What a day!!!  The only regret I have is that I didn't grab my camera until this afternoon...I missed some great photo opps with Brian Hunt from Parkview Christian Church.  He took me golfing this morning and besides the 10 I threw up on number 16, it was a pretty good day (don't ask, it was an absolute meltdown...but it was a legit 10!) 

Brian Hunt - Parkview Christian Church
Brian Hunt is the campus pastor for Parkview's Lockport campus - amazing guy and beyond talented.  A former professional baseball player, business leader, dared to try out for the worship band years ago only to become a worship leader who would later cut a CD...and now a campus pastor with an undeniable heart for raising up leaders in this next generation.  Golf was fun, but our conversation was even better...I'm excited to meet more of the Parkview team Tuesday morning.

Dave Ferguson - Community Christian Church
Tonight I had the chance to have dinner with Dave Ferguson, Lead Pastor and Spiritual Entrepreneur with Community Christian Church and the NewThing Network.  Have you been to Lou Malnati's Pizzeria???  AMAZING!!! 

I tried to ask Dave questions but he peppered ME with questions and turned what I had hoped to be a time of gleaning great insight from a great leader to being pursued and enoucraged in a way I had not expected.  But I was able to corner him and ask him a few questions...see below for the shoe string budget video I took with Dave before he left.  Gotta love the raw and real...

I twittered, "What is one question you would ask Dave Ferguson?"  @kylezimmerman responded asking, "Dave, if you could go back and initiate your multi-site strategy all over again, what would you do the SAME and what would you do DIFFERNTLY?"  Great question - here is Dave's response (paraphrased):

• "What would I do the SAME?  I would make sure each one of our new sites began with the goal of eventually launching their own new sites.  It's not 'one and done.'  The vision of church planting cannot remain soley on the radar of the main campus.  Each new site must grow towards reproducing other new sites."

• "What would I do DIFFERENTLY?  I would definitely make sure we held campus pastors to the same standard as church planters; they are basically the same role.  We have a training strategy for church planters that we now take our campus pastors through and if I could go back and do it all over again, I would begin with that strategy...more training for campus pastors."  Learn more about how Dave trains campus pastors and church planters at http://www.newthing.org. 

Time for bed; it's late and I have an early morning right around the corner...more updates from Chicago tomorrow!

LV