Pointway Update

On September 14, 2008 we officially launched Pointway Church in Brainerd/Baxter, MN. We had 142 people join us for that first service and 106 and 114 respectively at the services that followed. We are excited about what the LORD is doing in and through us and we rejoice greatly when we consider his mighty works.

We have moved from the Gathering Season to the Developing Season and we have a lot of work to do. We have gathered and now we must work to integrate people into the life and ministry of Pointway Church.

We are overjoyed because we know that the Holy Spirit is strong within us and Jesus Christ has manifested his presence in glorious ways. It is the greatest joy of life to worship the King and watch him transform people's lives through the mighty power of the gospel. 

This is just the beginning - the best is yet to come!!!

Brainerd Dispatch covers Pointway Launch

Baxter church opens Sunday

By HEIDI LAKE

Staff Writer

BAXTER - Gone are the days of felt banners and potpourri wreaths adorning the walls of the Christian Missionary Alliance church on Highland Scenic Drive in Baxter.

Formerly known as Heartland Alliance Church before it disbanded, the building is now home to Pointway Church.

While the same denomination, Heartland and Pointway were, in many ways, opposite in terms of presentation and target audience.

The Rev. Steve Erickson, Pointway's pastor, said the average age of Heartland members was 70. In its final months as a church, attendance dwindled, forcing the church to close its doors in June.

But the doors didn't stay shut for long. Pointway Church is having its first official service at 10 a.m. Sunday.

The Rev. Steve Erickson paused in front of Pointway Church in the former Heartland Alliance Church building in Baxter. Pointway will have its first service at 10 a.m. Sunday. Brainerd Dispatch/Heidi Lake  » Purchase reprints of this photo.

"I'm really excited to see the vision that God gave me for this church become real," Erickson said.

The opening of Pointway Church has been 10 months in the making, Erickson said. They've held four preview services in that time and are averaging about 50 people - mostly in their 20s and 30s - at those Sunday morning services. Erickson finds the numbers encouraging, considering little advertising has been done to promote the preview services.

During the months of preparation, Erickson said ministries have been established, workers are in place, and this Sunday they hope to pack the church with new faces.

"The Lord's in control, I trust him to do his thing," Erickson said.

This Sunday, Erickson plans to preach about God's plan and purpose for the world and the individuals in it. Children's programming will be available for youths in sixth grade and younger. There will be a band playing music geared toward younger generations.

"We'll be putting our own flavor on old songs," Erickson said of the updated musical style. "It's modern worship geared to reach our generation."

When Erickson initially came to the lakes area to start Pointway, he said there was no intention for Heartland to close.

He was looking into renting a school or other meeting locations when the Heartland building became available.

Erickson and other core team members have since been busy updating the church building and planning and preparing for Sunday. He said the church building and the 7.25 acres of land it sits on, a value of about $500,000, was given to Pointway for free. Computers and a sound system have also been donated.

Erickson has helped start churches in the past, but has never had the lead role in the process.

"It really takes an amazing amount of work to plant a church," he said.

Now, on the verge of Pointway's inaugural service, about to see a longtime dream become reality, Erickson's emotions are running wild.

"I'm exhausted and excited, overwhelmed and overjoyed at the same time," Erickson said.

For more information on Pointway Church, visit www.pointway.org.

HEIDI LAKE may be reached at heidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5879.

To Subscribe to the Brainerd Dispatch, Click Here.

Launch Team

Pointway Church has an amazing Launch Team! Pointway people have been at our new building cleaning, painting, setting up sound equipment, loving each other, laughing, crying and working together all week.

I am so thankful for the people that God has brought together. I love how God is building Pointway Church!

We will be beginning a series of 4 preview services leading up to our Launch on  September 14th. We are two days away fro

m the first preview service and 

we are psyched to see what the LORD is going to do.

This is the g

reatest and most exhausting

 thing I have ever done in my life. I love it!!!

I am looking forward to Sunday and praying that the Spirit of the Living God would be strong amongst us.

Preview Services Begin!!!

We are going to be conducting four preview services begin next Sunday leading up to our Launch Service on September 14. Our team is a little overwhelmed, but excited and looking forward to seeing that hand of Almighty God working in our midst.

We are in the process of acquiring a facility for our church to meet in. Our meeting place is at 7756 Highland Scenic Road. Our services will begin at 9:57. 

Jesus Christ is building his church in Brainerd/Baxter, MN and the gates of hell will not prevail against us. We have the armor of God strapped on and we are fighting the good fight with the power and energy that the Father has pour out onto us and flows out from within us.

Soli Deo Gloria

Another Day Pressing on in the Great Commission

Every day is an adventure in church planting. I plan out my day and then keep my eyes open to see what the LORD will do. Today was a good day. We had a good visit at the doctor for Asher's 2 year check up. We found out that we received a significant donation for our up coming County Fair Outreach. We had a gifted musician join our mission to plant Pointway Church. I had an opportunity to talk to two teenage girls about the LORD. I also had a great afternoon playing with Asher in our yard. All this while Anne is on the verge of moving into labor. She has been having some contractions and we are hoping that things progress soon.

It is just another day pressing on in the Great Commission. Time will tell the significance of today's events, but one thing I know: the hand of God is upon me. I can not imagine doing anything else with my life than to be on mission with Jesus Christ as he builds his church watching the gates of hell fall as the gospel advances.

I head off to bed with joy in my heart and great thankfulness for all that the Lord has done in and through me. I also head off to bed know that I could awaken at any moment needing to take Anne to the hospital so she can give birth to our child. What a life! I love it!!! THANK Y0U JESUS

I have enrolled

In the School of Biblical Evangelism!

A Theme is Developing

I continue to be amazed at the way Jesus Christ is building Pointway Church. We had a young man join one of our community groups last night. As he shared his life with us I was struck with the similarities he has with others in our church. 

God is bringing together a group of broken and hurting people who are longing for the love and grace of God to be poured out in their lives. The reality is that we are all damaged in some way shape or form. 

There have been things in our lives that have wounded us deeply. In seeing the people that the LORD is bringing together I once again reflected on a very important truth.

The Gospel is for everyday living. Many misunderstand the gospel to be something that merely allows us to enter into the Christian life, but the truth is that the gospel is much bigger than that. The gospel not only brings us into the Christian life, but also allows us to live the Christian life.

We must continually strive to understand the grace of the gospel so that we can live a truly Gospel-Driven Life.

"Never be content with your current grasp of the gospel. The gospel is life-permeating, world-altering, universe-changing truth. It has more facets than any diamond. We will never exhaust it's depths."

~C.J. Mahaney

Thankful

I am thankful for the people the LORD is bringing into Pointway Church. They are hurting people who have been through a lot. I pray that the LORD gives me the grace, wisdom and love necessary to be their pastor. I pray that I would represent Christ well and that I would be a friend of sinners as he was/is.

Pointway Website Concept

This is the beginning of the official Pointway Church website.
I am psyched to see how it turns out!!!

108

I had lunch with two good friends today and the three of us took care of 108 buffalo wings!

The Wonder of a Divine Appointment

Today I rose at 4:45 a.m. as is my custom and during the course of my time in the Word and in Prayer I prayed that the LORD would give me an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was not out of the house more than an hour today when the LORD answered my prayer in a way that stirred my heart to praise his holy name.

I was meeting with my former landlord this morning to walk through my old apartment. After we finished my former neighbor came over and wanted our new address so she could send us a card. We began to talk and she shared that she and her husband felt that they had a real connection to us and that they were interested in continuing a friendship. (this was a surprise to me!)

We began to talk about my work as a church planter and I was able to share the gospel with her. She started asking all kinds of questions. I suggested that maybe we could get together and read the Bible together and seek out the answers to her questions.

She was very interested in this and suggested that some of her friends might be interested in joining us.

My prayer is that we would launch an Evangelistic Bible Study in the next week or two. Join me in praying for the salvation to come to this woman, her family and her friends.

I marvel at the grace of God who was pleased to open the door for the gospel to go forth. Praise the LORD for his grace.

Where is Steve English?

Steveo we miss you!!! I guess we will have to grill all week without you.

Transcendence and Immanence

I am once again amazed that the Living God is strongly present and active in my life. The Holy Spirit has made me aware of the fact that the miraculous can happen at any moment. 

I am truly in awe of the LORD Jesus Christ today. I love it! He is at work in this place and he is letting me be a part of it. Astounding!

Pointway Preview Services

On Good Friday we use Bruce Konold's Way of the Cross Devotional Guide and set up the stations of the cross in our borrowed facility in Baxter. We had 45 people come through and observe Good Friday with us.

On Easter Sunday we held our first-ever, best-every Preview Service. We had 81 people (83 if you count babies still in the womb) attend our service.

We are praising God continually as he builds Pointway Church!

Pointway Preview Service

Please pray for our Launch Team as we prepare for our first-ever, best-ever preview service.

Vision

The forces of mediocrity

Maybe it should be, "the forces for mediocrity"...

There's a myth that all you need to do is outline your vision and prove it's right—then, quite suddenly, people will line up and support you.

In fact, the opposite is true. Remarkable visions and genuine insight are always met with resistance. And when you start to make progress, your efforts are met with even more resistance. Products, services, career paths... whatever it is, the forces for mediocrity will align to stop you, forgiving no errors and never backing down until it's over.

If it were any other way, it would be easy. And if it were any other way, everyone would do it and your work would ultimately be devalued. The yin and yang are clear: without people pushing against your quest to do something worth talking about, it's unlikely it would be worth the journey. Persist.

Posted by Seth Godin on March 05, 2008 | Permalink

Wings, Ministry and Friendship

Today I had lunch with my friend Trevor. We talked about life, ministry and we also devoured 84 wings between the two of us. Next time well hit the century mark T!

Pointing the Way

Pointway Church was featured in the Brainerd Dispatch today. You can read the article HERE.

'We want to point people to God'

New church sprouting in fertile Brainerd lakes area

By HEIDI LAKE

Staff Writer

The Brainerd lakes area seems to be fertile ground for planting churches.

The latest sprout to pop up is Pointway Church, a branch of the Christian and Missionary Alliance's northwestern district.

Steve Erickson, church planter and Pointway's pastor, said the northwestern district of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, which covers Minnesota and parts of North Dakota and South Dakota, decided to plant a church in Brainerd/Baxter because of the area's booming population. He said projected growth for the Brainerd area in the next few years is why it seems to be a popular place for churches to put down roots.

"It's a healthy, growing community," Erickson said. "When you look at the growth ... we'll need a number of new churches in this area."

"This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life and the greatest thing I've done in my life," said Steve Erickson, Pastor, Pointway Church

In the last 10 years, Erickson said 20 Christian and Missionary Alliance churches have popped up in the northwestern district. In 1999, Erickson helped start his first church, Common Ground Church in Lake Elmo. In 2006, he was part of another church plant in Duluth.

"Then the Lord made it clear he wanted me to plant another church," Erickson said.

Erickson, 37, his wife Anne and son Asher moved to Brainerd in November.

"I've always saw myself as more of a city guy, but the sense of community is important to me. We're longing for a closer-knit community," he said.

Erickson calls himself a "pioneer planter" - he's building a church from the ground level. His first duty: Find a core group of about 10 families to join him in starting the church. Two families are on board and Erickson constantly recruits.

With the help of Mark Bjorlo, pastor of The Journey North Community Church, Erickson and Pointway are progressing. Erickson presented Pointway's vision - to transform lives by pointing people to God - at a recent Journey North church service and Bjorlo encouraged members of his congregation to consider joining forces with Erickson in starting the new church.

"The philosophy of The Journey North is to not be concerned about expanding individual churches," Bjorlo said, explaining the bigger picture as he sees it. "Our bigger passion is for seeing (all) churches succeed, rather than (just) The Journey North succeed."

The Journey North, part of the Baptist General Conference, is coaching Erickson in how to successfully plant a church in Brainerd. The Journey North started with a core group of 14 people four years ago. Now, Sunday morning attendance averages 500.

"The Journey North is partnering with us to see that we succeed," Erickson said. "They've been a great help.

"This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life and the greatest thing I've done in my life."

It's uncommon for churches of different denominations to work together in church planting, but both pastors agree the focus is on getting people to go to church, no matter what denomination.

Bjorlo said research shows "church planting is the single most effective strategy to reach people not going to church."

Erickson hopes Pointway Church will open in September. The church likely will meet in its sister church's building at Heartland Alliance Church in Baxter.

Pointway will host the first of many preview services at 10 a.m. Easter Sunday, March 23, at Heartland Alliance Church, located on Highland Scenic Drive.

"My heart is to connect all people with God," Erickson said. "The name of our church is our vision. We want to point people to God."

For more information on Pointway Church, call Erickson at 838-9802.

HEIDI LAKE may be reached at heidi.lake@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5879.

To Subscribe to the Brainerd Dispatch, Click Here.

Things that make a Dad proud

Last night I was doing some teaching with a group of about 25 people. As I was reading the Scripture Asher was very enthused. At various points of my reading of 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 he would begin clapping very joyfully.

It is fun to see my little boy responding to the public reading of Scripture in a positive way like this. My constant prayer is that he would grow up to be a man of prayer and a man of the word of the Living God. It brings me great joy to see those things already developing within him at the ripe old age of 19 months.

Church Planting - Living the Dream Baby!!!

"Church Planting will make you feel alive, and it can push you to the brink of insanity. It will give you a new sense of God's presence and convince you that Satan is alive and well. You will celebrate the birth of a new church with unearthly joy, and experience betrayal from friends and family in ways you never thought possible. As a church planter, you will experience high highs and low lows. It's dangerous and dramatic. As they say on television - kids, don't try this at home."
~Stephen Gray

It is as the man says it is. Buckle up - were living the dream baby!!!