Movement Church is a new church plant, so we are under no impression that we have mastered this church thing. In our formative launch team meeting phase we have dedicated one weekend a month to visiting churches and learning from them. Some of them are financial partner churches, while others are area church plants that we respect. I thought I would take the time to re-cap our times with these churches and share some highlights and things that blessed our team.
- This past Sunday, we took our team to Covenant Church in Grove City, Ohio.
- That church was planted and is pastored by my dear friend Travis Davenport who I have known since middle school.
- Sometime I will dig up some pictures or videos of us in high school, but for now I want to keep my job.
- My recap and experience of this visit will be way different because more than all the others I have seen inside the engine and know their story. Travis and his family used to stay at our house in Powell when they would come down and scout the area. I actually told him Hilliard would be a great place to plant. I am not being critical but feel I can be a little more free in describing a church that I consider family.
- Travis had a launch team that started moving to Grove City in January of 2010 and the church launched in June of that year.
- I visited Covenant in August of 201 and they have come a long way.
- They did what I would consider a parachute drop with a team so they have had to find their place in Columbus.
- 3 years and 4 locations later they have really hit their stride this fall.
- Hundreds of people most from young families now call Covenant their home.
- It’s funny because as I took in Covenant church and debriefed with Travis about what they do I realized most churches have holes. Its not that they don’t do things great, but most churches have a gaping hole where something is not going well or leaves a bad taste in someone’s mouth.
- Simply put Covenant Church doesn’t have any major holes. Are there things they could do better? Of course, and Travis and the team seem to be aware of those and working on them, but the consensus I got from our team was that they are solid all the way around.
- They are in a great location at the Rave Cinema off of Stringtown and Buckeye Parkway.
- First impressions were great including an easy to navigate first time experience and a team eager to help our team. As many places they have borrowed some elements from Elevations VIP experience because they are good and they work.
- We felt honored as a host showed us around and helped us check our kids in.
- The children’s areas were spacious and I felt good about dropping ours off. The rooms let me know my kids would have fun and be cared for and I can’t say that about every place.
- As with any theatre church at times looking down to the floor is a little weird and I wondered if they should do more staging or backdrop type stuff but those things would only cut down on the in house projector and screen they have access to. Biggest church screen I have seen outside of Granger Church.
- The tech wasn’t perfect as they are using new stuff for a new location. Mics cut out, their were hums, and at times the mix of vocals and just overall volume wasn’t perfect but it was coming out of such an impressive in house system it was far above an average church experience.
- Their worship was solid and they definitely have a look, feel, and culture they are going for. I think they are slightly ahead of their time in Grove City and what your average person (even young family) is looking for so it will only connect even more in the coming 2-3 years.
- I helped them find their worship leader and am still waiting on my head hunter check.
- Seth and Travis work well transitioning from hosting, to welcome, to music, offering, and teaching. They are both musical and seem to work together as well as any pastor/worship leader team we have visited.
- Our team loved Travis’ teaching. I can’t really judge it fair as I wouldn’t be impressed by anything he does. Its just the reality of having spent so much time with someone. I take for granted that he is funny or able to tackle tough subjects with grace and truth, but my team was very impressed and blessed by his time in Matthew 7.
- It was fun to visit a friend and see what he does before we get into launch phase and never look back. Not sure the next time I will get to be in his church with him but it was fun to celebrate what God is doing.
- At the end of the service they called our whole team up and prayed over us and celebrated that we are part of the same family and Kingdom. Love their heart for church planting and the gospel.
- SIDEBAR: Courtesy of my module I teach for The National Institute and Grace College and this launch team world tour I have crossed many locations of my list of places I want to see in greater Columbus. I still have a few more (Veritas, Scarlet City Church, Harvest Bible chapel, One Church, Life Community Lifepoint Church, Cypress Wesleyan, and maybe a few more).
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