"It's the economy, stupid!"

Years ago (like, more than 16 years ago) when Bill Clinton was running against George H.W. Bush (W's dad), the brain-trust of the Clinton campaign coined a slogan that summed up what they believed was the problem with the then-current administration: "It's the economy, stupid".  That slogan - while never seen in an official television advertisement - created an underground advertising tsunami of the highest order. Appearing on bumper stickers, rally signs, hats, t-shirts, and virtually anything that could be printed (except billboards - too mainstream), and spoken aloud by the cheekier members of the campaign, the slogan embodied not just what the Clinton campaign thought was wrong with the republican administration - but it was a RALLYING CRY for a new generation of voters.

I voted for Bush anyway.  But, please, just in case you're tempted to go there, this post has NOTHING to do with political ideology.  It's about RALLYING CRIES...um, stupid!  You know, keeping the main thing, the main thing? That's the great thing about that RALLYING CRIES.  They help an army of people to stay unified, on point, and on target.

From the very first meetings at Crossroads - before we ever met as a launch team, before we ever launched as a church - we lovingly and clearly and simply laid out our agenda.  In our early meetings at the house, and for many consecutive weeks at the Annex before we launched, we gathered our energy and resources and enthusiasm and creative input around one single idea: reaching the unreached.

Almost 22 months since a group of us drove to Chattanooga to spy out the land for planting a church, 20 months since we made the God-led decision to stay in Enterprise, 15 months since we started meeting at our house, 13 months since we started meeting at the Annex, 9 months since we launched at the College Cinema...I still don't have a better idea.  It's good to remind myself with this very simple rallying cry: "It's about the unreached, stupid!" 

Perry Noble said recently, "Some people are going to question how you do things...no matter how you do them.  If you preach line by line, verse by verse, then some people are going to prefer that you be a more topical teacher.  If you preach topical messages some people will scream you need to exegete the text.  If you use secular music then some people will scream that you are "loving the world". If you use only "Christian" music then some people will scream that you are not relating to those outside of the church.  If you dress up then some people will say that you make them feel uncomfortable because they don't have any "church clothes".  If you wear jeans and a T-shirt, then some people will say that "you aren't giving God your best".  Your ministry style will be questioned, but the ultimate One who we answer to is Jesus.  It is His church, His ministry, and He will ask the final set of questions on day!  Be who HE called you to be.  Do ministry how HE called you to do it".

And remember the rallying cry.