I started work a few nights ago on a complete strategy for this church plant. A strategic aim, mission, vision, values, major objectives, goals, tasks. It’s going to be big and it’s going to span 24-36 months when it’s all said and done. (not the paper it’s written on, just the plan) I can’t raise funds until I have a budget and I can’t write a budget until I know what I am spending money on and I can’t know that until I have a list of concrete goals and tasks with a dollar sign next to each one. (side note starting here: The funny thing about my strategy is that the heading at the top reads, “Plant Strategy for   __________ Church”. I don’t have a name for our church! It seems a bit premature to name something that doesn’t exist except in my mind. But when I present this to people it would be nice to call it something other than “this church I want to plant.” side note concluded)

While this is a big undertaking, it’s also kind of fun. One of my strengths, to borrow a  word from our last president, is strategery. I naturally think in terms of a strategy to get something accomplished. It helps me a great deal to sit down and think about what will be happening a year from now and what I will need to do to develop leadership in the church plant at that time, among other projects and objectives. I see pathways very well. I like to plot moves out in advance. It’s one reason I’ve always loved reading about wars. I like to read about how generals think, planning their actions 10 steps in advance. Strangely though I’m not thrilled with chess.

This strategy is also a living document so at any point if it becomes clear that something is out of order or I under or over estimated the cost of something it can be changed. What is more difficult for me is thinking through the mission vision and values portion of the strategy. These are the parts of the strategy through which I filter everything else. If I’m going to raise funds, I must filter that step through my mission vision and values. If I’m going to plan an outreach event I must filter it through those three things. The good thing about this method of planning is that the difficulty is on the front end. For those of you who like to do things by the seat of your pants I’m sure it sounds anal to plan for the next three years. But in the midst of crucial decisions facing our young fledgling church I want to have a baseline to go back to, something that has been prayed over and hashed out. It doesn’t take many mistakes to sink a church start. My hope is to make as few as possible.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

It can’t be!!!!!!!!

How can you be in first place since MAY 10!!! and lose on the last day of the season!!!!

Only in Detroit.

I made a kamikaze run to Michigan Monday. I left at 4:30am and returned home by 10:30pm. Thankfully John Sowa went with me and shared in the driving responsibilities. We spent the bulk of our time visiting key sites and getting lots of video footage and photographs to be used in the production of a promotional video for down the road a bit. I spent time with several people in Fenton City Hall and Linden City Hall which is just a few miles away. We also spent some time at the Chamber of Commerce and the school district administrative offices. 2 hours of the day was at an extended lunch with my friend Stephen Cottle, his wife, Jody’s parents, sister and brother-in-law. My impressions of the trip:

• People love to talk about their city, especially when they’re paid to do so. Several people when asked about Fenton’s churches were quick to say how great they all were and how active they all were, but when pressed, had to admit that they really only meant the 3 or so key churches. (they did not know why I was asking these questions so I tried to filter their answers through the fact that they wanted to make their city look good to a newcomer)
• If you show interest in someone personally (as long as you’re not creepy about it) they actually willtell you things about themselves. I met Charlie at City Hall who went to a Nazarene College and has a 9-year-old daughter. He is not a believer. I told him what I was doing, which he liked the sound of and he gave me his card so I could look him up when I arrived. He’s thinking about going to church.
• If you look like you know what you’re doing, people will ask you questions. I had a lady approach me on the corner of Main Street in Linden and ask if I knew of a good restaurant in town. I directed as best I could to the one I was going to eat at. I didn’t see her there.
• God is at work everywhere. Just start talking to people.
• As soon as you tell someone you are a pastor or that you are starting a church, they immediately want to know what denomination so that they can categorize you and decide what to do with you. It was recommended to me that next time I am asked what I do or why I am in town I should say “I’m a church entrepeneur” and see how that grabs them. I did try that once and the lady just nodded like she knew what that was. She didn’t.
• People are not looking for a church to come to town. They are looking for a business so that they can have tax revenue and have more jobs. At the city hall, a lady joked that she hoped I was doing just that. I just chuckled; nervously. It makes me wonder how my new church might feel about paying property taxes anyway just so that we are on the same plane as everyone else. It might help make some connections with people in leadership.

Lead Pastor

I saw this about a month ago on Pastorfinder. I would have posted it sooner but I had a few other things to say. Let me know what you think about this:

Apply now »

Senior Pastor

 A new series in development for a major cable network seeks pastor of a congregation of 100+ who is willing to allow his work and home life to be filmed.
Candidate must have life experience, strong leadership skills, 5 plus years of pastoral experience, and feel comfortable in front of a camera. Not looking for any actors. Must be a true man of God who always strives to help people who are lost, find their way.

Candidate should be between the ages of 30-55 and must be married with at least one child in the school age years.

Please write in to ftptcasting@yahoo.com with your story and a photo of you and your family. Be sure to include: why you are the Pastor we are looking for, your experience as a Pastor, your biggest success, your future aspirations, etc.

• Job Category: Senior Pastor
• Job Status: Full-time
• Education required: Seminary/graduate degree
• Experience required (years): 5

• Denomination: Non-denominational
• Church Size: 101-250
• Worship Style:

ftptcasting@yahoo.com

I almost wrote to the above address to tell whoever it is that posted this to stop playing pranks on guys looking for church jobs but then it occurred to me – it’s probably legitimate. Keep your eyes out for this show, whatever it’s going to be called.

Several people have asked me about my call to church planting. Though we are all called to something in this life the only “calls” that seem to be recounted and talked about are pastoral calls. What is a call or calling?

A call is the Holy Spirit making evident in your life the direction you must take or the vocation you must pursue. It is an undeniable pull from God that you feel you must obey; God’s hand of direction on your life.  A call comes about in several ways. It can come as a result of studying God’s Word, the Bible. It can come as a result of prayer and seeking God. Other Christians can speak into our lives and advise us. A pastor’s sermon or even a book that moves us to think more deeply about what God wants in our life can help us hear God’s voice. Notice I do not mention “feelings”. Feelings tend to be driven by the current circumstances and not by a true assessment of our life. Feelings are usually RE-active; a response to life. I have learned that what I often refer to as a “feeling” is usually God moving in  my heart and this is confirmed by other sources. They do not stand alone. If you feel led in a certain direction or you feel God calling you to do something for Him, what is the confirmation? Who in your life affirms this call? What does God say to you in His word? Do circumstances seem to be closing off an opportunity or something you feel called to or do the doors of opportunity seem to swing open wide inviting you to pursue it? (not that any opposition means “no” but often when God calls us, as we seek Him, He also shows our path, Proverbs 3:5-6) These are the criteria I have used throughout this process.

As it relates to church planting, God has been drawing me toward it for a long time. When I first took my position as youth pastor at Lakewood Baptist Church I remember being so impressed with a church that was willing to plant another church right down the road. That had a huge impact on my decision to minister there. In the last year of youth ministry at LBC I thought about church planting a great deal. I was in transition, trying to decide if I should stay at Lakewood or go. Ultimately I felt God had released me from youth minsitry but not from LBC. But, as I recounted in my lastest church plant update, I wrote in my journal several times in 2006 that I felt God stirring in my heart a passion to plant a church. It stayed with me over the course of the last 4 years.

In July of 2008 I made the decision to pursue another area of ministry. Specifically, I was looking for a senior pastorate. I had church planting in the back of my mind but I had dismissed what God was telling me by thinking, “Church planting is for guys who can’t hack it in a real church.” Or “church planting is a last resort for the pastor no one wants” and various other negative thoughts. But the idea just wouldn’t go away. It was March of this year that I finally called ConvergeMichigan, the Michigan district of ConvergeUSA, our denomination. It was difficult to do because I thought I was giving credence to all the thoughts I’d had earlier about church planting. I was so wrong.

From the moment I talked to Converge Michigan and got things moving it has been one confirmation after the other. From a pre-assessment meeting in Michigan to the Assessment Center in Indianapolis to sharing it with friends and fellow pastors I have had many confirmations of God’s leading in my life. I have been blessed with ” peace that is beyond understanding” and confidence that I am in the will of God.

Not many of you will appreciate this unless you are in proximity to me and know what this is all about. But then again it may be funny no matter where you are. Here goes . . .

For some time my eyebrow has been the center of some attention. It’s difficult for it not to be since it’s ginormous and a little bit wild. I try to tame it but it has a mind of its own, not unlike the angry eyebrows of VeggieTales fame. I’ve had tribute videos made in honor of my brow. It was in fact called “for the love of the brow”. I have been told that the brow can intimidate, inspire fear, elicit agreement or direct ones behavior. I was not aware I had these powers but they are sure to come in handy if I can learn to control them. Samson must have felt this way when he was learning to handle his incredible strength. I must learn to use my brow, but only for good, never evil.

[By the way, in case you are wondering why I refer to the eyebrow in singular terms, it is because I often have only one, also known as the Uni-brow and must keep a constant watch to make sure the brows do not meet. When they do, the true power of the brow is unleashed!]

So, today while I was taking a little break for lunch I decided to create a logo that would express how important the brow is in ministry. It’s been my partner for a long time and deserves to be honored. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

It’s hard to really get the sense of it on a program like publisher but I did my best. It needs refining. It’s too much like the halves of a mustache. I’ll leave the refining to those of you who have way more time on your hands than I do. I think as a logo it has promise though. Just make sure that whatever you do, it’s for the love of the brow.

As I pursue this church plant I’m doing alot of extra reading. I’ve added a few links for you to peruse. 9 Marks is a great site by Mark Dever and a whole crew of pastors and theologians. These guys are basically calling for the church to return to the key elements that make it a force in the world for Christ. There are 9 Marks of a Biblical church. Click the link and see what they are.

I’ve also added a link to Mark Driscoll’s blog. He is pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and God has used him to grow a church from a handful of people to thousands in one of the least churched cities in the country. He has many good insights for church planters and for the church at large.

I’ve also added a link to Diligence Applied minsitries which is something I’m working on with Jeremy Lundmark and Robert Anderssen. From the site you can listen to sermons, check out their blogs and read some articles Jeremy has written. I’ll probably add more as time goes on. These should keep you busy for awhile.

*All references to the Church indicate the Universal Church, particularly in N. America

As I formulate my vision and values two words keep coming to mind and they’ve been affirmed by many of the things I’ve read. Authenticity and simplicity. I believe God wants his church to be real. A place where broken, dysfunctional people can come together and rejoice, not in their brokenness but in their mutual healing and shared grace of God. I also believe God wants his church to be simple. One of the things most noticeably absent from the New Testament, in contrast to the Old Testament, is detailed description of how to arrange the church, how to ‘do’ worship and where meetings should be held. The Apostles Paul and Peter left things open ended. That means that within any given culture, particular styles of worship are to be meaningful to that culture. For example, I would not lead a worship service on an island in Papua New Guinea the same way I would lead one in downtown Atlanta. The gospel is the same. The truth does not change but the methods do. These are nuts and bolts of ministry. But we’re talking about ‘values’. A value is different from adhering to a particular methodology or exegeting a culture. Values go deeper than those things.

For example, at home if I value being frugal and I have a choice between a brand new John Deere lawn mower and a mower that’s in the clearance section of a garage sale with a sticker that says “I still run!” I will choose the garage sale version because I value frugality. It gets the job done and the method stays the same. If I value excellence or prestige more than frugality I might go for the John Deere. When it comes to the church our values drive us. And there’s a difference between stated values and lived out values. For example, many times the Church says, “we value lost people” or “lost people are our mission” but the way the church operates completely contradicts these statements. What they really value is protection from the world; the insulation that comes from being completely surrounded at all times by people who think, feel and act the way they do.

As the church, what we value, we become. If we value simplicity, we will be simple. If we value authenticity we will be authentic. What we value we tend to praise and what we praise tends to be repeated. If we constantly applaud people and encourage them for being honest about the sin in their life we will develop a culture where people are honest about their sin. If we constantly say no to various ministry options because they pull us from our narrow focus as the church people will begin to understand that we like things simple and focused.

These values will show up in every area of ministry. From our programming, our leadership development and our discipleship to our child care systems, worship services and website design. What do you value and how does it show itself in your life?

(throughout this entry, when I talk about the church I’m referring to the Universal church and more specifically the church in North America)

As I’ve been preparing to start this church planting process I’ve done much reading. The latest book was one recommended to me by a friend. It’s called Reclaiming God’s original intent for the church. It is a superb description of what much of the church has become and what it needs to shed in order to return to the much older ways of Christianity. The chapter titles illustrate this. Chapter 2: It’s about authenticity – not size. Chapter 5: It’s about character – not credentials. Chapter 10: It’s about fruit – not achievement. Chapter 12: It’s about love – not being right. As I sit down over the next 10-12 months and try to formulate our church plants’ mission vision and values I believe this book can be very helpful. I have the Biblical concepts of church but they have to be put up against a cultural context.

The authors, Roberts and Marshall, believe that for too long the Church has started with the cultural context and entirely skipped the Biblical concepts or we’ve tried to make the Bible justify our choices. One example is the Church’s current fascination with and focus on numbers.

“When we focus on numbers, our hearts are turned away from the radical requirements of the kingdom of God. Focusing on numbers doesn’t lead us to a discipleship that results in a growing personal holiness.”

Another is the desire to have a thriving volunteer mentality. Not that there’s anything wrong with people volunteering for ministry but often people are encouraged to get involved before they even understand God’s requirements for holy living.

“The sad reality of substituting volunteerism for discipleship is that a person can participate without ever leaving anything. Many people live under the delusion that they can have the blessings of Christ without living a transformed life.”

There are many more examples. I would recommend this book to any pastor. It’s a huge affirmation and encouragement to the pastor faithfully serving in an “out of the way” place where measuring success by size, numbers and budgets is almost comical. It’s a call the church to return to what God wants for his people. I want God’s Church to reflect His actual intent for us. I don’t want the church to be one of our own making. OUr mission needs to be God’s Mission, our vision needs to be His Vision and we need to value what God values.

Church planting is at the same time one of the most applauded things in the church and the most questioned. From an outsiders perspective it would seem there are many more spiritually needy places in the country (or the world for that matter) than Michigan. It’s so hard for us to get out of the mindset that America is a Christian nation. There are many “religious” folk. But not many true followers. And when people think of Michigan they may remember that Zondervan Publishing is headquartered in Grand Rapids and that there are several Christian colleges and universities situated there. Grand Rapids is like the buckle of the Michigan Bible Belt. But Michigan includes10 million people and Grand Rapids is at best 4-5% of the total. There is also a significant difference between the West side of the state and the East side. I grew up on the east side of the state. It is much more heavily Catholic, ethnically diverse and transient. There is no doubt Michigan is a tough assignment. People are leaving the state and the economy is in dire straits. It is not that different from our current post in Jamestown. But for some time now I have felt drawn back to my home state.

When I was growing up I always wished I was closer to my grandparents and extended family. We missed out on some things being a 13 hour drive away. My kids are getting older now and I want them to know their extended family. Our families both live within an hour or so of the cities we’re looking to plant in. We make no apologies for this fact. In many ways it is an asset to our ministry to have family so close. My brother brought up the fact that it would be easy to say, “I love the beach and want to live there” and so say “God is giving me a burden for the beach. Let’s go plant a church there.” And I agree. (and of course appreciate the fact that my brother keeps me honest) We certainly could have done such a thing. But we didn’t. God moved in our hearts several years ago and began leading us. There were almost 8 months of resumes interviews and visits to churches in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio (and even New York!) before we finally realized what God wanted us to do. We truly are willing to go anywhere but right now it appears that God is leading us to Michigan. We are hard pressed to think of one thing that has come about that would indicate “WRONG WAY!” Every step has been an affirmation.

So we respond to God and to the need that has been presented to us.