One of the best emails I have ever received from a Netcast volunteer. Hysterical....
___________________
Hello Matt,
Reading your discussion on the budgetary aspects of Netcast has left me feeling very happy and excited about this future fiscal year!
I have decided that it is more than appropriate for me to start a discussion with you about the payment and compensation for my (much valued) time working with and for the Netcast church.
I have worked out the rough amount of time I have spent teching shows, loading equipment, and providing expert and professional feedback for multiple sound, video, and technological related issues throughout the last year and a half.
Normally my freelance charge for such services is $325/hr with a 4 hour minimum, however since I have a personal interest in the establishment and you guys are probably a non profit establishment I have decided to cut that down to only $200/hr with a 2hr minimum for my expertise and services.
As a result the total amount due, with back pay and taxes, equals $74,695.62.
You may pay me in any currency or format you deem worthy, I personally prefer diamonds or works of art from the Mezzo-European era. You may, of course, discuss the payment offers with your board.
If you find there may some issues with delivering payment, I would be willing and open to discussion regarding making reparations for the debt via services or goods exchanged.
For example; I would accept cured boar-hides as an alternative, they must value the worth of $74,695.62 however.
I understand that due to the economic difficulties that are currently ravishing the country you may not have ready access to cured boar hides, so, as another alternative, I offer the following:
You allow my wife and I to have you and Beth over to our Apartment for dinner sometime in the next few weeks.
Both my wife and I feel that having you and your wife visit our humbled abode would more than equal the dollar amount owed, and the pleasure of us making dinner for you would indeed clear the large and imposing debt Netcast has to me.
Please feel free to take some time to think on this issue, discuss the situation with the esteemed and much lauded group of individuals you mentioned in your budget post, and let me know at your earliest convenience.
I look forward to hearing your response.
Sincerely,
Kevin
Showing posts with label jesus church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesus church. Show all posts
We're Officially an Acts 29 Church Plant
Netcast Church Beverly, MA
Matt Chewning
Feb 23, 2011
Series: Church Profiles
Categories: Church Planting Articles
Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church.
I started serving in youth ministry at Daystar Christian Fellowship in Greensboro NC in 2005. At the time, we had just hired a new associate pastor who had a big vision for the youth of our city. We gutted a church building and turned it into a youth facility where Jesus would be made much of. Within 1 year we went from about 30 students to almost 500. Because of the growth, it opened up a ton of opportunities to disciple young people, preach, teach, and shephard students. During that time, God began to plant in my heart the desire to move back to Greater Boston to plant. He did this through dreams at first and then began to confirm it through my wife. Because I was very young (24 years old) I knew I was not ready to proceed. So, I submitted the calling to 4 of my pastors and asked them to release us when they felt my family was mature enough to pursue this. About a year later all 4 men came to Beth and I indepedant of eachother and encouraged us to pursue the calling. From there we wanted to connect with a Network and submit to a process that would clarify the call or kill the call. We honestly were a little undecided about whether we wanted to do this. At the time, I was climbing the corporate ladder and was living the "American Dream" with a new house, new cars, 4 kids, and a well paying job. That is when we connected with the Acts 29 Network. The Network and assessment team did an incredible job seeing areas of immaturity, pride and a lacking in understanding the gospel outside of salvation. However, they said that they did see a calling on our family so assigned conditions for us to fulfill over the next year before moving to plant. We left our church, I quit my job, and began fundraising and interning at an Acts 29 Church Plant in Winston Salem NC called 1.21 Church. God was so gracious to our family during that time.
How did you build up your core? What advice would you give to guys in the core-stage?
We started to engage our demographic and culture through Q&A video's online. Since we were still living in NC and hadn't moved yet, we wanted to somehow connect with the area we would eventually move to. So, we connected with a college missions team and had them gather some of the biggest questions and issues that people had towards evangelicalism. Then I began to answer some of the questions via video, and post them all over the web via twitter/facebook specific to our demographic. This created a buzz that was unexpected. Before we even moved, I had already made a ton of connections with our area using social media. So, then as we moved and started getting settled, I was able to meet with these people in person. Some were believers, others weren't. This was key to both gathering a core and getting an understanding of what my culture believed about Christianity, Jesus and the church. From there, I connected with a guy online who runs all of th e local city facebook pages and has about 180,000 followers. He isn't a Christian but we became friends and he is now on our core team (Still not a believer, but Christ is wooing him). By God's grace he gave me access to all of his pages (again, access to 180,000 local people) and allowed me to plug Jesus and the church plant whenever I wanted. This opened up incredible opportunities from meeting with people, to getting in local magazines, to gathering a core.
What were the biggest challenges you faced in planting your church (and/or currently facing)?
The biggest challanges to us was the instability and change of schedule. Because being a church planter is who I am and not what I do, it was very hard for me to balance my life, family and the church plant. I would either feel like I was working too much or not working enough. I knew that my family was priority so I would at times feel that I was neglecting the church in order to be available to the family. Other times, I would feel like I was neglecting the family to tend to the church plant. It took a while to feel like I had a balance and I am still learning how to do this. Also, before we moved, I never really believed in a sabbath. It took about 2 weeks for me to realize the necessity of rest. I struggled with emotional highs, lows and occasional depression until I realized how important rest is.
How did you become involved with Acts 29? What have been the biggest benefits of being in the network?
My involvement with Acts 29 started with Driscoll. I started to listen to him years before I felt called to plant. Then as I studied reformed theology I got more fimiliar with the influencers of the Network. So, when we began to feel called to church planting, it was only natural to pursue a relationship with Acts 29. I trusted them. The biggest benefits that the Network has had for us has been in the brotherhood, coaching and assessment. Had I not connected with Acts 29, I would have no pursuit of humility (I am not a humble man), no understanding of the Gospel, and all about building a Sunday show so people would come and hear me speak about a moral lesson from the bible. By God's grace, the Network has helped me love Jesus and understand the gospel in ways I never though possible before.
What advice do you have for men who are wrestling with the decision to plant?
1. Make sure you are called.
2. Assessment is necessary. Humble yourself to a process.
3. Trust your wife. She sees things you don't.
4. Do not let fear dictate your decisions.
5. Seek older Godly wisdom from men who have told you "No" before.
What's the most important thing you'd want to share with a new church planter?
I would say; be patient. When God calls you to something, it very rarely means "NOW". Recognize that Jesus is more interested in your sanctification than he is in your church plant. Humble yourself to the process that God puts before you and don't rush anything. Christ will build his church and you may be one of those men whom he uses to do it. However, if you under-estimate the work of Christ in the process and only focus on the end goal, than you will miss what Christ desires to do in your heart, your family and your sanctification.
How do you pastor your family?
I am still learning this. Pastoring my family is much different than pastoring the church. I don't preach to my wife and kids, I don't have constant spiritual conversations with them, we don't do a formal bible study or have a consistant family worship time. I take Pauls words serious when he says, "Follow me as I follow Christ." I pastor my family by loving and following Christ. I use teachable opportunities to teach my wife and kids about our sin the cross, God's grace, love, and His sovereignty, etc. I pastor my family by modeling repentance to my wife and kids by being quick to appologize and turn from sin when I sin against them. I pastor my family by modeling a love for the bible by loving the scriptures. I pastor my family by serving my wife and kids.
Outside of the Bible, what is the most helpful book you have read for church planting?
Either Planting Missional Churches by Stetzer or The Reason For God by Keller.
Church Profile: Netcast Church
Launch Date: January 2011
Mission, Vision, Values of Church
Mission: Encouraging the world with the hope of Jesus.
Vision: A diverse community pursuing intimacy with Christ and influence in the city.
Core Values:
1. Diverse.
2. Community.
3. Intimacy.
4. Influence.
Our desire for Netcast Church is to be a Jesus worshipping, sent people (Matthew 28:16-20); Empowered and filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8); living in diverse community with each other (Acts 2:42-47). We believe that doing this will help us fulfill our mission of seeing people transformed by the gospel and equipped to live missionally in their worlds
What are some examples of God's grace that you have seen in your life and/or the life of your church?
How God used 1.21 Church and Daystar to give us a good balance of being missional and yet not unattractive. How God provided every financial need at just the right time. How God has built an incredible team at Netcast in just a few months. How God has used Acts 29 in my sanctification and the sanctification of my bride.
How can we pray for you?
Pray for wisdom as I am in way over my head right now.
Matt Chewning
Feb 23, 2011
Series: Church Profiles
Categories: Church Planting Articles
Briefly describe your story of your call to plant a church.
I started serving in youth ministry at Daystar Christian Fellowship in Greensboro NC in 2005. At the time, we had just hired a new associate pastor who had a big vision for the youth of our city. We gutted a church building and turned it into a youth facility where Jesus would be made much of. Within 1 year we went from about 30 students to almost 500. Because of the growth, it opened up a ton of opportunities to disciple young people, preach, teach, and shephard students. During that time, God began to plant in my heart the desire to move back to Greater Boston to plant. He did this through dreams at first and then began to confirm it through my wife. Because I was very young (24 years old) I knew I was not ready to proceed. So, I submitted the calling to 4 of my pastors and asked them to release us when they felt my family was mature enough to pursue this. About a year later all 4 men came to Beth and I indepedant of eachother and encouraged us to pursue the calling. From there we wanted to connect with a Network and submit to a process that would clarify the call or kill the call. We honestly were a little undecided about whether we wanted to do this. At the time, I was climbing the corporate ladder and was living the "American Dream" with a new house, new cars, 4 kids, and a well paying job. That is when we connected with the Acts 29 Network. The Network and assessment team did an incredible job seeing areas of immaturity, pride and a lacking in understanding the gospel outside of salvation. However, they said that they did see a calling on our family so assigned conditions for us to fulfill over the next year before moving to plant. We left our church, I quit my job, and began fundraising and interning at an Acts 29 Church Plant in Winston Salem NC called 1.21 Church. God was so gracious to our family during that time.
How did you build up your core? What advice would you give to guys in the core-stage?
We started to engage our demographic and culture through Q&A video's online. Since we were still living in NC and hadn't moved yet, we wanted to somehow connect with the area we would eventually move to. So, we connected with a college missions team and had them gather some of the biggest questions and issues that people had towards evangelicalism. Then I began to answer some of the questions via video, and post them all over the web via twitter/facebook specific to our demographic. This created a buzz that was unexpected. Before we even moved, I had already made a ton of connections with our area using social media. So, then as we moved and started getting settled, I was able to meet with these people in person. Some were believers, others weren't. This was key to both gathering a core and getting an understanding of what my culture believed about Christianity, Jesus and the church. From there, I connected with a guy online who runs all of th e local city facebook pages and has about 180,000 followers. He isn't a Christian but we became friends and he is now on our core team (Still not a believer, but Christ is wooing him). By God's grace he gave me access to all of his pages (again, access to 180,000 local people) and allowed me to plug Jesus and the church plant whenever I wanted. This opened up incredible opportunities from meeting with people, to getting in local magazines, to gathering a core.
What were the biggest challenges you faced in planting your church (and/or currently facing)?
The biggest challanges to us was the instability and change of schedule. Because being a church planter is who I am and not what I do, it was very hard for me to balance my life, family and the church plant. I would either feel like I was working too much or not working enough. I knew that my family was priority so I would at times feel that I was neglecting the church in order to be available to the family. Other times, I would feel like I was neglecting the family to tend to the church plant. It took a while to feel like I had a balance and I am still learning how to do this. Also, before we moved, I never really believed in a sabbath. It took about 2 weeks for me to realize the necessity of rest. I struggled with emotional highs, lows and occasional depression until I realized how important rest is.
How did you become involved with Acts 29? What have been the biggest benefits of being in the network?
My involvement with Acts 29 started with Driscoll. I started to listen to him years before I felt called to plant. Then as I studied reformed theology I got more fimiliar with the influencers of the Network. So, when we began to feel called to church planting, it was only natural to pursue a relationship with Acts 29. I trusted them. The biggest benefits that the Network has had for us has been in the brotherhood, coaching and assessment. Had I not connected with Acts 29, I would have no pursuit of humility (I am not a humble man), no understanding of the Gospel, and all about building a Sunday show so people would come and hear me speak about a moral lesson from the bible. By God's grace, the Network has helped me love Jesus and understand the gospel in ways I never though possible before.
What advice do you have for men who are wrestling with the decision to plant?
1. Make sure you are called.
2. Assessment is necessary. Humble yourself to a process.
3. Trust your wife. She sees things you don't.
4. Do not let fear dictate your decisions.
5. Seek older Godly wisdom from men who have told you "No" before.
What's the most important thing you'd want to share with a new church planter?
I would say; be patient. When God calls you to something, it very rarely means "NOW". Recognize that Jesus is more interested in your sanctification than he is in your church plant. Humble yourself to the process that God puts before you and don't rush anything. Christ will build his church and you may be one of those men whom he uses to do it. However, if you under-estimate the work of Christ in the process and only focus on the end goal, than you will miss what Christ desires to do in your heart, your family and your sanctification.
How do you pastor your family?
I am still learning this. Pastoring my family is much different than pastoring the church. I don't preach to my wife and kids, I don't have constant spiritual conversations with them, we don't do a formal bible study or have a consistant family worship time. I take Pauls words serious when he says, "Follow me as I follow Christ." I pastor my family by loving and following Christ. I use teachable opportunities to teach my wife and kids about our sin the cross, God's grace, love, and His sovereignty, etc. I pastor my family by modeling repentance to my wife and kids by being quick to appologize and turn from sin when I sin against them. I pastor my family by modeling a love for the bible by loving the scriptures. I pastor my family by serving my wife and kids.
Outside of the Bible, what is the most helpful book you have read for church planting?
Either Planting Missional Churches by Stetzer or The Reason For God by Keller.
Church Profile: Netcast Church
Launch Date: January 2011
Mission, Vision, Values of Church
Mission: Encouraging the world with the hope of Jesus.
Vision: A diverse community pursuing intimacy with Christ and influence in the city.
Core Values:
1. Diverse.
2. Community.
3. Intimacy.
4. Influence.
Our desire for Netcast Church is to be a Jesus worshipping, sent people (Matthew 28:16-20); Empowered and filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8); living in diverse community with each other (Acts 2:42-47). We believe that doing this will help us fulfill our mission of seeing people transformed by the gospel and equipped to live missionally in their worlds
What are some examples of God's grace that you have seen in your life and/or the life of your church?
How God used 1.21 Church and Daystar to give us a good balance of being missional and yet not unattractive. How God provided every financial need at just the right time. How God has built an incredible team at Netcast in just a few months. How God has used Acts 29 in my sanctification and the sanctification of my bride.
How can we pray for you?
Pray for wisdom as I am in way over my head right now.
"2nd Netcast Vision Party" Sunday October 24th @ 5:30pm
We will be having our next Necast Vision Party on October 24th @ 5:30pm. The address is 15 1/2 Pierce Ave, Beverly MA 01915. The Pats are playing the Chargers that day, so the game will be on the big-screen. We'll also eat food, hang out and I will share some more things pertaining to our vision and core values. I'd love to spend some time answering questions. If you'd like to post anonymous questions, please leave it as a comment under this blog and we'll answer them on the 24th.
This is such an exciting time in our church as we are beginning to build a Core Team and go from an "idea to a "reality". We'd love for you to join us.
Matt
Netcast Church - Lead Pastor
Christ will Build His Church!! (Crazy Things that are happening.)
We can already still see the hand of God on our ministry and we feel like we have barely started.
I got an email from the YMCA this week about getting creative in order to use their facility as a meeting place. The woman who I am working with over there is so awesome. She isn't a believer but wants to work with us to help us get into the building as cheap as possible. She offered to hire me part time for about 6 hours a week to work in the after-school program which will do a number of things to help us. 1. It will allow us to get our foot into the community and meet kids, parents, people, etc. 2. It will give our family a super cheap YMCA membership. 3. It will make me a staff person so that when we start to meet as a church, they won't need to staff someone for the building and it will keep our facility cost way down.
I went to pick up Daniel from school one day this week and his teacher comes up to me and literally whispers these words into my ears, "Are you a Christian?" I was like "Yeah. Are you?" She said that when Beth went to drop Daniel off on the first day of school, The Spirit whispered to her that our family was Christian. How cool is that? We had been praying for her before we ever moved. And, God provided with a teacher who is filled with the Holy Spirit. That is just amazing.
A few weeks back, I was a camp pastor at a youth missions camp in NC. One of the students of the leader of the camp is a freshman at Gordon College which is in Beverly MA. His name is Luke and was recruited to play basketball there. So, I went to go and play pick-up with the team earlier in the week and when I got there a young man came up to me and said, "Are you Matt?" And I was like, "Yeah." he was like, "Its me, Shaun Roach." Now here is the back story to that. I have known Shaun since he was a little kid in like 5th grade. His dad, Kevin, was probably one of the most spiritually influential men in my life during college. Besides that, I was Shaun's camp councilor at basketball camps for years in college. His dad was like a father to me and I convinced my coach during my senior year to contact him to be an assistant coach. Which he did. Crazy!!! Turns out that Shaun is like best buds with this dude Luke. They are probably the only 2 freshman students fighting for minutes this year. Plus, Shaun has known that we were coming out to plant Netcast but had no idea we were going to be in his town.
Yesterday, I had lunch with the coach of the Gordon College basketball team. He is a great dude and is just in his 2nd year. After some awesome conversations and connecting, he asked me if I'd like to help out his program as an assistant coach or team pastor. Knowing that I don't want to commit to too much, I turned down the idea of assistant coach, but totally love the idea of being some sort of team pastor or team chaplain. I will conduct bible-studies with the team, do a chapel before every home game, and meet with the players for one on one discipleship. What an awesome opportunity to invest in young people and get connected with the community.
Last night, we went to an Ice Cream social at Daniel's school. We met a family there that are believers and live about 9 houses down from us. They go to North Shore Community Baptist but feel like God may be leading there somewhere else. Crazy!! No idea what may come of that, but it seems like a God thing to me. If nothing else, we may have some new friends.
We're also getting to know our neighbors. We have met almost everybody on the block and cant wait to get into our house so we can start having people over. I think that most people get confused when they meet us. Being a young church planter, with 4 kids and a wife that stays at home just about throws everyone for a loop out here. Then add on top of that, that we seem normal, really makes them wonder. Pray for our neighborhood, we really want to pour our lives into this community and serve them in ways that they have never seen before.
On Thursday, I had coffee with a guy who was a worship leader at a thriving church here on the North Shore. He's a young dude who's recently married and seems great. We totally connected right off the bat. Recently, he felt that the Lord was leading him out of his church which we was a part when it was planted 2 years ago. That night, I went to a pastors meeting where he led worship and he is a gifted young man. I have no idea what God has for our future, however, I know that I met a new friend who is like minded in ministry and has a real heart for Christ.
Most of you know and have been praying for Steve and Karen Shomo, my inlaws and executive pastor. They were needing their house to sell or lease so that they can move to be a part of what God is doing out here through Netcast. Their real-estate agent said that with the market the way that it is, there is no telling how things will work out. It could take a year to get them out of Greensboro. However, we plan our way but Christ directs our paths. The very first people to come and look at the house want to lease it for 2 years. They have already signed a contract and will be moving in October 1st. My inlaws are looking to rent the vacant apartment in the house that our unit is. Literally a door away. What a blessing that would be.
None of these things could have been planned. Actually, in my finite mind, I couldn't have even dreamt these things up. These are all divine things that are happening in only our first 2 weeks being here. Christ tells us clearly that He will build his church and not even Hell itself can get in the way. Please continue to pray for me as I seek God as we are planting Netcast. Pray that God grants me a humble spirit and anoints me with supernatural wisdom and courage to do what he is calling us to do. To Christ be all of the glory.
A Dialog between a "Consumer Focused" Pastor vs "Christ Centered" Pastor
This is a real conversation that is taking place between a pastor who is focused on growing his church and a pastor who is focused on trying to teach his church to be more like Jesus.Jesus Focused pastor (aka Chris) wrote:
Dear Pastor Connor, (Consumer Focused),
I wanted to take a minute out of my day and congratulate you on all of the growth that you are seeing at your church. I drove by your facility yesterday and I saw all of the construction that was taking place; it looks amazing. The word around town is that God is really doing something in your church. I hear that you are seeing more and more people every Sunday attend. That's awesome. You have only been established for 3 years and already have probably 10 times the amount of attendees that we have on a given Sunday and your charasima, so I hear, is extremely motivating. My daughter went to visit your church while visiting from college and said that your Worship was out of this world. Everything was perfectly put together and the sound was awesome, she said.
I just wanted to hear from you, how you are seeing all of your success. I am an older guy who has been in ministry for 20 years and have never seen the success that you are seeing. Whats your secret? How are you drawing so many people? How are you leading such a monster?
Anyway, I look forward to hearing from you.
Bless you in Christ,
Pastor Chris, (Christ Centered)
To see the remainder of the conversation, look under the comments section.
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