Church 3.0: Upgrades for the Future of the Church
File this one under books that make you think, excite you, and frustrate you (the last chapter’s first sentence
is “It is entirely possible that this book has offended you”), but Neil Cole’s observations about church life and necessary adjustments in Church 3.0 is a great read for ministry and mission leaders in todays America. I recently discovered that in my region of the Bible belt, less than 5% of teenagers and 10% of adults are attending evangelical churches. What does this say about the next generation? Do we need to upgrade to a new operating system? Cole says yes.
What is Church 3.0? Church 1.0 would have been Jerusalem Church which needed a lot of patches and didn’t last very long (many leaders long for Jerusalem’s crowds without considering it’s eventual outcome). Antioch would have been 1.1. Reproduction and sending voluntarily and on purpose started there. Galatian churches would have been 1.3, Corinth 1.4, as Paul added patches and shifted with the Spirit along the way. Church 2.0 came with Constantine and the establishment of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church. 2.1 came with the Protestant Reformation, 2.2 with the Anabaptists and radical reformers. And now Cole says the shift is happening to Church 3.0.
What’s the upgrade?
From the Introduction: “The change to Church 3.0 is a shift from a program-driven and clergy-led institutionalized approach of church to one that is relational, simple, and viral in its spread. Instead of seeing church as something that serves its people, church becomes people who serve – God, one another, and a hurting world. Church is no longer a place to go, but a people to belong to. Church is no longer an event to be at, but a family to be a part of.”
The rest of the book answers questions about Church 3.0 and Organic Church.
A few of the questions:
- What about the Church’s mission? From Coming to Going
- What about Church growth? From incremental to Exponential
- What about Church models? From Congregations to Networks, From Centralized to Decentralized
- What about Gatherings? From One-Size-Fits-All to Tailored Groups for Effective Function
- What about Heresy? From Better-Trained Pastors to Better-Trained People
- What about Finances? From Ten Percent to the Whole Enchilada
Agree with Cole or not, you will be challenged to think about simplicity and mission. Here’s a few of my favorite quotes and ideas from the book that seem to have stuck with me:
- We must transition from seeing church as a once-a-week worship event to an ongoing spiritual family on mission together.
- it’s possible to do church but fail to demonstrate anything of the person and work of Christ in a neighborhood.
- One side effect of pursuing excellence in church production is that common Christians become spectators who can contribute a percentage of their income to keep things going, though little more. we have raised the bar so high on how church is done that few believe they could ever do it themselves.
- we have lowered the bar of what it means to be a Christian, such that simply showing up to the weekly one-hour event with some regularity and a checkbook is all it takes.
- I want to lower the bar of how church is done so that anyone can do it, and raise the bar of what it means to be a disciple so that they will do it.
- three roadblocks to church multiplication: buildings, budgets, and big shots.
- Buildings are not bad or wrong; they are simply not alive and therefore cannot reproduce.
- People don’t mind being called a servant, they just don’t like being treated like one.
- we have made church about something that is less than the gospel itself and more about how the particular speaker makes us feel on Sunday morning.
- The Gospel is not an invitation to walk down an aisle or a sawdust trail; it is an invitation to the adventure of a lifetime!
- church has become a religious event that takes place once a week, rather than a spiritual family on a mission together.
Are you provoked yet? For good? Thoughts? Read the book. It will make you think.
Measuring Change
@Habitatstw has built 80 homes in an area neighborhood and 911 calls are down 53% in that neighborhood since the
projectbegan. Great measurement of the transformation that Habitat can bring to an area. What metrics can we use to communicate the impact of our ministries? Will our current metrics (how many? how much? how often?) bring about such change in our communities? Reggie McNeal’s latest book Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church and Stetzer and Rainer’s Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations have me thinking differently about success and change.
Part of the issue is Habitat had to build 80 homes with years of labor and sweat and blood to get to that point. We want change we can see quickly and don’t have to wait for. Focusing on change and not quick results will mean long term commitment. I’m in. For my church and for Habitat of West St. Tammany.
Recognizing Unsafe and Safe Relationships
Finishing up our Strong Relationships Emphasis today at Bridge Church. Sharing a list from one of my favorite books. They are known for their Boundaries books, but a lesser known book has helped me in recognizing relationships that could have a negative impact on my life. Safe People: How to Find Relationships That Are Good For You and Avoid Those That Aren’t by Henry Cloud and John Townsend, will help you discern character and recognize manipulative harmful people before it’s too late. Here is there list of what to look for in people that are unsafe:
1. Unsafe people think they have it all together instead of admitting their weaknesses.
2. Unsafe people are religious instead of spiritual.
3. Unsafe people are defensive instead of open to feedback.
4. Unsafe people are self-righteous instead of humble.
5. Unsafe people only apologize instead of changing their behavior.
6. Unsafe people avoid working on their problems.
7. Unsafe people demand trust instead of earning it.
8. Unsafe people believe they are perfect instead of admitting their faults.
9. Unsafe people blame others instead of taking responsibility.
10. Unsafe people lie instead of telling the truth.
11. Unsafe people are stagnant instead of growing.
12. Unsafe people avoid closeness instead of connecting.
13. Unsafe people are only concerned with “I” instead of “we.”
14. Unsafe people resist freedom instead of encouraging it.
15. Unsafe people flatter us instead of confronting us.
16. Unsafe people condemn us instead of forgiving us.
17. Unsafe people stay in parent-child roles instead of relating as equals.
18. Unsafe people are unstable over time instead of being consistent.
19. Unsafe people are a negative influence on us.
20. Unsafe people gossip instead of keeping secrets.
A Safe Relationship…
Helps me draw closer to God.
Helps me draw closer to other people.
Helps me to become the person God created me to be.
Check out the author’s website – www.cloudtownsend.com – for more relationship resources.
Fool-Proofing Your Life
Fool is a very Biblical word. We all have been fools. As a matter of fact we’re born that way. Proverbs 22:15 (NASB) Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
All children are foolish, and that’s OK. Parents should expect foolishness, and seek to drive it away. But it’s not OK when we stay foolish and some of us do. How do we deal with them? and discern our own foolish behavior. Start with defining what a fool is and the book of Proverbs is the one stop place for that.
Three Hebrew words used in Proverbs for fool:
- Kesil – dull, closeminded. 49X in Proverbs, 70X in OT. “right in his own eyes.” Will not consider the value of unselfish things.
- Nabal – spiritually bereft, lacks spiritual perception. 18x in OT. Incapable of seeing God’s side of things. Self-damaging. Abigail about her husband – “no one can talk to him”
- Ewil – obstinate, hardened fool; sees no benefit to wisdom. From root “thick of fluids.” Hard headed. 26x in OT. My way or the highway.
Characteristics in Proverbs of a fool: How can we discern foolish behavior?
Northshore Probe: Stat Summary for Tangi, W St Tam, & E St Tam Churches
Number crunching a bit in preparation for our April 1st PROBE (a PROBE studies People, Residences, Opportunities, Barriers, Evangelism avenues through data collection and windshield surveys). Attached are Stat Summaries for Tangi-Livingston, West St. Tammany, East St. Tammany. Observations? Strategy Suggestions?
Northshore PROBE: 30 Year Stat Summary of the Northshore Baptist Association
Number crunching a bit in preparation for our April 1st PROBE (a PROBE studies People, Residences, Opportunities, Barriers, Evangelism avenues through data collection and windshield surveys). Attached is a Stat Summary that shows a slight decline and a population that’s growing 3x faster than church membership. Observations? Strategy Suggestions?
STAT Summary NSBA – PDF Download
Northshore Probe: Multi-Housing on the Northshore
As part of an area-wide PROBE (People, Residents, Opportunities, Barriers to the Gospel, and Evangelism Avenues) we conducted a region wide study of multi-housing residents on the Northshore. Thankful for Gary Dennis for his research on this project. Get the full report on Multi-Housing on the Northshore from our 2011 Probe here.
The purpose of this study was to identify major needs and outreach opportunities to people living in Multi-Housing facilities along the I-12 corridor from Slidell to Albany, and, to suggest possible strategies for doing outreach among this people group. We sought to answer the following questions:
- Where do people live in multi-housing units/complexes?
- What kinds of multi-housing units/complexes do people live in?
- What kinds of people live in the different multi-housing units/complexes? (socioeconomic & ethnicity)
- How many people live in multi-housing units/complexes?
- What particular needs exist among those in each multi-housing unit/complex?
- What kinds of strategies might be needed to minister in and to those in the various multi-housing units/complexes on the Northshore?
Northshore PROBE
This Spring the Northshore Baptist Association is conducting an area wide PROBE (a PROBE studies People, Residences, Opportunities, Barriers, Evangelism avenues through data collection and windshield surveys). On April 1st, we’ll come together for a final windshield survey and compilation of data. I’ll be releasing some of what we’ve discovered so far over the next few weeks. This info will help us develop a strategy for church planting and ministry development over the next 10 years or so. And we hope it will help churches see open doors in the community for ministry. If you’d like to receive our information, let me know – lanecorley@gmail.com. If you’d like to participate in the PROBE, meet at First Baptist Lacombe or the Clegg Mission and Ministries Center in Hammond at 8:30am on April 1st. We’ll have a light breakfast and go from there, finishing up with lunch at Bedico Baptist Church at 12:30pm. If you think you have a handle on people, residences, opportunities, barriers, and evangelism avenues, don’t be stingy. Let us know your insights, so that we can share it with others.
Later today, I’ll release some data on Multihousing on the Northshore. On Monday, I’ll release some of a 30 year statistical analysis of church growth on the Northshore.
Lot’s of opportunities to partner together.
Assessing the Need for New Churches
A common question I’m asked as a church planter and strategist: “Why do we need new churches when we have so many already?”
Stated in other, more direct ways:
- “We’ve got that area covered already, there’s no need for a new church.”
- “Planting a new church will make Pastors in the area feel unappreciated or like they’re not doing their job.”
- “Why plant a new church when my church needs so much help?”
- “Do we really need another ‘little’ church in this area?”
- “Won’t a new church just take resources from other churches.”
These can be legitimate concerns, when brought with a kingdom mind set, and these concerns should be addressed by strategists and planters in the planning process. I’d really like to work through each of these concerns individually at some point but now I’m asking, what are the right questions and the key indicators of the need for new churches or ministries in the seemingly overchurched south?
My Good Gift
Love serving and doing life with my wife. One of my first realizations about marriage was that people seemed to like me better when she’s around. Then I realized why – I am better when she’s around. Thankful for you babe and for a productive day of ministry together. Looking forward to many more!
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord” Proverbs 18:22
Lane Corley 