An Observation: Why does multisite work?
“Multisite church is not church planting.” Many seem to be warming up to the idea of multisite ministry, but there are holdouts who continue to object using the above phrase. Wherever you stand, you have to admit that it appears to be working in a lot of places. Many reasons for this, but one in particular that comes to my mind as a strategists in rural/suburban North America: OWNERSHIP. When a church sends out its name and logo, its pastors face on a screen, its significant financial investment, and its vision for people to be saved and influenced for Christ, failure effects everyone, so it’s not an option.
Working in the area of church planting over the last 10 years, what I’ve observed is usually there is only one person that owns it all: THE PLANTER. If it succeeds, he’ll be written about, applauded, and used to promote offerings. If it fails, we’ll forget it ever happened and hope he and his family land on their feet. No skin off our backs.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe the planter must be out in front of everyone else in ownership of a vision, but if significant obstacles are faced and momentum doesn’t come easy, he may find himself alone. As Church leaders, can we really say we own the needs of the lost in our community if failure of a church plant or sister church would be pain free and perfectly acceptable? Can we say that we are fighting a good fight if we shield ourselves from the risk associated with penetrating the kingdom of darkness through church planting and reaching the unchurched?
I’m praying for the courage of the Apostle Paul. Drug out of town, stoned, left for dead, a failure, he GETS UP and goes back to finish the task. Why? OWNERSHIP.
Romans 1:14-16 (ESV) – “I am under obligation … I am eager … I am not ashamed of the gospel.”
More Like Falling in Love
Love this song by Jason Gray. Fits well with our current message series at Bridge Church on the book of Galatians. Hear the song here. We’re incapable of producing righteousness on our own. Religion is about rules, lines, statements. Christianity is about a love relationship with Christ that leads to transformation.
Give me rules
I will break them
Give me lines
I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet
It ought to beMore like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It’s like I’m falling, oh
It’s like I’m falling in loveGive me words
I’ll misuse them
Obligations
I’ll misplace them
‘Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free
It’s gotta be…It’s like I’m falling in love, love, love
Deeper and deeper
It was love that made
Me a believer
In more than a name, a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus brought the change in me
Leadership is Lacking when…
Love this list from Dave & Jon Ferguson’s new book Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement. Take the test…
- I wait for someone to tell me what to do rather than taking the initiative myself.
- I spend too much time talking about how things should be different.
- I blame the context, surroundings, or other people for my current situation.
- I am more concerned about being cool or accepted than doing the right thing.
- I seek consensus rather than casting vision for a preferable future.
- I am not taking any significant risks.
- I accept the status quo as the way it’s always been and always will be.
- I start protecting my reputation instead of opening myself up to opposition.
- I procrastinate to avoid making a tough call.
- I talk to others about the problem rather than taking it to the person responsible.
- I don’t feel like my butt is on the line for anything significant.
- I ask for way too many opinions before taking action.
Amen and Ouch!
Product of the Spirit
Finishing up our Galatians series in a few weeks. This weekend spent some time talking fruit bearing.
“the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control” – Galatians 5:22-23
Do you find it hard to love those who won’t or can’t love you in return? Are you often overwhelmed by life’s circumstances and unable to see God’s goodness in life? Do you give up on people easily or often write people off as unchangeable? Are you unmoved by the needs of others? Do you seldom put your faith to action by serving? Do you jump in an out of commitments and struggle to stick with people and projects? Do you feel the need to have control of situations no matter the cost? Are you easily overcome by temptation?
If you have wisdom enough to see and admit that any of these are true then you’re seeing the gap between what your life is producing and what God’s Spirit will produce in you if you yield to him.
The spirit of God produces “whatever it takes” and “I don’t care who you are kinda love,” inward joy and belief that is unchanged by outward circumstances, a willingness to stick with things and people at all costs, a heart of irrational generosity and compassion that drives a response to the needs of other no matter who they are, a loyalty and dependability that has the end in mind, submission to God over emotions and selfish desires.
Praying for the Native American Awakening
Several Louisiana churches have gotten plugged in with an Awakening happening among Native Americans. I’m looking forward to partnering with Woodhaven Baptist Church in Tickfaw to plant a church among Native Americans in Macy, Nebraska. Today is a big day for the ministry as the tribal leaders will be deciding what to do with the church building that the core group has been using. Praying they decide to leave it in the hands of our church in the area. Please pray with us…
Benefits of Sponsoring a New Church
In Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird’s new book Viral Churches: Helping Church Planters Become Movement Makers:
A study of church-sponsoring churches showed that the typical sponsor fared quite well from the experience. Worship attendance increased 22 percent for the five years after sponsorship of the church plant. Financial giving to the local church increased 48 percent over that same period, and designated gifts such as toward foreign missions giving increased 77 percent.
Seems like I read something one time about giving and it will be given unto you. Now where did I hear that?
Exponential: The Largest Gathering of Church Planters on the Planet
Great first day at Exponential. Worshiped with over 3,100 church planters and team members, heard messages from Mark Batterson and Louie Giglio, attended breakouts on Social Media in ministry with Kem Meyer and Reproducing Vision with Will Mancini, and got to hang out with Florida Church Planters at the ReproducingChurches.com Network Dinner with Jason Dukes. I’ll share some takeaways at the end of the conference.
Best Freebies so far: Besides the coffee, of course, Zondervan gave away over 2,000 copies of Dave Ferguson‘s new book Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement. Almost bought it last week. Thanks Zondervan!
Looking forward to hearing from Ken Blanchard, Matt Chandler, Reggie McNeal, Ed Stetzer, and Alan Hirsch tomorrow.
“… the gap holding back most believers is not the gap between what they know and what they don’t know. It’s the gap between what they know and what they’re living. Many Christians are trafficking in unlived truth. They are educated beyond their obedience.”
Dave Browning in Deliberate Simplicity: How the Church Does More by Doing Less
Making Disciples Can Be Messy
“Preaching to a crowd is safe, but mentoring someone is costly and messy and can hurt your heart” Pete Charpentier
Could this be why our default position of ministry today is planning and paying for big events and hoping that maybe, just maybe people will get in a relationship? One on one discipling can be less than “cost-effective” when it comes to todays score card for ministry success (which is how many? how much? how often?).
My heart is hurting a bit this morning because some I’ve invested in have recently made destructive choices, some are experiencing hardship, some are seeds falling by the road or among thorns. I think I understand in a small way what Paul said to the Galatians who were pursuing a false gospel: “I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” 4:19. This morning, I am also full of joy because others are making progress and growing and tracking with God’s will. I am also humbled to think about those who mentored and discipled me with patience and love and shaped me into what I am today.
I believe one of the greatest questions for leaders is: “Who are you currently mentoring?”
Recently, Pete Charpentier, Pastor at Woodland Park Baptist Church in Hammond, challenged one of our monthly Pastors conferences with the need for one-on-one mentoring in ministry. He gave me permission to share his insights which have stuck with me the past few weeks. Here they are:
