CreativePastors Blog & Podcast

Media Kit Preview - New!

One of the features we've been looking forward to offering on our new CreativePastors site is the ability to preview media products. Why? Because you asked for it! You told us that you'd like to be able to get an idea of what's on our Media Kits before you purchase them. And now you can continue to help with the solution by checking out our first preview and letting us know what you think. Within the Media Kit description for our Good n' Angry series, you'll find a Media Preview button. Click to watch and then leave a comment below or shoot us an email with your feedback. Based on the responses we receive, we'll finalize our approach and continue adding previews to most of the media resources on our site.

Podcast > Clueless > Choke

The choke hold—it’s wrestling at its best…or worst. Even the biggest and strongest, when they least expect it, can be taken down by this powerful move.

In this message, Ed Young talks about another kind of choke hold that has the ability to hold us in its painful grip our entire lives—unforgiveness. But he also reveals the supernatural octane forgiveness has to free us from the grip of bitterness and resentment. And as we learn to receive and apply God’s forgiveness to our lives, we can discover a life of freedom and peace

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Length: 34:50

Clueless Series
Our society is trained on empty promises and broken vows. And because of that, we are clueless of the real meaning, power and influence that promises can have. We don't understand that they can change everything.

In this series, Ed Young takes us on a journey to encounter the truth about God's promises and the radical changes that can occur when we learn to trust in Him.

Clueless

CreativePastors

If you have iTunes 6.0, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Twenty-four hours after Ed delivers his weekend message at Fellowship Church, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cpblog.

Spontaneous Baptism Details

Many of you expressed interest in the spontaneous baptism piece that we featured in the latest CreativePastors newsletter, so we thought we'd provide a closer look. Just in case you missed the newsletter (sign up here for future issues), we'll start with a quick recap.

On a recent weekend at Fellowship Church, we took a page out of the first century church and organized a spontaneous baptism. The response was overwhelming as 583 people throughout four campuses responded to the invitation to be baptized, a church record for one weekend.

The message, Go Deep, was pre-taped and featured Ed in the church’s baptismal pool demonstrating a live baptism. Showing the message this way at all four of the church’s campuses, he felt, allowed the people to get a real sense of what to expect during their own baptism. He then came on stage live after the video to invite those who were ready to come forward and be baptized.

“I just talked about some basics of baptism, answered some of the most common questions people have about baptism and showed people the significance baptism holds for the Christian life.  We decided that if we provided people with an opportunity to respond immediately, they wouldn’t have time to make up excuses and they would find that stepping up is definitely worth it,” he said.

Doris Scoggins, director of baptism for the church, organized the massive effort and ensured that there was plenty of room for people to change into the shorts and t-shirts that were handed out.  “We had over 100 volunteers who helped sign in, organize and lead people from the changing area to our baptismal areas at our four campuses,” Scoggins said. On the Grapevine campus four pastors baptized people simultaneously as their names were read aloud.  Hundreds of onlookers cheered as their friends, family and neighbors were immersed.

Podcast > Clueless > Currency

Dollars. Pounds. Lira. Rubels. Euro. Pesos. The value of currency fluctuates daily with the market. But when it comes to God’s economy, the market doesn’t determine the value of His word. And when it comes to the promises of God, the foundation never changes. In the inaugural message of this series, Ed Young teaches us how to cash in on some currency that really matters and find our foundation for life in the love of God. And when we learn to rely on that love, we unpack the power of a currency that changes everything.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Length: 38:47

Clueless Series
Our society is trained on empty promises and broken vows. And because of that, we are clueless of the real meaning, power and influence that promises can have. We don't understand that they can change everything.

In this series, Ed Young takes us on a journey to encounter the truth about God's promises and the radical changes that can occur when we learn to trust in Him.

Clueless

CreativePastors

If you have iTunes 6.0, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Twenty-four hours after Ed delivers his weekend message at Fellowship Church, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cpblog.

Outreach Followup

Outreach events are big commitments of time and resources for any church, so it's a matter of good stewardship to make the most of those opportunities. At FC, we are very intentional about using these occasions to point people to our weekend services. After all, It's About the Weekend Stupid! ;) As an example, here's a flyer that we gave to everyone who attended our Parent's Night during Adventure Week (Fellowship's take on VBS) this summer.

Podcast > Go Deep

Whether we’re into football or baseball, basketball or hockey, there’s just something natural about cheering for our favorite team. We want everyone to know which side of field we stand on. The same should be true when it comes to our faith in God.

In this message, Ed Young teaches us how one of the richest symbols of the Christian life, baptism, lets everyone know where we stand when it comes to Christianity. And as he reveals the truth behind this simple act, we discover the power and freedom that our lives can have when we finally decide to go deep.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Length 20:58

Go Deep

CreativePastors

If you have iTunes 6.0, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Twenty-four hours after Ed delivers his weekend message at Fellowship Church, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cpblog.

Summer Children's Environment

Our FC Kids Department knocks it out of the park each year in creating amazing environments for the children who attend Fellowship Church's version of VBS, Adventure Week. This year's theme was Western - The Secret of Sarsaparilla City (not-so-coincidentally coordinating with the rollout of On the Trail, the first series of Elevate). Here's a photo album showing the finished environment in our Children's area, followed by pictures of the construction.

Though the end product looks worthy of any theme park, these results were achieved with materials mostly available at Home Depot and a large team of volunteers who worked closely with our staff. Recruiting for the Build Team started in March and each team started planning in April. The teams made models that they presented to our Children's Pastor for approval and then used those to guide construction. The most important ingredient for the project was a heaping helping of creativity and a dedication to making this an "ooooooh woooooow" environment for the children. And if you're wondering why we'd put that much energy just into the physical space for Adventure Week, check out this article from our C3 EVOLVE conference magazine.

New CP Newsletter Debuts Today!

The premiere issue of Ed Young's Creative Leader Newsletter was delivered to inboxes around the world today! Focusing on life and leadership in the local church, this free, monthly email publication will provide insights and straightforward advice based on Ed's 16 years leading Fellowship Church. If you're already signed up to receive CreativePastors emails, your copy should already be waiting for you! If not, just create a free account at CreativePastors.com and make sure the box that says, "Yes, send me news, special offers, and great content!" is checked. Then you'll automatically receive following editions. In the meantime, here's a look at this month's content:

Fired up for Fall

While Christmas and Easter are undoubtedly the biggest weekends for churches, I would argue that we are entering one of the most critical seasons of ministry: Fall. With the flip of a calendar page, families in your community will be trading in their sunscreen and beach balls for #2 pencils and notebook paper. As they get back into a school schedule, they'll be recommitting to routines, church attendance included.

Fall is ripe with opportunities. To make the most of them, we need to be healthy and ready to take turf for the kingdom of God. This is a time of year where we need to focus our greatest offensive energy into planning and preparation. Here's a look at what we've learned during many fall seasons at Fellowship Church:

• Plan a big series. This is when to debut an irresistible message series. Pray to choose the topic your church needs most, then put forth some major creative teamwork to build an exciting series. Some of our recent fall series include Authority Issues, Love Affair, Who's Kidding Who, and Questions.
• Be ready to quarterback. Make sure you're done with your vacations, back in town and engaged in your church.
• Take advantage of the big plays of summer. Get in touch with the people who visited your church for summer events and let them know what you've got going on for them this fall.
• Make changes now. People are in the mood for a fresh start in the fall, so it's a great time to launch new programs, transform environments, and add or change service times.
• And if you don't change it, make it stronger. Freshen up your facilities and make sure your existing programs are at their best.

I get fired up each fall and look forward to the surge of energy and enthusiasm this season brings to the local church. Let's get our A game going and be ready for the incredible opportunities God will bring our way!

Podcast > Questions > Questions Part 2

This two-part talk concludes with a discussion on what the right questions are and why we need to ask them. Ed talks about four distinct zones of questions and where a lifestyle of going for the ask will ultimately lead.

To listen now, click on the podcast icon below.

Length: 44:21

Questions

CreativePastors

If you have iTunes 6.0, click the link below to subscribe to our podcast. Twenty-four hours after Ed delivers his weekend message at Fellowship Church, it will be downloaded to your computer automatically. You can listen at your computer or take the MP3 with you on your iPod or other MP3 player.

If you don't have iTunes, you can get it here free for Mac or Windows. You can also subscribe to the podcast using other podcasting tools and RSS newsreaders. The feed address is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/cpblog.

Great LA Regional - Atlanta is Next!

Many thanks to all of you who came out for the Regional C3 (Creative Church Conference) in Los Angeles! We hosted more than 800 church leaders and enjoyed the opportunity to connect with so many wonderful people.

If you haven't had a chance to attend C3, our next Regional Conference will take place in Atlanta, October 2. This is a fantastic environment for learning from each other, so make sure you bring your questions! You can register online, and don't forget you can bring your whole team for just $325.