Really enjoyed the beginning of the ARC All Access Conference today. First of all, it’s just great to get away with Dara. Our life is utterly dominated by our four kids these days, so any time away is refreshing for us. (Special thanks to my mom for coming from Orlando to watch the kids this week!)

We got to hear from the president of the ARC, Billy Hornsby, tonight. It is so great to be a part of a greater initiative than our own. The ARC has raised $50 million dollars for church planting in the past 8 years. Absolutely amazing.

One of the most thought-provoking quotes came when Billy said, “Waiting for the church planter is a post-Christian nation with disdain for the local church.” At first glance, that might not seem too inspiring. Once you sink your teeth into it, though, it is filled with inspiration.

We are called to a nation that has seen so much coming from the Christian world and has decided it’s not for them. They have seen things that have pushed them away. Judgement, bickering, hurtfulness, etc. Our role as a new generation of church planters is to re-establish a relationship based upon the Biblical principles of love and servanthood with our community. When we establish these things, the hurt and pain from the past begin to melt away as Christ is represented in the way that he has been all along. Loving. Caring. Relationship-centered.

Matt Fry (lead pastor of C3 Church) then gave a great talk on the topic of healthy hearts. The premise of this talk was the fact that healthy hearts produce healthy churches. If we as pastors have healthy hearts, our churches will follow suit. Great night. Looking forward to tomorrow.