Several Cornerstoners attended Advance's UK Conference in November, two amazing days hearing about what God is doing through the movement, worshipping together and looking to what God has for us next. Although all of Cornerstone couldn't attend, the sessions were for all our church - so enjoy notes from the conference, along with takeaways for Cornerstone. You can also listen to audio of the sessions on the Advance website.
Matt kicked off the Advance UK Conference with a look at why the topic of living in exile is so important, and why we felt it needed covering again.
But Samson had a supernatural strength from God, which is what we can and must display. We may not tear apart armies like Samson, but God gives us spiritual strength through the Holy Spirit to weather the storms of this life, knowing what’s to come is infinitely greater than our struggles today. That doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to grieve, struggle or be tired – but it does mean we have access to a strength beyond ourselves in all circumstances.
Many established denominations are declining for this reason: they have allowed compromise and complacence to become commonplace, and belonging to this world is prioritised over belonging to God’s kingdom. Rather than asking how today’s culture can serve God’s kingdom, they ask the reverse: how can God’s kingdom can serve today’s culture? And if it can’t, compromises are made.
But back to Samson’s story, there is hope for all of us – even when we have compromised. At his worst, after he had abandoned God, Samson cried out to God – and God answered him. We may break our promises to God, but he keeps his promises to us.
Takeaways for Cornerstone Church
Firstly, on establishing a hospitality ministry, Keela put a new spin on an old acronym: TLC.
Leadership is about ensuring gifted, passionate people are in place to lead those teams. These are people who have strong empathy for those visiting church for the first time, can spot and use relevant gifts in others, and can inspire others to get behind the mission of hospitality.
Consistency is about making sure everyone, whether they visit on a quiet week or Christmas, has the same experience visiting a church. The team and leaders need a clear, agreed plan of what needs to be done on a Sunday to make sure visitors are welcomed well. Consistency also allows measurement – so the team can easily act on feedback from visitors and make improvements.
As for maintaining a welcoming environment once the team has been established, Keela has another acronym for us: CTC.
Training is about the team getting together at least a few times a year to look at how hospitality can be improved, but importantly make sure everyone shares the vision for the hospitality ministry, what its aims are, and how it gives God glory. Training ensures teams don’t become disillusioned or forget the real difference hospitality makes to visitors.
Condition is about the condition of our hearts. To make others feel accepted and welcomed at church on a Sunday, we need to feel accepted and welcomed by Jesus; we cannot give what we do not have in our hearts. By working as a team and praying together, taking care of the condition of our hearts becomes much easier. On those Sundays we are downhearted and worry we aren’t in a state to welcome visitors, we can be lifted by those who care about us and reminded that we are already welcomed into God’s family, the church.
Along with these equally handy and insightful acronyms, Keela had a few other gems:
The sermon begins in the carpark. Because we don’t have a car park, our sermon begins at the front door. What Keela meant is that everything that leads up to someone hearing that sermon affects how they receive it. If they are confused about where to sit and who to talk to, this can diminish the impact of the gospel on their lives that morning. But if they feel comfortable and welcomed, the message of the gospel can go a lot further in their lives.
We don’t need to do things perfectly – only purposefully. What will make the difference to our visitors isn’t how perfectly we put up our signs, brew coffee or offer the perfect level of pressure in our handshake – it’s our heart behind it. If our main purpose is to make people genuinely welcome, they can forgive hasty hoovering or a lopsided ‘Welcome’ banner. Your team leader may, too.
Hospitality is more than a Sunday morning ministry – it puts Jesus in display in our work, homes and cities. We can take the principles of our Hospitality ministry and apply them to virtually every area of our lives. Acts 2 highlights the churches love for each other equally with the apostles’ teaching and miracles as reasons the church grew – and because God’s church is the people, we can take His hospitality everywhere we go.
Takeaways for Cornerstone
Why do 18-25s need to be reached in particular? Simply, because the gospel torch must be handed onto the next generation for a church to survive. Ensuring the next generation of leaders and disciple makers is trained is the insurance against another of God’s churches dying out (literally) because of the membership demographic.
Why is reaching 18-25s today different from reaching the same age bracket a decade ago? Less simply, because western culture is moving faster towards individualism. Sin introduced individualism into our hearts from day one, but cultural, societal and national traditions and institutions have done their best to keep individualism at bay and highlight the value of prioritising community and considering others.
Today there is an onslaught on those traditions and institutions; professionals feel less loyalty to businesses and prioritise career development over belonging, divorce rates soar - and church is seen by many as a place to that to be cared for rather than mutually belong. Because of this, loneliness is a bigger problem than ever before. The decline of institutions that enabled true community and the rise of technologies that promote false community make it harder than ever to relate to others and feel a sense of belonging.
Many churches have wrongly responded to this problem by engaging in false community rather than offering the lifegiving alternative; creating a church culture where people can dip in and out as they desire, with no responsibility to the congregation; technology allows people to feel part of a church while rarely joining the people in it.
What can we do about this? In John 6, after he has fed the 5,000, Jesus is approached by a crowd. Jesus realises they want him to perform a miracle again and challenges them, pointing out that what they want isn’t what they need. They desire miraculously full bellies, but what they need is miraculous salvation.
The church must resist individualism, recognise it comes from sin, and offer the alternative – radical discipleship community. A community that says give time, energy and resources to God and His people when it costs or hurts; seek first to give, not to receive. This will inevitably result in conflict and challenge – but people will also be won over to Jesus and become true disciples.
Takeaways for Cornerstone
Matt Hosier: Living in exile
Matt is team leader at Gateway church and also serves on the Advance leadership team - the network of churches Cornerstone participates in. If you’ve taken part in either of Cornerstone’s last 2 church retreats, you’ll recognise Matt and his wife Grace who kindly joined us for the weekends and led the retreat sessions.Matt kicked off the Advance UK Conference with a look at why the topic of living in exile is so important, and why we felt it needed covering again.
- We need to challenge how easy it is to be comfortable and feel we belong in western life and culture, with our instant media, speedy food deliveries and endless lifestyle choices. We do not belong in western life – we are active passers-by, here to bring a different kingdom and culture as long as we are here.
- Regardless of the pressures of western culture, we are temporary exiles of God’s kingdom – and we cannot lead an effective life or participate in an effective church unless that fact is a defining aspect of our identities.
But Samson had a supernatural strength from God, which is what we can and must display. We may not tear apart armies like Samson, but God gives us spiritual strength through the Holy Spirit to weather the storms of this life, knowing what’s to come is infinitely greater than our struggles today. That doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to grieve, struggle or be tired – but it does mean we have access to a strength beyond ourselves in all circumstances.
Many established denominations are declining for this reason: they have allowed compromise and complacence to become commonplace, and belonging to this world is prioritised over belonging to God’s kingdom. Rather than asking how today’s culture can serve God’s kingdom, they ask the reverse: how can God’s kingdom can serve today’s culture? And if it can’t, compromises are made.
But back to Samson’s story, there is hope for all of us – even when we have compromised. At his worst, after he had abandoned God, Samson cried out to God – and God answered him. We may break our promises to God, but he keeps his promises to us.
Takeaways for Cornerstone Church
- The everyday choices of someone living in Newcastle could look very different from someone who lives in another nation – even strange. What do our everyday choices, like how we spend our free time, who we make time for, how we spend our money, say about our citizenship? Do we conform more the city we live in, or the God we love?
- What compromises does our culture want us to make? Sexual or relationship choices? Prioritising our own happiness and fulfilment over caring for others?
- How we can we create a culture in Cornerstone church where we caringly, lovingly but passionately oppose compromising Jesus’ message and call on our life?
- You may feel despair at times in your life because you realise you have compromised – but like Samson, God will hear your cry, and lift you up. You are part of a church full of others who struggle with compromise, and are equally in need of your encouragement and help. We are in this together, and God will help us.
Keela Walters: Creating a welcoming environment on a Sunday morning
Keela is a Hospitality Director at One Harbour Church in North Carolina. Keela generously joined Donnie, Travis and other members of One Harbour to talk to us about how they make sure visitors, both Christians and non-Christians, are welcomed well on a Sunday. Keela shared a lot of practical tips that made notes very easy.Firstly, on establishing a hospitality ministry, Keela put a new spin on an old acronym: TLC.
- T for team
- L for leadership
- C for consistency
Leadership is about ensuring gifted, passionate people are in place to lead those teams. These are people who have strong empathy for those visiting church for the first time, can spot and use relevant gifts in others, and can inspire others to get behind the mission of hospitality.
Consistency is about making sure everyone, whether they visit on a quiet week or Christmas, has the same experience visiting a church. The team and leaders need a clear, agreed plan of what needs to be done on a Sunday to make sure visitors are welcomed well. Consistency also allows measurement – so the team can easily act on feedback from visitors and make improvements.
As for maintaining a welcoming environment once the team has been established, Keela has another acronym for us: CTC.
- C for communication
- T for training
- C for condition
Training is about the team getting together at least a few times a year to look at how hospitality can be improved, but importantly make sure everyone shares the vision for the hospitality ministry, what its aims are, and how it gives God glory. Training ensures teams don’t become disillusioned or forget the real difference hospitality makes to visitors.
Condition is about the condition of our hearts. To make others feel accepted and welcomed at church on a Sunday, we need to feel accepted and welcomed by Jesus; we cannot give what we do not have in our hearts. By working as a team and praying together, taking care of the condition of our hearts becomes much easier. On those Sundays we are downhearted and worry we aren’t in a state to welcome visitors, we can be lifted by those who care about us and reminded that we are already welcomed into God’s family, the church.
Along with these equally handy and insightful acronyms, Keela had a few other gems:
The sermon begins in the carpark. Because we don’t have a car park, our sermon begins at the front door. What Keela meant is that everything that leads up to someone hearing that sermon affects how they receive it. If they are confused about where to sit and who to talk to, this can diminish the impact of the gospel on their lives that morning. But if they feel comfortable and welcomed, the message of the gospel can go a lot further in their lives.
We don’t need to do things perfectly – only purposefully. What will make the difference to our visitors isn’t how perfectly we put up our signs, brew coffee or offer the perfect level of pressure in our handshake – it’s our heart behind it. If our main purpose is to make people genuinely welcome, they can forgive hasty hoovering or a lopsided ‘Welcome’ banner. Your team leader may, too.
Hospitality is more than a Sunday morning ministry – it puts Jesus in display in our work, homes and cities. We can take the principles of our Hospitality ministry and apply them to virtually every area of our lives. Acts 2 highlights the churches love for each other equally with the apostles’ teaching and miracles as reasons the church grew – and because God’s church is the people, we can take His hospitality everywhere we go.
Takeaways for Cornerstone
- You may or may not be on the hospitality team, but when you arrive on a Sunday, is your priority to serve or to be served? To welcome, or to feel welcomed? If you feel your attitude to Sunday needs to change, talk about it with your friends and home group – don’t bear it by yourself.
- We get a lot of good feedback from those who visit us for the first time. Be inspired to take that gift into your work and home too – it will lead to more people being welcomed on a Sunday in the future.
- Simply – do you have capacity to serve on hospitality? If you feel you can empathise with new visitors and help them feel at home, talk to Grace Barker or Nicole Henderson.
Andrew Haslam: Reaching millennials
Andrew is lead pastor of Grace London, and regularly supports fellow churches in the Advance Movement through his gifts in teaching and apologetics; you might recognise Andrew from leadership training and preaching he generously offered Cornerstone one weekend last year.Why do 18-25s need to be reached in particular? Simply, because the gospel torch must be handed onto the next generation for a church to survive. Ensuring the next generation of leaders and disciple makers is trained is the insurance against another of God’s churches dying out (literally) because of the membership demographic.
Why is reaching 18-25s today different from reaching the same age bracket a decade ago? Less simply, because western culture is moving faster towards individualism. Sin introduced individualism into our hearts from day one, but cultural, societal and national traditions and institutions have done their best to keep individualism at bay and highlight the value of prioritising community and considering others.
Today there is an onslaught on those traditions and institutions; professionals feel less loyalty to businesses and prioritise career development over belonging, divorce rates soar - and church is seen by many as a place to that to be cared for rather than mutually belong. Because of this, loneliness is a bigger problem than ever before. The decline of institutions that enabled true community and the rise of technologies that promote false community make it harder than ever to relate to others and feel a sense of belonging.
Many churches have wrongly responded to this problem by engaging in false community rather than offering the lifegiving alternative; creating a church culture where people can dip in and out as they desire, with no responsibility to the congregation; technology allows people to feel part of a church while rarely joining the people in it.
What can we do about this? In John 6, after he has fed the 5,000, Jesus is approached by a crowd. Jesus realises they want him to perform a miracle again and challenges them, pointing out that what they want isn’t what they need. They desire miraculously full bellies, but what they need is miraculous salvation.
The church must resist individualism, recognise it comes from sin, and offer the alternative – radical discipleship community. A community that says give time, energy and resources to God and His people when it costs or hurts; seek first to give, not to receive. This will inevitably result in conflict and challenge – but people will also be won over to Jesus and become true disciples.
Takeaways for Cornerstone
- Individualism has invaded the church with the belief that individual relationship with God trumps God’s community, the church. So when we are busy or tired, we withdraw from church and get by on personal prayer and bible study until convenient. We must reject this temptation at all costs.
- To create the outrageously compassionate, extortionately generous community in Newcastle we are learning about through Acts, we must prioritise prayer, worship and learning God's word in community over our "own" time. Only then will we create a radical discipleship community.
- We have a community that stands completely apart from those outside the church. How many people in your work, university or friendship group are part of a community that bears any resemblance to Cornerstone? We can tell people about the amazing community we are part of, because when we do, we are actually telling them about Jesus' handiwork.
- Making disciples and building Jesus’ church pushes back against individualism and will inevitably result in friction and conflict when people’s autonomy is threatened. We must be prepared to sacrifice not just our own individualism, but the respect of those we know that value autonomy over community. When we do, we are recognising Jesus as saviour - and he is blessed by it.