Blog

by Elkhart Campus Pastor Gene Troyer

If there is anything that has surprised me about the people of Granger Community Church, it’s this. When I look around at who is serving in various volunteer capacities—changing diapers in the nursery or greeting guests or showing people to their seats or cleaning restrooms between services—I see a lot of people who don’t look like they belong.

Hold on, let me explain.

If you step back and consider how we “do church,” or maybe it’s easier to consider what we don’t do:

  • We don’t have hymnals.
  • We don’t offer adult Sunday school.
  • We don’t care if you bring coffee into the auditorium. (We call it an auditorium instead of a sanctuary.)
  • We don’t care what you wear or how many tattoos you have or what color your hair is.

There you go, you get the idea. So who are these people who don’t look like they belong? Is it the guy with the tats? Or the dreadlocks? I suppose it could be but no, that’s not who I’m thinking of.

Continue reading on Gene’s Blog...

To learn more about the way we do things at Granger, and get practical tips for creating excellent first impressions, healthy groups and a vibrant kids’ ministry, come to workshops on October 13 & 14. Register by September 14 and grab early bird discounted pricing for everyone on your team.

 

At this year's ReInnovate conference, we're challenging the way we all do church in every area. We are building on a vision that reproduces the church.

What we're learning at Granger, and what has drove our 2016 vison, is that if we want to reproduce, we have to change the way we do ministry. Reproducing doesn't just mean growing attendance and starting multi-site; it's about mobilizing people to be on mission - on purpose for a purpose.

In the final Main Session of Day 1 with Tim Stevens, and in the first Main Session of Day 2 with Rob Wegner, the vision of the people of Granger Community Church was laid out. The beauty of the vision is that it wasn't handed down from the top leadership of church; rather, it was born out of the vision of the people of Granger Community Church.

To get people on mission, we have had to challenge our existing beliefs, such as:

  • Name the church you want to be.... by clarifying your vision
  • Name the church you want to be.... by changing your language and metaphors
  • Redefine the location of ministry - what was Granger Community Church is now Granger Commons

In the Day 2 morning session, Rob challenged us to change our view of our local church; see it as an aircraft carrier - a hub for mission - rather than a destination of mission. When you catapult people to be on mission, they carry the vision with them wherever they go. 

This movement is ordinary people doing ordinary life with a God-inspired vision.THAT is reproducing the church - THAT is how mission happens - THAT is how resource and arm people to BE the church!


 "...a leader without integrated character will never see the results personally and professionally they desire... To become whole we need to be open for growth, own our current reality, invite others to speak truth in our lives, and connect often and intimately with God."

A recent post on the blog for the WCA Global Leadership Summit underscores our need to develop ourselves as leaders - not just in what we do, but also in who we are.

The Willow Creek Association Global Leadership Summit is a must-attend for all leaders... in the church and the marketplace... who seek to go deeper to go further.

Register now - Early Bird rates fly away after June 26th.

Pastor Mark Beeson casts  New Normal vision  for Granger Community Church 

How audacious is your vision?

Is it bold? Is it calculated? Is it uncomfortable? Does it challenge the status-quo? Will it force you to make a lot of changes?

Most importantly - is it God-sized?

Change is hard. Change is not popular. But, change often yields much needed renewal and growth.

At Granger, we are in the second year of our 5 year New Normal vision.Part of that vision includes BEING the church in our community, Activating our campus beyond just a place to gather for church services, and Reproducing at every level through missional communities. 

Another part of this vision is to expand our multi-site reach to include a couple more campuses. A few years ago, we expanded to Elkhart, IN - a smaller manufacturing town about 15 minutes East of our Granger campus. We started in a movie theater with a broadcast of an earlier service, then rented space where we could have live worship with video message.

Now the Elkhart campus is in a fully-functional space belonging to the church. It's a great story, and the community at the Elkhart campus is rich. Attendance has grown to more than 400 average each week across multiple services.

Now, we have another opportunity to lean into God and dive deeper into our 2016 vision.

As Pastor Beeson explains, we're asking God if this is a change God is inviting us to make. And, we're trusting he will provide the direction and resources needed to take our next steps.

So, challenge yourself for a minute - how big is your vision? What is changes could God be asking you to make?