At Christ Fellowship, we have some macro objectives as it relates to our Internet Campus. They are tied closely to our mission, values, and strengths.

1. Use the potential of the internet to “Impact the world with the love and message of Jesus Christ.”
2. Lead people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. Help people navigate the next step in their spiritual journey.
4. Engage community and belonging through social media.
5. Use a God-honoring, excellent worship experience to impact people on a global scale.
6. Use the highly motivational messages of Pastor Tom Mullins, Pastor Todd Mullins, and Dr. John Maxwell in order to impact the lives and souls of individuals and groups of people worldwide.
7. Offer Classes and Life Groups globally.
8. Offer the resources of Christ Fellowship globally.

Click Here to read more about Christ Fellowship’s Internet Ministry Strategy

Two years ago sitting in the passenger seat of my Executive Pastor’s car, I was challenged with a simple question: If Christ Fellowship began an Internet Campus, what might it look like? The journey for me began that very day. I was captivated by the question, the vision, and the possibilities.

We began to grapple with some tough questions. Who is the church? What’s our definition of community? Can meaningful relationships be developed online? Can discipleship be effective with someone you’ve never met? The list could go on. I began to ask around and the opinions were as varied as the number of conversations I had. I just started getting more confused about what the right thing to do was. Not having all the answers, we decided to build on what we knew God was calling us to do, not on the things we weren’t sure about.

The following is only a brief overview of our initial plan, and how we focused our development on the premise of connecting people to community, and to a growing relationship with Christ.

Here’s where we started:

1. The Mission
The mission of Christ Fellowship is to Impact the world with the love and message of Jesus Christ.

There was absolutely no reason for us to mess with that. Implementing that mission into our Internet Campus Strategy was a no brainer. Its just simply what we are driven to do. It works itself out for us online with this goal statement: Connect people to community, and help them grow in their relationship with Christ.

Action – Take the mission of your church, and plug it right in to the first line of your Internet Ministry Strategy. It’s the foundation you need to build on.

2. Core Values
Our Core Values express how we live out our faith in Jesus Christ. Developed by the Christ Fellowship members and staff, these values guide, direct, and represent all that we are.

Action – How we do what we do is important. You can do the right things the wrong way, and wind up in big trouble. When it comes to your internet ministry strategy, let your values be your filter for everything you do.

3. Assimilation Pathway
The Assimilation Pathway for Christ Fellowship is clear. The strategy for the Internet Campus simply reflects the strategy for Christ Fellowship as a whole. It begins with First Impressions, followed by Points of Contact and Entry, Worship Experience, Orientation to CF, and finally into a life long developing Spiritual Journey (discipleship) for the individual. Let me break that out a little more specifically:

First Impressions
There are reasons that people are initially attracted to Christ Fellowship. Online these First Impressions take on a relational and digital nature. Our landing page is of utmost importance. It has to be welcoming, directed, easy to navigate, and next steps clearly thought out that lead to our online worship experience. Once in our worship experience, connection to relationship is a primary goal.

Points of Contact and Entry
Once an individual has chosen to visit Christ Fellowship’s Internet Campus, we have a specific plan to capture their information, so that we can connect with them, and connect them to the assimilation pathway. This is done through the vehicle of an online response card.

Worship Experience
When people visit our online worship experience, we welcome them into our “home”. They can connect online with others coming to be a part of the experience, and participate in or observe worship as they are comfortable. Our desire is that within 48 hours of their visit we will personally connect with them by phone or email and offer to answer any questions they might have about the church. We will at that point, direct them to our strategies for their personal spiritual growth.

Orientation to Christ Fellowship
Orientation to Christ Fellowship begins with our Get in the Game Classes that we will offer Online on a monthly basis. These classes will be live and will help people understand the purpose God has for them as well as God’s purspose for the church.

Classes
We will offer a specific track of classes during the week for individuals based upon where they are in their own personal spiritual journey. They will follow the “Crawl, Walk, Run” Strategy for growth. We will begin with Foundations, Spiritual Disciplines, and Bible Study Methods. The goal is to help people emabark on a lifelong spiritual growth journey.

Life Groups
Online Life Groups will be the place to connect relationally with the global community of Christ Fellowship living out the 5 purposes of God for our lives. We will develop Bible study groups, book clubs, affinity groups both online as well as in different corners of the globe.

Ok so, if you’ve stuck with me this far, you now know we’ve accomplished about 25% of what we’ve set out to! The vision continues to grow as we continue to strive toward creating a digital format for the distribution of discipleship online.

Action – Know what your church is trying to accomplish when it comes to assimilation & discipleship, and figure out a way to distribute it online.

4. Resources
This is where we search out relevant tools that drive us toward our accomplishing our mission through a digital format. In searching out those resources our focus is on these primary areas:

Website Development gochristfellowship.com
Worship Experience (Live Player)
Class Distribution (ustream, mogulus)
Social Media (Facebook, twitter)
Global Ops Center – Yet to come!

Everything we do, every plan we develop, every resource we implement is for one reason and one reason only: To impact the world with the love and message of Jesus Christ.

Action – The only reward, the only measurement of success – a life transformed by the power of God through a relationship with Christ. It all begins and ends right there.

Read about Internet Church Objectives here.

This is an insane story of a life transformed by God through our internet ministry at Christ Fellowship about 3 months ago. I’ve changed the name to protect this person’s privacy. Nontheless this is the story. The blockquote below is the email I sent to Pastor Tom & a couple other Pastors right after it happened. To read the entire transcript of the conversation, you can click the link at the bottom of the page.

Prepare to have your minds blown! My heart is pounding right now… I’m attaching a transcript of a conversation that I had today. Let me set it up for you:

I went to our Christ Fellowship Facebook Group to look through some of the new contacts we’ve made there. I decided to send out about 10-15 random messages introducing myself and asking people if they needed prayer. Jane responded…

Thank you for friend requesting me. It seems strange that I would see you sent that just as my friend is talking to me about praying and trusting in God. She is born again or saved, not sure which is the right term to use, but I have been having a very tough time and she has been trying to help.

Anyway… I wanted to say Thank you. I guess he does work in mysterious ways.

Thanks,
Jane

After an hour of conversation… she prayed to receive Christ into her life. ON FACEBOOK. She only lives a few minutes from church. I’m sending her a Bible, a copy of The Purpose Driven Life, and she will be here to worship with us this weekend. Talk about E-vangelism!

Read the entire conversation here.

It’s 3 months since that happened, Jane attends Christ Fellowship weekly, has taken several discipleship classes, is involved in a small group, and is growing in her relationship with God and others like crazy!

This coming weekend John Maxwell will be teaching live at the Christ Fellowship Gardens Campus. His message will be streamed live online at http://gochristfellowship.com.

You can Join us on Saturday at 6:30 pm EST, or Sunday at 9:00 am & 11:00 am EST.

Christ Fellowship is a church in Florida. I’ve worked at CF for nearly 5 years now, and have seen it grow from 8000 to somewhere around 20 000 people joining us now weekly in worship.

I haven’t been able to quantify or qualify what or why God had chosen to bless us like he has. Working at CF, I have seen the good and the bad of gigachurch life. We are after all just people, with all the stuff, faults, and inconsistencies that human beings have. The numbers don’t impress me much, but the Life Transformation that takes place in the lives and hearts of people does. I’ve often wondered why. Is it just the blessing and hand of God? I used to think so. Until now…

2 weeks ago, we heard the story of two lead Gang Members in West Palm Beach, giving their hearts and lives over to God. It’s just one example of many stories of life transformation that we hear every week at CF. The stories are true, and they are life transforming. This morning in our staff meeting Daniel, one of our Pastors at CF, told us how God has captivated him…

He hasn’t been able to sleep. He’d toss and turn as he prepared for weekend ministry at Christ Fellowship. One day, he decided that if he can’t sleep, he might as well go to church and prepare for ministry. So, Daniel has gone to our south campus late on Saturday night, and has spent the night desperately pleading with God to move among us. He’s spent 8, 10, 12 hours each Saturday night on his knees before God. He knew there was nothing he could do if the Holy Spirit didn’t consume him. He knew that apart from God, we are nothing. Many people have joined Daniel in fasting and prayer. And hundreds of people are coming to Christ in incredible ways. Is there any question how God used Daniel to reach the hearts of these gang members?

As I heard Daniel speak, as I watched tears form in his eyes for a lost and dying world, I felt a tear fall down my cheek. I also felt God’s Holy Spirit quietly asking me three questions:

1. How desperate are you?
2. How much of your will and life have you truly surrendered to the Holy Spirit?
3. What price are you willing to pay?

I don’t think God in his infinite wisdom planned some crazy formula for church growth, discipleship, and life transformation. He planned to captivate the hearts and minds of people. Answer the three questions for yourself, and just watch what God does through you.

This story isn’t exclusive. It’s one of many that have embodied the heart and passion of Christ Fellowship. And no… it doesn’t have a single thing to do with numbers, it has to do with impacting the world with the love and message of Jesus Christ – One Life at a time.

One of the most frequently asked questions of me as a Pastor is, “How can an all-powerful, loving God allow suffering in the world?” It’s a question we all ask, and we all search for an answer. The answer is in scripture.

Several months ago I met with Dr. Celeste Li, who talked about suffering from a biblical perspective. Her heart, passion, experience, and expertise on suffering had me completely memorized. We began to plan through how a class or course like this could be offered online. Here is a short 2 minute taste of what the online class has to offer…

Triumph Over Suffering Promo from Celeste Li on Vimeo.

The class will be live online on Wednesdays at 11:00 am est. Dr. Li will not only teach the class, but lead the discussion and answer any questions you might have.

Click Triumph Over Suffering for a direct link to the class on Wed at 11:00 am.

Invite someone to Christmas at Christ Fellowship at anyone of our 5 campuses including Globally Online on our Internet Campus.

The goal for 24 hours of global prayer is to have someone on every continent of the world pray for Christ Fellowship’s Christmas Services in the 24 hours leading up to Christmas Eve.

Beginning Dec. 23, 6:00 pm EST (UTC -5) through Dec. 24, 6:00 pm EST (UTC -5) I’m asking that each one of you would say a prayer for Christ Fellowship. What we’re asking you to pray is simple…

Pray that we would Impact the world with the love and message of Jesus Christ through our Christmas services.

I’ll post another reminder early next week, and we’ll have a link for you to click on and register the location your praying from! and yes…  Antarctica too.  You know anyone at one of the bases there we could connect with?  Let me know!

Go ahead and tell your friends… click the ShareThis link below.

I haven’t slept all that well the last week or two. Tonight is no exception. This is super weird for me. It doesn’t happen that often. For my entire life I’ve been able to just flip a switch in my brain, shut off whatever is going on, and get a good night’s rest. The odd occasion (I can count the times on one hand), stressful events have kept me from resting well. This time its different though.

Tonight I was riveted out of my sleep just before 3:00 am. I’ve slept only 8 – 12 hours all together in 3 days. Concerned? No. Worried? No. Stressed? No. It’s bizarre. I’m waking up with an excitement and an intense anticipation of whats ahead. I’ve never been so excited about anything in my life.

Something spectacular is about to happen… Today!

In just 12 hours the corners of the globe will begin to connect via the internet at goChristFellowship.com and it will continue through Sunday and Monday. People from all over the world will unite and be the church.

Tonight Linda will jump online and begin to set up the chat for tonight’s Worship Experience, from Canada. Not just from any place in Canada, but seriously… from the backwoods! During the service she’ll start to pray online. She’ll pray with people who just need to know God is there. She’ll pray that they feel His presence through their pain. She’ll pray they’ll feel Him in their heart.

Tomorrow Morning (Sunday), Stacey will already be online when I wake up. She’s 6 hours ahead in Germany. She’ll ask me how my week was, and tell me how excited she is to be able to serve on the Internet Campus while she’s on her Co-op in Ludwigshafen, Germany. It excites her to know that her parents are worshiping at the same time as her in our Stuart Campus. Her effervescent personality will be totally evident to everyone welcomed by her as they jump into the chat room for our first Worship Experience on Sunday morning.

Midway through our first Worship Experience on Sunday, Anesia will come online. She’s in Chicago. She’s only hosted our chat a couple of times, but her enthusiasm for God and people is totally evident. She’ll take over hosting chat from Stacey for the second service on Sunday, and free up Stacey to help me with some other Administrative things that need to be taken care of on the back end of our player. Anesia will pray with Students from around the globe. She understands the stresses of college life away from home. She connects so naturally with young and old. There’s a bond she forms with people that extends far beyond her own generation.

Yep, Something spectacular is going to happen… Today!

It’s called Church. People living out the purposes of God for their lives with one another. The difference this weekend is that it won’t just be happening in one location. It will be happening in every corner of the globe at the same time, via the web.

It will be Church, and it will be online.

“I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it”
- Jesus

Related Posts:
Where is the Internet Church?
The best justification for an Internet Church

The questions get asked a lot. Is it viable, is it tangible, is it really community? I can answer that a whole lot of different ways, but this answer is my favorite:

It’s Transformational

Just ask these people…

Sabine in London

Bob & Kim in South Carolina

Karin in New Zealand

Cindy, a missionary in Guatemala

Ed in Iraq

Anesia, a student in Chicago

Stacey & Victor in Germany

Jessica in NYC (obviously on vacation in DC in this pic, haha)

Dwight in West Palm Beach

Linda in Canada

Virginia in North Carolina

Jorge in Mexico

… and the thousands more around the globe being impacted with the love and message of Jesus Christ.

I’m posting my response to a killer blog posted by Tony Steward called What comes after an internet campus?

Hit up Tony’s Blog and read the post, followed by all the comments. Incredible discussion!

Now for my (David’s) thoughts…
How could we now or ever restrict a ‘campus’ to a location any more than we restrict the church to a physical location? The other day I had an ‘a-ha’ moment at the dinner table. I was sitting around eating with my wife and 3 kids and we turned the discussion as we often do, to spiritual challenges that kids face. We began to unpack some basic biblical principles with my 13, 11 & 9 year old.

We all know the church isn’t a location, its a community of believers that gather together to live out God’s purpose for their lives. I’ve always (even being a Pastor) thought of church in terms of lifestyle as well as a series of commitments. We went to church on Sat or Sun, brought the kids to church on Wed, and picked another night of the week to do small group, and in between we lived lives that honor God.

Sitting around the dinner table I took it one step further… if the church is a community of believers living out God’s purpose for their lives, then right there eating spaghetti and meatballs, we were being the church at its very core. Perhaps in the most basic unit that God intended, the family.

Since then, I’ve started to view the church as where ever I am, where ever I go, and who ever I talk to. It’s the seamless integration of my life and community. Breakfast with my buddies = church. Basketball on Wed. mornings = church. Dinner with my friends on Friday night = church. Walking the dog with my daughter = church. Facebook chat with Tony = church.

Church doesn’t gather at a common campus or location, its distributed from there, and we take it with us 24/7 365.

We are the Church and where we go, we bring a message of hope. The internet therefore, is simply an extension of who we are…. the Church.

Recession Proof Your Life is a class taught at Christ Fellowship that explores Biblical principles about managing your finances. We’ve now recorded the second session in 2 parts. You can watch it here, or just view Part I & Part II below. In order to download the notes that go along with the session, Click Here. Watch and follow along.

In Part I Session #2 we cover:

Relationships & Finances

In Part II of Session #2 we cover:

Developing a Spending Plan (Budget)

In this class, I’m joined by Kerry Mackey, Adult Ministries Pastor at Christ Fellowship.

Session #2 Part I

Video chat rooms at Ustream

Session #2 Part II

Free TV Show from Ustream

In Order to view Session #1 Click Here.

Wednesday night Christ Fellowship will conclude a two session class called “Recession Proof Your Life – Navigation through the crisis of our lives.” It will be held at the Royal Palm Campus, Gardens Campus and will also be Live Online Wednesday November 19, at 6:30 pm EST.

Live Online, I will be joined by Kerry Mackey the Adult Ministries Pastor of Christ Fellowship. Together Pastor Kerry and I will go over the following in Session #2 (Wed, Nov 19):

1. Relationships & Finances
2. Developing a Spending Plan (Budget)
3. Q & A

You can join us live online by clicking the following link on Wednesday Nov. 19 at 6:30 pm EST.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/internetcampus

You will also be able to chat with us live online as we present the material. A copy of the student Manual will be available during the session.

I look forward to seeing you there!

If you missed Session #1, you can view it here.

Recession Proof Your Life is a class taught at Christ Fellowship that explores Biblical principles about managing your finances. I’ve recorded the first session which aired on November 12, 2008. You can watch it here, or just view it below. In order to download the notes that go along with the session, Click Here. Watch and follow along. In the first session we cover:

1. God’s Principles for Managing Finances
2. Developing a Financial Statement (Balance Sheet)
3. Q & A – a short question and answer period via chat.

In this class, I’m joined by Kerry Mackey, Adult Ministries Pastor at Christ Fellowship, along with Financial Advisor Richard Ekey.

Session #2 will be held on Wed. November 19, at 6:30 pm EST. In session 2, we’ll cover:

1. Relationships & Finances
2. Developing a Spending Plan (Budget)
3. Q & A (Specializations)

Join us for Session #2 by clicking the following link.

Click here for Session #2 at 6:30 pm Nov. 19, 2008