Imago Dei Community Church

Worship Leaders for Imago Dei

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Looks like we found some worship leaders! Not too long ago, I prayed that God would really show me that he was behind this church planting vision. I asked for Him to rain down his blessings by helping us find people that might want to team up with us! No kidding, that day I got a phone call about a young man that was wanting to move to Phoenix for music school and wanted to partner with a church to lead worship!!! Over the last several weeks I have met with Brad Byrd and his fiancee Samantha from Cabot, AR to explore this partnership. God has been good to us, bringing us awesome people from different places. Brad and Samantha are proven leaders that love jesus and love others. Imago Dei is off to a good start with them!

The Seven Stages of Church Planting

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:31:00 +0000

This is a process that has been developed from Fellowship Associates. It's simply one way to look at the season and life of a church plant. My hope is to share this with others to encourage and educate and inform our ministry partners. Here are the Seven stages!

1.Preparing, 2.Gathering, 3.Evaluating, 4.Launching, 5.Developing,
6.Influencing and 7.Reproducing.

Right now Imago Dei is in the preparing stage. I (Ryan) am working hard to do four things in the preparing stage. 1) Communicate Clear Vision, Find Competent Leaders, Gather Committed People, Raise the Financial Support needed for the first year. We have already identified a worship team, and youth and children coordinator. We are currently looking for Communities Pastor, and Operational Pastor, along with many other families that would move into the city to take up jobs and serve in the church.

Please connect with our social media to help spread the word about our church plant coming to Phoenix.

Starfish and the Spider Church

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:42:00 +0000

The whole discussion of our church being a Hybrid between the two Missional and Attractional Church models came about over time. But it was a recent book that really fueled my thinking and helped me establish a language. The title is called the "StarFish and the Spider" The premise is that, "If you cut off a spider's head, it dies; if you cut off a starfish's leg it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditional top-down organizations are like spiders, but now starfish organizations are changing the face of business and the world."

This book coupled with a few other great reads like Organic Church by Neil Cole and Clusters by Missiologist Mike Breen really shaped my passion to see the church function in a whole new way. At least a new way that I have never been a part of.

Anyways, the video series you are going to see will have like 8 videos or so that will unpack how we will follow a similar pattern and philosophy in ministry to maximize creativity and gospel contextualization in as many culture as possible! Seeking to take the best of both worlds and be a Hybrid.

Coexist in Culture?

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Jesus teaches us a powerful truth about how Christians are to co-exist in their culture with non-Christians when he teaches the Parable, "The Wheat and the Weeds

"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared."- Mt 13:24-25

What's interesting is that Jesus asserts that the weeds shouldn't be pulled out, rather he urges that both the good seed (wheat) and the bad seed (weeds) be left to grow together. Why?
Well because they would both die if they were pulled to early. The roots are still tender, so He urges the farmer to leave them till harvest. Jesus further explains the parable:

"The one who sowed the seed is the son of Man (Jesus) The field is the world (culture) and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom(Christians). The weeds are the sons of the evil one, (UnChristians) and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels." - Mt 13:37-39, (Parenthesis mine).

The main point Jesus is making, is that we are in world but not of the world. (Jn 17: 15-17). We are to learn how to Coexist in our culture, yet remain strong and pure until he returns! We are Wheat in the weeds and our job is not to pull out the weeds but to live among them!

3 Points should be considered here for the believer

Pilgrim Principle: This idea is that we have are to confront cultures evils and speak out against worldly wrongs, based upon our Biblical convictions. This principle is supported in Rom 12:2, "Do not conform to the patterns of the world" and is right, one should not conform to the world, yet we remain in the world at Jesus requests (John 17:15-16).

Ingeniousness Principle: The idea here is that the gospel message comes through the listeners own cultural lens of understanding, therefore the task of the Christian is to adapt, the message to fit culture, using language, symbols, sign and customs of the culture, so that the Gospel is clearly understood. Jesus did this continually in his teachings and Paul said, "Be all things, to all people"

In but Not of Principle: Jesus said it best, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:15-16). We are in the world—that’s the indigenous principle, yet, we are not of the world—that’s the pilgrim principle. For a more exhaustive look at this look at John Piper's Article

Again we must learn how to Coexist in our culture, yet remain strong and pure in our convictions, not compromising the gospel, but living in and around those that most need it!
We are Wheat in the weeds and our job is not to pull out the weeds but to live among them!

Missional Theology Rooted in the Godhead

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:15:00 +0000

A missional theology should be rooted to the Trinity. Mission is woven into the character and nature of God himself. Within the trinity, we see that God sent his son, (cf John 3:16). The Father and the son send the spirit, (cf. John 14, and Acts 2). Finally we see that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit send us his people to proclaim the message of the kingdom.

This kind of theological understanding of who God is and who we are as "sent people" should empower us to be missional minded. As Dr. Young (President of Denver Seminary) once said, "To have eternal life is to be a missional believer." This is a paraphrase of his statement but it's getting the point across that there is a mandate for all People, In all places, In all times! This is not only a NT reality found in the Great Comission (rf. Mt 28). but also a reality of the OT as well (rf. Isa 66).

Because the gospel is literally the power of life (cf. I Cor. 1). There is responsibility to share this message with others. Mission is the central expression of the Godhead. God sent the son,

In every city, and community around the world. We should see ourselves as the "sent people" of God no matter what field we are in. In Dallas or Dublin, we are missionaries, destined to declare and demonstrate God's righteousness to the world around us. This is missional Theology.

The Local Church Is And Is Not.

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:16:00 +0000

The Church is...not "Where two or three are gathered." I am sorry that scripture reference is not a good proof text for the local church. One must look to the word usage of church and discover that "church" means an assembly or a gathering, not simply a hang time with your buddy Ted! Furthermore the church has a function and specific practices that make this group of people, set apart as God's bride, a local church. Here are four fundamentals of the local church.

1.) Profession: Professing believers must be present. Pagans don't make up the church.
2.) Ordinances: Baptism, communion are a normal practice of the local church.
3.) Preaching: There is no church apart from the proclamation of gospel. The New Testament describes the church as being led by gifted people set apart for the ministry of the word.
4.) Organization: Organized for ministry: is part of the local church (Ac 14:23). So hanging with Ted at the pub doesn't count. An informal gathering of believers is considered fellowship and is good, but it's not the local church. There are gifted leaders, that help serve the congregation, empowering people. There is purpose for doing God’s will. People are organized and encouraged to be open and available for ministry to all age groups in all parts of the world.

Therefore, I would define it as "An assembly of professing Christians gathered together for the preaching of the gospel in organized way to practice church ordinances and minister to others."

Recruiting Missional Community Leaders

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 06:41:00 +0000

Our vision is to empower leaders to establish missional communities in Apartments, homes and secular spaces.

Our first step is to partner with Apartment Life to establish 5 families to serve as Cares Teams to various Apartments in the city.

Will you consider joining our team? Just visit www.caresteam.org to see the details on how this works.

Vision: Love One. Love All

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Bob Marley echoes what Jesus pointed out as the most two important truths in all of scripture. I am so refreshed with Jesus teaching. In fact, I believe we we need not only look to the pastoral epistles to form our ecclesiology, but the gospels as well!

At Imago Dei Community Church our vision comes from Jesus' simple and profound statement to "Love one and to Love All." He is the Head of the Church.

LOVE ONE.When Jesus was asked to name the greatest commandment, He replied that God is one, and is to be loved with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. We believe this is the ultimate priority of every person, to discover and foster an exclusive love relationship with God. (Deut 6:5, Joshua 22.5, Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27)

LOVE ALL. Jesus continued his answer by saying that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbor. We interpret this to mean everyone; that dignity and worth transcend beliefs, lifestyles and demographics. (Matthew 22:38, Luke 10:25-37)

Why name the church Imago Dei?

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:29:00 +0000

The Image of God in Hebrew (צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים‎; tzelem elohim) literally means "image of God", this often appears in Latin as Imago Dei. We named our church Imago Dei Community Church to reflect our theological convictions. All people have an inherit value, for which all people are designed to behold and reflect God’s glory. Yet in man’s sin, the image of God has been “Defaced, but not Erased.” Therefore all people deserve dignity and respect.

Implications for the Church & Culture

#1 Encourages the church to love our culture: Imago Dei reflects a theological framework that encourages diversity within the relationships of church and our culture, regardless, ethnicity, economics, education, political or religious views etc. If all people are made in his image, then all people deserve dignity and respect, do they not?

#2 Educates believers of their covenant relationship: Understanding that we are made in God’s image and invited into a covenant relationship with Him through his son, teaches us that we have significant worth as his child, his creation, the church.

#3 Empowers the church to be about the kingdom: As stated in Gen 1:26, Man was created to rule, and reign, declaring and demonstrating His righteousness throughout the earth. Understanding ones identity and role will lead to fulfilling the churches mission, to expand the kingdom for all people, in all places at all times.

This is why we named the church Imago Dei Community Church.

5 Reasons to Church Plant in Phoenix!

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan M. Rice) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:20:00 +0000

I am in Sky Harbor Airport waiting on my flight back to Dallas. I was invited by Mark DeYmaz, (pastor, author, speaker for multi-ethnic church) to a conference here in Phoenix. My time in the city and with Mark was invaluable.

After much prayer and counsel we think Phoenix would be a great location to church plant. Here are 5 reasons:

#1 Need: churches here are homogenous and seeker sensitive for the most part. People are segregated, crime is rampant, population growth presents a need for new churches and communities. There is in addition many lost, liberals and New Agers in this area of our country. It also has a large international community in the city, providing the church with a high potential to equip and send other Spanish speaking people overseas. We want to provide a multi-ethnic missional church that holds to doctrine, and biblical books in teaching.

#2 Personal Passion: My wife and I have an awakened passion and increasing zeal for this city and community. Large urban centers like Phoenix typically have small diverse Christian communities if at all. Many churches move out to the suburbs and cities are left w/o churches. We have a passion to minister to broad spectrum of people in and around these urban centers.

#3 Size/stats: It's the 5th largest city in the US. It's one of the fastest growing gateway international cities in the US. Greater Phoenix area is around 5-6 million and has 23 cities/towns in the metro area. Between 2000 and 2006 the international population grew from 656,183 to 929,083.

#4 Location: Geographically it's outside of the Bible Belt. It is in a region in which social conservative evangelical Protestantism is not the dominant influence of the culture. It's south and it's west, our two favorite parts of the country. AZ has tons of outdoor activity, which has always been a big part of my life and something I want to give back to my wife and kids.

#5 Collective Confirmation: After much despair and unrest in pursuing Madrid, we found ourselves being invited to explore Phoenix as an option. A few months ago I asked Mark DeYmaz at a conference in Dallas what city in the US had the greatest need for a missional, multi-ethnic church? Phoenix has instant response. Later that week I called Steve Snider (President of Fellowship Associates church planters group) and asked the same question. Without hesitation he said Phoenix as well! From my friends overseas to my family, to the local community in Phoenix it has been a collective confirmation of many that has led us to believe we would do well to pursue church planting in AZ.