Domino

Our new series, DOMINO, starts this Sunday.  I'm very excited about this series and what it can mean for you, your family, our church, our community, and God's kingdom!! Basically, we'll be answering the question, "What is God's will?"  and it could change how you view your life.

FAQs -- Part 2

Already some great questions have come in ... here's today's question:

What denomination is Rock Bridge?

Rock Bridge is a locally autonomous church (which means we are self-governed and that all church decisions are made by church members and staff).  We voluntarily affiliate and cooperate with the Southern Baptist Convention for the purpose of missions and extending the message of Christ to the ends of the earth. Through the Southern Baptist Convention we support efforts to reduce world hunger, plant churches in North America, assist during times of disaster, and support missionaries overseas.

On a personal note, I am not much of a "denominations" person.   I think the danger of denominations is that if not careful the focus can drift away from Christ and onto the denomination.  At Rock Bridge our efforts are in helping to connect people to Christ first and foremost, rather than Christ PLUS a denomination.  However, I do believe that there is value in working together and cooperating with other like-minded churches who pool resources and efforts for the cause of Christ.

Weekly Rundown: 7.27.08

• Great week this week at RBCC as we prepare for school to start back.


• I usually try to be about 2-3 weeks ahead with my message prep ... this helps our worship teams and creative planning process.  However, I got behind with vacation so I buckled down and prepared two messages this week.  Our creative folks will be happy :)


• I heard the other day that preaching one sermon is like running a 5k due to the emotions, adrenaline, etc.  That explains why I tend to crash Sunday afternoon!


• Calhoun Blog is up and running: www.rockbridgecalhoun.com.  This is the place to know what's happening at our Calhoun campus.


• We're making some progress in getting people to step up to facilitate new small groups.  Small groups are so important in building relationships and growing together in Christ.  GROUPLINK is coming up at both campuses in the next few weeks to connect people with a small group experience.


• Football is just around the corner and yes I plan on doing Football Friday again.


• I can't tell you how pumped I am about our new series, DOMINO.  I am praying about this series and all that God wants to accomplish through it.  Please pray for me and this series.  It is going to be challenging, uplifting, life-altering, and God-glorifying.  (I'll post more this week about it ... just pray!)


• Through a few "God" orchestrated circumstances, we were able to give away a car last week ... it was incredible!!


• Dalton Student Ministry has a new staff member: John Melick.  We moved some staff around to better support our Children's Ministry at both our campuses and put Gus Waters full-time in Children's Ministry (Gus was spending time in both children and student ministry).  As a result our staffing in student ministry dropped to less than it was a year ago, and with more students and a new venue coming this Fall we needed to fill this hole.  John will be leading worship & student band, helping to get students involved & serving according to their gifts, programming our large group environments, and various other things.  John is a super musician with a great voice.  But even better is his character, humility, passion for excellence in worship, and desire to empower others to serve Christ.


• I've got this "restless" peace going on right now ... "restless" about all that is going on and coming up but a ton of God's peace.  It's pretty cool ... I'm not in control but He is!

New: FAQs

I was talking to a friend of mine who is a member of our church and he had some really great questions for me and how we do/why we do certain things.  As we talked more, I came to realize that there are a lot of things that people may not know about Rock Bridge that I assume they do know.  His conversation gave me the idea to do a post every so often just to answer some frequently asked questions. So if you have some questions about Rock Bridge or me or whatever, send us an email (matt@rockbridge.cc) and we'll work on answering them on this blog over time.

Today's Question: I want to get a new Bible.  What version do you teach from on Sunday mornings?

I teach from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.  It is an accurate translation, and it easy to read and understand the intended meaning of the text.

Weekly Rundown

Great to back after 2 weeks off!!  Here's the rundown this week:

• Carll is also back from vacation today.  We've got one more staff member taking vacation this week, then we'll all be back in full force at the office.


• I haven't ridden my bike since getting back from vacation ... and I need to.


• The progress in Stage 123 is amazing!!


• We've had lots of participation in our Life Focus groups (i.e. -- Marriage Enrichment, Romans, Divorce Care, etc.) this summer.  Most of these groups will be offered off and on throughout the year.  These are great, short-term groups that have a long-term impact.  Email connect@rockbridge.cc if you have any questions about Life Focus groups.


• First Wednesday resumes in August ... and officially kicks-off in Calhoun!!


• Our web site is still down ... sorry! The problem is not on our end but we're doing all we can to get it back up.


• Our Children's Ministry team is now writing the curriculum we use on Sunday mornings ... and with great results.  Really proud of our team in Dalton & Calhoun ... those children environments are great.


• I know people get saved in many ways but I spoke and prayed with a person who was saved in a very powerful way today ... it was so awesome!!  Seeing people come to Jesus is something that never gets old and is what it is all about!!!!!


• Remember we have 500 seats opening up this Fall at 9:30 and 11:00 (total of 1000 seats).  That is HUGE!!  1000 seats = 1000 souls = 1000 people that could meet Jesus!!  Who are you praying for?  Who will you seek to invite?


• Now I know some people who buy into the "church is too big" philosophy whenever you talk about church "growth".  I'd invite them to read Perry Noble's comments below for consideration (also consider that the first church went from 120 to 3000 in one day ... I'd love to be part of something like that!!)

The “This Is Too Big” Person

These people amaze me. A church will begin growing, lives will begin to change…literally the Bible begins to come to life…and because a person finally has to face the fact that the church is not about them…they take off, saying that the church is TOO BIG.  Now, that same person will go to a college football game the day before with between 80,000 to 100,000 fans (99% of whom they do not know) and be absolutely PUMPED that the stadium is packed. (Usually a sign that the team is winning!)  BUT…they want to go to “God’s house” the next day and desire for it to be small and “intimate.” Hmm, they want the football crowd to grow and the church crowd to be small… Bottom line…the church is SUPPOSED to grow–period! And if it gets “too big” for someone, I would say it’s because their heart is “too small.” Seriously, ask yourself, what spiritual force would motivate someone to get angry when large numbers of people are coming to Christ and being taught to walk in an intimate relationship with Him? Jesus…or satan?

• Whether you agree with Perry or not, let's never forget that God's heart and His heaven are big enough for EVERY sinner who calls on the Name of His Son ... and we the church are called to preach that Name, live by that Name, and worship that Name ... and that Bible promises that when that Name is preached God will draw people to Himself!!

Stage 123 Pictures

Click on the link below to see some great pictures of the progress being made at Stage 123 ... it's incredible!! 

Stage 123 pictures

(sorry for the continued problems with our web site ... the problem is not on our end and we are working to resolve it)

Moving On

About 20 months ago God brought Aaron Gable and his incredible family to Rock Bridge to serve as our Associate Pastor with an emphasis on small group ministry. Almost immediately Aaron and I became close friends, ministry partners, and fellow "church nerds" as we like to say. Aaron's passion for reaching disconnected people, his knowledge of group ministry, his loyalty to me and our vision, and his strategic thinking quickly had him making a big difference for the kingdom at Rock Bridge.

As our church grew during this time Aaron's role changed and moved him away from direct, "hands on" ministry as he focused more on administration, operations, staff management, hiring staff, and assisting me in efficiently running the church. Over the past few months Aaron and I began to discuss if he was really serving in his "sweet spot" according to his strengths, giftedness, and passions. In the course of those conversations and through much prayer Aaron decided that being an Associate Pastor was not the most effective place for him in ministry and asked the Elders to accept his resignation and to help him and his family transition to another place of service.

After a week of prayer, the Elders granted Aaron a two-week "leave of absence" to allow him to pray and think through where God might be leading him. Aaron also asked to resign effective on Tuesday, July 15th which the Elders have accepted.

This entire process has been very difficult for me because of the close and unique relationship Aaron and I share. Initially, I did not want to see Aaron leave Rock Bridge but as he and I talked and prayed, it became clear to me that in the long-run Aaron needed to be allowed to pursue other opportunities to serve in the way God has gifted him. Selfishly, I wanted Aaron to stay but that option did not make sense in light of where our church is right now and where Aaron is on his journey to serve Christ in the most impacting way possible. So when I asked what was the best thing for the Kingdom of God and ultimately for Aaron, I came to believe that accepting his resignation with my full support and blessing was God's will.

I asked Aaron to write part of this blog with me so that you can hear his heart and know how to pray for him during this transition:

Rock Bridge is one of the most amazing churches I've ever been a part of. I know many of you share my sentiments. Who could have predicted that in such a short time a church could made such a big impact in a community? The only explanation is that God is doing a mighty work through a willing and faithful people.

With this amazing, supernatural growth, I have been so inspired personally yet challenged professionally. Our church has grown to a point where my gifts, abilities, and experiences are not the best fit in areas that are needed for the Associate Pastor position for this church at this time. This is a hard personal admission for me. I did not come to this decision easily, but through several weeks of prayer and wise counsel, I have decided to resign as the Associate Pastor at Rock Bridge. This affects me and my family deeply because of our great affection for this church and community, but we are convinced this is God's best for us and the church. We covet your prayers during this time of transition as we seek out where God leads next.

Thank you all for giving us such a great opportunity to minister alongside you to connect more people to Christ and His community in NW Georgia. -- Aaron Gable


In life I've come to learn that God has a plan and purpose for everything and He is teaching me to never doubt that He is in control. Seeing people leave is always tough but I know that God's work is going on all over the world and that He has a place specifically picked out for Aaron to serve. The Elders and I are committed to helping Aaron transition from Rock Bridge to the place we know God has for him.

We're Back

Over the course of the past 5+ years I've had several pastors tell me to take two full weeks off (in a row).  They said I'd be a better pastor and that the church would be a better church for it.  I didn't buy it ... thought I couldn't leave for that long, etc. etc.  Then lately a few of our Elders encouraged me to do it and then finally my wife said, "Matt, we need to take two full weeks off."  Case closed ... we're back from two full weeks away from our home, job, and this community.  We spent 5 days at Jekyll Island/St. Simon's and then the rest of the time at Clark Hill/Strom Thurmond Lake near Augusta (where my dad grew up). Had a blast (more later) ...

All I can say is "WOW!" We are glad to be back but it was worth it to my marriage and spiritual vitality.  I'm pumped and excited to be back ... and I know Beth and I are more healthy and more ready than ever for what God has in store for Rock Bridge!

Big thanks to my friend, accountability partner, and Elder John McIntosh for teaching in Dalton these past two weeks and for Carll and Sam preaching in Calhoun.  Those guys love Jesus, love Rock Bridge, and I know blessed our two campuses with their respective messages.

Why I Love America

I believe America is the greatest nation on earth.  I get goose bumps during the National Anthem, I get upset when people don't take their hats off during it, and I love to see the flag flying.  Here's some reasons why I love this incredible nation:

• Many of my relatives served in the Armed Forces.  My brother is still active duty Army.  I had 2 uncles who were POWs in WWII.  I served in the Navy and will always have a special place in my heart for people who sacrifice to protect and promote the cause of freedom.


• God created us to be free and died to set us free.  Freedom is from God.  America is the land of the free.


• America has given me so many opportunities.  Everyday is an opportunity in America.


• America's history speaks very clearly that we were founded "under God."


• Football, Starbucks, Waffle House, Cracker Barrel ... God bless America!!


• I once met a Medal of Honor winner by the Vietnam Memorial.  His name was Gary Wetzel.  I looked up his story of what he did to earn the highest honor our nation gives ... unbelievable.  People just don't do what he did ... but it did it for his fellow soldiers, for the mission, and for his country. 


• Ronald Reagan inspired me to believe that America was in fact that "shining city upon a hill" ... a beacon of hope to the world.  His optimism in the concept of America and in Americans themselves made me a believer in the American dream, in American ideals, and in the American people.


• I can worship God freely and tell others about Jesus.  I can be a "shining city upon a hill" here in America for the cause of Christ.