Category Archives: actionchurch FAQ

Chuck E Cheese Church…

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I had a really insightful question in an email this week and since I actually had an answer (that doesn’t always happen)…I asked if I could post the question and answer here for everyone. The question was:
“My family and I attended actionchurch this Sunday and loved it (ok maybe they said ‘weren’t totally repulsed by it’)…we know that actionchurch is primarily designed for “people who don’t like church”…we are a family of Jesus followers…can we attend or would we just be taking up valuable seats on Sunday morning?…it looked pretty crowded.

Believe it or not I told them actionchurch was like Chuck E. Cheese. Now before you think I have completely lost my mind think about this… Chuck E. Cheese is designed for kids. Everything about it is geared for kids…but without adults the place would be out of business. Adults pay for the games…cook the “bad pizza”…supervise the play…and care enough about their little ones to bring them to Chuck E’s place-even though it may not be their first choice as a restaurant…

actionchurch is designed for “people who don’t like church”…people who have wandered far away from God…the broken…the cynical…the “burned”. We are going to do everything in our power to “gear” actionchurch on Sunday mornings to that crowd. But guess what, without followers of Jesus joining in, paying the bills, bringing their loved ones, helping us make our own brand of “bad-kid friendly pizza” and fun..we would soon be out of business.

Thanks to all of you who support actionchurch…even those of you who put aside your “church preferences” to bring someone you care about. Thanks to those of you who give financially each week even though all you get in return is our thanks…and maybe a donut. Thanks to those of you who give your time so that others can enjoy a great experience on Sunday morning… Thanks especially to all of you who volunteer in actionkidz so that our “kidz” can have a great memory of church when they grow up. Keep on coming…keep on bringing your friends…if we’ll just be faithful God will provide more seats!

Baptism FAQ.

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I’ve had a lot of great questions about baptism lately, so I thought I would try to answer them in a post and put it in the FAQ section.

Q. Why would a church that doesn’t seem to care a lot about traditions do some thing like have a baptismal service?
A. Because Baptism is not a tradition…it’s part of being an obedient follower of Jesus. The bible says repent (turn from your old way of living..and join Jesus kingdom plan for life) and be baptized. (Go public with your decision to “choose sides”). (link)

Q. Will Baptism make me a member of actionchurch?
A. No. Baptism is entirely about going public with your decision to become a follower of Jesus…there are “no members allowed” at actionchurch.

Q. Will Baptism “guarantee me a spot in Heaven”?
A. Sorry, no. Baptism won’t “guarantee” you a spot in heaven any more than a wedding “guarantees” a lifetime of wedded bliss. Only your relationship (that you are celebrating in baptism) makes you part of eternity with Jesus…the good news is he promises to never “fail or abandon us” like people sometimes will. He is also legendary for his forgiveness of those of us who fail him.

Q. How do you know that everyone who gets baptized is “serious” about following Jesus?
A. We don’t…In fact Jesus said here (link) that some who initially get very excited about the good news of Jesus will not “finish”. He also said here (link) that it is not our job to try to figure out who is “in or out” of the kingdom…

Q. Why do you fully immerse (Dunk) people when you baptize them?
A. Because that’s the way they did it in Jesus time…There is a lot of symbolism in being taken under the water (buried) and brought out of water (raised to new life)…but our main reason for being “old school” about baptism is because that was the way it was done then.

Q. Shouldn’t you be in a “church” to be baptized?
A. It was many hundreds of years after the time of Jesus before the first “Church” buildings appeared…so being baptized in church is a relatively new development.

If you have any questions concerning the baptism service on Sunday or Baptism in general please send them to info@actionchurch.com. I will update this post as necessary.

What about homosexuals???

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Since the story about actionchurch ran on the news this weekend I have had the opportunity to answer a lot of really great questions. I think I should answer one of the questions that I have been asked numerous times here on the blog, as it seems to be on many people’s minds.

The question is:

Q: What do you believe the Bible teaches about homosexuality? Are homosexuals welcome in your church?

The answer is very simple for us…

A: The Bible teaches that homosexuality is a sin…and all sinners are welcome at actionchurch!

We hope that people who attend actionchurch will turn away from their sin and become a follower of Jesus Christ…but even if they chose not to…all sinners are welcome. That includes “gay” sinners, “straight” sinners, religious sinners, non-believing sinners, people who will “sin” tonight by not watching the American Idol premiere…anyone! We are the church for people who don’t like church and there is no one too “super-bad” to be accepted and loved by Jesus and actionchurch…nuff said.

19The Son of Man (Jesus) came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ‘ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

Matthew 11:19

What we don't assume on Sunday Morning…

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I had a couple of really good conversations with people last week about what makes an actionchurch Sunday morning “what it is”. What I ended up taking away from the conversations was that what makes us “different” than what many people have experienced is what we don’t assume.
On Sunday Mornings we don’t assume:
  1. That people “have to” go to church: We don’t live in the 1950’s- there’s no social stigma against people who don’t attend church. There are lots of entertainment and relaxation options available on Sunday mornings. Our job and our goal is to create an environment “worth showing up for” on Sunday mornings.
  2. That people are interested in “studying the Bible”: Instead we assume that most people are ambivalent at best about learning what ancient scripture has to say about life. Our goal is to present the principles and message of the Bible in an interesting and exciting way so that even the most sceptical listener is at least motivated to consider the possibility that the Bible is still relevant to life in 2008 America.
  3. That people will come back… Since people are not motivated by guilt or obligation to attend church, our goal is to make each meeting a “sticky” experience that will motivate people to return.
  4. That we are the “only” church: The phone book is full of literally hundreds of churches… churches with “better programs”, quieter churches, less controversial churches, churches with nicer buildings (although personally I think Fat Daddy’s rocks as a venue), churches with more educated pastors, churches with “better dressed” pastors…you get the idea. We think there are lots of great options for people to attend. Our goal is to be exactly what God has given us the vision to be… and let people decide if they want to be part of our “revolution”. We will not be sidetracked by trying to respond to every “suggestion” about what “other churches do”.

Behind the Music-Sermon Planning

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I’m looking forward to the fact that in just three weeks (12.9.07) I will be preaching in our first test drive service! I can’t wait. With that on my mind I’m posting seven questions I ask myself as I prepare to speak. Bear in mind that this is not the “right” way to do it, since I’ve never been (or plan to attend) seminary. Most of these questions come from stuff I’ve picked up as a singer/songwriter…

  1. Is it inspired? This is the most important and hard to quantify part of writing either song’s or sermons…you can write a technically perfect song about a toaster or a well researched sermon about something that you aren’t inspired to talk about…both will be hard to listen to. I struggle with this question until I am absolutely sure that I have “heard” something in God’s word that the listeners need for their lives before proceeding to any of the next “questions”.

  2. Does it have an interesting title? I think sermon and song titles are very important because they can generate questions and interest initially. Our first two “test drive” sermons are titled “BB guns and Bunny Suits” and “Stoned”…wanna know what I will be talking about???

  3. Does it have ONE consistent thought? I want sermons at actionchurch to be like a good pop song…something you will remember after the first time you hear it…The only way I know to do that is to take ONE biblical concept, not a list, not an acrostic, not five points, not a “chapter”…but ONE biblical principle and try to make it as memorable and practical as possible. The only thing that counts in preaching is what you remember after you leave the parking lot. (That’s the main reason I don’t read from notes as I speak…If it’s not memorable enough for me to “know the words”…there’s no chance anyone else will remember it.)

  4. Is it as short as possible? I have thousands of songs in my music library and only G-n-R’s “November Rain” is over four minutes long. I think
    “memorable” long songs and long sermons are an exception…definitely not the rule. Usually they are the result of not taking the time and effort to properly “edit” out all the “extra” thoughts and points… Sermons at actionchurch will be around 30 minutes long.

  5. Does it have a “hook”? There are no new song or sermon “topics”. There is no “new” truth! The concept of a “love song” or a “Biblical Sermon” are thousands of years old… There are however countless “new ways to say old things”. Ways to surprise…twists and turns that can be used if you are willing to do the “work” of song and sermon writing. There is no written exam to get into heaven so “conveying information” is not enough!

  6. Will it “move” the listener? A good song should evoke some movement-break dancing, head banging, line-dancing, finger snapping, at least toe tapping or nodding. My hope is that no one (including myself) will ever preach a sermon at actionchurch where the response is “that’s good to know”. I believe the only reason people should go to the effort and expense of gathering on a Sunday morning is if they will in some way moved to a better way of living. The whole concept of actionchurch is that each week we will attempt to put the teachings of Jesus into action…

  7. Is it authentic? I don’t “buy it” when Clay Aiken sings “When a man loves a woman” and people don’t believe when preachers pretend to be something they are not on Sunday mornings. I don’t think you have to be “perfect” to be a preacher (or I certainly wouldn’t be one!!!). I do think you have to be (as Perry Noble says )”smokin‘ what you’re selling” and be brutally transparent and honest about your struggles with God’s plan for living…