What the MISSIONAL church IS and IS NOT: Reggie McNeal and Ed Stetzer (in their own words)

First, a simple overview of the MISSIONAL CHURCH:

Reggie McNeal on the MISSIONAL CHURCH:

Ed Stetzer on the MISSIONAL CHURCH:

Rockbridge Seminary students who have completed the online course “The Theology and Practice of Evangelism” may benefit from following Ed Stetzer’s blog and viewing additional presentations by Reggie McNeal.

5 MISTAKES Church Planters Make

Shawn Lovejoy and David Putnam, co-founders of churchplanters.com, recently shared these 5 church planter mistakes on Rick Warren’s Pastors.com. Shawn is the lead pastor of Mountain Lake Church (Atlanta area), a church he planted in 2003. David serves the same church as strategic and operational leader.

Mistake #1: Rushing ahead

Most of us quick-start church-planter types are driven by the urgency of the calendar. We tend to focus on a launch date, and regardless if we are ready or not, we launch. Instead of being driven by the calendar, it would serve us well to be driven by milestones. Milestones focus on the accomplishment of strategic actions.

Here are some to consider:

1. Vision is clear and communicated.
2. The staff team has been recruited.
3. The core group is in place.
4. Worship leader and team have been recruited.
5. The meeting place has been secured.
6. A marketing plan has been implemented.
7. Pre-school and children’s ministry plans have been made.
8. A small group and volunteer system is in place.
9. An assimilation strategy is in place.

This list is not intended to be comprehensive, but to get you thinking. Failure to reach critical milestones prior launch is a key reason churches plateau or decline early in their life cycle.

Mistake #2: Underestimating the cost

If you haven’t planted a church, you can count on three things: It’s going to take longer, require more money, and be harder than you imagined! As church planters, we are often guilty of getting “drunk on vision.” We’re so “intoxicated” with the desire to plant that it clouds our good judgment. When we’re intoxicated, we fail to listen to others, think clearly, and make wise decisions. Jesus tells us to count the cost. It always pays to listen to him.

Mistake #3: Violating the Sabbath

Planting a church comes with a high price. First of all, let’s dispel the myth that you can plant a church without paying the price. Because of this you have to make taking care of yourself a high priority. A church planter must nurture his vitality. This requires taking regular time to refuel your emotional, relational, physical, and relational vitality. Paying close attention to these gauges can add longevity and impact to your life and ministry.

For the last 10 years, we have been part of a church plant that has grown from a vision to over 2000 in regular attendance. Unfortunately we are just learning to pay attention to our own gauges. Fortunately our wives have been incredibly patient and honest with us. We are yet to find a church planter worth their salt who doesn’t have to work hard at this. As church planters, we’ve got to embrace what the Scriptures teach us about our time. There’s a time to work. Work hard! However, there’s also a set aside time to rest. Rest hard! As a leader, if you don’t nurture your own vitality and monitor your own pace, no one else will.

Mistake #4: Hanging on too long

When you give birth to a new church, it’s your baby. The church you planted begins with the vision God put in your heart. When you first plant, everything begins with you. You have to do everything. However, as the church begins to grow, the longer you hold on to everything, the more you become the bottleneck. There simply comes a time when we must let go and empower others.

Church planters who don’t develop the skill of empowering others seldom grow beyond 75 to 125 people. You may launch your church. You may reach people; but you usually end up stuck. The most effective church planters understand the importance of raising up leaders and building teams.

Mistake #5: Not having a coach

Church planting is the R&D department of ministry. Planters understand that we learn our way into the future. As we move forward, we assess our failures and successes and we build off of them. Like Churchill, we understand that “success is moving from failure to failure without losing momentum.” Church planters surround themselves with other leaders and learners. I was reminded of this when Will Henderson, our Australian church planter, returned from an ACTS 29 learning experience where they advocated that every church planter needs a minimum of five coaches in their lives. Those who grow in their leadership surround themselves with coaches.

As church planters we’re going to make mistakes. No one gets it right all the time. We can avoid many of these if we’re willing to be teachable and surround ourselves with people who have been where we are going.

Read the article on Pastors.com

Hat tip: Greg Atkinson

Rockbridge Seminary students who have completed the online course “Introduction to Church Planting” or “Next Steps in Church Planting” may want to check out churchplanters.com for additional resources.

MULTI-SITE as strategy … is hot

Recently, I met with Geoff Surratt, author of The Multi-Site Church Revolution: Being One Church in Many Locations. I was amazed to hear Geoff point out that, of the 100 largest churches in America, 65 reported having multiple sites. As a strategy, multi-site is hot.

Tony Morgan identified five key factors when launching a new site:

1. Leader. The most critical factor to the success or failure of a new campus is having the right leader. They don’t necessarily need to be charismatic, but they do need to be team builders, good communicators, champions of the vision, driven and highly relational. There needs to be a specific person who has the gift of leadership leading the campus.
2. Location. There isn’t a black and white formula here, but location matters. That includes proximity to your existing campuses and proximity to the people you’re trying to reach. Where do people shop, eat and experience entertainment? That area is where they’re most likely to also invite friends to attend a service.
3. Music. Churches think message first when it comes to multi-site, but the quality of the music is just as important. If the worship arts programming (music, video, etc.) isn’t on the same level as what people experience at the existing campuses, they won’t stay at the new campus.
4. Time. To launch with the most chance for success, you need time to identify leaders, build teams, select locations, equip facilities, develop new systems and mobilize people. We’re talking months not weeks. With the right systems and leadership development strategy; however, this time frame can be shortened dramatically. (See Proverbs 21:5)
5. Money. The amount of money will differ from church to church, but multi-site will require a financial investment. You’ll need money to purchase technology, signage and children’s ministry equipment. You’ll need money to purchase or lease space and then modify it to meet your needs. You’ll need money to pay staff as the campus grows. And, don’t forget, new people will typically take 18 to 24 months before they start giving. (See Luke 14:28)

What to hear the stories of pastors who have multi-site experience?

John Bishop at Living Hope Church (Vancouver, WA)

What was the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge was, has been, and still is, to have adequate systems In place to support campuses, to encourage campus pastors, to stay unified as “one church” in multiple locations with unity.

Is there something unique about the DNA of Living Hope that made it work?
Living hope is a highly invitational church.  I really believe we are a dangerous church.  We have multiple stories of people who come to Living Hope and instinctively invite their friends.  That’s what makes living hope the place that it is.  I very rarely have to ask people to invite their friends – they naturally do it every week. (Read more at Books@Leadnet.org)

Steve Stroope, Senior Pastor at Lake Point Church (Rockwall, TX)

Some have critiqued the multi-site movement believing that it feeds a diminishing pool of leaders.  You told me that you believe it has exactly the opposite effect.  How so?
This is a great time to be a participant in the church leadership world.  There are so many different kinds of opportunities to lead that require different types of leaders.  The multi-site movement is an example of this.  It is providing many more opportunities for strong leaders who may not fit into the “senior pastor” leadership mold.  Some do not possess a strong gift for communication or teaching, but they are high capacity leaders and the multi-site model is creating a variety of brand new categories for those leaders. (Read more at Books@Leadnet.org)

Robert Emmitt, Senior Pastor at Community Bible Church (San Antonio, TX)

What is new about the multi-site ministry at Community Bible Church since we last talked?
We quit playing the CD’s of Robert, and let the pastors do the preaching.  We are looking more like a church planting ministry than a traditional multi-site. We are moving from a part time pastor to a full time pastor model. It costs more, but if you want the churches to grow, then the pastors need to devote their full time to it. (Read more at Books@Leadnet.org)

Dave Browning (twitter – @bigdaverino), Christ the King Community Church. (Burlington, WA)

I think it is interesting that you have a commitment to international campuses and a high value for use of technology in developing leaders but no Internet campuses?  Any reason for that?
Our international reach is more of a “God-thing” than anything else.  We had no plan to be outside of our own county, much less around the world.  But once you define the church by relationship, instead of geography, you realize that relationships do not respect geographical boundaries.  We say that we can go as far as relationships will take us.  Our goal is to raise up people to do ministry, so we view technology as a tool, not a strategy. (Read more at Books@Leadnet.org)

Craig Groeschel, LifeChurch.tv

You have developed a model for connection with LifeChurch.tv that has three tiers – Open, Network and United. Why “qualifies” a church to become a part of the tightest affiliation – United?
Far more churches are becoming a Network Church rather than a United Church. As of today, we have 74 Network Churches. These are totally separate 501c-3s that use our weekly teaching. (Many also use our kids curriculum and worship all at no charge.) Churches who are part of the LifeChurch.tv Network are reporting great responses and stories of changed lives from their members and attendees. In order for a United partnership to occur, we’re looking for a unique set of circumstances where we can do more together than apart. Only in rare situations is it worth uniting since merging churches can be painful, and there are so many effective ways to partner. (Read more at Books@Leadnet.org)

Want more orientation and resources related to the multi-site strategy? Check out D J Chuang’s “class about multi-site churches” and find loads of free resources.

Church websites that KEEP people AWAY

Think about YOUR church website when you read Tony Morgan‘s “10 Easy Ways to Keep Me from Visiting Your Church Because I Visited Your Website“:

1. Avoid telling me what’s going to happen at your church this weekend.
2. Put a picture of your building on the main page. After all, ministry is all about the buildings.
3. Use lots of purple and pink and add pictures of flowers. Are you expecting any men to show up?
4. Make me click a “skip intro” or “enter site” link. I don’t have time for that and it’s very annoying.,
5. Add as many pictures and graphics as you can to the main page.
6. Use amateur photography.
7. List every single ministry you have at your church. My first step isn’t the men’s Bible study or joining your church’s prayer partners ministry.
8. Make it as difficult as possible for me to get directions, services times, or find information about what will happen with my kids.
9. Put a picture of your pastor with his wife on the main page.
10. Try to sell your church rather than telling me how I will benefit from the experience.

Read Tony’s blog about church web strategy

Follow Tony on Twitter

Need church information technology resources? Check out:

Church IT Roundtable

Church IT Podcasts

Blog by Jason Powell, IT Director, Granger Community Church

10 STUPID THINGS that keep churches from growing

Geoff Surratt, pastor of ministries at Seacoast Church in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, wrote  Ten Stupid Things That Keep Churches from Growing: How Leaders Can Overcome Costly Mistakes. Here are the 10 stupid things, according to Surratt, that keep churches from growing:

1. Leaders do it all
2. Establishing wrong role for the pastor’s family
3. Second rate worship experiences
4. Low quality children’s ministry
5. Promoting talent over integrity
6. Clinging to bad location
7. Copying another successful church
8. Favor discipline over reconciliation
9. Mixing ministry and business
10. Letting committees steer the ship

The Christian Post wrote this about #1 on the list (“Leaders do it all”):

Out of the 10 mistakes he covers, the most common and the first to be addressed in the book is “Trying to Do it All.”

A comical quote at the bottom of the chapter page cleverly conveys the problem that pastors often find themselves in: “Just because I’m the janitor doesn’t mean I can’t perform your wedding.”

“Pastors tend to default to doing everything themselves rather than working through people in the congregation,” Surratt explained to The Christian Post. “They take on a lot of different hats and wind up overworked and underproductive because of that.”

When Surratt was the pastor at Church on the Lake in Texas, a small church with less than 50 people when he took over, he was simultaneously the head pastor, Sunday school teacher, bookkeeper, worship director, administrative assistant, groundskeeper, maintenance man, and janitor for a time.

“As I look back on my time at Church on the Lake, I can’t help but wonder what I was thinking,” Surratt confesses. “Trying to do all (or most) of the work themselves is the number one stupid thing pastors and leaders do that inhibits their church from growing.”

Listen to Geoff Surratt and his wife Sherry discuss the book on Leadership Network’s The Show:

Rockbridge Seminary students may also benefit from:

• Ed Stetzer’s interview with Goeff Surratt
• Reading Goeff Surratt’s blog

Does your church hide Jesus?

Jared Wilson, pastor of Element (Nashville, TN), has a new book out titled Your Jesus Is Too Safe: Outgrowing a Drive-Thru, Feel-Good Savior.

While reading Ed Stetzer’s blog interview with Jared about his book, I was struck by Jared’s response to one of Ed’s interview questions.

Ed:

You survey quite a few false Jesuses from contemporary culture in the Introduction–Grammy Award Speech Jesus, Hippie Jesus, ATM Jesus, etc. Which one do you think is most prevalent in the church right now? And what is the book’s response to it?

Jared:

I don’t have the research resources that you do, so I can’t put a figure on this, but I can tell you that my biggest concern is actually about an Invisible Jesus. Jesus, the Best Supporting Actor. Cameo Appearance Jesus. The “Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain” Jesus.

In way too many churches – just one would be too many, but I know this is a larger problem than that because I have experienced it myself and I hear from many others across the country who have as well – Jesus barely or rarely shows up. He may make an appearance in an illustration or something, but he is not the point of the message. Sometimes his name is never mentioned. Perusing church websites or pastor’s blogs or Twitter feeds, they hardly ever mention him.

It’s bizarre. It’s distressing. But it makes sense given the current state of evangelicalism.

Wow! Something to think about. Is your church hiding Jesus?

Read IMonk’s review of Is Your Jesus Too Safe.

Brian McLaren – why we must rethink evangelism

In a chapel address at Anderson University, Brian McLaren shares incredibly helpful insights about how people today want God in their lives and how the people of God can help them.

On his website, Brian McLaren states that more background on the chapel message can be found in his book More Ready Than You Realize (Zondervan, 2002).

Rockbridge Seminary students who have completed the online course “Contemporary Evangelism” may also want to check out William Lobdell’s sad and disturbing journey described in his book Losing My Religion: How I Lost my Faith Reporting on Religion in America – and Found Unexpected Peace (Collins 2009).

Barry Minkow, senior pastor of Community Bible Church in San Diego, writes about this book on the back cover:

I wholeheartedly believe that every Christian who wants to equip themselves to do the Great Commission, and not just talk about the Great Commission, better think through the passionate and detailed account of William Lobdell’s de-conversion. The book did not harm my faith in the Lord Jesus, it just demonstrated that the emperor has no clothes — and I am one of the emperors.

Innovative church bloggers to read

One way to track innovative church trends is to read blogs that are written by innovative church leaders. Here is a list suggested by D J Chang of Leadership Network:

• Mark Driscoll- http://theresurgence.com/md_blog
• Matt Chandler- http://hv.thevillagechurch.net/blog/hvpastor/
• Mark Batterson- http://www.evotional.com/
• Dave Ferguson- http://daveferguson.org
• Mac Lake- http://www.maclakeonline.com
• Troy Gramling- http://www.troygramling.com/
• Perry Noble- http://www.perrynoble.com/
• Craig Groeschel- http://swerve.lifechurch.tv/
• Steven Furtick- http://www.stevenfurtick.com
• Josh Harris- http://joshharris.com
• Bob Roberts- http://www.glocal.net
• Dino Rizzo- http://www.dinorizzo.com/

Try using a blog reader to help you keep up with multiple blogs. Check out my favorite: Google Reader.

Dave Gibbons on the “third culture”

How willing are you to adapt your culture to share the Light of Christ and build bridges so that others may know God?

In his new book The Monkey and the Fish: Liquid Leadership for a Third Culture Church, Dave Gibbons defines “third culture” and the “third culture church” this way in his interview with Church Relevance:

Third culture in a word is Adaptation. In two words, Painful Adaptation. The longer definition is “the mindset and will to love, learn and serve in any culture even in the midst of pain and discomfort.”

It’s a church that is able to flow with the Holy Spirit, choosing to live out the two great purposes of the church: Loving God and Loving Her Neighbor. The Neighbor though being someone NOT like you even someone you would hate or not want to forgive. It’s a church that chooses obedience over passion as well as radical sacrifice over comfort.

Dave Gibbons is senior pastor of the multi-site New Song Church with locations in California, Texas, Mexico, London, India, and Bangkok. He knows something about cross-cultural ministry.

Greg Atkinson on Books @ Leadership Network wrote this about Dave’s book:

I especially like Dave’s insight into the second greatest commandment (“Love your neighbor as yourself”). My heart for the poor and homeless connected with his vision as he described our neighbor as “instead of being someone like him, was someone not like him at all, someone he would be uncomfortable with or even hate.” He goes on to say that the second most important commandment “is all about loving people we don’t understand… People who are misfits. People who are marginalized. People who are outsiders… Instead, it’s about people I would not normally choose to befriend, people who might make me feel uncomfortable to be around.”

Rockbridge Seminary students who have completed the online course “The Theology and Practice of Evangelism” may want to learn why Gibbons was not satisfied with terms like “diverse” and “multiethnic” when describing his church and why he started using “third culture”:

Also, see Charles Lee interview Dave Gibbons at The Idea Camp on The Digital Sanctuary

The Freeze Project – salt and light

The Freeze Project is a creative way some Evangelical Christians are bring attention to social injustice in the world. 

Ready to take a group downtown and create a Freeze Project of your own? Here’s how Freeze Project moments are described:

For our Freeze Project moments, we would like to draw a couple of hundred people at a time to participate in drawing attention to some of the social injustices of the world. Instead of protesting, we would like to create an experience that is fun, non-intrusive (in your face activism), and inclusive. We believe that we could use “the Freeze” to draw attention in a crowd, which will then be followed up with a brief handout to people about a particular social injustice in the world.

How a Freeze Project Moment Looks:

• Participants will be asked to show up a designated time and place.
• Participants will then proceed to the “Freeze” space and blend themselves into a crowd as if they were regulars in that particular environments (e.g., malls, events, outdoor shopping areas, etc.).
• A cue will be given by the director of the Freeze moment.
• Participants will then stop what they were doing and stay frozen for the next 5 minutes until they receive another cue telling them that the freeze is over.
• Following the freeze, participants will handout a couple of print material each to people observing them (with or without conversation).
• That’s it! Enjoy the rest of the day at the venue where the Freeze takes place. Just give us blog feedback after the experience at http://www.thefreezeproject.com. 

Freeze Project San Diego, CA:

Freeze Project Santa Monica, CA:

Freeze Project India:

GO TO a list of social justice organizations/links