Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART, 13

27. A denominational name for your plant horribly limits who you'll be able to reach. 

If you've made it to #27 on the list then I commend you. However, this is the one principle where I start losing people. Just grit your teeth, open your mind and keep reading. There is absolutely no doubt that the most criticism we've ever received, and still do, is from our church name change. We started as Global Vision Baptist Church, which was a colossal mistake.  I felt like I had to launch it that way because it's what my friends told me was right.  Without realizing it I began to build the church that my friends and critics wanted but not the one my city needed.  So to just be blunt about it, we went through an absolute hellish nightmare when we changed to Global Vision Bible Church. Yeah, I know, God forbid we actually elevate Bible above Baptists.  As I look back that would certainly be one of the biggest things I would change if I had to do it all over again.  I would NEVER launch a church with a denominational name.  I know some of you are angry at this point, but you clicked the blog link.  As I challenge pastors with this idea, deep down many pastors would change the name of the church tomorrow if they could "get away with it." You can deny the reality all you wish but the cold hard facts are that the name on the front of your church will automatically tell people who you want to reach.  The church name will also tell most people who's allowed and who isn't.  Well, at least that's how outsiders will perceive it.  Someone said to me, 'The only reason you changed the name and dropped Baptist was to get more people in."  Well duh, Sherlock, that's EXACTLY why we did it.  As a matter of fact if you think that's compromise then I highly question your heart for the unsaved.  I personally didn't start a church so people of a particular persuasion would show up.  And then someone always says, "I wouldn't eat out of cans that had the labels removed from them."  Well, first of all, it's not about you, it's about THEM. Secondly, that's probably because you're not hungry enough.  Changing the name of our church was the single most liberating and explosive decision we've ever made as a church body.  I mean who's applause are we seeking at the end of the day?  John wasn't a Baptist denominationally.  He was a baptizer of men.  Jesus claimed no denomination.  None of the early believers claimed any denomination.  I'm glad for the "trail of blood" but the only blood that saves is from Jesus Christ.  I could go on and on.  The point is, you can call your church whatever you feel helps you sleep at night, but I promise you that placing it within a "framework" will greatly hinder who shows up.  True, that's not popular with the brethren.  But I'm called to reach the lost and disciple them.  I'm not called to make my friends happy.  Pastor/Planter, please listen.  You CANNOT successfully or Biblically Shepherd a church if you're only making decisions that impress the guys across town or across the country. Now don't misquote me here.  I DID NOT say that you can't reach the lost, have God's power or grow exponentially if you have a denominational name on your sign.  Please remember that the great majority of what I'm writing is in reference to NEW CHURCH PLANTS.  I preach in all sorts of churches with all sorts of names.  Maybe you like working within limitations and pre-conceived ideas.  That's cool.  I respect that. Rock on my friend.  I'm simply sharing what a lot of guys wish they could.  If you're in the planning phases for a church plant, you should really think this through.  There is no way around the fact that your name will make you or break you in your community.  Don't be married to anything but your calling and commitment to Christ.  "Labels are important" said no one ever in the Bible. Fuss over this all night and send those special messages my way but your churches "brand" is as important as the existence of the church itself.  I could really roll on with this for a very long time, but let's quit while we can.  The following is the letter that we shared on the night of our name change a few years ago.  It serves as an example of our thought process.  Proceed with caution.  This created quite a controversy:

"We realize that this decision will invite much criticism, but we must move forward in an effort to reach our hurting community for Christ.  This has been months in the making. This has been a unanimous decision on the part of our church family. It doesnt have to be the same decision that you would make.  However, it is ours and we will stand behind it. The following is the letter I read to our church family on Wednesday night, June 1st of 2011.  I cried through most of it but was met with grand applause from people that are eager to simply be used of God.

Here it is:

I wanted to write and give you a perspective of a change within our church that I feel to be very necessary.  I have prayed much over this decision and I am not only convinced that it is the best direction for Global Vision.  I am also fully persuaded that this is the very best time to implement this change.  We are growing with wonderful steadiness and we certainly anticipate much more growth throughout this year.  We have become a church that is known throughout this whole area for our un-compromising DNA structure: Powerful Preaching, Extravagant Generosity, Radical Compassion.  In order for us to move forward and stay true to the identity that God has given us, I believe a word must be changed in our name.  This is something that our community must see.  I feel strongly that GVBC should simply stand for Global Vision Bible Church.  Usually when our people are asked where they attend church they respond, "Global Vision".  We are becoming well known to many and I am grateful for this fact.  However a change in our name will allow us to be ourselves and not keep much of the community at arms length. Here is a list of reasons that I feel this is a very important move:

1. Because of our geographic location (Nashville) 95% of any Baptist church is automatically associated with the SBC. While I have many friends in the Convention, we are not affiliated as a church.  I preach in some of the greatest Southern Baptist churches in the country but I believe GV should remain Independent in our structure and governance.

2. The IFB "movement" as a whole is totally out of control and I do not personally wish to be identified with it any longer. Practically, I am worlds away from where I was even 5 years ago and I cannot in good conscience give my full support to a movement that has become nothing more than a mini controlling denomination.  I understand that every "camp" of churches has it's own issues, but I am unwilling to have GVBC submitted to the dictates of a legalistic mindset of man-made regulations.  I preach in dozens of IFB churches, but we desire to be truly Independent, even in our identity.

3. The type of families/people we are reaching could care less about such an issue. I have come to realize that people's lives are so much more important that the name a church has on the sign.  We are the church and if we are not healthy as a body it doesn't matter what the sign says. So many of our people are brand new Christians or are healing from an experience in the same type of church we are distancing ourselves from.

4. Because of our strong emphasis on Powerful Preaching, the term BIBLE would be much more in line with our DNA and overall vision.  People say that to remove "Baptist" will take away our identity.  Exactly! I want our identity to be nothing but the Word of God. We didn't start a church so people "like us" would show up. I want a church that is solely built upon the radical principles of the Book. If people know that there is a place like that, they will flock to it.  However, if they merely think we are the same kind of church they grew up in, then we won't even get them in the door. 

I don't want our church identity sabotaged by a loyalty to denomination, movement, camp or tradition. I want all my allegiance to God's Word.

5. Personally, I'm a very hard guy to put in a box.  I feel like I have not been true to who God made me to be and it has caused me much frustration. If I were to start the church over again tomorrow, this would be something I would do from the very beginning. God has done so much in my heart these last few years.  But overall, I have allowed this constant "identity crises" to become such a focus that it has greatly affected my judgment and my family.  I say "NO MORE". How foolish I have been to seek so much of man's approval.  I am at a point in my life and ministry that if I can't be who God made me at GVBC, then I must go somewhere that God can use me without the restraints of others that have nothing to do with our church.  However, I know this is where God has placed me and I am positive that this is His leading. I'm not dying on the hill of being "Baptist". But I will gladly lay down my life for the truth of the BIBLE.

We are going to remain as fundamentally sound as we have ever been.  We are not changing Bibles or compromising truth.  We will continue to keep a red-hot pulpit and build our congregation on expository preaching, soul-winning and world missions.  I am grateful for my IFB heritage, but it will not be my future. If others interpret this as an attack on IFB churches, then they have clearly read between the lines. "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind". This is not easy, but I know for us it is right.  I love you all.  Now, let's change the sign and reach this town for Christ."

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 12

25. Numbers is a book of the Bible that has nothing to do with your Sunday average attendance. 

It doesn't take very long in the process of church planting before the "numbers" game starts playing with your heard.  Every pastor's fellowship you attend ends up being a "who's running more" event.  I finally came up with an answer that not only helped me divert the subject but it also seemed to get my point across to the inquisitive nature of those wanting to check us by our attendance.  When I'm asked, "How many are ya'll running Brother?" I now reply, "We can't even keep up with how many we're running. But we only count the one's we're actually catching." You see my friend it doesn't matter how long you are at this thing of pastoring, you will never get away from this question.  It's so very distracting.  You feel like you have to make excuses or dart around the issue.  We have been conditioned to measure everything we do by the "bigness" of it.  This can lead to some long and discouraging nights for a church planter.  We can get consumed with averages and the statistical data of our growth.  Now don't get me wrong, we count, we chart and we plan. But we do not use it as a measuring rod for our success or for our failure.  Numbers fluctuate according to a lot of variables.  Your church has a context based on the demographic of people that you are called to reach.  Ultimately numbers are souls that we are reaching and impacting for the Kingdom.  The numbers don't lie, but they do tease. You'll think that you're knocking it out of the park for a month and then everyone decides to go on vacation at the same time.  You can plan a huge attendance day, have it fall flat, and then two weeks later have the largest attendance for no reason and with no preparation.  It's crazy, but it's life.  It's okay to keep counting as long as that's not what your counting on for success.  People come and people go.  Numbers will always be a revolving door.  We are called to Gospel correctness and ministerial faithfulness.  Leave the results to God.  

26. If you do something too long people start making it Biblical. 

People have a unique way of getting into a rut and allowing what they've always done to be the sum total of what they always want.  It's been said that the definition of true insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result." If you're not very careful you will create great limitations within the church plant that will be difficult to manage out of later.  You have to make lots of room for change an active part of who you are as a church body.  The smallest tweaks and changes can help you become a healthy church with a desire to move forward.  To give you the scope of this task let's think of an exercise.  In your mind, go to a church that's been around for more than 10 years.  Now think of how they do things.  There's a certain way they take the offering. They have announcements at a certain time.  The bulletin is prepared with flawless repetitiveness.  The style of the worship has the exact same flow.  The times of the services have always been in concrete. The building has taken on a look that is all too familiar.  That's just the starting point.  However, now think of what the reactions would be if on one weekend you went full color on the bulletin, moved the offering to a different time during the service, added one song of a different style, put the announcements on the screens, painted the walls and added a few minutes of length to the message.  You already know what would happen. All hell would break loose.  People would gripe, grumble, gossip and threaten the leadership with everything short of public execution.  Is it because they are wicked miscreants with a vendetta against the church?  NO. It's because we've trained them to hate change, embrace ordinary and rebel against anything that encroaches upon the "we've never seen it on this wise" mentality. About right now you're smirking as you read.  Why?  Because you know it's the absolute truth.  If you don't make changes, you are going to make more mistakes in the long run.  I'm not talking about consistency.  There's definitely something to be said about consistency.  But don't ever confuse that with predictable. Always showing up to do the same thing IS NOT what Biblical Christianity promotes.  As a matter of fact I find it perfectly normal as I study in depth the Book of Acts to have no idea what comes next.  The early church didn't live by tradition and it's secret to success wasn't "sameness."  It was built on the unpredictable movement of the Holy Spirit. "Suddenly" was a word that defined their structure.  The best thing you can do is purposely change things up at times.  Don't let people fall into the mindset that everything has to always be the same.  I bet you a dollar to a donut that many of you are reading this right now and you could make a list in 5 minutes as to what you are "locked" into that you would love to see changed.  Well, why not start writing that list right now, pray for wisdom, go to your team and immediately pull a whamy on folks this weekend.  If you're worried about who will leave over these little changes, worry no more because they're going to.  Just know this: The people that leave because they are married to a model or to a silly tradition aren't going to stick around anyhow.  Love them, but let them go.  If you don't they will hijack the entire church.  Chances are for some of you that has already happened.

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 11

24. The "exception to the rule" plants will make you feel like a total failure. 

About right now in our current series we need to get real serious with each other.  I'll be honest with you if you promise to do the same.  Okay, here I go.  I'm gonna tell you a secret.  There have been a number of times, especially in the early days of our church, that I would get consumed with reading what was going on in another new church and then I would be totally discouraged as I would start asking myself why we weren't experiencing the same growth.  It's an easy trap to fall into.  I would find myself driving through town on Sunday's before our service and be jealous over a brand new church that was launching in a school and the parking lot was jammed full for TWO SERVICES.  What? How could this be? It seemed to me like church planting was like a tornado.  The wind would jump around and pick and choose what places to bless and what places to simply leave alone.  It was frustrating and ultimately put me into a very depressive state of mind.  I would start watching some unheard of guy come out of nowhere and in a year's time, he's averaging 1,000 people.  Then I'd hear about another one.  Pretty soon it seemed like everyone started in a living room and then grew overnight into a mega church.  I felt like a failure.  I began to question my calling, my methods and my dad-gum sanity.  I kept telling myself, "It's about to happen here. I know it.  I believe it." But then, our 75 seat store-front building wouldn't even be half full on a good Sunday.  I couldn't help but take my frustrations out on my wife and kids.  I was consumed with grow, grow, grow. "If some no name kid can do it, surely we can", I would keep telling myself.  Then one day I had a convicting encounter with the Holy Spirit on the way to our church.  I was grumbling in the car as I passed a very new church with a very full parking lot.  They had signage par-excellance and parking attendants everywhere.  People were pouring into a school building by the dozens.  Here I was still leading the singing, preaching and holding everything else together. It was at that very moment that God dropped a bombshell into my spirit.  It went something like this. "What if everything you want me to do at Global Vision is actually what I decide to do in the church across town? Can you be okay with that? Am I enough or do you have to be bigger, better and more noticed.  Now walk into the store-front and faithfully preach the Bible like 2,500 people are there.  Eventually the church will catch up to your vision." BOOM BABY! It was like a lightning bolt of God's grace swept over me in the car and I've not looked back.  Now I've still wondered with amazement at the growth of others but I can rest easily in the fact that "Except the LORD build the house they labor in vain that build it." You'll notice in that verse that the house gets built both ways.  Our way or God's way.  Now here's what I mean by "exception to the rule" church plants.  We never really know the back story of another church. Everyone launches differently.  Some have an entire team of committed and gifted leaders from day one.  Some acquire a building before the green light is given.  Many these days, and it's a good thing, go through amazing church planting networks and are able to receive large "launch grants." Some groups are pulled out of one congregation and propelled into a brand new church.  Regardless of how they started you can know that they all had great challenges.  In our case, I had never heard of a church planting network, never had the sense to raise a dime, had no local church support, no building in mind, 12 interested people, 3 infant children, huge personal debt from evangelism, no pastoral experience but a massive amount of passion and focus. So, almost 7 years later here we are. Guess what? We're still learning as we go and perfecting as we grow.  It's been an extraordinary journey.  However, I don't believe I would have ever survived had I not been convicted by God  to get my eyes off of the "other" churches.  

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 10

We are only going to cover one principle tonight. The length and importance of this principle is so very valuable.  As a matter of fact, this ONE point on the list is the MOST VITAL hurdle to healthy and continual growth in any church but especially a new plant.

23. If you are unclear on your vision, then the people are totally ignorant of it. (DNA)

There is absolutely no way that I can over stress this point. You are working backwards uphill and going nowhere until you get this. You have got to be extraordinarily precise on your churches "DNA" structure. The vision behind your church is as important as the very church itself. It took me 3 years of absolute heartache and raging frustration to learn this. If you don't clearly know WHY your church exists and WHAT it's called to do then I promise that no one else does either. People are weary of long mission statements that have no real value. Repeating a paragraph over and over again does not get the calling into the hearts of the congregation. People MUST have something simple, concise, easy to package, and non bulky to carry around with them. I'd personally say that 5 things to remember is way too much. More than a sentence and people are bored. It needs to be so powerful yet so simplistic that you could fit it in the palm of your hand. Something important to keep in mind is that DNA is individually dispensed. It's great to "borrow brains" but your vision and DNA must be unique to who you are and the context in which you've been placed. Often, you'll get the passion for the new churches DNA by simply applying what you as the leader are gifted to do. This is exactly how Global Vision Bible Church came up with a fixed and foundational structure that all of our people can easily describe. I was asked one day to list 3 things I want to be remembered for. It was an easy task because there are 3 things that I love and am totally passionate about. I am addicted to Expository Preaching. My spiritual gift is giving and my heart is moved beyond words by the hurting, broken and addicted. So boom, there you have it. I came to a crossroads that day and I knew then that we must make those very principles the "Existing Purpose" behind our church. So from that day until now, EVERYTHING we do is filtered through our three-fold DNA: Powerful Preaching, Extravagant Generosity, Radical Compassion. Honestly, it was like we had completely re-launched the church. It gave us life, purpose and massive amounts of unity. Here's an exercise that will give you a snapshot of how well your congregation is on knowing the vision.  Start asking people at random "Why does our church exist?" More times than not you'll start getting the Porky Pig response as they stutter their way into some answer that is a generic as Sam's Choice Cola. I'm telling you the straight up truth that if you do not fervently and consistently promote the church's DNA then you will remain in frustration and very little is going to get accomplished. By the way, the DNA is not up for grabs and should not be compromised.  People will buck the system and rock the boat, but stand your ground.  God gave you a vision and it's not up for vote.  Quit letting everyone who wasn't called tell you how things should be.  Yeah, you'll be called a dictator by immature people but those that stick with you will call you a strong leader that knows where he needs to go.  Committees and boards CANNOT take the place of the DNA that God births in your heart. If I could only do one thing over, I'd never again make the mistake of launching without a CLEAR and CONCISE reason for the church's whole existence. 

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 9

The two principles that we are going to cover today are indeed a delicate balance in the ministry.  Buckle-up, let's ride.

21. Starting a church with mostly family will serve to be a fatal mistake. 

Now this may sound like a very strange principle, but hang with me a few moments as we un-package this idea.  If you have several family members in the same geographic area in which you plan on planting, then it's normally a given that they are going to launch with you.  This can be a blessing in many ways but can turn into a grave mistake in the future. Your family will ALWAYS view you differently from the rest of the congregation.  If you're not careful they will not only have an un-restricted access that no one else has, they will also set unrealistic expectations on your time.  Now, I personally have the joy of pastoring both my Mom and my Dad.  The wild part is that they have been divorced since I was 4 but they are the best of friends and are both very faithful in our church.  However, when problems have risen within the church you have to constantly fight the temptation for your family to naturally want to stand up for you.  Thats a difficult balance indeed.  To many people it will seem as though "blood is thicker than water" and offense will be taken.  I'm not telling you to avoid your family or deny them access to the church services.  I'm saying that you should not build your core group or your leadership model based on them.  Your family will naturally be more critical of what you do and decisions that you make and they will not see any problem voicing those opinions.  It will also serve as a a horrible Thanksgiving gathering when you have to see family that have recently gotten ticked off and left your church.

22. If you're committed to reaching unchurched people, prepare for churched people to misunderstand you. 

I cannot stress this point enough.  I'm telling you right now you need to make up your mind who you want to reach.  You can reach out to people in other churches and in a short amount of time you will develop a church of disgruntled people that view your church solely through the misgivings of the one they left.  This type of church always falls into maintenance mode.  I mean by that it merely maintains what it already has but rarely sees growth.  You can also set your sails in the direction of reaching the unchurched.  This has been the goal of Global Vision and trust me when I tell you it has cost us greatly.  People that aren't used to an "outreach" church don't understand why you say or do certain things.  Traditionalized people expect you to use "Christianeze" phrases and do what the church has always done.  Are you ready for this: LET THEM GO.  Trust me, they are leaving anyhow.  Jesus came to "seek and to save that which was lost."  He even stated that "they that are whole need not a physician."  It's a great marriage when you can get previously churched folks to understand the vision of reaching the lost and then amalgamate them both together.  But in order to do so you have to make it an active part of your core values and you must teach on the idea many many times throughout the year.  Even with all that you are going to have people not understand or even refuse to understand why you have to rock the boat so much in reaching the unchurched of your community.  People will try to to tell you that reaching the lost is not what a New Testament church really is.  Others will scream "compromiser." On and on it goes.  Just put your feet to the ground and move forward with your calling.  I remind our people at least once a month that "Global Vision exists for the folks who aren't here yet." Don't let people sit around with a consumer mindset.  Train people to serve and quit letting them get spoiled by being served.  Face it: Your church is either growing or simply maintaining who's already there.  There's no two ways about it.  Prepare for other preachers to hate you and for your own people to misunderstand you.  By the way, the biggest insult and slap in the face will come when you've reached an unchurched person, then deeply discipled and trained them and then they get around some sour churched people and they come to you saying "We bring in too many sick people."  WOW! Just kick me in the face next time. I refuse to just babysit who we already have.  Let's raise up an army of people that are consumed with reaching the lost, hurting, addicted and marginalized.  William Booth said it best. "Others Lord Yes others, may this my motto be.  Others Lord Yes others, that I might be like Thee."

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 8

Tonight's post is going to be a bit shorter as I am only dealing with principle #20. The biggest reason for this is that I really want this lesson to sink in, especially the night before your biggest day of high's and lows.

20. If the planting personality leaves too soon, the church won't survive.

God has uniquely gifted certain men for the area of church planting.  It's much different from taking an existing church.  Now that's not to minimize the huge challenges and burdens of that particular transition, but that's another post for another time from someone unlike me who has done it.  Whenever God calls and equips an individual to launch a brand new church He will give him certain trademarks that will draw people to him. I need to make it clear that a new church will begin to take on the personality of the planter within the first 5 years but you MUST fight the natural tendency for the church to become crippled by the personality of the Pastor. I made this mistake in the early days of Global Vision and it's taken a lot of un-learning and delegation to correct it.  If you allow the church to become utterly dependent on the planter, then it will gladly do so.  The two results will be the laziness of the congregation and the abuse of the planter.  You have to learn early on to strike a balance and draw some very clear lines.  With that being said, we still must focus on the fact that a new church cannot handle too quick of a leadership change.  If God called you to "birth" a church then he didn't call you to leave it on the table and let it suffocate.  It takes time, like years, to develop the spiritual temperature of a New Testament church.  I've been tempted to bail on many occasions.  Did I mention many? Theres even a time that I took my resignation letter into the pulpit for a Wednesday night service but so few people actually showed up I though it would be foolish to read it.  I look back now and realize that had I left, the church would have folded.  Now at this point I know some critical individual that has nothing better to do than to browse blogs all day is going to say, "Brother, it's the Lord that builds the house." Yes, indeed it is, but He he has called men to START and to STICK as He does build the work.  Planting friend, I know you get discouraged.  I know it's extremely difficult.  I realize you're at your wits end, but PRESS ON.  The church will never be able to survive if the one who creates the vision leaves because it's difficult.  

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 7

I hope you're still with us on this important church planting journey.  I just received a message from a planter celebrating 5 years at his current plant.  He stated that he wished he had such a list when he launched.  Please read and process these facts.

17. You'll  have to suffer through some major disloyalty in the process of building the right team. 

This is one of the most difficult lessons that a church planter will have to learn.  However, I say with confidence that you really need to embrace this process.  Let me say right up front that not everyone who leaves the team or the church for that matter are your enemy.  Sometimes people move away and often times the Lord will lead folks into a new ministry endeavor.  But here's the real facts.  Staff members WILL burn you.  It's something that you have got to endure but you will rarely see it coming.  Let me interject here that my lovely wife ALWAYS saw it coming but I was too proud to listen to her godly advice.  When we went through our name change, music change and ministry philosophy overhaul, we not only lost a few families, we lost valuable staff members.  Sometimes they leave quietly, but sometimes they will go on a "this place sucks and you need to leave with me right now" campaign. However it happens, just know that it is going to happen.  It may be a super smooth transition or it may totally rock your world and congregation for a long time to come.  Here's a rule I've developed: Find the people that stick with you during the most difficult times and somewhere down the road, hire them.  In the process of developing the right team, whether that's two people or a hundred people, make sure that loyalty to the vision as well as to each other is a core value in the relationship.  More on this when we get to team building later on the list. 

18. It's easier to raise money than it is volunteers. 

Now don't get me wrong, money certainly doesn't come easily these days, especially in new ministries.  We've already dealt with our ongoing need for more resources.  However what most guys will find is that it takes tons more energy to get people to volunteer for ministry than it does to get them to give some money.  When people give in an offering it has a way of appeasing their conscience and allows them to get comfortable just sitting as a consumer.  We have a deep and biblical responsibility to move people from consumerism to kingdom-minded service.  You'll have to come up with creative ways to get people involved in the work.  Teaching on spiritual gifts won't be enough.  I know this because I had that mindset.  People hear what you say and even get excited about pinpointing what their gift is, but in the end they sit on their talents.  Traditional church has ruined us by teaching that the pastor and paid staff are the ones that need to be doing the ministry.  That is a totally unbiblical concept.  It is the people within the body that must take up the responsibility of serving.  One caution here: You as a Lead Pastor must passionately preach on this subject and make it a deeply important principle or you will never be able to move forward.  

19. People that say "We are never leaving" already have one foot out the door. 

I know you love to hear people brag on the church, talk about the worship and tell everyone what a splendid communicator you are.  But I've learned the hard way more times than I can count that when people have to verbally tell me "we're never leaving" they're actually making themselves feel better about the eventual departure that they are already planning.  If you think that's too harsh, then just enjoy the accolades and don't call me when it happens.  As a matter of fact, just this week I had a family call me and say, 'You are the greatest preacher we know and we love what God is doing but we are looking elsewhere."  Mind you this is the same family that told me that they'll never look elsewhere because only God could lead them to a church this wonderful.  I'm learning to listen to that type of talk as if the one speaking is Charlie Brown's teacher: Womp womp womp womp womp.   People that really love your church and truly have no intentions of leaving won't have to tell you.  They will show up, give to the Lord of their resources, not allow others to criticize the vision and ultimately serve their butts off. Actions speak louder than words.  

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 6

Tonight we are only going over numbers 14-16 on our list. I feel that these points are extraordinarily important, so I want what we discuss to sink in thoroughly. 

14. If you build it, they won't come. 

There is a common misconception that if you tell people you're gonna start a church then masses of people will just show up automatically. I must confess that I had this same very strange fantasy 7 years ago when we made plans to launch Global Vision. When you are fired up and zealous over your calling you have a tendency to think that everyone else will be as well.  The old baseball movie Field of Dreams taught us that "If you build it they will come."  At this point in my ministry and church planting "career" I say "Really, are you kidding me?"  There's is no doubt that God draws and directs people to your church but you better get into your heart right now that it is absolutely foolish to think folks are just gonna see your sign and start pouring in.  I don't care what type of building you have, music you play or specialties you offer, it takes HARD WORK every single day to get people to show up.  And once they do, it's as equally difficult to get them to stay.  The problem seems to be that everybody wants a ready-made ministry and very few people want to stick around and build something from scratch.  When you do find that handful of people who see the need and are willing to stick it out, don't let them go.  They are the most valuable people in your ministry. So again, I'm stressing to you: Don't expect people to haphazardly show up.  You'll have to 'Go out in the highways and hedges and COMPEL them to come in." 

15. Most people are coming for only 1 reason. Find it and perfect it. 

This statement may seem strange, but it's true nonetheless. Here's what I mean.  It's difficult if not impossible for a church to be excellent and the absolute greatest in every area.  Some churches have unbelievable music and semi-decent preaching.  Some churches have unbelievable preaching and semi-decent music.  And on the rare occasion you get both of those at the pinnacle, you'll probably have issues in the nursery of in the children's ministry.  Because something is always gonna need improvement, you'll always be in tweak mode.  However, figure out what the most outstanding area of your ministry is and totally perfect it.  If you have one major draw card ability, then people will put up with less than great in other others.  Now this does not give you an excuse to look stupid in other areas.  You should always be raising up new leaders with a "No Junk for Jesus" mindset.  But let's be honest, you really have one major area of giftedness from God.  Guess why? It's because THAT VERY THING is what makes you attractional.  Use it. Perfect it. 

16. No matter what kind of weekend you have, late Sunday nights will be bad. 

If you're a Pastor, especially a church planter, then this principle on the list needs very little explanation.  No matter how many people show up, no matter how big the offering is, there's something about this type of ministry endeavor that leaves you feeling like a complete and total failure weekend after weekend. Deep down you know you're making a difference. You keep telling yourself that its not about the numbers, yet when people don't show up it destroys your spirit. In my experience, we can have an "off the chain and marvelous attendance, but for some stupid reason I keep thinking about all the people who weren't there. And to add insult to injury, my bad perception starts making up the reasons that they missed. We could've had Day of Pentecost results and by bedtime I'm under my Juniper tree mad at the world. Thank God I've begun to realize that I'm "accepted in the beloved" and God "builds the house". And don't ever forget that when you wake up the next morning everything will seem bigger than what it really is.  Know this: Monday is A BIG FAT LIAR. 

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 5

As we continue down through our list of church planting facts, I'm only going to cover one principle in this post.  There's a simple reason for this. It's Saturday evening when I'm typing. I just returned from preaching one of our services and I have four more to preach in the morning.  Enjoy.

13. Your preparation was entirely inadequate. 

It's real simple: No matter what seminary training you've had, how many books you've read or how many conferences you've attended, nothing can truly prepare you for the highs and lows of church planting. There's just something about the absolute thrill of just "going for it" that you can't learn any other way.  I certainly think you should be well informed and strongly educated but in the end you'll have no idea what you are doing until you step into the actual role of planting the church.  And once you do, you'll still have no idea what you are doing. There is truly nothing more exhilarating, exciting, uplifting , discouraging, menacing and ridiculous than launching from nothing. As the old timers have always said, "Experience is the greatest teacher". When it comes to learning all you can before you launch, you should indeed save yourself a lot of headache and learn from as many others as possible. However, MAKE SURE you get information, tips and teaching from someone who has actually done or is doing what you're wanting to do. Just because some guy claims to have knowledge in an area doesn't mean he's ever tried out his area of "expertise".  It's like a fat man selling diet pills. I'm not buying pills from a guy that their not working for personally. At the end of the day all you really need to know is what Jesus tells us at the conclusion to the story of the Good Samaritan. It's as simple and Biblical as it gets. "Go and do Thou likewise". The quickest way to learn is to start. So, if your called to it, then get to it.

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 4

I trust that you have been keeping up with this important post day by day.  Today's thoughts are worthy of a few moments.  Please share these helpful principles with someone that you know can greatly benefit from them.  Now, let's go to work.

9. You'll always have a money problem. 

If you ever have the notion that one day your church will grow so fast and the people will give so much that you will reach the pinnacle of financial success, well you should wake up real quick before you head towards disaster.  You will always have issues of needing more money.  As a matter of fact, if your church operates like a New Testament church should, then you'll be investing so much money back into your own people that the needs will always be greater than the resources can cover.  One thing you should learn immediately is to be super wise with God's money but DO NOT let money be the main factor in your decision making.  The budget, the bills and the building CANNOT take the place of the vision and calling that God has placed within you.  Now don't get me wrong, offerings will get better and financial stability should be sought from a stewarding standpoint but don't keep kidding yourself that you or the church will be independently wealthy one day.  I'm convinced that if a church only saves money for the purpose of having a nice savings account it's showing that it's totally selfish and not impacting through investment in the community and around the world.  One more word on this to YOU as the Lead Pastor/Planter: DON'T HANDLE THE MONEY. Better to hire an outside accountant than to not be "above reproach."

10. New churches are breeding grounds for authority vultures. 

Whenever a new church is started you should deeply stress the fact that you are after those within the community that are not currently plugged into another body of believers.  What you will quickly find is that many people from across town will show up to see what you're all about because they aren't happy in their present church.  I'm telling you now, DON"T TAKE THEM.  If they are running down the other church and the other leadership, to which God says they should be submitted, then it will only be a matter of time until they are doing the very same thing to you.  Church trouble makers seem to be "grown" by the devil these days.  It's your vision and if you give your God-given vision over to the hands of disgruntled people that only want control, then it will be your fault when the whole thing blows up in your face.  I'm gonna be strong here, but you better get some "Faith-Nads" and not let authority hungry people rob you of the blessing of building a great work.  The quicker you learn to ask people to leave, the better off you'll be.  That sounds mean, but you'll thank me one day.  Gone are the days when I put out a sign that says "Everyone Welcome".  It should say "Everyone that needs it and wants it are welcome but those that need to be seen and want to always be heard stay away".  If God called you to lead, then LEAD.  Any Pastor can accept disgruntled sheep from another church but only a real leader can step up and ask them to go back and fix their fragmented relationships.

11. You create your own shackles & limitations. 

This principle works in many areas of life but certainly stands out in the area of church planting.  It really speaks for itself.  You're not coming into existing traditions, preconceived ideas and a set way of doing things. Because of that, you should take great advantage of the freshness of launching from scratch.  It's certainly true that "it's easier to give birth than it is to raise the dead." In church planting it is the planting team that sets the pace, creates the culture and Biblically moves forward.  If you pattern yourself totally after another church, then eventually you will reach the same limitations that they have. Be the church that God has raised you up to be.  The new church will be born as an original, so don't let it die as a copycat.  Get a structure set up and in place that would be successful for 1,000 people when you only have 10 people.  Church growth always catches up to the size of the vision but can never exceed the size of the system.  This has been an extremely difficult lesson for me to learn.  But as our roots get deeper and our infrastructure gets better, the church gets bigger.  It just does, period. Be free and openminded up front.  Don't do something in the beginning that's gonna greatly hinder you when you get a few years down the road.

12. Your location probably sucks. 

Does that sound too bold? Well, if your more conservative or traditional, then your location probably stinks.  There, does that feel better? Regardless of how you say it, I guarantee that for 90% of new plants it is the absolute truth.  Global Vision was affectionately known as Mobile Vision for the first 3 years.  We moved an astounding 16 times and spent $250,000 on a failed building program before being given a church building.  In hindsight, I was young, proud and stupid but we survived it and have leveraged it for the glory of God and the good of our congregation.  In real estate they say the 3 most important things are 'Location, Location, Location."  That sounds nice but it's not reality when it comes to a brand new church with no people, no momentum and no money.  I promise that if you are totally committed to what God called you to do and you gather a handful of people that will follow the vision, then you can meet in a barn, a storefront or a funeral home and still make it through.  A meeting place is what you make of it.  Stop complaining that you don't have the right facility and start rejoicing that you can reach people that can convert wherever you meet into an amazing worship experience that will radically impact lives.  Oh yeah, One more thing.  Quit comparing yourself to the big church down the road.  They started in a living room too. Don't get consumed with what they have.  Get consumed with what you don't and raise up a team to make it happen.  Your biggest liabilities can turn around and become your strongest asset.

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 3

Well, we've made it to numbers 5 through 8 on our list.  Let's jump right in and go to work on these ideas.

5. Church planting will take more from your family than you've anticipated. 

This is the most personal aspect of our church planting list.  I don't think guys realize how much effort and hardship goes into launching a brand new church.  I'll make this part extremely simple but I'm not gonna sugar coat it. If your wife is not 100% behind you starting this work, then wait.  God may be using her to temper your zeal and enthusiasm.  I'm telling you straight, if she is not sold on it, you will have massive heartache and the people will be able to tell very quickly that she is disconnected.  Now after an agreement has been reached and you are both surrendered to this calling, then and only then do you begin pressing forward.  The time constraints are difficult.  In the earliest days you will be taxed with discipleship and raising up new leaders.  It seems endless and if you don't start the process of delegation early it will actually prove to be impossible.  If you have children, the planting process may take longer because your priorities are to them first.  You better quickly grasp the reality that you can't save your community and let your own family go to Hell.  If you're not careful and well planned then your wife will begin to feel that the new church is the "other woman" in the relationship.  This is non-negotiable and it happens to the best of men with the best of intentions.  More plants fail because of family strains than any other reason.  Don't go into this blind and ignorant.  Who cares what you eventually construct if in the process you totally deconstruct what matters most.

6. The music department will be your biggest headache. 

Now you need to take this statement for what it is, a simple observation.  I'm not throwing your music people under the bus.  However, if your journey is like that of most new churches then you've had difficulty building this area from scratch.  Many guys are the worship and teaching Pastor in the early days. It takes a while to find the right talent and even longer to find the right dedication.  We had to go through several years of trial and error with our music ministry.  Music is "that" subject in church that brings out the worst in some people.  You'll constantly hear it's too loud, it's too soft, it's too fast, it's too whatever, whatever, whatever.  It's a never ending process that has no resolution in pleasing everyone.  One thing that you should always remember is that your church has a specific context so you need to align your methodology with that context.   One of the greatest days of my life was when we arrived at a place that I could show up at church to preach and I knew the music and media would be smooth without my involvement.  It takes a lot of of what I call "tweakage". Those whom God calls to work and minister in music are wired differently than your average person.  By the way, that's a good thing.  Take time to learn how they think and reinforce to them that they are important team players and you believe in them deeply.  Don't expect them to accomplish what you want unless you're willing to invest and give them what they need.      

7. Any success you have will be frowned upon with suspicion. 

If and when God begins to abundantly bless your church plant you can't bank on one thing: Other people, especially other Pastor's, will deeply criticize you and give people a negative taste in their mouths.  DO NOT let this stop you.  It's natural for people to be sarcastic and judgmental of something that's new.  When you first launch most people will ignore you.  When it really takes off those same people will want you on their team.  But when it starts clicking on all cylinders and major growth happens, those same people will tear you to shreds.  It's the coping mechanism for carnal folks.  People will automatically label you and the church as "compromisers" when more and more people start showing up. As church planters we should absolutely rejoice when another church in our town is experiencing explosive growth.  The test of why you're in it to begin with is how you feel when God does for another church what you've been praying He'll do in your own.  

8. Most plants fail in year 3. 

I've spoken with countless church planters that can attest to this simple fact.  There is something about the hurt, pain, disappointment and mis-spent energy of those first 3 years that can overtake your entire life.  It may not make it six months.  But if you press on you'll find that at the 3 year mark you'll face the biggest temptation to bail.  The financial stress can be daunting.  The building search for some can be relentless. The criticism can be crippling.  The "will this ever work" thoughts can be enough to make you throw in the towel.  However, if you can convince a handful of people to give their lives to the vision that God has placed within you, then the sky is indeed the limit. 

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting, PART 2

As I stated in our first blog, I want to take 4 or 5 of these principles on our list and open them up to discussion and explanation.  Keep coming back every day to see it all unfold.

Cold Hard Facts in Church Planting....

1. Your website IS the entry point to your church. Without it, you'll merely exist in your head but not in your community. 

If you underestimate the power of a functional website you are without a doubt limiting your outreach capability. Money invested in this area will more than pay for itself in visitors and returnees. Even people that live too far away to attend your church want to know what's going on in your ministry. A website creates buzz in the community and also gives you a major voice without you even saying a word. At Global Vision we've found that at least 95% of our visitors have first "surfed" through our website before showing up. That being said, having video sermons will prove to be an added bonus that will definitely impress newcomers. It also gives first timers an idea of the service style, dress code and a peek into a building that they'll already be foreign to. Remember: Video is the new audio. 

People also want to know where the church stands theologically. Social media connection is such an unbelievable power source in these days that it cannot be ignored. Your "branding" is very important. When people recognize your logo online then it'll be remembered when they see it out in the community. Much more could be said but I'll move on with a very important word. DO NOT use "free" website pages. It lengthens your web address and screams "We are cheap". 

2. The first few people that tell you "If you start a church, we're in, will actually never show up. 

Every church planter in the world has probably heard this phrase. I know for me it was used abundantly. It's a nice way of making you feel more confident and God may even use it to increase your resolve about launching. However, most of the people that make that statement do not have a pioneering spirit and when the "rubber meets the road" on actually starting a new church they will conveniently forget their commitment.  It's easy for a friend to get excited about your passion to plant, but its not so easy to convince their families to leave a "stable" church environment for the not so certain success of a new church. So in essence, you'll hear it quite a bit. It'll stroke your ego and allow you to create a "launch" list, but don't hold your breath. It's kinda like, "If I had a million dollars..."  It's easy for folks to say what they would do in the "IF" zone. Reality has a strange way of leveling the playing field. 

3. At least 40% of those you launch with will be gone at the one year mark. 

This is without a doubt the most negative reality of our church planting list. It seems a bit harsh and shocking but its a true "phenomenon" nonetheless.  This is not to say that those that start with you but don't stay with you are bad people. The fact is simply that as a new church grows, or doesn't, people's attitude towards the church begins to change and the "new car smell" seems to go away.  Sometimes there will be an actual problem within that first year and because the church has never withstood anything before it can seem chaotic and people start bailing.  At other times newcomers feel like they came to help you out on loan from another church.  That can be a good thing but it doesn't keep the feeling of abandonment from being just as strong.  Why 40% seems to be the magical number isn't scientific, but it does show itself to be true.  Some plants will experience less of a drift if they start with a really solid team.  However, some plants will experience a much bigger increase in those that depart. Just remember that not even God Himself kept his entire "launch" team and He created them.  He lost 1/3 of those that He started with.  Strange analogy for sure, but you get the point.  Don't expect everyone to stay. As a matter of fact, just expect that everyone will eventually leave.  It'll soften the blow when it happens as well as motivate you to go reach a bunch of brand new people.

4. The first 5 years are totally practice. Period. 

Don't get offended by this statement.  Simply accept it for what it is.  Church planting is totally trial and error.  It takes the first 5 years to work out the kinks, get settled into the right location, figure out who you are as a body and get an idea of who's willing to stick it out for the long haul.  The first 5 years will also reveal as to whether the planter is going to be able to survive the road ahead.  If there's going to be a major conflict or crises that threatens the life and stability of the new church, it normally happens within this time frame. I'm not saying that the people you reach and ministry that gets accomplished in those first 5 years isn't valid or important.  I'm simply stating that it takes that long of a run to transition into a church with acceptance from the community as well as those that attend. After 3 to 5 years, the congregation will begin to take on the personality traits and heartbeat of the leadership.  If you're past the 5 year mark, you know this to be true and if you're not, then dig deeper and keep pressing forward.

Cold Hard Facts On Church Planting

I'm going to do a series of posts based on the following list that I've comprised in regards to church planting.  Those that believe there is some type of glamorous life that attends starting a church from "ground zero" have clearly never been involved in such a daunting task.  I'll un-package each of these ideas day by day.  My intention will be to cover 4 or 5 points each day.  For the first posting however, I only want to begin with the list. It'll make a great conversation starter to this new blog and certainly provide lots of food for thought.  These truths are simple, proven and undeniable. So if you want the straight up brass tacks and cold hard facts of launching a brand new church, read on....

1. Your website IS the entry point to your church. Without it, you'll merely exist in your head but not in your community. 

2. The first few people that tell you "If you start a church, we're in, will actually never show up. 

3. At least 40% of those you launch with will be gone at the one year mark. 

4. The first 5 years are totally practice. Period. 

5. Church planting will take more from  your family  than you've anticipated. 

6. The music department will be your biggest headache. 

7. Any success you have will be frowned upon with suspicion. 

8. Most plants fail in year 3. 

9. You'll always have a money problem. 

10. New churches are breeding grounds for authority vultures. 

11. You create your own shackles & limitations. 

12. Your location probably sucks. 

13. Your preparation was entirely inadequate. 

14. If you build it, they won't come. 

15. Most people are coming for only 1 reason. Find it and perfect it. 

16. No matter what kind of weekend you have, late Sunday nights are always difficult on a planters spirit. 

17. You'll  have to suffer through some major disloyalty in the process of building the right team. 

18. It's easier to raise money than it is volunteers. 

19. People that say "We are never leaving" already have one foot out the door. 

20. If the planting personality leaves too soon, the church won't survive. 

21. Starting a church with mostly family will serve to be a fatal mistake. 

22. If you're committed to reaching un-churched people , prepare for "churched" people to misunderstand you. 

23. If you are unclear on your vision, then the people are totally ignorant of it. (DNA)

24. The "exception to the rule" plants will make you feel like a total failure. 

25. Numbers is a book of the Bible that has nothing to do with your Sunday average attendance. 

26. If you do something too long people start making it Biblical. 

27. A denominational name for your plant horribly limits who you'll be able to reach. 

28. Get used to hearing "Pastor, the church has just changed and we need to leave". 

29. Multi-site will prove to be one of your best decisions. 

30. You'll need to learn to play hurt without calling a time out. 

31. You're going nowhere without a team. 

32. You've got to get people used to the idea that "Our church exists for those who aren't here yet". 

33. What you celebrate, God will accelerate.