Community, Discipleship, News

Downtown Cornerstone,

As many of you know, last Sunday we presented David Parker to the church as a pastoral candidate. We are taking the next four weeks to give you time to meet with him, ask questions and/or express any concerns you may have. One of the over-arching qualifications for a pastor is that he must be “above reproach” (1Tim 3:1). This waiting period is our attempt to ensure all bases are covered and you have an opportunity to speak into the process.

The office of pastor (or elder) was created by God, for the leading, feeding, and protecting of his flock, the local church. Therefore, we treat the equipping and installation of such men with great seriousness. David has completed a three-year development process that included reading, writing, hands-on ministry, shared life and an assessment interview with area Acts 29 pastors.

David is a good man with integrity, character, love for Jesus and passion for the spread of the gospel. He is also a good friend. I believe he is called, qualified and ready to be installed as a pastor of Downtown Cornerstone, however we are taking this time in case you know something that we do not.

That said, would you pray for the Parker’s in this season? Would you also pray for our church? It is a sign of God’s grace to us that we have men, like David, being raised-up to lead, feed and protect Jesus’ flock. Let’s ask Him for more. Provided nothing arises that would cause us to stop the process, which we don’t foresee, we will install David as a pastor of Downtown Cornerstone on Sunday, Sept 22nd. It will be a great celebration and a joyous moment.

What follows (below) is a short interview with David so that you can get to know him a bit better.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns you can email me at .

Until the world knows,

Pastor Adam

………………………………………………..

“How did you meet Jesus? How has he changed you?” 

I grew up in a “Christian home” where I was taught the scriptures from an early age. My dad is a pastor, and so “walking the walk” and “talking the talk” was part of growing up. Although I knew a lot of the right answers, the first 14 years of my life was no more than walking around with a bunch of head knowledge and pride. I did not grasp the seriousness of my sin, and thought (as the older brother did in the parable of the prodigal son – Luke 15:11-32) that my acceptance before God could be earned by keeping all the rules and being a good “church boy”. But deep down, I knew that something was deeply wrong with me, and was living in active rebellion to God and to my parents (Jam 2:14-20).

I met Jesus, or I should say Jesus met me (Rom 9:22-23), while working a summer job at a Bible camp. For the first time in my life I saw my sin and my own hypocrisy for what it was. I could no longer ignore the disconnects between what I said I believed and how I acted. I saw others at camp who had an authentic relationship with Jesus. I saw them struggle, but I also saw how they learned to trust Jesus through that struggle, and I wanted that in my life. Through the example of the staff and opening his word each day, Jesus opened my eyes to see my need for Him, to repent of my self-righteousness, and that the only way I could ever be accepted in God’s eyes was through Jesus’ perfect record accredited to me (1 Jn 1:7-9). That summer I began to trust Jesus, and I’m so thankful for his love and patience in pursuing me to this day!

Without Jesus I am nothing and this life is pointless, void, and empty. He has opened my eyes to see my false worship, and has set me free the bondage of religion and worshiping the fleeting pleasures of this world. He continues to redeem me from finding my worth in anything but Christ, and He is daily calling me to a deeper faith and trust in Him (Rom 12:1-2). Because of that, I want others to know the same life changing grace that I have received in the Gospel, and want to spend the rest of my life proclaiming just how good Jesus is (Isa 6:3-9)!

“Tell us a little about your family.” 

I met my wife Michelle in high school. Although we were friends through high school, we started dating a couple months before we graduated, and got married a  year later. This weekend, we’ll celebrate our 12th year of being married, and am so thankful for the gift of grace that Michelle is to me and our family! Last year we welcomed a new addition into our family! After years of infertility, waiting, and God growing in our hearts a desire to adopt, we welcomed our daughter into the world in September last year and officially adopted her into our family in December! She has been such a gift, and we are humbled by the grace that God has given us in our daughter. Although we’re still adjusting to life with baby, we enjoy getting out to explore the sights and tastes of Seattle and nearby mountains, and love the city God has put us in!

“What are you most passionate about?” 

Jesus. Specifically, I’m passionate about making disciples of Jesus. I love being a part of what Jesus is doing here in this city, and getting a front row seat at seeing Jesus work in the lives of those He’s placed around me. I want to spend my days making Jesus look as good as He is, and pouring into others who want to follow hard after Christ; lovingly serving their families, missionally relating with their neighbors, and are passionate about making disciples. Out of this, my prayer is that more churches will be planted, communities will be transformed, and generations of men and women will be redeemed for the Glory of God.

“How did you get involved with DCC?” 

I moved to Seattle 6 years ago with a desire to see people meet Jesus and help plant churches. I didn’t know what that would look like, and how it would happen, but I clicked with the vision of the Acts29 church planting network (based in Seattle at that time), and wanted to spend a season growing and being equipped in the context of a local church. I met Adam Sinnett in 2007 while working alongside him at a previous church. After spending 3 years growing as a disciple and leader, I began to pray about the next season, and invited others to pray with us. During that time, I learned that Adam was also praying about planting a new church in Seattle. My wife and I love Seattle, wanted to stay in this city, and so we began to pray with Adam. In the Spring of 2010, it was clear that Jesus was opening the door for us, and so I resigned from my current position, and started working with Adam in helping plant DCC!

“What are your current areas of oversight?” 

I currently serve as the Executive Deacon of our church. This includes overseeing our finances, operations, and administration. Basically, I help keep us above board, out of jail, and planning for the next season as a church. Additionally, I currently oversee all our Cornerstone Communities and will be responsible for our discipleship pathways that are kicking-off this fall. I also help lead a community in Belltown. I’m thankful for the DCC family I get to walk alongside!

“How did you determine that you were called to be a pastor?” 

To be honest, 10 years ago, being a Pastor wasn’t even on my mind. But as I continued to trust Jesus with my life, He began to grow within me a deep love for others and His church. As I grew, I questioned and wondered if eldership was on the path that Jesus was leading me on. Although I never desired to be a pastor, I wanted to submit myself to Him, and let Him shape my life, vocation, and ministry. Three years ago I threw my “hat in the ring” to test that pastoral call. It was a season spent opening my life to other brothers who could affirm and encourage that call, while offering me wisdom along the way.  Jesus has used that process to not only refine me as a man, husband, and leader, but also to solidify His call on my life to be a pastor. To be honest, most of the time I feel inadequate to pastor others. It’s constantly a place of deep abiding trust in Jesus. But, I also know that I love his Church, specifically Downtown Cornerstone, and want to give my life for it. I aspire to be an elder so that more and more folks would be able to taste and see that the Lord is good!

“How can we be praying for you and your family in this season?”

Being in full-time ministry is one of the most rewarding jobs, but also one of the most draining. When your life revolves constantly around people, sin, brokenness, and the endless list of stuff to do, you’re tempted to forget that God is the one who is in control, and He’s already won the battle. My prayer is that I would continue to trust Jesus as I help lead His people, and that I would find deep rest in Him along the way. I would ask that you would pray for our family and marriage as well. 1 Peter 5:8, says that the “devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. It seems like as our church has grown, so have the spiritual attacks of the enemy that usually come in the form of lies, in hopes to undermine our identity and faith and trust in Jesus. Please pray not only for protection, but when they come, that we would cling to Jesus’ promises, no matter what we feel.

Baptism, Uncategorized

On Tuesday, Sept 10th, we are holding our third annual BBQ & Beach Baptism at Lake Union Park to close out the summer and celebrate what Jesus is doing among us. This party is always one of the highlights of the year. You can view a snapshot of last year’s BBQ and baptisms here. 

I am writing this post to encourage any of you who have yet to be baptized as a follower of Jesus Christ to consider doing so in September.  When we turn from living lives without God and trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation, we should be baptized (Mat 28:18-20; Acts 2:38). In baptism we identity with Jesus in his death (being immersed under water) and his resurrection to new life (being brought out of the water) for the forgiveness of sin (Rom 6:1-10; Col 2:12). It is an outward symbolic act that demonstrates the inward reality of what God has accomplished on the cross through His Son. In so doing, we identify ourselves with Jesus (Acts 10:48; Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27), the universal church (1 Cor 12:13), and the local church (Acts 2:41).

»Go here to learn more about baptism and/or to sign up to get baptized at Lake Union.

Some additional frequently asked questions: 

Q: “Should I be baptized if I was already baptized as an infant?” 

That’s a good question. Having grown up within the Catholic church, I too was baptized as an infant. The simple answer is: Yes. The biblical model for baptism is: first, belief, then baptism as evidence of your belief. In other words, baptism is an outward symbolic reality of a new inner spiritual reality. It expresses your new union with Jesus and your participation in all of the benefits that come with that (forgiveness, redemption, cleansing, adoption, etc). As infants, we are unable to express or demonstrate faith like this. Technically speaking, you’re not getting baptized “again” as the first time wasn’t a baptism, in the true sense of the term.

Q: “I thought I was a Christian when I got baptized, but now I realize I wasn’t. Now I understand the gospel and truly follow Jesus. Should I get baptized?”

The exact answer will depend on your particular story. But, if it is clear that you were not a Christian then, but have since started following Jesus, you should get baptized.

Q: “What sort of preparation is required prior to baptism?

We will pull all of the baptizees together following our church gathering this Sunday, August 25th, following the service to walk through the process and offer some suggestions on how to prepare, practically and spiritually.

Please let us know if you’d like to take the step of faith in getting baptized. Talk to me, your community leader, respond to this post on the City or email us directly at . You won’t regret it. It’s going to be a great night on the lake in our great city.

For Jesus’ Fame,
Pastor Adam

Discipleship, Uncategorized | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

Now that the word is getting out that we are offering two distinct discipleship training tracks this year, we are beginning to receive a number of questions. My aim in this post is to answer some of the most common questions. If you have additional questions, comments or concerns please feel free to e-mail for further discussion. We are praying for 20 individuals to sign-up for the Gospel Leader track and 8 men to sign-up for the Residency.

You can read last week’s introductory post or skip ahead to the application. 

Please note that all applications are due on September 15th to allow ample time to process and follow up via personal interview. We recommend allowing at least a week to prayerfully and thoroughly complete the application materials.

Q: “How much time will the reading, writing, etc require?”

The average workload for the Gospel Leader track will be approximately 2-4 hours per week, though this will vary by week and the individual. The average workload for the Residency will be 4-8 hours per week, depending on the week and the individual. Generally speaking, if you can block out an hour 4-5 days per week, you will be fine. For example, three lunches during the week and a Saturday morning.

Q: “I’m already involved in a community and a discipleship group, how can I fit in something else?”

Though not required, we expect the majority of participants will replace their discipleship group with the discipleship training for the year (or two). Ultimately, this will be up to the individual.

Q: “Should I cut anything out of my schedule in order to make room for this?”

If you are concerned about the amount of time required to participate, it would be a good idea to ask yourself if there is anything in your schedule that you could change/adjust/cut while you participate. It will be a worthwhile, temporary sacrifice.

Q: “What is the format?”

Both tracks will meet once per week for roughly two hours, over the course of 10-12 week quarters. The time will be split between large group and small group huddles spent discussing the homework/projects assigned that given week. There will not be “teaching” in the formal sense. The training will primarily be driven by the content (books, articles, writing, projects) and subsequent discussion.

Q: “Where and when are the groups meeting?”

The exact details regarding timing and location are TBD.

Q: “What if I can’t afford it? Or, what if I can’t afford all of it right now?”

We are offering scholarships for those who are unable to cover the costs and alternate payment options. Please do not let the cost be a barrier. The cost of the training is simply intended to cover the cost of materials. Please let us know if you would like to help give to the scholarship fund.

Q: “What can I expect to get out of this training?”

If you are faithful and consistent in doing your work and participating, you can expect to love Jesus, His gospel, His church and our city more. You can expect to more deeply understand what it means to live a gospel-shaped life. You can expect to learn more about how you are gifted and how to actively engage in Jesus’ ongoing mission. You can expect to be more natural and comfortable in sharing your faith with others. You can expect to be changed, for the better.

Please join me in asking Jesus to use this training to grow, stretch and solidify us as a disciple-making-disciple, church-planting-church. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us.

Until the world knows,
Pastor Adam

Teaching

This Sunday, August 18, we’re beginning a new sermon series on the book of Jonah, one of the best known, and perhaps debated, books of the Bible.

Unlike other prophetic books, this book focuses on the prophet himself. Jonah was from the small Israelite village of Gath-Hepher, lived during the reign of King Jeroboam (793-753 B.C.) and, as it turns out, needed the grace of God as much as the pagan city of Nineveh to which he was sent.

Yet, this book is not only about him; it’s about us too. We are a lot like Jonah. Jonah received a word from the Lord. We have the Word of the Lord. Jonah is called to a great city. We are called to a great city. Jonah runs from God. We also run. Jonah reluctantly obeys. We do the same. Jonah prefers personal comfort over heartfelt trust. We often do likewise. Yet, amidst Jonah’s disobedience, idolatry and self-righteousness we see the great mercy, kindness and grace of God.

This book is a call to repentance, a call to mission, a call to the city, a call to love those unlike ourselves and a call to radical trust in God. Join us as we study Jonah, the reluctant prophet, and learn what it means to be both objects and agents of God’s mercy in this city that we love.

Discipleship, Missions, Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

This fall we’re rolling out two church wide discipleship training tracks: a 1-Year Gospel Leader track and a 2-Year Pastor/Church Planter Residency. You can get all of the information here.

WHY? At the very heart of Jesus’ commission to his church is the call to make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:18-20). Since that is Jesus’ aim for his church, that must be our aim as well. Disciples of Jesus are not made overnight, but forged over time. It is one thing to say we want to make disciples and plant churches, but it is another thing to actually have a strategy to do so. Our strategy for creating gospel-centered disciples includes our Sunday gathering, Cornerstone communities, Discipleship Groups and now, these two in-depth training tracks.

WHAT? Those participating in the Gospel Leader track will go through a mix of resources from Porterbrook (Gospel living, Reading God’s Story, MIssional Community LIfe, Apologetics), BILD (Book of Acts, Pauline Epistles, Sound Doctrine) and other reading over the course of three quarters (fall, winter, spring). The goal of the Gospel Leader track is to cultivate men and women with deep gospel fluency, understanding of the story of God, study of the Scriptures, missional living, and dynamics of personal change.

Those participating in the Pastor/Church Planter Residency will go through a mix of resources from BILD (Book of Acts, Pauline Epistles, Sound Doctrine, Interpreting the Word) in addition to carefully selected reading in the areas of gospel fluency, systematic and biblical theology, personal change, missional living, study of the Scriptures, preaching and more. The Residency will run for six quarters, taking a break over the summer. The goal of the Pastor/Church Planter Residency is to cultivate men who are passionate about Jesus Christ and who sense a future calling as a pastor/elder/planter within His church.

WHEN? Those participating in both tracks will meet once per week for approximately 2 hours, over the course of 10-12 week quarters. The majority of the time will be spent discussing the homework from that given week in huddles. The Gospel Leader track is currently slated to meet Sunday afternoons.  The meeting day/time for those participating in the Residency is currently TBD.

WHO? The Gospel Leader track is open to both men and women who desire to grow as followers of Jesus, whether at home, within the workplace, within the church or within your neighborhood. The Pastor/Planter Residency is open to men who sense a future calling as a pastor/elder/planter within His church. Note: We believe the Bible clearly teaches that the pastoral office is reserved for called, gifted, qualified men.

HOW?  To begin, please read all of the information provided regarding your chosen track and complete the “pre-registration” form. This helps us know who is interested. You will immediately receive the necessary application documents to be completed as you are able. Please note the deadline for applications is September 15th. 

Lastly, we want to ensure that anyone who feels led to participate is able to do so. Therefore, if you are in need of financial assistance, please indicate that within your application. If you would like to help scholarship those in need, we will be rolling out information to do that as well.

Please pray for this process and those involved. By God’s grace, may we make disciples, plant churches, serve the city and glorify our good God and King – until the earth is covered with the glory of God as the water cover the seas.

If you have any questions or concerns, whatsoever, please e-mail .

We’re stepping out in faith, with a deeply-rooted conviction that we are honoring Jesus by prioritizing the making of disciple-making-disciples.

Until the world knows,
Pastor Adam

Discipleship, Teaching

We recently finished walking through a short four week sermon series called “Disciple.” Throughout this study we looked at how we’re to follow and learn from Jesus in every sphere of life – and help others to do the same. We were reminded of our new identity in Christ and the call on our lives to become more like Jesus.

To be a disciple is to be a part of God’s new people, be a lifelong learner, be a servant and be a missionary of the gospel.

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave his followers (and us) a mission, which is famously known as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). The heart of Jesus’ commission to his church is to make disciples of all nations.

Making disciples is the primary way by which God makes himself known to the world. Since Jesus’ aim for his church is to make disciples, our aim is to be a disciple-making-disciple church.

To be a disciple is to be a follower of Jesus and to be a follower of Jesus is to be a disciple. If you are a follower of Jesus, the question is not whether you are a disciple, but how healthy of a disciple you are.

BELOW IS A LIST OF EACH SERMON PREACHED IN THIS SERIES. YOU CAN LISTEN TO ALL OF THEM HERE:

Week 1: A New People

Week 2: Lifelong Learners

Week 3: Servants of the King

Week 4: Missionaries of the Gospel

Thankful for who God is and who we are as a result of what He has done.

Community, Event

In a few short days we will be headed into the woods for our annual campout! If you are planning on joining us, we want to make sure you have the information you need to get there and have a great time!

Here are a couple of important details you need to know:

• If you are planning on going to the campout and have not registered yet, please do so now by clicking here. Campsites are nearly full and we need every adult who is going to register so that we have an accurate idea of how many people to expect.
• If you have already registered and have not paid, you can do so here.
• Please read through this document for all necessary details from directions, to checking in when you get there, to the schedule for the weekend. If you have any remaining questions, you can email
• If you are still looking for a group to carpool with or you have additional space in your car, please let others know by posting on this City thread.

It’s going to be a fun weekend on the Olympic peninsula together!