What is a Missional Community?

What is a Missional Community? Read Post

Mission, The Church at Cane Bay

What is a Missional Community?

Since I talk about Missional Communities often on social media, one of the questions that I get is 'What is a Missional Community?' It's a great question, because many people don't have a context to see MCs in action, and they often wonder exactly what it looks like. Before The Church at Cane Bay, I really had no idea myself. Honestly, even when we started our groups, we had never seen one in action. It was all theory then, but it's a theory that's turned into something quite beautiful that the Lord has used to engage thousands of people in our community with the hope of the gospel of Jesus.

So, what is a Missional Community? Simply defined, it's a group focused on mission and community. We stick with this terminology because it's actually pretty self-explanatory. 

If you want to get a little more in-depth, here is what a Missional Community is for us  - 

A community of people organized to give every man, woman, and child within its circle of influence multiple opportunities to see, hear, and respond to the gospel of Jesus.

This idea of circle of influence is probably the biggest part of each group, because it's the thing that drives the mission of the community. Each group has a defined circle of influence that they have either formulated together, or signed onto because they have a shared passion for that. It is made up of the people that they serve, pray for, and work to share Jesus with on a weekly basis. We have groups that serve each school in our community, a foster boy's ranch, military/first responder families, and DSS/foster families in our county.

Each Missional Community gathers weekly in homes or in the harvest, praying for and serving the mission decided by the group. They share dinner together to build community, and study scripture to strengthen and embolden the mission.

Each MC meeting lasts 2 hours:
Share Dinner -  1 Hour
Praying for, Planning, and Serving the Mission - 40 Minutes
Study Scripture - 20 Minutes

If you would like more information about Missional Communities, I've put together a more in-depth ebook on how we do Missional Communities. You can check that out HERE. If you would like to sign up to get involved in one of our Missional Communities, please go HERE.

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Why I'm Glad Missional Communities Are Back

Why I'm Glad Missional Communities Are Back Read Post

Mission, The Church at Cane Bay

Why I'm Glad Missional Communities Are Back

I need to take a moment to be really honest with you. I’m excited. I’m very excited. You might be wondering why that’s the case. Let me explain:

You’ve probably seen that I talk about this thing called Missional Communities alot. At The Church at Cane Bay, we have small groups like many churches do, but ours are a little different than most. We call them Missional Communities, and for us, they allow The Church at Cane Bay to really BE the church. Let me explain what I mean by that statement. Here’s what these groups are all about -

Mission - Each week, our groups gather together to pray for and serve a specific mission that they’ve identified in our community. It ranges from working with the local public schools, serving with a local foster boy’s ranch, all the way to welcoming new families that move into our community. Whatever the case may be, each group takes ownership of a specific mission, and our church is able to have a much greater reach into the community because of it. They allow the gospel to be lived out and heard in many different places.

Community - Each group is also about community. The task is a great one, and we could never do it alone. We are much stronger with community around us. Every group shares a meal together every week. We have learned that there are two ways for us to really get to know each other - serving with one another and eating around a table together. So this is where our groups exist. We need the love, support, and encouragement that each one has to offer, because we all struggle with sin and can remind each other about the grace of God.

Let me give you a few reasons why I’m so excited that our Missional Communities are back in session -

1. I said this one earlier, but they allow our church to really BE THE CHURCH. This might seem odd considering our cultural understanding of Sunday morning services being church, but as we look to Scripture, our picture of church is altogether different. In Acts 2, we see a community of believers that are sacrificing to care for each other, meeting together over meals, and loving their community. That is what our Missional Communities are about. Every time we aren’t in session, it really feels like something is missing. These groups allow our church to BE the church.

2. Missional Communities bring EXCITEMENT to our church. People get excited about being a part of something big. They enjoy participating where differences are being made for the Kingdom. There is a new energy in the room when our groups are active. Even this past Sunday, you could feel the difference when Missional Communities are mentioned and there were shouts of excitement.

3. Missional Communities give people a place to PLUG IN to our church. Sometimes it’s hard to get involved in a new community of believers. But our Missional Communities make this an easy step. They immediately provide closer relationships and the sense of family that’s harder to have on a Sunday morning level. They help people get connected in a real way to what God is doing in our community.

So what about you? Are you plugged in? Things are moving and in motion, and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to be a part of something that’s far bigger than yourself. It’s about a mission, a community, and a Kingdom.

Sign up for a group here - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFN3RDJoa2w0YlJxckQtZDdyclNnaHc6MQ#gid=0

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The Matthew Challenge - Matthew Chapter Six

The Matthew Challenge - Matthew Chapter Six Read Post

Bible, The Church at Cane Bay

The Matthew Challenge - Matthew Chapter Six

At The Church at Cane Bay, we are participating in the Matthew Challenge, which is one chapter daily walk in journaling through the book of Matthew using the SOAP method. I'm excited to get to post my thoughts on Matthew, Chapter Six, and would love for you to join us in this journey.

Matthew 6 -

S - Verse 21 - “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

O - Jesus builds up a context of treasures on earth versus treasures in heaven. He speaks about how treasures on the earth are only temporary, that they will decay or either be taken from you. Instead, Jesus emphasizes that we should be storing up treasures in heaven. The things that are of heaven are eternal. They will not decay and they will not be stolen from us. He then tells us that where that treasure is, that is where our heart is as well. Whatever we consider to be the most valuable in our lives will be the thing we work for and give great effort to.

A - The application for us is a pretty tough one, because the truth is that our heart is often in so many places. What do we do with our free time? How do we spend our money? These are both good indicators of where our treasure is. If we spend most of our free time or all the money that’s left over in the bank at the end of the month on stuff that just brings us personal pleasure, that speaks strongly about how our treasures may be found in earthly things. This is one that I constantly have to question myself on. Where are my real affections? If my treasure is in earthly things, then that’s where my love and affections lie. But if I begin to switch that over to building others up, having relationships that matter for the Kingdom, and giving my time to serve the community, then my heart will fall there as well.

P - Lord, help me to have my heart placed on things that are eternal, and not on things of this world.

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Some Final Thoughts on 'Overcoming Depression'

Some Final Thoughts on 'Overcoming Depression' Read Post

The Church at Cane Bay

Some Final Thoughts on 'Overcoming Depression'

This morning we dealt with the issue of depression and anxiety at The Church at Cane Bay. This is one of the most difficult sermons that I've ever had to preach. I asked for alot of prayer on this one. The reason is because I know it's an issue that harms so many of us and can cause us to lose our zeal for mission and joy for God's call to us.

I want to mention again the action points for us to take if we feel like we have lost control or lost hope in the middle of a difficult time -

If You are Struggling with Anxiety -
1. Change your focus - Start to think about others more. Serve others. Join a Missional Community and be active in loving others. You will find joy.
2. Find out where your faith is - the gospel or your feelings - Whichever one you place faith in will be the reality that you ‘feel’ from day to day.
3. Trust Jesus with your life - Anxiety is evidence of where our care lies. Place these things in his hands. Pray to him and literally give them to Him daily.

If You are Struggling with Depression - 1. Seek help - let someone know what you are struggling with. You don’t need to walk this alone. You need some outside perspective. Find me or a close friend that is walking with Jesus. If it’s an ongoing thing, then seek counseling.
2. Know God created you as you for a reason - Don’t desire to be someone else or in some other situation. God has you here for a reason. He designed you to be you. Trust Him.
3. Think hard about your beliefs - If you really believe the gospel, should you be depressed? What does your depression say about your belief? Everyone carries doubts from time to time, but if this is major and ongoing, you may need to consider how much you really trust God.
4. Get to the bottom of things - Again, I am not a doctor or psychiatrist, but you will never escape these feelings without dealing with the issue at hand. Antidepressants are not a cure for that. They only take care of symptoms. They will not fix you in the long run. You need to deal with the issue at hand.

Here are some resources that might be helpful for you -

Scripture -
Matthew 6: 25 - 33
Job
Philippians 4

Books -
Get Out of That Pit - Beth Moore
When the Darkness Will Not Lift - John Piper


If you need to see someone for counseling through these issues, here are two great local resources-
Lowcountry Biblical Counseling Center
Covenant Counseling Center


Of course, I hope you know that we are always here for you. Please feel free to email us if you are struggling through these issues -
Joel Ainsworth - ainsworth.joel@gmail.com
Charlie Swain - charlie.w.swain@gmail.com
Jennifer Kinney - jlkinney147@gmail.com

Prayers for all of us as we continue to allow Christ to overcome our struggles!

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God's Faithfulness for The Church at Cane Bay

God's Faithfulness for The Church at Cane Bay Read Post

The Church at Cane Bay

God's Faithfulness for The Church at Cane Bay

   One thing that has always been a strong theme in my life is the constant faithfulness of God, and my occasional inability to recognize it until later. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 is a great reminder to us: “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” Yesterday was a great reminder to The Church at Cane Bay of His incredible faithfulness.

    Charlie and I spent a great amount of time planning and praying for our Discovery Lunch over the last month. We wanted to create a time and place where people who were interested in The Church at Cane Bay would be able to come and hear the vision that God has placed on our hearts for Berkeley County. One night, I had a dream that about fifteen people were gathered together at a meeting like this and were interested in becoming involved in the work that God is doing. I woke up excited and hoping that we could be able to gather a group like this. Our best hopes were to have fifteen to twenty people come out to get a glimpse of the vision and mission. Yesterday, God proved that His plans were far better than our hopes.

    After the morning service at Journey Church, our sponsor church, 36 people met together over an incredible barbecue lunch served by Journey! It was a humbling and exciting experience centered around God’s glory and His gospel being made known in the Cane Bay area. Will Browning, teaching pastor of Journey, took some time at the start to share about Journey’s vision to plant this church and their desire for their people to be involved in making it happen. Charlie took some time speaking about the need in South Carolina, and our area, for a new church to be started, as well as sharing some personal stories that provided a picture of that need. I was able to share a little about our vision for the church, outlining the values and actions that will guide the things that we do. We also answered some questions, and were able to let people know how they could be involved in the mission.

    We had a good number of people sign up to be involved on our Core Team, which means that they will partner will us fully and go through our Core Team training beginning February 13th. Several people also signed up to join us on a temporary basis to help get us started until we get our feet on the ground. Many people also volunteered to help out with childcare, worship, setup, etc. whenever they are needed. It was an incredible day, and a wonderful reminder. The high point of all of this is God’s faithfulness. He has called us to this mission, and He is faithful to provide what is needed to carry it out. It is His work, and He will surely do it.

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