As I head out for Willow’s Camp Paradise with my daughter I am wondering about the world she is entering. At 11 she is on the brink of teen years, puberty and the onslaught of crud that will invade her life more prominently through the TV, internet and print media. These days away on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a cell-phone-free zone will allow us to focus on God and each other. I have just started reading Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters, by Meg Meeker, M.D. It contains some startling stats that verify the powerful role a dad has in the life of his little—or not so little—girl.

Girls with courageous, available, engaged dads have higher self-esteem, better verbal and reasoning skills, longer life spans, greater levels of achievement in just about everything, wait longer to engage in sexual activity, lower teen pregnancy rates, fewer developmental delays, perform better in school, and are less likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. The data does not lie. Dads matter. And I have only one shot with her. My son is 18 this summer, and in some ways the hardest parenting years are ahead because from 18-24 they make lots of life-changing decisions without being under your authority. But the little ones—like my daughter—need the active engagement and strength only I can bring. And I need to bring it now.

So we are off to camp. Willow will always be here. But not this soon-to-be young lady. Now is the time. I have more influence in her life than I can imagine—more than her mom in some areas, and Meg’s book is making that clear.

What a weekend! Sunday we celebrated my wife’s 50th birthday. About 40 neighbors and another 20 friends & family gathered at a neighbor’s home for a garden party. People read comments to Gail about her impact in their lives. Elders were there, members of small groups, close friends, and her 77 year-old dad, who is battling stage 4 lung cancer. Throughout the day came greetings and words that reflected the impact of just one life over time. It was amazing. But we all do that—one way or the other. I watched their faces—and Gail’s—as people recalled how she showed up for them in crises, as a mentor, a leader, an elder, a friend, and a soul-mate.

Then came the icing on the cake. A guy in my men’s group had been on a several-year journey observing, critiquing, and experiencing Christianity. He had watched neighbors, group members, and attended many services. His questions were honest and often difficult. But it all came together this weekend around a church-wide baptism celebration at the small lake outside Willow. About 550 people were baptized—an amazing thing to experience.

When Roger heard the message given about baptism he said, “This is it—I am ready.” I asked him when it all came together for him and he described that it was a long journey over many years, but that about a month ago he knew he wanted to follow Christ. “But I still have lots of questions, and still am reading my books about history and the life of the church.” I assured him we all have questions—probably more now than ever. “I was just waiting for the right time to tell everyone—they guys in the group, the neighborhood, and family. This is the time.”

He wanted his family present, and the Willow service had ended earlier in the day. So about 35 of us gathered around him at a neighborhood pool—the same pool we had baptized his wife, 3 sons, and other neighbors in 3 years earlier. And Roger made his newfound faith known before the group of people who had lived in community with him all the way. It was a fitting conclusion to an amazing party. All I could think of was the applause of heaven as we all cheered for Roger. And I remembered what we had declared at Willow for years: “Life-change happens best in small groups” – and in neighborhood communities, and at dinner tables, and parties, and any place that Jesus’ people hang out.

Vicki and I attended two baptisms on Sunday. They were radically different, and yet the same. In the end, people got wet.

They were both full immersion, both outdoors, both attended by family and friends and supervised by Elders. The decisive moment in each was exactly the same... tears, a public profession of faith, a quick dunk... and applause.

In the first case about 500 people were baptized, six at a time, over about 90 minutes. The latter only involved one, and lasted just moments.

The first was Willow Creek's lake baptism, a 30 year tradition held every June in our own little lake. We used to baptize hundreds at a time, but now we do baptisms monthly at New Community, so the lake numbers are down. (Side notes: Lead Pastor Gene Appel calls our indoor portable baptistry a "Jacuzzi for Jesus." My friend Rich is an elder, and is a pretty big guy. He always stands at the back of the "Jacuzzi," arms folded, with a big smile. I told him we have the only baptistry in America with a "bouncer," but his real job is to assist those for whom the trip up and out of the water is more challenging than the trip under.)

The lake baptism is spectacular and Vicki and I wouldn't miss it. I've seen if from both sides of the lake (and from in the lake when I was a Community pastor). In most cases there is a mini-crowd waiting to hug and care for the wet ones coming out of the drink... but not always. In fact, more and more people get baptized in front of hundreds of cheering brothers and sisters in Christ and then walk away in their wet towel

alone.

Later that same afternoon we were at an outdoor birthday party for Gail Donahue (Bill's wife). In attendance were folks from  Willow (where Gail is an elder), neighbors, friends, and Bill and Gail's neighborhood small group. Late in the afternoon Bill and two of the guys from his group appeared in shorts and t-shirts and asked us to gather around the pool. (Bill will give details in another post.)

We listened to the spiritual journey of one man and his family, supported by their small group, that culminated in his baptism that afternoon. When the cheering and applause finally died and he came out of the pool, he went from group member to member, thanking then for encouraging and supporting his journey to faith in Christ. They each assured him that the journey was only beginning, and that they would continue to walk with him on the next leg.

Two baptisms. The big difference: Community.

Whether people see baptism as a solo activity or experience it as a member of a caring community is up to us. How is your church doing with this?

This morning I read a great post on Dave Ferguson's blog Velocity: Moving at the Speed of the Spirit. Dave is a Lead Pastor and Spiritual Entrepreneur with Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL. He is also the lead author of The Bid Idea. Before I give you the link to this post, here is some background.

CCC is not just A great church, it's multi-site and growing. It's an awesome expression of practical leadership... they don't just talk about leadership, they actually develop and deploy leaders. A couple of days ago I listened to an old Catalyst podcast where Dave explained one of the key values that support their growth... apprenticeship in small groups. When they planted CCC they made sure that EVERY group had an apprentice... a leader in training. This is a model of leadership development that is undeniably biblical, yet few churches actually "get it" and execute it.

An apprentice is not just a co-leader, assistant, or "substitute teacher" when the leader is gone. An apprentice is learning to lead by actually leading under the direction of a more mature and skilled leader. It's discipleship and on-the-job training rolled into one, with the goal of actually leading a small group or ministry. If your goal is merely to assist and not to step up and lead at the appropriate time... you're not an apprentice.

I hear a lot of church leaders whining "We don't have enough leaders" but when I ask "How many of your groups have apprentices?" they shrug off the importance and ask for help in creating a program or event that will instantly create new, skilled and mature leaders. They don't get it.

CCC gets it. And Dave recognizes leadership development when he sees it... even at McDonald's. Read about it here. Read the comments, too.

How important is apprenticeship to you?

This year's Willow Creek Association Group Life Conference is called the Ancient-Future Community. Held September 27-29 on the Willow Creek main campus in South Barrington, IL, this is a can't-miss event for anyone involved in Group Life!

In a little over three minutes you can get a glimpse of what the conference is all about! Click here to see the video. To visit the conference website click here.