Inner Revolution

Do we REALLY need to plant more churches?

Here is a question that has been bothering me a lot lately; there seems to be a new church plant in every theater and school in many towns, so do we really need more new churches? As I was reading the second chapter of Mark yesterday about Jesus' calling Levi to be his disciple a couple of things jumped out at me that I think apply to this question. Read the paragraphs below and then I'll share my thoughts:

As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him. Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.)

But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

The first thing that jumped out is that Jesus' followers included many "disreputable sinners". Jesus didn't just hang out with sinners; he hung out with disreputable sinners. And he didn't just hang out with them; they followed him. Jesus' church (gathering) was made up for the most part of people we don't normally associate with elders and deacons.If we want a church that looks like Jesus' church then we need to focus on gathering scum.I know this isn't new or revolutionary, but it does seem to fly in the face of the "fly with the eagles" mindset.

So how do we gather scum when we are growing a church? This is the second thing that stood out to me in this passage, Jesus said; "I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." Jesus focused on those who already knew they needed a Savior. 

This points to a couple of mistakes we often make in the church. First we focus on meeting the needs of the already convinced. We create programs and ministries that soften the cocoon of faith so that everyone is as comfortable as possible. Eventually the cocoon can become all that matters and we lose contact with scum like the sinners that followed Jesus. When talking to the already convinced Jesus said things like; "let the dead bury the dead", "go and sell everything you have" and "take up your cross". Imagine trying to recruit leaders for those ministries.

A second and less obvious mistake we make is spending a lot of energy trying to convince people that they are sinners. While Jesus never shied away from pointing out sin in the lives of the self-righteous, he didn't waste time hammering the point until they agreed with him. He focused on those who knew they were headed down a dead end street. Jesus didn't have to point out to the woman caught in adultery that sleeping around wasn't God's will for her life. He didn't give Zacheus a lecture on Christian business ethics. The Holy Spirit was already at work in these people's lives and they responded readily to Jesus' message of forgivness and healing. 

According to this passage in Mark the key to growing a church like Jesus' church is to ignore the self-righteous and to offer forgiveness and healing to the disreputable sinners. The good news is that while there are already plenty of churches who cater to those who think they are righteous the market is wide open for churches who cater to the scum.

Do we need another cocoon for the already convinced? No. Do we need hundreds and hundreds more rescue missions for the lost and dying? Absolutely.

The Vision Thing

The most important question any church planter can ask is “ Why am I planting a church?” I have had some conversations with some great guys lately who I think are really struggling with that question. All of us struggle with why we are in ministry on Monday morning, but we need to evaluate our motivation on a bigger scale. Let’s look at what I think are some lousy reasons to plant a church and then share a great reason I recently heard. First the lousy reasons: 

“I want to reinvent church”

This one comes in a lot of flavors, but it always comes down to the bottom line, I have a better way to do church. More hymns, no hymns, pews, no pews, more art, more coffee, more beer, less structure, less formality. We’re going to be radically sold out. We’re not going to cater to Christians. We’re going to go deep. We’re going to go wide. We’re going to be a church for people who absolutely abhor the awful church that I’m currently drawing my paycheck from.

The church doesn’t need you to reinvent it. God may lead you to do ministry a little differently (though almost all of the “new, fresh, casual, relevant” churches tend to look exactly alike), but that is not a reason to plant a church. The church is not a canvas for you to express your individuality. The church is God’s idea and he’ll let you know when it needs to be reinvented.

“I’m looking for my next ministry job”

The church staff business is a tough gig these days. There have been a ton of layoffs and there are some amazing people who are no longer employed by a church or are looking for a new place to work. But that isn’t a reason to start a new church. The church is not a union shop and we don’t need more so we will all have a job. 

“There are no good churches in the community where I want to plant”

I would bet that almost every community in America has at least one good church. If you want a humbling exercise search for churches on a map of your area. (Here’s a link to a search of Orange County, California where I currently live. The churches are the red dots that look like measles.) Not every church is life giving, but I bet at least one is.

So why would you start a church? I was talking recently to a church planter in the Northwest. He said the reason he started a church was because his friends were going to hell and he couldn’t think of a better way to bring them to Jesus. He said that once all of his friends are saved (he’s personally led many of them to Christ in the six years since he started the church) he would probably go do something else. As he told me this story tears welled up in his eyes; he can’t stand the thought of his friends facing eternity without God.

We don’t need any more churches in America, but we are woefully short of life saving stations. If you just want to start another church please go somewhere that needs one. If you can’t stand the thought of people going to hell from your community, and you are convinced that starting a new church is the only way you can reach them, let me know how I can help.

 

Measuring Success

As a church planter or a pastor when will you know you have succeeded? What is the goal? Where is the finish line? In the business world you fight for market share and profit. When you are in the top three in your market and you are dropping loads of cash to the bottom line you know that you are running a successful business. There are certainly other measures, but those two ring the bell almost every time. Why don’t we have similar measures in church?

The default measure of success for a lot of us as leaders, whether we admit it or not, is butts in seats. If attendance this week is bigger than last week or last month or last year then we are winning; if the arrow points down then we are losing. So the goal is to get more butts in more seats whatever it takes. We put up billboards, we send out flyers, we hype every weekend as the BEST WEEKEND EVER!!!; anything to draw a crowd. We don’t worry too much about whose seats those butts were in last weekend, as long as we can get them back in our seats next week.

Some of us are a little less crass and a little more self-righteous in measuring success. All we care about are souls in the Kingdom, so we measure salvations. But how do we measure salvation? The most common standards are baptisms and hands raised in response to an appeal. The focus then becomes how to get hands up and hair wet no matter what it takes. Now we’re on the same train as the butts in seaters.

Which brings us to the most pious crowd of all. We are not concerned about attendance or emotional response; we count disciples. And how do we count disciples? By activity of course. How many people lead groups? How many people complete classes? How many people participate in outreach projects? Unfortunately, as the WCA Reveal study showed, activity does not always equal discipleship. We are measuring, but are we successful?

When Jesus was asked in Matthew 22 for his definition of success (“What is most important?”) he didn’t mention weekend attendance, salvations or even discipleship. He gave two very clear criteria by which all success should be measured:

1. Do you love God with all your heart, all your mind and all your strength?
2. Do you love your neighbor as yourself?

This doesn’t preclude measuring attendance, salvation and discipleship; we measure what is important. But when we sit down at the end of the day only our love for God and our love for our neighbor should be considered. What is success as a church planter or a pastor? It is measured in how we love. So, are you successful?

[Having served at churches from 100 to 20,000 I have seen how misunderstanding success destroys lives and how understanding success brings life. I hope you can join me at Velocity 2012 as we look at the practicality of growing a church while loving our God and our neighbor.]

 

A(nother) New Chapter

Sherry and I are starting another new chapter in our lives. (For those friends who guessed we are having a baby, you're wrong, wrong, wrong. And evil.) Sherry has accepted the position of CEO of MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers) We are moving at the end of December to Denver, Colorado, where MOPS is headquartered. Here are the juicy details:

• The new role at MOPS is tailor-made for Sherry. It is a chance to influence young women around the world as they come to know and follow Jesus. I can't imagine someone better suited to lead MOPS, or an organization more in line with who Sherry was made to be. Accepting this role was a very tough decision, but a no-brainer in the end. (You can read the press release here.)
• Sherry LOVES Leadership Network and will be assisting in their transition. She has really enjoyed the past few years working with the LN team.
• I am leaving Saddleback with huge respect for Pastor RIck Warren and the leaders of this amazing church. I have learned more here in a year than I could have learned in five years in another setting. Pastor Rick has been incredibly gracious in this transition, and I look forward to an ongoing relationship with he and the Saddleback staff. There are no skeletons in the closet or ulterior motives.

So what's next for me? I am not 100% certain, but I am excited about the opportunity to paint on a blank canvas. I know that the next chapter will involve writing, speaking, consulting and church planting. What I am praying through are opportunities that have arisen in each of those areas. Right now my next steps look like an old-school Polaroid picture as it develops; every day the picture becomes more clear, but its not clear enough yet to share details. In the meantime please contact me if I could bring value to your church in the areas of speaking and consulting; I'd love to connect.

So here's the big ask:

• Please pray for Sherry and me as we make this transition. We know that God brought us out here, but we never expected to be moving again after one year. We have to sell our house here, pack everything up and find a place to live in Denver. And then we have to start over connecting in our neighborhood and all the things that go with moving.
• Please pray that I will hear God clearly in the next few days and weeks. I am excited about the future, but I want to make sure I don't get ahead of God.

I am incredibly thankful for the amazing opportunities God has given Sherry and me over the past few years and am blown away by his grace and mercy in our lives. I can't wait to see what's just around the corner! The adventure continues...

 

Guidance

A couple of days ago I posted some thoughts on reading God's map for our lives. You can read that post here. I got some feedback that suggested that God does have a map for our lives and some that said that God's guidance is more like a GPS. Today I want to expand a little on my understanding of how God gives direction.

Is God’s guidance in our lives more like a map or a GPS. Does he give us a highlighted route to follow and then help us find our way back to the path when we stray? Or does he give us turn-by-turn directions with the option of rerouting when we choose not to listen? I have embraced both metaphors at different times in my life and even used them as sermon illustrations, but in the end I think they both break down. I think the real metaphor for God’s guidance is a compass. 

The problem with the map metaphor for me is that it implies a pre-determined route from birth to death for every human ever born. We are simply players in God’s cosmic game and our only function is to discover God’s hidden path. Free will serves only to get us off the route God has chosen, and the best we can do in life is to surrender our free will and desperately cling to our pre-ordained destiny. Making this view even more difficult is that only God can see the map; we have to plead to get occasional glimpses and even then we can’t be sure we’re following the right path. This seems like a cruel game that would only be interesting to a sadistic and controlling god. Not the kind of God who would sacrifice his own Son for the good of the players.

While the GPS imagery is more appealing it breaks down as well. On one level I like the idea of God giving turn-by-turn directions, but on another level it again eliminates the argument for free will. If the only function of free will is to accept or reject God’s blueprint for my life it seems like an overly complex construct for such a narrow range of options. And, like the map, hearing God’s voice for the next turn is difficult if not impossible. He seldom speaks in the clear, slightly metallic tone of the GPS lady; he more often whispers in a still small voice. A very frustrating way to play such a high stakes game. 

I think God’s guidance is best compared to a compass; pointing to his Son and calibrated by his Word. While God seldom dictates turn-by-turn directions, he does provide all the information we need to arrive at our final destination. True free will, the chance to choose, allows us to experience the mountains and the valleys that give life its color, but God’s compass keeps us pointed in the right direction. I think our Father (rather than our mapmaker or our disembodied voice) delights in seeing us use our God-given minds and creativity in finding our way.

While I don't believe God pre-determines our exact route or gives turn-by-turn directions, he does offer guidance along the way through the gentle voice of his Holy Spirit. When I am lost or confused the Holy Spirit quietly reminds me of my eventual destination and helps me find my way back to the path that leads to life. And when I ask for wisdom for the journey he promises to always provide it. He gives me the wisdom I need to make the best decisions and then walks with me as I follow the path I choose. 

So what do you think? How do you receive guidance from God?

 

Why can't I read God's map for my life?

Why is it so hard to figure out what God wants us me do? I don't mean the good vs evil, black vs white, help an old lady across the street vs knock over a bank decisions. I'm talking about the kind of decisions we all wrestle with; Where should I go to school? Should I take this job? Should we move to a new city? After I've prayed, read the Bible and consulted wise Christian counselors why can't God just tell me exactly what he wants me to do? 

When my daughter graduated from high school she wrestled with going to college right away or doing a one year internship. She chose the internship. At the end of the year she wrestled with going to college next or another year of internship. She again chose the internship. At the end of the second year she wrestled with starting college or starting a band. She chose the band. When the band ran its course she wrestled with going to college in California (where we live) or South Carolina (where we used to live).  She chose South Carolina. During each of these decisions we had many heartfelt conversations as she weighed the positives and negatives of each choice. Eventually she would ask, "Dad, what do you think I should do?" And each time I would share my opinion, but in the end it was really up to her to choose. And each time she chose and each time I was very proud of her. 

Now it was never in my perfect blueprint for my only daughter to move nine hours away from home at 18, start a rock band instead of go to college, or live a continent away at 21. But then again I never had a blueprint for my daughter's life. She is too smart, too passionate, too talented for me to try to script her life. I have opinions (which I share freely) and because of experience I can sometimes see down roads further than she can. At the same time she will never become the woman she was created to be if she doesn't experience some dead-ends and learn some lessons for herself. Though its often painful to watch from the bleachers it is also wonderful to see her grow and mature and become herself. My daughter is right in the center of her earthly father's will for her life. 

I wonder if my heavenly father feels about me like I feel about my daughter. I wonder if, rather than a map for my life, God has instead given me a compass and a mind; and he expects me to use both. Could it be that in many situations in life God's will is that I grow and gain experience whichever way I decide to turn?In Dallas Willard's excellent book Hearing God he says sometimes when we are faced with two equally righteous options God's will is for us to choose.

If God does have an exact blueprint for my life why is it so hard for me to see? What kind of father would know the precise path his child should walk but refuse to show it to her? A mentor once asked me, "Do you think that when you get to heaven and say to God "I wasn't always 100% sure of which way to turn, but I did my best to honor you with my choices", God is going to say, 'You idiot. What were you thinking?'"

I think God loves us too much to dictate our choices in life. I think he loves to see us use the wisdom and intelligence he knit into us to make wise decisions. And I think in many, many instances he leaves the choice to us, and he is proud of our decisions. I find myself more and more praying for wisdom instead of guidance, a compass rather than a map. And I'm trying to learn from the past to succeed in the future. And I pray that when I do God is proud of me.

So if God doesn't have a detailed, pre-made map of my ideal life what is the point of praying for guidance? I have some thoughts on that I'll share tomorrow.

 

Reflections on Steve Jobs

I was shocked to read yesterday of the death of Steve Jobs. He has been such an icon of the tech age that it is sobering to remember that he was just a man subject to the fate we all face someday. Here are some random thoughts about Steve Jobs that have been running through my head:

• Steve Jobs was the most productively creative mind since Thomas Edison. I feel privileged to have shared air with him. I'm surprised how sad I am that he is gone since we never met.
• I was very late to the Apple bandwagon. I have only had a Mac for a couple of years and an iPad for a few months. I don't have an iPhone (yet). But as is often the case for converts I am now an avid evangelist for everything Jobs created. His stuff just works, and is elegant in the process.
• He was one of the few individuals who actually changed the way the world works. I think in the long run the iPad and iTunes may be the most signicant legacy he leaves. iTunes changed the way we think about media and the iPad changed the way we think about the future.
• He created two of the most ignored computers of all times. If he hadn't come back to Apple and invested in Pixar he might be known more for Lisa and NEXT than iPhones and Toy Story. In Jobs we see the value of a second chance and the importance of never letting your last failure define your next success.
• He missed on almost every charcateristic of a Level 5 leader as defined by Collins in Good to Great. He got more out of his people than they thought possible, but at what cost?
• I once had the chance to have breakfast with one of the guys at Apple that answered directly to Steve. He said that Steve was always the smartest person in the room and there were a lot of smart people at Apple. He also said he once told Steve that if he didn't read the Bible cover to cover and examine its claims he wasn't as smart as everyone thought he was. I pray he took Ron up on his challenge.
• He never publically took the philanthropic challenge laid down by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to give away half his wealth. I wonder if he died with his billions or if he used them to try to make the world a better place. Either way none of his money went with him.

In the end I admire his creativity, I am awed by his ability to create the future, and I am inspired by his refusal to comprimise on his vision. I am sad, however, that he did so much to change the way we consume and so little to change the way we give back. I wonder what impact he would have made had his God-given gifts been used to glorify God? Now we'll never know.

I am sad for the loss of Steve Jobs and I am sad for our generation. My prayer is that we learn, that we grow and that we create a better future.

Buy Commissioned, get Catalyst One Day free

If you are on the West Coast (or can spend a week out here) I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse: If you register this week for Commissioned: Planting Healthy Churches on Purpose (November 2-3) I'll get you into Catalyst One Day (October 27) for free.Yep, I'm just that generous. (And I got my hands on 50 free registrations to Catalyst)

How to get your "Buy One Get One Free" deal:

1. Register for Commissioned here: Register

2. Send a copy of your confirmation email here: [email protected] (be sure to add the subject: Free Catalyst! to the subject line) and I'll hook you up.

We can only give away 50 registrations, so you'll want to move quick. Unfortunately this offer is only for new registrations this week.

Here's a little more about Commissioned:

Commissioned is a conference for people responding to the call:

• Leaders who are ready to plant a new church
• Leaders who are ready for their church to plant a new church
• Leaders who are ready to leave their marketplace job to get started

Whether you are planting a church, leading a church that is ready to multiply, or considering a career transition into church leadership we will give you the practical tools you need to fulfill your Commission. Learning from practitioners rather than theorists, our focus is on helping you take the next step on the journey and connecting you into a relational network so you don't have to travel alone.

And a taste of Catalyst One Day:

What You Will Learn

How to create a culture that:

• LIVES ITS VALUES
  Don't just claim core values but live them out.
• EMBRACES CHANGE
  Face transitions with optimism and courage.
• NURTURES AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIP
  Create an environment of relational safety and respect.
• FUELS SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
  Candidly share a journey of spiritual formation and spur others towards authentic transformation.
• FOSTERS CONTINUAL PROGRESS
  Don't just become better — become better at what matters.

Are you helping or hurting your community?

I heard an amazing talk recently by Dr. Brian Fikkert, author of When Helping Hurts and Community Development Director of the Chalmers Center. His basic premise was that when we try to help the poor without having a proper definition of poverty we often do more harm than good to both those we try to help and to ourselves. He gave the example of a church who handed out turkeys and toys in a poor neighborhood every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas. After several years of charity they discovered that the neighbors felt more poor and more shame, and the church people felt more self-righteous and more superior; each worse off then they were at the beginning. 

Dr. Fikkert's bottom line is that root of poverty is broken relationships going all the way back to the Garden of Eden, and in reality we are all poor. He says until we can sit down together as poor people and figure out what we can do to do help each other we won't do much good and we might actually be doing harm. 

I think this has huge implications for church planters and leaders. Do we really understand the needs of our community? Are we handing out bookbags and grocery cards because that is the best way to help the people around us, or are we just looking for a quick attendance boost. Is "missional" just a code word for "marketing"? What are the real needs of our neighborhood? What are root causes? How can we help?

We have to do the hard work of a missionary. To really understand the fabric of our community, not just the demographics. To get involved with those we want to serve rather than just giving hand outs. To focus less on winning people and focus more on loving people. To sit down together with other poor people and help each other find our way back to God.

 

How do you align campuses?

I recently received an email asking about alignment in campuses. I thought I'd share the questions and my answers:

Dear Geoff

During one of the workshops you participated in at Exponential this past year you mentioned how key ministry leaders should meet on a semi-regular basis with those who lead a similar ministry area at another campus (worship leaders all meet, kids pastors meet . . . etc.)

You mentioned that this would help to maintain alignment across campuses but the final authority or decision would be made between that particular leader and the campus pastor. 

We are just now implementing that strategy "full tilt" here. As we have began these bi-weekly meeting a question has come up.

How exactly do we define what "bringing alignment" means? How do these meetings not become management meetinsg but rather stay focused on alignment?

What kind of questions should the LEAD worship leader be asking the other worship leaders, or the LEAD kid pastor be asking the other kids pastors?

How would you define alignment in the setting of these meetings. 

I deeply appreciate any insight. 

Thank you Geoff! 

Here's my response:

I think you are asking the right questions, but I can’t really answer them for you. As a church you need to define what the key alignment issues are. Is it style? Curriculum? Song selection? What really matters at your church? What makes you distinct? How would you answer that in each ministry? Once you have defined what the key issues are you then need to identify the markers for those issues. How do I know when I walk into a campus that it is hitting the mark in this area?

I think these questions are best answered in teams. (“People will support a world they help create”) One of the early missions of a ministry leader is to sit down with his peers at the other campuses and wrestle through the questions above. This needs to happen at every level, but if it is a top down process then meetings become compliance checking rather than ministry building. A more effective way is to build the markers from the bottom up and let the top leadership speak into the process at the beginning and the end. Delivering the commandments from on high was even dicey for Moses and he KNEW he had the right answers.

At Seacoast we eventually developed a set of operating guidelines around each ministry area defining key indicators that we were in alignment. It is brutally hard work, but essential if you want to grow beyond 2 or 3 locations. Hope this helps

So how about your church? How do you ensure alignment?