Explanation & Invitation
As you know, we’ve been considering several questions like these for the past couple of years:
As we have prayed through these matters, we have reached a core conviction for us as a couple:
WE BELIEVE THAT RCC WILL ONLY BE AS GOOD AS ITS COMMITMENT TO TRAINING LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE.
We feel compelled to give our primary energy to help others become fully devoted disciples of Jesus who become spiritual leaders who can help the church do what it’s supposed to do. We believe as we begin the second half of our ministry years that our priority has to be investing in future generations.
Further, we are not interested in cultivating people simply for church work. We want to invest ourselves in people who will master the art of spiritual influence seven days a week in every conceivable environment in which they find themselves. The verse that summarizes what we sense the Holy Spirit saying to us is found in Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae:
“Just as you received Christ, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6-7)
With this in mind, we have been prayerfully looking for …
You’re receiving this letter because we’d like you to think about spending nine months of Monday evenings with a DEEP small group in our home, where we can work through what it means to be a person of spiritual depth and influence. We’re talking about something that’s more than just leadership; it’s an attempt to explore how a person can be spiritually influential. DEEP is all about developing a new generation of leaders who will maintain our church’s faithfulness to its mission of helping people find and follow Jesus.
We believe YOU have the potential to make a difference in the life of our church and in the life of our community! The key word that describes you is growable. You have shown that you want to mature as a Jesus follower and in your ability to influence others.
Here is a broad outline of what you’ll experience during the nine month journey: reading, temperament studies, examining the marks of Christian character, identifying spiritual gifts and leadership skill development. We will do everything with an emphasis on group dialogue, prayer, storytelling, shadowing other leaders, and linking up with mentors in the congregation.
This is what we’d expect of you: First, unless you are dying, we’ll expect you to gather with us every Monday night. Second, we will always start on time. Promptness is part of the deal. And we need to agree that no one leaves early. We’ll be together for the evening. Third, you participate. No one gets a free pass from conversation. Fourth, you will have a mentor, an older person or couple from the church that you will meet with once a month.
We don’t want you to accept our invitation until you’ve spent some time thinking through the implications. It’s going to mean every Monday night for about 35 weeks. It will require getting to our home in Penn Hills early, staying late, being prepared, diving into the events with nothing held back, and giving yourself to some challenging work. Are you ready for this? Don’t say “yes” until you’ve prayed your way to a decision, and you’re sure, because once you say “yes,” you’ve begun a covenant relationship – not just with us but also with a dozen other people. Please feel free to contact us with questions. Our affection for you will not change whether you say yes or no.
Sincerely,
David & Amie Kennard
- What might happen if RCC made the intentional development of deep people among its highest priorities?
- What if we decided that our greatest responsibility was to lead the effort to produce a continuous flow of deep people?
- How can RCC enlarge its core with deep people who are prepared to take us into tomorrow showing the Christ-following life and inspiring us to fulfill the mission God has given us?
- What if we considered RCC a teaching church in the same way that some hospitals are called teaching hospitals?
- Are we prepared to back off some things we’ve always enjoyed doing to focus on a relatively small group of “growable” people?
- Could there be a small group environment where we refuse to allow mediocrity, laziness, or spotty participation to be the standard?
As we have prayed through these matters, we have reached a core conviction for us as a couple:
WE BELIEVE THAT RCC WILL ONLY BE AS GOOD AS ITS COMMITMENT TO TRAINING LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE.
We feel compelled to give our primary energy to help others become fully devoted disciples of Jesus who become spiritual leaders who can help the church do what it’s supposed to do. We believe as we begin the second half of our ministry years that our priority has to be investing in future generations.
Further, we are not interested in cultivating people simply for church work. We want to invest ourselves in people who will master the art of spiritual influence seven days a week in every conceivable environment in which they find themselves. The verse that summarizes what we sense the Holy Spirit saying to us is found in Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae:
“Just as you received Christ, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Colossians 2:6-7)
With this in mind, we have been prayerfully looking for …
- People who are teachable. Individuals who ask good questions, who take seriously the Christ-following life, who go out of their way to grow spiritually.
- People with essential social skills. People who show respect and regard for others, who are not so argumentative or abrasive or touchy that they don’t fit well with others.
- People who will not simply sit for an entire evening saying nothing. We want “players” who are unafraid to mix it up, experiment with ideas, move the conversation along, and venture opinions.
You’re receiving this letter because we’d like you to think about spending nine months of Monday evenings with a DEEP small group in our home, where we can work through what it means to be a person of spiritual depth and influence. We’re talking about something that’s more than just leadership; it’s an attempt to explore how a person can be spiritually influential. DEEP is all about developing a new generation of leaders who will maintain our church’s faithfulness to its mission of helping people find and follow Jesus.
We believe YOU have the potential to make a difference in the life of our church and in the life of our community! The key word that describes you is growable. You have shown that you want to mature as a Jesus follower and in your ability to influence others.
Here is a broad outline of what you’ll experience during the nine month journey: reading, temperament studies, examining the marks of Christian character, identifying spiritual gifts and leadership skill development. We will do everything with an emphasis on group dialogue, prayer, storytelling, shadowing other leaders, and linking up with mentors in the congregation.
This is what we’d expect of you: First, unless you are dying, we’ll expect you to gather with us every Monday night. Second, we will always start on time. Promptness is part of the deal. And we need to agree that no one leaves early. We’ll be together for the evening. Third, you participate. No one gets a free pass from conversation. Fourth, you will have a mentor, an older person or couple from the church that you will meet with once a month.
We don’t want you to accept our invitation until you’ve spent some time thinking through the implications. It’s going to mean every Monday night for about 35 weeks. It will require getting to our home in Penn Hills early, staying late, being prepared, diving into the events with nothing held back, and giving yourself to some challenging work. Are you ready for this? Don’t say “yes” until you’ve prayed your way to a decision, and you’re sure, because once you say “yes,” you’ve begun a covenant relationship – not just with us but also with a dozen other people. Please feel free to contact us with questions. Our affection for you will not change whether you say yes or no.
Sincerely,
David & Amie Kennard