Hot Tub Baptisms on a Trailer in the Street

On Sunday we had our 2nd round of outdoor street baptisms at Garden City Church. One of my great joys of the day was baptizing Sameer, who left behind 20th row tickets to the 49ers playoff game to worship with his new church family and be baptized.

Join us this Sunday, 4pm, at Garden City Church.

Attend the Elephant Room in San Jose

Garden City Church is almost four months old. Next Wednesday we’re hosting The Elephant Room in San Jose because we want to, very early in our life as a church, hold an event that sparks important conversation, fosters thoughtful unity, and creates forward progress among Silicon Valley churches.

The Bay Area is a heavily unchurched region. We need all the help we can get out here. We need all the unity we can get out here. This past Sunday I told our church that we need to plant 1,300 churches in Santa Clara County in order to get the the 1-church-per-every-1,000-people mark that many say is the tipping point at which the gospel begins to dramatically saturate a city (and this isn’t accounting for the 33% population growth we’re projected to have here over the next 25 years).

I know some people criticize The Elephant Room, thinking this event will create disunity rather than unity in the church. I disagree. I believe that by thoughtfully talking about the elephants in the room in the American church and the unchanging truth of Scripture, The Elephant Room conversations will help advance our mission here in Silicon Valley to unite around the gospel of Jesus Christ, make disciples, and plant churches.

The Neighborhood Group that I lead at my church is putting on this event. This great group of people is doing all the leg work to make this event happen. And our group is taking the money that we’ll make from the event to bless some single moms in our community. We’re excited to kill two birds with one stone: create unity through The Elephant Room and generate money we can give to single moms.

The Elephant Room is 8 days away. You should decide right now to register for The Elephant Room in San Jose and join us next Wednesday. Come by yourself, or bring a team. BONUS: We are now able to let anyone and everyone register under the discounted student rate (just $29). If you already paid the full rate, don’t get mad at me. Be thankful that your money is making this event happen and helping single moms. If you feel bitter about having paid the full rate, invite a friend and we’ll let them in for free.

Wine & Dine Your Team

Last night I wined and dined the Garden City staff and deacons to thank them for what they do for our church. We had such a fun night. I gave gifts to every member of the team and spoke words of encouragement to each of them. We’re making this January appreciation dinner an annual event. We’re excited to watch this table grow as Jesus keeps building our church and as we keep training and adding leaders to the team.

Leaders, make sure you plan events to appreciate your team.

466 – 127 = 339 (Let’s Fill the Sanctuary)

Yesterday I sent the following email to my church, Garden City Church. We are now 3 & 1/2 months old as a church. Please join us in praying big for Garden City Church/Silicon Valley.

Garden City,

I moved down here to start Garden City Church with just 3 people committed to the church plant. We are now a church of about 150 adults (plus a lot of kids), so we’ve grown by 4,900%. That’s a really good growth rate.

But, I’m not satisfied. And you shouldn’t be either.

This Sunday we had 127 adults at our service. The sanctuary holds 466 adults. Do the math:

466 – 127 = 339

This Sunday we had 339 open seats, seats that could’ve been filled by people who need to hear the gospel, be discipled, and join our mission. To me, that’s unacceptable. We all know so many more people in Silicon Valley who should’ve been with us this past Sunday.

We need to solve this problem together. We need to fill the sanctuary.

I’d like you to join me in taking action to solve this problem. Let’s do 2 things together:

1. Let’s pray a 3-word prayer together: “Fill the sanctuary.” I’m praying this prayer. I’m saying, “God, fill the sanctuary. Bring more and more people into our church family, fill these 339 empty seats with people who need to hear the gospel, be discipled, and join our mission.”

2. Let’s invite people (co-workers, neighbors, etc) to join us at Garden City on Sundays at 4pm.

Our mission drives this. You’ve not just joined a church, you’ve joined a mission: Making disciples to impact the city for Jesus.

We are all on this mission together.

Let’s pray. Let’s invite. Let’s fill the sanctuary.

I love our church,
Justin

Fellowship Associates: One of the Best Things That’s Ever Happened to Me

Recently a friend of mine asked me to explain what my time has been like with the Fellowship Associates Church Planting Residency Program. This is what I said in reply: It’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.

I wish every church planter could experience the training, mentoring, friendship, and help that I’ve been receiving through Fellowship Associates.

Read this overview of the residency program.

Check out the five other guys I’m in the residency with.

Learn about the type of men Fellowship Associates is looking for and consider whether this might be for you.

2 Books For Training Men

At Garden City Church we are big on training men as leaders. As a pastor much of my time is spent investing in men who will invest their lives in other men. This is how Jesus structured his ministry and this is what Paul instructed a young church planter named Timothy to do:

“and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” -2 Timothy 2:2

Part of our training of men involves books. Before we begin the assessment process for man to become a Neighborhood Group leader/deacon* at Garden City, we have men work through the content of two books with their Neighborhood Group leader:

1. Church Planter: The Man, the Message, the Mission by Darrin Patrick. This book lays out the kind of men we want to build at Garden City.

2. Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. This book lays out what we want our men to believe, live for, and die for at Garden City.

Men/pastors/leaders, if you’re looking for some content by which to train your men, consider making use of these two great books.

*NOTE: We also have women serve and lead in the role of deacon at Garden City. Our female deacons at Garden City are doing a fantastic job at leading people to Christ, discipling others, leading from the stage on Sundays, and helping make the ministry of the church happen.

Year-End Giving: Give to Garden City Church

It’s that time of the year, time to think about year-end giving. This year I’d like you to think about giving a year-end gift to Garden City Church.

This year I moved my family 30 miles south, to Silicon Valley, to start Garden City Church. On the day we moved we had just 3 people committed to the church plant and just 3,000 dollars in the church bank account. It was a move of faith, banking on God’s calling on my life and Jesus’ promise to build his church. Today Garden City Church is 11 weeks old and we have about 150 people in our church. Right now the strongest evangelist in our church is Sameer, a former Hindu who heard the gospel for the first time 3 Sundays ago, was converted, and is now telling everybody about Jesus.

In short, Jesus is doing a great work at Garden City Church and I want you to invest in it.

Garden City Church is a wise investment of your charitable giving. Our church is growing and making a real impact in Silicon Valley. Everything we do as a church is driven by our mission: Making disciples to impact the city for Jesus. What we’re experiencing these first 11 weeks is, I believe, just the beginning of the big things God want to do through our church.

You can respond to this email in 2 ways:

1) Make a year-end gift to Garden City through an online donation or by mailing a check to:

Garden City Church, 6455 Almaden Expwy Suite 207, San Jose, CA 95120

2) Become a partner of Garden City Church. Join the team of people, churches, and institutions who are investing in Garden City over the course of the next 1-2 years. Some partners are investing at the rate of $1,000 per month, others at a rate of $100 per month. To learn how to join the team, contact us at: admin[at]gardencitysanjose.com

The Strongest Evangelist in Our Church

Right now the strongest evangelist in our church is Sameer, a former Hindu who was converted through the ministry of Garden City Church just three Sundays ago. Immediately after Jesus saved Sameer, Sameer began sharing the gospel with other people and inviting them to church on Sundays and to our mid-week Neighborhood Groups. People in our church who have been Christians for decades are learning evangelism from watching Sameer, a fifteen-day-old Christian.

Friends, Jesus saves. Believe it. Preach it. Pray it. Share it.

I’m preaching my guts out at Garden City, banking on the truth that Jesus makes dead people come alive and that Jesus builds his church.

Garden City Church is ten weeks old, and Jesus is on the move. And Sameer is a fifteen days saved, and he’s begun writing about it on his own blog. Click here to read Sameer’s story in his own words. Below is the lead in:

I attended Garden City three weeks ago as a guest with my childhood friend John. It was an ordinary day and I wasn’t expecting much. During the sermon, I heard the gospel for the first time. My legs were trembling, and my heart was sweating. I felt Jesus for the first time.

Photo: Michael Ziegler

The Work of A Pastor is Difficult

The work of a pastor is difficult. Very few Christians lose sleep over the state of their church, the spiritual health of the body, the collective faithfulness or unfaithfulness of the congregation. But pastors do. This is something very few people who aren’t pastors can understand, isn’t it? While pastors carry the weight of their own struggles, and likely the weight of the struggles of their friends and family, they also carry the weight of the struggles of an entire church. They are responsible for more; they are accountable for much. -Jared Wilson, Gospel Wakefulness, p. 192.

I Love My Church

This is a guest post by Danielle Vargas, a member of Garden City Church.

I LOVE MY CHURCH

Every week, and sometimes multiple times a week, I find myself saying, “I love my church!” I love that. Here are some reasons why:

1. What you see is what you get. The people are real, honest, and want to live life with you.

2. My church is passionate about non-believers AND believers knowing Jesus and understanding the gospel.

3. My church loves my city.

4. The mission and vision aren’t just sayings on a website, it’s the fuel that drives the members.

5. The leaders are visionaries. They inspire me to dream big dreams and pray big prayers.