A while back I introduced a series of posts on Richwoods’ move to becoming a multi-site church (see “The Big Five“). This is the next post in that stream of thoughts – an attempt to answer “Why?”

To understand where we’re going, it will help to look briefly at where we’ve been. Although Richwoods goes back beyond our Terra Vista location, this is where our current culture began to take root:

• Terra Vista is where our vision – helping people find and follow Christ - and values came into being (keys to our personality as a church – our “DNA”)
• It’s where group life began for us – through group life and multiple services, we began to build redemptive, relational faith communities
• It became evident that Terra Vista was part of a bigger plan – “no vacancy” was not an option

As these foundations became a part of who we were, God brought more and more people through our doors. It was soon glaringly obvious that the next step in that bigger plan would have to be moved up significantly. Due to rapid growth, we temporarily (some would say painfully) went to three Sunday morning services as we looked forward to that next step – what is now known as the Knoxville Campus.

The Knoxville Campus experience has been nothing short of amazing:

• It is where our DNA continued to solidify – we found our voice
• Redemptive, relational faith communities continued to grow and thrive
• It again became evident that the Knoxville Campus was part of a bigger plan – “no vacancy” was not an option

As our leadership looked ahead to see what the next step in that bigger plan might be, the multi-site option rose to the top quickly and easily:

• Multi-site is a very natural application of our DNA – it is a structure that supports and encourages redemptive, relational faith communities
• It is a cost-effective solution that allows us to live out our vision, values, and calling beyond the confines of a single structure
• It is an open design that we can expand upon in the future – “no vacancy” is still not an option

As before, rapid growth has taken us to this next step in God’s plan a little faster than we had anticipated. We became a multi-site church when we started “The Commons” on Saturday nights (our cafe style worship experience). In January we’re going off-site and launching a new campus east of the river. And beyond that? God only knows…

Multi-site. It fits us. It fits us very well.

Believe it or not, my family loves to watch “The Lawrence Welk Show” – yes, even my 10 year-old daughter. It was on in the background the other day when my attention was caught by a brief conversation between The Big Guy (LW) and one of his guitarists.

A well-dressed gentleman had just finished a vocal/guitar solo piece when LW, in his unique, inimitable voice, went on and on lauding the performance. He told of how much he admired the man’s skill with the guitar and seemed to be gushing at the “heavenly” quality of his singing voice.

LW noted that the soloist had been featured only a handful of times (less than 10) in his years on the show. Right then and there LW proclaimed to his audience that this man was 1) going to be featured much more often – maybe even weekly, and 2) was going to be given a pay raise. It was neat to watch this dialog happen right in front of the whole wide world (or at least the world of LW).

How long do you think this man had served on the Lawrence Welk Show? In the course of the conversation it came out that this amazingly skilled craftsman had been working for LW for nineteen years. Nineteen. Years.

That’s an incredibly long time – nineteen years in the background and just now getting some serious recognition! What amazing devotion this guy had to both his craft and his leader. I’m tempted to think this mindset is all but lost in today’s world of instant gratification and expected reward.

I’m not down on microwaves, fast food, or prompt customer service, believe me. But the idea of someone humbly serving year after year with nary a visible sign of selfish ambition intrigued me – you could see a palpable spirit of contentment in the man.

Are you and I willing to live like that? I know today’s professional world admires and rewards the assertive among us – to argue against that is not my point. But, day in and day out, are we willing and able to live our lives in fully devoted service to God and others, even if our reward doesn’t come on this side of heaven? At what point would you start to get antsy? And when the inevitable happens and you recognize the discontentment rising up within you, what do you do with those emotions?

If you have time today, take a moment to reflect on Philippians 2:1-16. May God bless your time in his Word.

One of the greatest joys in life is the purity of love that comes from your child. The spontaneous bear hugs made this so worth it! Listen for the giggles & guffaws…

Serious Dad Points from Ken Stewart on Vimeo.

Hello all!

Just a quick note this time. Wanted to let you know that Dan & Marie’s first week was super-cool! So glad to have their energy, ideas, passion, and fortitude working with us to bring the East Campus into being. Join me in thanking God for these two. Here are a couple other things to help you stay loop.

Save the dates! The following gatherings are designed to build community, share information, and have some fun together – more details to follow:

• Sep 26: prior to annual mtg @ the Knoxville Campus – brat/dog dinner included
• Oct 23: late afternoon/evening – bonfire/pot luck if we can find a good location for it
• Nov 13: timing unknown – may include a service project
• Later dates beyond this will be communicated soon

Opportunities to join the fun:

• Yep, volunteers are the ones that make this stuff happen – let there be no doubt
• We will need people to help in the various stages of launch and beyond into the fully-functioning East Campus
• Please pray about and consider – where has God gifted you? What passions/skills/abilities can you bring to the table? You would be surprised at the diversity of needs we’ll have in the coming weeks and months.
• I picked up this phrase on one of our multi-site visits: “Serve where you’re gifted…AND where you’re not.” In other words, we’ll have a number of things that just need to be done despite giftedness. Our shared willingness to dive in will be both fun and rewarding for all.

Group Life:

• We’re in the early stages of the fall semester, but it’s happening, folks!
• Men’s groups, women’s groups, and home groups are all meeting in various places around “the east side”.
• If you’re not already involved, I would love to speak with you about doing so. Living life in community – that’s where it’s at, baby!

Thank you for your continued prayers and interest in what’s happening around the East Campus.

If you are not already on our East Campus email distribution list and would like to be, please send an email to me or put your email address on the yellow card at church and indicate your interest to receive direct email updates.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

This one is just for fun. Five years ago I did a promo piece for our Children’s ministry. While looking for something completely unrelated, I came across the file and couldn’t resist the urge to share. See if you recognize a few of the kids in there. Have a wonderful Thursday, my friends!

Risk & Reward from Ken Stewart on Vimeo.