What do you think about the Code?

A couple of years ago I read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It was entertaining and also filled with tons of fictional issues. Come on. It is a fictional book.

This coming May the Da Vinci Code is coming to a theater near you. Recently the Orlando Sentinel wrote an article interviewing Josh McDowell and Mark Gauthier (my national director).

Read the whole thing at Confronting the Code
Categories: Movies

Checking out blogs via categories

I have been attempting to organize the blog entries I write on a variety of different blogs. Often times you won't see things I have written on this blog because I often write for Fuelmovements and projectlongbeach.

One way to see what has been written is to view the categories link at the bottom of each blog. By clicking on that link it will take you to http://del.icio.us/stevevan and you'll see all my categories on the right column. There you can view all I have written on any blog site.

Categories: Blog

The Rise and Decline of the Church

I have been reading from Steve Addison's Blog about some of the decline of the mainline churches in the old wild west. There are some great observations and insights that apply to our church growth methods and spontaneous expansion of the Gospel.

It challenges the style and methods we use in growing and empowering our new believers with the Gospel. Here are some comments made in How the West Was Won.

"Clericalism was both a contributing factor to and the result of this creeping secularism in the mainline churches. Despite theological and organizational differences between the Baptists and Methodists their clergy were almost identical. They came predominately from among ordinary folk. In contrast to the clergy of the mainline churches who were of genteel origins and highly educated. Their frontier preachers had little education, were poorly paid, spoke the language of the people and preached from the heart. The local preacher was likely to be a neighbor, friend, or relative of many of the people he served. Higher education lifted the mainline clergy further out of the social status of their congregation and turned them into religious professionals more educated than 98% of the population. They were more ‘respectable, but less likely to gather the unchurched."

"Methodist growth was most dramatic. From 2.5% of the church going population in 1776 to 34.2% in 1850. But their rise was short-lived. By the end of the century the Baptists had overtaken them. Their relative slump began at the same time that their amateur clergy were replaced by seminary educated professionals who claimedEpiscopall authority over their congregations."

Steve also notes some observations on how it grew so fast:

1. The "Fringe Principle" again.
2. Without Faith it's Impossible.
3. Apostolic Leadership.
4. Rapid Deployment.
5. Growing Leaders.
6. Mission Structures.
7. Eventual but not inevitable decline.

You've got to read the short version at How the (wild) west was won.

Categories: Movements

What a Joy!

About 8 years ago I walked into Libby Dorm and I met three guys, Kevin, Rob and .... (I can't think of the 3rd.) Two guys knew each other from High School and Rob was a roomie from Chicago. One of the guys filled out a survey the previous week we had administered on campus. I began talking to all three of them about Jesus, a personal relationship with God and how to know God personally. There in that room Kevin accepted Christ into his life.

The 4 1/2 years left in his college career at CU was marked with growth, leadership and a real testimony to God's work in his life. After college Kevin headed off to Malaga, Spain, our ministry partnership, to help give leadership and reach Spanish students for Christ.

All throughout those years Kevin and I saw each other often and grew a great friendship. So when Kevin talked about coming on staff after his time in Spain I jumped at the opportunity to recruit him to come to CU on our team. About 3 years ago Kevin joined our team and continued his ministry right where he left off when he graduated. Kevin has done a great job in gathering men to be leaders for Christ Kingdom work at CU and has been instrument in helping us think clearly and strategically to get to all students at CU and beyond.

As you all know, Christine and I will be leaving our 11 year journey here at CU this coming August to give leadership in a movement planting adventure in Mexico City. All along we have been praying and hoping Kevin would replace us as the campus director at CU.

Well this past Friday we found out Kevin (pictured) will be replacing us. It is total joy to know that 8 years this new believer would some day be leading a spiritual movement at CU. I couldn't be happier and more fulfilled. I'm so excited for the leadership Kevin will give and how God will use him to take our ministry here at CU to a much higher level of reaching each and every student at CU and beyond. Be praying for Kevin and us in this time of transition.
Categories: God

Wow, so much happening and no time to tell

This past week has been amazing. There is so much to blog but I haven't had the chance to get it all down. This is the first pass on what God is doing. I believe a movement of the Spirit is happening like I have never experienced before.

Last week I saw God bring two gentleman, pastors from Long Beach, into my path and the dreams and vision they have for Long Beach and their desire for partnering with us this coming summer can only be from God. Too cool. I'll tell more later on the dreams and vision.

Then that same morning the national director of Campus Crusade for Christ in Mexico shared a devotional on a meeting that I snuck into. Straight from the heart of God. It was a message and a challenge to be followers of Christ that obey Him. It confirmed so much of what I have been hearing God say and challenge us to do at CU and beyond. Another amazing moment.

Then on Thursday, the next day, a football player, Pat, that I barely know called and wanted to talk. I thought from our brief interaction that he was a Christian. The only way I knew him was through another player, Mack, who came to Christ in November. Mack invited Pat to talk to me about Christ and I shared my vision for God using players like them to bring revival to the athletic department. This semester I met with Pat and I asked him straight up, "Have you placed your faith and trust in Christ?" He responded "no, but I want to." Shortly there after Pat came to know Christ and is already leading in building God's kingdom. Pat and Mack will be meeting tomorrow to talk through scripture and I won't even be there. So cool.

Tonight at our new monthly gathering of Fuel, our students decided to cancel our weekly meeting. The nights goal from what the students wanted was worship God, exalt what He is doing and pray for revival to happen in our lives. I'm in a prayer group with two grad students and the Spirit moved because during that prayer time one of them came to know Christ for the first time. I'll tell more later.

God is moving. He is changing hearts. As we stop building a fuel group and started talking about Christ, letting Him take over and expecting the supernatural via prayer to happen we're being blown away day by day. That is only the beginning of what I have seen first hand. Our staff and student leaders are seeing major life change. We're not going to give up praying for revival and bringing Christ to the campus.

Now I have to go b/c in 6 hours I'm going snowboarding with Jonathan, our staff and student leaders. Stay tuned for more.....
Categories: God, Prayer, Movements

We Need Your Prayers

This past month we have already sensed spiritual battles taking place in our lives personally, physically (Steve has been constantly sick and run down), emotionally and spiritually. We realize that God has us on a supernatural journey and we anticipate great fruit. Yet in the midst of that we also believe Satan will attempt to discourage, attack and distract us from what God has in store. Will you join in praying for us daily?

• Pray that we will not step out, speak, serve, love without the Spirit's power in our lives.
• Pray that we will not distracted by all the details that need to happen in our transition and move but stay deeply connected to our Savior.
• Pray that God will heal our family, protect us from attacks, keep us relationally and emotionally connected to each other with tons of love and communication.
• Pray that God will guide us in using our time and energy as we plan and prepare for our summer project in Long Beach and transition to Mexico.
• Pray that God will give us supernatural wisdom to lead our movement at CU, Long Beach and our new ministry in Mexico.
• Pray that God will give us guidance on what to pack, move and where to live in Mexico City. Pray that we will find a safe, accessible, and strategic neighborhood in this mega city.
• Pray that God will find us a wonderful home in Mexico and divine renters for our place in Colorado.
• Pray that God will provide the relational and ministry connections as we begin to serve both in Long Beach and Mexico City. Pray for God's blessings in these cities.
• Pray that in all these leadership opportunities we would live in humility and brokenness; that our ministry is not about us but about the work of God.

Thank you for praying.
Categories: Prayer

The Journey We Find Ourselves In

A sweet, sweet journey it has been. There are some exciting, life altering events coming up in our lives. The handiwork of God began some months ago.

Since moving home from Spain in 1999, God placed it on Christine's heart to live and minister in a Spanish speaking country. She has been praying ever since then that God would show us when and where.

This past summer we were blessed with a time of rest, relaxation and renewal in our sabbatical and we believe God birthed something supernatural in our lives. God began to reveal the next stage for us as a family in how we are to build His Kingdom.

In Mid September on the way home from a meeting with a Christian leader and mentor, Eric, I called Christine to say something supernatural may have just happened. Eric began to cut deep into some the fears and hesitations that I had in leadership. He then in a powerful way breathed life into me to hear from the Lord, lead and move out in creating a new future of ministry. I wasn't sure what the outcome of that day was but I did sense the Lord calling me to move out in bold, faith filled leadership here at CU.

As a result we began to tweak and change our ministry to be more about spiritual movements led by students than by professional ministers. At that point our CU ministry began to take some radical steps to align, motivate and send out our students as missional Kingdom building laborers.

We have seen our students and staff catch the vision to refocus on the basics and expect God to move supernaturally through prayer, evangelism and discipleship. No extras and no high end programs that require tons of work and resources; just the Gospel, Holy Spirit and available faith filled people. God is already moving in new areas on campus that we haven't been before. This was just the beginning...

All along Christine encouraged me to hear from the Lord, pointed me to Christ to believe and lead courageously. Her faith in God inspired me to lead boldly.

A few weeks later I ventured out to sunny Southern California to start looking for housing and jobs for a new summer beach mission project. God had immediate plans as He led me to the city, Long Beach. He was leading us to create a new type of mission project. Immediately God provided partnerships with local church planters and Kingdom workers for a unified work in Long Beach this coming summer. Our desire is that we will help students grow faith where life happens all around them by building God"s Kingdom and blessing Long Beach as well.

Upon returning from scouting out the land in Long Beach, 2 weeks later I found myself on a plane to Mexico City to be part of a thinking group to discuss how to reach this mega city. Just a week before going someone asked me why I was going and I told them it was good friends , great food and talking about strategy.

I didn't see this one coming at all. God got me. Just 4 days in I found myself in cold sweats, laying in my hotel, sleepless and struggling with God about my fears, comforts and issues. I sensed through the conversations and looking back on all that God was showing and teaching us in life and ministry that He was calling us to move to Mexico City.

I called Christine from Mexico to get her reaction to what was going on in my heart and mind. Her immediate response was "Yes, let’s go!"

Then I got home and asked Jonathan what he thought. His response got me! With bold faith of a 7 year old he said, "Dad. If God says we should go, then we should go!" At that point I knew we were on a new journey.

We're moving to Mexico City in August for 3 years to give leadership in reaching the 28 million people throughout the city. We believe God is giving us, personally and Campus Crusade Int'l, a new vision on how to reach this mega city. It will include training, massive partnerships and networking with Mexicans to do the simple multiplying work of evangelism and discipleship throughout every nook and cranny of the city so that every single person will have the opportunity to experience a relationship with Jesus!

We're still leading Long Beach and will continue to do so over the next 3 years. We believe the work that will be happening in Long Beach and Mexico City is part of God's plan to reach cities throughout the world. He is already laying the groundwork and we're here to respond to His Spirit.

Now as we look back we see over the 11 years of ministry God was bringing us along "for such a time as this." We couldn't be more excited to be on this journey with you. Come along for an amazing supernatural ride. To God be the glory!
Categories: God

Leading Movements

I have been reflecting on my leadership at our CU ministry, our ministry in LB and coming up in Mexico City. Leading others to lead is a much greater task than just leading a bunch of volunteers that like me and do what I tell them to do. Jay Lorenzen makes some great insights on this tension:
"No movement can go forward without leadership. As with most efforts, strong leadership remains the indispensable element to real change. We are there to lead our team into a new future, not simply manage the present. Unless we take the responsibility of leading our teams, our plans and systems will remain merely plans and systems. We'll have only a paper tiger."

I especially like his reflective questions on how a leader is doing. Read the whole thing at Movements and Leadership
Categories: Movements, Leadership

Mini Golf, Daytona 500 and King Mackerel

Yesterday I just got home from my final 6 days of being away from home since Jan 1st. I was in Daytona Beach, FL for a week of training for Summer Mission Opportunities. This summer Christine and I are co-leading the Long Beach, CA Project. It was a great week as God brought together the vision, plans and dreams we have had with two of our other leaders, Joanna and Ethan. It was pretty cool that God is molding us and our thoughts into one unified project. I am so grateful for the work He will do in LB.

Not only was this past week a great week of seeing God confirm many things on my heart since the inception of the project in October but we also had a ton of fun. Even though it was on the East Coast (I'll need counseling for this) it was wonderful and warm. It was so refreshing to get some sun and go swimming in the ocean. Yes the waves were smaller but I'm out of shape so it didn't matter. The salt, the power, the current all were blessings to my soul. It brought such great memories of growing up in California and even more anticipation for the project this summer. Yes, I'm saving up for a surfboard and wetsuit. I even found a little bit of kid in me to go down the swimming pool slide. Yippeee!!!

One night of our training was free. So what do you do when you get some competitive men around each other. You talk smack, lay some money down and play a mean game of mini golf. We played skins game where each hole was about $1.75 each. I was playing horrible but enough guys tied and then an easy hole was staring in front of me as the purse was built up to $21. That's real money. I was the first to tee off and my brightly colored neon orange ball bounced off a rock and fell in the hole. BANG! Hole in One. Witnessed by others. I was going to rake in 21 fat ones. But I had to wait for the other 6 professional golfers tee off behind me. The mini golf gods stared down in favor of me as I walked away, chest puffed up, head held high, mouth yapping about my success and a pocket full of cash.

That championship glory filled night didn't end with my amazing shot. We headed down to D.J.s Fish house to cool our mean mini golf produced thirst. D.J.s is on the docks and we showed up Jason and Craig, our staff friends leading Alaska Men's Project, were there emptying Gary's commercial fishing boat. Gary in the previous hour hauled in over 1,000 lbs of King Mackerel. Wow. They were huge and pretty cool. After shooting the breeze with Gary about the fishing industry and recent fish market prices we got bored and then saw tons of channel catfish hanging out off the dock. What else should a group of guys do, late at night, thirst quenched? We grabbed a spear off the boat and baited the catfish to come close. Low and behold, Jason caught us a fish just after 2 tries. I witness total redneck backwoods fishing. Craig even showed us that fish talked. I was a city boy that had been blessed.

The next day I went with some friends to the Daytona 500 speedway. I admit I am an undercover NASCAR fan and watch it almost weekly after I get home from church. This week was fan appreciation week and testing of cars as the season begins in about 3 weeks. It was glorious opportunity to stand 6 feet away from cars going 200 miles per hour. I'm hooked and trying to figure out how to get myself to the Vegas Speedway in Feb.

We laughed a lot, dreamed a lot, talked to God a ton, heard God speak and didn't much. Oh yeah, I missed the story of sleeping in bed with another full grown man. I think I save that story for later or never. I'm home and getting some rest. It was so great to see the kids, hug, pray and just play. God is good.

He is also good because the Broncos won over the Pats. Go Broncos!!!

Categories: God, LongBeach, Family

The Day of Faith is here and going

Today is the day. For about 5 months now Meredith Phipps, Amy Yablonski (fellow staff members) and I have been praying, dreaming and organizing 2,000 students to be serving, loving, listening and sharing in Denver today!! It is called the Amazing Day of Faith at our annual Denver Christmas Conference. We're asking students to take a small step in trusting God to bless Denver.

This morning at our a main session Bryan Lorrits spoke on God's heart for the poor and what it looks like for a follower of Christ to truly bear fruit. I was broken, convicted and challenged to live my life for others, not me. I am so often worried about my comforts and things and fail to recognize the amazing opportunities to love and serve those around us by meeting their physical needs.

Then the Day of Faith began. From the stage we directed students to get in groups of 5, grab their assigned packet, read, pray and see what God has in store for them today to bless Denver. It brought tears to my eyes to think that 2,000 college students will be roaming the streets of Denver blessing people. All of these arrangements were set up by holy saints who are laboring day and night in the city. They love and hurt for those living here. The students will be painting, cleaning toilets, talking, listening, shoveling, moving, organizing and doing what ever these people want them to do. In a small way we're getting to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Now I'm glued to my cell phone fielding questions and comments that come up through the day. I'm inspired by students faith in God, boldness and flexibility to do what ever the Spirit calls them to do.

I can't wait to hear the stories. I can't wait to see Denver changed over the next 5 years. I can't wait to see God's Kingdom built in Denver.
Categories: God