2019 River Valley Conference Journal by rivervalleychurch

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Darren Lee short bio. Max 15-20 words. Equis nem harum aut qui qui dolorem apitatisIdem essint et prepudis vendam dunt inis eius et audiore cuptati nvelent iunderspelit.

S TAY CONNECTED WIT H OUR C O N F E R E N C E A P P AVAIL ABL E ON IT U N E S O R G O O G L E P L AY

FO L L O W A L O N G @RIVERVALLEYNTWK | #RIVERVALLEYCONF

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WEL COME T O CONF E R E N C E ROB & BECCA KETTERLING PAGE 6

HEART FOR CONFERENCE CALEB BROSE PAGE 9

T HE NEX T GENERAT I O N I S N O W TERRY PARKMAN PAGE 12

RAISING WO R L D C H A N G ER S MONICA MORGAN PAGE 14

IT â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S A L L A B O U T TH E P R E S E N C E O F G O D AARON JOHNSON AND RYAN WILLIAMS PAGE 17

A VIS ION FOR I NNOVAT ION DARREN LEE PAGE 20

GENEROSITY AND THE CHURCH DARIN POLI PAGE 23

S TEPPING INT O CREAT IVE FREEDOM CLINTON ALLEN PAGE 26

MEET ING NEEDS I N YOUR COMMUNITY CHRIS BECHTEL PAGE 29

REA CHING YOUR CIT Y BEN HOAR

CONFERENCE NOTES

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C O N F E R E N C E

Becca and I want to take this opportunity to welcome you and your team to River Valley Conference. I know there are so many conferences that you and your team could attend, so I am honored that you chose to spend time with us. These two days are some of our favorites of the entire year. Our team has been praying and preparing for Conference, and we couldn’t wait for it to get here. You may have heard me express this before, but I want to start off our time together by letting you know I love your church. Genuinely! I love your church no matter what it looks like—big, small, in a school, bar, house—anywhere! As long as you are preaching and teaching Jesus, I love your church. I hope you feel that here. I want you to know we are a team that wants you and your church to succeed and grow. Over the last nearly 25 years, we have learned more often than not how to do ministry the hard way and have made more mistakes than I can count. River Valley does not have it all together. But when you approach ministry with an open heart and a desire to serve God, He blesses it. We have learned a lot and are blessed to lead in several areas, yet our heart remains the same: “Here we are Lord, use us.” Grab that heart this Conference. Take our ideas, give us yours, find time to be refreshed, and be open to God instilling a new perspective in you. Let’s see what God can do with a group of leaders who, in unity, will say, “Here we are Lord, use us!”

PASTOR ROB AND BECCA KETTERLING

C O N F E R E N C E V A L L E Y R I V E R

Rethinking Gen Z youth ministry for the local church.

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“Feed is a huge step forward in discipling students who live in a globalized world that’s based on what’s new and what’s next on social media.” - Terry Parkman, Next Gen Pastor, River Valley Church

A VISION FOR INNOVATION BY DARREN LEE, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Fifteen years ago, it was a big deal for your church to have a good looking website. Weout were renting DVDs (remember Check Feedbuying resourcesand for FREE at www.feed.bible! Blockbuster?) and CDs (remember Sam Goody?) like candy and high-speed internet had barely evolved beyond dial up, if you A INITIATIVE had internet access at all. feedyouthministry

feedyouthministry 8 8

feedyouthministry

HEART FOR CONFERNECE BY CALEB BROSE, NETWORK DIRECTOR

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In the book of Numbers we find the 12 tribes of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chosen people, the Israelites, traveling to find their inheritance in the promised land. At this point, there are two tribes who feel they have received their promise and are going to settle on one side of the Jordan River. These two tribes, who have already received their blessing, are charged with the duty to help the other 10 tribes receive their own blessing. God gives the first two tribes permission to take ownership of their inheritance if they first guide the other 10 tribes in finding theirs.

to reach the least of these, and to make a place where people can find authentic life change. River Valley Conference is designed to equip, but also to remind you of the team you are on. The team we are all on together. My simple prayer for your time at River Valley Conference is that you would leave feeling like our team is winning. That you would be refreshed, encouraged, and inspired to keep on doing the work. To know that there are thousands of people like you in communities just like yours, who believe like you, who are committed like you, and are passionate about building the Kingdom of God all across the world.

This story in Numbers is such a powerful expression of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;whyâ&#x20AC;? behind ministries such as River Valley Network and the reason we have River Valley Conference. Both flow out of the vision: to see churches, pastors, and leaders equipped, inspired, and encouraged to continue reaching the people and communities God has placed them in.

Director of River Valley Network, Caleb Brose is committed to and passionate about leveraging a local church for global impact seeing thousands of churches equipped and encouraged to reach more people for Jesus.

We believe in your church. We believe in its ability to represent the heart of God to people who are lost. We are confident in its ability to love well,

A R T I C L E

We were pros at T9 texting, unless of course, you’d graduated to the fancy new Blackberry Pearl or the infamous Sidekick with a full keyboard. Fancy you.

next, biggest idea, and more about creating an environment where people are willing to do the hard work of innovation themselves: to collaborate, learn through trial and error and use critical thinking to make decisions that move everyone forward. In LEADERS that environment, DEVELOPING God will inspire your team to take bold steps MULTIPLYING THE CHURCH of faith.

Enter Facebook and Gmail. Suddenly, a generation of college students, young professionals and early-adopters alike were connected in a revolutionary new way. By the end of that year, digital music sales were skyrocketing past CDs, Netflix was actively developing a way to stream video and YouTube came online for the first time.

Take a look at these online resources and leadership tools designed to help you take your ministry to the next level.

So much has changed in the last decade and it shows no signs of slowing down. Now is the time LEARN MORE ABOUT CMN AT to step up and embrace innovate technology in a new CHURCHMULTIPLICATION.NET way. Imagine how God could use your ministry through new technology. Who might you be able to reach with these new tools?

The digital revolution had begun. In the following years, Twitter, the iPhone, Instagram, Snapchat, high-definition video and more would completely change our relationship with technology, and with each other. Can you imagine your day without your smartphone?

ears of it is In an ever-changing technologyYlandscape ervice critical for us to build innovativesenvironments where creative solutions thrive. Technology can be a barrier, if you allow it, or it can be a tool God uses in your ministry to reach people in exciting and innovative ways!

T I T L E

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churches Built

Technology as a toy won’t move us forward. But technology as a tool could be the difference in someone finding an authentic, life-changing relationship with Jesus. Where is God challenging you to increase your vision for innovation?

In Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation, we learn it takes a willingness and ability to do the hard work of innovation. It also takesarchitects vision. A new kind and of vision. If you want to do something new and useful, you cannot know, by definition, exactly where to go. So then, having a vision for innovation is less about coming up with the

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Darren Lee short bio. Max 15-20 words. Equis nem harum aut qui qui dolorem apitatisIdem essint et prepudis vendam dunt inis eius et audiore cuptati nvelent iunderspelit.

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THE NEXT GENERATION

IS NOW BY TERRY PARKMAN, NEXTGEN PASTOR

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The story of Bartimaeus gets me every time. If you’re not familiar with the story, it’s about a boundaries, unencumbered by language barriers blind beggar named Bartimaeus who made the due to smartphone access. Combine that global decision to step into all that God created him to connectedness and entrepreneurial passion with be when Jesus came on the scene. This story the call of God and you have a generation that has is significant because in spite of his blindness the capability of reaching every tribe, tongue, and and beggar social status, Bartimaeus broke rank. nation with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The world tried to tell him So what does this mean for to stay quiet and accept his “Combine that global us as their leaders? It means lot in life, but that wasn’t connectedness and the more we help the next good enough. When the entrepreneurial passion with generation discover their sound of the Savior fell purpose and the more we upon Bartimaeus’ ears, he the call of God and you have give them the opportunity stepped up knowing that a generation that has the to be discipled through Jesus held the key to his capability of reaching every leadership opportunities, healing and to his future–and the better they will actively tribe, tongue, and nation with as a result, received all he reach the world around asked for. the gospel of Jesus Christ.” them by “publishing” The reason I love this their faith in every area of TERRY PARKMAN story is because I have their lives. the privilege of leading I, for one, am excited because the generation we a generation that embodies the same passion have been praying for God to send us is currently and relentless desire to step into their calling. sitting in our kids, youth, and young adult I get to lead Generation Z. If you don’t know, ministries and they hold the key to changing the Generation Z currently ranges from ages 4–22 world. So, here’s to a Bartimaeus generation that and is the most populous, diverse, and globally refuses to sit on the curb and beg for crumbs connected generation in human history. They’re when the Bread of Life is calling them higher. not consumers like generations that came before them, but publishers who desire to write a new Terry Parkman serves as NextGen Pastor story about the future. at River Valley Church. He oversees youth, young adults, and emerging leaders. He’s passionate about helping this generation discover their purpose, developing them as leaders, and empowering them to step into the plan of God for their lives.

Like Bartimaeus, they don’t want to be told their limitations; they want to be given the opportunity to leverage their gifts, talents, abilities, and passions. The next generation is already sharing ideas, beliefs, and values across borders and

BY MONICA MORGAN, CENTRAL GO KIDS PASTOR

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RAISING WORLD CHANGERS

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World Changers. That’s who we desire to see our children and students become—a generation that stands up for what they believe and inspires godly change in their circles and beyond. We sing songs about it, we organize events around it, and we design our teachings to inspire it. Very simply though, children cannot become world changers until their own world has first been changed.

What if we wrote lessons in a way that set mom and dad up for the win throughout the week? Now, let’s take it a step further: What if we not only invited parents into our faith conversations, but asked them to be the initiators of the conversation?

The research is clear—change starts at home. It should come as no surprise that family engagement is one of the most powerful predictors of child development. The home is where thought development and processes start. Researchers have found that the structure, involvement, and atmosphere at home contribute greatly to a child’s wellbeing and cognitive development. Additionally, lifelong faith formation is influenced most by parents.

What if we set up the teaching to start in the home instead of bringing parents in at the end? What if we actually started the conversation in the child’s most influential space? The world doesn’t take days off; developing world changers with a solid faith foundation starts at home and is already happening. So let’s bring the weapons to parents on the front lines instead of waiting for them to come to us.

Knowing this, we’ve made it our mission to resource and supply parents with the tools to succeed. But rather than simply providing tools that give answers, what if we gave parents the topic as well? What would it look like to start the conversation in the home?

What if we changed the world through our impact on the next generation?

A great way to formulate ideas, concepts, and strategies is to start by asking one simple question: What if?

Monica Morgan is Central Go Kids Pastor at River Valley Church. Monica helps oversee the nine different campus locations in the Minneapolis-metro area and loves raising up children to become the world changers that God created them to be.

What if we provided resources that met families in their everyday context and real-life situations?

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ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ALL ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF GOD BY AARON JOHNSON AND RYAN WILLIAMS, RIVER VALLEY WORSHIP 17

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Hours before service begins, the worship team arrives to an empty church and assembles on an empty stage. Soon the sound of drums and guitars fills the air as instruments are tuned and microphones checked. As every piece of equipment is tested, songs of Jesus began to take shape.

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is our desire: to lead and equip people with a language to appropriately respond to the presence of God in their lives. God is not passive. He is alive and active in our daily life. As worship pastors, we encourage the church to cast off all passivity in the presence of God. We must actively respond to our God who has been so actively generous towards us.

Slowly the auditorium begins to buzz with anticipation. There is a holy reverence in the room, a prayerful excitement. What’s about to take place is something the team knows is beyond them—a clear charge from heaven to steward the next moments well.

As our church gathers and the service countdown begins, the team is backstage for one final prayer rally. Prayers are sent up for people to connect with God in a new and fresh way. That He would speak to people’s hearts and minds and they would truly know Him.

The atmosphere of expectation does not come from the new song the team will be leading. It does not come from the amazing writing session or conference the team just attended. It does not come from the weekend’s song set. It comes from the understanding that one moment in God’s presence changes everything.

As the team walks to the stage they pass a wall with a phrase written on it in large white letters. It’s the anchor statement to our worship services and the last thing the team sees before going on stage: One Moment in God’s Presence Changes Everything.

We value the presence of God so deeply that it is woven into every fiber of our church. It is our number one value. We know that the authentic manifest presence of God carries power that is beyond anything we can do on our own. This same power can set someone free from the bondage of sin in a moment. It can restore marriages and heal sickness and disease. We know that in God’s presence real change takes place.

Ryan Williams is Lead Worship Pastor at River Valley Church. Ryan is passionate about ushering people into the presence of God and is a gifted songwriter whose music ignites Spirit-led heart awakenings in the Church. Aaron Johnson is Worship Director at River Valley Church. With years of experience in a variety of roles in the music industry, Aaron has leveraged his talents to bring structure and strategy to River Valley Worship locally and globally.

As we gather in God’s presence, we see an earthly foreshadowing of the eternal reality that awaits us in heaven. This is our focus and this

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R I V E R

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A VISION

FOR INNOVATION BY DARREN LEE, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

V I S I O N

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Fifteen years ago, it was a big deal for a church to have an attractive website. We were renting DVDs (remember Blockbuster?) and buying CDs (remember Sam Goody?) like candy, and the internet had barely evolved beyond dial-up—if you had access at all. We were pros at T9 texting, unless of course, you’d graduated to the new Blackberry Pearl or the infamous Sidekick with a full keyboard. Fancy you.

definition you cannot know exactly where you’re going. In an environment that fosters innovative thinking and creative solutions, your team will be inspired to take bold steps of faith.

Enter Facebook and Gmail.

So much has changed in the last decade and there are no signs of the technology evolution slowing down. Now is the time for the Church to step up and embrace the changes in a new way. Technology can be a barrier if you let it, or it can be a tool God uses to reach people in exciting and innovative ways.

Suddenly, a generation of college students, young professionals, and early-adopters were connected in a revolutionary new way. By 2005, digital music sales were skyrocketing, Netflix was actively developing its video streaming capabilities, and YouTube came online for the first time. The digital revolution had begun. In the following years, Twitter, iPhone, Instagram, Snapchat, high-definition video, and more would completely change our relationship with technology and with each other. Can you even imagine a day without your smartphone? In Collective Genius: The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation, we learn it takes a willingness and desire to do the hard work of innovation. It also takes vision—a new kind of vision. It’s less about coming up with the next big idea and all about creating an environment where people are willing to do the hard work themselves: to collaborate, learn through trial and error, and use critical thinking to make decisions that move everyone forward. In order to do something inventive and exciting, by

What if you could know exactly who is walking through your doors each week or where your message is most effective in your community based on available data? What does it look like to leverage virtual or augmented reality in church? Technology as a toy won’t move us forward. But technology as a tool can be the difference in someone finding an authentic, life-changing relationship with Jesus. Where is God challenging you to increase your vision for innovation? Darren Lee is Communications Director for River Valley Church and leads the entire creative communications process—including brand strategy, marketing, film, social media, content management, environments, and overall brand experience.

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GENEROSITY AND THE CHURCH BY DARIN POLI, EXECUTIVE PASTOR

A movement of generosity is gripping the Church. While millions of dollars are being invested each year to develop future leaders and to expand the Church at home and across the globe, I believe the Church has the capacity to do even more. 23

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God has invited us as church leaders to be part of an incredible mission. No place is too hard. No person is too far. No situation is too impossible for a move of God. That’s the heart behind our giving as we build the Kingdom through godly stewardship and radical generosity.

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and excitement as people continue to build on that generosity. And the way to keep that momentum going is by making sure generosity stays in the forefront. In fact, what I’m finding is that more and more people are desiring continuous opportunities to give. When people have been gripped by the movement, they want it to be ongoing. That might just mean the days of three-year capital campaigns are in the rearview mirror. Rather, our job as church leaders is to infuse generosity into the DNA of our congregations.

Imagine what it would look like if every person in church viewed themselves as conduits through which God’s generosity flows to others? This is what is needed for a generosity movement to begin.

And one of the most compelling ways to do that is to better tell the story of generosity by highlighting the “why.”

Ask these three questions to spark a movement of generosity in your church: How can we have a greater impact?

The “why” behind our generosity connects the hearts of donors to the amazing work of God near and far. Our churches are desperately searching for a heart connection to the impact of their obedience, faith, and generosity. I believe what’s ultimately going to fuel our churches to greater levels of generosity are the simple, compelling stories of their eternal impact.

How can we have a faster impact? How can we better tell the story of generosity? The opportunity to make a difference in this world is both great and urgent. More need to know of Jesus—and need to know now. And that’s what fuels us to be generous with everything God has given us. Because ultimately it’s not about the money—it’s about eternal life change.

So take a risk. Give radically to missions. Tell stories of generosity with heart and passion, and watch as God uses our churches to have a greater and faster impact, so that all may hear.

One of the ways you can make a tangible impact as a church is to tithe on your budget to missions. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big step to send out 10% of your general fund, but I invite you to consider how such a bold move of faith will help us see a greater impact. Consider starting at five percent and work your way up from there. Regardless of the number, the invitation is to go for it and see how God shows up!

Darin Poli serves as an Executive Pastor at River Valley Church where he oversees campuses and strategic expansion. Through his insightful and practical teaching and leadership style, Darin manages implementation of both day-to-day and highlevel practices at River Valley.

Indeed, as you take that step, your congregation will begin to take notice. It will build credibility 24

REVOLUTIONIZE THE GENEROSIT Y CULTURE IN YOUR CHURCH

Help your church grow in generosity by simplifying your buckets of giving. Resources available through the River Valley Network will help you introduce over-and-above giving through Kingdom Builders. These resources will walk you and your team through the philosophy, process and implementation that has helped churches all around the country raise millions of dollars for missions and Kingdom advancement.

JOIN THE RIVER VALLEY NETWORK TO DOWNLOAD KINGDOM BUILDERS CONTENT AND HUNDREDS OF OTHER GREAT RESOURCES AT RIVERVALLEYNETWORK.ORG

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STEPPING INTO CREATIVE FREEDOM BY CLINTON ALLEN, RIVER VALLEY WORSHIP

God, the ultimate and consummate creator, uniquely designed you for such a time as this. Purposeful and fearfully He crafted you for worship and to bring Him glory. What a time to be alive... can you feel it? 26

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I sit here trying to adequately articulate the anticipation I have for this year and all that God has in store for us as we tap into the percolating dreams and creativity. Do they scare you? They should.

No matter what lane you are in, we should all be seeking the Spirit of God for a new and fresh revelation. For me that expression takes the form of leading worship, writing songs, rostering teams, counseling and pastoring individuals, and galvanizing creatives within our campus to use their gifts to point people to an authentic, lifechanging relationship with Jesus Christ.

I often wonder what level of creative offering I have not yet unleashed because of fear. Fear of what others may think, insecurity about the quality of the output or thoughts that my ideas are too grandiose and lofty. What if it’s lame? Too abstract? Too simple? Too human? Too dark? To polarizing? But then again, what if it turns out so amazing? So thought-provoking? So Spirit-filled? What if your idea is the very idea that your church—the Church—is waiting on?

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But it’s not just about the now; to keep advancing culture, we have to look past what’s relevant at the moment and look at what’s next. For what could be, I am dreaming still. That’s the pioneer God has destined you and me to be. That’s the God “But it’s not just about the now; to dream I want to chase with keep advancing culture, we have reckless abandon.

to look past what’s relevant at the moment and look at what’s next.”

So what are you believing for? What are your dreams?

CLINTON ALLEN What is your creative expression that has not I believe this is your yet come to fruition? moment, that this is your What a sobering and somber moment to have year. I pray as we gather together here, you the realization that you’ve played it safe when would not only be stirred to creative expressions it came to the things God has called you to you could never imagine, but also inspired to create, express, write, teach, build, film, discover a fresh perspective. That God would design, play, or speak. renew your purpose and give you an appetite for revival in Jesus’ name! Many things can discourage us from pushing culture forward in the local church, but we have What a time to be alive…can you feel it? to continue to dig deep into the recesses of our hearts and minds to find something earnest— Clinton Allen is Worship Pastor something that uniquely tells the story of grace at River Valley Church Crosstown and the centrality of Jesus. Campus. He is passionate about people coming to know Jesus and his leadership reflects this passion.

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MEETING NEEDS IN YOUR COMMUNITY BY CHRIS BECHTEL, CAMPUS PASTOR

M E E T I N G

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“Live life through the lens of the lost!”

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community? If all of your traditional tools were stripped away, how would you share the love of Jesus? Simple. You’d have to get back to the basics of evangelism. Your eyes will be opened to see spiritual starvation, your heart will be drawn to the broken, and your people will become embedded within your community like never before! When you remove all the traditional tools for success, you are left with the single greatest tool to reach your community. YOU.

Those eight words reverberated in my heart as we wrapped up an outdoor dinner under the canopy of stars in Ammann, Jordan. It was our last stop on my most recent Global Team and Dick Brodgen, leader of Live Dead, was sharing with us the mentality that he embeds into his staff. If you are going to reach the lost you need to think, live, and see like the lost. Live Dead missionaries are some of the most brilliant and effective Christ-followers in the world because they understand that their mission hinges on intentional and well-prepared evangelism. They cannot depend on fancy church buildings to draw people in, attractive kids and youth programs, or dynamic corporate worship moments to captivate souls. Their greatest asset is themselves. They understand that relationship is the tool through which God’s love is experienced, not church buildings or programs. No other organization on earth understands this better than Live Dead.

My challenge for you is this: think through how you can begin to reach your community with an evangelism strategy that doesn’t involve buildings, marketing, ministry programs, or curriculum. Make it personal, make it relational. This will inherently promote creativity and fire for personal evangelism, which is needed to reach your community. Most importantly, it will help you to start living a life through the lens of the lost! As one of the longest serving Campus Pastors at River Valley, Chris Bechtel has been an integral part of the River Valley story. Committed to reaching those far from faith, Chris has led the campus to be a place of hope for the community.

So what does foreign missions have to do with the local community? One gives us the appropriate context to engage the other. If you were to remove your church building, slick marketing strategy, and robust ministry growth, how would you reach the lost in your