February 25, 2011

Greyson’s sleeping and Bible reading habits!

By craigmckown

So, since we moved to Spring Hill (and while we were packing up our house in Cincy) Grey has been majorly struggling with going to sleep at night. I feel like we did a great job of getting him on a schedule and transitioning him to sleeping in his own little toddler bed (you can read all about this on my wife’s blog. I am not sure how much the changes and recent transition have played into Grey’s crazy night-time breakdowns….but we are trying our best to move past this phase! So, a couple nights ago I told Grey that if he couldn’t sleep that he could read his Bible (but he had to stay in bed). After about 20 minutes of hearing him talk in his bed and 15 minutes of silence, we went to check on him and found him totally asleep in this position:

As a parent who is a follower of Jesus, I have to be pumped that Grey loves the Bible; yet, I am a little worried that he fell asleep before he finished the creation story!

Leave a comment | posted in Family, Humor

February 23, 2011

My Starbucks Office

By craigmckown

I am sitting here freezing my butt off at Starbucks (my current church office). Word on the street is that Starbucks keeps the temperature turned down so that people don’t stay too long…and so that they can serve more customers (and make more money). I am determined to not let the temperature force me to leave (or buy more hot coffee)!

One of the benefits of working out of Starbucks…besides enjoying good coffee with Bridgers (people who are “Gospel Partners” @ The Bridge Church), is that I get to meet interesting people in the community and invest in relationships with people who are not Christ followers! Just this morning, I had a great convo with a guy who knows all about the church culture (was around North Point Community Church at their inception), who has been burnt by dysfunctional churches (and pompous church leaders), who is in desperate need of a genuine gospel community! Conversations with people like this guy make the frostbite I’m getting at Starbucks well worth it!

Leave a comment | posted in Culture, Faith

February 21, 2011

Learning from the mistakes of others

By craigmckown

When I was super young (middle school age), I had a friend who I noticed was making some REALLY stupid decisions! So, I did what any other true middle school friend would do and confronted this person (I guess because I cared for this friend and didn’t want to see them continue down a dangerous path…I’m hoping that it wasn’t out of my own sense of self righteousness). Needless to say, this friend wasn’t the most receptive to my concerns! They proceeded to tell me that they had to learn from their own mistakes (even if their decisions did lead towards destruction). They also encouraged me to loosen up, try new things, and learn from my own mistakes as well….and to this I responded, “Nah, I’ll just keep watching you and learning from your mistakes…instead of making all the mistakes myself.” Later in life, I heard through a mutual friend that this person had picked up a few “less than desirable STDs!” Now, I am not sure if the end to this is totally true (since it was the product of gossip), but I am confident that my friend’s lifestyle had some majorly negative consequences.

Even though this scenario took place when I was in the midst of puberty, I know today that there is a lot of wisdom in learning from the mistakes (and successes) of others. Throughout my life, I have tried my best to be someone who learns from the mistakes and failures of others (not just my own). When I was in middle school and high school, I learned from the mistakes of others as I watched many people around me spiral out of control in relational/dating turmoil. While in college I have saw many folks get caught up in the party scene and make choices that were quite regrettable. Trust me, I have had to learn from plenty of my own mistakes/failures as well!

As a pastor, I have developed a hobby of checking out churches and trending their success and failures (at least in numerical growth and decline). It is fascinating to me why some churches grow exponentially and others limp along with the same 50 to 100 people warming the pews of their building! If I apply my middle school method of “learning from the failures of others,” I must take a close look at what the churches who are in decline are missing and why they are not experiencing gospel growth! My initial questions for declining churches are, “Are the individual members of these churches passionate about The Gospel and missional impact?” and “If they are passionate, How are they striving to live out and share their faith?” By asking theses questions, I simply want to encourage my church community and others who have put their faith in Jesus to take an individual look at how God is using them to make a missional impact in this world! Here is a great tool from Josh Howerton’s blog to help encourage Christians who truly want to live out the Gospel and make an impact for the kingdom of God!

I also came across a couple interesting blog posts by Tony Morgan about churches in decline. I definitely think that this graph (attached below) is organizational gold! These 5 attributes of churches in decline can help your church leadership “learn from the mistakes of others” by considering the flip side!

Here is how we can flip these attributes upside down and examine our own churches organizational potential for gospel growth. Ask yourself these 5 questions that correlate with the above graph:

1. Do we have clarity of mission and vision (can people within our church body embrace and remember the vision of our church)?
2. Do we have a concise strategy to help newcomers become fully devoted followers of Christ (and what is that strategy)?
3. Is our structure too complex (where are we experiencing vision drift/leakage because we are trying to do too much)?
4. What is our connection to the surrounding community (are we really outward focused or do we just say we are)?
5. Do we have competent leadership (are they wrecked by the gospel? are they trustworthy? are they wholeheartedly committed to the vision and the church body)?

Obviously, you could do all of these things organizationally and still miss the point. Every healthy/growing church is growing because of the favor and blessing of God! As the people of God seek Him in prayer, great things happen! It is my fear that we minimize the work of God to formulas and a simple list of organizational questions…I have seen churches do this, and I want to learn from their mistakes as well! Maybe if you keep reading my blog you can learn from my mistakes too!

Leave a comment | posted in Business, Faith, Leadership, Vision

February 16, 2011

Crayon

By craigmckown

So my son (Greyson) got a piece of crayon stuck up his nose today! Here is him posing with it:

Major props to my wifey and Jana Howerton for getting it unlodged!

Leave a comment | posted in Family, Humor

February 6, 2011

Taking my talents to South Nashville…

By craigmckown

In this spring, this is very tough, in this spring I’m going to take my talents to South Nashville and join the Bridge Church.

Ok, so you might have noticed that this sounded quite similar to Lebron’s announcement to take his talents to South Beach! Don’t fret, I am by no means implying that I am the Lebron James of the church world, but I am confident that God is leading me and my family to Spring Hill, TN to partner with what God is doing in and through The Bridge Church.

So, if you are wondering why we are making this move, here is the scoop:
Making a change in ministry/churches is not something I take lightly or would even consider without much prayer and seeking wise counsel (from people that I trust and who are following Jesus). Lindsey and I really want to plant roots in ONE community and make a long-term investment! We are pumped about living in a more beautiful (and warmer) part of the country, a place that is closer to our family (I grew up in Nashville), and a great place to raise a family; however, above all we are striving to follow God wherever He calls us!

It is interesting how God places us in various roles and positions that help equip His people to carry out His plan for the world! I am super humbled and amazed at how God has done this for me throughout my life, and I am so excited that He has brought me to the place in my development where I can serve Him as the Equipping Pastor @ The Bridge!

Also, It has been my heart’s desire to be a part of a ministry that has a radical vision, an undeniable sense of community, a relational approach, an effective and dynamic outreach, strong theology and genuine worship….a community that resembles what Christ would want the Church today to look like…and I definitely feel like The Bridge is an awesome group of folks who embody so many of these things. Obviously, as we get to know the people of The Bridge, we will see that they are imperfect (and they’ll see the same in us). Yet, it is super exciting to be joining up with the leadership at The Bridge as we strive to live out The Gospel! Here is a video of Josh, the lead pastor, sharing a little bit about what The Bridge is all about:

Of course, Lindz and I are going to miss so many amazing people from Cincinnati! We are thankful for the friendships that God brought into our lives over the past 2 and a half years. So, to our friends from Cincy and beyond…our door will always be open…so come visit!

Leave a comment | posted in Family, identity

January 31, 2011

Far too easily pleased

By craigmckown

Here is an inspiring and possibly convicting quote that challenges me to live the life that God has called me to live.

“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
-CS Lewis “The Weight of Glory”

Leave a comment | posted in Culture, Faith, identity

January 30, 2011

New Book….

By craigmckown

I just got a new book in the mail today (from amazon). I can’t wait to crack it open and see how it will help me in the years to come!

Leave a comment | posted in Business, Leadership

January 25, 2011

Relationships that build you up…

By craigmckown

I would like to think that I am someone who chooses my friends carefully (Proverbs 12:26 and Proverbs 18:24)….but I also know that many of my relationships were not simply a matter of chance, good luck, or even my great ability to choose good friends. I truly believe that God has placed different people in my life at various times to help develop me, grow me, and point me towards His mission in this world!

I have the opportunity to speak about this (about providential relationships to help us grow closer to God and get on mission with Him) tomorrow night in our student environment, and as I reflect on the relationships that God has used in my life I am overwhelmed with thankfulness! I know that I wouldn’t even be standing in front of our students to speak if it wasn’t for the influence of some amazing people that God brought into my life. Some who encouraged me. Some who taught me something about God. Some who leaned into me when I was missing it. Some who journeyed with me and others who modeled the gospel message in how they lived! Here are some of the folks that God used in both big and small ways to grow me:

To begin…My parents are by far the most influential in helping me grow in my faith. I am so thankful for them…and that they were intentional about giving me healthy boundaries, praying for me, modeling a walk with Christ, and engaging me in faith conversations throughout my life.

My wife (Lindsey Griffeth McKown) is my very best friend! I am so thankful that God brought her into my life….I can’t imagine life without her. She makes me look better and truly strives to love me like despite my flaws. She is the person who keeps me accountable, encourages me, gives me real feedback…and soooo much more!

Josh Sublett is one of my best friends in the entire world! He is one of the most faithful and loyal friends ever! Even when I have totally sucked as a friend, Josh has been gracious and committed to making our friendship stick! He is also one of the few men that I feel comfortable telling him that I love him…my dad is probably the only other!

Nick Kaisharis is the friend of mine that helped me transition into an adult. He was my roommate and sidekick throughout college. He was the man who held me accountable and my first ever partner in ministry (even though that church that let us lead had no clue what they were doing)! Even though our wives are super close friends who talk regularly, Nicko and I are definitely closer than our wives (we don’t need to chat regularly to stay close like them)!

Rob Troup: my older brother who showed me by example how God can reconcile a relationship that didn’t deserve reconciling! Thanks for showing dad (and our fam) love, forgiveness, and acceptance! I wish that we had grown up together, but I am thankful that you have been a part of my life for the past 18 years! It is my hope that him and his family move to Tennessee soon!

Jonathan Harris is someone who permeates Gospel living! We used to play “Harris ball” at his house in high school…those were some amazing times!

Micah Hill was an awesome partner in ministry when I worked at Calvary Church. I am so proud of him for how he has developed as an amazing artist. He’s who I still go to to stay up on new music.

Dave Rice, is a friend who truly understands how to listen and care about others! He is someone who I could share my heart with and got my back!

Troy Bates was my student pastor. He invested in me personally and modeled what it looks like to follow Jesus. He lives a life of character, prayer, and is a man of faith! He could not help but have intentional faith conversations whenever he had the opportunity….I am so thankful for that!

I learned so much from Ben Hodges in the past 2 and a half years. Ben helped show me the practical skills of church leadership (systems, accountability, measurables, how church can be run with excellence)! Ben is more than just a boss..he is a friend! I am confident that God will continue to do amazing things through 4Corners as him and the staff continue to stay humble and committed to the gospel.

Here are some other folks that have done this for me at different stages of my life:
Josh Waggoner, Brett Mauldin, Kyle Morrow, Stacey McKown Haynes, Amy Money-Butler, Rod Butler, Sam Delemos, RO Smith, TDL, Justin Bender, Mike Halpin, Pat McCoy, Greg Hodges, Nate Turner, Bob Groves, Trent Krugh, Will LoVellette, Sam Wheatley, Sean Hickey, Toran Scott, Dan Koller, Sam Schaefer, Bill McRay, Brian Bishop, Brent Underwood, Steve Argue, Dave McGovern, Cody Taylor, Nick Toebbe, Brooke Moore, Heather Horine, Bubba Herren, Daane Griffeth, Michele Griffeth, Paul Griffeth, Ryan Hartsock, Kurt Schwarz, Thatcher Book, Scott Chamberlain and sooo many more!

Who builds you up?

Leave a comment | posted in Faith, identity

January 23, 2011

Next Generation

By craigmckown

I love this quick little clip of NT Wright’s Message to the next generation. Not only does he keep it simple (in this clip…not in his books), but he also has a killer British accent!

Leave a comment | posted in Faith, Leadership, Student Ministry

January 22, 2011

Family

By craigmckown

Lindz and I love our families! They are super important to us and have done so much to bless us!

We had the privilege of having Lindsey’s brother Daane live with us for a while (when both of us were living in Cincinnati). We are so thankful for the time that we got to spend with Daaner…and we love that Greyson got to spend a lot of quality time with his uncle! Here is a video of Daane and Grey from this past Christmas (Daane always seems to go all out when it comes to presents…this year he got Grey a bike! Hopefully we can have the extra cash in our budget to totally bless Daane and his family…once he starts having kids of his own):

Also, check out the song “Hank” by Ben Rector. This is a song that talks about how an older uncle invests into and helps guide his nephew!

Leave a comment | posted in Uncategorized

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