Thoughts When Moving Locations and During Transitions

Here are some things that I'm learning and that surprised me during our recent move from an elementary school to a theater:

THE PLAN IS ALREADY THERE!
God already had a plan; I just needed to listen and obey. It sounds obvious, but I think as leaders, we have a tendency to think that we've got to figure it all out and "make it happen". Or at least I do. But as we took steps to move to the new location, I found that the details and issues were already in place for us to move forward. Ex: I felt prompted in prayer and while jogging by a theater to pursue leasing it. An hour later I got a phone call from a guy in my church saying that he'd found a great location for us and that they were interested in leasing it- the same theater! That Sunday, we were notified by the school that they wanted us out in 2 months. You see what I mean!

BE BOLD!We've asked our landlord and others for crazy things. Don't be afraid to step out and ask. Ask business owners, a landlord, volunteers, etc. There are people that are as passionate as you to make it happen. Sometimes all they need is an opportunity or to be asked. Also, we have not because we ask not. Volunteers have worked harder than I expected. People have given more than I imagined. The landlords have given us more latitude and opportunity than we hope.

DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING! Just because you hope something will happen doesn't mean it will. Cross your "t"s with the lease, building codes, etc. It's our responsibility as the leaders to plan ahead, think through various options, and come in with an idea of where things are going. Have contingencies if something looks questionable.

DON'T TAKE SETBACKS AS SETBACKS! Challenges are blessings from God. Don't see conflict or difficulty as a problem but as a window for growth. Ex: We made our regional news for an outreach we did shortly after moving into the theater. Well, the commissioners noticed and pulled our permit records, but when they didn't find any, they told us we'd have to get building permits, etc. At first, we were frustrated, but decided this was for our best. It's turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We've built great relationships with the County and owners.

DON'T LET OTHER CHURCHES OR LEADERS DETERMINE YOUR VISION OR LOCATION! If you've heard from God, follow through on the plan He's given you. Simple example: when we began looking at the theater, I felt a lot of pressure to go nuts with lighting, sound system, etc. And this would have cost tens of thousands that we didn't have. We already are pretty edgy, and we decided we weren't ready for a ton more. When you stick with your vision/ passion, it'll pay off long term. Plus you won't have others constantly thinking that they can dictate the vision, style, location, etc.

Just some simple thoughts off the top of my head.

this beautiful mess

Thanks to this book for the post title, but ministry really can be this sorta beautiful mess.

People are not always fun to deal with. Sometimes they seem to cause more frustration and problems than anything else.

We have this internal pressure and perceived (yet sometimes true) peer pressure to make progress and look really good with numbers, stats, marketing schemes, and sweet new events.

And just to pile more on top of all of that, we really just don’t always have the time, money, or overall resources to make so many of our ideas happen. [Sidebar-lack of resources is no excuse for not fulfilling God’s vision]

I think most of us have been in this place before, and especially applies in the arena of church planting. We just don't have a lot, but we have a big vision and know God wants to use us. I wanted to share a few thoughts from my experience in no particular order that I have learned about how to get big results with little resources. They aren't necessarily fool-proof, just thoughts I've learned.

1. Operate where you want to be, not where you currently are.

If you don’t first go there in how you operate, nothing and no one will ever follow. I love how Steven Furtick puts it, “Dress for the wedding.” It may look funny now, but it won’t when you get there. Don’t get embarrassed or impatient-go for it.

2. Don’t compare.

It only creates pride or jealousy. Plus, we should celebrate others success and assist others along. We are all on the same team.

3. Develop leaders and delegate authority.

They not only increase your ability to handle more people, but also allow you to perform ministry at a much higher level and focus on things that as the leader you alone can do.

4. Raise funds to increase ministry capability.

Ministry isn’t cheap. It takes money. Sometimes you just got to work to raise it. But money follows vision first, then it follows life changing stories of individuals. Share the vision and what God is doing through you to make their investment worthwhile.

5. Invest money into missional opportunities.

God is extremely honored by our sacrificial giving. We have a responsibility to invest in others around the world, even if it is a sacrificial gift. When you invest, you are partnering together to build the Kingdom and fulfill the mission of the church. And why would God bless us if we are greedy and selfish?

6. Dream big, and strategically cast the vision.

God gives the point leader the dreams and visions. You've got to dream it, discover it, and provide tangible direction at optimal times, so others can follow. Sir Francis Drake says it best, so why try anymore. "Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord."

7. Build a relational culture.

All people (unchurched, dechurched, believers, poor, rich, middle class, African-American, Hispanic, Caucasian, Asian, Arab, etc) want relationships. As a church leader, we get to offer them two of the greatest relationships in the world-a relationship with God and a relationship with God’s family.

8. Celebrate moments of success.

The principle is true: what gets celebrated is often repeated. Commit to make consistent progress every week. Celebrate that progress publicly and privately. After one year that means you are at least 52% better.

9. Pray God-sized prayers.

If you don’t pray them, they will rarely happen. Plus, God loves the supernatural.

10. Stay focused on the vision and never quit.

It’s easy to be distracted, frustrated, or discouraged. God will always be faithful to finish what He has spoken though. Fight for the vision, work it, and trust God to be faithful. Don’t give up on God’s promises.

What are some things you have learned about getting results with little resources?

Originally posted at Dream the Journey.

free live web events

Leadership Network is now hosting free live web events that should be informative and challenging. One of interest may be "The Eternally Focused Church: Breaking into the Kingdom" with Rick McKinley. 

Something that about every church more than like 2 days old faces is staying Kingdom focused.  As you all know, it takes work to continually stay focused on fulfilling the Great Commission. It's real easy to drift into the paradigm of placing an unhealthy and unbalanced amount of time on internal issues, such as church attenders, ministries, growth, etc. 

Regardless of your feelings about Rick, their church, Imago Dei in Portland, OR, is making a real impact in their community and meeting true needs in a tangible way. I'm sure the web event will be worth attending.

via Monday Morning Insight.

Check List #1 Evangelism

As I mentioned a few posts ago, research project commissioned by Leadership Network Church Planting Study, show dozens of studies on church plant health, survivability, and processes. Church plants were studied in order to discover what improves the strength and effectiveness of church plants. Fewer fail than we thought.

There were 13 factors that contributed to the health and survivability. I thought we would cover one every now and then and talk about it.

The first one was engaging in ministry evangelism (i.e., food banks, shelter, drug/alcohol recovery). We have done a few things a year that works for us:

Stonebridge Community Easter Egg Hunt – in partnership with Stonebridge HOA
Nesbitt Foundation Baseball Camp – for underprivileged children in McKinney –July
Kidfest – October
Valentine’s Dinner (Dance) - February
And a weekly New Resident Panera Bread Outreach

What do you do?

Church Marketing Study

interesting - free 8-page Church Marketing Report

people are messy

I originally posted this on my blog last week.

Hurting people could care less about the things we as leaders often fall into the trap of worrying about... methods, the coolness of our environments, styles, philosophies, etc. These all play a role into the culture of our church, but they're not the main issue. Hurting people want a place to feel connected and loved. They just want a place they can be themselves, yet escape themselves at the same time.

I know all the junk I've had to deal with from working with students over the past 4 years... much less entire families. Depression, suicide attempts and successes, students getting kicked out of their own house because they are living for God, cutting, sex, teenage pregnancy, fights in church, throwing away pills. It breaks my heart, but there's nothing like seeing a life being transformed by God.

Even when the rough edges still remain, it's an incredible reminder of where someone has been brought from and where they are going.

A truly powerful post by Gary Lamb really worth your time.

About the only thing to say is "wow."

It begs us to answer the question: Do our churches truly embrace those who have yet to connect with God, despite their struggles?

Church Planting Teaching

There is so much to learn when it comes to church planting. There are whole books written on it, blogs, downloadible resources, and much more. If you were going to teach just one lesson in an hour on church planting what would you say (you probably already have a lesson - would you share it?)?

Here's mine:

What does it take to start a church?

Acts 13:2 “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

I. Starting a church is going to take more than most people think.

A. It’s going to take:
1. Blood.
(Acts 22:20 “And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.'”)

2. Sweat.
(Acts 18:3 “and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.”)

3. Tears.
(Acts 20:19 “I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews.”)

B. Learn to balance life and ministry, if you want long-term success.
1. Process life.

2. Refuel your heart.

3. Build relationships.

II. Start a church the right way.

A. If you are on staff at a church and you feel that God is calling you to start a church relatively close, there are some things you need to think through.
1. Talk to the senior leader before you tell anyone else in the organization.

2. Approach with humility.

3. Can the leader bless the transition?
Helpful hint: If you are disguising a church split as a church plant, then you can expect God’s judgment rather than His blessing.

4. What is the right ethical distance?

5. Communicate openly and honestly with your leader.

6. Do not recruit people from the church.

7. Stay blameless.

B. Be careful not to plant a church until you can find a parent church.
1. You need a spiritual cover.

2. You need financial support.
3 things to plant a church
1. Start – good heart
2. Successful – good vision
3. Significant – $300,000 --- looks like you’ll need at least $150,000 your first year, and at least $50,000 in cash to start…

3. You need leadership help.

4. Be thankful.

C. Fundraising is a key.

D. Be prepared before you start.
1. Communicate to your fellowship.

2. Read books about church planting.

3. Establish your vision and values.

4. Study structure in the days you don’t need it so that when you do need it, you will have it. Great resource for planting a church: www.crosswalk-church.com

5. The average necessary preparation time seems to be six months to a year before you start.

6. Make sure you have systems of ministry in place before you start.

7. Recruit, recruit, recruit. recruit ethically, ask, pray. Have faith about God sending you team members, but be careful to not plan anything without committed leaders.

8. Watch out for the temptation to give people positions in the church. Call them coordinators and let every body know that these are temporary places of service until we can get established. Church planting coaches say that people who are with you in the beginning probably won’t be with you in six months. They need to be focusing on who they can serve instead of who and what can serve them.

Kids Are So Smart...

So last night we went to a Christmas banquet...it was great...three beautiful words - "child care provided." The food and fellowship was a lot of fun.

We came home late - one of those nights where you just want to put the kids straight to bed - and go to bed yourself. Emily went straight to our room (her contacts were bothering her) and I tucked the boys into their beds. Our boys: Greyson 5yrs & Tate 3 yrs old. (below picture is Tate - my 3 yr old)

I tucked them in and turned to leave the room...and Tate started yelling for mommy - "mommy...read me a story...mommy...kiss me." I told him mommy was already in bed - it was time for him to sleep. I turned and he yelled "daddy...kiss me again...read me a story." I firmly told him "Tate...no more yelling for MOMMY or DADDY, ok." He agreed.

As I left the room and took about 10 steps down the hall...I suddenly heard "Pastor Rick...read me a story!" I almost lost it...it took everything to keep from laughing. He didn't yell for mommy or daddy...but Pastor Rick. 3 yrs old and so smart.

I tell that story for this reason - they may be young...but they are so smart...if you have kids you know what I'm talking about. We must realize this and be a Godly example to them at all times...they are constantly learning and watching...we as parents need to be aware of this.

Multiplicity 2007

If you were able to attend: What's one thing you picked up/learned from Multiplicity 2007? Thanks to Steve Pike for a great conference.

New Church Planting Studies

Leadership Network has just released some new studies on church planting in America. You can download all the information at Leadership Network Church Planting Study

The link will take you to a blog by our friend Ed Stetzer (who will be our keynote speaker at Multiplicity). You'll be able to download PDF's of four different study documents.

Here are some of my take aways:

1. As a movement, the AG is headed in the right direction in developing systematic approaches to assessment, training and coaching. All three are proving to make a big difference in the long term viability of new churches.
2. Churches that plant churches are healthier than other churches.
3. The proper role of the national organization is to support the multiplying efforts of local churches and leaders as well as regional cooperative efforts. That is exactly what the Church Multiplication Network is all about.
4. We can do way more together than we can ever do by ourselves.
5. Once again, church planting is demonstrated to be THE most effective methodology of evangelism.
6. Thousands of new churches are being planted each year. New church plants are the norm rather than the exception. We can no longer rely on strategies that plant by "remote control." For example, the idea that we can send out a few thousand flyer's and end up with a crowd is simply a myth. New churches must be built on a foundation of authentic relationships and building that foundation takes time!!!

Feel free to respond to this post with your observations from the research

Does your compassion ever get fatigued?

Luke 9:54 And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?

I read this verse and that’s how I feel sometimes in ministry. Experiences have drained me emotionally. There are times when I have been in the heat of things too long, taken too many hits, and have been ministering too frequently without a break.

What do you do when you are emotionally depleted? I often feel spiritually strong, but emotionally I feel weak. Is that the same as what Jesus said? “My spirit, is willing but my flesh is weak.” You feel numb, you react slowly, and you can easily loose perspective.

I can think of three things:
1. Replenishing relationships
2. Recognition of boundaries
3. Renewal encounters

What do you do to get emotionally and spiritually charged up?

For Mature Adiences Only

I got into a dialogue at www.futureag.blogspot.com about what media of the secular world should be used in our churches. When we think about TV shows, Music, U-Tube or house created media what standerds should we use?

I was wondering if we could talk about what standards you have on what you use and what you do not use in your churches.

I came up with a few guidelines and I think they could be tweaked a little so help me think through this...
1) Does it add to the message- how many times have you heard a song that so and so wanted to sing that had nothing to do with the message.
2) Does it cause another to stumble- I would hate to see someone come to church and see a video clip that encouraged them to act out on destructive behaviors.
3) Does it Condone Sin- I don't think it has to promote right living in the moment but I think it needs to not glorify or condone sinful activity.
4) Does my wife or team say no- I love having the group work through the angles with me.

I am sure I am missing a Guideline or two but my concern is that as we engage this culture and push the envelope further down the line to contextualize our message that we do so in a healthy and Godly way.

What do you think?

Why celebrate church anniversaries?

We just celebrated our 8th anniversary/birthday of TCOC’s existence. We had a wonderful weekend with great services and a concert & picnic Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed special guests: Lester & Holly: www.lesterandholly.com

Some ask why we celebrate every year rather than the usual landmark dates or five-year periods. We use this time every year to evaluate every area of the ministry. From aesthetics to outreach, we want to assess the effectiveness of what we are doing so that we can improve. After all, that is the development of our Christian walk. I want our church to be an example of the sanctification process, that is to “aim for perfection” (2 Corinthians 13:11). So we try to make improvements from top to bottom. This helps us not only stay within the parameters of God’s vision, but also keeps us current and from falling into the trap of complacency.

I encourage every church, especially if you are young, to set some kind of benchmark each year where you can evaluate and make changes in an exciting and innovative way so as to stay as relevant and productive for the Kingdom as possible.

www.etcoc.org

How do you lead for the long haul?

I love to watch Marian Barber run for the Dallas Cowboys. He has heart and that boy doesn't stop moving forward. The thing I’m concerned about is that he runs straight up and loves to get hit. It looks good, but the question is: can he last for the long haul running “crazy” like that?

Can we can last for the long haul? How do we do that? I was thinking of some points that I want to share with you. I’m at the beginning of the “haul”, so these are just some goals that I have in order to finish strong.

1. I’m not going to let failure stop me from leading.
Failure can be painful, but I’ve decided to keep leading and learn from the failure. We all know that failure really isn’t failure if you get up off the ground, learn from it, and keep leading. That’s what “the leadership guru” calls “failing forward.”

2. I’ve decided to learn from others.
I can learn from people who are younger, who are my peers and definitely from people who are further along than me. Leadership is caught, not just taught. It’s more than a set of principles that we learn, it is a heart which can only be learned up close and personal. Hopefully you learn from a coach and not just by experience. It’s always easier to learn from other people’s experiences than your own experience. In other words, learn from others so you don’t have to go through everything yourself.

3. I’ve decided to be faithful.
How many times do you feel like quitting? It just takes so long to create influence. Influence creates credibility and believability; and that takes time. Time requires patience and who wants that? Influence comes after people have seen your character, consistency, commitment and care. Influence results from the example you set, the experiences that people see you face, and the effort you give to God’s calling.

4. I’ve decided to stay focused.
Last Sunday, a man in our church who used to be pastor began to talk to me about what he thought I “really needed to get into.” What he was saying wasn’t bad, it was just a different direction than what God has lead us to do when it comes to our ministry philosophy. (By the way, people don’t want you to do everything, they just want you to do their thing.)

I’ve decided to find out what God wants us to do and stick to it. My mentor always says, “Discover your non-negotiable values.” What do you value that you are unwilling to change on because God has given you that direction? We aren’t going to try to do every thing; we are just going to do a few things really well.

5. I’ve decided to be under authority.
Spiritual authority always flows from top to bottom. You only have authority because you have submitted yourself to authority. I don’t believe it’s enough just to submit yourself to God. Who are you following? You can’t expect form others what you will not do yourself. You can’t take them where you haven’t gone yourself. The unpardonable sin of leadership is thinking you’re exempt from responsibilities that others are subject to.

6. I’ve decided to fight to keep my passion.
Wow, you can loose it before you know it. I use the word fight because it seems that you can take a “hit” from people and circumstances that knock the passion right out of you (or “something” right out of you). The three passions I must keep is the passion for God, the passion for my family, and the passion for people.

7. I’ve decided to respond to mistakes positively.
. Adjust - Is there anything I can do?
. Learn - What should I remember?
. Grow - What changes will I make?
. Teach - What can I share with others so they can avoid this mistake?

8. I’ve decided to help other leaders lead.
I want to help other leaders succeed. I know that if I’m there to help others, then somebody will be there to help me when I need it.

9. I’ve decided to do what’s right.
I had a church split at the end of our first year of church planting. It was an extremely painful experience. The reason why we had the church split was because I decided to do the right thing. After much prayer and a lot wisdom from coaches, I made the decision to confront the situaion. It was a lonely decision. My wife stood with me, but it was pretty much God, my wife and I. It hurt, but it was worth it. God healed us, and our church grew from it spiritually.

I don’t have a point ten; maybe you can help me with one.

Can you give me your written or unwritten list of things that you’ve decided to do to finish strong in ministry?

Meeting with George Wood

Yesterday, I met with Dr. George Wood for about an hour. I had requested the meeting to record his thoughts on church planting for an upcoming Evangel article. I came away extremely encouraged. God has blessed us with a strong, articulate leader who is passionately committed to church planting as a core activity of this fellowship. Here are some of the main points that came out in our conversation.
1. Dr. Wood is convinced that scripture provides a strategic model which demonstrates that starting new churches is a constant and normal activity for healthy churches.
2. Dr. Wood is emphatic that new churches must be diverse in form, but consistent in function. He believes we must protect good hearted experiments if their intended outcome is to reach lost people.
3. Dr. Wood believes that a foundation of prayer focused on raising up laborers (church planters and church planting team members) for the harvest must be a core priority for this fellowship.
4. Dr. Wood is committed to do whatever it takes to help us collectively plant more churches than ever before. He believes in the power of collaborative effort and plans to use his position as Superintendent to encourage cooperation from every partner in this fellowship.
5. He is excited about the strategic value of the MX9 goal and believes it will serve as a wonderful catalyst to help us move forward in reaching lost Americans.

More to come...look for the full article in an upcoming December edition of the Evangel. Bottom-line...if you believe church planting should be a priority activity of a family of churches...you are in the right family!!

Help needed from the trenches - Evangelism

Long time viewer, first time poster. I need help in the area of evangelism. Seven months ago, Steve Pike challenged me that the key to having a decent chance of being effective as a church plant was to build a relational base of 1,200 people. Game on. I had the honor of being on staff at a great church, but I got lost in the system of meeting Christians' needs. I take all the blame for sucking at witnessing. Honestly, I rarely did it. I loved people and had a lot of great friendships with the unchurched, but rarely took it further. It had to change with me. People matter and I care. To lead a soul winning team and church, it has to start with me. This summer has been a huge stretch for my family and in two months we know 123 new friends by name, but I have such a strong desire for it to go further now. i'm praying and fasting more, putting myself in places like serving at homeless shelters, volunteering at events, going to Chick fil a fam nights, going inside to pump gas, and even frequenting a bar. Not trying to be the edgy church planter; honestly it all started because the sox and yanks were playing on espn and since we don't have direct tv anymore, i went to the sports bar and a few people invited me back to play tx holdem. For the last six weeks, I have taken guys from our launch team with me. We pray, meet people, and ask for the Holy Spirit to open doors. Tonight I got the chance to talk with Coach one on one. He was the first guy who gave me tips on my first night. We discussed luck in the game and move to life. He says he has been lucky and i asked him why. While downing his corona he tells me that his dad wanted him aborted and there were several times he should have died. He says he doesn't go to church because he is sick of pastors convincing old ladies to give all their money to the church and then get them to stop taking their medicine. Two minutes later he finally asks me what i do for a living? These are the times i hate being a pastor if i can be honest. Conversations always go here. I "walk across the room", do the small talk, and then the dreaded question comes up. It could be five minutes or three weeks of invested relational enegry. I tried my best to keep the conversation going and pray that the seed that was sewed will bear fruit later. We talked about Jesus and i felt he was receptive, but i wonder when people find out what i do if they think my whole motive is manipulative. I try to be extremely authentic with people i meet and never want to come out of the gates telling people i'm a pastor. This is why I sometimes wished i had a normal job for awhile...to put of the answer for a little longer. Our team longs to be around more lost people and my heart breaks for them. Tonight i just looked around the room. i saw my friend John and thought of how amazing he would be as a soul winner. He currently lives with his girlfriend, but he is one of the nicest guys in the bar. he litterally introduced me to nine people tonight and offered to buy me a beer three times. I had to let him know that I already drank two red bulls and I would be up till 4 am (thus the reason I'm writing this late). i kept looking into their eyes and was so burdened because as the night got longer, they just kept pouring more alcohol into their system. i guess they thought they were having a good time and they were, but I watched how their language and attitudes began to change. i hurt for my new friends and pray that God will transform their lives. I will be patient and will believe that one by one, we will make a difference.

BUT, the bottom line there is a pressure to be more effective in soul winning. What worked for you? Books? I am ancious to hear from the veterans of how they handle the "I'm a Pastor, please don't think I'm weird" card. Maybe I'm too tough on myself, but I desire more life transforming results. My motives are pure and this is a process and it is about more than getting a ton of people on launch Sunday. Sorry for rambling, I just feel like I have a long way to go and am a little embarrased to admit that as a Pastor I need help in this area.

NOOMA - Rob Bell

We have small groups for every age. I teach in a small group about the foundations of the Bible. I also am doing a small group for this semester that is working great. The small group meets once a month and the only people that can come from our church are those who bring someone who is unsaved with them. They can bring someone who is "on the fense" in their relationship with Christ also or dechurched. We use the NOOMA.com videos from Rob Bell (Mars Hill Church). We watch the video and then do a spiritual interactive talk sheet with fellowship before and after.. It's been great. We had 4 people saved the last time we had one; and two of them have come to church on Sunday since coming to NOOMA.

Evangelism and Church Planting

The September 2007 edition of Christianity Today has a great article by Tim Stafford on the relationship between church planting and evangelism. He postulates that the primary methodology of corporate evangelism strategies has moved from "crusades" in the 50's and 60's, to "personal evangelism" in the 70's and 80's to planting new churches in the 90's to the present. I think he's right and I think the emergence of church planting as the most used methodology of evangelism is a very good development.

Crusades have a notoriously low success rate in connecting people to the local church once they walk away from the crusade counselor who prayed with them at the altar. Approaches like Evangelism Explosion and the 4 Spiritual Laws did indeed help people learn to share their faith but the percentage of participants was typically low. The missional strategy of planting new churches is proving to be a solid biblically based form of evangelism that produces lasting results in terms of changed lives and transformed communities. It's good that we're returning to a biblically based holistic evangelism strategy. But where do we go from here? What's the next frontier of evangelism? How do we "catch up" with the exploding population of the United States and the world?

I believe the next "best practice" of evangelism will be the reproducing church. Whether it's multi-site, satellite or parent church planting, the future of the church will be more missional, fluid, flexible and not building based. The healthy faith community of the future will be constantly shifting and spinning off new networks of disciples who continually build new bridges to the lost people who are sociologically isolated from natural relationships with followers of Christ. Evangelism will come to be viewed as a process that happens inside of a discipleship relationship. These rapidly multiplying communities of faith that are built around the mission of Jesus (to seek and save the lost) are the only hope we have of effectively obeying Christ's call to make disciples of all nations.

Church Planting Success

I am often asked about the ingredients for our ‘success’ as a church plant. The odds were definitely stacked against us making it through the difficult stages and over the ‘hump’ to a self-sustaining ministry. Ignorance saved me from a lot of fear and anxiety because some statisticians put the percentage of church planting failures as high as 80%, including planters with good financial backing from a ‘mother’ church. Now, on the brink of our eight-year anniversary, we celebrate the longevity of God’s blessings. The sustaining echo of Christ’s words, “I will build My church” helps keep things in right perspective. The once skeptical scowls have turned to proud, “I-knew-you-could-do-it” credit seekers. My wife and I still laugh at the fact that her parents finished out their basement when we started because they figured we would be moving in soon.

These statements are often perceived as practiced rather than practical, spiritualizing the matter for validity. I could say our ‘success’ is because of a great leadership team, who are like family, and have been an integral part of this ministry from the beginning. Their faithfulness and dedication are unparalleled, but I know that is not the reason. I could say it is because of our great Praise and Worship. Our musicians and singers are exceedingly talented and have incredible hearts. This quality is a huge plus; however, it is still not the reason for any great accomplishments. I could say it is because of my pastoral ability, but it still seems like I am feeling my way through this much of the time. This is my first pastorate after having said I would never want to do ‘pulpit’ ministry, much less lead a congregation. The reason we are blessed is because of obedience - hearing His voice and managing this small portion of His Church, His way. I believe the greatest advice I could impart to a church planter is, after saying ‘yes’ to pioneering, ask, “What do I still lack?” or, in my own words, ‘What kind of a church do You want this to be?’ Your sacrifice to step out in faith does not automatically generate His blessing if your steps are not “ordered of God” (Proverbs 20:24). It is through the act of obedience that we find favor (1 Samuel 15:22). Success is not measured by the size of your church, or any other earthly gauge, but whether or not we someday hear these words, “Well done good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:21).”

The Right Questions

Every time I have participated in the launch of a new church, the process began with asking the right questions. Here's some that I ask:

• Where is God at work already? In which communities? In which leader's lives?
• What is it the burden's God's heart about my region?
• Is my church in a state of health where it can truly reproduce right now?
• Has God revealed a place or a person to lead this effort?
• Is this a NOW prompting from God or just a really great desire?

There are probably others that you have asked as well. What questions launch direction for you in considering a new plant?