• March 11th- Chelsea’s last day leading the kids.
• March 18th- Party (kids theater) and recognition (grown-up theater…you really didn’t think I was going to put adult did you?) for all that Chelsea has done.

In the meantime, Chad will be working with Chelsea to make sure the transition goes as smoothly as possible.  He will then oversee and lead the teams that will make make ECTV Kids Theater the highlight of every kids week!  For the most part we’ll be keeping with the same awesome format we’ve been using.  Here’s a brief overview video from another church that uses the same thing we do.  As you can see, the hard part is done for you…the key now will be instead of 1 staff person overseeing every aspect of it, we are looking for team leaders to take ownership of small parts of it. These team leaders will then have various people who oversee even smaller portions.

To be most effective we’ll need about 25 people to take on the above mentioned roles.  As I mentioned Sunday, some of these roles are during the week, while most are on Sunday.  Some require you to occasionally miss the Adult Worship Experience while others might require you to miss little to not at all what’s going on in the main theater.  There are various roles that will need to be fulfilled for nursery and toddlers as well as roles for our K-5th grade programs.  All types of skill sets and passions are needed, as well as roles that both introverts and extroverts could do.

Ok that’s the what…but now let’s talk about the why.  Why would you want to get involved in some way?  The reason is is quite simple…research has shown that if someone doesn’t become a follower of Jesus before age 19, there is only a 6% chance that they will sometime in adulthood.

In other words, since one of our core values is “Lost People Matter to God and Therefore They Must Matter to Me” then children have to matter to us as well.  Why? Because those cute little ones will one day get to the point of being convicted of and held accountable for their sins.  In that moment will they realize Jesus is their only hope of forgiveness or are we going to send them out and hope they become a part of the lucky 6% who have an adult conversion experience?Not only that but by teaching them a biblical foundation at such an early age, you will help them to be better people, students, and eventually moms, dads, workers and citizens.

Listen, many people don’t think that they can make a difference with their life…but the reality is you can. Miss Patsy, Mrs. Huffer, Mr. Bob, Aunt Dot, these were just a few of the children’s workers in the church I grew up in that made a difference in my life.  Little did they know when they kept telling me to sit down and be quiet and stop hitting people, that one day I’d grow up to be not just a pastor, but also a pastor who would get to travel all over North America training other pastors.

These 4 were homemakers and mechanics and bankers.  Each would have probably told you that they felt vastly under-qualified, and that some weeks they wondered why they did it, but I guarantee you that now looking at not just my life but the lives of many others they’d all say, “It was worth it!”  For two of them, they’ve already heard Jesus say, “Well done my good and faithful servants”.  In fact, at the church I grew up in there is a plaque honoring Mrs. Huffer and my Aunt Dot for more than 120 years of combined service to teaching children.  Having read the bible literally dozens of times from cover to cover I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that no matter what I do and how “successful” I am as a pastor, their reward in heaven will far exceed anything I’ll ever get.

So with Chelsea’s departure the goal remains the same…it’s just now we’re allowing more of you to get in on one of the most effective ways that your life can make a difference.  We’d love to see you get involved.  If you haven’t already, click here to let us know in what way you’re interested in serving our kids!

Any time something like this happens, there are bound to be a lot of questions so I wanted to answer them here for you.    Then tomorrow check back into this blog for more info on the plan going forward.

Q.  Why is she leaving?
A.  Because it is how God is directing her.  As I mentioned Sunday, many times God will ask us to do things that aren’t comfortable and require sacrifice.  Having worked with Chelsea for the past 18 months I know how much she loves your kids and how much it pains her to be called away but doing what Jesus asks us to do must always be our first priority.  Again you can read her thoughts here.

Q. But you said she’s still going to attend ECTV right?  Why would she do that?
A.  Because she still believes in the vision of ECTV and has made many good friends here.  In other words, she’s feeling called away from her staff responsibilities but not the church.

Q.  OK Gilbert what did you do to upset her and make her want to quit?
A.  Nothing.  I may not be the world’s greatest boss but Chelsea and I have a great relationship.  Over the months she became not just an employee but a close friend and someone I protect like a little sister.  She would tell you that I’m not perfect but that I tried to support and encourage her each and every step of the way.

Q. Ok was she fired then?
A.  No Chelsea was doing a great job.  Nothing made me happier than seeing kids each week come running out excited about what they had just experienced in the kids theater. When I hire and then evaluate people for job performance, it’s based on 3 things…Character (are they growing to become more like Jesus), Competency (can they do the job) and Chemistry (can they get along with other staff and those they are called to lead and minister to)…by each of these measures Chelsea was doing very well.

Q. You’ve mentioned the tight finances at the church a number of times, was she laid-off for financial reasons?
A.  No.  While yes, like any church plant, we’re struggling to get a financial base, things are not so bad that Chelsea had to be laid off.  In fact, I’ve told the staff that if we were ever to get to that point that I’ll be the first to sacrifice salary before I’d ask them to or have to get rid of one of them.

Q. Will you be hiring someone to take her place then?
A.  Short-term the answer is no.  Again I’ll be posting tomorrow what the plan looks like going forward. 

Q. Seriously this would be so much more fun if there was some big controversy or scandal…are you sure you’re telling the whole story?
A. YES!!!  It’s sort of a shame that as a pastor I need to do posts like this in the first place.  Unfortunately though because of the mistakes of church staff in other churches over the last couple of decades, it’s almost become a necessity to keep the rumor mill from churning.  The most unfortunate part of that is, that as Christians, we’re to always look for the good in others first off but many times we are the meanest, gossipy bunch around.  For that, shame on us.  Again the truth is, Chelsea was called here by God and now she is being called away.  I applaud her for following what God is asking her to do when it would have been very easy to just keep collecting a pay check.  My prayer is that all of us would be as obedient.

Q. What specifically can I be praying about?
A. First, be praying for Chelsea.  While she was only part-time with us, this is going to put a bit of financial pressure on her.  Again though I so admire her faith to do what God wants even at the risk of personal discomfort.  So pray that God will provide to make up the difference.  Also, be praying for her as she seeks God for what her next step is in her own service to God.  Again the plan is she wants to stay with us at ECTV, but who knows what God might have in store so pray that His perfect will be done in and through her.

Second, be praying for the children of ECTV.  While all of this might make sense to us, for them this can be a confusing time.  Why is she leaving?  Did I do something wrong?  Does she not like us?  etc…    I want to encourage you to begin preparing your children now.  Over the next few weeks the kids will begin noticing some changes so hopefully we can make the transition as smooth as possible…then on March 18th we’ll have a big going away party for Chelsea where not only will we celebrate but also encourage them to always follow God’s will.  One thing that will help is that the kids will still get to see her in the hallways before and after church so were praying that will take away a bit of the sting of losing her in the actual theater.

Third pray for the rest of our staff, especially Chad, as we work to build on the awesome foundation of Children’s Ministry that Chelsea has already laid.

Finally, pray about your part.  Again more details will come tomorrow but we need 25 of you to step up in various roles in Children’s Ministry to make sure that it not just survives but thrives.  If you’re interested in taking the next step, click here to get more info and begin the application process.

Q. Final question.  Should vegetarians eat animal crackers?
A.  OK now you’re just being weird, talk to you tomorrow. 

Scott Adams once wrote, “You don’t have to be a “person of influence” to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me.”

At a time like this a letter seems so insignificant, but a way I can share my deep appreciation for the influence you have all had in my life. I wouldn’t even know where to start. It goes without saying, that this has been the greatest growing and learning experience of my life, and without the help and support of my church family, I probably wouldn’t still be here today. God has given me the privilege of serving at Exponential and some of you have entrusted me with the care and education of your most precious gift; your children.

I love each of them and am thankful for the time I’ve had to share Christ with them. They mean the world to me and nothing brings me greater joy than seeing your children walk with Jesus hidden deep within their hearts, yet with a great desire to share that love with others. They have reminded me what having a child-like faith is really all about, and have helped me grow closer to Christ. I only hope I’ve helped them do the same.

Making this decision was one of the hardest, that I’ve ever had to make, but I feel as though God is leading me in another direction. I am thankful for the staff and the friendships that have been established. For their encouragement, love and support they’ve given me since day one on August 17^th, 2010. The day I moved to Harrisburg. They’ve challenged me to grow deeper in my faith and knowledge of leadership and ministry. They’ve offered help, not only in areas of ministry, but on a personal level and for that I’m truly thankful.

Since I’ve lived here, I’ve learned more what it means to fully give my life to Christ and put daily dependence in Him. I’ve learned what it means to really pray and have seen God move in mighty ways. I’m learning about myself and who I am in Christ. It’s my hearts desire to serve God in everything I do, and so I will continue to serve qualitatively. With Christ at the center of my life, I will strive to become the disciple of God He has called me to be.

Although this is a challenging time in my life, I look up! The maker of the universe, the former of our hearts, the Lord and Savior who cares about every detail of our lives, He is in control.

Chelsea

It was in October of 2009 that God gave me the vision for Exponential.  The next few months consisted of making sure this was God’s will for our lives and not just a bad reaction to the pepperoni pizza I had eaten the night before.  A part of this process took Lisa and I out to San Diego for a week-long church planter’s assessment.  It was a grueling week of assessments, psychological testing, team exercises, quizzes, presentations and constantly having 25+ people evaluate your every move.

Although we had previously discussed names for the potential church, God didn’t confirm any until Lisa and I were back in our hotel room after yet another intense day of evaluation.  That was two years ago today and of course the name chosen was Exponential Church.

The reason for this was quite simple.  During my years working for Purpose Driven Ministries, part of the teaching I did for pastors was about Exponential Faith Thinking.  Essentially this means that you must have a vision, goals and dreams SO BIG that if God doesn’t show up and do something miraculous, those dreams and goals will never come true.

By thinking this big, it does two things for you.  First, it will drive you to your knees in prayer begging God to do something great on your behalf.  Since you know you can’t  do it without Him, this big vision will force you to be utterly and totally dependent on Him.  Second, when your dreams and goals are fulfilled, you won’t possibly be able to receive the credit for it…all the praise will go to how great God is, not how smart you are.

This whole line of thinking fit perfectly with the vision God had given me.  What I was experiencing in San Diego was only confirming that. It’s a huge vision that I’m not nearly smart enough to accomplish without God doing something great in and on my behalf.  The name Exponential also described the type of impact I know God is calling us to have.  Yes, we are starting in Harrisburg and that is our primary place God has called us to reach, but I truly believe that we’re going to do things that will make an eternal difference in our state, nation and world.

Now you might be saying, “That’s awesome but what about the .tv part?”  Glad you asked.  So 2 years ago today as God confirmed the name, I immediately decided to go ahead and buy the domain name.  One problem… .com, .org, .net, .info and many of the other common extensions are owned by others.  Immediately God reminded me of that a couple of churches that I greatly admire have the .tv extension…in fact some of them even made it a part of their name since it’s still uncommon here in the US.  A quick search and sure enough www.ExponentialChurch.tv was available.  A month later when we filled out all of our legal paperwork, I included the .tv in the name so people won’t have to guess how to find us on the web.

So now you know.  Two challenges for you:  First, are you thinking Exponentially in your own life and ministry?  Life is too short to waste it on small dreams.  Second, if you’re a part of ExponentialChurch.tv are you serving in some way?  The vision is too big and the stakes too high for you to simply sit on the sidelines as a spectator.  Discover what it is that God is calling you to do to help make this Exponential vision a reality!