If you would like to know what it is, or how to participate, check out all the info here!

Starting Point is designed to be a conversational environment where people can explore faith and experience community. It is a place for people to safely ask general questions about faith, as well as those who want to learn more about the Bible and Christianity.  That being said, though, Starting Point is not for those who have substantial church experience.  Although we will be discussing the more challenging issues of Christian faith, the environment is not focused on the acquisition of biblical knowledge.          

Generally speaking, there are three broad categories of people that tend to benefit the most from Starting Point:

1. Seekers - those who are curious about God, Jesus, the Bible, or Christianity
2. Starters - those who have just begun a relationship with Jesus Christ
3. Returners - those who have some church experience, but have been away for a while

The three main objectives of the group are to explore faith, experience community, and enjoy a conversation environment.  Starting Point is a forum to explore, investigate, survey, discuss, experiment with, and examine issues of faith.  Although we will only be meeting for 10 weeks, we are hoping you will get a taste of community.  We will be asking honest questions with the same folks on a weekly basis, so it’s only natural that authentic relationship starts to develop.  Finally, it is critical that Starting Point is viewed as a conversation.  This is not a teaching forum, apologetics course, or a class on Christian theology.  While these topics may arise from time to time, our hope is that folks feel comfortable to ask open and honest questions as the result of natural discussions.

When:  Weekly, starting January 15th, 2012 @ 11 am

Where: In the “Back Room”, through the “Back Door” in the Emergence auditorium

How long: About an hour a week for 10 weeks

How much: Nothing

Anything else?  Childcare will be provided

On January 25, 2012, we will welcome The Elephant Room to our new location in Totowa, NJ.

The Elephant Room features blunt conversations between seven influential pastors who take differing approaches to ministry. No keynotes. No canned messages. No wavering. No sidestepping. No excuses.

These are "the conversations you never thought you'd hear." All conversations are moderated by James MacDonald of Harvest Bible Chapel and Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church.

Emergence has been chosen as a primary satellite venue for The Elephant Room. We'll be beaming the event to our new location and participating together as this years' speakers have some pretty frank conversations about issues that affect all of us--especially as we take seriously the call to lead Jesus' Church.

As you know, the difference between open-hand issues and closed-hand issues is a transparent topic at Emergence. This event absolutely runs in that vein: key leaders of the Church today sitting across a table from one another--calling each other on issues, throwing down about some pretty serious topics, and wrestling with some problems that the church faces today. 

The Elephant Room: Round 2 from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

This years' speakers include:

	James MacDonald A dual desire to challenge and unite this generation’s pastors is what moved James MacDonald to start the Elephant Room. Whether it is pastoring Harvest Bible Chapel, leading Harvest Bible Fellowship, teaching on Walk in the Word, or writing, @jamesmacdonald ‘s  passion is always noticeable. He will serve at Elephant Room 2 as a host and moderator.es Macdonald
	Mark Driscoll Mark Driscoll will be joining us at Elephant Room 2 as a moderator. His humor and quick wit make him a perfect participant in the Elephant Room format. One of this generation’s most quoted and downloaded preachers, @pastormark serves as the preaching pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle.
	T.D. Jakes T. D. Jakes serves as Senior Pastor of The Potter’s House, a global humanitarian organization and 30,000-member church located in Dallas, Texas. We are looking forward to some candid conversation with Bishop Jakes at The Elephant Room 2.
	Dr. Jack Graham Dr. Jack Graham is the Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, one of the nation’s largest, most dynamic congregations. He has served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest American Protestant denomination, with 16 million members and as president of the SBC Pastor’s Conference. He is the noted author of many books. His wisdom and candor are another reason why The Elephant Room 2 is a can’t-miss event.
	Steven Furtick In just over five years, Elevation Church has grown to more than 9,000 in attendance each week at six locations. Since their launch, they’ve seen more than 15,000 people receive Christ. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Elevation Church was named one of the “10 fastest growing churches in America” by Outreach Magazine. The heart of Pastor Steven’s message is audacious faith and how to approach every experience from a visionary perspective. As a young voice in the Church with wisdom beyond his years, his passion for seeing God’s purposes fulfilled is igniting a fire here in Charlotte, NC, and beyond.
	Crawford Loritts Ordained into ministry in 1972, Crawford Loritts has an extensive history of preaching, planting and pastoring churches, along with an influential speaking and writing ministry. Since 2005, he has served as Senior Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, GA. He and his wife, Karen, are featured speakers at Family Life’s marriage and parenting conferences. He is a visiting professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Crawford is also the host of “Living A Legacy“, a daily radio program heard on 330 outlets by approximately 500,000 per week.
	Wayne Cordeiro Wayne Cordeiro is the founding Pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii with over 14,500 in weekend attendance. New Hope is also listed as one of the top ten most innovative churches in America, with Outreach Magazine listing them as one of the “top five churches to learn from.” New Hope is known for redeeming the arts and technology. Over 3000 attend services each week via the Internet. New Hope has seen over 73,000 first-time decisions in Hawaii since its inception 26 years ago. Wayne is a church planter at heart, with over 108 churches planted in the Pacific Rim countries of the Philippines, Japan, Australia and Myanmar. He has recently accepted the role as President over New Hope Christian College, and has also authored ten books.

Now THERE is a lineup!

This is a full day conference, and registration is required. If you would like to register, head to http://theelephantroom.com/totowa or click here. Lunch is provided for all who register, and student discounts as well as early bird discounts are available, but you'll have to act quickly!

Don't miss this great day full of great truth and honesty.

All are welcome. This event is not only open to all people and all churches, but it is exactly the kind of thing that we hope to see all of the churches in our area and beyond coming together to experience. Please know that if you're coming from another church, this will not be an event to promote Emergence--nor will there be any promotion of other ministries. It's a resource for all of us as the Church.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to send them to Steve Hawthorne, the Pastor of Development at Emergence.

1.    After several years of a multi-site model, Chapel leadership has decided to plant Emergence as a distinct, independent church. What was the main reason for this decision?

As described in the July 11 letter from leadership, the main reason for this decision was our passion to do what is best for the progress of the Gospel in North Jersey.  As Emergence has developed and matured, it became clear that keeping Emergence under the umbrella of Jacksonville Chapel was shifting the leadership of JVC to function more as a denomination than a local church.  The decision to plant Emergence will allow both churches to most effectively advance the gospel in North Jersey and allow leadership to more effectively focus on ministry..

2.    How long will it take for Emergence to become a fully independent church?

Emergence is the process of applying for non-profit, 501(c)3 status, and our hope is to complete this process by the end of 2011. Since the Chapel’s fiscal year runs January –December, the most logical time to separate financially is at the end of 2011. But our hope is that Emergence will move and begin ministering out of their new location this fall.  Please join us in praying that God will speed the completion of the construction and open the door for this exciting step soon!

3.    Does Emergence have the financial stability to be a self-sustaining church?

The past several years have provided Emergence the opportunity to be nurtured by Jacksonville Chapel as they have developed financial stability.  Emergence has been self sustaining for the last three years, and is in a good position to function as an independent church

4.    Will this decision necessitate any changes to our (Jacksonville Chapel's) By-Laws?

No.

5.    How does this decision affect the Reaching Further capital campaign?

As we shared at the beginning of 2011, our goal is to finish the Reaching Further campaign by the end of this year. By God’s grace, the Chapel family has already contributed over 1.1 million dollars to the campaign…which means that the costs for the Emergence relocation are completely raised! Therefore, all of the remaining funds that are raised (approximately $350,000) will be devoted to building the future of Jacksonville Chapel—including improvements in our Student Ministry facilities & worship center in Lincoln Park, improvements to our Crossroads (Spanish) Campus in Wayne, and investment in our Rwanda partnership. Even after Emergence moves from Lincoln Park, Emergence will continue to promote and receive donations for the completion of these important projects.
 

6.    If I am a Jacksonville Chapel member who attends Emergence and makes the move with Emergence, how will my church membership be affected?

Because of the requirement for a quorum at the Jacksonville Chapel Annual Meeting it is important to have an accurate record of membership.  This fall, Chapel members who attend Emergence will be given the opportunity to move their church membership to Emergence. This will be a clear, simple process.

7.    How will staff be affected by this decision?

We do not foresee any direct effect on staff as a result of this decision.  Those staff who have served at the Emergence campus will now serve at Emergence Church, and staff who have served at Lincoln Park campus will now serve at Jacksonville Chapel.

8.    How will this decision affect the Chapel’s supported missionaries?

This is a crucial issue, with several factors to balance. Right now, Emergence offerings represent about 20% of Chapel missionary support. Although Emergence hopes to “adopt” some missionaries from the existing Chapel missionary family, they also plan to develop their own family of missionaries in keeping with their unique vision. Therefore, the Missions Committee is working with the Chapel Board to determine how to make the best possible funding decisions in support of our missions program.  If any reductions need to be made our goal will be to keep them modest. 

9.    How will this decision affect the Chapel’s budget for 2011? 2012?

As mentioned above, we will continue to function with a shared budget for the remainder of 2011. Our goal is to separate the two churches financially in 2012.

10.    For the past several years, Emergence and Lincoln Park campuses have shared a Student (Nxt-Gen) ministry. How will this be affected?

For each church to develop in a healthy way, there will no longer be a shared student ministry.  Emergence plans to offer Middle School ministry on Sunday evenings, and High School ministry will take the form of missional communities (small groups) and large group gatherings. Jacksonville Chapel will continue offering both High School and Middle school ministries on both Sunday mornings (large group gatherings) and Sunday evenings (small group discipleship). At both churches, students will be equipped and sent out to serve in our communities and around the world in the name of Christ.

11.    How will Children’s Ministry be affected?

Both Jacksonville Chapel and Emergence will offer full children’s ministry on Sunday mornings at their respective locations.  Children’s ministry at the Chapel will continue to run under the leadership of Bekah Worth Director of Children’s Ministries, and at Emergence under Nate Nakao, Director of Children’s Ministries - Emergence.  The coming move will create great volunteer opportunities at both churches, so if you have a passion for the spiritual development of kids, this is a perfect time to step up and get involved.

12.    Will any ministries continue to be shared between Jacksonville Chapel and Emergence?

While there won’t be any formal sharing of ministry, we foresee friendly collaboration on ministries such as Overcomers in Christ (addiction recovery) and our Rwanda partnership.

13.    How will this decision affect our Board of Elders?

Several of our elders are Emergence attendees. Those elders will finish their service on the Chapel Board at the end of 2011. This will mean that at the 2012 Annual Meeting, we will replace those open seats to meet the By-Law requirement of twelve elders.

14.    Why can’t we all just stay together on Jacksonville Road? Couldn’t we build bigger buildings or add more services?

There are several reasons this is not possible. Logistically, the Jacksonville Road location is limited by traffic, parking, and sewage capacity.  But just as importantly, we believe that Emergence’s new location on Riverview Drive in Totowa is the ideal location for Emergence to continue the mission.  It is centrally located, expandable, has plenty of parking, and we have established a strong relationship with the building’s owners.  We firmly believe this is God’s perfect provision!  Although the separation will be difficult, let’s remember that if we are faithful to God’s call of spreading the gospel, we should always expect growing pains.

15.    This decision seems to be forcing some families to make a tough choice. Why are we putting families in this hard position?

We realize that some families, who have attended at both sites, will have to make a tough choice.  But in reality, the recent Board decision is not the main factor that puts people in this position.  Remember that the decision to relocate Emergence was made more than three years ago.  While the recent decision (to plant Emergence) potentially makes the decision more difficult for some, the choice of where to attend was a choice we all knew we’d face.  Again, growth brings growing pains…and we thank God for the growth!

16.    Is there a “real story” of some kind of interpersonal conflict that has led to this decision?

No.  By God’s grace, the leadership of Emergence and Lincoln Park share strong relationships of respect, trust, and friendship. We look forward to continuing the friendship in the days to come.

17.    Will Jacksonville Chapel continue to be a multi-site church?

Yes.  We are completely committed to our Crossroads (Spanish) multi-site.  In addition, we remain open to God’s leading in beginning future multi-site expressions of Jacksonville Chapel.

Dear Jacksonville Chapel Family,

We have reached an exciting moment in the history of Jacksonville Chapel.

Over the past several years, we have seen God use our multi-site model to do great things through the three expressions of the Chapel—Lincoln Park, Emergence and Crossroads. At all three sites, God has raised up godly, gifted leaders and passionate congregations to carry out the work of the gospel throughout North Jersey. Countless people have been transformed into Christ-followers and released into our community and across the globe to continue the mission of Jesus. It has been a joy to be part of what God is doing!

Since its inception in 2006, we’ve been amazed by the explosive growth of our Emergence site. Back in 2007, only about 300 people were attending Emergence. On some Sundays in 2011, that number has swelled to over 1,000 people, and seems to be limited only by the size of the building where Emergence meets (four services each Sunday). But it’s not only Emergence’s attendance that has grown. The Emergence site has grown in maturity, clarity of vision, and financial stability. It is led by excellent pastors and gifted, committed volunteer leaders. We are awed and humbled by God’s obvious hand of blessing on Emergence.

About two years ago, we began to realize the need to adjust many of our internal structures and procedures to make our multi-site model most effective. The Board of Elders worked hard at re-aligning committees, reporting structures, and financial accountability to help each site function at its best—with enough autonomy to carry out its unique calling, and enough unity to support and contribute to Jacksonville Chapel as a whole. At that time, we decided to “test” this model for about two years, after which we would assess its effectiveness.

As the two-year testing period comes to a close, we have conducted a thorough assessment of our multi-site model, focusing especially on the relationship between Lincoln Park Campus and Emergence Campus. The assessment included input from both pastoral staff and the Board of Elders. In all of these assessments, the driving question was very clear: What model will serve to most effectively forward the gospel of Christ in North Jersey? Will this goal be served better by maintaining a multi-site relationship between Lincoln Park and Emergence, or by “planting” Emergence as a distinct, independent church? There is certainly not a “right or wrong” answer to this question—it is matter of prayerful, thoughtful leadership and wisdom…and we are so grateful for the Spirit-filled, wise minds who contributed to the discussion.

This July, the Chapel’s Board of Elders has reached a unanimous decision that the wisest course of action is to plant Emergence as a distinct, separate church.

This will mean that Emergence will develop its own Board of Elders and By-Laws, and obtain its own status as a non-profit organization. But much more importantly, it will mean that Emergence will be released to continue the mission of Jesus in its own uniquely effective way. While it will take some time for Emergence to be fully independent, we believe the timing is now correct to start this process, as the renovation of the Totowa facility is on schedule and the Emergence move should take place early this fall.

We acknowledge that although we believe this is the right decision, it is also a tough one. Lincoln Park and Emergence share so much, and there are so many wonderful relationships between the campuses. But the more we prayed and deliberated, the more clear this decision became. Maybe the best analogy is that of a family where a child grows up into a mature young adult. Although he loves his parents and vice-versa, the natural course in a healthy family is for the young adult to eventually become independent of his parents.

Emergence has been birthed, nurtured, and matured through the entire body of believers at Jacksonville Chapel…and now it’s time for Emergence to grow into full maturity.  Every member at Lincoln Park, Crossroads, and Emergence who has sacrificially given time, talent, and financial resources should feel fulfilled that while the separation may be difficult, we can also take joy in knowing that God has allowed us to be part of something very special in building His kingdom.

So we want to emphasize: this is a great “win” for the gospel in North Jersey! The potential for impact—both at Emergence and Lincoln Park—is incredibly exciting. Just as the Apostle Paul planted new churches throughout Asia and Europe, we are part of the planting of a new church in Totowa, New Jersey. We fully intend to maintain loving and supportive relationships between the two churches, and although there will not be a formal partnership between us, there will continue to be many opportunities to collaborate on aspects of ministry. And it should be said that our Crossroads (Spanish) site will continue to function as a multi-site campus of Jacksonville Chapel.

We realize that you may have questions in the coming months, and there is currently a Board-appointed Transition Team working out the details of this process. In the meantime, feel free to contact any of your elders with your questions.

And please continue to pray for wisdom and courage as we move forward for the sake of the gospel.

Humbly serving with you,

Michael Hubner, Board Chairman                                            
Kelly Gallagher, Board Vice Chairman
Dave Gustavsen, Senior Pastor
Ryan Baitzel, Lead Pastor, Emergence
Wilfredo Muñoz, Lead Pastor, Crossroads