[email protected]

The Gospel Coalition has an excellent article by Tim  Keller about the difference between individual church growth and a gospel movement. The article notes that “When churches grow, they typically do so by drawing believers out of less vital churches.” What is really going on is “Christian reconfiguration.” A gospel movement is “an ecosystem that is empowered and blessed by God’s Spirit” consisting of:

1. A way of communicating and embodying the gospel that is contextualized to the city’s culture and is fruitful in converting and discipling its people, a shared commitment to communicating the gospel to a particular place in a particular time.
2. The second layer is a number of church multiplication movements producing a set of new and growing churches, each using the effective means of ministry within their different denominations and traditions.
3. A third ring consisting of a complex of specialty ministries, institutions, networks, and relationships. This includes prayer, evangelism, justice & mercy ministries, faith and work initiatives and fellowships, training and finally, unusual unity of Christian city leaders.

The subtext of CBMC, is that we strive to be a “Movement of Men” bringing the gospel to business and professional men, and providing training to enable them to carry out the Great Commission. We are part of the “third ring” of ministries that aims to support regional gospel movements. The article concludes: “When all of these ecosystems elements are strong and in place, they stimulate and increase one another and the movement becomes self-sustaining.”

This article is an excerpt from Tim Keller’s new book, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City, released by Zondervan.

Most of us spend over half our lives at work. Whatever it is you fill the 9–5 with—planting crops, building cars, taking care of patients, teaching students, running a business—work is where we spend most of our waking hours. We often forget to connect our faith to our work. We don’t consider the reasons God may have us at our job. We don’t think about the purpose and meaning we could bring to our work. We simply focus on how it makes us feel.

But what if we saw our work as an opportunity to worship?

RightNow.org has created a DVD set to help Christians discover their mission is in the marketplace. Around the conference table, around the water cooler, or around the cubicle, you have an opportunity to worship the God who created you. Check out this resource from RightNow.org: Work as Worship 2012 with Matt Chandler, JR Vassar, Norm Miller & David Green. Here is a video introduction:

Christian Business Men’s Connection of Montgomery County

RESCHEDULED: Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 6:45 – 8:00 AM at the Einstein Bagel on Firstfield Road & Quince Orchard Blvd in Gaithersburg. We meet in the Community Room in the back.

Guest Speaker — Vincent DiCaro is Vice President of Public Affairs for the National Fatherhood Initiative, whose mission is to “to improve the well-being of children by increasing the proportion of children growing up with involved, responsible, and committed fathers.” With headquarters locally in Germantown MD, NFI may be more well-known on the national stage than in Montgomery County. Father absence is a key factor in many social problems, and NFI has developed programs and tools to engage & equip fathers, and engaging all sectors of society around father involvement.

Vincent runs NFI’s government relations and press operations. He is a graduate of The College of New Jersey, where he received a bachelor’s degree in history and economics. He received a master’s degree in Communications from Johns Hopkins University, where he wrote a thesis on the depiction of fathers in Hollywood films. Prior to joining National Fatherhood Initiative, Vincent worked for two years as an analyst at Goldman Sachs in New York City. Vincent, his wife Claudia, their son Vinny, and their Irish Setter Junior, live in Maryland.

For more info on the problem of father absence, please see this interview of Roland C. Warren, president of National Fatherhood Initiative, on CNN on Father’s Day (June 20, 2010):

Please plan to join us for inspiration as a Dad or to learn about NFI’s tools and programs that would equip you or your church to mentor other Dads.

Christian Business Men’s Connection of Montgomery County

Tuesday, October 4, 2011, 6:45 – 8:00 AM at the Einstein Bagel on Firstfield Road & Quince Orchard Blvd in Gaithersburg. We meet in the Community Room in the back.

Guest Speaker — Glastinne Celestin is a dynamic speaker with a story that illustrates that with courage and the intervention by someone who cares, anything is possible. A former gang leader in Miami Florida turned graduate of Florida Atlantic University, IT Consultant turned Entrepreneur, Glastine is now motivating young people in the DC metro area to take charge of their lives and become who they were destined to be. ‘Gang life showed me that I was a leader, my mentor showed me how to lead my life,’ says Glastinne.

Glastinne grew up surrounded by gangbangers, drug dealers, and many negative influences prevalent in many low-income neighborhoods. His life is a classic illustration of how a mentor’s intervention can change another’s life path — forever. Glastinne does the same through powerful stories of how parental abuse and low self-esteem lead him to become a feared, notorious gang leader.

Through his personal story, Glastinne guides young people toward a life of self-fulfillment and joy. He seeks to inspire young people to create their own destinies and support those around them. Glastinne currently serves on the advisory board for Youth for Tomorrow, an organization helping at-risk youth become responsible members of society, founded by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. Visit www.glastinne.com to learn more. 

Please plan to join us for inspiration to be “strong & courageous” as a Dad or a Mentor. We will kick off a 4-week study based on the theme of the movie COURAGEOUS over the following four Tuesdays.