nickblevins.com

7|22, or 722, or 7:22, or 7.22 as it has sometimes been written, will no longer take place on Tuesday nights in ATL.  I heard about it from Carlos on Twitter, which linked to his blog post, where he had this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDU46C4obsc 

7|22 had such an impact on my life that I felt I had to blog about it.  It was probably about 5 years ago when I started watching 7|22 services online, thanks to a tip from a friend who lived in ATL at the time and attended every week.  Louie taught like few preachers I’d ever heard, and the impact on my life was immeasurable.  Sometimes I would sing right along………with a video………that wasn’t live……….and it was powerful.  I will admit that part of the draw for me was simply style preference, when talking about the music.  But the messages Louie gave were clear, helpful, challenging, and most of all, passionately inspirational. 

I had grown up in church, given my life to Christ, and was pursuing the American Dream.  7|22 launched me into a path that changed all of that.  From there I listened to messages from Andy Stanley regularly, attended Passion Conferences and dove head first into learning what it takes for a church to engage culture and reach people the way Jesus did.  I read tons of books, attended conferences, and listened to all the interviews and conference messages I could get my hands on.  In 2004 I dreamed of what a church that was designed to reach unchurched people would look like.  I believed (and still do) that very few existed in Baltimore, and desperately wanted to change that……….but still hadn’t really thought of working for a church.

Little did I know that today I would be working for a church like the one I dreamed of.  Not only that, more and more churches are being planted and who knows, maybe one day my BIG prayer will be answered.  All that to say, thanks 7|22 for pointing me towards what I believe God created me to do and helping me become passionate about God rather than just going through the motions.

I just listened to the Passion Podcast from June 27 where Louie finished it out by responding to the rumors that he and Chris Tomlin are planting a church in Atlanta.  Louie confirmed that he and his wife Shelley have been feeling called to plant a church for some time now.  When I first mentioned this it was a rumor and I posted some questions that came to my mind, and I knew would come to the minds of others.  Here they are, with some of my thoughts (which mean absolutely nothing!)

Why?: 

Louie answered that one on the podcast.  I’ve always loved how Passion has tried to listen to God’s leading rather than establish a specific plan that would be in place for decades.  I think God uses both but clearly the way Passion has gone about it has worked for them.  It would be hard for anybody who has heard Louie speak often, to question their motives. 

Why Atlanta, where Louie’s home church North Point is alive and kicking?

One thing I have to clarify is that I believe Atlanta could probably use a few thousand more churches, so I think planting another church there is a great idea.  North Point will come to people’s minds, as it did mine, because of Louie & Andy Stanley’s friendship and some people will think competition.  I don’t think it’s out of the question that a lot of people would leave North Point to help with this new expression Louie will help lead.  I don’t think that’s a bad thing though.  How great would it be if North Point intentionally partnered with Louie to send “church plant missionaries”?  Of course, that’s assuming Louie and that team of planters would want that.  North Point has a kingdom mindset and this would be a great way to really act on it.

What does this mean for Passion? 

Louie didn’t seem to comment on this and I have no idea but if it doesn’t go on, it will be missed.  However, the impact thus far will last for decades.  One of the biggest reasons I am in vocational ministry today is because of Passion and Louie’s teaching.  That doesn’t mean much by itself but I’m sure that’s true for others as well.

How many churched people will show up because of star appeal?

As I mentioned above, I think a ton of “church” people will want to help out.  Once again, I don’t think that’s bad as long as they “get it” and are hoping to contribute, and not just consume.  Churches that exist to reach the unchurched always attract Christians and so a big challenge is how to clearly communicate the vision and strategy of each church so those Christians stay for the right reasons, or head to another church because it’s obvious they wouldn’t fit.  Louie would probably have to deal with this more than most churches, but Louie communicates vision as clearly as anyone.

How will that be received by local churches who will probably whine and cry like crazy?

I just hope they’re supportive and don’t whine and cry.  It’s interesting to me how the most kingdom minded church leaders seem to have the largest, fastest-growing churches while the “me/mine” leaders struggle. 

Chris Tomlinmentioned on the podcast that some magazine stated that Atlanta would have 2 million more people by 2020 than they do now, which would make it the largest population growth in the U.S.  There are some great churches in Atlanta, but not nearly enough for the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lost people there.  I prayed for Louie and the team because that’s all Louie asked for and I hope that as much as it depends on them, they are successful.  I’ll be forever grateful to Louie and the Passion team for the impact they have had on my life and I wish that for thousands of others in Atlanta.