NJ Church Blog-The Beginning
May 24, 2008
One church planter who never saw the beauty of the Garden State Parkway or Ray Rice run at Rutgers in Piscataway recently blurted out to me, “Why would anybody want to plant a church in Central New Jersey? For that matter why would anybody want to plant a church in NJ, period! It’s an ugly place to live and a demographic nightmare for planting a thriving church from scratch: It’s too diverse, population growth has slowed down and the people are just plain nasty! You’d have to be a little nuts to attempt that.”
Now being a born and raised, in-your-face Jersey Guy myself I almost felt obligated to whack him one, but most of what he said was true. Uh, that is, except for the nasty part, right fellow New Jerseyans?
Yeah, I know the deal. There’s a 80% failure rate among all church plants and the experts tell us it’s easier to start a church in a growing “homogeneous” area where most folks look and act the same. Well, guess what? Central NJ ain’t that place, but it is precisely where the Lord has called us to start fulfilling our vision to compassionately introduce Jesus and His love to tens of thousands of hungry and hurting people who desperately need Him.
Did you know that in Middlesex County alone there are almost 800,000 folks from nearly every people group of the world? Can anybody say Mission Field? While the number of churches may abound, many are NOT reaching or helping the next generation of teens, singles, single parents and young families in their 20’s and 30’s who are living desperate lives without meaning and hope.
The sad fact is less than 25% of this generation ever darken the door of any Christian church. These are the people I ache and weep over, and they are exactly the kinds of people we will, we will by God’s grace and power, go out to reach with His transforming power! If you feel the same way and want to get involved in this fun and craziness, we sure can use the help.
Are we there yet? Don’t make me laugh. Right now as I write this, “Oasis Church” is just a TEAM of 11 ordinary people with absolutely no earthly resources save an extraordinarily Amazing God, a vision and a passion to turn this place and world upside down for Jesus. Are we there yet? Stay tuned.
More Abot this NJ Church:
Find a Church Guide
June 1, 2008
Wanna find a church in NJ that’s just perfect? Before sharing some “find a church tips” that may help you in your search for a good , new church in NJ, I want to make some disclaimers.
First of all, you won’t find a church that’s perfect if you ever do check out the Oasis Church in NJ church plant. Why? Well quite frankly we’re mostly a bunch of losers and misfits (by worldly standards), and a little bit rough around the edges. Hey it’s all good with me and the TEAM though because the last time we checked our Bibles these were the same types of folk Jesus recruited to build His church and turn the whole world upside down.
We’ll Help You Find a Good NJ Church Elsewhere
Secondly, I realize the OC in NJ may not be for all Christians looking to find a church. In our quest to fulfill our vision of compassionately introducing Jesus and His love to tens of thousands of hungry and hurting people in NJ and all around the world, there may be those who will misinterpret some of the stuff we do and changes we make, and end up leaving.
That’s all cool with us too. In fact, on this site we’re going to have listings of other NJ churches others may wish to attend if they don’t like ours. After all, our vision and mission is not about keeping sheep to ourselves by building a wall around them. Rather, taking Jesus’ example in Matthew 16, we intend to bust down the gates of hell, find lost sheep, empower them and release them back into the world so they can do the same thing all over again.
If you are looking to find a church like this, can deal with our Core Values and put up with the mistakes we’re bound to make as we reach out, you may want to check us out more closely.
Find a Church Guidelines
Ok, now that we got the above out of the way, here are some things to consider when looking to find church that’s just right for you.
Know What Kind Of Church It Is You’re Looking To Find
Duh! That sounds like common sense, but with so many different denominations to choose from, it could get a little mind boggling finding a church that’s just right for you. For example we have churches in central NJ that are Methodist, Baptist, Southern Baptist, Assemblies of God, Lutheran, Christian Missionary Alliance, Nazerene, Presbyterian, Catholic, Charismatic, Pentecostal, Churches of Christ…blah, blah, blah, I think you get the point. Perhaps you may feel a non-denominational church like Oasis is the way to go as long the messages are Bible based and relevant.
Momma Said You Better Shop Around
Choosing aNJ church home is one of the most imporatant decisions in your Christian life, so take your time. We recommend you visit a church at least 3 times before deciding on any one church, taking notes along the way to keep the churches straight in your mind. You could also narrow down your personal “find a church search” by asking yourself some questions about what kind you would feel more at home attending:
- Do you prefer informal, contemporary worship services or liturgical ones? Wailing electric guitars with Christian rock, pipe organs or a mixture? Suits or Jeans? (Note: It’ll be laid-back at Oasis so wear what you want)
- Does the church have specific ministries (ie: singles, kids programs, financial, parenting seminars) for you and the rest of your family, if any?
- Is there a process in place that makes it easy to connect with others and plug into the church? Is there a place for you to use your gifts?
- As far as you can tell, is Jesus actually transforming lives there? Do they reach out in love to the surrounding community, or are they keeping it all to themselves?
Make Sure You Know and Understand What They Believe
Praise the Lord and pass the Kool-Ade! But seriously, it’s very important that when you find a church it clearly lists what they believe and how they intend to live out those beliefs. The bottom line is that there are a lot of wacky churches (read: cults) out there with aspiring Jim Joneses, and you’ll save yourself a ton of disappointment and potentially dangerous situations by checking their beliefs with a fine tooth comb.
Do the church beliefs mesh with the traditional orthodox beliefs of Christianity down through the ages? Do they believe the Bible is the Word of God? A smart church will have a website with all that stuff posted, and will also be offering classes to guests like yourself in order to clue you in on what’s happening there. Sound good?
Check Them Out Online
65% of churches have a website, so if the one you are considering has one (and if they don’t they’re probably not ready for the 21st Century) you frequently can get a good understanding of what the church is all about by reading their posts and listening to their podcasts. For example, maybe you just found Oasis Church in NJ by Googling “find a church”, and have decided that we are a little too crazy for you! 
Overall, in your bid to find a Spirit-filled, Bible believing church, or whatever else you want to name it, remember it’s not the denomination or a church building that makes a church. As my good new friend Dan Sardinas says, a church IS the people themselves. Amen.
Have a comment about how to find a church?
Church Guide Resource:
Church Search Tips for Finding Good NJ Churches
June 9, 2008
This week’s post on church search tips on how to search for good NJ churches is really an addendum to last week’s find a church guide. Many people are on a church search in NJ for a variety of reasons. Here are the top reasons we feel people are presently searching for a church in the NJ or NY Metropolitan Area:
Top 4 Reasons for a NJ Church Search
- The church search is taking place because of an impending or recent move to good old New Jersey (are they crazy or just masochists?) For many, part of the stress involved in all that involves moving is searching for a new church family.
- Perhaps the folks are on a spiritual journey looking to find more meaning in this thing we call life, and figure a church search is a way to accomplish this.
- A church search is taking place because the person has had a re-awakening and is now looking to connect with other Christians after avoiding church for years.
- The person involved in a new church search is a church hopper who got ticked off at the pastor, elders, people, music, color of the baptismal robes or all of the above at the last NJ church attended, and are looking for greener pastures elsewhere.
May I speak the truth in love for moment? If you are on a church search on account of one or more of the first 3 reasons given above, why gosh darn, we’d love to have y’all! However, if you fall under ‘church search reason #4′, why don’t we both save ourselves some time and stress and have us help you search for a good Bible believing, Spirit-filled church elsewhere other than Oasis?
Why do I say the above? Well you see, our vision at Oasis is all about compassionately introducing Jesus and His love to tens of thousands of hungry and hurting people here in NJ and all around the world, and chances are you’ll sooner or later end up getting pissed off at at us too for the way we go about fulfilling the Great Commission. So why not part as friends before we end up up giving each other agida, okay? No hard feelings? Great.
How to Search for a New Church
What you can do to help your church search:
- Pray for the Lord’s guidance and wisdom (Prov. 3:5,6; James 1:5) as you Church search
- Google “church search websites and directories” and see what comes up
- Church search by demographic location starting with the towns in your local area.*
- Ask other trusted believers where they go, or what church they would recommend
- Read our previous post on how to find a good NJ church
Over all, if you recently were on a church search in NJ, and have any other tips you would like to offer on how to find a local church, you can help others by sharing them here.
* For example NJ churches in my local area include those towns from Middlesex and Somerset Counties:
Middlesex County
- Carteret
- Cranbury
- Dunellen
- East Brunswick
- Edison
- Highland Park
- Jamesburg
- Metuchen
- Middlesex
- Milltown
- Monroe
- New Brunswick
- North Brunswick
- Old Bridge
- Perth Amboy
- Piscataway
- Plainsboro
- Sayreville
- South Amboy
- South Brunswick
- South Plainfield
- South River
- Spotswood
- Woodbridge
Somerset County, NJ
| Basking Ridge Bedminster Belle Mead Bernardsville Blackwells Mills Blawenburg Bloomingdale Bound Brook Bound Brook Junction Bradley Gardens Branchburg Park Bridgepoint Burnt Mills Chimney Rock Clyde Coontown East Millstone Fairview Far Hills Finderne Flagtown | Frankfort Gladstone Greater Cross Roads Green Knoll Griggstown Hamilton Harlingen Higginsville Hillsborough Kingston Lamington Liberty Corner Lyons Madisonville Manville Martinsville Mettler Middlebush Millstone Milltown | Mine Brook Montgomery Mount Bethel Mount Horeb Neshanic Neshanic Station North Branch North Branch Depot North Plainfield Peapack Pill Hill Plainville Pleasantview Pluckemin Pottersville Raritan Rock Mill Rocky Hill Round Top Royce Valley | Sixmile Run Skillman Smalleytown Somerset Somersetin Somerville South Bound Brook South Branch Springdale Sunset Hill Garden Ukrainian Village Van Dorans Mills Vliettown Voorhees Watchung Weston Woodfern Woods Tavern Zarephath Zion |
More About this NJ Church:
Middlesex County Fair Directions
July 16, 2008
The Middlesex County Fair is a huge event for Middlesex County. The Middlesex County Fair is also a huge event for our Oasis Church plant because it marks the first time we will be engaging our community with the love of Jesus and our vision for a new church in NJ. For directions to the Middlesex County Fair, see below.
Check this out: The Middlesex County Fair organizers expect over 100,000 guests during this event, which runs from August 4, 2008 through August 10, 2008. That’s why we rented a Middlesex County fair booth for a total of 54 hours…all for a total of 54 hours! - That’s a lot of “bang for the buck” if you ask me.
Besides giving out some “functional stuff” like pens , magnets and Bibles all for FREE, we will be having many opportunities to compassionately share Jesus at the Middlesex County fair with many hurting and hungry people in the area.
Need directions to the Middlesex County Fair?
The Middlesex County Fair is being held at 655 Cranbury Rd. in East Brunswick, which is basically “in the sticks” part of the County. Don’t feel bad if you get a little lost, because I did too the first time I came to the fair. However, the following Middlesex County Fair directions may help.
From Route 18 in Piscataway:
Take Route 18 south to EB, and look for the Cranbury exit. Take a right onto onto Cranbury Road (Rt. 535 South), passing East Brunswick High School. Bear left at the fork and keep traveling on CranburyRoad for a little less than 3 miles until the Middlesex County fair appears on the right. a
From Route 18 north in Old Bridge:
Continue on Rt. 18 north as if you are going toward New Brunswick. Once in East Brunswick, look for the Cranbury exit. Pass over Rt 18 onto Cranbury road, and follow the directions as listed above.
From the New Jersey Turnpike:
Take exit 8a, turning right onto Route 535 N which will take you directly to the Middlesex County Fairgrounds in about 5 miles. The Fair will appear on your left.
If you do make it to the Middlesex County Fair, you will see many rides, games, food stands, animals, and enjoy hundreds of other cool displays. Our Oasis Church booth will be located under the big tent with dozens of other vendors. If you’re looking for a new church to attend, stop by and say hi. I plan on being there for ALL (am I committed or crazy?) 54 hours.
More on Oasis Church in New Jersey:
Rutgers Church Ministry for Rutgers Students
August 7, 2008
Woo Hoo! Our Rutgers church outreach at the OC in NJ is now officially recognized by Rutgers University as an affiliated Rutgers Church congregation! So if you’re a Rutgers student looking for church, why not give Oasis try?
What’s so good about being a recognized Rutgers church you may ask? Well, as a Rutgers Church campus ministry we are now “allowed” on campus to distribute literature about Oasis, and let single and married RU students know about our small group gatherings and how we can help them along in their spiritual journey with Jesus.
Rutgers Church Outreach
With the Rutgers Student Orientation and the Rutgers Student Activities/Involvement Fair coming up within the next month, along with other Rutgers Churches, Rutgers campus ministries and clubs we now have the potential to compassionately reach thousands of new and old Rutgers University Students with the love of Jesus.
Having just completed our first servant evangelism outreach at the Middlesex County Fair, our church planting launch team is definitely psyched about the possibilities of a Rutgers Church outreach. Stay tuned for updates aboth this Rutgers Campus Church Ministry!
Other Rutgers Church Campus Ministries at Busch, Livingston, College Ave, and Douglass Campuses:
Campus Crusade for Christ
Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship
Churches in Rutgers College Area:
Old Bridge Churches
New Brunswick Churches
North Brunswick Churches
East Brunswick Churches
Oasis Church Update on Oasis-Church-NJ.com
September 3, 2008
Some people new to our Oasis Church plant wondered about the name. Oasis Church? Why Oasis Church? Quite simply, we chose “Oasis Church” because our vision is to compassionately introduce Jesus and His love to tens of thousands of hungry and hurting singles and young families all around the world.
Over the past few weeks, folks have mistaken Oasis Church for a nightclub, water softener company and restaurant. That’s all cool I guess, but in order to clear up any misconceptions about what Oasis-Church-NJ.com is and isn’t, we offer the following:
Oasis Church Meaning
According to the dictionary, an Oasis is a refuge or fertile, green spot in a desert wasteland. Hurting and hungry people who feel burned by the world and past church experiences need a spiritual Oasis, and we at Oasis Church intend to provide it for them.
Although Oasis Church is not rich by worldly standards, and we are not many (yet!), our goals are lofty because we serve a lofty God. Do I need to remind you what Jesus did with a mere five barley loaves and two fish? Case closed.
By the way, how to you like our new logo for Oasis Church T-shirts, Oasis Church letterhead and any other kind of Oasis Church paraphernalia we can put it on?
More on Oasis Church:
Oasis Church About Us Page
Oasis Church Directions/Meeting Info
Oasis Church Blogs
Non-Denominational NJ Churches Are Cool!
September 17, 2008
On our site we bill ourselves as a non-denominational NJ church in central New Jersey. Yet, there are apparently many folks out there that are a “little” confused as to what makes up non-denominational church beliefs. Today I spoke with a nice Roman Catholic woman who thought a non-denominational church taught something a akin to agnosticism! A day before that I had a delightful conversation with an Orthodox Jew who was sure that non-denominational churches espouse universalism and anti-semitism. Man! I think a little clarification is in order, don’t you?
Non-Denominational Church Definition
Basically a non-denominational church is an autonomous congregation that does not officially align itself with any denomination like Methodists, Baptists or Lutherans, for example, but may in fact have similar beliefs to those sects. Conversely, there are also many non-denominational churches which hold completely independent and unique beliefs from any other sect.
As far as Oasis Church is concerned, we are an evangelical NJ church that boldly confesses our belief in the Nicene Creed, which is the most widely accepted and used statement of the Christian Faith. By the way, this happens to be the same document I had to memorize in Sister Margarita’s class when I attended attended Catholic School back in the day of pull off ties.
Therefore, Oasis Church is a NJ nondenominational church that holds onto to traditional Christian beliefs, but chooses to express them in a contemporary, culturally relevant way.
So if you are seeking for a newly forming church of imperfect but real people where the music rocks, casual rules and the message hits you right where you’re “at”, well I suppose we’re the non-denominational church in NJ you’ve been lookin’ for. Click here for our times and services.
More on this Non-Denominational NJ Church:
About Us
Our Vision and Mission
Our Core Values
Contact Us
NJ Evangelical Church-Evangelical Churches in New Jersey
October 7, 2008
Yes, Oasis-Church-NJ.com is an evangelical church in NJ, and is just one of hundreds New Jersey Evangelical churches. What are evangelical churches? Quite simply, words like “evangelical” or “evangelism” originate from the Greek word, evangelion, which simply means gospel or good news.
What Evangelical Churches Believe
Evangelical churches like Oasis-Church-NJ teach and believe that the Bible is God’s Love Message to us. This message contains the good news that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, came to earth to save people from their sins by dying on the cross and rising again on the third day. All who believe on Him can know forgiveness and enjoy eternal life. Since this is such ‘good news”, evangelical churches seek to share this good stuff with others.
As mentioned, there are hundreds of NJ evangelical churches. Perhaps the only difference between Oasis-Church-NJ and other evangelical churches is that we are seek to communicate this wonderful message in a more contemporary and informal way that the average dude on the street can understand.
If you live out of the area of Oasis Church NJ, and are looking for an evangelical, nondenominational church in New Jersey, you may wish to check out our NJ church directory of evangelical Christian churches in Middlesex and Somerset Counties.
Oasis Church Launch Team at Liberty
November 14, 2008
Wow! This past weekend (11.7.08) our Oasis Church Launch Team had an amazing time on our road trip to the NEXT Conference located at Liberty Seminary in Lynchburg, VA. Not only was it wonderful to meet and network with hundreds of church planters from all over the USA, we also received some great training from Hal Mayer and Randy Smith on how to start a healthy and growing church from scratch.
Oasis Church Meets Jehovah Jireh
Our God continues to provide for Oasis Church in miraculous ways. For example, heading to our second church planting session at Liberty Seminary on Saturday, I took off down a one way street, and got pulled over by the campus police. As the officer rolled his window down, thoughts of Joe Pesci in My Cousin Vinny came roaring through my mind. A woman passed our vehicle as I was jokingly telling the officer that he should have expected this kind of behavior from a Jersey guy. When Leni Dittman heard I was a wiseguy from Jersey, she excitedly ran to our car to let me know that she and her husband, Dr. Leland (Lee) Dittman, director of Liberty Baptist Fellowship, were also from NJ. Coincidence? Yeah, ok.
The end result of the above “by chance” meeting in an empty parking lot was that the LBF is now intending to support our NJ church plant with $1000 in monthly support. God truly confirms and provides in miraculous ways! As Lydia and I brushed back tears from our eyes, we thanked the Lord that I was stupid enough to make a wrong turn. Oh yeah, and I got off without a ticket, too!
