I wear it as a badge of honor that I have never been through the assessment process. When we started Forefront they weren't as big of a deal as they are now. Maybe they didn't even exist back then; who knows?
Unfortunately, I have to take off my badge and throw it in the garbage because we're leaving tomorrow morning for Baltimore for church planting assessment. I wonder if we'll pass. I mean it's questionable whether we can start a church or not (just a little sarcasm for your Saturday morning)!
If you've never been through assessment it's basically a 3-day evaluation of church planters and their wives to see if there are any issues that need to be addressed before they plant a church. Most church planting organizations require assessment and lots of people won't give you money unless you've been through it. I honestly think it's a great tool, especially for people who have never started a church before. Issues that you didn't even know you had can come up, red flags can come up, etc. It can potentially save you a lot of future heartache.
We're going with our Vegas Team, which includes Kevin and Nikki Brungard from Fredericksburg, VA. They started a church called Common Ground. Robb and Shaula Overholt (I think I have botched the spelling on this one) are also coming. He planted Epic City Church in Virginia Beach. We only had enough money to hire one of them so Robb is raising his own support; how cool is that?
Please pray for us and for me specifically. My biggest concern is lack of sleep. I am one of those people who need 9 hours of sleep a night. I don't think I will even get 5, so this could be interesting! I gave up coffee and caffeine last year. I make exceptions on occasion, like the time Vince was preaching at a church in NY and I fell asleep during the first service. I was sitting in the front row. I've also been known to fall asleep while driving, at stoplights, on the toilet, etc. I think this may be one of those times I will make an exception to the no caffeine rule. I would hate to be told that we couldn't start a church because I kept falling asleep during sessions. How embarrassing...Vince would totally kick my butt!
If you've already been through the assessment process I''ll now be part of your club. For those of you haven't gone through this, put on your badge of honor and wear it proudly. At least until it's your turn to throw it in the garbage.
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