January 2007

I was gone over the weekend to raise money for our mission work here in Colorado.  The people in my home state of Missouri are so good to us here.  I was able to preach in two different churches Sunday before flying home Monday morning.  I had a full altar at the evening service as I shared the vision of our church plant and what God has done in our midst.  To say the least I was excited since this church was my former home church.  Many of the same faces I’ve seen over the years were there and it was good to be with them all.   They also raised a substantial amount to help in our expenses here to keep us on the field.

My entire theme was based on getting new people saved.  So many churches are inward focused and even many church plants are very good at drawing and keeping a crowd but when it comes to the time of confrontation, many shy away because it’s not politically correct.  What’s needed is a return to basics so God can do his transforming work in the lives we meet every day.  I’ve seen this first hand as I’ve challenged myself to be bolder in asking about a person’s spiritual condition.  Many are open to answers but want to be asked and spoken to with respect.  That’s where I think the term “saved” got such a bad rap over the past few years.  So many confront but with little grace.  The key is to find the balance and ask the tough questions from a concerned but knowledgeable standpoint.

May God give us all the grace we need to confront a lost and dying world in need of a savior.

Are we winning the lost?  How about discipleship?  Are the new Christians being trained as they should be?  I’ve considered this as I move forward in 2007.  Our church plant is still young and in its infant stages but already, the focus for many of our families has been on other things.  They do this without really knowing that they are.  Our mission is clear and is always being taught but now I wonder, is it not being that well?   An example…We focus a lot on fellowship.  We should.  It’s important.  Without fellowship, there’s no community and with no community, connection never happens.  But I asked some people in our church what the reason is for fellowship?  Why do we get together to eat, talk, enjoy coffee, or work out together?  Is it the goal or a means to the goal?  If it is a means (which it is), what is our progress towards the goal?  That last question always throws people (unless of course, I’ve had that conversation with them before!).

In today’s church culture, we’re all about relationships and creating the perfect environment.  Sure there are many churches who point to numbers but how many to salvation decisions and the discipleship that must follow?  Very few actually.  I’ve read blogs, magazine articles, and snippets in newspaper columns about changed lives and many coming to Christ.  I won’t doubt those but I want to see some numbers to back it up.  I really want to see the changed lives on display since that’s how the gospel will be spread.  I hope to visit some new churches this spring and summer to glean ideas from them but, ultimately, what it all boils down to is: are people being saved?  Once they are saved, are we moving them through a measurable process that directs them to discipleship.  We measure what’s important and for many, that means simply measuring worship attendance.  But there’s more to it than that.   How many are in Sunday School or small group ministries?  From there, how many are serving?  Who’s on the ministry teams?  Is it the same five folks or are new families getting involved?

I battle this weekly as I look for new people to come visit our work.  We’re not flashy with all the latest bells and whistles.  We invested in a great sound system and AV projector with a large screen but that’s about it.  Our money needs to be invested in SD’s (Salvation Decisions) and how to bring that about.  With so many churches focused on light shows, stage props, funny sermon series titles, and other funky things all the churches are starting to look and sound alike.  It’s getting harder for people to find a church that fits them.

We decided to pursue quality and excellence in those areas but our focus, our driving passion, is to see new people receive Christ as their savior.  If that isn’t happening, then it’s time to jettison some things and try new ones while staying focused on the goal.

What is your experience in this area?  Share if you like!

I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t had much time for blogging but I wanted to tip my readers off about a free audio download being made available for pastors through Church Leader Insights. Nelson Searcy is making available his audio download of: “Planning a one year preaching calendar” available for FREE today and tomorrow only! (1/23-1/24). It’s a nice download that he and Kerrick Thomas recorded back in 2005 and it’s a nice overview of planning out your preaching for the year.

To get the download…CLICK HERE.

I hope you get some usefulness from this. I’ll try to get back in the blogging swing next week sometime.

As we enter 2007, the blogosphere is full of hype for church planters.  Already, I’ve read more top ten lists than I care to read this year and all of 2008 combined.  Some observations:

1.  From what I’ve read, many “experts” feel denominations are on the way out.  Too much baggage I’m told.  People don’t want rules, they want Jesus unfettered.  The problem is, most of those folks who agree with that type of statement likely aren’t very successful in their personal lives because they’ve not learned much about personal responsibility or restraint or else they would have no problem understanding that there are reasonable “expectations” when coming to church and that a denominational tag can be a good thing.  To me, this discussion is much different than the “naming” issue that comes up often.  In that argument, people are criticized for not having the denominational tag in their actual church name.  Andy Stanley is Southern Baptist.  A quick run through of the NP website will locate that data, if you’re interested.  I don’t need him to put it in his name.  But to say that denominations as a rule are on the way out is irresponsible.  Take a look at the long established churches in a neighborhood and you’ll see denominations rule the day.  We’ve had 20+ years of megachurch, non-denominational churches to see some lasting fruit and while there is some, it’s not nearly as evident as in the denominational churches.  Do I agree with every denomination’s doctrine?  Nope but that doesn’t negate the impact of denominational influence in the church planting spectrum.

2.  The “launching” seems to be more important than the church itself.  If I’ve read one blog about how to do this, I’ve read 100,000.  Please, we don’t need years of planning, making sure every single team member is in place, having every little thing we need, having a “community” pastor, a “young singles” pastor, a teen pastor for kids with bleached hair, etc…  JUST DO IT.  Get the thing rolling.   Rick Warren started Saddleback with his family and his new insurance agent along with a handful of others.  Steve Sjogren is probably the best church planter I’ve ever read and he just went for it!  He put a core group together through bible studies or whatever and he launched!  He didn’t have to go to every single church growth conference available and then network like a corporate executive to make sure the pieces were in place.  Read his early stuff about starting in Cincinnati and read about how it’s really supposed to be done.  Besides, most of the folks you start with will leave you within the first two years of the plant.  That’s also from Sjogren’s work and I’ll tell you, he’s right.  Of the families who helped my wife and I empty the U-Haul when we arrived in Denver from St. Louis, one remains!  ONE.  The point is, launch with what you have.  You may not have strobe lights, smoke machines, and the best children’s program but people’s eternal future is at stake here.  No where in Acts do I read of the early church having networking conferences and preparing children’s ministry programs.  They just met each other’s needs and gave the rightful praise to God as they submitted to the apostles’ teaching.  I remember using a short story as an illustration of over planning in a sermon once.  Back in the Civil War, a group was trying to cross a dangerous area and it was determined a bridge was needed.  While the leadership of the group appointed the engineer types to plan and construct this bridge, another group just went for it and built a functional crossing.  When the leadership of the group came back and commented about how swiftly this bridge had been built, they asked to speak to the engineers about their quick work but alas, THEY WERE STILL PLANNING.  It was the other group that made the difference.  The moral?  Some planning is needed yes.  But to what extent and how much?  Get out there and start making a difference.  Stage sets, lighting, and all that cool music can wait.

3.  Is it just me or do I see little of Jesus in these posts and more about the “things” of church?  It’s nice to brag on your group or talk about the sermon series you’re putting together but is anyone getting saved?  I’ve read about all the cool church planter blogs out there but as yet, the ones most talked about have little or nothing about decisions or discipleship.  No testimonies about someone getting saved.  Are they not giving invitations?  Are they not offering a chance to respond?  I know there’s some debate in this area and that many consider a checked box or a raised hand a decision but do we follow up on these folks?  Do we confront them with the truth of the Savior to bring about a personal response?  Church plants are supposed to be about reaching people with the gospel and changing their lives but I read little about this in the blogs I read.

4.  Can we cease with using slang words like “crap” or is that the mark of someone who’s utilizing their freedom in Christ?  I’m not old nor do I consider myself old-fashioned (I’m only 40 as of this writing) but I would never use the word “crap” in my blog nor would I during a sermon.  One night I was visiting a friend’s church plant in another part of Denver and I spent my time during the message putting check marks on my outline for how many times I heard the speaker use the word “crap” during a sermon.  When my friend came over and asked about the marks, I told him point blank that this was the most memorable takeaway I could take with me from the sermon.  Nothing else the speaker said mattered because he had lost me when he told me to get the “crap” out of my mind.  To me using words like that shows a total lack of preparation.  You’re not “cool” when you say stuff like that.  Call me a fusty old man but I use the latest technology, have great music from an awesome worship team, and I DO NOT have to tell folks about all the “crap” in their lives.  Sorry, perhaps this is just a sore point for me.

Coming soon, a list of blogs I read that I rarely see quoted.  No, not a top ten list.  Just some ideas for you to read to give you a different perspective on this whole church planting work instead of the corporate prattle that seems to be at the top of most search engines these days!

Be blessed