UPDATE - LAUNCH TEAM MEETING II

Last Sunday evening we had an incredible turn out for our second Launch Team Meeting. I’m blown away by the people God seems to be attracting and gathering for the a2 Launch. Wow!

We met in the proposed Launch Site for a2. A lot of people worked really, really hard to make this happen. Hats off to Clay. Thanks for the fans and taking the lead on clean up. The fans were a life-saver and the place looked a whole lot better than it did on Friday! Thanks, BIG TIME! Hats off to TR, Ahntuan, Sunnish, PJ and Ron for the help on clean up and set up... You guys were amazing. Thanks.

Thanks to all of YOU. I know, the building was incredibly HOT! I mean, REAL HOT. Thanks to all of you who ENDURED THE HEAT and, in spite of it, you were PUMPED UP about the meeting and God’s apparent activity.

For those of you who didn’t get to make the meeting, we talked about the possible LAUNCH SITE for a2. The site holds incredible possibilities:

* 11,400 square foot commercial real estate space located in Vestavia City Center on 600 Montgomery Highway (US Highway 31).
* Within walking distance of Rave Theaters, Starbucks Coffee, Panera Bread, Dale’s Restaurant, Moe’s, and more.
* Location is only 4.5 miles from downtown. About 4.5 miles from I-459. 2.5 miles from Highway 280, and 4.2 miles from I-65.
* Approximately 30,000 cars pass directly in front of this location every day.
* More than 141,688 people live within a 10-minute drive and more than 243,503 live within a 15-minute drive of this potential site.

This space holds some incredible potential and would give us the opportunity to provide a “unique ministry” to the city of Birmingham.

We talked about the possibilities this kind of facility would provide. For instance:

IMAGINE walking through the front doors of a2 and when you walk inside you feel like you’re in a good friend’s living room... You can smell the coffee. You see the faces of people who look like you. There are several couches, chairs, tables and plenty of room for you to “hang out” with your friends.

IMAGINE vibrant weekend worship services and people streaming out of a2 “hitting” the restaurants in the Vestavia City Center “pumped up” about the love of Jesus Christ...

IMAGINE a Friday night coffee house and concert venue for young adults... Imagine a weekly midweek worship event for students... Imagine week day classes for women... Quality areas for infants, toddlers and children...

IMAGINE offices and a life-giving ministry center right in the middle of the marketplace... That’s just a glimpse of the potential this site holds...

After talking about the POSSIBLE LAUNCH SITE, we also talked about the importance of the church being a PARTNER with believers in the process of EVANGELISM. We really want a2 Church to be a church where people get pumped up about taking their unchurched, non-believing friends. To use a phrase I heard a few years ago: we want a2 Church to be “a safe place where people can hear a dangerous message about Jesus Christ.”

Here are some thoughts we presented to the a2 Launch Team about the church as a partner with believers in evangelism:

1. Outreach / evangelism was never intended by God to be a “solo adventure.” God designed the church to be a strategic partner with you in reaching the unchurched with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. When the local church is at its best; it’s the most powerful, persuasive and life-changing movement on the planet. A local church “hitting on all cylinders” disarms barriers to belief and opens people’s hearts to the gospel.
3. Whenever the church gathers, organizes and strategizes around “official Jesus business”, Jesus shows up in its midst (Matthew 18:19-20).
4. The “come and see principle” is an effective method of reaching people with the gospel (John 1:40-41; John 1:43-48; Luke 5:27-32; John 4:29-30).

Here’s a2’s SIMPLE STRATEGY for reaching people with the gospel. It’s not original. I heard Andy Stanley share this years ago. But it’s really effective:

1. INVEST in unchurched people. Love them unconditionally. Let them know they matter to you.
2. INVITE them to experience what God is doing in your life and through your local church.

Again, it’s not “ROCKET SCIENCE,” but it’s extremely effective. When we really begin to INVEST in the lives of people, opportunities will arise for us to INVITE them to experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

That’s basically what we covered at the last a2 LAUNCH TEAM MEETING.

We concluded the meeting by challenging those who feel called to be part of the a2 Launch Team with two questions:

1. Are you willing to invest and invite? Are you building relationships with unchurched people and looking for opportunities to invite them to experience a personal relationship with Jesus?
2. Are you willing to serve with your gifts, talents and abilities so that a2 Church can be a powerful, persuasive and life-changing movement where the unchurched will encounter the very presence of God?

These are important questions. I hope you’ll take time to prayerfully consider them...