Prayer & Fasting "Let's Get it Rockin"

Alright Next Levelites... Here we go! It's Prayer-Time! I'm so thankful that so many of us are stepping out in faith and fasting for breakthroughs across the NLC World!

For more info on Fasting go to: www.NextLevelChurch.com/fasting.

Here are a list of Prayer Points to be sure to lift up to God throughout the day:

• The Future Facility for Next Level Church. We are in a Season of Preparation as a church. Our crew that's searching for a future facility for NLC are working like dogs! Keep praying that God will show us exactly what He has for us!


• Also pray for the next Future Facility Offering we will be receiving on Sunday, September 27th! Pray that God will continue to bless the people of NLC and continue to prompt their hearts to give above and beyond the normal Tithe.


• The Peopel of NLC:

1. Jobs - Every week we hear the stories of how God is opening doors miraculously for people in their careers!


2. Promotions - Keep believing for God's favor on people in the marketplace!


3. Breakthroughs - There are so many families across NLC that need Jesus to bring a big ole' breakthrough in some area of their lives. Let's believe for that together!


4. To Get out of Debt - So many across the NLC World are working to get their financial houses in order. Pray for God's blessing, favor and discipline to be upon them as they seek to do money God's way!


5. Miracles in Relationships - Pray for marriages that are hurting, dating relationships to be God-honoring and families to be restored!


6. To Continue to Engage SOAP-ing on a Daily Basis. - When people spend time with Jesus they become more like Him. Pray that the people of NLC will become more like Jesus in the next month than they ever have been.

• NLC’s Fall Semester of Connection Groups. On September 13th, we are  launching 100 Connection Groups all across Southwest Florida! These CG’s are small group environments for people to connect and go deeper in their relationship with God and with others. Pray for the dozens of new and existing Leaders to lead diligently and do the work of seeking out people to fill their groups.


• Pray for every person within NLC to join at least 1 Connection Group this fall. We believe that if people will connect to one another, they'll connect to life.


• Our NLC Missionaries:

1. Luke Walters – In Sri Lanka right now holding crusades, evangelizing and    training leaders for the Gospel.


2. Christ for India – Jameson, Johnson and Mary (their mother) Titus.  Pray for the Seminary, Children’s School with 800 children, Medical Clinics and Church Planting across India.


3. Kelly and Kathy Johnson – Kenya. Pray for favor as they continue to train dozens of pastors across the nation of Kenya. Pray for our team as we prepare to go in September.


4. Mark and Stephanie Pyles – Dominican Republic. Pray for their “Youth Church” that is reaching teenagers and 20-somethings in Santiago, DR. The 2nd largest city in the entire nation.

• The Communities of Palmetto Courts, Sabal Palms & Southwinds. God has given us favor with these 3 struggling communities of people who are trying to find hope in the midst of some very dark surroundings. Pray that God will give us a presence in these communities this fall that can see hope brought to so many who are hopeless.


• Our Influence Nationally. God continues to give us favor with dozens of church planters across the country who are planting Life-Giving Churches in their communities. Pray that these Churches will stay encouraged as they pursue God's heart and vision for their communities.

I have never felt so strong that God wants to do Great Things this fall across our church, our community and our nation!

Thanks again for praying, together we’re making a difference!

Pastor Matt

Creating Home-Field Advantage in a Mobile Church Reality...

I was recently asked to write a "Guest Blog" for the Assemblies of God Church Planting Blog & Website. What follows is that post...

For 7 1/2 years, Next Level Church has existed exclusively in a mobile
reality. We spent the 1st 200 Sundays in a movie theater, growing from the
smallest theater and eventually ended up doing 2 services in the largest
theater. In nearly 400 Sundays as a Mobile Church, we've learned quite a bit
about Creating a "Home-Field Advantage" in our Mobile Reality.

With the vast majority of church plants today being launched in Mobile
Environments, the need to avoid "Mobile Fatigue" is greater than ever.

Here's what we've learned...

1.  "Mobile" doesn't mean "Less." Too many church planters unconsciously
let their language communicate that their mobile reality is less of a
church, than a permanent facility church. Being mobile is a mindset. For 7
1/2 years, we have created energy and momentum by leveraging a positive
attitude about our mobile reality from the minute people are interested in
our church.

For example, at every new member's class we say, "Can you believe the state
of Florida built us a $40 Million Dollar building and all we have to do is
set up some equipment and let them have school in here from Monday to
Friday!?!" Right from the time a person joins our church, we want them to
know, "This is who we are and we love it!"

Our staff embodies this as well. They MUST BE the champions of our mobile
reality. The can NEVER say things like, "Someday, we won't have to do all
this..." or "This is so much work, I'm tired." Nothing deflates volunteers
who are creating environments for God to change lives like that kind of
leadership.

2.  It's what you're doing, but it's not ALL you're doing. Too many
churches spend way too much time on their set up and tear down. When we
coach with some churches now, I am always amazed at how it can take upwards
of 2 1/2 hours to set up and as long as 2 hours to tear down.

We set up 4 main environments, our Foyer & Coffee Bar, a 900 seat Auditorium
with full concert quality sound and lighting, our KidsZone with 10 small
group classes, & 5 Pre-K Classrooms in less than an hour. And the bulk of
the set up is done in less than 30 minutes. Our goal in the Auditorium is 23
minutes, and most Sundays our guys get real close!

We decided long ago that the mobile reality was going to be our reality for
a long time and therefore we had to figure out how to not let it become
overwhelming to us. Constant revision and systemization is huge. (See Point
#4.)

3.  Protect your Key Leader. In the early days of our church plant, I was
highly involved in the set up reality of our church and it was horrible. I
remember well being the "door knocker guy" at the front door of our movie
theater each Sunday morning. It was a good day when Mike Ash, our associate
pastor, told me to "get lost" and "spend sometime with Jesus."

We recommend every mobile church appoints a Chief Operations Officer, or
COO, for Sunday morning who is the go-to guy/girl for the morning. When
something is missing or a coffee bar wheel is flat (trust me, it happens),
they are the person to call, not the lead pastor. (Believe me, he'll preach
a lot better if you do!)

4.  Get Systematized. A final component to avoiding mobile fatigue is
through systemization. In our coaching and training we stress the need for
systems like crazy. Everything (& I mean everything) in a church can be
broken down into a system. When we create systems, process sheets and job
descriptions for every area of our church, we create 3 Amazing Commodities
for our church:

First, systems create Predictability. Predictability creates trust in your
church attenders. And when they trust that the "Sunday Morning Product" is
going to be the same week in and week out, they're more likely to invite
their friends. Systems give you that.

Second, systems create Reproducibility. This means that a particular
environment is not dependant on a particular person being there in order for
it to be created the same. We want every area of our church (including the
sound board) to be able to be set up by a 14 year old teenager. If it's not
that simple, we keep tweeking the system. Plain and Simple.

Finally, systems create Accountability. Without a system, it's difficult to
know "Who's Butt's on the Line." And with no system to blame, unfortunately
we end up blaming people. Many good volunteers have been hurt by a leader
who blamed them instead of the lack of an adequate system.

When a system breaks down, it's easy to examine it and fix the system issue
without offending the person who may or may not have been involved.

For nearly 400 Sundays, we've see God use a Mobile Reality to change the
hearts of hundreds of people. Mobile Church is not just a passing fad or
trend, it's a way of life in the new reality we find ourselves in. If you
embrace it, your people will thank you for it.

Bio:
Matt Keller is the lead pastor of Next Level Church in Fort Myers, FL and is
the author of The Up the Middle Church (www.UptheMiddle.com). Next Level
Church coaches dozens of churches each year across the country and
specializes in helping churches embrace their Mobile Reality more
effectively. To contact them, go to: www.NextLevelChurch.com. Matt can also
be found on Twitter @matthewkeller.

NLC's 1st Monday - Prayer and Fasting Day

Hello World-of-NLC:

I gotta be honest with you, I can't believe it's August already! Back to school is just around the corner and I am absolutely pumped about the opportunities God is placing in front of us in the next few months.

Thanks for setting aside the 1st Monday of August to dedicate this month to God through Prayer and Fasting. For more info on Fasting go to: www.NextLevelChurch.com/fasting.

Here are a list of Prayer Points to be sure to lift up to God throughout the day:

• The Future Facility for Next Level Church. We are in a Season of Preparation as a church. Pray that God will continue to bless the people of NLC and continue to prompt their hearts to give above and beyond the normal Tithe. The first 2 Future Facility Offerings have been extremely successful! Pray for Creative Wisdom for NLC Leadership as we seek to find the right Facility God has for us.


• The Peopel of NLC:

1. Jobs


2. Promotions


3. Breakthroughs


4. To Get out of Debt


5. Miracles in Relationships


6. To Continue to Engage SOAP-ing on a Daily Basis.

• NLC's Fall Semester of Connection Groups. In just a few weeks we're going to be launching 100 Connection Groups all across Southwest Florida! These CG's are small group environments for people to connect and go deeper in their relationship with God and with others. Pray for Leaders to rise up and for NLCers to take the step to plug in.


• The Shuffle Series that begins August 16th. As people prepare to go back to school and for the fall season in general, we always reconsider our priorities. Pray that the Shuffle series is a great jumpstart for people to prioritize the right things this fall, not just the urgent.


• Our NLC Missionaries:

1. Luke Walters – In Sri Lanka right now holding crusades, evangelizing and    training leaders for the Gospel.


2. Christ for India – Jameson, Johnson and Mary (their mother) Titus.  Pray for the Seminary, Children’s School with 800 children, Medical Clinics and Church Planting across India.


3. Kelly and Kathy Johnson – Kenya. Pray for favor as they continue to train dozens of pastors across the nation of Kenya. Pray for our team as we prepare to go in September.


4. Mark and Stephanie Pyles – Dominican Republic. Pray for their “Youth Church” that is reaching teenagers and 20-somethings in Santiago, DR. The 2nd largest city in the entire nation.

• The Annual Back Pack Give-Away in August! Saturday, August 15th, we are planning on giving away 5,000 packbacks to needy families across SW FL! Pray for God’s favor as we continue to need miracles by way of sponsorship and support for this event that touches thousands of families!

Thanks again for praying, together we’re making a difference!

Pastor Matt