Number One Reason for Decline in Church Attendance

In this post Thom Rainer hits the nail on the head in regard to the growing category of the semi-churched in our faith communities. As a pastor and planter of a church with a large percentage of 25-35 year olds, I think the semi-churched mindset is even more pronounced. Sited reasons for inconsistent attendance includes the desire to travel, strong ties to extended family, and the demands of young family life. But are these really valid interruptions to the priority of Christian community? Maybe, but these challenges aren't new, after all the distractions of youth and young family have always been an issue. What does appear to be a new and growing mindset among believers, is a decreased sense of need and value for Biblical community.

Here's some additional reflections on the issue from Kevin DeYoung. Some good insights are included regarding how we can begin to address the problem in our churches. 

Arrogant and Impatient Church Planters

Some good thoughts here from Bruce Wesley for both those who oversee church planting and for church planters in general. Sometimes people justify arrogance as confident leadership and impatience as a strong work ethic. But we need to call a spade a spade. At the heart of these problems is a root of pride that will ultimately betray the hopes of a planter and pastor by making you a leader who is unapproachable and ultimately ineffective. A good argument for a good assessment, coaching, and accountability plan for all planters and pastors.

Cultivating a Healthy Group Identity

In this post Brandon Cox identifies some characteristics of a healthy group life in your church. He also provides some metrics that clarify the measure of success for each of these categories. As they say, even a broken clock is right twice a day. If we have any hopes of creating healthy community in our churches and church plants, we need to do more than just celebrate the few things we do well. Embracing a clear and comprehensive vision for success helps to provide alignment and accountability as we work toward a healthy communal identity.

1. There is a consistency in meeting and a desire to meet.
2. There is genuine authenticity and transparent sharing.
3. People are growing in knowledge, but they are also growing in grace.
4. Real community and friendship is increasing.
5. There is an intentionality about serving together and developing as leaders.
6. There is a culture of inclusion and inviting.
7. New hosts are stepping forward.

Religious Make-up In The United States

The Business Insider magazine recently put out this map representing the largest participating religious groups in our nation. You can argue the influence of the mega-church all you want, but nothing matches the cultural and spiritual impact of a blanket of churches covering entire regions. Why, because mega churches grow and shrink based on the leadership gifts of one person, but churches tend to maintain viability for generations.

Soapbox warning...

Because the nation is blanketed in churches does that mean the work is finished? No, because...

1. Population is growing faster than churches
2. If the pursuit is Gospel-centered word-centered churches then there is still a great need in many regions
3. There are still churches dying every year so we need to keep up and surpass the loss of those churches

The U.S. is reached so we should just focus on global initiatives. No, because...

1. Our approach should be both/and because the US movement of churches will fund our global movement. In this regard we need a healthy movement of church expansion.
2. The previously mentioned statistics regarding population growth suggests the Christian Gospel is actually losing ground.
3. New churches reach new generations. New generations are the workforce behind the global movement of the Gospel so, rather than not plant churches, let's plant a bunch of churches with a strong vision for global mission. 

We should focus on organic (less institutional) models of church planting because that's how we'll reach future generations of unbelievers. No, because....

1. The biblical model of church planting shows us that mission expansion looks something like this.... discipleship leads to conversion, conversion leads to church membership, membership leads to governance. Purely organic missional models aren't doing this. 
2. Our focus should be to incorporate missionally progressive models of discipleship into Biblical church planting movements. In other words how we do mission better should be part of our model for church multiplication, not a replacement for church multiplication.
3. Similar to the mega-churches lack of influence for generations, the organic church movement won't last because it does't have the necessary governance structures in place to sustain generations of influence.

What's my point? We need to get busy planting churches!

Half of the US Lives in These Counties

Half of the U.S. population lives in 146 counties. These locations should be a major focus for the planting of churches. Happy to say I live in one of these counties!

(HT: Business Insider)

15 Life Giving Things When Planting Churches in Cities

Here’s the notes from an encouraging talk by Justin Buzzard at this years CPLF meeting in Nashville. Some very helpful information for church planters.

1. Know and Love Your City

• Live in a place where you love the city
• Who is your city? 
• What is your cities history?
• What is your cities values?
• What is your cities future? 
• What is your cities dreams?
• What is your cities fears? This is opposite of your cities values. 
• What is your cities ethos? Mode of operation? 

2. Prioritize Friendships

• Most church planters are lonely and need strong friendship
• Don’t allow a fear of favoritism to keep you from friendship
• Give a significant priority to making friends… believers and unbelievers

3. Disciple a Handful of Men

• Focus your life on discipling a few men well
• Everyone in the church should have 2 or so people they are investing in

4. Rest

• Rest daily 
• Turn off technology… sleep well at night… 
• Keep the sabbath
• Once a month have a retreat day… reading bible, praying, reading good books, and then dreaming about the church
• Take an annual break… Justin takes the month of July off every year
• Read: "The Power of Full Engagement"… a good secular book on maintaining rest

5. Unleash Your Rookies

• Don’t hold back your new and young believers
• Let them serve, evangelize, etc…
• Rebuke the control idols

6. Play Big

• Don’t hold back… give everything a 100% efforts. Go for it.

7. Resist the Devil

• 1 Peter 5

8. Go to Where Your Men Work

9. Do What You Love

• One of the quickest ways to burn out is to stop doing what you enjoy

10. Date Your Wife

• We are in a job where your marriage can disqualify you
• Invest in dating your wife

11. Set the Culture

• What your church is going to feel like… how is it going to operate
• Set a culture of encouragement… sending out encouragement cards
• Celebrate any opportunity you get
• Run to the tensions… don’t avoid, but aggressively deal with the issues you face
• Set a Gospel culture where grace is real in your church

12. Take Care of Yourself Financially

• Cities are expensive… take care of yourself… speak with financial planners
• Set a solid salary package that will fully support you

13. Finish Sermons Earlier in the Week

• 8-10 hours on a sermon and have it done by Wednesday morning
• Monday to study the text, Tuesday to outline, Wednesday to assemble

14. Let God Reck You

• God will destroy the church planter somewhere in the journey of planting
• Embrace it as God’s good means of changing you as a person and planter
• Church planting can be the greatest means of sanctification in your life… accept this and recognize it as good.

15. Stay Excited About Jesus

Racial Demographics in the US

Here is a great resource for pastors and church planters. The Racial Dot Map by the Weldon Cooper Center gives a visual representation of racial demographics in our cities, an important information source as we seek to create multi-cultural gospel movements and churches. Below is the map of Milwuakee, one of the most racially segregated cities in the United States.

Where Christianity is Growing Fastest

According to this report, if the current rate of Christian growth continues, China could have more Christians than any other country in the world by 2030. As pointed out by my friend Pastor Matthew Svoboda, 40 years ago China had less than 1 in 1,000 Christians, today 1 in 10. Amazing! The growth happening within several Muslim countries is also encouraging to see.

It's good to be reminded that we are part of a Gospel movement of disciples and churches multiplying around the globe.

How to Become a Church-Planting Church

Couldn't agree with this article more in terms of practical ways you can become a church-planting church. Oh that existing churches would get a heart for this New Testament model of missional faithfulness. Below is the overview and the full article here.

Year 1

• Assess and re-define your church missions strategy/philosophy.
• Allocate a certain percentage of your annual budget for church planting.

Years 2 to 5

• Partner with other churches in supporting a church planter.
• Adopt and support an existing church planter.
• Intentionally build a church-planting ethos in your church.

Years 6 and Beyond

• Do a church-planting residency with a future church planter.
• Hire staff with the aim of sending them out to plant after 3 to 5 years.

Des Moines Boot Camp Announced

If you are in process or interested in planting, this 5-day boot camp is a great resource for you to consider. For more information or to register for the boot camp click here.

Small Groups on Mission

Here's a great example of what it can look like for each group in your church to live out a mission focus within the community.


ServeRDU2013 Recap from Josh Sliffe on Vimeo.

Church Planting is the New Testament Plan

On Sunday in my message from Acts 19 on what happens when we plant churches, I closed with this strong quote from J.A. Meders on why church planting is the primary plan in the New Testament. A plan we should all care about and move forward with in good measure, in both our own life and the life of our church.

How did Paul help Corinth? He planted a church. The city of Thessalonica? Another church plant. Did Paul mix it up in Ephesus? Maybe a wrestling gym with a crucifixion theme? Of course not—he planted a church.
Planting Churches. Planting The Gospel.

The planting of gospel-centered churches, filled with gospel-centered people who live as grace-leaking, missional monsters as lights in the darkness, inviting the dead to come alive in Jesus Christ and to dwell in the Kingdom of God—that is the hope of your city and mine.

Our cities don’t need more shows. The movie theaters, stadiums, and Redboxes have that covered. Our cities don’t need the planting of services, but they need the missional going of Christians, our disciple-making, our witnessing—that’s church planting.

We have the power of God that makes demons shudder, that sets captives free, that can save a thief on the cross, that can comfort a prostitute, that can redeem a drunk, that can restore a religious hypocrite—that can fulfill all that we are looking for, made for—that power, that word, that name, that person is Jesus.

That is the number one missional strategy of the New Testament. Nothing has changed since Acts 28. We cannot improve upon what Dr. Luke has chronicled. And for us to put more weight behind any other strategy might be the most idiotic thing we could do. This strategy is old, normal, and completely supernatural.

And maybe, just maybe one day we’ll hear, “There is much joy in that city.”

To read the entire post click here.

7 Ways to Keep Missional Communities from Multiplying

Want to assure yourself that your missional communities never multiply? Seth McBee gives us seven ways to assure that's the case. To make the point painfully obvious, avoid these common pitfalls and it will lead your church and smaller communities toward healthy multiplication.

1. Never ask anyone to step up and lead
2. Don’t have a unified context for mission
3. Do not have a written vision and plan to make disciples
4. Don’t interact with unbelievers
5. Keep it an event instead of a rhythm
6. Teach at the meetings like a professional
7. Don’t talk about multiplication or the Spirit

For the whole article click here.

An Open Letter to Church Planting Pastors

Ever wonder what it's like to be married to a church planter? Christine really hit the nail on the head with this post about priorities in planting. My wife would wholeheartedly resonate with the warning to pastors within this letter. Here's a quote:

Church planting is difficult work because it's all-encompassing. The lines between home and ministry are so blurred that it's easy to lose sight of what appropriate boundaries are and what emotional and physical health looks like. Church planters, not a wife in that room cried because we don't understand the pressure you are under or because we have unrealistic expectations of you. We feel the pressure, albeit different pressure, as much as you, and we care about your success probably more than you do.
We love you, we respect you, and we sincerely want to be a help to you. Although we are not a resource just to be used to further your ministry, we are your best resource for life, family, and ministry.

We are your helper, yes, but we need your help, too. We need your understanding and listening ear. 

Read the rest here and revisit the principle frequently.

Acts 19 Strategy

One of the goals of the new vision statement being considered by the EFCA is a call to develop 100 Acts 19 cities. The idea revolves around what happened as the Gospel spread to Ephesus in Acts 19. The strategy being to infiltrate 100 urban centers here and around the world with an aggressive plan for ministry, evangelism, and cultural transformation.

At our recent vision summit at the EFCA headquarters in Minneapolis, the presentation on this strategy was somewhat unclear. Fortunately, I found this document which brought much more clarity. My first take is that this is an exciting God-sized vision. I am hopeful it will motivate us to get involved in the cause of God's missional vision for our cities, nation, and world.

Jesus Has Come to Confound You

The most humbling thing I ever did was plant a church. The early days of planting carried with it a degree of doubt and insecurity that was unparalleled in my previous 15 years as a pastor. Ironically, I hope I never forget those days. The desperation and dependance I felt was beautiful. My inability to bear fruit and need for God's help was ever before me. In this spirit, I was recently humbled and encouraged by Zack Eswine's words from his new book Sensing Jesus.

Those of you searching for something larger, faster, and more significant, who feel that if you could just be somewhere else doing something else as somebody else, then you life would really matter- Jesus has come to confound you. I'm not referring to those who need to flee to somewhere else for safety's sake. I am referring to the discontented who have not yet learned what it means that Jesus is our portion and and that he is enough for us. You have wandered far from home. You cannot glorify God by trying to become him… He may just decide to pick you up and carry you to somewhere sexy in order to undo you! He may call you to courageously prize what is overlooked and mundane among those whose cravings for the next and the now might cause them to soon overlook you for another more hip pastor. Or he may call you to nowhere sexy so that you can learn that you can make a difference in Jesus even if you are somewhere forgotten by the world.

Oh that we would always remain humble, no matter our position or authority… content, no matter our calling or abilities. May Jesus be our portion and hope… our life lived for His glory alone.

Church Planting: The Most Impactful Strategy

Here is a classic quote from Dr. Tim Keller from his paper Why Plant Churches written in 2002. I couldn't agree more.

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.

How to Cultivate Meaningful Relationships in Small Groups

As we planted The Vine three years ago, we desired for it to be a place where honest and authentic community was happening in individual relationships and in our groups. This video reminded me how important it is for those of us who are leaders to set that tone for our groups and churches. If we have any hope of seeing honest and meaningful relationships become a common characteristic in our churches, we have to lead the way.

The Process for Planters

One of my goals over the next 6 months is to work with a task force to fully develop a process for church planters and churches to engage in multiplication within the Forest Lakes District of the EFCA. My progress in that goal will be evident in a growing website dedicated to district multiplication. This week I've added the following information regarding the process for planters desiring to engage in the district. Please feel free to participate by providing feedback. You can read the entire section on the website here.

THE FOUR-STEP PLANTING PROCESS

1. Application and Assessment: This phase includes a preliminary application, the completion of several assessment tools, an interview with a pre-assessment team, and final recommendations from the team regarding your calling and the training conditions necessary for final assessment.

2. Training: The training phase will look different for every prospective planter based upon the recommendations of the pre-assessment team. For some, the training phase could include a residency or internship, for others the reading of books and attending a boot-camp, yet for others it could include specific training in bi-vocational or rural planting methods.

3. Final Assessment: Once the training phase is completed the prospective planter will go through a final assessment process including several surveys and an interview with an assessment team. This phase will provide a final confirmation for the planter candidate, indicating that the training process has been completed and that the specific vision for planting is sound and a good reflection of the leader's gifts and calling.

4. Planting and Coaching: Once the candidate receives final approval he will become an official planter within the EFCA and begin the transition phase into planting. In the first 2-3 years of planting each planter will work with an oversight team and coach in order to provide the support, encouragement, and accountability necessary for successful planting.

Preaching To Non-Believers

I'm not sure how I missed this post back in January when it was originally posted, but this is a really helpful article on how to better engage with non-believers through preaching. The four steps are listed below and the entire article is here.

1. Acknowledge and welcome the non-believers in attendance.
2. Assume the non-believers in attendance need help in approaching the Bible. 
3. Challenge non-believers to engage the Bible by acknowledging the oddity of Christian belief and practice.
4. Use cultural commonalities to point out worldview inconsistencies.