Leadership Lessons Today @ 5:00pm
28 Tuesday Jan 2014
Posted Uncategorized
in28 Tuesday Jan 2014
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in22 Tuesday Oct 2013
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inTags
Church, church growth, evangelism, incarnational ministry, jeremy mcgarity, missional, outreach, seven, seven san diego
If you would like to take your church to the next level join us at our next training seminar in Bedford, Indiana at Valley Mission Church of the Nazarene.
This will be a great time to learn the methodologies behind… wait for it… CHURCH GROWTH! yes I said it, CHURCH GROWTH. I know it’s taboo to say that word these days because words like “Missional” and “Incarnational” are so much more popular. However, using big words doesn’t grow a church. Jesus grows churches…always has…always will… this seminar focuses on how Jesus taught us to reach the lost. And, how the church can be equipped to reach their world….not THE world…THEIR world. This is not a fad, a gimmick or a new way. It is simply learning His principles…for many people learning them…again… and infusing them into the life of the church body.
I hope you will join us.
Jeremy
13 Monday May 2013
Posted Christian Habits, Prayer
inIn this video we take part two of our Crank It Up! series and build on last’s week talk from the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8. There are different ways that God talks to us. He can choose however He wants…but usually, it’s one of these four ways.
19 Tuesday Jun 2012
Posted Church Planting
inEveryone always says, “Wow…I can’t believe it’s been…and fill in the blank on how many years it’s been since…”
Part of me says the last 5 years have gone by fast. Another part of me feels the last five years have felt like 10 or 20 sometimes. I guess it just depends on the moment.
We moved back home to San Diego after seven years in the High Desert towns of Victorville and Apple Valley serving at one of the greatest churches in the world, High Desert Church.
We arrived in San Diego on June 18, 2007 and hit the ground running to start Seven San Diego Church with our first preview service scheduled for October 7 and our official launch scheduled for February 8, 2008.
The next day we received news that Janie’s (my wife) mom had cancer. Carol continues to battle cancer 5 years later and is an inspiration to me and thousands of others. See her story here http://skylinechurch.org/#/carol-garlow
Our family has moved seven, count that SEVEN times since June of 2007. I hate moving… can’t stand it… but God says move and you move.
We have lived in Santee, West Chula Vista, East Chula Vista, El Cajon/Rancho San Diego, Santee again and now Alpine. 7SD Church has been in Chula Vista and Lakeside and now looking to expand multi-site to Alpine. The church has grown from a core group of 12 people to 20 to 100 to over 700 people in less than 5 years since our doors officially opened.
God has brought amazing people along the journey, workers for the Harvest! Some I liken to incredibly helpful scaffolding early on. Getting the church going and helping it build to the next level before moving on. Others have been with us from the beginning and still others are joining the mission every week.
From our very first practice service in September of 2007 http://gallery.me.com/jmcgarity#100001
we realized we had something special but also something VERY CHALLENGING ahead of us.
Our first baptism was held in Otay Lake in Chula Vista on June 1st of 2008 and we baptized 19 people http://gallery.me.com/jmcgarity#100023
The goal and dream has been to reach lost people in the mold and form of Jesus. Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “I have come to seek and save the Lost.” That has been our primary goal and will always be the goal of Seven San Diego. We must reach those who are far from God. People who know God must look to reach those who do not know God. That’s why we always say, “Found People Find People.”
It takes “grown up” or “mature” Christians to be willing to do this. People that think outside themselves. We are grateful that those on board understand this and are focused on reaching those outside the walls of the church and welcoming them to a place where, as we always say, “No Perfect People Allowed.”
Our next steps as a church is, as mentioned, multi-site and a home-base where we can have a permanent Sunday facility. We currently meet at the community center in Lakeside and it has served us well and we have served the community center well. We have a great partnership with the leaders of the community center. We are so thankful for them.
Our search for more permanent facilities has taken us so close to finalizing properties that it’s almost funny. How many of you remember the “Lane Furniture” building in Chula Vista. We had an oral agreement and were a signature on the dotted line away from a long-term lease when they pulled back http://gallery.me.com/jmcgarity#100076
Today, we have church offices in Lakeside which we have expanded multiple times and are now out of room. We have classes, Bible studies, counseling, kids and youth events and many activities going on all the time.
It’s an exciting time in the life of Seven San Diego Church. It’s an honor to pastor a church with a ton of people focused on the same mission, “Seek and Save the Lost.”
5 years can go by so fast. I think about the fact that our boys were 3 and 6 when we got here and now they’re 8 and 11. Some prime kid years and they have some great church planting experiences to recall.
5 years can go by so slow. The constant plodding, searching, advertising, reaching, setting up, tearing down, setting up, tearing down, did I mention the setting up and tearing down? In the beginning of the ministry it was the anxiety of hope, hoping someone would show up to a) set up b) to the service.