News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Summer extends through the end of September in Seattle so consider this a fall preview. As we approach this next season of life and ministry in the city, there are a number of key areas of the church for which you can be praying. If you’ve been running with us for any amount of time, you know that we believe our God is alive, active, and personally involved in the nitty gritty of our every day lives. We are his people. This is his work and, astonishingly, he has entrusted it to us. Us? Us. That includes you too. Amazing, isn’t it?

You’ve probably picked up on the fact that Jesus said some profound things during his earthly ministry. For example, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Mat 9:37-38) and “I will build my church.” (Mat 16:18) Relatedly, the Apostle Paul tells us that “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes…” (Rom 1:16) Did you catch that? The gospel is the power of God.

What do all of these verses have in common? Today, Jesus is still carrying out his work of salvation through the gospel, which is the power of God, through his people – us. He’s still doing that today, in Seattle. We got a taste of that at our last baptisms, didn’t we? What could he want to do in and through us this fall, in our city? What could he do in and through you this fall, in your neighborhood or workplace?

In light of that, here are a handful of ways you can be praying for your church – Downtown Cornerstone – this fall:

#1 Leaders.

We need leaders. Leaders of teams. Leaders of communities. Leaders of ministries. Specifically, we need leaders who are disciple-making-disciples. A church can only grow up to the spiritual maturity and numerical capacity of its leadership. For us to grow, in both those ways, we need more reliable leaders – leaders who love Jesus, love Jesus’ people and want to live their lives in light of him. As you pray, be sure to thank the Father for your current leaders – and thank them too when you see them next.

#2 Spreaders.

We need spreaders. A spreader is someone who (surprise) spreads something – in our case, the gospel. Our Father has placed us in this city to serve as a movement of missionaries. We’re all spreading something. What are you spreading? Let’s ask the Father to sink the gospel into us and make us gracious, attractive, compelling spreaders of the great good news of Jesus. Some of you are really good at this – show the rest of us how you do it.

#3 Gatherers.

Gatherers are similar to spreaders, but they specialize in drawing people together. We need gatherers. Some of you are gatherers. We need more of you. Our city is in need of life in Jesus and the sad truth is that it doesn’t know it (yet). We need to draw them in to show them the rich, profound realities of who Jesus is and who/what God has created them to be. The need is so great I was shocked there were actually empty seats in our theater last Sunday – or any Sunday. Aren’t you? I think we might be one of the best kept secrets in Seattle.

#4 Cultivators.

We need cultivators. You know who you are. Cultivators are community-builders. Cultivators love people and know how to draw them out, make them feel welcomed, loved, needed – like family. We need you. God created you like that to be a community cultivator. Once the spreaders and gatherers have done their work, those who are new to our church community need a hand in getting started. Let’s pray for more cultivators.

#5 Givers.

Many of you have been responding faithfully. Our giving as a community is slowly improving and that is really encouraging – particularly because our giving is so closely connected to our discipleship of Jesus. Thank you to those who are giving reguarly, sacrificially and cheerfully. We are so close to being fully self-supporting as a church. It is such a gift to be able to give. As you know we just brought David Parker on staff full-time. It was a faith step for us as a young church to do that, but our advisory board urged us to do just that. That means that we, as a church, will be called on to continue to respond in faith together, in giving. I can’t wait until we’re self-supporting and can free up our external support to be directed to other church plants.

#6 Members.

We just wrapped up our membership series, so please be praying that the Father would move 70-80 people to covenant as members of Downtown Cornerstone Church. I hope that includes you too. I beleve we’re right around 20 as of right now. Please wrap up The City process and catch up on any missed series messages by the end of September. That way we can get your interview in by October 15 – our first members meeting. We’re really close to securing a super cool, super secret location for that celebration. Stay tuned!

#7 Movers.

We need folks to move downtown (and closer to the city). I always hesitate in writing or saying that as I know it is bound to create some tension in those who currently live outside of the city or love their current neighborhood. As I’ve always said, there will be no stink-eye for those that don’t live close to the city – ever – or for those that move out of the city. City Christians are not varsity Christians. There are no varsity Christians. We’ll have none of that. But, the tendency is to leave the city so we have to counteract that by calling people to the city. So, please pray for many to feel led to move into or near the core – or adopt a tribe that they love and build their ministry there. Be intentional wherever God would have you.

Praying expectantly with you all.

Baptism, Community, City Life, Photos

On Thursday, August 16th, 155 of us gathered at Lake Union Park to enjoy summer barbeque, our beautiful city and God’s great grace in baptism. Throughout the night we got to hear of Jesus’ real, active, transforming work in the lives of 12 brothers and sisters in Christ.

Ephesians 5:1,4 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world…But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him.”

Video coming soon. Stay tuned!

Baptism, Community, City Life, News | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Join us this Thursday (August 16th) for our second annual summer baptism and BBQ at the west side of South Lake Union Park. BBQ’s will be hot and grilling at 6:00pm – don’t forget your meat! We’ll transition to testimonies and baptisms at 7:00pm. There are a number of things to keep in mind as we prepare to celebrate together. This is going to be a great night!

#1 PRAY. Please pray for the 12 that are set to be baptized. First, pray God gives them courage and clarity to share what He has done in their lives. Second, pray God uses what they share to lead others to know Him and stirs the faith of those that already do.

#2 VOLUNTEER. If you have not yet signed-up to volunteer (grilling, set-up, tear-down, etc) there are still a good number of needs. You can RSVP and sign up here. If you’ll just be visiting, there’s no need to volunteer, we’re glad you’re joining us and happy to host.

#3 COMMUNITIES. Every community is shouldering a portion of the load in providing side dishes and desserts. If you haven’t yet, please talk to your community lead to find out how you can help. Don’t worry if you’re unable to provide anything. There will be plenty to go around.

#4 INVITE. This is a great opportunity to invite friends, neighbors, coworkers and family to celebrate with us and hear the gospel through lives that have been changed by Jesus.

#5 TIMING. Please arrive as early as you can to allow ample time for your meat to grill, to hang out with friends, meet new folks, grab a game of bocce and be available to help as needed. If you’re able, please consider staying after to help us clean and pack-up.

Can’t wait! See you on Thursday at South Lake Union.

Uncategorized | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Below are some of the questions I’ve been asked, or anticipate being asked, throughout our current series. Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Q: “Why do I need to sign a covenant?”
This is by far the most frequent question asked. Being a member of a church has to do with living out your corporate identity as a part of Jesus’ people, the local church (e.g. member of the body of Christ, member of the family of God, citizen of the kingdom of God, living stone within the temple of God, et al.) We covered this in full during the first week of the Church Membership series. All of these biblical images highlight that Christians are to relate to one another in a way that is formal, committed and interdependent in the setting of a local church. One of the ways we express this type of relationship in our culture is by affixing our signature to an agreement. It’s a way of saying, “I am declaring myself to be formally committed to this individual, group or organization”. We do this when we start a new job, when we get married, when we have a new child, when we purchase or rent a home, etc. The difference is that church membership is a covenant, not a contract, before God. In the context of marriage, in particular, it is the supreme demonstration of love because it says “I am committing myself to you and no one else.” Given the nature of our corporate identity in Christ, as expressed in the Scriptures, how much more should we formally commit ourselves to other brothers and sisters in Christ as part of a local church in a specific context?

Q: “What do I do if I need to move?”
Just let us know and, though we’ll be sad to see you go, we’ll gladly send you. Our hope will be that you will become a member of another Jesus-loving, gospel-centered, Bible-teaching church in your new city.

Q: “How long will I be considered a member?”
We will ask all members to renew their covenant commitment annually.

Q: “What are the ‘benefits’ of becoming a member?”
Church membership is more about what you are bringing to the church, than what the church is bringing to you (the church is the people, right?). At the same time there are certain privileges granted to members, such as priority in counseling and visitation, leadership opportunities, certain service positions and access to our limited benevolence funds.

Q: “Is membership required for serving and leadership within the church?”
We will require membership for all leadership positions and many service positions (e.g. Cornerstone Kids, Connect Desk, etc). However, there will be certain exceptions (e.g. greeters, ushers, hospitality, set-up/tear-down, etc). We’re still sorting through the specifics here.

Q: “What if I choose not to become a member?”
We love you and are entirely for you. We will not, and cannot, force anyone to become a member. That would be weird. All we can do is present the biblical case for membership and call every follower of Jesus to gladly embrace becoming a covenanted member of Downtown Cornerstone Church. It’s a vital component of your personal discipleship.

Q: “What is expected out of members?”
We will expect every member to give of their time (participation in community, Sunday gatherings, etc), treasure (regularly, sacrifical, joyful giving) and talents (serving in some way). The exact conditions and expectations will be spelled out in the membership covenant itself. You are making a covenant with other members of the church, the leadership, before God. Similarly, the leadership will make a covenant with you, before God. It’s a beautiful thing.

Q: “Is church membership for super Christians?”
Absolutely not. Church membership is for all people who profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, young and old, poor and rich, white and black, rookies and veterans.

Q: “Can I become a member at any time?”
At this time, no. We will have set times during the year (i.e. twice a year) when we will hold a Membership class and open the opportunity to anyone who has just joined us or recently became a Christian.

Q: “If I want to become a member, but my spouse doesn’t, what do I do?”
We will handle these situations on a case-by-case basis. Ideally, both husband and wife join together.

Q: “What if I left a church under discipline but want to become a member with DCC?”
We will handle these situations on a case-by-case basis. Talk to me, a deacon or a community lead. As much as possible we want to uphold Romans 12:18, “So far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” particularly as it relates to other Christians and/or churches.

Q: “If I’m still exploring the person and work of Jesus can I become a member?”
We’re excited you’re with us! Church membership is specifically for those who follow Jesus Christ. So, for now, we’ll wait. Take your time to ask questions, get connected in community and continue to explore the stunning claims of Jesus Christ. If and when you decide to follow him we’ll revisit the membership topic.