Have you ever thought about planting a church?

So what does it mean to plant a church?

Good question... At its core any church plant is undertaken because there is a belief that the community could benefit from its existence. We have prayed as a church for a long time and feel that God can use our church to benefit this community. We value the teaching of the Bible. We value prayer and we value spreading the Gospel above all else. While these values may sound basic we also feel that they are distinctive.

Don't you already exist?

Yes... Franconia Baptist Church does exist so we are not planting from scratch. In fact that is one of the many blessing that we have. God has given this church tremendous resources in terms of facilities, land, and heritage. The reason that we term this a church plant is because we feel that it is important to re-plant our congregation as we look to the future.

So what can I do?

We know that this type of ministry will not appeal to everyone. Some are looking for a church that is already fully established. The benefit of participating in our church planting efforts is that we are undergoing an exciting time of rebirth where we can develop the church that God wants to serve this community. I know from past experience that it can sometimes be difficult to feel like you are making a difference in a well established church. At Franconia Baptist each person that would like to participate can make a tremendous difference.

Please prayerfully consider the possibility of joining with us on this journey.

God bless,
Aaron

Exchange 521

We are launched!

God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Jesus – 2 Corinthians 5:21 (521)

An exchange… an exchange of an unclean spirit for a pure spirit, an exchange of deadness for life, an exchange of present glory for future glory, the ultimate exchange….

You can’t buy it. You can’t trade it. You can’t upgrade it. You can only accept it. This is the great exchange. We’ll talk more about that later…

An exchange is also a place where two roads come together. It is a market where items are trades. It is the trading of ideas between two or more people.

The other leaders and I have been preparing and praying for some time now that God would use this time as a means to bring together different worlds, backgrounds and ideas. We want this to be a safe environment where we can talk about differing views on life. As we wrestle with questions about our pain, existence, and our purpose we will unapologetically look to the Bible for our answers. That said, there are no questions that are off limits.

We want Exchange 521 to be a place where we can do life together. Christian or not, a lonely life is one of the most horrible ways to exist. We weren’t wired up to live that way. Having friends is a built-in need almost as important as eating and breathing.

We have chosen 2 Corinthians 5:21 as our foundation. It functions like a motto, a slogan, and a creed. If you know it and you believe it than we hope to help you live it. If you aren’t really sure about it than we hope to help you understand it. We want to create a comfortable place to bring anyone no matter where they are at on their spiritual journey.

- Aaron

Growing our ministries

I can't believe that two months have flown by since beginning as the pastor here at Franconia. The time has been wonderful. God has stretched me in ways that I could not have imagined.

As we make plans for next year I have spoken to leadership about our areas of greatest need. There are three places that we would really like to invest in during the upcoming year: children's ministry, youth ministry, and our new service, "The Exchange".

These are the specific areas where we could use a lot of help. The budget will reflect these priorities but we cannot do it without you. Please pray about contributing your time and talents in these very important ministries.

Together we can make a difference in our community!

The Exchange

We are getting really close to launching our new contemporary service!

After a lot of discussion I think that we have settled on the name "The Exchange".
2 Corinthians 5:21, God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. This verse is often called the great exchange where God exchanged our sinful natures for His righteousness through Jesus.

We are praying that God will use “The Exchange” as a place where people can come together for worship and community. Our target date for the first Exchange gathering is Sunday, October 19 at 6:30 in the Franconia Baptist Church sanctuary.

EXCHANGE
Pronunciation: \iks-ˈchānj, ˈeks-ˌ\
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English exchaunge, from Anglo-French eschange, from eschanger to exchange, from Vulgar Latin *excambiare, from Latin ex- + cambiare to exchange — more at change
Date: 14th century
1: the act of giving or taking one thing in return for another
2 a: the act or process of substituting one thing for another b: reciprocal giving and receiving
3: something offered, given, or received in an exchange

If you would like to participate on our leadership team please email me at aaron@franconiabaptist.org.

A Desire to Rebuild

Franconia Baptist Church has a long history in the Northern Virginia area. We believe that God wants to use this church to accomplish great things in the future. In order to do this we need to go through a period of rebuilding. We gather each week to seek God's direction and blessing for this ministry. Together we are praying that God would raise up men and woman who will consider investing in the future of this church. Would you please pray about the possibility of participating in the development of this valuable ministry? Your skills, experience, and encouragement are greatly needed.

If you have any questions please email me at: aaron@franconiabaptist.org

In Christ,
Aaron

Why is it so hard to wait on God?

My life is full of so many situations where I was so excited that I beat God to the punch. It's only with a little hindsight that I find out that God may have had something better in store for me. The thing was I did not want to wait.

In working our way through the book of Nehemiah, I have found a new hero. Here is a godly man who was willing to patiently pray and fast waiting on God. Yet at the right time he brought an audacious request the king. What a combination, Nehemiah was bold and courageous, but also patient and humble.

I pray that God would grow in me the kind of discerning spirit that knows when to wait on the Lord and when to go with God.

- Aaron

We often think that we know better...

This morning I was reading through the last part of Mark chapter one, which tells the story of Jesus healing a leper. Leprosy was little understood and greatly feared in biblical times. This man was not only suffering from a painful skin disease, but also the extraordinary intolerance and social stigma against those with leprosy.

The Bible says that Jesus was so moved with compassion at this simple and humble request that he healed the man. So why does this newly healed man blatently ignore the one simple request that Jesus had for him ("see that you say nothing to anyone")?

I think that it is because we generally think that we know better than God what is good for God. In his excitement this man is so ready for everyone else to know what happened that he rationalizes his response. On the surface Jesus's request may seem a little confusing even to you and me. Yet that was His desire.

When God makes clear His desires for our life, it is not our place to alter the marching orders simply because we think we know a better route.

Having the Faith to Wait

I am sure that the world is full of people who patiently wait on God. God bless you. I am not one of those people. My wife, my family and friends all know that patience is that elusive virtue that continually escapes me. In fact I usually find myself very impatient about developing patience, go figure.

In preparing this evenings Bible study on Nehemiah I encountered a man who exhibited true patience. In Nehemiah chapter one he is greatly moved by the situation of his people in Jerusalem. So much so that Nehemiah goes to God to plead for His help and yet Nehemiah patiently waits on God. The beginning of chapter two is nearly four months after Nehemiah made his heartfelt prayer to God.

This kind of patience is merely faith by another name. May we all learn from Nehemiah's example.

Coffee with Jesus

This morning as I am sitting in my neighborhood Panera working through a few details of our new series on the Life of Christ. My friends and I often come to a Panera or Starbucks to sit and engage in conversations about the impossible questions of the universe. While reading through the Gospel of Mark this morning, I realized that I had begun a converation with Jesus. All of my questions about Mark came out in a dialogue with Jesus. Without planning it this way, I had invited Jesus to coffee with me. I think I'll do it again soon.

Remembering September 11, 2001

I'll never forget that morning. I was running late to work at AOL. My radio was tuned to the local NPR station who was saying something about a small plane hitting one of the World Trade Center towers in New York. It wasn't long after that when the plane hit the Pentagon building. Carrie's school was only a few miles from the Pentagon and I was in a panic because the cell phone systems were so jammed that I couldn't get through to her.

Seven years later and it doesn't make any more sense than it did that morning. Sometimes history helps to provide enough perspective to understand how God works through evil. Other times we simply have to accept that this fallen world will continue to suffer from the effects of sin until the return of Jesus.

As I reflect on these things this morning, I am motivated to pray that Christ will return quickly.

The Life of Christ

This Sunday we will begin a new series on the life of Christ. We will be working through selected passages in the book of Mark. The teaching will include historical information about ancient Israel as well as a look of the theology of Jesus. There is rich application in this material for our daily lives. Come join us and learn more about our Savior.

-Aaron

Sunday Night - Praise & Worship

Several friends have told us that they would be interested in having a Sunday evening praise & worship service. A few of us are going to get together tonight to play through the song books. If you are interested in something like this, please let me know what you would like to see included in this kind of service and what time would be best to start.