I wanted to post some new highlights of things that are going on at Ridge Stone Kids

Average Attendance from 3/25-4/15
Tiny Town (Birth-PreK) 67
Planet Shakers (K-5th) 76

Planet Shakers has really been rolling, with one Sunday being kind of crazy (but we learned alot from) but the others have been great. Like I said before, the small group element has really taken off and Elevate has some great group activities.

Tiny Town is really evolving with some great workers who are really doing an awesome job loving on the little ones. We are trying to find some more leaders for Tiny Town though, as it is growing a great deal and we need some help to make those babies feel comfy.

Overall results: Growing pains and Good Momentum

Preston Porter

Family Pastor

One of the questions we get asked from almost every church planter we talk with is how do we do as much as we do in regards to set-up in a portable setting? I am sure I am going to leave some thoughts off, but here are some of the reasons I (Gary) believe we are able to do it and do it well.

1. It is our vision - From day ONE at RSC we have done set design, creative elements, props, etc. Our vision has always been to create relevant and creative environments where unchurched people could connect. Vision fuels everything we do. Our volunteers understand our vision and because they understand it and buy into it, the do whatever it takes to make it happen.
2. We have done it from day one - Honestly, it is in our DNA. The people of RSC literally don’t know there is another way to do it. We have done this stuff from the start and our people expect it. They know every series will have a totally different set design. I remember our first set cost us $100 but it set the standard at we would spend money on set design and creative elements.
3. We REFUSE to allow portability to be an excuse - I have been in portable churches for 8 years. I KNOW what can be done in a portable setting. Bands, Plays, Shows, etc. all set up in portable settings nightly. If they can do it, then I have always thought we could do it. It takes more work but it can be done.
4. We found a perfect person to lead stage design - Amy Young is on our staff over programming. She had NO experience when we moved her into that role during our third series as a church. However she understands our vision and probably as much as anyone on staff she buys into it. She is THE best around. Without a leader we couldn’t do it.
5. We have put a team together - I literally had NO idea what our Easter set was going to look like. I give the overall vision for the series and this team makes it happen and they do it in BIG ways.
6. We work ahead - We are planned out through September. This gives our team enough time to think, dream, and build the things that are needed. Most of you can’t do creative set design because you aren’t planned ahead far enough.
7. We spend money - It takes money to do the things we do and we have budgeted that money. However our team does things way cheap as well. We recently did an entire stage design for $35. It looked awesome.
8. We have staples - We have some big items that we have bought like projectors, lights, trussing, etc. that we can pull out at any time and do awesome things with them. They aren’t used every week but it is nice to know they are in the warehouse if we need them.
9. We train our people - We have sent them to meet with some GREAT churches who are doing GREAT things in these areas.
10. We Research - Amy knows vendors for EVERYTHING under the sun. She has done her homework and knows who to turn to when we need something.
11. We dream BIG- Most of what you see is only a fraction of what we dreamed. We dream big in the area of creativity.
12. Life Change - We do so much set design because it is an element in seeing lives changed. It starts the work of tearing down walls before we start the service and that makes it happen.

Here is a ton of pictures from our various set designs. There is actually a picture of our first service in the school on there as well. Needless to say we have come a lone way since our days in the school. We have the BEST creative team I have ever seen. They do awesome work especially since we are portable.

Amy who leads our creative team will be at our Church Planters Roundtable so if you want to pick her brain make sure you are there.

You can check out the pictures here.

Ed Stetzer has released a very interesting research paper on church plants. Check it out when you get a chance.

Church Planting Research

Okay here is the deal. I love church planters and we have made our church staff totally available to church planters BUT we are getting 4 or 5 e-mails a day from people wanting to talk and that is awesome BUT we only have so much time. Keep emailing us and we will get back as soon as possible.

We are also getting a lot of e-mails from guys wanting to bring their staffs down to hang out for the day. We think that is great as well. However we only have so many days in the week so it is hard to tell everyone yes.

So what we are going to do is start hosting some Church Planters Roundtable sessions at our warehouse location. The first one is going to be Thursday, March 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This will be a great time and we would love for you to come and hang out with us and a ton of other church planters.

We will keep it VERY informal and offer the following:

• Q and A Time - Totally rountable discussion. We want to help you guys BUT we also want to learn from you and ask you guys questions and learn from all of you who are rocking and rolling.
• We’ll have our staff available for you - I think we have the best staff in the world and they know a whole lot more about the details of what we do then I do. They will be there to share how we do things and learn from you on how you do things.
• Open Source sharing - We’ll make EVERYTHING we have ever done available to you from our graphics, videos, policy manuals, assimilation junk, small group stuff, etc. If you want it, it is yours. Bring your stuff along as well and we’ll swap resources.
• A GREAT time of networking - Planting is lonely. This will be a great time to meet other planters and found out what God is doing all around. I’m going to sweet talk Tony Mac, Michael, and Scott into coming and what you can learn from those guys will be awesome as well.
• GREAT Food - We’ll cater in Willamson Bros. BBQ for lunch and trust me it was good enough for President Bush and it will be good enough for you.
• It is FREE - We want to be a blessing to you guys!!! Bring your staff and we’ll cover lunch and provide the place to hang out.

Our heartbeat is church planting. We love church planters and want to be a blessing to those who are doing the extreme sport of ministry. We will be doing this semi-regularly and would love for you to come.

It will be a great time to connect with other planters and learn from each other.

If you can make it, contact my assistant, Taylor Wiseman at taylor@ridgestonechurch.com and let her know you are coming!

See ya there!!!

I think any leader of a growing church eventually comes to place in their church where their style of leadership must change where they can better serve the church and allow her to continue to grow.

I am sure it is different for everyone when that happens. For me that transition has has to begin. I can’t explain why but our growth from 6 families to 500 people really didn’t affect me that much. Going from 500 to 700 was a different story. For whatever reason, I knew in order for us to continue to grow and continue to minister to the people we are reaching that I had to begin to make some changes.

I know that instead being in the middle of everything and having my hands in every small detail we do as a church that has become time for me to fly 30,000 feet above everything where I can see the big picture of what is going on at RSC.

That is not a easy transition for me. RSC is my baby. It is the vision and mission God has given me and transitioning to not having my hands in every aspect is hard. BUT if I want RSC to become the church that I know God wants her to be then those are transitions that must be made.

In the last month some of the ways in which I have transitioned my leadership:

1. We have developed a Lead Team of staff. This team consists of our Family Pastor Preston Porter, Connection Pastor Malcolm Young, Creative Arts Pastor Tim May, and I lead this team. Every ministry in our church and every other staff person is under the direct leadership of one of these men. They are under my leadership. This took me from having a ton of people reporting to me to having three reporting to me. It simplified and maximized our staffing process.
2. I have narrowed what I do down to four things:  Primary Teacher, Overall Vision Caster, Lead the Lead Team, and Marketing (our branding is very important to me).  As a hobby I meet with church planters because I love it.   If it doesn’t fall in one of these areas, I am allowing the great team around me to do what God them to do and what we feel they are in leadership for.
3. I have accepted the fact that I can’t have a personal relationship with everyone.  This is the hardest one to me.  I am a people person.  I wish I could know everyone’s name in the church but it isn’t possible anymore.  I’ll still be on the curb greeting everyone every week but I can’t stress anymore if I can’t remember every detail about everyone’s life.  I wish I could hang out and grill burgers with everyone in the church but if I did that every night of the year, it would take me two years to get to everyone.  The reality is that I through our staff, Home Team leaders, and ministry team leaders, we have people in place to make sure everyone is connected.
4. I have brought on an assistant.  I now have two women who run my life: DeAnna and now Taylor.  Taylor will 100% control my schedule, my e-mails, my meetings, etc.  I am a big picture guy and oftentimes I forget the little things and that is not good.  Taylor is going to be a God send in helping take a ton of stuff off of me.
5. I have put together a FIRM weekly schedule.  I have learned to manage my schedule or it will manage me.  Monday - Staff day - I am in staff meeting all day or meeting with Lead Team staff all day.  This is their day to discuss everything they need me for.  Tuesday - Creative Team Day - We do creative meeting this day and cover all aspects of the service and upcoming services.  Wednesday - Study day.  Won’t answer phone or email this day (this day has always been this).  Thursday - Meetings, church planter phone calls, reading, miscellaneous stuff.  Friday - work until lunch on my sermon then go home.  I have had to become firm about my schedule or I rob my family of time and that ain’t happening.

These changes are not easy but I refuse to be the bottle neck in what God wants to do.  I honestly think by not changing sooner, I became the bottleneck for a while.

God has sent us a awesome team so by me stepping out and doing less, the church will accomplish more.

Countdown - Hanging By A Moment - Lifehouse

No One Like You - Crowder

All Day - HU

Open Up The Gates - Planetshakers

Simple Man - Lynard Skynard BABY!!!!

Madly - Steve Fee

1.21.07 - 4 Better 4 Worse
Take it all - HU

God is Great - HU (Ridge Stone Version) Very nice Evan, very nice

Here I am To Worship - RSC VERSION - Heavy and Thick guitars

All We Need - Matt Redman
Look To You - HU

1.14.07 4 Better 4 Worse

Dancing Generation - Dave… welcome to the team dude.

One Way - HU

Majesty - Charlie Hall? Passion?

Look to You - HU

I’ll Be There For You - BON JOVI

1.7.07 4 Better 4 Worse

White Wedding - Opener

My Glorious - Delirious

You Never Let Go - Matt Redman
Here Is OUr King - David Crowder

How To Save a Life - The Fray

I know I have a lot of catching up to do. This week was very cool.

Song of Salvation - Opener - Evan, fat song bro… you rock!

God is Great - Hillsong United

King of Majesty - Lincoln Brewster / Hillsong… i dunno
Blessed Be Your Name - Redman

Take it All - Hillsong United

It’s Not Over - Chris Daughtry

When you have a first time guest come to one of your weekend services what should you do?  Should you point them out to everyone you meet and let your people know they are first time guest?   How about making them stand up in the middle of the service and having them wave at everyone?  Better yet you could let them know what your doctrine is and that if they don’t quickly change their ways something bad is going to happen to them.

Sadly many churches make these mistakes.  They make their first time guest so uncomfortable that they are looking for the exit door as soon as possible.  When my wife and I were visiting churches (long before Ridge Stone) we were made to feel this way many times.  There was a church (left unnamed) that we could not wait to escape from.  It was weird and we knew that we did not want to waste anymore of our Sunday there.  We wanted to leave as soon as possible.

There is a fine line between letting them know that you are glad they are there and giving them the space they need to check your church out.

So what do we do with first time guest at the stone?

1.)    We don’t ask them is this is their first time visiting RSC.  We let our greeters know that they should not ask this question.  The reason is because people who are NOT first time guest feel awkward telling you no.  Many people don’t want to be pointed out as first time guest.  Don’t ask people if it is their first time at your church.  Instead of doing this talk to them and allow them to opportunity to let you know first.  If you are patient you will find out through a laid back conversation.  Find a more creative way to find out instead of asking that question.  More than likely, that question will only turn people off to your church.

2.)    Take them to the information desk.  Once we find out that they are first time guest a greeter takes them to the information area.  He or she will let them know that this is the place to get information and that we a gift for them.  One of the information desk volunteers also talks to them and welcomes them to the church.

3.)    Have them fill out an information card. Before we did this we were having a lot of difficulty getting people to fill out communication cards.  We used to make time (maybe 30 seconds) and try to get people to fill them out during the worship service.  The band would jam while people filled out the cards.  The problem is that hardly anyone filled it out.  So what we do know is take first time guest over to the information area and have them fill them out before we give them the gift bag.  This way we get the communication cards to the first time guest right away and we get it back from them right away.

4.)    If they have kids we walk the family back to the children’s area. If they have kids ranging from newborn to 5th grade we take them back to the kids area.  We have a desk for first time guest families.  From that point our Family Pastor or a volunteer will take them back and show them the kid’s area.  This is important because we do not allow kids in the service that are over 3 months old.  It also gives the parents an opportunity to take a tour of where child will be during the service.

5.)    We walk them to the worship service. We (a greeter) walk them in to the service and hand them off to an usher.  From that point the usher takes them and shows them to a seat.

6.)    We don’t forget they are leaving. This is where many churches drop the ball.  First impressions don’t end when the service is over.  Make sure you have your greeters and pastors saying goodbye to people.  It is great to remember your first time guest as they are leaving the service.  Make sure you let them know that you were glad they were there.  Many people have a ton of questions after the service and that is a great time to answer them.  Make sure you have greeters available after the service not just before.

7.)    Email. We send a generic thank you email on Monday and we mail a hand written thank you card the same day.

Make sure you let them know that you greatly appreciate the fact that they visited and you want to see them back.  Remember there is a balance between the two.  You don’t want to be too overbearing but you also want to show them how much you appreciate them taking the time to visit.  We have had many people comment on how they felt that people actually cared that they were there.  That’s what you want to hear.

Malcolm – Connections Pastor