Notes from the Trail

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Mac or PC rap

They asked me to be in this video, but I just didn’t have the time… or the rhythm.

It was one of those sublime moments of life. I was at Mazzio’s eating dinner with the Wegley’s (Mark & Angela) as a sendoff party for their kids, when Sam came in and said Caro wanted to show me something she’d just bought from a garage sale. I groaned. I envisioned a couch made from chamille or some old wooden thing. I just didn’t know.

When I got outside to the car, I was handed an AT&T bag. Caro began circling like a hawk, with a camera. I knew something was up, and my little brain raced. Surely not.

Surely so.

Inside the bag was an Apple iPhone. I pretty much freaked out.

In my euphoria, I ripped off my clothes and began to dance naked across the Mazzio’s parking lot. Or not.

Caro informed me over my excitement that my dad had purchased the iPhone for me. Wow. It was better than Christmas. (Actually, after visiting with him on the phone - the first call I made - I found it was Christmas, and birthdays for several years…) Also, in my initial enthusiasm and overflowing gratitude, I made a rash commitment that I’ll have to live up to… not to put Dad in the nursing home.

It’s amazing what one will do in a moment of emotional mushiness. ;)

By the way… all the hype over the iPhone… it’s all true. It works EXACTLY like you see on Apple’s site and in the commercials. The form factor is extremely small and comfortable. It’s much easier to work than my Treo 650 was. It’s just… well, Apple.

I stand by my earlier post that predicted the iPhone will revolutionize the cell world like the iPod did the music world.

Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, Elevation Church is led by Steven Furtick. This new church may have one of the sharpest and most comprehensive web ministries overall of any church in this series yet. It’s easy to navigate, but in preparing to write this article, I quickly experienced the “jawdrop” factor, wondering how a new church was able to afford/create sites of such depth and appeal. They have clearly given quite a lot of attention to detail.

Observations:

• They had 121 people at their first service, which is nothing to sneeze at. They are also forming an intentional network of other like-minded church plants which they call the Ground Level Network. Looks interesting, but there doesn’t seem to be any information about how to “join” or network with them.
• I liked the “flashiness” of the site, and was initially concerned that tech may have replaced substance, but was relieved to find that upon following their “Basic” link, a broad strategy of communication and short, mind-appealing theology-bites (akin to soundbytes) presented the innards of Elevation in an easy-to-understand way. From there, you can see their Core Values, Beliefs, distinctives, and history.
• Clicking on “the plan” link also revealed a strategy of crowd, community groups, and children’s ministry that seemed very similar to Journey’s.
• The “connect” tab was also helpful and informative, but clicking on the links there was where the “cool factor” of the site ended, and you were presented with good information, albeit in a rather drab (as compared to the rest of the site) way.
• You can watch or listen to past sermon series, give online, and go deeper. There is, however, little to no site interactivity. I really think that’s what makes some church websites more dynamic than others these days. People want the ability to feel part of your church community, even on an online level.
• There was also very few pictures of people. You had to go to the church’s blog (which is very well done) to begin seeing them. I kept wondering who was behind all this besides Furtick. Of course, their June 10, 2007 entry was humbling and exciting:

71 people gave their lives to Christ this Sunday.

• There is also an “access: elevation” blog which seems to address societal concerns and other hot topics? I wasn’t real sure about what its purpose is. The latest post when I visited was about a minister’s housing allowance. Not exactly inspirational for the masses, but I confess, I read it.

As always, please respond to your own impressions of this church’s site.

• What is attractive about the site?
• What can you tell about the substance of the church from the site?
• If you lived in the area and were not a church member, would this church’s site be something that might lead you to investigate further? Why or why not?
• What do you not like about the site?

I’m at Dad’s Place working with Dean Cirelli, the world-famous author of Riding with the King. He had a fantastic post the other day that you’ve got to check out. If any of you are interested in receiving your own personal Wordpress tutorial, for the cost of a cup of Joe at DP, I’ll be more than happy to walk you through some initial steps.

Update: The $5 sale has been extended through noon, June 29!
Every book in the Desiring God store will be $5 THROUGH JUNE 29. Since John Piper is probably one of my all-time favorite Christian writers and theologians, you know I’m robbing the change jar. Make sure you check it out. I’d recommend Desiring God, A Thirst for God, Don’t Waste Your Life, and … well, heck… just go getcha something.