Over the last 18 months at COMMUNITY we have made strategic moves in order to mobilize all (yes, we mean ALL) our people for mission.  Part of that process has been to clearly articulate in a simple way our mission and how we will carry it out.  The mission is “helping people find thier way back to God” and the way we will accomplish it is throug the 3 R’s.What is below is the script from a voice over I did for a video to explain in a concise way the Jesus mission at COMMUNITY.

MISSION:  At COMMUNITY we have accepted the mission of Jesus and simply say it like this: “helping people find their way back to God.”  This mission is made up of three tasks:

REACH.  First, we must reach people far from God. The Western Church is observing a dramatic shift from a Christian culture to a post-Christian one.  It is now suggested that 60% of the people we want to reach will never enter the doors of our current forms of church.  If that is true, we then need to allow our imaginations to be profoundly shaped by the biblical notion that God is sending us as He sent Himself in Jesus.  Matthew 28 says to “Go!” and we are challenging ourselves to be the church who will reach people who are far from God.

RESTORE.  We must also restore God’s dream for the world. A common perception among pre-Christians is that Christ-followers talk about poverty and justice issues, but that we don’t do much to address those issues.  But Jesus expects us to change that perception.  “He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free.”  (Luke 4:17-18) It is our mission to be a people who restore God’s dream for the world.

REPRODUCE.  We must then reproduce the mission in others. If we are called to go to “Jerusalem…Judea…Samaria… and to the ends of the earth,” we have to find a new way of counting that results in rapid reproduction and exponential growth.  This new math counts on you and your friends to start a missional church movement.  Every movement starts with one person.  When you and your friends follow the biblical example to become apprentices of Jesus, (2 Timothy 2:2) the result can be the beginning of a missional church movement.  Through these apprenticeships, we will reproduce the mission in others.

That’s the Jesus Mission. Now go.

…by the time it’s 12 months old

Don’t take yourselves too seriously
You are important to God. Isn’t it enough to know that without the need to prove it all the time? Walk in humility. Obey. Keep in step with the Spirit.

Outreach is your lifeblood
It’s tempting to settle in on the point of problem centeredness, especially if you’ve had a modicum of success. People will ask that you “pastor” them instead of persevering instead of living out your roles as Evangelists. Pastoring at that point is a trap! Don’t fall for it. Tell people to go to counseling who need help. Pray for them while you stand up after a gathering. Don’t you dare see them more than once in the name of ministering to them.

There’s always a process to what you’re doing
God is at work with your people and those you seek to reach. God is continually doing something though we are sometimes frustrated with his timetable. Our desire is for details to work out quickly. None of us are naturally patient, but then again God’s work is more stable than ours.

As you serve a powerful spiritual atmosphere is created inside and outside your church
As you consistently love, serve and show generosity to outsiders you build an almost tactile reality around your church that impacts others that has a profound spiritual effect on others at dimensions that are difficult to easily see or measure on the surface of things but is real just the same.

As people nearby experience this they will change their perceptions about God and recognize that he is positive – not negative, loving – not necessarily judgmental.

As you serve you are also going to shape the spiritual atmosphere inside your church community as you walk out the heart of God. Your people will see that serving is part and parcel of the normal Christian life.

Others are more important than your venture
Don’t worry about your success. As you serve, God will show up in your midst. His presence is the greatest guarantee of success.

It’s vital to teach on living generously if vision is to succeed
People will tell you they like your church because you don’t talk about money “all the time like other churches.” It’s tempting to fall into the trap of under emphasizing this vital topic. Of course, your people need to be challenged. Deep down they crave this instruction for their growth’s sake.

A vision for church planting
Set a goal from the beginning of your launch as to how many and how fast you will produce your first of several plants. Talk about that frequently from the front…with a smile of faith!

See the city as your mission field
World missions are great but God is first interested in capturing the hearts of your church with the immediate. The “ends of the earth” is safe because all it requires is a check and an occasional prayer. God has in mind that your “Jerusalem” will come before the ends of the earth. Serve them. Care for the poor down the street in practical ways. Pray for them door to door in ten-second segments.

Worship stirs the presence of the Spirit
One of the top couple of necessities for success is Spirit-inspired worship. If your worship doesn’t bring the presence of the Spirit then change it until it until it does. You won’t succeed in much else till you do.

Ministry to the poor is basic to a discipleship
We are all – 100% of us – are called to care for the Poor in some way. Ministry to the Poor is part of any outreach emphasis. I highly recommend you make this a vital part of your initial foray into the community. No matter where you live in the world there are people in need within a 15-minute drive, if not next door.

If you don’t make outreach the focus it won’t be any of focus
That’s just the way it works. Outreach will be relegated to a program side by side with ushering, working in the parking lot and making coffee with about as much passion as the other ones mentioned above. It will be an utterly ineffective token effort that is in place for members to point as something that says their church cares about the Lost even though everyone knows there’s nothing effective being accomplished.

The way your senior leader(s) live and model ministry (and life!) is the greatest determiner as to how the local church will approach discipleship
Your church is like a flock of geese flying in formation on a journey. At the tip of the flock is a lead goose directing the rest toward in a certain direction. Where that leader goes, the rest of the formation follows. It’s a simple principle. Like it or not, the leader is carefully followed whether the rest of the flock understands the principle or not. It’s intuitive.

Regardless of that leader’s natural inclination, it’s vital that they become the person the flock needs in order to grow. Any person – any leader – can change by merely determining to change. It’s a matter of making a decision then leaning into the empowering of the Spirit for change to happen. God will show up and empower that decision. It is easy for a leader to cop out by thinking they don’t possess the needed gifts in the area where help is needed. As that leader merely shows up with an available attitude God will provide the needed gifts, energy and physical resources. As St. John of the Cross said, “Where there is no love, bring love, and there will be love.”

After seven cancer surgeries and two heart attacks – I’m an old man who has nothing to lose by speaking his mind.  It would mean a lot to me for some of you to respond…

It’s my view that the average person attending the average church today is simply lost.  I recently asked a pastor friend of a large church to estimate the percentage of his people he thought were actually saved.  He guessed about 25% were true Christians.

Denny McClain was the last MLB pitcher to win 30 games in one season (1968).  He was washed up and on his way to prison by age 29.  Before sentencing the judge asked if he wanted to say anything.  McClain said, “Yeah, I don’t know how you get from where I was to where I am.”

1968 (McClain’s big year) was the year my wife and I started attending a church.  Many of us are asking McClain’s question.  How did we get here?

I observe that many who are actually Christians have stalled at John 3:16.  The writer to the Hebrews (6:1-2) says, “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching… let us press on to maturity…”  The problem is not that most church members have failed to get pastthe elementary teachings… but rather that they have not gotten to them yet.

Although expository preaching seems to be making a comeback, it is still true that the average sermon is a topical or light evangelistic message.  Anything that might offend or drive away a visitor is avoided.  It’s apparently better to have lost people in your church than to have them remain lost outside the church.  As I see it, either way they stay lost.  The cross is a stumbling block – as is the exclusivity of Christianity.  To vigorously affirm that Jesus is the only way (as well as a host of other statements) may reduce your crowd.  For some church planters it is a price they are willing to pay to fill a few more seats.

Major cultural negatives are often unaddressed.  Pornography is ubiquitous .  It is killing our young people – a majority of whom leave the church when they leave home.  Pornography is Achan’s gold under the tent in the church. Not my church; not your church, but THE Church.  This is not just a regional problem.  I have dealt with church planters in 48 States.  Brothers we don’t have to be a large church, but we do have to be a pure one.

We now have a generation of people filtering through our churches who are more likely to have parents who are divorced; mothers who work outside their homes, and fathers who struggle with pornography.  So kids are under pressure from dysfunctional families, epidemic drug use, radical leftist school teachers, and a popular culture where every movie or TV program they watch has the main characters sleeping together.

I am frustrated by the state of the country and the church.  I believe the degeneration of the country has its roots in the spiritual poverty of the churches.  Gallop says that about 40% of Americans (@125 million) attend weekly church services. If only half of these people were real Christians you could not be elected to a National or State office without our approval.  So those numbers can’t be right.

One very dismal observation…  No country that once had a Christian consensus – and lost it – has ever regained it.  Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and Spain once maintained strong public support for Christianity in some form.  Today, none of them give more than lip service to Christ.  Can we be far behind them?  C. H. Spurgeon spent much of the end of his life reproving what he called a “Downgrade” in the British church.  Within 125 years of his remarks UK church attendance has gone from 90% to now 3%.

My heart is broken for the church I love.  I know that God can work at the late hour.  But history’s lessons are painful here.  If there is to be another reformation it will have to be soon.  Regretfully, however, there are no Luthers or Calvins of whom I am aware to lead this movement.  Some of the most popular pastors in the US today have become so by diluting their message to appeal to the masses – so they can have a larger group of lost people in their buildings than their competitors.

The Church’s center of gravity has at one time or another been in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, the UK, and America.  The next stop will very likely be China or South Korea.  The faith is expanding rapidly in both of those areas.  I’m told there are more Bible believing Christians in China today than the US.  “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.”  (John 3:8)  We will see.

I am at the tail end of my life and career in church planting.  May God lift up mighty men who will unashamedly start churches that will declare the whole council of God, keep themselves from the contamination of the flesh that is so readily accessible, and inflame our Nation with Name of Jesus.  My friends, there is no other tonic for 21^stcentury America.  When blowing up a balloon, every child knows when it’s stretched thin and about to explode.  Can we not all see that the American church is like that balloon… large, but in too many cases just full of air and about to pop?  Can we agree that the size of a balloon doesn’t matter if it’s just filled with air?

I know this was too long.  Thanks for indulging one old man’s ruminating.  I really love you guys.  Do right.  Develop devotional intensity.  If you are the one harboring Achan’s gold dig it up and get rid of it.

Did you ever think about church planting as a result of simply giving people the dignity and value God has given them by sending his Son Jesus to the world? I am increasingly convinced that loving people is one of the best ways to share the Gospel. I call it “adding value to people.” As we open our hearts and love others, we are becoming a channel of God’s love and an expression of Christ himself as he is approaching people through us.

A few days ago I sat in a hip restaurant in Melbourne, Australia. The waitress asked us what we wanted to order. She had a nametag on her blouse. I said: “Sarah, thank you for waiting on us.” I continued, “I think you are a very honest, sensitive and good person.” She looked at me and I could see wondered how I meant it. I continued and said, “Sarah, I can see that in your eyes,” and she opened up.

After the meal I asked her for her biggest wish, she mentioned that she would love to leave Australia, “To go where?” I asked. She said she would love to go to Spain. I then asked her to give me 30 seconds. I took her hands and prayed for her and as I was praying I could see how touched she was.

Finally I gave her $20 Australian and said that was a little seed to see her dream fulfilled. A few minutes later I saw her sharing with her colleagues and overheard while she was sharing how encouraged she was.

Adding value to people is probably the most effective way to share God’s love with others.

John Chapman, aka the legendary “Johnny Appleseed” was a missionary who reached out to native Americans in the Ohio Valley in the early 1800s.

He Had Simple Tools

His primary planting tool was a stick! Do you have a stick? When his current stick wore out he found a new stick. I heard recently through the grapevine that sticks are still easy to find!

The more elaborate we make our plans the more likely it is that we will fail.

He Heard the Invitation

He picked up on the invitation of the Father to accomplish his lifelong mission, therefore when the going got tough he was able to return to the beginning of it all to when God unmistakably spoke to him to go out in the first place.

He Didn’t Talk About Outreach, He Did Outreach

Johnny understood it’s about activism, not mere talk, nor continual preparation study, nor the accruing of more cool conference notebooks. He was all about taking risks and getting out there. If he were alive in 2012 his motto would be, “Missional schmissional! Stop the incessant talk, stop being a chicken and just do it for Pete’s sake!”

He Did Small Things

It doesn’t take much to change the world. A tiny apple seed grows into the largest fruit bearing tree in the plant world that will bear thousands of apples.

He Was Faithful

He was all in! He burned his bridges. There was no return.

He Saw Potential in the Faith Realm

Some would find it difficult, if not impossible, to do the ministry of Johnny because it was long-term and not immediately fulfilling. He was called by God to do something great but something that not would fully bear fruit in his lifetime.

Each seed was destined to produce an amazing tree that would produce thousands of apples to the glory of God. It takes the kind of faith only God can provide to live from that perspective. We can’t work that up. “God empower us the ability to hear your calling, regardless of the timing.”

With servant evangelism ministry the fruit takes a while to come about, but guaranteed, but when a church plant remains faithful to strongly serve and show generosity to their surrounding community, astounding results will come about.

Anyone can count the number of seeds in an apple,
But only God can count the number of apples in a seed.

Robert H. Schuller

The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for 1) the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city, and 2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else–not crusades, outreach programs, para-church ministries, growing mega-churches, congregational consulting, nor church renewal processes–will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting. This is an eyebrow raising statement. But to those who have done any study at all, it is not even controversial.

So, why is church planting so crucially important? Because…

We want to be true to THE BIBLICAL MANDATE

Jesus’ essential call was to plant churches. Virtually all the great evangelistic challenges of the New Testament are basically calls to plant churches, not simply to share the faith. The ‘Great Commission’ (Matt.28: 18-20) is not just a call to ‘make disciples’ but to ‘baptize’. In Acts and elsewhere, it is clear that baptism means incorporation into a worshipping community with accountability and boundaries (cf. Acts 2:41-47). The only way to be truly sure you are increasing the number of Christians in a town is to increase the number of churches. Why? Much traditional evangelism aims to get a ‘decision’ for Christ. Experience, however, shows us that many of these ‘decisions’ disappear and never result in changed lives. Why? Many, many decisions are not really conversions, but often only the beginning of a journey of seeking God. (Other decisions are very definitely the moment of a ‘new birth’, but this differs from person to person.) Only a person who is being ‘evangelized’ in the context of an on-going worshipping and shepherding community can be sure of finally coming home into vital, saving faith. This is why a leading missiologist like C.Peter Wagner can say, “Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.”

Paul’s whole strategy was to plant urban churches. The greatest missionary in history, St.Paul, had a rather simple, two-fold strategy. First, he went into the largest city of the region (cf. Acts 16:9,12), and second, he planted churches in each city (cf. Titus 1:5).

We want to be true to THE GREAT COMMISSION.

New churches best reach a) new generations, b) new residents, and c) new people groups. First, younger adults have always been disproportionately found in newer congregations, and second, new residents are almost always reached better by new congregations. Last, new socio-cultural groups in a community are always reached better by new congregations.

New churches best reach the unchurched–period. Dozens of denominational studies have confirmed that the average new church gains most of its new members (60-80%) from the ranks of people who are not attending any worshipping body, while churches over 10-15 years of age gain 80-90% of new members by transfer from other congregations.

We want to continually RENEW THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST.

It is a great mistake to think that we have to choose between church planting and church renewal. Strange as it may seem, the planting of new churches in a city is one of the very best ways to revitalize many older churches in the vicinity and renew the whole Body of Christ. Why?

First, the new churches bring new ideas to the whole Body. There is no better way to teach older congregations about new skills and methods for reaching new people groups than by planting new churches. It is the new churches that will have freedom to be innovative and they become the ‘Research and Development’ department for the whole Body in the city.

Second, new churches are one of the best ways to surface creative, strong leaders for the whole Body. New congregations attract a higher percentage of venturesome people who value creativity, risk, innovation and future orientation. Many of these men and women would never be attracted or compelled into significant ministry apart from the appearance of these new bodies.

Third, the new churches challenge other churches to self-examination. The “success” of new churches often challenges older congregations in general to evaluate themselves in substantial ways. Sometimes it is only in contrast with a new church that older churches can finally define their own vision, specialties, and identity.

Fourth, the new church may be an ‘evangelistic feeder’ for a whole community. The new church often produces many converts who end up in older churches for a variety of reasons. Ordinarily, the new churches of a city produce new people not only for themselves, but for the older bodies as well.

As an exercise in KINGDOM-MINDEDNESS

All in all, church planting helps an existing church the best when the new congregation is voluntarily ‘birthed’ by an older ‘mother’ congregation. Often the excitement and new leaders and new ministries and additional members and income ‘washes back’ into the mother church in various ways and strengthens and renews it. Our attitude to new church development is a test of whether our mindset is geared to our own institutional turf, or to the overall health and prosperity of the kingdom of God in the city.

SUMMARY

New church planting is the only way that we can be sure we are going to increase the number of believers in a city and one of the best ways to renew the whole Body of Christ. The evidence for this statement is strong–Biblically, sociologically, and historically. In the end, a lack of kingdom-mindedness may simply blind us to all this evidence. We must beware of that.

*Adapted from an article written by Tim Keller, titled “Why Plant Churches”. To download full-length article as a PDF, click HERE

In the movie Moneyball, Brad Pitt plays the part of the Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane.  While most of the baseball old timers and scouts had a set of stats they used to look for young prospects, Billy Beane understood that the only stat that mattered was runs scored.  Through statistical analysis he changed the game of baseball forever and was credited with indirectly bringing a championship to the Boston Red Sox for the first time in 85 years.

In much the same way churches should not confuse a variety of different stats like attendance and offering with the one stat that matters most. Jesus explained the one thing that matters most: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  (Matthew 28:19,20)  If making disciples is what matters most; how do you keep track of disciple-making?  How does a church know if they are doing a good job at making disciples?

I’d like to invite you to leave your comments and thoughts about how you would define a disciple of Jesus. I’m particularly interested in how you would define a disciple in a way that is measurable.  So, what stats do you think should matter to a church?

I’ve gone to a number of church planting conferences that feature plenary speakers who lead large churches who “planted” and “succeeded” in a big way. Maybe you’ve been to the same conferences. I put those words in parentheses because when you dig into their stories it is apparent many of their quick success stories make it plain they didn’t plant their church at all in the sense that the rest of those present at the conference experience the word. Often those guys had pretty much instant, huge response due to unusual circumstances. They were actually “hive offs” – settings where a huge chunk of people left mega-church “A” to become a part of start up “B” down a road a bit. It’s inaccurate to call those bona fide church plants.

When leaders of churches like those speak from their experiences to struggling planters who have, say a few dozen hard-fought people, it’s tough for the vast majority of church planters to relate to the story. Sometimes they leave feeling frustrated or dejected and draw the conclusion, “In 100 lifetimes I couldn’t replicate that guy’s success! Something must be wrong with me.”

God expresses his life in amazing ways and in lots of packages – small, medium, large and extra large. I’ve started and led all of those. At this point I’m not sure which has produced the greatest lasting fruit.

Success is not measured by impressive starts. Victory goes to the ones who walk in an enduring spirit.

William Carey, visionary missionary to India, embodied this attitude as strongly as anyone in church history. It seemed that nothing he put his hand to was anointed. He saw virtually no fruit anywhere. In time he became depressed and began to doubt himself, yet he persevered in obedience in reaching out India. (To get more of the story on Carey read the Wikipedia entry.)

In his diary he repeatedly confessed his weakness along with the secret to his ultimate success. He captured his motto in just three words –

“I can plod!”

Plodding is the secret to your success as well. No matter how things have gone thus far, begin to plod now. Plod and God will show up and his anointing will come.

Great churches come in a variety of sizes, very large ones, medium-sized ones and smaller ones.

Some are frustrated with the mega church scene in our day for a variety of reasons. It is a mistake to discount the vital role mega churches play in God’s strategy for reaching the world. God has in mind to use mega churches in great ways in our day. Above all else he wants to redeem these churches to do great works of evangelism across America. Done rightly such churches can serve as catalysts for the greater community they find themselves in so that churches of all sizes can gain confidence for evangelism.

I believe the most efficient church size is…500. 
I stated this conclusion several years ago in a book based on the numerous observations made in that book (Making A Good Church Great, Regal, 2010). I am more convinced now than ever that my original hunch was correct.

Ponder this: it would be more productive to produce 10 life-giving churches of 500 in weekend attendance than in building one mega church of 5,000. I believe there is abundant evidence to make the point that the per capita level of spiritual vitality is usually greater at a medium-sized church versus a single mega one. The individual believer will likely evidence greater fruit of discipleship in medium sized churches than in mega ones.

Mega church pastors are called by God to accomplish great things. 
I don’t wish anything ominous upon the shoulders of my mega church brethren, yet it is a fact that to whom much is given much is required. Those who lead very large congregations will stand before God in the not too distant future to give an account of the way they acted as stewards of the provision of God in their time as the leader of an immense congregation with immense resources.

• How did I do as a teacher? Did I boldly and lovingly present to my people the uncompromising truth of the Gospel? 
• How did I do as a model? Did I show my people the life of Jesus through my life? 
• Did we do the work of evangelism? Did we consistently, profoundly seek to bring our city to Jesus? 
• Were the poor shown an abundance of the mercy of God?

Such questions put the fear of the Lord in me. With this burden of responsibility in mind I don’t miss a day of my time of leading a mega church. I pray mercy upon you if you are a pastor in a congregation of this sort.

If you are a pastor in another size congregation you have it easier in many ways. Pray for mega church pastors near you. I hope you will mutually stir up the “love and good deeds” Scripture calls us to walk in.

A Bob Roberts quote really caught my attention lately. He said, “We don’t plant churches in America. We plant worship services.” 

Ouch.

1. If your Super Bowl party last night was full of church people and small group holy huddles…you have planted a worship service.

**I know we are missional, incarnational, organic, blah, blah, blah. Jesus hung out with saints and sinners and an emphasis on the latter. So…gut check: Who are you hanging out with and spending the majority of your time with? We say we are about making disciples and reaching the lost…what did your party look like last night? And if you didn’t have something or go to something…you pretty much need punched in the throat.

2. If you spend the majority of your time, budget and energy focused on weekend services [or if you are anti-weekend since it is kind of popular to be: your missional communities for mostly saved people]…you have planted a worship service.

**Does your budget of time, talents and resources reflect that you are REALLY committed to MAKING DISCIPLES or crafting worship services? I once visited a great church with 200 staff…only 12 on staff were dedicated to spiritual development [disciple-making]. Worship is just as important as discipleship is and discipleship is just as important as worship. BOTH/AND!

3. If you can’t make a change in the weekend service or risk messing with “the formula” or some portion of it due to backlash…then you have planted a worship service and not a church!

**I just spoke to a great friend of mine who was called on the carpet [in his very not-church plant, but a very old, established church]…who thought he was getting let go due to a bad performance review. The problem? He turned his back on the audience to read scripture off the screen. Really. True story. So…people going to  Hell while we yell at you to please don’t turn your butt toward us whilst reading scripture?!

Or another friend of mine who was pretty scared because he wants to reach more “seekers” [make disciples] at his charismatic church by dialing back Sunday’s a bit and focusing more on the Holy Spirit side of things on a different night. If either offend your people, you have planted a worship service and not a church.

What are some other ways we plant worship services instead of churches?