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It Begins with a Broken Heart

Last week, I told you about God's call for us to leave it all behind in moving to Columbia to start Awaken. There's another reason why de-emphasizing the form of church was and still is important.

Transformation on any level doesn't begin with a new church form - it begins with a broken heart.

In this day when so many are frustrated and disenchanted with more traditional forms of church, it's pretty easy to draw a crowd by selling a new church form - especially this "missional community" idea. As we've pieced together what God has called us to do, people have responded with phrases like, "Man, that is so Acts 2," or "Yes, someone finally got it right," or "That's the way Jesus would do church." I appreciate their enthusiasm, but I have a fear as a result of some of these comments.

The point is not to sell out for a church model that's "not like the last place." To that, I say, "Why bother?" Missional communities or Mega-churches can be equally effective and equally defective. The determining factor is not the form, it's the heart. The point is to be so broken over lostness in your city that you would do ANYTHING short of sin to see that city transformed!

God can do a lot with a heart breaking over lostness. I'm not sure He can do much with the pride that comes with thinking your form is the only one that is right and that it's way better than the one down the street. If that's the only reason we employ new church forms, then something is way off.

For months, we begged God to continually break our hearts for Columbia, not a church form. He has and still is. Along the way, we've asked Him to send us people whose hearts are breaking for Columbia, not a church form. He has and still is. As we form community and catalyze movement, our prayer will always be for God to keep us broken.

Leave it Behind

Bono says it so well at the end of the U2 tune, "Walk On"...

Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind
All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you steal
All this you can leave behind
All that you reason
All that you sense
All that you speak
All you dress up
All that you scheme...

Gotta admit that I didn't exactly jump for joy when it became clear that God was calling us to Columbia.  I sort of wondered why God would call us back to our hometown when Jesus didn't do so well when He passed through His hometown (Matthew 13:57-58). :-)

Not long after we started the journey, the unique opportunity that God was giving us became clear. Because we grew up here, there was a bit of street credibility that we could leverage.  We've paid our dues here. We know the culture. We know the people. We know the lay of the land.  We have an inside track.

As part of leveraging this, we felt like God called us to leave behind every form of church we've ever loved, hated, wondered about, worked in, dreamed about...everything.  He called us to leave it all behind, join Him in Columbia, and spend considerable time getting to know people.  Without a big vision to sell my only option was to listen.

As we got to know people...people far from God, people very near to God, and people at all parts in between...the question became "what does church look like among these people?" Instead of me asking, "How can I get people to do what I want" the question was, "How can I join what God is already doing and do what He wants."  I'm telling you, we would have never arrived where we are without this beginning point.

We'll use the same beginning point with all of our missional community leaders and anyone else who embraces the missionary call of God on their lives.  God is already at work in every man, woman, and child drawing them to Himself in and through Jesus - He's calling us all to join Him.  But joining Him often times means we have to leave it all behind.

That's Quotable :: Seth Godin

Check out this post from Seth Godin...HUGE implications for church planting: 

Grand openings are severely overrated. So are product launches and galas of all sorts.

Make a list of successful products in your industry. Most of them didn't start big. Not the Honda Accord or Facebook, not Aetna Insurance, not JetBlue or that church down the street. Most overnight successes take a decade (okay, four years online).

...Grand opening syndrome forces marketers to spend their time and money at exactly the wrong time, and worse, it leads to a lack of patience that damages the prospects of the product and service being launched.

Non-profits do the same thing when they spend months planning an elaborate gala that takes all the time and enriches the hotel and the caterer. Far better to spend the time and money building actual relationships than going for the big 'grand' hit.

The best time to promote something is after it has raving fans,after you've discovered that it works, after it has a groundswell of support. And more important, the best way to promote something is consistently and persistently and for a long time...

If you've planted a church before, then you know the "Oh Crap!" feeling that comes over you the Monday after launch day.  Months and months of time, energy, and money went into planning the first service. Now, you only have 6 days until the next one...and people you don't know what to do with...and no money in the bank account.  Yes, I have been there, done that, and still have the t-shirt in my drawer as a reminder!

Godin would say that's silly...there's a better way!

I'd love to hear from you...what's the most compelling insight, implication, idea, etc. that you glean from Godin's thoughts?

My question for me: Is your mission clear and compelling enough on its own to build a groundswell of raving fans without having to have a grand opening gala-type worship service? If not, then the grand opening is just a crutch that won't hold up the mission.

Your turn...discuss!

Head On Over to ChrisReeder.com

My good friend and fellow church planter Chris Reeder has a great series of guest bloggers dropping by his blog for the next week or so with nuggets of advice and wisdom for new church planters.

For some odd reason, he invited me to write a post. Head on over to Chris' blog to read what I'd say to a church planter that knows he's called to plant, but has no idea what he's doing.

Keep checking Chris' blog daily for more great advice from much more worthy voices than mine!

Biggest Mistake or Greatest Asset

There are so many things at that are critical for success in church planting. I get lots of emails from potential church planters asking advice for what they should do to prepare themselves to plant. Had these guys asked me the question a couple of years ago, I have no doubt that my answers would have been very different. But one answer would have been the same...only I didn't do it when we started Catalyst.

And looking back, it was probably my biggest mistake.

When we set out on the journey to start Catalyst, I was easily about 6 months ahead of Lara Beth. I had been digesting books, studying churches, talking with leaders, meeting with what would be our initial staff team...I had immersed myself in all things church planting. I would come home jacked up about the latest discoveries, the latest trends, what so and so is doing in XYZ, USA, and I'd rattle on and on about it all. Lara Beth would patiently endure my white hot vision talk...and then ask me a foundational, basic question that usually dealt with our certainty of God's call, our preparedness as a couple, or my preparedness as a leader. I would look back in shock that she didn't "see it," or "get it."

She saw it and got it way more than I did. I was too stupid to realize it.

It took a while before we got on the same page, but my mistake was that I kept charging onward while trying to make her jump through hoops at hyper-speed to catch up. I thought she was against me...turns out she was big time for me and saw what was ahead way better than I did.

When God began to move in us to call us to a new city to launch a new work, I told Him to tell Lara Beth first...and, He did. :-) I'll never forget the moment at our kitchen table when she looked at me and said, "What if we're supposed to move to a new city and start a new church."

Now, she is 100% my greatest asset. And she proved it again last night.

For the better part of an hour, she encouraged, motivated, challenged, and helped me with several key issues related to the vision God is birthing in us for Columbia and for our lives. I said nothing...I kept my mouth shut and just listened and thanked God for this incredible gift that He has given me. She is my #1 fan and wants so badly for God to move on our behalf.

Guys, if you're dreaming about planting a church, that's great. But don't you dare make a move until your wife has given her heart fully to the dream. He won't call you without calling her, too. He won't birth a vision in you without birthing it in her, too. And shut your mouth and listen to her...sometimes, okay often :-), she gets it more than you do. She is not against you...she is very much for you.

You can move onward with her as your greatest asset.
Or you can move onward without her and it will be your biggest mistake.

The choice is yours.

Frustrated

Can I get gut-level honest with you for a second?

I am frustrated. Really frustrated.

I am laying here in my bed, feeling the worst I have felt all week, while the world is passing by and days are flying off the calendar never to be seen again. This is ticking me off!

Our girls are getting better. But every month since we moved to Columbia, we have dealt with sickness. Our youngest daughter has been in the hospital twice with respiratory issues and we got the bill last week for the last trip. Not good.

Then we all get the flu. Nice. More sickness.

Frankly, it all sort of messes with you. Here we are trying to be obedient and do what God has called us to do and we get slammed every month with stomach viruses, the flu, bronchitis, colds, etc.

I'm telling you, if you look at church planting as glamorous because a few guys hit it big, you read their blog along with half the world, and you think you can do it too, you better check yourself. Church planting is not a walk in the park...those guys would tell you that and so will this bed-ridden church planter right here.

If you're ready to go toe to toe with the kingdom of darkness and battle for God's glory in a city, then this deal is for you. But, make sure you have good insurance, lots of C-Boost stocked up, plenty of people praying for you, and a burning call of God that won't let you quit. You're going need it all...I guarantee it. :-)

Be a Catalyst

Had an excellent conversation this afternoon with my good friend Jonathan Herron. Jonathan leads Catalyst Church (great name, huh..:-)) in Kent, OH. Kent is positioned inside the most unreached county in all of Ohio - some 280,000 people who need Jesus live within 10 miles of Catalyst's meeting location.

I so admire Jonathan's courage to move his family to Kent a couple of years ago to begin this journey. They're very much plowing the field for future harvests, but seeing significant life change as they plow away. A big season is upon them and it provides a challenge and an opportunity all at the same time.

Head on over to BEaCATALYST.info and see how you can get involved in what God is up to in Kent, OH!

Missional People Are Already Missional

Earlier in the week I met with a friend who just recently had to close the church that he had invested well over two years of his life into. Prior to launching this church, he had experienced tremendous success in student ministry in a large church. He's a proven leader and his passion for the new church and the area of town where he planted is undeniable.

But his church is closed. The obvious question is, "what went wrong?"

He learned a lesson that I have struggled to learn over the last three years. It's a principle that many of us bump into and many Jesus-movements end as a result of us ignoring it.

You can't start a missional church without missional people. Missional people are already missional. You discover them and focus them. You rarely can develop them.

Missional people know all their neighbors. Missional people are friends with not-yet Christians. Missional people are generous with their money and time. Missional people are a voice for those who have no voice. And they would be all these things and more regardless of what church they attend.

Off-mission people have a way of disguising themselves as missional people. They know the answers. They have a resume of church involvement and leadership roles that is impressive. They know what promises they should make. But ultimately, all this is meant to convince you that you need them. Hear me now...you don't need them!

So many of us think we can turn off-mission people into missional people. The truth is you can't. And that's frustrating when you're just starting out and you need bodies and bills to make the new venture go. Trust me, the result of allowing off-mission people in on the vision God has given you will cost you much more in the long run than saying, "No" now and losing their body. I don't think you're losing their bills because off-missional people who don't give already probably won't give to your church anyway.

Pray for, look for, and invest in missional people. They're the ones you want. They're the ones that will make your vision go. Some of the best missional people are people who just recently met Jesus. Don't be afraid of or threatened by them. Focus them and release them. A handful of missional people won't be a handful for long...remember the 11 missional dudes Jesus left in Acts 1? A couple of days later, there were almost 10,000!

Oh, you won't find missional people unless you are missional.

Hey Jay...What Are You Doing?

I get that question all the time these days.  And I wish I had a "knock your socks off" answer.  But to most, my answer is largely underwhelming.

If you would have told me last spring that we would be where we are, doing what we are doing today, in Columbia, SC, I would have laughed you out the door and wondered what you were smoking.  There are still plenty of mornings when I wake up, look at the ceiling, and wonder, "Where am I?"  It's still that bizarre.

As we have made this transition and fully embraced our calling to Columbia and our new lives that come with the calling, we have had one prevailing thought the entire time:

Do the next right thing.

That's it.  I seriously wake up everyday and ask God for wisdom to see and courage to do the next right thing.  That takes on a lot of different forms.

1. Relationships :: I spend a lot of my days and we spend a lot of our nights meeting people, talking about what God is up to in Columbia, hearing people's stories, etc.  We've met some really great people and many are catching on to the initial ideas God is giving us.
2. Reading/Learning :: I'm reading more than ever and trying to ask more questions than ever.  The result is a bunch of new ideas, a stretched imagination, and legal pads filled with notes of how it all might come together to create a movement in Columbia.
3. Fund-raising :: Gotta be honest and say that there are few things I hate more than fund-raising.  Not so much the talking about what God is doing part...more the "can you give $______" part.  But, I am learning and God is providing...we're still eating and living indoors! :-)
4. Traveling :: One of the ways we have income is through me speaking...so I am...a lot!  It's fun because I get to meet some really great people, experience other church environments, and I love speaking.  Also, I am checking out other leaders in other places...and that is a blast!

More important than any of that is my time with God.  He is doing so much inside of me right now...it hurts sometimes...it's blow my mind encouraging sometimes.  Either way, I'm thankful.

I feel like the scrappy underdog most days.  We're flying under the radar.  No strategic plan...no staff...no logo...shoot, we don't even have an official name :-)...but I love it.  God is doing so much...I'm just trying to stay out of the way and keep my ear to the ground for the next right thing.

So, there you have it.  Probably didn't help much...probably created more questions.  That's okay, ask away.  I'll be happy to answer.  In the meantime, pray...for us...for Columbia...for what God is doing here.  He's up to a lot...

Scorecards

Success in launching a movement that really does lead people to Jesus and transforms cities one life at a time is largely determined by the scorecard we carry around with us.  Let's face it, we all want to know if we're winning...and we should.  But, what's on the scorecard is the first priority.

My new friend Hugh Halter is leading a movement in Denver, CO and around the world.  I'm still getting to know Hugh, but he has already stretched my thinking and helped solidify some things in my mind.  He recently posted some new scorecard items to consider:

In the past, the Christendom report cards measured numbers in attendance, number of salvations, number of small groups, number of new churches, or budget numbers.  Essentially “numbers.”  Even though we all felt as though this can’t be God’s measurements, we found it hard to break free and find other thing to look at to see if we were being good leaders for God.

Without getting into too much detail, let me throw out a few ways we evaluate our faithfulness to God’s call.  Because most of us are dysfunctional westerns who can’t count movement, I’ll  guise it in the idea of numbers.  These will be in no particular order of importance.

1. Number of new relationships formed where I know their names and they know mine.
2. Number of people who have been uniquely blessed by me and my community.
3. Number of people who invite me to be with their friends who don’t follow Christ.
4. Number of ways, my street, neighborhood, or community are more livable because of my influence.
5. Number of Christians that are actively confronting their consumerism and making adjustments at the life level.
6. Number of Christians that I ask or persuade NOT to go on mission with us.
7. Number of incarnational communities that commit to form around benevolent action instead of just a bible study.
8. How long people remain at our weekly gathering after the formalities are over.
9. Number of community-based initiatives our people are supporting with their time or money.
10. Number of young leaders we’re intentionally developing.
11. Number of people baptized: Still is a great guide to judge a persons commitment to follow Christ with the community.
12. Number of Bibles purchased because someone asked for one.

Long term, we do expect that churches will be born and that financial statements will increase and that conversions will be easy to find.  But we don’t start there or expect it prematurely. If you begin with the old goals in mind, you won’t live out the incarnational presence of Christ one person at a time. If you start with the latter, you’ll eventually find that people are following you and that they stay together in a missional form called...a church.

Make sure you read the entire post so you get the full context.

What do you think?  What would you add?  What do you dispute?