General

Newsweek just did a feature on the state of American faith and beliefs ("Spirituality in America"). One of the distinctions that surfaced was how people view being "religious" as opposed to being "spiritual." Sample:The NEWSWEEK/Beliefnet Poll found that more Americans, especially those younger than 60, described themselves as "spiritual" (79 percent) than "religious" (64 percent). Almost two thirds of Americans say they pray every day, and nearly a third meditate.Many people view being "religious" as a public, formal expression of faith. On the other hand, being "spiritual" is a personal matter or search. Being "religious" is seen as rigid, dry, old. Being "spiritual" is new, meaningful, and fluid. In our contemporary setting and experience, this may be true. Historically, the words were used fairly synonymously. Click here to cast your own vote.Another important distinction that surfaced is that being "religious" often has to do with the search for truth while…

LifePoint just got a great plug from another blogger. Here it is:Saturday, August 20, 2005If you're in the San Diego area or plan to be, don't forget the grand opening LifePoint Church on Sunday, 11 September.In the interim, Pastor Ken will be guest speaking at Pomerado Christian Church in Poway on 21 August. They meet at 12708 Stone Canyon Road at 9:00 and 10:30. A preview service at LifePoint's new building is planned for 28 August, starting at 10:45. This gathering will feature an original drama by Ricky Allen, LifePoint music, and a special guest artist. The September 11th services are at 9:00 and 10:45. They’ll provide a children’s program at the 10:45 gathering only. Pastor Ken is looking for an "extended" LifePoint network to consider attending both services for the first two months. We're tied into Shadow Mountain, but will be over at LifePoint for opening day.If you can't…

LifePoint will have our last preview service on August 28 at 10:45. We'll be gathering at our new worship space at 4698 Alvarado Canyon, Suite A and childcare will be provided. This will also be a great opportunity to see our space before the crush of grand opening weekend. Come early and get some coffee, lounge on a couch, or shoot a game of pool ... ten percent of any money won while shooting pool must go into the offering.

I was asked recently whether or not LifePoint would be a seeker-driven church. Great question. In church parlance, being seeker-driven means designing everything about your worship service around non-Christians. The idea is to make non-Christians feel comfortable and non-threatened. It also involves making the service understandable and even enjoyable (imagine that -- a church service being enjoyable!).In some cases, however, being seeker-driven means removing any hint of Christian spirituality from the environment or experience. In other words, some seeker-driven churches do not have any visible crosses on display. The idea is to create an environment much like you would find at the local movie theater, minus the popcorn. The audience is not expected to participate but to observe. The goal is for the seeker to remain anonymous.I guess I draw a distinction between being seeker-driven and seeker-sensitive. To me, a church experience should be understandable and even enjoyable. We should…

As many of you know, LifePoint is planning an 80,000 piece direct mail campaign to start next week. We contracted with a marketing firm from Chicago that mainly works with for-profit companies like Sony, ReMax, etc. We're about to go to press!Here's a link to our final proofs.