OK, we're halfway through the twelve blogs...

Let's talk a little strategy (or "strategery" for you SNL fans)...

Our strategy for achieving our vision of leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ has always centered on the importance of creating context, or providing appropriate environments.

Yesterday, I mentioned several things Gateway would have to continue to improve upon. Here's how "creating environments" fits into each of those. As you remember, we'll have to continue to strive in our efforts to create a place where...

...everyone is welcome. From the moment a person drives into our campus, they should immediately feel at ease. Guest services volunteers should be immediately recognizable, properly trained, and proactively helpful to ensure that everyone has an exceptional experience at Gateway Community Church. Making someone feel truly welcome is the first step to a wonderful first impression. And as we have been reminded before, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." But the welcoming spirit doesn't end once someone leaves campus. The key to "welcoming customer service" is the follow-up that happens through the week. Letting someone know they are your welcome guest after their initial experience is often the key to their choosing to have another experience with you. Creating the environment where everyone feels welcome and wants to come back is key.

...the timeless gospel of Jesus Christ is accessible to people in our generation through relevant messages, contemporary media, and modern technology. Let's just go ahead and say it, we live in the twenty-first century. We didn't choose to live here, God placed us here. We can't go back in time (read Twelve Blogs - Part 1). Therefore, we must create an environment that takes what is timeless and connects it to modern life. We learn on a need to know basis, so we'd better be sure to take what the Bible says and connect it to peoples' lives. We live in an age of information overload, and people will tune us out--just like they tune out so much other stuff--if they can't see how something relates to their day-to-day existence. That's why we must create an environment that connects the message of God's eternal and undying love to our generation where they are--not where their parents or grandparents were. We do that through taking contemporary media (music, video, etc...) and modern technology (electric guitars, slideshows, light chases, sub-woofers, and fog machines [yes, that's coming, too!]). Now does that mean we water down God's timeless message. Absolutely not! God's forgiveness awaits all who make Jesus Lord of their lives. God's judgment (hell) awaits all who reject Him. Because a person's acceptance or rejection of Christ is so important, let's make sure that we make the message clear using any and all available means. That's what our environments seek to do in our twenty-first century world!

...people take their first steps in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. This is pure, unadulterated evangelism (for those of you who grew up in church) or simply sharing what Christ's message of forgiveness and hope to all people. But it also includes another component. Try as hard as I may, I can't force anyone into a personal relationship with Christ. Everyone must make up his/her mind to follow Christ. You've heard it said before, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." So it is with trusting Christ. Each man, woman, boy, and girl must make an individual choice to surrender to Christ. You're asking, "How does this go along with our strategy of creating environments?" Glad you asked! If we want people to surrender their lives to Christ, we'd better make sure that we show them what lives surrendered to Christ are all about. It's not about the clothes we wear, how much money we have, what schools our kids go to, how many Bible verses we know, how invulnerable we make ourselves out to be, how together our lives are. It's about loving God with all that we are and genuinely loving each other. Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." When people see this, they are much more likely to want to surrender their own lives to Christ. The beginning of evangelism is love--the love of God. Think about these words from Casting Crowns...

Jesus is our Savior, that's what this world needs
Father's arms around you, that's what this world needs
That's what this world needs

More tomorrow!

Thayer