The Shoreline Insider

Shoreline is now at an age in its existence where other church planters are making the trip to see us. Just last week there was a church planter from New Orleans in our McGuires service. (BTW - I am actually posting from California right at the very moment that the McGuires service is happening. Spooky isn’t it. But I digress; that is why I out parenthesis around this thought.)

Anyway, Brian and I had lunch with a couple of church planters 2 weeks ago. One of them, James, just planted Mosaic Church in Crestview. Their website is www.mosaiccrestview.com. We have decided to support them financially as Crestview needs a new life-giving church.

The other planter, who is still in bible college up in Graceville, Trip would like to eventually plant in south Walton. I suggested to him to intern some where first. I e-mailed me back with 2 good questions. First, he mentioned about how difficult it would be to intern at Shoreline with a 2 hour drive from Graceville, a wife and the price of gas. Then he closed with 2 very good questions;

1. What is the wise thing to do?
2. What would I do if I were in his shoes?

So, I thought I would share my answers to those questions with the readers of this blog.

Trip,

Those were good questions and here are some thoughts;

What do you think that the wise thing is for me to do & If you were in my shoes what would you do??

The wise thing for you to do is if you KNOW that you are called to plant a church, besides an education, get as much experience as possible in the type of church you are desiring as possible.
I think, as I look back, the 20’s were the most difficult time for me as minister and I have seen it in the lives of others as well. That was the time when through a series of events, I became a broken man. I have seen though, that God only uses broken men so it is kind of His bible college whether you attend man’s institution or not, you will go through this. Now I have met a few men, that had a heart of brokenness and humility when they were young, but as I got to know them discovered that it came from early on in their lives from something in their families and how they were raised and what happened to them as a child, etc.
I say this because, as I look back, I would have liked to plant in my 30’s but I wasn’t ready and I think this community wasn’t ready. But there is no way, I would have wanted to plant in my 20’s, because too many people would have been hurt.
So get as much experience as you can. Look & listen a lot. Learn as much from other people’s mistakes and success as you can. I didn’t mean for this to be a lecture on brokenness, but the question is what is the wise thing for me to do? Get as much experience as possible any way possible because your life may depend on it. ON a side note, when you are getting the experience, never quit looking at the big picture and remembering why you are there. Even the most mundane tasks assigned to you are part of the process but you can’t lose sight of the big picture.
Secondly, what would I do if I were in your shoes? I once counseled someone to empty out there 401K to come up with the funds to help finance their own church plant. It is worth the investment. Same for you. For you it may not be money but time and relationship. If I were you, I would find any way to put myself in the position to not only get experience but to glean from somebody who has done this before and is making the opportunity for me to do this. As Paul said, you have many teachers but not many fathers.
I have had the opportunity to mentor guys like you before, mostly in youth ministry. The first thing I tell them, is show up. I don’t go out of my way in the beginning to make it happen. I wait for their desire to make it happen. Some came a few times and left. Others are still with me at this church after 10 years. Others are ministering somewhere else. So, if I were you, I would find a way to be in a position that was available to me. High gas prices, 2 hour drives are just hoops that stop some people but at the same time bring the cream to the top.
I say all this, not just concerning you and Shoreline, this is good advice for you and pursuing the call on your life. If this is part of God’s plan for you to intern, then there is a way to make it happen. While I am telling you this, I have no idea of what your schedule is, whether you are attending classes this summer, whether you have a job, etc. That is stuff we should talk about.
Bottom line: Get as much experience and mentoring as possible any way possible.
It is an investment in your future and in the lives of people you don’t even know yet.
I hope this helps.
Eric

PS - the reason I am in California is I am doing the same thing. I am out here to learn from a pastor that has opened that door to me. So, I am going through that door at great expense.

Comments and questions are welcome.

One of the things I’ve learned from my short time as pastor of Shoreline Church is that volunteers want to know what part they play in the big picture. I have found that most volunteers are most willing to do whatever is needed of them, as long as they know the role they play in the big picture.

So what part are you talking about, you may ask?

Let’s start here… When John and Kim are invited to Shoreline Church for the first time with their two children, ages 9 & 4, they drive into the parking lot or the parking garage of the Destin Commons. Once they have parked, they come toward the Rave Motion Pictures and they are welcomed by a group of Greeters. They truly feel welcomed, and somewhat surprised at how easy it has been so far. They had imagined church to be a place where they would feel like outsiders.

John and Kim are then escorted to the Shorebreak / Tidepools check-in to drop their children off. They are instantly at ease because the Shorebreak and Tidepools volunteers tell them what their children will be doing while they are in the service.

After being pleasantly surprised by the discovery of free coffee and donuts, they are seated by a knowledgeable Usher that happily answers their questions as they are seated. The worship team then comes up to lead John and Kim into worship. John and Kim feel so relaxed because they were able to find a good parking spot, their kids are safely being taken care of, and they hearts have been softened by worship.

It’s then that a teaching pastor is able to walk on stage and have John and Kim’s full attention—because they had a distraction-free, smooth experience coming in.

It’s this picture that I want to communicate to you as part of our volunteer staff. It is important to know the vision of the church (to see those that are far from God be brought closer to Him) and the importance of the first 15 minutes after a guest arrives at church. It is during those first fifteen minutes that a first time guest has decided whether or not they will like Shoreline. You as a volunteer must understand that each step towards the main theater is a part of that deciding factor.

I could liken it to a baseball game, except in our game there are a lot of extra bases before making it to home plate. You can easily see that the part you play in getting the guests around the bases really makes a difference in whether or not those guests will have the opportunity to make it to home plate. If our volunteers have succeeded, by the time Pastor Sam or I  come out to give the talk, the guests’ hearts have not been distracted by chaos and confusion coming in, but rather pleasant experiences that have softened their hearts and have allowed their ears to remain open to hear what God is speaking through Sam, me or whoever is teaching that day.

My encouragement to you is this: you have an important role to play. I hear stories all of the time of people that have come through our church and have been positively affected by volunteer staff at Shoreline. Because you have committed to be a part of bringing people who are far away from God, closer to Him, I regularly hear stories about the difference you as a volunteer have made in the lives of those who are seeking.

I want you to know that as a volunteer at Shoreline, you are highly valued and I hope it brings you a sense of purpose as well.

Thanks for all you do at Shoreline Church

Pastor Eric