Today was our first day at the Exponential Conference.  It wasn’t even a full day today and I ALREADY feel refreshed and refueled.  It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way and it couldn’t come at a better time.

Already warning you… this will be a longer post since I’m just decompressing and inserting some of the notes from today.  This is probably not a post for all of you, but I know some of you would love to read the my notes.  To make it easier, I’ll just bullet point everything.  If you have any questions, just post them down in the comments and I’ll try my best to go into more detail.

Anyway… here goes, starting with the main session with Erwin McManus.

• We end up using all our sincerest energies creating a space for Christians… not the unconnected.
• We only like people that are just like us.  We magnetize towards people like us, so our church ends up looking like… me.  What we need to do is draw towards people UNLIKE ourselves.
• We need to LOVE.  Love covers a multitude of irrelevance.
• We need to be a city of others.  We need to do this first space well.  The God-fearing greeks need to outnumber the Jews.
• It’s not that people aren’t searching – it’s just that they don’t know who to have a conversation with, who they can trust.
• Jesus died to call us to live our most heroic life for eternity.
• The Marketplace needs a gospel that makes sense.  Not a watered down gospel.
• The moment you create a space for Dionysus, you will lose your space in the “first space”.  Jesus is looking for people who will have the guts to forsake the Martha, Mary’s and Luke and live with such intense courage for a world like Dionysus.
• The difference we make is not for the Christians, but for the lost.

Breakout Session #1 – Dave Ferguson

• New churches:
  • Grow 23 times faster than existing churches
  • 3-4 times the number of conversions as do older churches
• Like geese, people can fly 75% longer if they fly in a flock.
• Apostolic Leadership:
  • Ephesians 4:11-12
  • Apostolic leaders see the future more clearly than others
  • Apostolic leaders empower others to create new communities of faith
  • Apostolic leaders embed ideology (theology / philosophy)
  • Apostolic leaders guard ideology (theology / philosophy)
  • Apostolic leaders creates a tension between the new & established environment, edge & center, going & staying, lost & found… always values the new, edge, going & lost.
  • Apostolic leaders usually sends their best people out to start new things.
• Shared Dream
  • Acts 1:8
  • Dream: a catalyst for a movement of reproducing churches.
  • Values: reproducing, relationships, residencies, resources
• Gospel of Jesus
  • This must be the core of every movement.
• Genuine Community
  • TRUST.
  • Four Credibilities:  Integrity, Intent, Capabilities, Results
• Rapid Reproduction
  • Reproducing Leaders who starts a Reproducing Church that begins a Reproducing Network.

Breakout Session #3 – Gary Lamb and Scott Hodge

Gary Lamb:

• It’s much easier to compromise about your vision than it is to be mean about it.
• It is NOT easy to be mean… but you gotta be confident on what God has called you to do.  Don’t compromise on that.
• If you can’t be mean about your calling… then you weren’t called.
• We have glorified church planting… it’s not for everyone.
• There’s a Judas at every table and he’s close enough to kiss you.
• There’s a difference between being mean and being mean about the vision.

Scott Hodge

• We’re not a church trying to reach the needs of a Christian culture… we’re reaching the unchurched people.
• If you try to meet the needs of EVERYONE, you will be a confused church.
• When people come to you and want to add or change the vision, ask this of yourself: “Have I not been clear?”
• There is a disconnect between how people view Christ and the people who are representing Him.
• Replanting a church – Know you’ll lose people, but don’t take it personally.
• Let’s be gracious when people leave your church.  You may not be the right church for them.
• It’s impossible to have a change in the church if you don’t have the change within you.
• 3 questions you need to ask:
  • Who has God called us to reach?
  • What is it going to take?
  • Are we willing to pay the price?

So… those are my notes.  Hope they make some sense to you… but you know how notes go – they’re mostly what resonated with me

Some really great things happened today, like watching my sister, Renee, dance with Urban Poets as an opener for the main session for Erwin McManus.  Then, getting to go to dinner with Justin and Trisha Davis.  But those are just as great of events so I’ll post separate posts about those