One Huge Step for MPC

by Jim Lyon, Senior Pastor

17 Steps. If you imagine taking just 17 steps, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal.  If you think of 17 steps as 17 things to do, well, it’s a bit more challenging.  But, still doable.  Still, very achievable.  And, yes, 17 steps can actually take us a long way into the future.

17 Steps. Madison Park has been moving forward on 17 different fronts since early in the year, growing and stretching for Heaven’s sake, preparing to meet the future.  Each step focuses our congregation on the road ahead, on growing (individually and as a family), and on meeting tomorrow’s challenges.

I am thankful to announce that one huge step in our list of 17 has now been taken:  a deal has been signed for the future of our Scatterfield property.  Our last church home (on the north side of town) has been for sale since we moved to Madison Park three years ago.  The building has been maintained—and often used—during that time.  It is sacred ground still in ministry (hosting many weddings, funerals, small groups, mission teams, and our NorthKids Before-and-After School Care program, among other things).  It has been home during the last year to Bethel United Methodist Church on Sundays, as that congregation waited for the reconstruction of its building to be completed (following a tragic fire).  Bethel moved into its new facility as the summer dawned—and we then began negotiating with another church family.  This family, though, wants to buy the place.  And we have agreed.

The New Life Worship Center in Indianapolis has inked the contract (as has Madison Park), moving the property into New Life’s hands beginning November 1.  Here’s a thumbnail:

(1)     New Life will plant a satellite congregation at Scatterfield.  With 3,000 attending New Life’s worship centers in Indy already, the church is anxious to expand in Anderson.  There are many folks from Madison County who already drive to new Life in Indy on Sundays—and they will form a core launch team for the new satellite on Scatterfield.  New Life speaks powerfully into the African-American community especially—and its visionary pastor, John Ramsey, has become an outstanding advocate for the Gospel, Christian living, and biblical values in the Indianapolis metro.  Pastor Ramsey’s theology, spirit, and passion for transformational change in the community match our own.

(2)     New Life will lease the building for seven months.  During that time, New Life will assume full responsibility for the site’s operational expenses and additionally, pay us rent.  During November and December, they will finalize the ministry groundwork for their new launch in Anderson, set for January.

(3)     It is New Life’s intention to purchase the building at the end of the seven month lease; if the new satellite ministry at Scatterfield does not prove viable by March 31, however, New Life can opt not to buy.

(4)     The terms of purchase have been agreed upon, outlined in the contract, and approved by our mortgage company (which had to sign off on the deal, too); Scatterfield, like all our properties, is held as collateral against our system-wide debt; we consolidated our debts when we moved into our new facilities in 2007.  We ordered a new appraisal of the Scatterfield property in June of this year; it came in at $1.65 million.  New Life will pay us $1.2 million, cash.  Our 17 Steps plan included a $1.25 million sale of Scatterfield; with the sale price and the lease income combined, we’re there, matching our projected need.  Given the economic realities of our town and time, this is in the near-miracle category.

(5)     New Life would like to partner with Madison Park, as it expands into Madison County, too.  I am meeting with Pastor Ramsey in a few days to explore the possibilities and finalize plans for a joint service of worship (with mass choirs, shared platform, and a common voice) in January.  The Holy Spirit always does great things when God’s people work together, as one Body.  Our two congregations, side-by-side, have enormous potential to bring folks together.  Awesome.

Thanks to our Scatterfield Sale Team (including Business Administrator Rob Spaulding, Real Estate Agent Tom Seal, Attorney Bill Davisson, Barry Bentley, Dave Crandall, Terry McCardwell, and Dave Whitmoyer—some of the best real estate, financial, and legal heads in the county); the Team represented our Board of Elders, managing the negotiations and disposition of the property.

Another of the 17 Steps targets prayer.  A 14-day, 24-hour-a-day prayer initiative launched the whole 17 Step project in February.  That prayer platform continues.  We’re watching God’s intervening hand move, week-by-week.  Prayer opens the door for God’s power to be displayed among us.  Thanks for praying.  Keep it up.  And, thanks for being faithful!  Even with the long, lazy days of summer, attendance on Sunday mornings at Madison Park is up 5% over summer last year.  We’re praying for 10% by year’s end.  Don’t miss any of the Do Something Sundays (now through October 10).  God is doing something already.  Be encouraged.

Four “Rights”

by Jim Lyon, Senior Pastor

I was speaking at the Church of God Convention for Eastern Canada in Ontario; a crowd of young parents had gathered in a conference room for a “question and answer” session with me; it was August 12. “What four things would you say you and your wife did right when raising your sons?” The question came suddenly, precisely, unexpectedly. I paused for a moment, my mind racing with possible replies.

Like most parents, there are many things I wish I had done differently. The “if only’s” haunt me on some days. If only I had spent more time at home and so on. But, the question wasn’t about the “if only’s,” it was about the right calls. Hmmm. Well, I think I could honestly say that I’m glad that:

(1) We prayed for—and continue to pray for— each of our sons (and now our daughter-inlaw and granddaughter, too), every day, by name, very specifically. As I pray at baby dedications, I pray daily for my family: “Lord, protect Jacob, Peter, Andrew, Nathanael, Nicki, and Makenna, too, from any attempt the enemy might make to touch them, physically, spiritually, emotionally, or mentally. I ask that each of them will choose Jesus as Lord and become a great man or woman of faith.” It’s the devil, after all, who seeks to (as the Scripture says) “rob, steal, and destroy.” I pray a hedge of protection around my family, always. No day is taken for granted; no child is left unprotected without a prayer covering.

(2) We made participation in church activities a non-negotiable and a priority (never the also-ran). From day one, each of our sons knew that we would be at church on Sunday, that they would be in the church’s children’s and youth programs, that they would not be staying home or attending elsewhere. Every now and then, we’d hear: “I’m tired of going to church because you’re the pastor.” And, I’d reply, “We don’t go to church because I’m the pastor, we go to church because that’s who we are as a family; if I worked for IBM, we’d still be going to church.” Occasionally, there was the old, “I don’t like the youth program (or Sunday School, or whatever),” line. Once I heard, “I hate going to youth and I hate the youth pastor.” My reply? “So sorry to hear that, because we’re going to support it anyway. Being faithful and constant is always the key to making things better, wherever you are.” We sometimes had these same verbal dust-up’s about school, cleaning our rooms, and a bunch of other stuff, too. The boys have, subsequently, all grown up to respect and value their local church and are not prone to bail during dry spells or when church life does not meet their expectations.

(3) We read to the boys every day, out loud, from infancy until adolescence. We read them Bible stories, Hardy Boy mysteries, The Chronicles of Narnia, Tales of the Resistance, Good Night Moon, Robert Louis Stevenson, missionary tales, history books, biographies, and more. None of our sons went to sleep between the ages of 1 and 11 without dad or mom reading aloud. I miss those days, sprawled out on the carpet alongside their beds, reading a chapter to them. Filling their heads with values, adventure, truth, and solid literature has propelled all of them into adulthood with a thirst for knowledge and broad interest in the world around them.

(4) We tried to protect our sons from the “he’s the son of a preacher man” syndrome, never pressuring them with the “you’re representing the church and the ministry” argument. We made decisions for our sons (what movies they watched, what games they played, what clothes they wore, and so on) based on our best judgment and not with the opinions of others at church in mind. Sometimes, Maureen and I may have been more liberally oriented than some members of our church family—and sometimes we may have been more conservative. But, we were very intentional in the way we tried to keep our boys out of the fishbowl glare. We learned that others outside of our family may have imposed rules and expectations on them because they were “preachers’ kids,” but my wife and I worked hard not to. The outcome? None of our sons have any angst or resentments about growing up in the church’s front row; they love the church and are very protective of it. For this, we thank God.

We thank you, too. As part of our Madison Park Church family, you also have played an important role in the way our sons have grown into men. Never underestimate how powerful your faithfulness, your support of the church’s many ministries, your anchoring and steadfast presence, your love and sacrifice, your encouraging word, your outstretched hand, and your grace have been over the years. As our youngest, Nathanael, turns 21 in a few weeks, we’re especially conscious of how blessed we have been by you. Thanks for loving and standing by God for you, too.

Step Up to Leadership

by Jim Lyon, Senior Pastor

In January, I sat with two of Madison Park’s Elders (Kevin Stiffler and Burt Webb) on the Sunday morning platform and introduced the 17 Steps ministry frame to the congregation. Developed in a  four-month process involving over 50 Madison Park-goers, the 17 Steps are designed to help us focus on  growing, developing, and meeting the opportunities our church faces in the next few years.
The 17 Steps are stretching us and building spiritual muscle, even as they help us change the world, for  Heaven’s sake. Each of the 17 Steps has been placed in the hands of a staff member and a key lay leader;  additionally, ministry teams have been formed around each step. Many exciting steps forward have already been taken, since January. Beginning this month, we’ll report on one of the 17 Steps each  month—so you can stay tuned (and be excited, too!). If you’d like to get involved with any of the 17 Steps,  just contact any pastor and  we’ll be sure you get connected.

As our congregation has grown over the years, identifying new leaders has become a critical need. A  completely new initiative for Leadership Development at Madison Park— adding depth to the leadership  bench and preparing both men and women to inspire, manage, and effectively lead others—was launched  in January, as one of our 17 Steps.

First we established an LTP mentoring team. Sarah Trick (our Director of Adult Discipleship &  Education) and I provided staff grounding; Stephen Lewis, Angie Kelich, Gretchen Olson, Eric Reeder,  David Neidert, and Abby Long rounded out the roster.

Next we invited interested members of the congregation to submit applications to be considered for the  2010 LTP. Acceptance  into the LTP requires a year-long commitment and a pledge to follow-through with its many assignments. Over 60 applications were requested; everyone who completed the four-page  application and also submitted two personal references, was eventually interviewed by a member of the mentoring team. In the end, 18 members of the congregation were accepted into the LTP program. They  began meeting together for weekly 90-minute classroom sessions on February 17.

The classroom curricula (delivered over a period of five months) covered a range of topics, including:  basic church history (back to the 1st century), our local church history (back to 1906), Bible survey,  Madison Park’s Core Values and purpose statements, personal spiritual disciplines and accountability,  New Testament theology (adapted from the century classic The Training of the Twelve), leadership and principles of influence (with guest lectures from outstanding global church leaders like Leaderwell  Posghnap and Samuel Stephens), and preparation for a ministry practicum. Each member of the cohort  was assessed using instruments like Myers- Briggs and StrengthsFinder. Pop quizzes and content exams  were introduced. Development of personal testimony and presentation were woven through the classroom course.

As the classroom module drew to a close in June, 17 of the original 18 LTP students “graduated” into the  practicum phase. This phase of the program requires each class member to choose a ministry (from a  catalog of specific needs offered by staff), create a plan and timetable for implementation, solicit others in  the church to work with them on a ministry team to achieve the plan’s goals, and lead the team on an adventure in ministry. All 17 are now at work, in various stages of development, on their practicum  projects.

Practicum projects chosen by LTP students include: investing in our Front Door Ministry initiatives,  conceiving and executing a Small Group Leaders Retreat, developing a transportation ministry for church members in need of a ride (to church, to the doctor, etc.), expanding a “helping hands” ministry  for those who need work done in their homes (e.g. customized adaptations for those with disabilities, home repair work for single moms, widows, etc.), student ministry small group development, enhancing  fourth grade children’s ministry, and more. All of the practicums are to be completed by October’s end. Class sessions will resume then for debriefing and assessment.

In December, the LTP students will be introduced to the staff and placed into the field. And then, a new  LTP cohort will be formed for 2011. In this way, we hope to exponentially develop and train leaders at Madison Park to strengthen and expand the ministry base. Learning from our initial test drive this year,  we’re excited about even more improvements and adaptations to the LTP for next year.

Of course, the church cannot continue to grow without an ever-increasing base of committed lay leaders.  All of us in the Body of Christ have gifts to share; some are called to lead. How about you? Are you ready  to explore the possibilities? Pray and think about applying for the 2011 LTP; applications will be  available in December.

And, until then, thanks for lifting this year’s team in prayer. Our present class includes some who have  been at Madison Park for many years. But, most have come into our church family only in the last few  years. We thank God for each one and know the Lord is blessing this critically important step in the 17 Steps. Be encouraged, folks. God is at things at Madison Park.