Oh Man, Oh Man...

"Oh Man, Oh Man..." Those were the words I uttered to Bob Balian when Jeremy and I came out of our Saturday morning 'disposition' meeting. I realize I haven't blogged through the church planting assessment we attended yet - partly because I'm still processing, and partly because it still feels like it was dream.

First off, the entire experience was incredible, if not a little intimidating. Fourteen couples attended the assessment center, and 14 other individuals came to do the 'assessing' - most of them conference representatives or superintendents, as well as a few other people who have planted their own church with the Covenant.

Our first morning was a bit awkward for both Jer and I... we all met in the hotel lobby and had to organize rides to the church where we spent the majority of our time. There were an odd number of cars, and with no one really knowing one another, settling who would ride with who was a bit chaotic. That first morning Jeremy and I squeezed into the back seat of a car with two others... and two more in the front. Six people riding in a small car made it almost feel like we were attending an adult version of youth group.

We had lunch at the church, and then spent 2 hours going through a series of interviews (spiritual disciplines, evangelism habits, prayer requests, church vision, etc.) Lots and lots of stuff to share. After that, we were broken into groups (separate groups for spouses) and placed in classrooms where we had to work through a hypothetical church planting situation. The assessors sat in the room to observe our group interaction, leadership, initiative... and whatever else they wanted to pay attention to. Then it was back for more interviews and a chat with a licenced counselor. Then dinner. Then 3 of the guys had to give 10 minute mini-sermons relating to their passions for their church plant. When the guys were done preaching, their wives had to join them in the front of the room to answer a few questions. Jeremy was the third of those three that first night and I (though admittedly biased) think he did a pretty good job. We ended the day around 8 and headed back to the hotel.

Day two involved an earlier start, more interviews, more group exercises, and a few breakout sessions on personality types and other stuff. It was a heck of a day. And then came day three, where our team had to devise a plan to plant 10 churches in 10 years... easier hypothetically than it sounds. And in the midst of this team exercise, we were getting pulled out for more counseling sessions and more intentional interviews. And then it they let us go.

The assessors met the evening of that third day to pray over what they had seen in each individual (and each couple) that week, and to seek the Lord's heart in our fit for church planting. What an incredible gift, at the end of a few intense days, to know that there were people praying specifically about our future and what the Lord wants to do with us. What a beautiful picture of the church. What a great display of intentional community. And how wonderful, no matter the outcome, to have this experience.

All I can say is Oh Man, Oh Man...