Why has Vintage Church launched the Gx Network?
/All churches are commanded by God to make disciples of all nations. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this vision is through being a church planting church. Planting a church in New Orleans has been one of the most challenging yet most fulfilling journeys of my life. New Orleans should really be called the “Not-So Big Easy.” The enemy has come really hard at Vintage Church recently and I’ve really started to ask the Lord for clarity. Every week, I hear of a new story of a sickness, or a fight, or someone got laid off, or one of our leaders is leaving Vintage and moving away. As Vintage Church has launched the Gx Network, Jesus has revealed to me why the enemy has been attacking our church.
How God Is Multiplying the Gospel?
This past Christmas, I had the privilege of traveling with a team from Vintage to New York City. It was so incredible to see the impact in New York because of the church planter that we sent out. On the first Sunday in 2016, Vintage Church officially launched the Gx Network as part of the MORE Initiative. Our current church planting resident and soon to be fifth church planter preached for me and shared that not only is Vintage launching this Network but that Vintage would be planting another church in Denver, CO. You can here that sermon here. The response in our church was an overwhelming excitement. Vintage is so excited about praying, giving, and going with the Gx Network. The next Sunday, Vintage used this momentum and launched a new series walking through the Gospel of Luke called “1MORE.” Jesus has called the church to follow in His steps and continue to reach “1MORE” in our city with the Good News of Jesus. In the middle of this series, I invited another Gx Network church planter in New Orleans to preach for me because I was going to San Antonio to preach and encourage our first church planter in San Antonio. As the church planter in New Orleans preached for me, one of his apprentices was preaching for him and I had two future leaders on the trip with me. Within a month, I had experienced our Gospel multiplication movement of Vintage Church through four different churches.
God moved in a powerful way that weekend in New Orleans and San Antonio. After I preached in San Antonio, one of the volunteers of this new church plant came up to me and gave me a huge hug. He wanted to take a picture with me and said that I needed to share with everyone back in New Orleans that because Vintage Church multiplied to San Antonio, Jesus has changed his life. Just a year ago he was close to death and hooked on drugs. The new church planter in San Antonio met him on the street, loved him toward Jesus, and Jesus radically changed his life. When I got back home the next Sunday, I began my sermon with this story of thankfulness and that was when Jesus revealed why Vintage had been facing so much resistance. The enemy hates Gospel multiplication and Vintage Church is accomplishing this mission.
Vintage might not have thousands in one room right now but over the last few years Vintage has multiplied the Gospel through individuals, community groups, and gatherings and thousands are hearing about Jesus all over the world. Vintage Church has sent out business leaders, church planters, students, missionaries, and many others all over New Orleans and the world. Because Vintage has been willing to act upon being a church planting church from day one, an amazing movement of God is spreading throughout the world. The details of the future of Vintage Church might be uncertain, but there is one thing that will continue to remain: Vintage Church exists for Gospel Multiplication.
What Is the Gx Network?
Vintage Church has faithfully launched a church planting movement called the Gx Network. This network is a not a replacement of the current networks that Vintage has currently partnered with over the years. We are so thankful for the networks that have supported us and continue to work alongside us to plant churches around the world. So many churches have loved us so well and are even excited to come alongside us with the Gx Network. This network has launched because we believed that after planting four churches with a fifth church on the way, it was time for us to take our church planting ministry to the next level. We are dreaming of hundreds of church plants being sent out of Vintage Church and the other church plants through the Gx Network. The following is a summary of this network:
Our Name:
Gx Network: Multiplying New Churches
Our Mission:
Multiplying the Gospel Through the Church Around the World
Our Values
- The Gospel: We value Multiplying the Gospel
- The Church: We value Multiplying the Gospel through the Church.
- The World: We value Multiplying the Gospel through the Church around the World.
Our Strategy
- Unite
- Brotherhood and Friendship
- Annual Retreat
- Global Training and Mission Trips
- Equip
- Shared Online and Print Resources
- Shared Staff Resources
- Equipping Resources
- Annual Conference
- Multiply
- Residency Program
- Collaboration of Personnel
- Strategic Coaching and Mentoring
- Networking & Fundraising
In my next blog about the Gx Network, I am going to introduce you to the church plants in our network and also share about our first Gx Network retreat in New Orleans.