“MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. SMALL WAGES, BITTER COLD, LONG MONTHS OF COMPLETE DARKNESS, CONSTANT DANGER, SAFE RETURN DOUBTFUL. HONOR AND RECOGNITION IN CASE OF SUCCESS.”   Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922)

This classified ad ran looking for men to accompany his team on several crazy, dangerous expeditions. He eventually was knighted for his heroism.

I feel that is the journey we are on in Utah. It is lonely, it is hard, it is a different continent…but the adventure, journey and calling make it worth everything. This post will seem a bit like we know what we are doing, but trust me, we are holding onto Jesus and His Kingdom each step of the way because we are blind.

If you are tired of planting, pastoring, or dreaming of this in citied with plenty of churches and are looking for a true calling to a pioneer frontier. Contact me. We have 25+ larger cities without 1 church in the, here in Utah. <—— Not a typo.

Why you ask? I could say it’s the Mormon influence, or blame satan or some other lame excuse. But I will refrain. The reason there are few churches here is that it is the HARDEST PLACE TO PLANT A CHURCH IN THE COUNTRY. Don’t argue with me.

This is one of the newest, most clean, family oriented, outdoor adventures galore, 14 world-class skiing resorts, top 3 economy in the country, and thousands upon thousands of people [and growing rapidly] who have no access to churches outside of the LDS faith within a reasonable driving distance. IT’S A CHURCH PLANTER’S DREAM.

But many have come, and most have died or given up. It’s too hard, it’s too oppressive, my family doesn’t fit in very well, on and on and on the excuses roll. Yes, it is all of the above. It is one amazing place to live, and one amazing close-to-the-outskirts-of-hell to plant a church in most cases [there have been more “success” downtown where the LDS population is much less]. That is why there are complete cities without 1 church and why so many have failed. This is why I believe it is the hardest place in America to plant.

It is the BEST OF TIMES and the WORST OF TIMES.

But dang, the pay-off is amazing if you are tough enough to hang. This place is the most beautiful place in the USA with the only bad side being a lack of a pro football team…had to throw that in.

So, if you would like to talk to us about joining our team, this is what we will provide for the right planter:

1. FUNDING. Yes, mucho grande funding. We will not leave you hanging. That’s why you have to be top-notch to join this secret kingdom-building ninja club. [It took Chuck Norris 2 days to find us, instead of the usual 2 hours].

2. SUPPORT. Coaching, internship [you will intern for 12-18 months at our church and other churches in the area while you learn the culture] YOU ARE IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY whether you believe it or not, and you CANNOT just pop out a church in 6 months here unless you have some Peter Pentecost built up in your bag of planting tricks. You will be assessed at the highest level and training will be provided each step of the way from some of the best planters that Utah and the country has to offer.

3. COACHING. Area selection, coaching from someone local and someone abroad.

4. NETWORKING. We are connected pretty well.

5. AUDACIOUS DREAMS. How about being the first church or first relevant church in a growing, large area that could be 100,000+? Yep, welcome to Utah.

6. ACCOUNTABILITY and COMMUNITY. Our team is not just a OCC thing. We will assign you a project manager to do your detail work, a bookkeeper, a coach and a management team made up of large church pastors or very experienced, forward-thinking pastors and leaders.

You will be your own plant. We are looking to campus, but aren’t quite ready for that unless you are a campus pastor type and want to talk about launching a campus with us. We will consider that at this stage as well. Come one, come all.

We love reformed folks, but our tribe isn’t heavily reformed [some are]. We are a fan of being in the COMMUNITY FIRST, and starting a WEEKEND EXPERIENCE SECOND. You won’t come out here to start house churches or missional communities right away, trust me [in most areas]. It is a combination of the genius of the “AND” [read Hugh Halter/Matt Smay’s book].

We are all about TANGIBLE KINGDOM principles, but again, this is not your typical place. You must do WHATEVER it takes to GATHER and SCATTER a crowd of jacked-up Jesus people. MIssion/Attractional, whatever it takes to launch HIS KINGDOM. But the focus from the beginning is the “AND.”

It will take a top-notch, humble planter to understand this. You must score in the upper percentile and have some sort of experience to be considered. This is not a place to plant your first church. If you feel called here and this is your first church, then again, consider interning with us for 24-30 months or launching a campus with us before we would commission you to plant on your own.

So for those few who are not scared off but this, we are ready to roll. Hit me up to talk. [charles@onecommunity.tv // www.ONEcommunity.tv]

**DISCLAIMER: Did this post seem arrogant, cocky and less than humble? Yes, it did. But trust me, our team is anything but. This ad was intended to allow the true GIDEON type warriors to rise to the top. When you have been beat down for 2+ years, you are anything but arrogant. We have yet to figure this thing out at all, but in GOD’S power, together we will. But we also won’t wait for a church to hit 1,000 or become a “success” to be about the mission. Out group has started a few churches with pretty good stability and sustainability thus far, but don’t take this post as a mark of arrogance, we just need to be real with you about this mission.

So…stop living like a pansy and become a trail-blazing pioneer if you are called. Now, on with your ordinary life.