Start your year right by joining us this January, 2012 as we engage in worship together, experience great teaching, listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us and focus on our mission to reach the earth with the Gospel.

FEATURED SPEAKERS
Josh Kouri, Bryan Mowrey, and Bo Noonan.

LEADING WORSHIP
Jordan Dillon

WHERE?
Doubletree Hotel St. Louis at Westport
1973 Craigshire Road
Saint Louis, Missouri 63146

MORE INFO & REGISTRATION AT MOBILISEUSA.ORG

PROMO VIDEO

Email subscribers click here

We wont be looking into relationships and redemption like with the character of Samson, but we will be tackling another “sensitive issue”. Poe will be helping us grow in how to hear God. We’ll be exploring the spiritual gift of prophecy among other topics.

Sam is an elder at New Community Church in Tacoma, Washington. Please join us as we grow in being a people who hear what Jesus says.

1. We send people on short term Life Change Teams to places like Zimbabwe (happening March 9-18, 2012).
2. We teach about it during our Sunday gatherings (get ready for our upcoming series Adventure: Pursuing Hazardous Action).
3. We start new churches in places we’ve never lived, to reach people we don’t even know (just like how Destination started).
4. We pray for our city, our region, our nation and the nations (we did that in our weekly prayer time this morning).
5. We give lots of money to fund these mission initiatives (we do that monthly and annually).
6. We write articles and publications about it (current Link magazine edition).
7. We invite people to speak at our church who LOVE Gods mission (upcoming guest speakers Sam Poe Oct 30th and Bryan Mowrey Dec 4th).

If this is a newer concept for you, it’s actually pretty simple to get your head around and understand what it means in your own life. In fact, we’d like for you to get a really good grasp of it and we have the perfect way for you to do so. We’d like to draw your attention to our most recent edition of The Link magazine, a publication by NewfrontiersUSA. There are three short articles, but go ahead and start with the first one to whet your appetite (click here if you can’t see the embedded version below).

Begin your mission, click “expand” …

Email subscribers click here.

The Celebration Midwest conference is an opportunity for us to gather with Midwest Newfrontiers churches for vision, worship, teaching and seeking God in prayer. Those who attend the conference really experience a renewed vision and fresh faith.

Our goal is to have a dozen Destinationers attend the Celebration Midwest conference this year on June 3-5 at the campus of the University of Central Missouri. UCM is located 40 miles east of Kansas City, MO.

Find out more information here and sign up: Celebration.NewfrontiersUSA.org

There are two extremes. The first is to run away from culture and become isolated. The second is to become so much like the culture that truly following Christ is abandoned. I wanted to share this helpful resource with you from our global Newfrontiers magazine which tackles the tension of these extremes. Please take a few minutes to read:

Relating to Culture by Jonathan Bell from Birmingham, UK

One of the great questions we often ask is “are leaders born or made?” The answer is both. It is evident that some people seem to demonstrate a natural gift of leadership. On the other hand, it is also true that there are factors within our control that, if cultivated, can enable us to develop into leaders. Of course Christ has set apart those who are to lead His Church; however, the Great Commission is for everyone. Everyone leads, as we are all called to influence others for the Kingdom.

Our traditional view of leaders as gifted, charismatic people seems to cause many to limit both God and themselves. Too often we disqualify ourselves from having leadership ability if we do not possess certain characteristics.

Leaders are ordinary people.

Take a moment and consider this simple but significant truth!

In his book The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge writes: “Most of the outstanding leaders I have worked with are neither tall nor especially handsome; they are often mediocre public speakers; they do not stand out in a crowd; they do not mesmerize an attending audience with their brilliance or eloquence.”

We see this “ordinary factor” of leadership in many biblical examples. The great Old Testament leader David in fact, was so ordinary that even his own father didn’t realize his potential!

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 has always been helpful to me in regard to the type of people God often calls as leaders. Whether it’s a shepherd boy like David, or a church full of immature but enthusiastic believers like those in Corinth, God seems to delight in using the weak and foolish to accomplish His plans.

How do people become leaders?

Amazing as it is, one often becomes a leader through home life, failure and crisis.

The influence of one’s home life is a part of God’s process. Many leaders have had difficulties growing up, but God is redemptive. Our childhood shapes us as we experience God’s healing grace, which transforms us and leads us to have compassion toward others.

Failure is not the issue. The issue is how one responds to failure, and our response is determinative in our leadership development. George Washington lost four out of five major battles he fought. Lincoln suffered bankruptcy and was a West Point reject. Failure is a tool in God’s hand for shaping leaders.

Crisis also shapes us as we’re either crushed by it, or develop character through it. We can choose to resolve within ourselves to reach for greater heights. Churchill, famous for eloquence, had a speech impediment as a boy. Peter often stuck his foot in his mouth. Moses had problems speaking and asked God to have his brother Aaron speak for him. People that not only use crisis experiences as learning tools, but gain motivation from their failures as well, demonstrate leadership. Leaders are not people who escape failure…they’re people who overcome adversity.

With faithful service comes greater responsibility.

“One who is faithful in very little, is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10).

Leaders are diligent in the task assigned, even if the task seems insignificant. You may feel a sense that you should help out even if you feel inadequate. Sensitivity to the needs around you and a willingness to serve faithfully demonstrates leadership potential. Availability and faithfulness in one’s task mark a leader. During this stage you will develop skills and spiritual gifts as you learn to relate to people in ways that will motivate and influence them. Faithfulness in your assignments while developing skills leads to even greater responsibility.

Some questions to ask yourself: Do you see these tasks as coming from God? Do you view these tasks as a job that has to be done out of duty, or done for the sake of personal recognition?

Leaders are learners.

Learners assume an attitude of being teachable and trainable. Solomon said, “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance” (Proverbs 1:5).

It is vital to connect with other leaders who are willing to come alongside you. It is not the accomplishments of a mentor or coach that makes them a valuable ally, but what they observe in others that counts. Paul’s year at Antioch with Barnabas, which included “on the job” experience, was a springboard for Paul’s apostolic ministry. Leaders are called to receive input, as well as give helpful input to others.

The process of leadership development hinges upon current leaders who are willing to invest in others, just as Barnabas did with Paul: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2).

Paul also followed Barnabas’ model in developing other willing learners. Paul told Timothy, “You… have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings…” (2 Timothy 3:10).

God has intentions for this earth. He commanded us to pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven. He commissioned us to go and make disciples of all nations. God has designs for the nations and He has designs for you!

“Whom shall we send and who will go?”

The need is great in our local churches and communities. As we look to plant reproducing churches in the top 100 cities, I am praying for people who will answer, “Here am I, send me!”

Read the entire Link publication here

John is a good friend of ours and has been an enormous help in the initiation and formation of the church. John will be here with his wife Linda to encourage and build up the church. Come with an expectation to receive fresh vision as God stirs us through Johns experience and teaching.

We had the privilege of receiving John at the same time last year. It was one of the highlights of 2009, something we still talk about! Sunday December 5th would be an unfortunate Sunday to miss. I want to challenge and encourage you to make it a priority. Let’s make December 2010 a great month for Destination as we move ahead into our third year of existence!

The week following Johns visit we start our two week Christmas teaching series Christmas Came Early. Don’t you LOVE the holidays?

Have we started Destination Church Chicago because it’s the cool thing to do? What is our motivation? What drives us and holds us together? What helps us maintain our focus on the mission of God and not get sidetracked? What is our history? How are we connected, encouraged and accountable? One simple word: Newfrontiers (ok, it’s really two words)!

Ed Stetzers blog recently commented that Newfrontiers was starting churches before it was trendy. As Destination Church continues to start more churches in Chicago, we do so because God has called us into an authentic ownership of His plans.

Watch this 4 minute video to learn about our exciting origins as a church. Visit this Sunday and experience it for yourself …

One of our values at Destination is that we love starting and growing churches. We have a HUGE vision to plant reproducing churches in the top 100 cities of the USA. It is so important that we take our eyes off our own city and grasp God’s bigger plan to reach the nations.

If you like Destination then you are going to LOVE Celebration! The event is open to anyone and will occur over the weekend of June 4-6 at the University of Central Missouri.

Register Now For Celebration Midwest

We already have a number of people signed up for the conference. If you’ve been thinking about it then don’t hesitate any longer. Online registration closes midnight Monday May 24. Phone bookings will still be available.

Watch the 2010 Video

We have made some tweaks for the 2010 internship to make it even more fruitful. If you have 4 weeks this summer and you want to accelerate your spiritual development, then apply for the Summer Internship. It WILL change your perspective, deepen your heart for the lost and give you the confidence you’ve always wanted to effectively engage with the unchurched in a natural way.

So how will the internship work? I’m glad you asked!

We’ll focus on running a number of booths at festivals over weekends, which will be the bulk of the work. And, then we’ll follow up during the week in personal ways with those who requested more information about the church. Festivals provide a natural context to engage about spiritual matters and collect contact details. Unfortunately, many of the simple evangelism methods of the past no longer work in our culture. Street preaching is a BIG no-no, door-to-door barely works. But, engaging in continual surveying at summer festivals with 100′s of people provides a powerful and relevant method to connect people to Jesus and His church.

If you are a regular or member of Destination Church please add these weekends to your calendar: July 26th – August 22nd, 2010

Please spread the word. If you happen to know of any potential interns or if you are considering it yourself, waste no more time, apply now.

Apply Now For The Destination Church Summer Internship 2010

Check Out The 2009 Video