when dissolving does not mean disaster.

“when dissolving does not mean disaster”
by Jason C Dukes

For those church starters out there whose church starts don’t always turn out like the GRAND vision they had dreamed, remembering our purpose to be fruitful and multiply, no matter how noticed or unnoticed it is, is important. We pray this might be encouraging.

My wife and I say farewell to Westpoint Church, a local church family we helped start a little over 10 years ago that has been living sent on the westside of Orlando, FL and around the world. This is not a story of dissolution and disaster, of farewell and failure. Rather, it is a story of actual multiplication.

Here is a history of Westpoint Church. Having helped start 10 new churches in 10 years, having helped birth a church starting network called ReproducingChurches.com with countless new church starts, having helped create a disciple-making environment in the marketplace among business leaders and community residents called HouseBlendCafe.com, as well as having sent hundreds of people to live sent to make disciples in their everyday relationships in Central Florida and around the world, Westpoint Church actually gave themselves away. Eventually, a multiplier dies, leaving those whom have been multiplied to keep multiplying. As Erwin McManus wrote in Unstoppable Force, death is part of the life of any fruitful church, just as death is part of the life of any fruitful grandmother or grandfather.

In a culture where church planting successes are touted as large and loud, here is a story of when dissolving does not mean disaster because strategic and subtle equipping resulted in transformed lives who continue to make disciples in West Orange County and beyond. All glory to God.

May you be encouraged, whatever your church starting story is, to keep equipping for disciple-making in everyday relationships and to keep equipping for living sent in everyday rhythms. Even when giving yourself away means an eventual dissolve.

Here is the link to a 4-minute video in which Jen and I share about a truly prophetic challenge that one mentor gave us just two months into helping to start Westpoint Church.

Help “do good farm” get started as they hope for their first harvest this spring. Here are some upcoming work days…

Have you heard of “Do Good Farm” yet? It is a new hydroponic farm concept in the Winter Garden area led by Josh Taylor, the general manager of House Blend Cafe. The purpose is to learn how to create a sustainable food source for the hungry while providing fresh fruits and vegetables for folks here in our community as well as a few partnering organizations in impoverished communities around the world.

Josh is hoping for their first harvest this coming spring, and he could use our help. Can you come help dig and build and plant over the next four weeks? People can come work any window within the following time frames or all of that day.

Here are some dates for work days at the farm:

:: Thursday | Jan 17th | 9a-5p
:: Tuesday | Jan 22nd | 9a-5p
:: Thursday | Jan 24th | 9a-5p
:: Saturday | Jan 26th | 9a-1p
:: Tuesday | Jan 29th | 9a-5p
:: Wednesday | Jan 30th | 4p-7p
:: Thursday | Jan 31st | 9a-5p
:: Saturday | Feb 2nd | 9a-1p
:: Tuesday | Feb 5th | 9a-5p
:: Thursday | Feb 7th | 9a-5p
:: Saturday | Feb 9th | 9a-1p

Contact JoshT@HouseBlendCafe.com with questions or interest in volunteering.

So grateful for Josh and his wife and their willingness to lead out in this very important endeavor. And grateful to get to be the church together.

Here is a short video Josh put together introducing the concept:

So grateful for the @WestpointChurch family and who Jesus is making us to become. Here are some highlights…

On the night of February 15th, 2004, we sat in a living room here in West Orange County praying for and envisioning and committing to a local church expression committed to being the church, doing life together, and giving ourselves away. We were going to LIVE SENT daily, or at least try to learn and grow in figuring out and living out whatever that means.

On the morning of July 15th, 2012, we gathered in a West Orange County elementary school as Westpoint Church having equipped and sent His church into the daily, in the community, and around the world for over eight years.

Someone commented to me, “This is why Westpoint was started.”

The original vision of Westpoint was five bullet points for which we committed to cultivate, for which we continue to hope:

1 _ to be the church together as we follow Jesus daily and live sent in our in our spheres of influence.

2 _ to equip people with Biblical teaching to be growing up in Jesus most evidenced by love for one another as well as daily making disciples

3 _ to equip families to live out the Deuteronomy 6 command together, nurturing for healthy marriages and parenting

4 _ to serve locally and globally, giving away together what has been given to us

5 _ to multiply what we are doing together in West Orange County into various new and existing expressions both across the city and around the world

This past Sunday morning:

:: we gathered as a people who are following Jesus and being the church together daily.

:: we heard stories of and were equipped to love one another and make disciples.

:: there was ministry going on to kids and to families, and there were present couples whose marriages are being nurtured and are growing through some very difficult times.

:: we highlighted two significant ways we are giving ourselves away together locally and globally via IMPACT Winter Garden and GdE Haiti.

:: we heard from and prayed over Jim and Beth Collins as they are being sent to Las Vegas next month, AND there were present three couples who are seeking out mentoring from Westpoint as they look to cultivate for new expressions of the church right here in Central Florida.

WOW!!! Glory to God!!! Just wanted to celebrate that with you!!! So grateful that Jesus continues to make us to become what He intends for His church!!!

I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 1:6 HCSB)

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You said multiple times that Your followers are to live sent as You were sent to us. Please give us wisdom as to what that means and what You intended. Please help us to surrender to reorient our lives to follow You to those to whom You are sending us. Please grow us in our love for one another and caring for one another and unity with one another around Your beautiful, restorative, gracious mission. And please keep us reminded that we do not have to be LEARNED to go and make disciples, but rather we are to be LEARNERS as we go and make disciples. We are grateful that up have loved us first. Now, may we go as we are compelled to love as You have loved us. Amen.

Grateful for one of our local TV stations, @theGoodLife45, for an interview about “beyond MY church.” Watch it here…

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of being interviewed for a Central FL TV show called “The Good Life” hosted by Barbara Beck and Ken Mikesell. They asked some questions about my second book, beyond MY church. Yo can grab that book this month on Amazon Kindle for only $2.99. You can watch the interview on Vimeo, if you care to do so, and maybe see if you think it is worth grabbing :)

Grateful.

Let me know any feedback as we continue to sharpen this message about Jesus’ intent for His church based upon His prayer in John 17.

As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth. I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me. I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.
(John 17:18-23 HCSB)