally cool…

needless to say, this first service exceeded all of my expectations. and this has been very characteristic of our time here in arizona… God has placed us in the fastest growing city in america where only 13% of the population is involved with a church of any kind – and all for such a time as this.

please continue to pray for us.

unless the Lord builds His house, we labor in vain.