I recently wrote this article picked up by The Washington Post.  Personal responsibility in an age of instant gratification Bil Cornelius As the pastor of a large church, I hear story after story of people who want to live a better life but don't know how to achieve it. But for sheer cluelessness, I don't know if anything can top a story I heard this week about a group of California state workers. They announced plans to protest Friday outside movie theaters showing "The Expendables," which includes a cameo by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor recently asked workers to take unpaid days off three Fridays a month because of the state's budget crisis. The employees object to these "furlough Fridays," and the resulting court battle appears headed to the California Supreme Court.

C3 Global is an alliance of churches that provides opportunities for growth, resourcing, connection and influence around the world.  C3 Global was created to help expand the vision and magnify the influence of churches everywhere, this multi-dimensional, multi-denominational and multi-directional movement unites leaders from every corner of the globe.  I am honored to be able to host a roundtable event for all South Texas area pastors and churches and I would personally like to invite you to attend.  The concepts and resources shared at this roundtable will stretch your vision and grow your church, believe me!  Please join us Thursday, August 19th from 10:00am to 3:00 pm, and be our guest.  Please note that lunch and C3 Global resources will be provided for all guest.  To RSVP for this FREE event or get more info, please contact aarong@bayareafellowship.org or call the the Bay Area office at 361.993.5900 and ask for Aaron Guevara,  Thanks and we look forward to seeing you here. God Bless.  Pastor Bil Cornelius

If you haven't made plans to attend the Heart Revolution Conference this year then it's time to do so.  Pastors Sergio and Georgia De La Mora are hosting this event, which is loaded with some of the most influential pastors ever assembled.  Do yourself, your staff and your church a favor and make plans to be at this conference.

Last year, a good friend of mine and I were discussing the future of his church. They were struggling, yet had a clear vision to reach their community. Randy Bryan, a church planter, and his wife Debbie, were doing all they could to reach the people of San Marcos, Texas. The opportunities were huge, yet the church was still struggling. Although Randy can preach well, it drained him rather than invigorated him. He told me “Bil, I’m more interested in reaching our community than being the senior leader and visionary.” I suggested he pray about joining ranks with our church, and he began to pray (and get excited) about the possibilities. That was two years ago, and since joining our church, his campus has tripled in size! Here are a few other benefits of becoming a part of the baf team: Randy and Debbie no longer feel alone in leadership. The move helped stabilize them financially. The vision was almost immediately caught by most of the people. The best part: hundreds of new people have found a home in Bay Area Fellowship, San Marcos. It is amazing what can happen when only Jesus gets the credit. Randy and Debbie are doing an amazing job! Pastor John Atkinson (our multi-site pastor) pours into them, provides encouragement, and I provide the vision. Put it all together and you get changed lives! If you are a church planter, or a church, that is struggling with not reaching your full potential, and you are open to becoming a Bay Area Fellowship campus, shoot us an email at jccatkinson@gmail.com This doesn’t mean that you are failing. It means that you are making a strategic partnership, to reach more people. People in the mission field do this all the time. They partner with others (stateside) to be able to have a larger impact in their community. Randy and Debbie could’ve kept going without us, but I’m glad they saw the potential. We now call it a “God-thing.” If you are seriously considering talking with us, here are a few things to consider: 1. You can be a location, regardless of where your church is..in Texas, out of Texas, in the U.S. or out. 2. You must agree with the vision of BAF and it’s leadership. 3. Instead of leaving your church plant, why not stay and be a campus pastor and continue the same great relationships you have, while relieving yourself of the vision-casting/regular teaching role (you still teach every 6 to 8 weeks, minimum). 4. You can help get the church healthy, and if you still decide to leave, then you are leaving the church in good hands (although we really hope you stay!). 5. Joining together means you are no longer on an island, but rather you have a group of pastors who want to share what works/doesn’t work with you! I pray that God’s will happens through this blog post. Who knows what God may have on the other side of our obedience to Him. It’s not about our church or your church…it’s about the Kingdom. Bil Cornelius Founding pastor, Bay Area Fellowship, and campus pastor of the Corpus Christi campus.

Today we finished the final touch ups for the audiobook version of I Dare You To Change .  This has been an eye opening experience and God has opened some doors that I'll share with you later.  Please be praying for our efforts with the launch of this book, Jessica and I are expecting God to use it in a big way.