Project Church (projectCHURCH) is an experiment. An experiment to not simply start a church, but impact a city. A name like projectCHURCH challenges us to continually ask the “What if?” question.

• What if church blended innovation, creativity, and communication with the unchanging message of Jesus?
• What if imperfect people became a community that didn’t just exist for themselves?
• What if a church simply glorified God, loved people, and rocked the world?
• What if we had a church for unchurched people?
• What if church wasn’t lame or boring?
• What if a church said no to the status quo?
• What if church wasn’t a building but a community?
• What if a church risked and tried new things?
• What if you could be the real you at church?
• What if church didn’t weird out your friends?
• What if a church accepted you where you are?
• What if a church helped you discover where you could be?
• What if a church had strong theology and soft hearts?
• What if you could wear a hat in church?
• What if a church wasn’t known for it’s picket signs and protests?
• What if a church didn’t judge you but loved you?
• What if a church advanced and didn’t retreat?
• What if a church didn’t care about your political party?
• What if a church was crazy about kids?
• What if a church did whatever it took to connect with people who don’t know Jesus?
• What if church could be a place where no perfect people were allowed?
• What if a church was full of grace (love you no matter what)?
• What if a church was full of truth (be honest no matter what)
• What if you wanted to go to church rather than had to go to church?
• What if church was the best part of your week?
• What if a church looked inside-out and not outside-in?
• What if a church kept it real?
• What if church was 100% religion-free?
• What if a church became a place of discovery?
• What if a church actually liked public schools?
• What if a church loved Scripture?
• What if a church really cared for the city?
• What if a church was less like a cruise ship?
• What if a church oozed with authenticity?
• What if church was unapologetic and unashamed of their love for Jesus Christ?
• What if a church loved?
• What if…?

I could go on- but now its your turn.

Fill in the blank: What if __________________?

Filed under: Church Planting, church | 7 Comments

Pilot Inspektor . That’s what Jason Lee (star of My Name is Earl) named his son. True story. Odds are, you have one of two reactions to that name. Either you think it is a rad rock star name or you feel sorry for poor little Pilot.

Choosing a name for anything shouldn’t be taken lightly. It establishes an identity. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the name of a pet, an organization, or a child, you don’t want to mess it up. Which is why you don’t see many girls named “Bertha” anymore.

Prior to announcing that we’re going to start a fresh, new church in Rapid City, I made the decision to name it. I wanted a name that was unlike anything else in my area but nothing as extreme as Pilot Inspektor. Because we live in the beautiful Black Hills, most of the newer churches have something related to nature in their names. That’s cool. But for us, I wanted something that was memorable and represented what we’re about. A name that prompted questions. After many, many ideas, a name was chosen:

Project Church A.K.A. projectCHURCH

As I’ve revealed that name to people I usually get a, “That rocks!” reaction. They get the concept of the name right away. The rest have a “Project Church???” look on their face. This look is followed up with the question, “So why Project Church?” Which is a great question and one I’m getting used to answering.

The name isn’t complicated and neither is its meaning. To find out more about the meaning, stay tuned for my next post.

In the meantime, what do you think “Project Church” means? What’s your take on church names? What are some other cool church names out there? Will Pilot Inspektor be a rock star? What’s your name?

Filed under: Church Planting, My Story, church | 5 Comments

This is a special announcement for family, friends, and future friends.

WOW! This last year has brought a lot of change. We’ve noticed that’s not only true for us, but also for many of you. Some of you have moved, changed jobs, started businesses, had babies, got married, changed majors, graduated, had surgery, got haircuts, gained weight, lost weight, gained it back.

It seems during times of transition, we often wrestle with and sometimes discover two things:

1. What matters most to us.
2. What we want our lives to be about.

If you know us, then you know that what matters most to us is Jesus. We aren’t religious, judgmental nut jobs, nor are we perfect followers of Christ, but we make no bones about the fact that we do love Jesus- and people.

During this season of change, we’ve also reflected on what we want our lives to be about. And that is why you’re receiving this message.

We would like to take this opportunity to announce to you something big- at least to us. Something that may or may not come as a surprise to you. Something that’s been on our hearts for quite some time. Something that God has made abundantly clear to us.

WE ARE PLANTING A CHURCH IN RAPID CITY, SD!!!

This is exciting. This is scary. This is humbling. Yet, we have a total peace about it. Looking back on the past several years, we can see how God has been preparing us for this.

I (Jason) have known that I was called to lead a church…someday. I just had no idea it would lead to starting a church from scratch. However, towards the end of 2006, the possibility of planting a church began to weigh heavily on our hearts. We chose to wait and make sure this was truly from God and not just some spicy food Jason ate at Chili’s.

As we waited, we soaked in wisdom from other leaders, pastors, and church planters. We received feedback from people who knew us well and talked with people who don’t dig church. And of course, we sought God. After all of this, we are confident that we are meant to plant a church.

So who is this church for? Thanks for asking. We believe this church is designed for three types of people:

1. Unchurched people who are skeptical and unsure- but have honest questions about Jesus, church, Christianity, etc.
2. Dechurched people who are bored, fed up, or have been burned by poor church experiences.
3. Christ Followers who are genuinely searching to partner with a church that’s on a mission to glorify God, love people, and rock the world.

Simply put, this is a church for people who don’t dig church. This is like saying we’re opening a steakhouse for vegetarians. But that’s our crazy mission.

Perhaps you are one of these three types of people. If so, you are who this church is for.

Our passion is to to ignite, lead, and be a part of a Jesus-centered, people-loving community that rocks! We’re driven to show people outside the church that Christianity may not always be what they think it is and to show people inside the church that Christianity may not always be what they think it is.

To make this a reality, we need the right people to join us. We certainly can’t do this alone. Our next step is to gather people who want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Who will share our core values of relevance, excellence, authenticity, community, truth, and love.

If you would like to join us in launching this church, please let us know. We’ll be more than happy to visit with you about the vision of the church and answer any questions you might have. This is just the beginning.

As we progress, we will share more about this new church and let you all know how you might be able to support the mission. We’re pumped to see what God is going to do. You can also follow the progress on Jason’s blog, thinkinginprogress.com.

Please pray for us. We really need it. If you don’t pray, perhaps this is a good time to begin. We’d also ask that you pray for the people who join us and for lives to be transformed as a result of this church. We aren’t simply hoping to start a church, we’re hoping to impact a community.

Finally, thank you all so much for being a part of our lives. Feel free to forward this on to anyone who might be interested. We love our friends and family and always enjoying building new relationships too.

Stay tuned. We’ve only just begun…

Nothing but Love,

Jason, Gwyn, Reece, and Regan

Filed under: Christianity, Church Planting, Family, Jesus, Life, My Story, Rapid City, church | 12 Comments

I ran across this excellent work from the blog of the design company- Ministry Growers.

It was in response to the news that the “Westboro Baptist Church” will protest Heath Ledger’s funeral. These are the same bozos that go around protesting funerals of U.S. soldiers- even in my hometown. For the record, I don’t know of any Christians or churches who endorse what these bozos are doing. Their message is one of hate. Which doesn’t align with Jesus’ life and teachings.

If there’s one thing Christ Followers should be known for is love. I think this design reminds us and challenges us to love everyone. You can grab a poster of this design here. Thanks to the gang at Ministry Growers for putting their talent to good use.

Filed under: Christianity, Current Events, Websites | Post a comment

“unchristian” by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons
The book, “unchristian” is based on research about what 16-29 year olds think of the church, Jesus, his followers, and Christianity at large. I’m not surprised by the results and my observations have been validated with the research done by the authors. A must-read for leaders.

“Lectures to My Students” by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Spurgeon’s words are so rich that I have to read this book slowly and take breaks to digest it. As I walk through the chapters I’m realizing that this may be one of the best books I’ve ever read.

“Presentation Zen” by Garr Reynolds
I build and deliver lots of presentations, so this book is very practical for me. I’ve read Garr Reynolds‘ stuff online and now he’s put all his knowledge and insight into a cool book. So far, it’s better than I expected. The book itself stimulates my imagination with it’s use of visuals, fonts, spacing, and word choice.

What have you been reading?

Filed under: Bible, books | 4 Comments

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day reminds me…

…to see beyond what is and dream of what could be.
…that true love is backed up with action.
…that hope can ignite a movement.
…that words have power and should be used with great care.
…that the inside of a cup matters more than the outside.
…that what we live for should be worth dying for.
…that we’re not there yet.
…to not conform to the pattern of this world.
…that God uses unlikely people for remarkable purposes.
…that “the end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.”

“I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.”

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Filed under: Current Events, Life, Quotes | Post a comment

Churches now have a guidebook that explains why and how to leverage pop culture, engage people, and point them to Jesus in the book “Pop Goes the Culture.” The book is written by Tim Stevens, a pastor at the innovative, Granger Community Church in Indiana.

As an early reviewer of the book, I can’t give away many details of it, but I can tell you that it is both engaging and provocative. The stories Tim weaves in throughout the book are a great touch with some surprising tales about his own life.

Tim comes across as a nice guy (I’m sure he is)- but he makes no bones that this book will offend lots of churchy people. After reading it, I would definitely agree. If you read it you will either dig or or disdain. I, for one, dug it.

There are aspects of the book that may be fodder for the “attack dog” “watchdog” bloggers out there. But I hope the message of the book will rise above all of that and provoke thought, discussion, prayer, and action instead. People need Jesus. Pop culture practically screams it out. Why not use it in a timely way to connect people to the timeless truth?

I think this should be required reading for every church planter, Christian leader, and Christ follower. I’m thankful for the opportunity to review this book and look forward to seeing the impact it’s bound to have on ministries, and ultimately people, everywhere.

Thanks for this book Tim. You rock dude!

Filed under: Christianity, Church Planting, Cool People, books, church | Post a comment

My wife almost bought a t-shirt for me with this quote-

“You can take the boy of the trailer park, but you can’t take the trailer park out of the boy.”

It’s true. I spent a good chunk of my elementary age years living in trailer parks across West Texas.

I was that kid riding around on my bike sporting a mullet, wearing a “Dukes of Hazzard” cut-off t-shirt, swim trunks that were too small, with flip-flops that didn’t match. Needless to say, I was the posterboy for the trailer park.

Say what you want about trailer parks (yes, there is a lot you could say) but they aren’t all bad. In fact, there are some very solid things they can teach us.

Here are three life lessons I picked up living in trailer parks:

1. Community Happens
   Tornadoes love trailer parks. You’ve never experienced real community unless you’ve lived in a trailer park when a twister hits. Most trailers I lived in had a communal shelter where everyone gathered when a funnel cloud was visible. It’s funny when I look back on those times. That underground basement would be packed with people, dogs, toolboxes, shotguns, and cigarettes. The few times a tornado did hit, people helped each other out. Giving what they could, tipping back over pick-up trucks, and opening up their homes. We were all in the same boat. I learned to give the “Dukes of Hazzard” shirt off my back to someone who needed it.
2. Leadership Rises
   In my experience, traditional families were rare in trailer parks. Single mom’s, who worked 2-3 jobs, seemed to be the norm. This left many kids unsupervised. I was one of those kids. While intact families were rare, the ones that did exist often kept watch over all of us “hellions.” What few men there were became leaders and father figures around the trailer park. The rednecks became the “patriarchs” of the park. That always impressed me. If any dirtbags came in our ‘hood causing trouble, they were quickly beaten with a monkey wrench and bitten by German Shepherds. Men stood up for their trailer park people and so did their dawgs. We could use more men like that.
3. Self-Righteousness Sucks
   Most people outside the park looked down on those of us in the park. When people drove by the trailer park they seemed to have that “you’re nothing but trash” look on their face. I got used to it. But I remember making a friend at school and we planned a sleepover for a Saturday night and I would go to church with his family on Sunday morning. Sadly, it was not to be. When I asked my friend why, he said his parents didn’t want to have a “trailer park kid” over. I was sad. It seemed unfair. And even in elementary school I recognized that it was wrong. This is probably why I get ticked off at “Christians” who think they’re better than everyone else.

I believe Jesus would have fit right in with the trailer park. He would have encouraged community, wanted the men to be strong leaders, and been angry with the self-righteous people who wouldn’t have anything to do with “trailer park trash” like me. AKA, “the least of these.”

My trailer park days may be behind me, but I carry those lessons with me today.

It might be true that you can’t take the trailer park out of the boy. But then again, why would you want to?

Filed under: Christianity, Jesus, Leadership, Life, My Story, church | 1 Comment

I don’t know what he was thinking but Tim Stevens, author and rock star pastor, has invited me and others to help him review his book prior to publication.

The book is called, “Pop Goes the Church” and it will be released later this year. In it, Stevens examines the relationship between church and pop culture. Tim is the right guy to write this timely book.

So I have the pleasure of reading it over the course of the next couple of weeks and add my two cents. It should be fun.

The publisher has asked that I not publish any of the specifics or quotes from the book. In fact, I think it self-destructs after January 30. Kind of like in Inspector Gadget. Remember that show? I loved it.

The theme song is now stuck in my head and my ADD is kicking in.

Thanks for the opportunity to help Tim! I’m looking forward to it.

“Go Gadget Go!”

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