Category Archives: Relaunch 2016

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How To Take The Next Step

I’ll never forget the moment we stepped in the Delaware river.  It was a drury day, the sun was hiding in the cloudy spring sky, but we had some business to take care of.  This river would be the place where Keith would make a decision about Jesus, following him, sacrificing for Him, forgiven by him.  It was baptism day.  This was year 2 of our church and now 4 years later, we are preparing for our official six year anniversary in February of 2016.

We are asking God what he wants next for our church by entering into a 40 Day Spiritual Growth Emphasis called #RELAUNCH, kicking off February 3, 2016.  We will be relaunching EVERY aspect of 217church.  Small groups, prayer, weekend services, youth, kids, media, you name it, we are RELAUNCHING it!

We are taking faith steps now preparing how God will use us in the future.

keith C. baptism

Rebuilding a life starts with the courageous decision of water baptism.

Here is How We Are Taking The Next Step:  

#Relaunch is a powerful, church-wide, 40 Day spiritual growth emphasis re-launching 217church.

#1 Celebrate What God Has Done – We will be telling the 217church story affirming where God has called us to and all he has done. We will celebrate stories and give context to what has happened here in Mercer County over the last 6 years through the faithfulness of the church. 235+ baptisms and thousands of people fed, to name a couple.  We will have a season of prayer, fasting and celebration thanking God for all He has done. (Nehemiah 1)

#2 Clarify How He Is Positioning Us – We are a multisite church strategically placed in a mobile setting (a theater and school) to reach thousands of people.  Strategic positioning is critical.  We will examine all the resources and unique situations God has us in so we can maximize every relationship, and especially learn how to live out our values and the purpose he has called us to. (Rom 8:28-29)

#3 Cast A Vision For The Future – We will recommit to our vision ownership covenant because the future is bright and hopeful. We are a city imbedded within the central New Jersey community to shine the light of Jesus. We will seek God for more specifics about the future of our church and refresh our vision seeking His preferred future is for us. (Habakkuk 2:2)

I couldn’t wait to step into those baptism waters that Sunday and I can’t wait to walk through this season together with you!

Let’s take the Next Step!

Josh

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Our 217church #Relaunch kickoff celebration is Wednesday February 3, 2016 – “Rebuild Your Life”

We are officially #Relaunching @217church after 6 full years of ministry.  Our first Sunday services will be Sunday February 7, 2016  Don’t worry, we have regular weekend services leading up to this historic day for us as we prepare and build our teams!   Join us at 217church, a multi-site, contemporary church in Mercer County NJ.  217church is a family with small groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets Sundays in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater 10:00am and Sharon Elementary school in Robbinsville, NJ at 11:00.  Our new Robbinsville/East Windsor Campus meets every Sunday.  If you are looking for a church in East Windsor NJ, Lawrenceville NJ, Ewing NJ, Robbinsville NJ, Hightstown NJ, Hamilton NJ, Mercer County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, we would love to have you join us.  Don’t miss our weekend services. Visit www.217church.com for more information. or watch a weekend message here

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3 Essentials To Effective Planning

Let me ask you an incredibly important question.  What do you think God wants for the rest of your life?  Do you have a plan to follow and depend on God daily?  I know what you are thinking; “We have no idea what God will bring our way.”  Of course you don’t, but WILL YOU PLAN TO BE READY?  One thing is for certain, when it comes time to react to things that happen to us, we must be ready.  When we feel like direction is clear and spelled out we must be courageous.

The Fruit of planning is integrity and character development –  “Rebuild Your life”

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“And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ” Luke 6:48

What would it take to have a “well built life?” Your life is like a house, built on either sand or rock, Which foundation will you choose?  Planning diligently for a life that pleases God is not an option for the Christ follower.  Planning isn’t just for the dreamers, planning is the stewardship of every disciple of Jesus.  This is NOT optional.  Planning is required.

How to Build Your Life…Three Essentials to Effective Planning

#1 Remain Balanced –  Pray then plan, then pray then plan, then repeat until you die.  Ok, maybe that sounds a bit dramatic?  But I promise you that if you will take seriously the scripture from 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing,” it will be hard to miss a word that God says. Make your prevailing thought ,”If it be your will, God?”  This doesn’t mean we lock ourselves in our prayer closet for the rest of our lives, it means we actually have to WRITE DOWN what God is saying to us.  For me, until I write it down, it isn’t real!  Pray then write, then pray then write and refine.

Tip:  Listen to God then write what he told you

#2 Go Big –  This means you have to stop limiting your thinking thereby limiting God in your life. There is another constant battle happening for most people I know.  It is the tension between fear and comfort.  We are afraid of what God has told us and so we slide back into habits, places, people and circumstances that are comfortable.  I promise you, if you are going to follow Jesus it WILL NOT be into a life of comfort. IF you are called to be “crucified with Christ” as Galatians says, there is NO WAY you will be comfortable.  The life of the Christ follower means you will be conflicted always battling your desire for comfort.  Stop seeking comfort!  Everything in the culture is trying to get you to buy in to the “easy” plan.  But the ways of Jesus are full of sacrifice, sometimes confusion, unexpected results and faith.  So…GO BIG.  You get one life, spend your time making the most of every day because your life is shorter than you think.  What is in the way?  Money?  Fear?  A boyfriend?  Guilt?  Your past?  Lay it down and GO BIG!

Tip:  Once you think you have a “GO BIG” plan, share someone and ask them to help and pray for you, then begin to recruit your personal dream team to execute the plan!  (I’ll talk more about your dream team in another post)


#3 Get Organized –  It’s time to count the cost.  You know what I mean.  Gather your resources, start having difficult conversations, prepare to get that degree, say what needs to be said, develop a God inspired prayed through a timeline, get a spreadsheet, determine how much money it will cost, confront the incredible sacrifice to be made.  You are getting the picture.  “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”  (Hebrews 11:6)  When we felt called to plant 217church, we submitted a 30 page plan full of demographics, ministry strategy, timeline, leadership structure.  I’m telling you it’s worth it.  If you wing it, you won’t achieve all God has for you.

Tip:  Get ready to wait, just because God gave you then plan, doesn’t mean for you to go out and do it TODAY!  What for God’s timing.

And finally once you think you have all the information and inspiration you need, get some more input. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Ok, Now Go!  Get the vision and anticipate God to move in His time!

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On February 3 we kicked off our 40 day spiritual growth emphasis called “Relaunch”  We are rebuilding every aspect of our lives.  We will experience three layers of the same scripture every week.  First, the weekend teaching at one of our campuses.  Next, the small group discussion weekly in homes, and finally the daily journal.  I encourage you to plan now to be ready for God to speak to you and go all in with all your effort and energy  to this 40 day spiritual growth emphasis for our church!

We are officially #Relaunching @217church after 6 full years of ministry on March 20th, 2016.  Join us at 217church, a multi-site, contemporary church in Mercer County NJ.  217church is a family with small groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets Sundays in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater 10:00am and Sharon Elementary school in Robbinsville, NJ at 11:00.  Our new Robbinsville/East Windsor Campus meets every Sunday.  If you are looking for a church in East Windsor NJ, Lawrenceville NJ, Ewing NJ, Robbinsville NJ, Hightstown NJ, Hamilton NJ, Mercer County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, we would love to have you join us.  Don’t miss our weekend services. Visit www.217church.com for more information. or watch a weekend message here

Josh

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4 Keys to Preparing Well

Are you ready?  This is the question we face when a new season is upon us.  I will never forget training for the Marine Corps marathon back in 2011.  Hundreds upon hundreds of miles logged, fighting through a foot injury, planning my travel, visualizing race day, and eating all the right foods. It was one of the most intense physical preparation phases I have ever been through in my life.  But one thing is for sure, when race day was upon me, whether I was ready or not, it was time to run.  Run I did, my best marathon time of my life to this day.

MCM with Adam

My brother and Adam and I, proudly with medals post marathon and a little sore.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 ESV

The last 3 miles of that race were the most pain I had been in, in my life.  I’ll never forget what happened that day I crossed the finish line.  The marine standing at the finish line placed the medal around my neck and I fell to the ground, out of joy, accomplishment, and at the same time overwhelmed with emotion.  I wept.  I ran that race with my Father in mind the whole race.  He was a Marine who fought in the vietnam war.  In a strange way while I was running, I felt connected to all the men and women who had struggled to stay alive in the midst of war.  Some made it many did not, but they all put it all on the line.  They trained endless hours, disciplined themselves at the highest level and lived and died with a purpose.  They prepared like their lives depended on it.  We MUST do the same!

The apostle Paul wrote the scripture above at the end of his life.  He had given his whole life to the Gospel and was in constant preparation.  His personal account of his life to Timothy was that he had completed his part of this race with every ounce of spiritual energy in him.  Are You Ready?  I mean, are you preparing for what God has for you next?  Life happens in seasons and no matter what season you are going into, here are some keys to preparing well for the next phase.

How To Prepare Well…

#1 Desperately Pray – Prayer is the primary work of preparation.  This is a HUGE blind spot for most of us.  If you are going to pray you will need to plan your prayer time as well as be in constant prayer.  Whatever you are pursuing, right now, go to your calendar and plan an extra prayer time every week in order to ensure you are listening to God.  Pray when its on the calendar, when its not on the calendar and whenever you think of it.  prayer is a constant conversation.

“Pray without ceasing.”  1 Thessalonians 5:17  #Prepare 

#2 Diligently Plan –  Planning refines the strategy God gives you.  Preparation time allowed me to develop a great strategy of how I was going to train and how I was going to run the marathon.  As I was in training, I even adjusted my plan.  In our church plant six years ago, prior planning allowed me to see things I have never seen before as 217church was prepared meticulously way before we ever held a public worship service or held our first 217group.  The “lag time” allowed me valuable time to hone the gifts, strategy, philosophy and timing of what we needed as we started the church.  Also, I wasn’t ready.  In that time, God wanted to give us a gift named Lydia, our third child!  Planting a church with a pregnant wife would have been, well, CRAZY!  By the time we launched, our plan was so well prepared, we just needed God to show UP!

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3  #Prepare

#3 Discipline Yourself – Discipline teaches you to live beyond today.  There, I just said it.  I know, the word you probably did not want to here.   The dreaded D word!  Truth of the matter is, we must always be diligently preparing ourselves for what is next.  This means discipline.  We must always be rigorously choosing to take necessary steps in order to perform and be used for a higher purpose at a later date.  The reason many of us have problem with discipline is we don’t see immediate results.  If you don’t discipline yourself, the vision WILL pass you by.  Get a schedule, live with a plan, measure your hours, measure your life, make a difference.  It’s going to take discipline.  Need more proof?

1 Corinthians 9:27 “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” #Prepare

#4 Depend On Others – With others you can go further faster.  As you are preparing you will need to prioritize constantly.  As you are prioritizing, no doubt you will need to delegate certain things.  You need a team to delegate to, full of diverse people who have different strengths, in order that you can reach the final goal.  A variety of people will also help you to be able to point out blind spots in the vision and allow you to side step possible pitfalls.  Find someone who will prepare with you.

“Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Proverbs 15:22  #Prepare

 

Our church is in a season of Preparation – on February 7th We start our new #Relaunch series.  It’s hard to believe, but we enter into year seven of 217church this Spring!  We are calling this the “RELAUNCH” of 217church.  This means developing a relaunch team.  I want you to be on our relaunch team.  I want you to prepare with us for a new season of incredible impact through the local church.  We are doing this through a 40 day spiritual growth emphasis.  Here are some ways to be involved in this historic moment:  Join one of these Relaunch teams:

  • Small group team – making disciples that make disciples
  • Weekend team – making our church the most hospitable place in Central New Jersey
  • Worship team – leading the church into the presence of God
  • Prayer team – interceding for the church
  • Administrative team – ensuring excellence in communication
  • Ministry fair team – helping people find their place and ultimate contribution
  • Youth & Kids team – investing in the next generation

E-MAIL DOUG@217church.com to join one of these teams

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What are you preparing for?  Comment below as I would love to partner with you in prayer

Josh

 

We are officially #Relaunching @217church after 6 full years of ministry.  Our first Sunday services will be Sunday February 7, 2016  Don’t worry, we have regular weekend services leading up to this historic day for us as we prepare and build our teams!   Join us at 217church, a multi-site, contemporary church in Mercer County NJ.  217church is a family with small groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets Sundays in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater 10:00am and Sharon Elementary school in Robbinsville, NJ at 11:00.  Our new Robbinsville/East Windsor Campus meets every Sunday.  If you are looking for a church in East Windsor NJ, Lawrenceville NJ, Ewing NJ, Robbinsville NJ, Hightstown NJ, Hamilton NJ, Mercer County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, we would love to have you join us.  Don’t miss our weekend services. Visit www.217church.com for more information. or watch a weekend message here

 

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What You Need For Spiritual Growth – Intensity

I’ll never forget Marine Corps boot camp. Whew, just saying those four words makes me remember the intensity and focus that I felt for 13 weeks.  Everything was mapped out rigorously; food, sleep, exercise, cleaning, yes and even bathroom breaks.  But something happened during those 91 days – INTENSE GROWTH.  I mean in every way shape and form.  I was physically stronger, mentally confident, I was a different person.

Is your spiritual health is lagging?  It’s time to #relaunch:  Rebuild your life.

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Relaunch 40 day spiritual growth emphasis – February 7 – March 13, 2016

Why Relaunch 217church?  We need a boot camp experience as a church.  #Relaunch is a powerful, church-wide, 40 Day spiritual growth emphasis re-launching 217church that will help us to celebrate what God has done, clarify how he is positioning us, and cast a vision for the future for our church.  You can read about this more in detail here.  We have baptized 235 people and have 15 small groups for you to choose from.

We all know we need spiritual growth, but how are we going to get there?  We are preparing for our church to go through an intense period of focus and spiritual growth.  We have mapped out 6 weeks from February 7 – March 13, 2016 that will change us and our church forever.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  Hebrews 12:1

Here are Four Transforming Principles We Are Using 

1- UNIFIED PRAYER
The Bible says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1a, NIV) Months of prayer and preparation precede this journey. This is an indispensable ingredient. We have scheduled days of fasting and church wide prayer nights to prepare people’s hearts for awakening. Jesus said there is mountain-moving power in unified prayer.  Every Sunday 45 minutes before the start of the service we pray together!  We are seeking God’s face for future plans and direction for our church.

2- CONCENTRATED FOCUS
During Relaunch, the entire church—every age group, every ministry, every small group and every worship service—focuses on a WEEKLY THEME together:  The Big Idea is How to Rebuild our Lives and what the church will look like because of this. (Nehemiah 2:18 “Rise up and Build!”).  It is amazing what happens when we all concentrate on the same truth at the same time.

3- MULTIPLE REINFORCEMENTS
This journey is designed around four vital habits for spiritual growth: weekly worship attendance, daily quiet time, weekly group studying the bible, and a weekly scripture memory verse.  These habits will keep people growing long after Relaunch campaign is finished.

4- EXPONENTIAL THINKING
This kind of thinking stretches your faith. It is thinking so big that you are forced to completely depend on God because you know you cannot reach your goal on your own power. This “faith factor” is what takes out of the realm of “What we’ve always done,” or “What we think we could do,” and instead expects God to do something that’s never been done before with our church.

Let’s take these principles and apply them to our church and watch what happens!

 

Here Is How You Can Be A Part:

#1 Get in a Small Group:  You need community and we have many for you to be a part of:  15 in all.  Join a group by e-mailing Doug@217church.com

To Download the Relaunch Field Guide with Journal and Small Group Curriculum:  CLICK HERE

#2 Weekend Worship: Join A Weekend Team:  It’s hard to believe, but we enter into year seven of 217church this Spring!  This means developing a relaunch team.  In addition to just attending, I want you to be on our relaunch team.  Here are some ways to be involved in this historic moment:  Join one of these Relaunch teams:

  • Small group team – making disciples that make disciples
  • Weekend team – making our church the most hospitable place in Central New Jersey
  • Worship team – leading the church into the presence of God
  • Prayer team – interceding for the church
  • Administrative team – ensuring excellence in communication
  • Ministry fair team – helping people find their place and ultimate contribution
  • Youth & Kids team – investing in the next generation

Listen to our Sunday PODCAST on the Go HERE

#3 Follow Along With The Daily Journal:  Here is a sample Video here:

It all culminates as we officially Relaunch 217church, Sunday March 20 @ AMC 24 Hamilton 10 AM & Sharon School in Robbinsville 11 AM

I can’t wait to see what happens as your rebuild your life,

Josh

 

We are officially #Relaunching @217church after 6 full years of ministry.  Our first Sunday services will be Sunday February 7, 2016  Don’t worry, we have regular weekend services leading up to this historic day for us as we prepare and build our teams!   Join us at 217church, a multi-site, contemporary church in Mercer County NJ.  217church is a family with small groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets Sundays in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater 10:00am and Sharon Elementary school in Robbinsville, NJ at 11:00.  Our new Robbinsville/East Windsor Campus meets every Sunday.  If you are looking for a church in East Windsor NJ, Lawrenceville NJ, Ewing NJ, Robbinsville NJ, Hightstown NJ, Hamilton NJ, Mercer County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, we would love to have you join us.  Don’t miss our weekend services. Visit www.217church.com for more information. or watch a weekend message here

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217church is TURNING 6 SOON!

Six years ago this week we launched our first ever “Monthly Pre-view Services for 217church.”  Just six months before that date, our mother church, Princeton Alliance Church made the decision to set aside $50,000 as seed money for us.  That seed money has grown, incredibly!  Little did we know what would happen while we were in the Pre-launch phase as we started the church in 2009.  Are you kidding me?  That was 6 years ago?  Yes it was!

We now are preparing for our official six year anniversary in February of 2016.  We are celebrating by entering into a 40 Day Spiritual Growth Emphasis called #RELAUNCH, kicking off February 3, 2016.  We will be relaunching EVERY aspect of 217church.  Small groups, prayer, weekend services, youth, kids, media, you name it, we are RELAUNCHING it!

I want you to help and RELAUNCH the church by joining a team.  On Sunday October 25th at 4 PM at 3 Del Mar Way in Monroe, NJ we are having our 1st Relaunch Team celebration gathering, and it will be a party!  All our vision owners who are going to help Relaunch 217church are invited.  YES, IT’S FREE.

We are taking faith steps now preparing how God will use us in the future.

Titus and the Trailer 09

Just minutes after our church trailer was delivered in October of 2009 – My son Titus strikes the Victory pose!

Why Relaunch?  #Relaunch is a powerful, church-wide, 40 Day spiritual growth emphasis re-launching 217church that will help us to:

#1 Celebrate What God Has Done – We will be telling the 217church story affirming where God has called us to and all he has done. We will celebrate stories and give context to what has happened here in Mercer County over the last 6 years through the faithfulness of the church. 235+ baptisms and thousands of people fed, to name a couple.  We will have a season of prayer, fasting and celebration thanking God for all He has done. (Nehemiah 1)

#2 Clarify How He Is Positioning us – We are a multisite church strategically placed in a mobile setting (a theater and school) to reach thousands of people.  Strategic positioning is critical.  We will examine all the resources and unique situations God has us in so we can maximize every relationship, and especially learn how to live out our values and the purpose he has called us to. (Rom 8:28-29)

#3 Cast A Vision For The Future – We will recommit to our vision ownership covenant because the future is bright and hopeful. We are a city imbedded within the central New Jersey community to shine the light of Jesus. We will seek God for more specifics about the future of our church and refresh our vision seeking His preferred future is for us. (Habakkuk 2:2)

I couldn’t wait to unpack that trailer and worship the Lord that Sunday and I can’t wait to walk through this season together with you!

Josh

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Our 217church #Relaunch kickoff celebration is Wednesday February 3, 2016 – “Rebuild Your Life”

We are officially #Relaunching @217church after 6 full years of ministry.  Our first Sunday services will be Sunday February 7, 2016  Don’t worry, we have regular weekend services leading up to this historic day for us as we prepare and build our teams!   Join us at 217church, a multi-site, contemporary church in Mercer County NJ.  217church is a family with small groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania that meets Sundays in the Hamilton AMC24 Theater 10:00am and Sharon Elementary school in Robbinsville, NJ at 11:00.  Our new Robbinsville/East Windsor Campus meets every Sunday.  If you are looking for a church in East Windsor NJ, Lawrenceville NJ, Ewing NJ, Robbinsville NJ, Hightstown NJ, Hamilton NJ, Mercer County, Middlesex County or Bucks County, PA, we would love to have you join us.  Don’t miss our weekend services. Visit www.217church.com for more information. or watch a weekend message here