Shaun Garman at Red Sea Church

Red Sea Church is a 5 year old church in the St. John's community of Portland. Shaun Garman is the pastor that started the church. Shaun came and discussed his testimony, the history of Red Sea, and some thoughts on leading a church as a planter.

Shaun became a Christian at age 16, but fell away later and as a result of his girlfriend (now his wife) reading his Bible and asking some questions, Shaun got more serious about his faith. Shaun spent several years starting and operating some companies and God grabbed his life and moved him into ministry about 6 years ago. I wish that I had gotten a recording of this testimony because it was just a great example of sensitivity to God's call (even though it took some time for him to follow-through) and I can't do justice in my writing.

Some random thoughts from Shaun:
- Build from a sending church. It's a healthier model for the church planter to have support and accountability.
- Don't plant a church because of rebellion. Some plant churches because they feel rejected by their church, are dogmatic on a certain doctrinal element, want to be cooler than the existing church.
- The planter MUST be compelled by the gospel. Shaun's entire talk was really based upon the concept of "gospel-centered" theology/leadership/programs. For Shaun, the gospel must be the central focus of not just a message or an event, but must be the governing principle over everything that's done at the church.
- Christ: Soteriology (the gospel)
- Community: Ecclesiology (the church)
- Culture: Missiology (the mission to bring the gospel to others)
This are the central tenets of the purpose, doctrine and practice of Red Sea.

My commentary: My church's purpose statement is: (1) introducing people to Jesus and (2) together becoming more like him. Similar to the Christ|Community|Culture but is more intentional at getting our #1 (introducing) going in the church. Perhaps there's something to learn for us at SBC here. I'm fiddling with what my "Theology of Redemption" looks like which is a way saying all of this as well (just another way of looking at the CCC of Red Sea and the Intro/Become of Sierra Bible).

The essence of the Theology of Redemption is: we were created to have fellowship directly with God just as Adam and Eve had, but we now live in a broken world that is filled with broken people bumping into other broken people causing wounds and hurts. God's own son Jesus died on the cross to close the gap between us and God, to bring hope to the hopeless, and purpose to those seeking meaning. God calls us to redeem anything in the world that we can -- people primarily, but communities and cultural elements as well so that the whole world would know Jesus is the only begotten Son of God.

-Derek