Next Steps for Overflow Collective

God's given us a clear vision of making disciples, being the church, and planting churches. More than anything, we want to continue moving forward in obedience to this vision of seeing His Kingdom advance. Our leadership team feels confidently that God's given us some clear next steps. While in some ways this will change a lot... in other ways, it will change nothing.

Regardless of how long you've been connected with us, you've probably heard us casting the same vision as I just referenced. We've been saying that Overflow Collective is "One church engaging Jesus' mission as multiple churches." We've challenged you to think of church beyond Sunday morning through our MCCs (Missional Church Communities). "THANK YOU" for joining everyone else on this journey. Have we, as a leadership team, done everything right? Have we communicated everything as clearly as we wanted to? No, most likely not, but, we haven't relented from striving to lead you into a culture of making disciples, being the church, and planting churches.

With all that being said, we've reached a point from an organizational standpoint that we need to make some shifts to continue moving forward in this big picture vision we've been casting. 

Practically what's going to happen?

1) Overflow Collective will become a network of church plants/developing churches more so than a term related to a Sunday gathering at South-Doyle High. The graphic below gives a visual example of what we mean by this.

2) What happens at South-Doyle High on Sunday mornings will become a Sunday gathering of Aroma Church. Most of you either already know Benji or you have been able to get to know him over the last year. He is a South Knoxville guy with a strong desire to see the area where he was born, raised and has lived to become transformed with the love and life of Jesus. It's time for us to plant Aroma Church to the fullest, which includes the Sunday gatherings at South-Doyle High. The first "official" Sunday of this switch will be Easter Sunday, April 20th. Between now and then, we'll be working mostly behind the scenes to transition leadership, planning, and organizing to reflect Aroma Church and their specific vision, but we'll still refer to the Sunday gathering at South-Doyle as a gathering of Overflow Collective until Easter Sunday.

3) I (Josh) will be transitioning to begin church planting in North Knoxville where our family lives. Starting January 26th, we'll be having Sunday gatherings in North Knoxville every other Sunday. After Easter Sunday, we'll be gathering in North Knoxville every Sunday. I'll continuing coaching all of our the guys leading churches and communities within the Overflow Collective network.

4) We'll also continue developing our Catalyst and Montgomery Village MCCs toward becoming eventual church plants. For example, the last Sunday of this month, the Montgomery Village MCC will actually be meeting in their separate context on Sunday morning. Catalyst on the other hand, will continue to meet on Sunday mornings with Aroma while working to form a foundation in Seymour.

I'm really excited about next steps for Aroma and everyone involved in all that God is doing throughout Overflow Collective. As we look down the road, we'll bring everyone back together a few times throughout the year to celebrate the bigger picture of all that God is doing within Overflow Collective.

What does this mean for you?

First, pray and discern where God is leading you to submit to Him as your authority, but to give you some potential direction and clarity, here are 5 potential scenarios for you to consider...

1) While there will naturally be some shifts and changes to what's going on with Sunday gatherings at South-Doyle High as it becomes led by Aroma, you're welcome to move forward with them. Many of you have been connecting with Aroma throughout the week, so this will be a natural progression for you. Next week, January 19th, Benji will be sharing general vision for Aroma moving forward. In 2 weeks, when Montgomery Village and North Knoxville are gathering separate, Benji will be drilling down into the specifics of Aroma. 

2) If God leads and you sense it may be a fit for you to join us in forming a new church family of believers on mission, I'd love to have a conversation with you about what we're doing. Initially, our gatherings will have a feel very similar to what many of us were doing over the summer. We're focusing on creating a disciple-making culture that empowers each other, not on launching a Sunday morning service. While the Sunday service may happen at some point, there's a lot of disciple-making and community building that needs to happen first. 

3) With Catalyst, if God leads you to continue or begin walking with this community, they'll continue meeting as a community just as they are now and will join with Aroma on Sunday mornings.

4) With Montgomery Village, if God leads you to continue or begin walking with this community, they'll continue progressing forward by building community throughout the week and gathering on Sundays with Aroma when they aren't gathering separately in Montgomery Village

5) Perhaps God will lead you to connect with a completely different set of people. If that's the case, take everything you've hopefully learned with us and go be the church and advance the Kingdom. Again, we'd love to help you process through what God may be leading you to do.

To clarify... The first "official" Sunday of this switch will be Easter Sunday, April 20th. When it comes to Sundays, there won't be a lot of change until Easter other than occasionally (1 or 2x per month) when some people will begin gathering separately on Sundays (Montgomery Village and North Knoxville). However, please don't think these changes are primarily about Sunday because through the week and behind the scenes there will be a lot of relationship building and planning that needs to continue to happen.

All of us on our leadership team are more than willing to have a conversation over coffee and talk through these next steps with you, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Is Christ Gone From "Christ"mas?

I love spending time with family on Christmas, and we try hard to not go crazy with the gift buying. However, I really wonder why we even call Christmas "Christmas" anymore. The stress, worry, and obsessiveness with stuff clearly says Christ has basically been forgotten. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the "Keep Christ in Christmas" gestures, but the reality is that He's been removed. Our actions speak much louder than the nice statements we put on shirts, signs, and bumper-stickers. Our behavior gives much more perspective on how most people view Christmas than the crafty sermons we may preach and/or listen to within our churches.

According to the Pew Forum, 73% of Americans identify themselves as "Christians." A quick review of the gospels would clearly reveal our nation has greatly misunderstood what it means to be a Christian. Nevertheless, at least in the terms of what America has come to know as Christianity, "Christians" are to blame as much as anyone for the Christ-less-ness of Christmas since we "account" for 73% of the population.

Yes, I know, it ultimately comes down to how we each respond to Christmas and to Christ. Regardless though, many people today (the day after Christmas) will have more stuff in their homes because of "Christ"mas yet they care very little about whether or not they will live surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord. I'm amazed by how our seemingly "politically correct" culture isn't offended by the fact their money-making machine known as "Christ"mas primarily exists because of the Savior of the World, Jesus Christ, who they've deemed to be politically "in-correct".

I don't have an answer that'll work to resolve this issue, and maybe all I've done is state the obvious. I just know the things that I wrestle with within myself lead me to feel like I'm often swimming upstream even in the midst of the waters known as "church" and "Christianity." However, I guess the result of going against the flow will only make me stronger and more desperate in my pursuit to know Jesus simply and authentically.