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A Surprised Architect & Immersion Baptism

Talbot Davis June 12, 2008 at 2:04 pm 0

Back in 2003, we were designing the Worship Center we now use. I remember telling the architect that I wanted space for a portable baptismal pool so that we could do immersion baptisms in church. (The Lake Wylie baptisms in January were never very popular.)

Anyway, the architect was stunned. He'd never heard of a Methodist church doing such a thing.

Now he has. And we made the space for the pool.

The drama of immersion baptisms in front of a worshipping community on Sunday morning is without compare.

This past Sunday, we baptized eleven students. Their boldness gave courage to all who were there.

It looked something like this:

The instructions:

The question: Do you trust in Christ as Lord and Savior? They answered yes!

Getting ready:

Finished!

We use a Wiedemann Value Line Fiberglass Portable Baptistry, product # PB-SWS. It has been a good investment in eternity.

Even our architect would agree.

Good Shepherd

Confessions Of A Pastor

Talbot Davis June 5, 2008 at 4:59 pm 0

It's here: Confessions Of A Pastor.

It's a series a lot of us are excited about around here. It's based on the book of the same name by Craig Groeschel. You can see more about the book here.

Here's the series trailer:

This Sunday's installment: Sometimes I Don't Like Christians Very Much. Really? Yeah.

I bet you don't either. This Sunday you can see what to do about it. 8:30. 10:00. 11:30.

Good Shepherd

NUMB3RS Series Finale

Talbot Davis June 2, 2008 at 2:54 pm 0

James-Michael Smith brought NUMB3RS to a fitting conclusion yesterday.

Here's the video that led into his own sermon:

Trust me, the message itself had more of a point than the video!

James-Michael reminded the church that what John sees and what John hears in Revelation can be two very different things. But more than that, JMS showed the people of Good Shepherd that the more we go "full color," the more we resemble the 144,000 saints in the throneroom of Revelation 7 and Revelation 14. Amen to that.

I'm already grieving the end of NUMB3RS. Definitely our most thought-provoking series ever.

But to help with that grief, we're launching Confessions Of A Pastor this Sunday. More on that later.

Good Shepherd

NUMB3RS, Part 5: 144,000 Saints

Talbot Davis May 29, 2008 at 6:00 pm 0

So here it is. The last episode of Good Shepherd's NUMB3RS. Like the song said, I already miss it and it's not even gone yet.

We'll look at the number of 144,000. As in 144,000 saints in Revelation 14. What does it mean? Is it like some sects believe -- that's the number of "truly saved," the ones who get to reign in heaven while the lesser saved merely get a rewewed earth? Or does it have to do with something entirely different altogether -- the future of Israel, for example?

Or does this number instead serve an even greater and larger purpose? Something that will remind Good Shepherd of its walk towards "full color"?

There's only one way to find out. Sunday. 8:30. 10:00. 11:30.

Communication, Good Shepherd, Leadership

Breaking Communication Breakdowns

Talbot Davis May 28, 2008 at 9:53 am 0

I love Chip and Dan Heath's Made To Stick. That's why it's on my favorites list on this blog. Written from a corporate perspective, it's all about communication.

If you are passionate about communicating important stuff, and doing it in a way that reaches people in the 21st Century, you'll want to check it out.

Made To Stick showed me that communication needs to be simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and story-driven.

That's why so many things have changed in our communication style around here:

Moving from sermons with multiple "points" and "illustrations" to sermons with one main "point" supported by visual "animations."
Greater use of video imagery to tell stories and support songs.
A church bulletin heavy on visuals and light on "church news."
A growing commitment to "less is more." We try to avoid information overload (something into which churches easily fall) and instead highlight those things that speak to the largest number of people.

So my prayer is that what we say is "sticking" in the minds and hearts of the people of Good Shepherd.

Good Shepherd

Talbot Davis

The Heart of the Matter

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