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Archive for the ‘church planting journey’ Category

Successful Church Planter = Great Leader? Ummm, No.

In church planting journey on December 22, 2009 at 3:44 am

I coach a few crazy guys in the church planting world…[by the way, I have a couple more spots out of 5 available for a one on one coaching network that I haven't announced yet if you want to hit me...or did I just do announce it?] And by the way, I have THREE coaches of my own!

Anyway, we were talking about something that I have noticed in church planters around the country and that includes myself in this group.

Great church planters are not always great leaders. 

They might be catalysts. They migh be vision casters. They might have the ability to pull off a service.
They might preach a great sermon or write great systems and strategies.

But to go to the next level time and time again in our ministry and leadership requires raising our leadership lid time and time again. You will never go beyond that level. If you want to become a a top level leader it requires more than just learned skills.

Not all church planters are great leaders, even if their plant is “successful”. [Been there, done that.]
 
But just as you can learn the skills to become a great church planter…you truly can learn the skills to become a great leader if you are disciplined and willing to suck it up and go there with God’s grace, blessing and help! 

Are you willing to do whatever it takes? It is usually a matter of control, pride and ego that hold us back.
 
What say you?

Butt Tape Saves Lives…But How About Airplanes?

In church planting journey on December 15, 2009 at 3:00 pm

Yep. No joke here. We were sitting on a Southwest Flight last week [I will ONLY fly Southwest unless it is a really bad day, so SOUTHWEST AIRLINES rules in my book no matter this story]…and the captain said we were delayed for a few for maintenance issues.

That’s when I spy this maintenance guy walking toward our plane with DUCT TAPE and a CROW BAR thing. Sure enough, the DUCT TAPE was for the fix. [That is how you do anything in THE STICKS right?] So glad he boarded the plane and fixed a seat in the back and we were off and it wasn’t to hold the engine on or something.

I made the comment several times at our first church plant in Ohio that we were held together by bubble gum, bailing twine and duct tape. And that was no joke. Doing big things for God with people and ministries that are barely held together was our mantra! [Me being the poster child for brokenness and butt tape :]


You do what you have to do when you are called to the middle of nowhere! When God sends a vision, you make it happen in HIS power, with HIS people, and HIS timing. A little bubble gum, bailing twine and duct tape will help though for those moments when you are ready to lose it all. [and yeah...that crow bar comes in real handy too at times...]

Oh yeah, imagine the dudes pain in the pic when he had to remove that mess from his hiney…sounds a whole lot like church to me.

WHY?


It is so cool that as we are barely held together like that seat on our flight to remember that it isn’t just about the details or the outside that matter, it’s the people inside and the destination we are helping them head to.
_______________________________

**Would you consider sending the gift of some duct tape, bubble gum, bailing twine and anything else to MISSION WEST this Christmas? Our destination of helping to put churches in 22+ cities without 1 church in them in UTAH needs YOU! Consider an on-going or 1 time gift to help us reach people for Christ. You can get the deets and E-Give HERE. Thank you. For real….Thank you.

Just Writing This Post is Dangerous.

In church planting journey, evangelism on December 9, 2009 at 7:01 am

My parents held a Christmas gathering last weekend in a country where you can be arrested, jailed or killed for your faith and for gatherings such as these.

Over 120 people showed up and they don’t even speak the native language. That’s bigger than many American churches last weekend. Please pray for them, especially as they look for native leadership that will succeed them when they are called away.

I love that my parents and my family at New Hope were bold enough to believe in the Great Commission and carry it out. We are not only called to go into our communities, but into all the world!

…And we didn’t think it was an option that was affected by the economy or any other excuses we could muster.

[I love you Mom and Dad and your boldness inspires me to the core. Your obedience had a big impact on our decision to launch out as well when God tapped our souls.]

It’s Official…We Are INSANE.

In church planting journey on November 19, 2009 at 4:06 pm

JFK once said: “We choose to go to the moon…because it is hard!”

Can I re-direct and agree? “We choose to do the impossible…because we can’t do it on our own.”

Our team is praying about something SO INSANE that I can’t even write it here yet. [not to mention that we are talking with those in authority over us to get buy-in the assurance that they will not abandon us and send us away for counseling].

In the past 2 months, we have begun hearing something INSANE from God, and when GOD speaks, it must become a burning passion that we must be OBEDIENT, no matter what the outcome, the cost or the ridicule.

What is God doing right now that seems impossible in your life?

Pray for us. It’s going to be hard.

 “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” [Matthew 19.26.niv]

Spill Your Seed.

In church planting journey, evangelism, Wooster Campus on October 22, 2009 at 5:13 pm

Got this message on Facebook this week.

Lesson here in advance: YOU MAY NEVER KNOW WHAT FRUIT YOU ARE BEARING…SO KEEP CASTING SEED!

No matter if you have started a campus or just a conversation with someone at work…your SEED matters, and rarely will you get an e-mail or letter about it. But one day…you will receive your inheritance for your faithfulness. 

It is amazing to get a glimpse of this while on earth. This person who sent this to me lives out of state, which makes it even more amazing to me:

__________________________________

Hey Charles… get this!

___________, my 15 yr old niece is going through “stuff” as only 15 yrs olds can. She’s starting to show interest in spiritual things and asked her mom if they could find a church.

Yep. And they went yesterday…to New Hope in Wooster. ;)

_________ loved it and __________ [her Mom] said she’ll take her every Sunday she wants to go.

Pray with me, wouldja’? This could be the start of some real hope that’s been missing for a long time: a first for my niece and renewal for my sis.

Your efforts are bearing fruit…even after you’ve gone. How cool is that?

Just a reminder that what you’re doing matters. Thanks for bringin’ it home. :)

____________________________________

Throwing the Book of Mormon on the ground.

In church planting journey, community outreach, evangelism, lds faith, love on October 14, 2009 at 4:05 pm

Are you serious? This is what I was talking about on twitter/facebook last week during the LDS General Conference and the reason why those outside the faith lend us an ear and take us seriously.

While I do not agree with LDS doctrine, nor the Book of Mormon…is this really an effective way to spread the love of Jesus?

In response to how “the others” go about their business as you will see below: Next year our team is going to go to the LDS General Conference [THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of people are there...] And SERVE our LDS friends. Many of those attending are our friends, neighbors, co-workers and school mates to our kids here in Utah. Real people with real lives, who really are a part of our lives.

I would venture to say that this man doesn’t know 1 LDS person in “real life” in an “real relationship.”

We hope to hand out free drinks, etc. and just show the love of Jesus while other idiots are showing their “love” like the below video. [click here for video if not below.]

We will also make signs to stand by people like this that say:

We are sorry for this ———————>
“You will know them by their LOVE.” –Jesus


And NO, I am not joking. Wow.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Are we doing the right thing? What is happening in YOUR culture to turn off people to listening to the radical love of Jesus where YOU are called to be salt and light?

The WORST, BEST thing has ever happened to us as a family.

In church planting journey on October 13, 2009 at 6:01 am

Just to throw this out: When God asks you to do something, it usually comes with a price. If it doesn’t…you probably aren’t doing much for His kingdom.

So as we are approaching month 10 of this calling, I wanted to give you a brief review of what has transpired the last 10 months. It can be described like this famous line: “It was the best of times…it was the worst of times.”

1. We left our best, dearest, closest friends and family to answer the call to go to…where was that? Utah? Really? We left an amazing church that God allowed us to be a part of starting. A place that will forever be near and dear to our hearts. We may never pastor a church like that again. We love and miss you ALL at NH and in our community!

I can’t even describe how hard it is to talk about what God us from…it was the worst, best thing that has happened to us as a family…and we STILL trusting that HE knows best! We miss and love you all with all of our hearts. You will never be forgotten.

2. Somehow between our move to where God was leading us, we ended up in a very surreal place called Decatur, Alabama. Thankfully they tolerate Yankees now and we survived the stay:) Once again, we fell in love with some amazing people at an amazing church that is kicking butt big time. No really, they are. And they were like a sweet balm to our souls as we were grieving our loss.

They took us in as family, and those are not just words. Thanks Dave and Dana and our XPT family! We learned so much while there…and made some friendships that will last a lifetime! We also found out they had a pretty good football team too! ROLLLLL TIDE! We love and miss you too!

3. After another sad goodbye following our 4 month interim in Alabama, we packed with one goal in mind. See next pic. It was on. NO turning back.

4. After a really, really, really long road trip…we made it to that place described in Genesis 22: “Take your [family] and go to one of the mountains I will tell you about…don’t worry, you will know it when you see it.”

Little did we know at this time last year that we would be leaving all we know and love to head to a foreign place outside of Salt Lake City, UT! So we did what were were getting used to…we unpacked again in a strange place.

5. As our family [that's their shadow heads] marched up a mountain to overlook the Salt Lake City area and beyond that we were called to…this “dark night” began to lift and we began to see more clearly what our mission was all about.

Partnerships with great churches like K2, and beginning to get out into the community [the pic below is the girls U10 Softball team that I coach...and this Saturday we will take home the crown...mark my words.] There are some great people here, and many who need Jesus.

5. There were even some people as CRAZY as we were who heard the call to join us in the calling to Utah. There are still some who are not with us yet…and our family will grow over the next few months…we wait for you!

We are in it to win it…for “no one who puts His hand to the plow and looks back is worthy of the Kingdom of God…” –Jesus

THANKS brothers and sisters for becoming a family to answer the call on our hearts. Words can’t express what you all mean to me. Those here, and those who will be here soon.

Oh yeah, and we even started battling enemies like Rocky the Bull Moose.

Rocky does not like Church Planters…as you can see by his charging of us. Not sure who was dumb enough to stop for that photo op as we ran pretty fast in the opposite direction.

 

Good thing we have a leader who is as powerful as King David and he took care of the situation. [Yes that is really a dead moose. It just might not be Rocky. That might have been a stretch.]

6. Our staff hiked up into the mountains to chart the beginning of our journey for our first “lead team meeting”. I shut my mouth and listened, learned and together we formed some foundation for what God was asking us to become.

We then carved a memorial into a tree to mark the day. [I hope that is legal in a National Forest...good thing we were a ways off the beaten path.] These guys get it, and we truly love one another. Something great is once again forming.

7. I am loving life as I am networking, raising prayer and financial support and serving our community as much as I can.

I also am still loving training other church planters like in this pic I took a top the Space Needle in Seattle recently. I am also jacked about the team of leaders we have running THE STICKS ministry. Such a needed gathering in our world today.

I am learning and growing through being coached myself, and coaching others not to make the same mistakes I have made. I am loving the calling God has placed on my life.

8. I owe so much to my amazing wife and kids…who have been a part of this calling and who gave their support since day 1. I wouldn’t choose to do it without any other group of people in the world.

Thanks guys…I love you more than this calling.

 
Yep…we have a huge challenge ahead of us as we write the next chapters of this story God has called us to. 22+ cities out here do not have 1 NON-LDS CHURCH in them [no disrespect to our LDS friends]. That blows my mind. But that is why we and our team are here. That’s why we were called to join the work out here and leave it all behind.

Thank you for being a part of this. You say…how am I a part?

Want to know how? WE NEED YOU IN MANY WAYS! Go HERE to learn more. SIGN-UP for our newsletter that will continue to chronicle our journey. We are 17 people away from 1,000 people on our Mission West newsletter update list. The 1,000th person to sign up gets something special from us…so go there now and sign up!

Thank for your prayers and for OBEYING the CALLING THAT GOD HAS ON YOUR LIFE wherever you are, and wherever you are headed. It’s a big calling for you and for us…and don’t forget that satan will not be happy with your OBEDIENCE. So when you feel down…do what I do and look at this picture and tell satan what he can kiss:

Breaking Church Planting Rules–Part 4

In church planting journey, Spiritual Growth on October 8, 2009 at 6:01 am

We will focus on BUILDING LITTLE CHURCHES more than BUILDING THE BIG CHURCH.

This is going to be one of my favorite rules to break. At my first church plant we had a “ton of people” for a small town in 4 campuses. But one thing we fought from day 1 [contrary to popular opinion] is the SPIRITUAL GROWTH PROCESS. The hard thing that hinders this is that “big church” came with regularity every 5 days [we had Sat. night services]. And people EXPECT to be “fed” and “engaged” and well, “entertained” in their public worship.

We never quite formulated that “killer plan” for growth. We tried a ton of things, with varied “success.” From classes to retreats to seminars to plans to small groups. Why is it that creative arts/worship/programming people are a dime a dozen these days, but the equippers, the thinkers, the spiritual developers are as scarce as a Bengals playoff victory [just wait :].

I was at Kensington Community Church when I was introduced to Alan Hirsch, an amazing “thinker” and “provoker”. It was for a “small groups conference.” He said 1 line that set off a nuclear explosion in my mind. He said we must look at small groups as “little churches.” Those 2 words were all that I needed.

And when they operate that way TOWARD EACH OTHER [love, care, prayer, giving, growing, outreach, serving, etc.] the church will explode as she did in Acts 2.

Equipping our leaders to be “pastors” of their “little churches” will forever change what I am called to do [Ephesians 4]. Why have a “meals ministry” and a pastoral “care team” and a big church “serving day”. Why are PEOPLE not caring, praying, serving and taking meals to EACH OTHER? Because we are used to professionally doing this through the TRAINED CLERGY PROGRAM.

Explosive growth happened at the GRASS ROOTS LEVEL. With the COMMON MAN and WOMAN. The gospel has spread for centuries and even in communist China through EQUIPPING LITTLE CHURCHES. Equipping the saints. Each one of us becoming a united FORCE in OUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE and not just for an hour on Sunday.

That is what we are going to do as we kick off this thing in Utah. Starting with ALPHA GROUPS, they will morph into “mission communities” or “little churches.” Instead of planting “A” church, we are going to plant hundreds hopefully. From pubs to cafes to libraries to parks to wherever we can find a crowd of people who are hungry to seek the truth…we will engage with a “little church.”

And don’t worry…we have not forgotten how well people can worship and learn about Jesus in “BIG CHURCH.” You can’t have one without the other…but that’s a different post and I don’t want to tick off all the house church people that I got really excited with the first 75% of this post.

“BIG CHURCH” just can’t be our every focus or one day you will look back and see Christians that are tossed and blown by every wave that comes as James tells us. The hard work of equipping must begin from the top down. We must model it and live it. [We held our first group this past Sunday night...it was amazing...true friends who actually love and care for one another in community.]

So next time you ask me about light boards, stage trussing and marketing…don’t be surprised if I ask you about “little churches” and truly structuring everything we do around them and letting BIG CHURCH flow out of LITTLE CHURCH. That’s mobilization…that’s power…that’s Christ-followership that will STAND THE TEST OF TIME.

And  stop being a HATER. I know what some of you are thinking…I’VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS! Well, the moment we are dominated by a mentality of spiritual growth is the path to CHANGE THE WORLD, we stop caring about those around us who are going to HELL and we are right back to SQUARE 1.

I could find many pastors and elder’s and seminary prof’s and some very deep people who have probably led no one to Jesus in YEARS. Where’s the love? Where’s the balance? There is NO SUBSTITUTE for the GREAT COMMISSION that includes both: REACHING and TEACHING!


“We can only live changes: we cannot think our way to humanity. Every one of us, every group, must become the model of that which we desire to create.” –Ivan Illich in The Forgotten Ways

Breaking Church Planting Rules–Part 3

In church planting journey, community on October 7, 2009 at 4:01 am

We will focus on LOVE and RELATIONSHIP more than TASKS.

At some of my previous ministries, we were so focused on TASK, that RELATIONSHIP was relegated to 2nd priority. No time for that stuff. Work is work, and we are working for the KINGDOM AFTER ALL…right?

But you aren’t supposed to be FRIENDS and INTIMATE with staff, members, etc. Right? Keep it professional? [the great debate...]

The way I see it now is that you will more than likely get CRAPPED ON by both anyway, so go ahead and RISK the INTIMACY. It will pay off in the end, at least that’s what Scripture says [see verse to follow at end]::

I have built safe guards around my heart after being burned in the past. That’s Satan’s plan. To scar us so that we don’t allow TRUE COMMUNITY/INTIMACY to reign and rule. To have an atmosphere of FEAR instead of FREEDOM. That starts with the leader being vulnerable and creating a culture of TRUST, and your team and congregation following. I’ve not always done the greatest job at that, just to be real.

Our current team has VOWED to become a BAND OF BROTHERS and SISTERS at ALL COSTS. Professionals won’t come to your rescue when you have been attacked. Trust me on that one. A BAND OF BROTHERS will.

I am willing to take that risk. Why? I believe that not only is this Biblical community, but it is a line to tap into God’s power. Devotion to one another ushered in God’s power.

[They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.] Acts 2.42-43

Breaking Church Planting Rules–Part 2

In church planting journey, fear of man, Spiritual Growth on October 6, 2009 at 4:01 am

We are going to FEAR GOD more than we FEAR MAN.

And that begins with ME. Most people think I am a cut-throat, type A, take no prisoner’s personality. The simple answer is that I can be when I need to be, but I am not at heart. Don’t mistake preaching passion for personality.

I am stuck with this diagnosed PEOPLE-PLEASER tag. That has gotten me into a ton of trouble as a leader in the past and has cost me some serious heart-ache.

I always want to keep everyone happy, and keep all sides equalized. I see the glass as half-full. I see staff members who need to move onto a different calling as a work in progress that of course I can help change. I see dissenters as people who will see the light eventually.

That has cost me and the ministries that I have been a part of over the years, big time.

Instead of getting down to business…which I can do with the best of them…I prefer to keep the false peace and pray for the best. Not a good thing, and after all, almost 100% of the time, the TOUGH call I/we had to make was the RIGHT call. You can see it months or years later.

We know what GOD wants us to do. If not, you shouldn’t be the leader. Step down.

As leaders, we have to accept that some people will take us off their Christmas gift list, un-friend us on Facebook and speak bad evil about us being the anti-Christ and/or power-mongering, control-freaks.

So what. Do what God asks you to do. Jesus was loved so much He was hung on cross.

[The fear of GOD is the beginning of WISDOM.] Proverbs 1.7

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