President's page

Recently EMCC President, Phil Delsaut addressed the denomination's two  regional Gatherings, held first in Kitchener, ON and then two weeks later in Red Deer, AB. He spoke on a Great Commission theme: "Life-on-Life Transformation: Being like Jesus with the People Jesus Would be  With." His message outline follows. 

President’s Address
Life-on-Life Transformation:
Being like Jesus with the people Jesus would be with.

The 3-fold question: Do you love me? (John 21)

The 3-fold command: Feed my sheep

Inevitably involves the Great Commission
John 10:16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Great Commission

• Rooted in Relationship
• Less about the Commission and More about the ‘COMMISSIONER’
• John 21:19 ‘Follow Me’ UNDERLIES ‘Feed My Sheep’
• Advanced through Relationship
• Life-on-Life Transformation: Being like Jesus with the people Jesus would be with

My Relationship to Jesus

1. I have begun following Jesus, and am depending on the Spirit of Jesus in my journey.
2. I am being sent by Jesus to bless others and invite them to follow Him.
3. I am learning to be like Jesus in my attitudes, behaviours, character.
4. I am learning to love God by obeying Him and loving others by serving them.
5. I am learning the teachings of Jesus.
6. I am helping someone and someone is helping me to be a growing follower of Jesus.
7. I am participating in a community on mission to the world.

The “God-modeled, Jesus-Led, Spirit-Empowered” Community on Mission

• Even as the Father has sent Me…
• All that Jesus began to do and teach…
• Receive Power…

Each follower carries the seed of a new community

• New Groups for New People
• ‘I have other sheep… I must bring them also.’
• Less about method and more about values

Values Driven: Not about methodology
We value…

• Relationship
• Courage
• Creativity and diversity
• Catalyzing and empowering
• The Spirit’s leading
• All people
• Provision by God
• Uncluttered Lives
• Humility

Reclaiming our Mission

• Think Like a ‘Missionary’
• North American realities
• ‘Sentness’ must drive us
• Not money driven
• Affirm ‘Living on Mission’

Three Paradigm Shifts

• FROM internal focus TO external focus
• FROM church focus TO kingdom focus
• FROM program focus TO people focus

New Groups for New People

• NT Pattern
• Fact of Church History
• Fact of Life
• Think ‘like a missionary’
• ‘I have other sheep… I must bring them also.’

Church Planting

• A Call for ‘move in’ teams
• 3 to 5 individuals or couples
• To pray and be present

Church Planting flows from Mission

1. It is all about following Jesus
2. Articulate the life of a disciple in simple, memorable terms (See the 7 Fold Way)
3. ‘new groups for new people’
4. Priority: Self-sufficient teams that will ‘move into the neighbourhoods’
5. Explore new ways of ‘being the church’ – think like a missionary
6. Adopt best contextual way to ‘do church’
7. Support and training using an ‘in-service’ model
8. Each believer OWNS the importance of following Jesus – Jesus said, ‘YOU, follow ME.’

New Groups for New People

EMCC embraces church planting that recruits, equips, deploys and networks self-sufficient teams to pioneer creative and relevant expressions of the Christian church.

Great Commission

• Rooted in Relationship
• Advanced through Relationship

Do you love me?

Feed my sheep: Follow Me

For more information on various points visit The 3-Fold Paradigm Shift, Church Planting Manifesto, Summary and Manifesto on Church Planting, full text.

Pastor Phil
April 23, 2010