Confessions of A Church Starter

You’se Ain't From Around Here!”

2011-09-28T20:40:00.000-05:00

I still remember those words with a Brooklyn accent. They were words spoken to me as I took a seat on a Manhattan bus heading to my church plant outside of New York City. It seems that my southern accent had given me away as stranger.

As I think on that conversation with the Jewish gentlemen from Brooklyn, I will always remember those around us who aren't from around here. They are the refugee and the new immigrant from around the world who now work, play, live and worship in our neighborhoods.

Three years ago when I came on staff at the Nashville Baptist Association, I was challenged to begin pray and develop a church planting strategy that would reach out and penetrate the lostness in the Nashville area. Part of that strategy was to identify the unreached people groups of our area.

In the process of identifying the unreached peoples of Nashville, our team made some very important discoveries:

1. Nashville is 5th largest Metropolitan Statistical Area for foreign born population.

2. Nashville is home to 70+ people groups and that 35 of these groups number 1000 or more in population.

3. Several of the unreached people groups residing in the Nashville area continue to have relationships in their home countries which are areas that there is little to no gospel witness.

4. There are at least 30 people groups in the Nashville area that have less than a 2% gospel witness among them.

5. 180,000 + Total Foreign Born Population lives in Davidson County alone.

6. There are 15+ Mosques, 1 Islamic School, 1 Hindu Temple, 1 Sikh Temple, 15+ Buddhist Temples, 4+ Shinto Meditation Centers located in the Nashville area.

All these statistics are only statistics unless we realize that these numbers are also people who need the gospel. They are not some far away native or living in some village somewhere. They are your neighbors, the person in Wal-Mart, the family sitting next to you on the soccer field or the waiter/waitress serving you at one of your favorite restaurants. You don’t need a passport, you don’t need shots and you don’t even have to board an airplane. All you need is a willingness to listen, observe, ask questions and share the gospel.

You say what impact would this have? Several weeks ago, I heard the testimony of a Sudanese man living here in Nashville. He had came to trust Christ as his personal Savior and Lord. Through telephone calls, email and Internet chats, this new Sudanese believer lead his family back in the Sudan to Christ. His family is now planting a church in their village in the Sudan. Acts 1:8 was carried out without even leaving Nashville.

What would happen if we as believers in Christ were to reach those people with a strange accent and "not from around here" with the Gospel? We could see a worldwide sharing of the Gospel! God has brought the world to us here in Nashville and to all our neighborhoods. All we have to do is go across the street or around the corner to reach the world for Christ.

Why I Hate To Read Facebook and Twitter on Sunday Evenings

2011-04-21T06:48:00.007-05:00

When I was starting out in church planting, I used to attend the weekly pastors luncheon in my local Baptist association. Being the "church planter" and the "young guy" I would usually keep quiet and listen to all of the other pastors. It was at this time I started noticing a disturbing trend.

As I listened to these conversations, I begin hearing a competition going on or what It was like some pastors were trying to one up the other. Questions were asked like " How many did you have Sunday or How many walked the aisle or how many revivals are you having this year? The one with the highest numbers or most professions of faith or the one who did the most speaking was look at with awe and with jealousy. The ones who did not measure up went and stood at the back of the serving line.

What really bothered me about all of this was that if the God was mentioned and i do mean if; then it was only when the attendance numbers were high. The movement of the Holy Spirit was only happening when it measure up to our definition of success.

Now you might be saying "What does this have to do with Twitter and Facebook?" Well, I will tell you. I have started noticing this same trend on "some" postings of people I follow. They kind of go like this: "God really rocked this morning! We had (insert a number)in our worship! I have also read: "The Spirit was moving this morning cause so many people came forward."

Now please don't get me wrong. It is great to be excited when these things happen on Sunday morning. I rejoice when people get saved and lives get changed. What bothers me is two things: First, the tone of these postings from some seem to take a "look at me I am a great servant of God and He likes me." Second,some of these postings seem to imply that God only rocks or the Spirit seems to move when something big happens. I don't know about others but my GOD ROCKS ALL THE TIME!! I also have learned the Spirit moves all the time and even when we don't see it.

I guess what I am trying to say is that we need to be careful and not turn something of God's into a 140 character sound bite for how great we think we have done. I would love to see this Easter postings on how great God is and that Christ is Alive and that is all we would need to say. Next time we are tempted (myself included) to brag on God on Facebook and Twitter lets stop and see if it is Him we are bragging on or ourselves. GOD DOES ROCK BUT HE ROCKS WITH OR WITHOUT US!!

Wisdom From A Crazy Man

2011-04-14T13:50:00.003-05:00

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me alone!

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

13. Some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield.

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot but it is hard to eat.

17. Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark
side, and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

What I Learned About Missions from American Idol

2011-03-27T21:12:00.007-05:00

Alright, I admit. I watched American Idol. I found it very interesting and funny. I never thought however, that the show would teach me something about the way to approach missions.

The idol show that I saw dealt with the group competition. Each idol contestant was paired up with two other contestants to perform as a group. These pairings made for some very interesting personal dynamics between the various contestants. However, it was their performances before the judges that made a big impact.

As I watched each group perform, I realized that each person seemed to be performing to survive to the next level of competition. Many sang the song, danced the choreography, and did all the right things to get to the next level of the show. There was just one thing missing: a deep passion for the music they were singing. The music and the lyrics of the song were not a part of the performer’s passion or heart. They were only singing the song and not living it.The passion was just to get the job done to get to the next level of the show.

As I sat and watched, I realized what was missing: Passion! I used to think what was needed to do missions was either a passion for the lost or a passion to share the Gospel. This I found is not enough. When that is the basis of our passion it soon becomes like the singers on the show. We will only do what is required to get the task done.

WHAT WE NEED FOR MISSIONS IS A PASSION FOR GOD! The heart of God is missions. It is God bringing man back to a personal relationship with Him. The more we come to know God and the deeper we come to love Him, the stronger our passion for missions becomes. Because missions is God! We can talk, preach, teach, give and go do missions. Like American Idol, we can sing the song and do the dance but until we own it and it becomes a part of hearts, we are only going through the motions.

When we allow ourselves to be drawn to God through Christ and we desire that others know about His love for us and our love for Him, it is then and only then we are no longer doing missions but being missions and living within the heart of God.

Lets quit performing for performance sake and start living with the passion of God.

Prayer for My City: Repost and Revised

2011-03-25T10:59:00.002-05:00

When you think of Nashville, what do you think of? Country music, Grand Ole Opry, Music industry, Tennessee Titans or capital of Tennessee?

Most people think of Nashville they think music especially country music. They also think of Nashville as a "southern city." Yet there is so much more to this city. We are both an international and a urban center. If you been in my office, you would see the view that you see in the picture up above. This view reminds me as a strategist that the first part of any strategy to reach an urban population is to have a compassion for the city and the people in it. Scripture tells us that Jesus looked out of Jerusalem and wept over it. He had a love so deep for Jerusalem and the world that He wept and died for it. How do we get a passion for our city? The same way that Jesus did. He had the heart of God and He got that heart by Him and the Father being one. That being one came through prayer! Jesus went to His Father in prayer and did what His Father told Him to do. We have the heart of the Father by being with the Father in prayer. We have the heart of the Father for our city by spending time with the Father talking with Him about the city. Let me encourage you to do two things:

1.Search the scripture. Look at verses that deal with the city. One you may consider is Jeremiah 29:7.

2.Pray the Lord's Prayer and when you get to "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in (put in the name of your city, town or neighborhood).

If we are to reach our cities for Christ we must begin with praying for them. My prayer for Nashville is thy Kingdom come thy will be done in Nashville. Why do I pray this? It is my vision that one day Nashville will not be known for country music, Grand Ole Opry, Music industry, Tennessee Titans, home of the Southern Baptist Convention or Lifeway. My vision is people will say "Nashville, that is a city committed to Jesus Christ!"

Is this your vision and prayer for your city?

Lessons Learned in Simulated Combat

2011-03-15T07:58:00.010-05:00

As I sit here writing this, I am staring at a picture of myself and 6 other people in combat uniforms. I am sitting and thinking back to 4 summers ago.

It was the summer of 2007 I had the privilege of serving as a chaplain to the 53rd Infantry Brigade that is part of the Florida National Guard. I was serving with them during their annual training at Camp Blanding, Florida. This opportunity was unique because they had set up their camp like a forward operating base in Iraq. The camp was complete with razor wire, simulated artillery going off, simulated bullets firing and people pretending to be Iraqi “insurgents” and civilians.

As I was visiting some of the troops at the front gate, a truck appeared carrying ““insurgents””. As I watched this training drama unfold, I was amazed by the coordination and partnering each squad did to protect the base from attack. As the men in an observation post took aim at the truck, one squad immediately took defensive position behind a barrier, another squad immediately went and cover another barrier and a third squad covered the first two squads. By the way, yours truly at this time was down near the ground behind a tree. I had determined that when your 6’5” and wearing a cross on your helmet you do not want to give the “insurgents” a big target. By the way as a chaplain, we did not carry side arms or weapons.

What amazed me during this exercise was the support that each team gave each other. Their focus was not only on the mission but also partnering together to assist each other. When the “heat” is on we need as Christians and churches must partner together to help each other in our battle against Satan and our call to carry out the Great Commission or what I like to call the “Great Mission”.

It is so easy to focus on our little corner of the mission field or our little corner of the church field that we forget to work together or support one another. This is Satan’s greatest deception and trick. Just like the military, if we do not partner together by helping and supporting one another then we will soon be over run by the enemy.

How can we support one another? Pray. Here are some ways that we need to pray for one another:

I. Pray That Closed Doors (Hearts) Would Be Opened To The Word

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. (Colossians 4:3 NIV)

Paul was in prison, but he knew that His God was big enough to open doors of opportunity so that the gospel could be preached clearly and plainly. Paul was always enlisting prayer partners for ministry. Lets pray for one another that God will open hearts to hearing of His gospel and lives will be changed.

II. Pray For Boldness of Speech

“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” (Ephesians 6:19)

Need to pray that the Lord will give us boldness to speak His Word. In our society today it seems that everyone is bold to speak out about their cause and yet when Christians speak out we are made fun of. We need to pray that we will still be bold in spite of persecution and ridicule.

Also we need to remember that boldness is not arrogance. Speak the truth in love and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Let God's Word convict that our emotions or arrogance.

III. Pray For the Free Flow of God’s Truth

“Finally, Brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.” (2 Thessalonians 3:1 NIV)

Paul reminds us that we never reach a place in our Christian service where we progress beyond the need of prayer. Paul prayed for the message to spread. The Greek word means to run. The image is of the brush fires running up and down the hills and valleys. Pray that God's Word will speak truth among people. Pray that His Word will spread like a wildfire among our society.

IV. Pray For God’s Protection

“And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men ….. ” 2 Thessalonians 3:3-3 NIV)
Need to remember that we are involved in a Spiritual war and we need God's protection.The word “evil” describes active hatred. It should be no surprise that there is a real Evil One and he seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. The Evil One will use people to hinder and destroy God’s work. Satan will seek to steal the testimony of Believers, rendering them ineffective. Pray for spiritual, physical, and emotional protection.

V. Pray For Understanding And Cooperation Among Believers

“Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there.” (Romans 15:31 NIV)

This one especially hit home as a church planter. There are pastors who will say that we are starting churches to still their members. This is not so. We are starting churches to reach the lost.

So many times there is suspicion and jealousy of one another in the body of Christ. This has to stop. We are in this together. God calls us to be on mission with Him. A house divided is soon conquered We should work as one body to bring Him honor and glory.

VI. Pray For Personal Revival And Refreshment

“So that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed. The God of peace be with you all. Amen.”( Romans 15:32 NIV)

Living in God’s gave Paul a sense of peace and power. In the thick of battle, this Apostle found personal revival and spiritual refreshment. Pray that we all will draw close to Christ and experience revival and renewal daily.

VII. Pray For God To Make A Way
“And I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.” (Romans 1:10)

Many Believers use the excuse of the lack of money for not going “On Mission” with God. To use this excuse without serious prayer shows a shameful lack of faith. God will make a way if it’s His will. We must trust Him!

God has established HIS CHURCH as a base for His Kingdom’s work here. If we do not work together, pray together or partner together, then it will not be long before parts of our base will be overwhelm. God’s Kingdom is not about survival or our own personal success but rather it is about advancing forward to accomplish His Mission. We must partner together to see this happen.

Lessons from Henry and Richard Blackaby

2011-03-01T09:05:00.013-06:00

A couple of weeks ago , I attended a meeting of Church Planting Missionaries from around the US and Canada. Leading the Bible study on our last day was Henry and Richard Blackaby. This time with them brought back memories because it was Henry who led the Bible study for my missionary group when I first became a missionary with the then Home Mission Board.

The one thing that stuck out to me as I listened to Dr. Blackaby speak was that his message was the same as it was back in 1988. GOD IS AT WORK AND HE INVITES US TO JOIN HIM.

So often we forget that God is on a mission in the world to redeem His creation back to a relationship with Him. It is almost like when we accept Christ and we decide to join Him in His work, we tell God to sit back, I got this now. I will do it and you can watch. Richard Blackaby shared a good example of this mentality of taking over for God. Richard shared about a church who was struggling to find a way to reach their community. This church began to pray and earnestly seek God on how to do this. As they prayed God began to reveal to them to host a community picnic and invite their neighbors to come. God began to reveal to people what they needed to do to resource the event. The result was God blessed and people were reached for the Kingdom.

Guess what this church did the following year? That's right. They did another picnic. This time though they did not pray as much. The following year, they did the same and with less prayer. It seems that their success in their method made them forget about God.

It seems that all of us forget this. We want to follow God. We see Him work in one way and we decide that is the way He always works and we adopt that way and stick with it. We cannot keep thinking that God works the same way each time and every time. It seems that once God has revealed and blessed a way to work for Him, that we seem to then tell Him to step back and let us do it.

As we look at scripture, God did not work the same way twice. As we begin to fall back or depend on our own mindsets, methods and patterns of success, we rob ourselves of seeing a working of God. See God is at work and He wants to work through us. The question is: Are we letting our past success and our methods keep us from being in tune to what God wants to do?

Success is remaining alert in prayer, and God will share His heart and purpose with you.

Evangelism Done in A Missional Way

2011-02-23T07:12:00.006-06:00

Over the last couple of years there has been a buzz word going around in evangelical circles. This word is missional. It has come to be known as many things from the church going out and doing community projects; being concerned about our environment; going to a homeless shelter once a week to feed the homeless or give money to worthy causes. Like most Christian terminology there seems to be many definitions. Often these definitions are designed to fit our view or desire for it in our comfort zone.

So let me throw my definition in the ring: Being a missional church means: a community of Christ-followers sent to live out the mission of God. What is that mission? The mission of God or Missio Dei is that God is the initiator of His mission to redeem for Himself a special people from all of the peoples of the world. He sent His Son for this purpose and He sends the Church into the world with the message of the Gospel for the same purpose. Our mission and purpose is to join God in His mission as His people in seeing that mankind comes back to its original purpose and that is worshipping and glorifying God.

How does this affect the way that we do evangelism? The best ways to explain this is to refer to The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George G. Hunter III. In his book, Hunter explores the methods of Patrick of Ireland and how he used what is termed “The Celtic Way” to evangelize most of Ireland in the fifth century.

According to Hunter and other historians, Patrick did not build churches or cathedrals for preaching and worship. Rather, he and others went into the villages of Ireland and set up communities. Once in a village, they would invite the unbeliever into the community, and engage them in ministry and conversation. The Celts used a conversational evangelism using terminology or language that they could relate to and focusing on answering the questions of the unbeliever rather than pushing them along a predetermined presentation and then invite them to a commitment to Christ and the ministry of the community. Hunter says that, in the Celtic community, "seekers" often came to Christ in a matter of days or weeks as a result of participating in the life of the Christian community.

Missional evangelism is living incarnationally out the mission of God as the Celtic missionaries. We are sent by God to live in our communities, engaging unbelievers in conversation while using relevant language and invite them to be a part of our life as we are a part of theirs. For the Celts, evangelism and discipleship were synonymous. As we live among unbelievers, we can share the truths of God, scripture and Christ on daily basis with the intention that as unbelievers hear these teachings the Holy Spirit will use them to draw those without Christ to a relationship with Him.

For the Celtic missionaries, being missional was doing evangelism and discipleship wherever they were, everyday because that was their life and it was being a part of the movement of God in this world. This passion of the Celts should be the same passion of the Church to today. Like the Celtic missionaries, we are a community of Christ followers sent to live out the mission with God.

Lesson of The Seagull

2011-02-18T22:45:00.005-06:00

I had an interesting experience on the beach when I lived in Florida that illustrated the condition of our world and the church. I was with a group of students who were having a picnic. As you know, if you are having a picnic on the beach then there is going to be seagulls. This one particular seagull me a very valuable lesson that day.

As the students were enjoying their meal, this particular seagull became entangled in a string tied to a tree. As the seagull struggled to get loose, it became more and more agitated. The more it struggled, the more it became entangled.

Seeing this, one of the students walked up to the seagull and tried to release it. The seagull began to try and attack the student. Another nearby student decided since the seagull was being uncooperative and combative; he would club the bird to stun him so the other student could save him from the string. Before this could happen however, the other student was able to free the seagull and he flew off.

This is a perfect picture of how the world sometimes response to the gospel and how the church responds to their rejection. We want to help the lost but sometimes they are unresponsive or combative because they don’t know that we are trying to help. Then when the lost don’t respond to the way we want or don’t listen, we either want to “clobber” them with our message or we just want to right them off.

The sad part of this whole story was the number of us, including myself who sat and watch. We gave advice from the sidelines but we never really tried to help. At least the two young men were trying to help the seagull, the rest of us were fascinated by the scene.

The lesson for us as the church. The world is entangled in sin and destined for destruction without Christ. They are going to fight, reject and wonder what we are trying to do. Yet, this does not change the fact that the Holy Spirit has given us the power and the message to help them become untangled for a life of sin. We don’t clobber them; we love them, try to understand their context and reach out to them in love..

The second lesson is that we need to get involved. It is easy to sit on the sidelines and give advice. However, the Great Commission calls us to be involved, not sitting on sidelines watching the scenery. With the large number of unchurched in our neighborhoods, it is time that each of us begin to help others become untangled from a life of sin and soar to freedom in Christ Jesus. Lets work together to see that happen

Thoughts About Mid Life.

2010-03-03T08:08:00.006-06:00

46 years of age has not been good to me! I turned 46 and sometime later had to buy bi-focals. I had to have treatments on my foot for nerve problems. My wife mistakly thought the grey in my beard was toothpaste and a lady mistaked my son as my grandson. Not good!

To top all of this off. I went to one of our new church plants the other week and I realized that I was the oldest person in the room. This was not a very comforting thought. I looked around and saw all of these younger people and realize that I was not one of the guys but rather one of those older people I used to look up to for advice. I realize MID-LIFE HAD ARRIVED!

Now I know some of you are having a chuckle over this. In a way I am too. I’m not planning on going out and buying a sports car, change my wardrobe or take up sky diving (I don’t bounce as well as I used too). I am not going to consider liposuction or a face lift. It wouldn’t help anyway

However, I am going to do something that I observed in these young people in this new church. No I am not going to pierce my ear. I got enough holes in my head. What I am going to do is renew my passion for God. Each one of these young people was hungering to learn more about God and his truths. They desired to apply those truths to their lives. I thought to myself, this is why we plant churches: being a part of seeing people come to a deep passion for God. This is what it is all about, having a passion for God and letting it be contagious to others!!

How many people we could reach if were really passionate about God and what He has done for us? I read a statement the other day. It is by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a French pilot, writer and author of 'The Little Prince. He wrote “If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea" If we want to see a movement of God in our lives, in our neighborhoods, our churches, or our convention we don’t need programs, better structures or marketing plans. We first need as believers to learn to long after deep intimacy with God!

That is my desire and the desire of all Christians: To find people who do not have that intimacy with God, send out among them a person or persons who will live out that longing for God before them and teach others to long after Him. I have come to realize that it is not a desire or passion to reach the lost that we need to plant churches or do ministry even though we should desire to reach the lost. It is when we desire God, draw closer to Him in our relationship, and then we gain His passion to see others come to know Him.

My mid-life has taught me to become young again, not physically or appearance but rather become young again by renewing my passion for the Lord. My prayer would be that all of us as would have the same mid-life awakening. Let’s Get Passionate About Our God and Who He Is!!!

2010-02-20T13:06:00.004-06:00

DISTRACTIONS

"I'm not easily distracted... Oh Look a Squirrel!!" Its something we laugh at but it has become all too prevelant these days. Being distracted by something that looks better

Distractions are big among leaders now. I spoke with a pastor the other day who is doing a consultant job on the side; making trips to other parts of the country to see new innovative churches; talking to people about making a movie with his church people and then he asked me a question: “I wonder why my church is not really growing?” Maybe because of what I call pastoral or church ADD. Could it be the hard work or the wanting to be someone other than a pastor or maybe pride cause this pastor to go..... Oh look a Squirrel!

I like how Nehemiah handled distractions and Ministerial ADD in Nehemiah 6. There is a lesson for all of us.

KEEP WORKING IN SPITE OF DIVERSIONS. Nehemiah’s enemies they tried to sidetrack him. They said, Nehemiah, let's have a peace conference. Let's get together and discuss. They mentioned the plain of Ono, twenty miles north of Jerusalem. What could be wrong with that? But Nehemiah said, I'm carrying on a great project and I can't go down. Why should I stop the work on the wall and go down to you? He's saying, I'm not coming down. He would not be distracted until the wall was finished.

The time for discussion is past. It's time for work. Have you known people that want to talk more than they want to work? They discuss to stop you from working? That's what's happening here. Many churches never accomplish anything because everything they do, they assign to a committee and then they table it More than that, it would delay the project. "Why should I stop and come down to you when the work has not been finished?" You don't want to discuss, or debate. You have a hidden agenda and want to delay the thing. You want to keep it from being built."

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. The reason why Nehemiah finished it he wouldn't let anything distract him. He kept his eyes on his goal. They came to him four times. He said no each time.

YOU KEEP WORKING IN SPITE OF SLANDER. They tried to slander Nehemiah. You're just trying to build an empire. We know what you're doing. They were challenging his motives. They said, You're setting yourself up as king and you're hiring prophets to promote yourself. They sent this letter unsealed. It was like a letter to the editor. They wanted everybody to read it. It's meant to stir up rumors.

Anybody that sets big goals is going to be criticized and slandered by people who set no goals. Failures hate successes. Who is the most falsely accused man in history? Jesus. Jesus said, "Blessed are you when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven."

Nehemiah discerns their motive. v. 9, I know what you guys are doing, you're trying to make me upset so I'll stop working and start defending myself. Have you ever had to stop work on something because somebody was criticizing you and start defending yourself? Nehemiah said I'm not going to get caught in that trap. I'm not going to start responding to rumors and innuendos. I'm not going to get discouraged and quit. Probably the most difficult thing to do as a leader is to handle false accusations. You want to give up! Nehemiah said I'm not going to do that. He denied the accusation and prayed for the strength. v. 9 "They were all trying to frighten us thinking, `Their hands will get too weak for the work and it won't be completed.'" He said, I'm not going to get involved in an argument

Abraham Lincoln: "If I were to try to read, much less answer all the attacks made against me this shop would close for business. I do my best, the very best I know how, the very best I can. I man to keep on doing it until the end. And if the end brings me out wrong, then ten angels swearing that I was right wouldn't make a difference." Don’t take time from the task for silly fights.

KEEP WORKING IN SPITE OF THREATS:If you want to be a leader, keep working in spite of danger.
Now they're trying to scare Nehemiah by danger. Evidently this man, Shemaiah, a friend of Nehemiah's was evidently gotten to by the bad guy Sanballat and bought him off. He was told "Go tell your buddy Nehemiah there's an assignation plot on his life. We've put a hit man out on him. The only way he could be safe is to run and hide in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. The bad guys won't follow in there for fear of God."

Nehemiah's response, v. 11, "I said, `Should a man like me run into the temple to save his life? I will not go.'" He would keep on working in spite of danger. Why didn't he give into this?
It would make him look like a coward. "Should a man like me run away?" I'm the leader of this thing. I'm building the wall around Jerusalem. If I run and hide in the temple what's that going to do to the morale of the people? .

"I realized that God had not sent him" Nehemiah was a very perceptive person. He realized that this wasn't advise from the Lord. This guy said he was from God, "I know! I have a word to you from the Lord. Run and hide in the Temple." Have you noticed that some people who say they're speaking for God, aren't? Some people say, "I think this is God's will for your life" and they have no idea at all. They may have a hidden agenda.

One of the basic lessons of Nehemiah is that leadership is essential for any project.

Four things I believe you need, as a leader, to succeed in the face of distraction, slander, threats and fight Pastoral and Church ADD!

1. A Compelling Vision: This is the very first element of leadership. It's something that pulls you towards that goal. It doesn't drive you, it draws you. You have to have a compelling purpose.
That's why, when they came back in v. 3, and said "Nehemiah, we want you to leave the wall and come out and have a little party with us. You've been working on the wall too long. Come talk to us, Nehemiah." Nehemiah said, "I am carrying on a great project." Nehemiah was very single minded. I'm going to keep the main thing the main thing. I'm carrying on a great project. I think we move on to other different projects that we lose the vision and call that God has given us.

2. You need a Clear Perspective: Nehemiah had incredible discernment, spiritual radar. Every time a trap came up, he sensed it. He could smell it every time. He was perceptive. James 1:5 "If any man lacks wisdom, ask God." When you spend time in the word of God you begin to take on the mind of Christ and you'll be a more perceptive leader. \

3. A Continual Prayer Life: Nehemiah was a prayer-addict. His first response to everything was pray. No matter what happened, he first prayed. That's the number one thing you do when you're slandered. Instead of taking it out on the person, you talk in out to God. Luke 18:1 "Jesus told his disciples that they should always pray and not give up."

4. A Courageous Persistence: One of the great keys to success is the ability to hang in there! Keep on keeping on! Keep on doing what God wants us to do!How can you be fearful and courageous at the same time? Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is moving ahead in spite of your fear

Mad Max Meets the Apostle Paul

2010-01-25T11:16:00.006-06:00

That was the description my friend gave to the movie "The Book of Eli." as we left the movie theater. Yes, I went to a movie that had blood, violence, and three times the "F" word. However the movie also had some great lessons that we as Followers of Christ need to adhere.

For those who have not seen the movie or do not care to see the movie, here is the premise (warning: this gives away the plot of the movie): Eli (Denzel Washington) has been on a journey for 30 years, walking west across America after a cataclysmic war that turned the earth into a total wasteland. The world has become a lawless civilization where people must kill or be killed. The barren roads belong to gangs of cutthroats who rob and kill for water, a pair of shoes, a lighter, or just for fun. Eli is a peaceful man who only acts in self defense, and becomes a warrior with unbelievable killing skills when he is challenged. After the war and the "Big Flash", Eli was guided by a higher power to a hidden book and given the task of protecting the book and taking it to its final destination. Eli guards the book with his life, because he knows that the book is the only hope that humanity has for its future and it is the only copy left.What is the book? It is the Holy Bible. Eli does all this because as He claims, the Spirit of God told Him to take the Book west to a place where it would be safe.

All through the movie, Eli reminds himself do not stray from the path. He is a man with a mission. He journeys towards his destination because it is his mission. Even when tempted by the evil person in the story with a women, water and power, Eli stays true to the course.

Like Eli, we must stay true to course that Christ calls us to. So m any times we are distracted by things that keep us from our mission: Glorifying God through the making of Disciples. many times we get distracted by the things that we need for survival or for what we think will make us comfortable or for a need to be recognized and we neglected the very thing that God has called us to do.

One of the most outstanding parts of the movie is Eli's faith. All throughout the movie, Eli states that God will sustain him and that his mission will be fulfilled. Even in a raging gun battle, Eli tells his companion, Solara that they will survive. Eventually they do. Even after Eli is shot, his faith in the one who calls him and the mission that he is on continues. This faith is the belief that he is truly called to this and that God will sustain him.

Its is interesting to note that as Eli's faith in God and His Word sustains him, the evil character, Carnegie wants to use faith to control people and manipulate them to build his own empire. Carnegie sees faith as a weakness to exploit; Eli sees it as strength to sustain.

The most amazing part of the movie was the ending. It seems all is lost when Carnegie finally gets the Bible. Eli still continues west with Solara towards the safe place. You think well this is it. Then Eli and Solara reach the safe place (I won't tell you where. watch the movie). Eli tells the care keeper that he has a King James Bible. The care keeper ask what condition. In his reply Eli responds " It is beaten up and worn." Then in the care keeper's chamber, Eli begins to recite the who scripture which is copied down. Eli was the the book. You see the other copy that Carnegie had was a braille copy that could not be read. GOD'S WORD MUST LIVE IN US. IT MUST BE LIVED IN US! Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart!

What amazed me was that here was a secular movie calling us to become keepers and ones who live God's Word in a World that needs hope. This point is brought home when in the end, Solara, leaves the safe place with Eli's bag, gun and equipment and begins her journey home to share the Word of hope.

We are on a journey in a world that needs God's word of Hope. It is not to be hidden but lived before the World. It is our mission and our faith in Him will sustain us. The Book of Eli calls us to not only be hearers and readers of God's Word but ones who do and live it.

God's Word was Eli's Book. God's Word should be our Book: Written Upon Our Hearts and Life!!

Missional Lessons from the Vietnam War

2009-11-05T12:40:00.014-06:00

I have been a big student of history; especially military history. The other evening I was reading a novel about the Vietnam War called "The Incident at Muc Wa." The story line of the book takes place when American involvement in the war was escalated from the use of Special Forces troops (Green Berets) to having American ground troops involved.

In the early days of the war, Special Forces soldiers served in some of the outlying areas of South Vietnam. They would go into these areas with 12 men "A" teams to set up a base of operations, recruit indigenous personnel, train them to fight communist insurgents and lead their own armies. Many of these groups were so successful in their mission of disrupting the enemy that their bases would be attacked by hundreds of the enemy forces to destroy them.

Now you are probably saying, what is so missional about this. Well here are some of the principles that these "A" teams used.

Understand the Culture that You are Working Within. These "A" teams understood what was important to the indigenous people. They respected these things and actually used these ideas to help recruit them to fight.

We as Christians must adapt our language, our style and sometimes our thinking (not the message) to help those who we are reaching. Understanding people comes from listening, asking questions and observing. It also comes from being with them. You cannot learn about your neighbor sitting in your house or a church building.

Win their Hearts before you can Win their Minds. These "A" teams loved the people that they lived and worked with. many of these soldiers were accused of going "native." This accusation was brought because these soldiers lived with their people, they eat with these people, adapted some of their customs. Through this love and living with their people the "A" teams won the hearts of the people then were able to win their minds to fight and serve and protect their villages.

Interesting fact about this was that these indigenous people were treated like second class citizens by the government of S. Vietnam, yet they fought for that government. Not out of obligation but out of love for their "A" team. The same is today. many new converts are not accepted by many churches because they are different.

Be a Force Multiplier. A 12 man "A" team could not defeat an enemy force by themselves but they could recruit, train and empower a force of hundreds. How did they do this? They model the combat behavior, they allowed the villagers to practice combat procedures in safety of camp, they allowed the villagers to practice in combat under supervision of "A" team leaders and then they allowed them to lead combat patrols on their own.

As one of the "formal" educated clergy, I realize that my role is to equip others to do my job. The world is not going to be won for Christ by formal clergy, deacons, Sunday School teacher or ministers. The world is going to be reached by each believer reaching others, disciplining them and then turning them loose to do the same. We need to be FORCE MULTIPLIERS!! Gathering the harvest does not mean seating people in auditoriums or meeting places on Sunday. It is equipping and empowering missionary soldiers for Jesus Christ.

Live with the People: These "A" teams did not just go out work with the indigenous people of Vietnam and then retreat to the safety of their base. They lived and worked and played with these people. They lived in the danger zone of the enemy unlike the conventional forces that fought during the day and ran for cover when at night.

In the church today, we have mistaken the "come out and be separate" of scripture to mean that the only contact we should have with lost people is to do "little forays" into the lost community for the only purpose of maybe capturing someone and hooking them to come to church. The lost are not projects or game to be captured. They are God's creation that has not realized that they are His creation and that He has a plan for their salvation and life. The greatest way for them to learn is to see that lived out in our lives as we live and relate to them everyday. This cannot be done sitting in a pew or hiding out in our homes. It must be done in their midst.

God has called every Christian to be his "A" team. The official motto of the Army Special Forces is De Oppresso Liber (Latin: To Liberate the Oppressed). As we know Christ has accomplished this. He has liberated us fro spiritual oppression and has provide salvation. As God's "A" team we are about the business of letting the world know this and how they can be liberated. It is our mission because it is God's!

A Fishing Story

2009-10-29T11:03:00.005-05:00

When my wife Pam and I lived in South Carolina, our home was near Lake Murray. This was a huge lake where one could fish, swim, ski and boating. Often the two of us would go out to the lake which was behind our house and fish.

Being the typical male, I was often competitive with Pam over who would catch the most fish. This one afternoon I had found a spot on the bank where a tree had fallen in the water. This was a great spot because every time I cast my line in the water, I caught a fish.

Not wanting to be outdone, Pam moved from her spot on the bank to right by me and my spot (she said that she wanted to be close to me, HA!). Soon, she was casting her line in the water and catching fish. At first, I was a little upset. She was in my spot and catching my fish. Then I started to realize that she was not my competition but my wife. Whatever she caught or I caught, they all were going on my table. A matter of fact, because she was fishing next to me, she was causing more fish to be lured to that spot because they knew there was food there.

It is the same with churches. I often have pastors and church members get upset when a new church plant starts or a church moves near them. They seem to say “Stay out of my fishing spot.” It seems that we all often forget that we all are “fishers of men”. We are not working on getting more “fish” for ourselves or our churches, but rather reaching more people for the KINGDOM of GOD! We are working together to see people become fully devoted followers of Christ.

With over 2 million unchurched indidviduals in North America, we need to realize that there are plenty of “fish” that need to be reached for Christ. It is going to take all kinds of churches, new and old to see that these individuals have the opportunity to become part of the KINGDOM. Working together, we will do more than each one of us being protective of our spot. Let’s get “fishing” together.

The Latest Is

2009-10-22T09:18:00.020-05:00

Have you seen the Snuggie? I remember the first commercial I saw for this item. It was late one night right after the evening news. As I watched the commercial, the thought I had was that this is just a robe worn backwards, it will never sell. Now you see Snuggies in every store and they even have them for pets. It is the latest in what I call, "unusual products" that is now the rage.

In 1986, I became officially involved in church planting by helping to start a church in Westchester County N.Y. However, before that time I worked with my parents in a church that they helped start as lay persons. 23 years later, I am sitting here in my office looking at all the books on my shelf about starting churches thinking that church planting has, in some ways, taken off just like the Snuggie.

Over the last 23 years, I have seen church planting go from what you do when you can't find a church, to one of the most popular ministries. When I started planting there were about 3 books on planting churches. Today, there are hundreds of books, articles, blogs (mine included) and church planting resources. As a matter of fact, there are hundreds of opinions out there on how to start a church. Don't believe me. Just Google the term church planting.

It seems like church planting has become very popular among evangelicals and even non-evangelicals (case in point: Scientologists have started a church in Nashville). Church planting conferences has gone from attracting a couple hundred to a couple of thousand. There are now degree programs in church planting whereas, 10 to 15 years ago there might have been 1 or 2 programs in the country.

My prayer is that the increased interest in church planting is not the latest fad. Many today are looking for that "magic bullet" for church growth, and in some cases self-promotion, that they jump from idea to idea hoping to have success and the latest book and conference speaking deal. I'm afraid that church planting has become one of those so called "magic bullets". The problem with this mentality is that if the "church planting gig" doesn't work I can always find another thing to try. Maybe I'll do the multi-site, video venue or missional gig.

Now before you think that I am picking on people, let me just say that none of these things are wrong if the goal is to see the Kingdom grow!! We have to remember that church planting is the reaching and discipling of people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Church planting is not the focus! Seeing communities brought to be a part of the Kingdom of God is the focus.

Next time we see or hear the latest and greatest ministry idea or event, let's not get caught up in the idea. It is just a tool or a means to which the proclaimation of the Gospel and the Discipling of the nations is accomplished. That is what church planting is! Lets don't treat it like the Snuggie - love it for a while and then put it in the closet never to wear it again.

My Prayer for Nashville

2009-09-30T08:08:00.017-05:00

When you think of Nashville, what do you think of? Country music, Grand Ole Opry, Music industry, Tennessee Titans or capital of Tennessee?

Most people think of Nashville they think music especially country music. They also think of Nashville as a "southern city." Yet there is so much more to this city. We are both an international and a urban center.

If you been in my office, you would see the view that you see in the picture up above. This view reminds me as a strategist that the first part of any strategy to reach an urban population is to have a compassion for the city and the people in it. Scripture tells us that Jesus looked out of Jerusalem and wept over it. He had a love so deep for Jerusalem and the world that He wept and died for it.

How do we get a passion for our city? The same way that Jesus did. He had the heart of God and He got that heart by Him and the Father being one. That being one came through prayer! Jesus went to His Father in prayer and did what His Father told Him to do.

We have the heart of the Father by being with the Father in prayer. We have the heart of the Father for our city by spending time with the Father talking with Him about the city.

Let me encourage you to do two things:

1.Search the scripture. Look at verses that deal with the city. One you may consider is Jeremiah 29:7.

2.Pray the Lord's Prayer and when you get to "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in (put in the name of your city, town or neighborhood).

Is this your vision and prayer for your city?

Why Are You Here? Part Two

2009-09-28T14:15:00.014-05:00

Ever ask yourself "Why am I planting a church?" You probably ask that especially after a hard day. But it is a good question to ask oneself. As a church planting strategist, this is a question I ask potential church planters. I am amazed at the answers I get to this question and also amazed at the number of potential trainers will use the term "called of God" to describe what is sometimes a whim or personal dream.

It is amazing what we define as "the call of God." Like many words in our language, the word call has come to mean different things. In most cases, when we refer to the Will of God with reference to vocation, career or jobs we commonly use the term call. If we were to ask people to define the term call, many would describe it as inner leading or a sense of conviction that God is designating a particular direction.

However, the above described definition is not true to the original biblical meaning. The definition also does not portray a true picture of the Call of God upon the life of His people or His church.

Biblically, the meaning of call has several meanings or levels. First we must understand that call is not to a place or a task. Rather it is God calling us to Him. God calls each of us to a relationship with Him. It has been the desire of God since creation to fill the world with His people and have a relationship with them.

With this purpose in mind, God provides a call to come into a loving relationship with Him. In the New Testament this call of God is synonymous with salvation. The call is to repentance, salvation and sanctification. This is referred to as our “primary call” (Matthew 9:13, Romans 8:28-30).

Specific calls, as described in the Bible, to a place, such as Abraham’s call to Canaan or Paul’s Macedonian call, are rare and not the norm. In those cases when God called one of His servants to a particular place or area of service is because of their relationship to God that God led them to a particular place of service. Out of their obedience to God, they were willing to accept His will.

Many of my Baptist brothers and sisters would say that their idea of calling can be traced back to the New Testament and the call of Christ to the disciples, Paul, and others to a specific task or ministry. However, for earlier Baptists calling was thought to be to a relationship to God and salvation in Him.

Baptist thinking on this can be traced to Christian convictions during the time of the Reformation when Martin Luther makes the distinction between sacred and secular. Luther defined “good works” as being chosen by God and “comprehended within the bounds of a particular calling.” John Calvin would later expand upon Luther’s thinking. He used the term call (vocation in the French language) in two senses: the primary call, a call to God from God; the secondary call to a particular work or occupation. The purpose of work according to John Calvin was to glorify God and be a service to Him and mankind. Calvin exalted the common and refused to give preference to a particular religious vocation, which he viewed as giving esteem above others. According to Calvin all work was to be a service to God.

William Perkins, a Puritan preacher and writer in Elizabethan England, refined the concept of calling further by distinguishing between the general call and a particular call. The general call was common to all Christians. The particular call was to a specific person because of his or her character and gifts.

According to Perkins, work would be defined as vocation or career, a life task or general direction. Within this "vocation," even numerous "jobs" should form a pattern, a continuity that contributes to our broader vocation or our particular calling. Perkins even outlined a series of rules to govern our choice of a vocation, declaring that in our personal calling we must:

1. Have a particular calling.
2. Choose an honest and lawful calling.
3. Base our call on public need rather than the desire for personal gain.
4. Stay in it once chosen.
5. Avoid covetousness in our calling.
6. Be diligent in our calling.
7. Fit it into the framework of the general calling.

Dr. Os Guinness agrees with Perkins that calling means much more than something exclusively spiritual, like guidance, but rather it is the expression of our personalities, the exercise of our gifts, all that we are, everywhere we go, and everything that we do is seen as a response to the Lord and is done as part of our calling to Him. Guinness believes that in scripture, calling is primarily to someone, in this case, God. It is not to somewhere; and is not to something, or a task. Where we go and what we do is our secondary calling. This secondary calling is an outworking or result of our primary calling, which is to God.

Oswald Chambers states the same thought in So Send I You. According to Chambers “The call of God is the call according to the nature of God; where we go in obedience to that call depends entirely on the providential circumstance which God engineers. The call of God is not to any particular service, although my interpretation of the call may be; the call to service is the echo of my identification with God.” As we grow in that relationship God leads or calls us to various ministry opportunities.

I have said all of this to say that where we go and what we do as followers of Christ should be as a result of our growing relationship with God and our identification with His heart. Our call to planting a church, pastoring or any other endeavor must be in line with God's mission and His endeavor. It is not because we think it is cool or because it is the next step on the ladder to where we want to be or that it will bring me recognition. IT IS LIVING THE HEART RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!.

Next time you feel that maybe God is calling you to something, instead of looking at what you think the plus or minuses of that endeavor. Ask yourself, "Is this where I am in my relationship with God and is this heart beating through my heart?"

Why are you here? To be the living incarnate heart and relationship of God through Jesus Christ! Anything more is really less!

Why Are You Here? Part One

2009-09-26T11:53:00.010-05:00

I still remember that question after 23 years along with the context it was asked in and the person who asked it. It was 1986 on an uptown bus in Manhattan. I was a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary sent to New York on a 10 week church planting project. I had just boarded the bus and sat down in the seat with a gentleman who I found out later was Jewish.

As we sat an rode the bus, the gentleman said "Hello." In which I responded with my "Hello". He looked at me strangely and said, "Youse (You) aren't from around here?" I guess my southern accent gave me away. I explained to him that I was a Southern Baptist seminary student there in New York. Then he asked "Why are you here?"

That question has stuck with me all these years. Now the simple answer would be: To bring Glory for God." But the answer I gave that day was that I was there to start a church. The next question this man asked was "why?" My answer that I gave Him even astonished me. I didn't tell him the statistics of unchurched people in New York. I didn't tell him that he was destined to hell. I said one simple phrase: " God loves you and so do I!" I was there to start a church were people could come into a loving relationship with a loving God.

Why does these man's questions stay with me all these years. It is because they are questions that we must honestly ask ourselves especially as church planters. Why are we here in this place and why do we do what we do?

Its very easy to say that we do what we do because we love God; we want the lost to come to Christ and we want to bring God glory. However, it is so easy to forget these things and substitute our own agenda and our own plan.

Ask yourself some simple questions about where you are in ministry and life:

1. Would I be where I am at and do what I am doing even if I wasn't paid?

2. Am I serving where I am serving because this is the place where God has led me and has confirmed that through scripture, friends and the PEACE of GOD?

3. Would I do what I do even if I got no recognition for it?

4. The reason I do what I do, where I do it is because if I didn't I know that I would be out of the will of God?

5. Is my discontent because things are hard or because it is really from God and He is readying me to move?

These questions are questions I ask many guys who come to me wanting to plant churches. They are questions I ask because they are questions that I have been asked and had to answer in my own life. They are also questions that I have gotten some surprising answers from others who have told me that they feel called to church planting or ministry. Answers that show a motive or calling other than God's.

You might say by this point what am I trying to say. Here it is: Why you do what you do where you are at should be solely based on God's leading you to that place.

Why are you here? Why do you do what you do? Only you and God can answer that.

Tommorrow: Why Are You Here to plant a Church? Is it a Calling, A Dream or an Escape?

Insights from Thomas Wolf on Reproducible Movements

2009-09-14T14:26:00.007-05:00

Today, I got to spend about 3 hours with Thom Wolf. Brother Thom as he is called served as Pastor of "The Church on Brady" which became Mosaic Church. While, serving as their pastor, Brother Thom saw the church grow from 40 people to over 400 and a church that saw at least 16% of their congregation involved in international missions. He served as a professor of missions and evangelism at Golden Gate. He is now international president and professor of global studies of University Institute, New Delhi, India, an Asia-based learning group in, servicing South and East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. he not a theroist on missions. He has lived it and continues to live it!

One of the insights that was shared today was concerning replicating movements. The big idea in church planting is the talk of church planting movements. What is a church planting movement? According to David Garrison of International Mission Board, a church planting movement is a rapid and multiplicative increase of indigenous churches planting churches within a given people group or population segment. The interest today is how do we see this happen in North America.

According to Brother Thom each replicating movement has the following:

Essential Outsider: the missionary or church planter that comes to plant within a culture

National Face: The person of peace or person of that culture who gives you credibility in that culture. They vouch for you.

Trainer not Teacher: Not just giving people information, you are training them to use and apply the lessons. In Christian life we teach not for information but for obedience.

Reproducible Pak or Package: The pattern of discipleship and doing ministry must be reproducible in any context.

Yield Lives: There must be transformation in the lives of those the movement has touched.

As I look at thse principles, I see a call for us as church planters and as church members to realize that many of the ways that we have "done" church has lend itself to structures that have stiffled the Great Commission. Let me explain.

I come from a family of church planters. My mom and dad planted churches. Not as vocational church planters but as a heating and air conditioning mechanic and a house wife. Two of my aunts and uncles planted churches. Not as "ordained" ministers but as people working for Bethleham Steel and Frito lay. They went into other context, made friends and aquaintances, taught them about Jesus and saw lives changed. Out of the churches that they planted, other churches were planted. Using the reporoducible techniques that Brother Thom spoke of.

Today if my family was to use the techniques taught by many today they would probably have to have a band, a cool webpage, small group curriculum from a major publishing company, gone to a conference and spend at least $300.00 a session for a church planting coach. Oh! lets don't forget, sometime during all this they need to pray. Usually after the coaching session.

Please don't get me wrong. All these things are good things! As long as they are tools used to be used to see lives and communities transformed. When we focus on the tools and instead of the priniciples of church planting and church reproduction we soon create a system or movement that cannot be reproduced.

Its interesting that Jesus sent his disciples out in twos. No money, no resources, no band, sound system, webpage or even a core group, yet they made an impact. The only thing that He gave them was a commission, His teaching and the power of the Holy Spirit and they turned the world upside down!

How do we see a reproducible movement happen?

Pray that the Lord will make you an essential outsider to a culture. That could be your own family, your neighbors, co workers or friends.

Look for someone to give you credibility: That national face!

Train people. Don't teach people about the gospel of Jesus. Demonstrate it, let them experience it and then let them try it. As Brother Thom says " Teach for obedience, not for information."

Everything you do with people, make sure they can do it. Reproducible: So simple even a caveman can do it. (Sorry GEICO).

Stand back and watch God transform lives!!

You see movements are going to be seen when God's people (not organizations or denominations: these are structures not organisms) do God's work. Thanks Thom for reminding me of that today! Thanks to my family who live it and who still live it.

Sega Bass Fishing and the Church

2009-09-07T08:13:00.007-05:00

For my birthday this year, I got a new Wii game that I love. It is the Sega Bass Fishing game. It is a pretty neat game with an attachment that makes your Wii remote look like a fishing rod. I love to fish so this game allows me to fish while at home.

The other day I was playing this game and the Lord taught me a lesson about the church. Yes, I believe that the Lord can use Wii games to teach people. Anyway this game and its layout taught me that we have mistaken the Lord's command of being "fishers of men". Let me explain.

In the Wii game, the player must choose an area to fish, time of year to fish, time of day to fish, type of weather, a casting spot and the type of bait to use in an area. Once these are chosen, then the player cast and hopes he gets a bite by either playing the line or changing bait. The better the chances by choosing the right spot and choosing the right bait.

What is really interesting about this game is that you never completely fish out a spot! Some fish never bite the bait even when you keep on switching and even when you change the weather or time of day. In other words, you can't catch all the fish.

While playing this game it dawned on me: This is the church today! Many churches are looking for the right bait, the right casting spot, the right season and the perfect fish to catch. Don't believe it. Look at all the methods of outreach. Look at all the books and research. One says we need to do house church; one says need to be large church; one says contemporary music; one says traditional music and so on and so forth. All this and we see churches jumping from one methos to another. All of this in the name of being successful in catching fish or in this case men and women for Christ.

Guess what? I think we have gotten all wrong. One, when Jesus gave the call to be "fishers of men" the Zebco casting pole was not invented then. He was speaking of casting a net! That net is us! It is every believer, every church and yes, every method! You see it is all of us bound together or better yet woven together, to reach the world for Christ. It is large church, small church, traditional, contemporary, house church, church plants and multi-site woven together to make up the net. You see it takes all of us! It takes each part to make a strong net. It takes all of us working together to strengthen the net. When we see a church or Christian weakening, we need to unite to help them because the net is beginning to break. (see Luke 5:1-11).

I believe that we have missed the boat (no pun intended) by looking for the magic lure that is going to reach people. I believe that we find out what the Lord enables us to do best it be small groups, house church, multi campus, traditional or contemporary worship; determine where He wants us to fish and join with others to make a strong net to reach and transform our community for God's Kingdom.

Enough said! Lets go fishing!!!!

My Top Ten Reasons for Church Plant Failures

2009-09-01T14:13:00.004-05:00

This is a list I have developed over the years and have collected some ideas from others:

10. No Assessment of the Church Planter
"He's a great guy, (we don't need to assess him)."
Lack of assessment is the equivalent of hiring someone just because of how they look, or whom they know…it fails to go beyond the surface. The church planter assessment is an instrument that helps sponsoring churches and others that work with church planters to know how the planter measures in the thirteen most crucial characteristics found in successful church starters. Every sponsoring church needs to be sure that the planter they have selected is assessed, and approved, by our denominational leaders.

9. No Contextualization
"This kind of church will work anywhere."
This statement is naïve to anyone who has lived in other parts of the country. The differences are great! While models for starting new work may transcend context (not in all cases, though), the need to modify and adapt them to the particular culture and environment of the new church plant is immense. Sponsoring churches need to be sure that the strategies undertaken are “community-compliant”.

8. No Planning
"Plan??? Are you crazy?
We've got a church to plant." Planning is the bedrock of intentionality, a critical ingredient in almost every successful church start. We have all heard it before: to fail to plan is to plan to fail. Church starters need a vision, values, and a mission to accomplish the vision and goals and action plans to achieve those ends. Anything else is spontaneous, and the odds would suggest, will end up in spontaneous
combustion. Sponsoring churches need to be sure that the new church starter
has a written strategy in place before he starts, and adaptable along the journey.

7. No Covenant
"Don't worry about it, we'll all get along."
Church starters that fail to develop a covenant with their sponsoring church is setting themselves up for difficulty. A wise church starter will use theopportunity to surface expectations and relational concerns that need to be dealt with in advance. These boundaries and responsibilities will keep communication
lines open, and relationships growing. Doing correctly, a covenant can be the most advantageous tool for all parties involved in the church starting process.

6. No Connection with Unchurched People
"We will evangelize later."
A new church start without evangelism is at best, sheep stealing, and at worst, dead weight. Evangelism and church starting are two sides of the same coin; both need each other to continue. Sponsoring churches need to model evangelism and to encourage new church starters in this area, reminding them that church starting is the number one method of effective EVANGELISM in the world today.

5. Premature Public Launch
“We can’t afford to wait any longer to start worship.”
Starting at the right time is an art, not a science. The window for momentum’s sake is usually between eighteen weeks and eighteen months. The optimum time is six months to a year. That being said, the pressure will be great (internal as well as external) to get to public worship quickly. As a sponsoring church encourage the church starter to wait until his core group is above 35, or at the very least 25, before he starts services.

4. No Sharing Ministry with the Laity
"I'm the Church Planter and it's my job to do it all."
Church starters are by nature self-starters. Unfortunately, that usually means they are oblivious to the need to delegate, especially early in the process. Not only is it good theology to involve the laity according to their giftedness, it’s a practical help to the new church starter. A sponsoring church can help keep a church starter from this mistake by providing a few capable people to help assist the starter in the beginning stages of the new work, or by inquiring regularly as to others who are assisting him in the work being done.

3. No Support Network
“We don’t need any help; we can do it ourselves.”
The top complain new church starters have is that they feel so all alone, so isolated, in their work. To that end, our denomination and local entities have worked diligently to provide a nurturing, encouraging support network for the new work starter. This includes a mentor (not the same as the supervisor; his job is to listen and encourage the new work starter), a Church Planting Network (a support group of his peers), a partnership church (s), and you…his sponsoring church. New church starters need to know of your continuing prayer, love, support and encouragement. It makes a world of difference to him.

2. No Prayer
“I’m just too busy to pray right now…there’s so much to do.”
One of the grave dangers in church ministry in general, and certainly in church starting, is the neglect of prayer. The rationalization is usually based on the need to do so much, when no one else is available to help in the work itself. While we may have all felt that way at times, nothing could be farther from the truth of what we need. The remainder of a sponsoring church that this is God’s church we are starting, not our own, can serve as a corrective in this area, as well as accountability in the area of the planter’s own personal walk with the Lord.

1. No Commitment to the Call
“If this doesn’t work out, I can always go back home to minister.”
The number one reason church starters fail, in our opinion, is a lack of abandonment to the call of new church starting. Sometimes the romance of a new church start, or the appeal of no history or tradition to fight, prompts ministers to want to start a new church.

Thinking Back on 46 Years.

2009-08-20T08:26:00.009-05:00

Today, I celebrate 46 years of life. I can tell that I have been around for 46 years: Grey hair, hair growing out of ears, creaking and popping from my body and other things. With all of these, I am thankful to God for being here and being alive.

As some of us get older, we begin to think on life and what we have done and what we haven't done. Well, this morning I was playing some of my Jim Croce music and I heard a song that I would say sums up how I feel. The song is called the "Hard Way Every Time". Read these words:

Well I have my share of broken dreams and more than a couple of falls

and in chasing what I thought were moonbeams I have run into a couple of walls.

But in looking back at the places I've been and the changes that I've left behind

I just look at myself to find

I've learned the hard way everytime.

Cause I've had my share of good intentions and I've made my share of mistakes And I've learned at time its best to bend because if don't well those are the breaks.

Should have listen to all the things I was told but I was young and too proud at the time.

Now I look at myself to find, I've learned the hard way everytime.

Well I've had my share of broken dreams and more than a couple of falls and in chasing what I thought were moonbeams I have run into a couple of walls

But in looking back at the faces I've been I sure be the first one to say when I look at myself today,

WOULDN'T DONE IT ANY OTHER WAY!!

(written by Jim Croce)

I can say that everything that God in His Providence has allowed in my life has made me who I am today. The good and the bad, my response in obedience and disobedience to God has shaped me.

Today is my birthday. 46 years of living. I look forward to the future to see what God is going to do to make me more like Christ. Good or bad, I pray that my heart attitude will always be: "Lord, what are you teaching me and if has to be 'The Hard Way' so be it that I can be made the way you want me to be.

The Soldiers Creed

2009-08-05T08:08:00.004-05:00

Before moving to Tennessee, I had the privilege to serve as a reserve chaplain with the Florida National Guard. It was hard at first being Air Force Blue serving with Army Green. After awhile, it didn't matter, we were all brothers and sisters in service to our country.

One of the earliest things I learned while serving with my Army comrads was the Soliders Creed. Part of it went like this:

I will always place the mission first
I will never accept defeat
I will never quit
I will never leave a fallen comrade

In the military everything centers on the mission. It is the essence of why everything is done from training to maintenance. Whatever the mission is, it will be carried out to its fullest. Not to do so is failure or defeat.

This got me thinking “What is our mission as Christians?” Very simply put: “To make disciples for Jesus here on earth.” Everything that we do centers on this simple mission. We are here to fulfill the Great “CO” MISSION of Christ.

There are three other statements in the ETHOS that relate back to the mission. “I will never accept defeat; I will never quit and I will never leave a fallen comrade.” We as Christians must remember that we are engaged in a Spiritual Battle. Satan wants us to admit defeat and quit. He wants us to focus on survival!

It is so easy to focus on our little corner of the mission field or our little corner of the church field that we forget to work together or support one another. This is Satan’s greatest deception and trick. Just like the military, if we do not partner together by helping and supporting one another then we will soon be over run by the enemy. We have seen this already in the ministry here in US. We have shown the world that as Christians we are either in competition with each other or we don't trust other Christians. So many times we have left fellow believers and fellow churches behind because we felt there was nothing in helping them for us. SURVIVAL! LOOK OUT FOR OURSELVES! On the battlefield that means instant death. In spiritual battles, it is death.

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:3-4: Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. (ESV). The moment we start thinking about how will this help us or how will it make us look, then we have become entangled with the world and our focus is off the mission.

I learned a lot with my service with the military. The one lesson I learned over any other is to live by the Soldiers Creed: MISSION FIRST: NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT: NEVER QUIT: NEVER LEAVE A FALLEN COMRAD BEHIND. Think about today how you can live this creed out for Jesus.

Ouch Lesson

2009-07-30T17:59:00.000-05:00

Ever had an "ouch" lesson. Today I had one.

It seems that I had someone who I respect in the field of church planting tell me in a round about way that any insights that I have on church planting would not be relevant to others who are "higher up" on the church planting chain. I have to admit, this stung, made me angry and then made me wonder if maybe I am obsolete.

Well, after thinking on this for a while, I realize that the "ouch" was to my ego. It seems that I was measuring myself by what others perceived of my ministry.

The true "ouch" was I allow myself to fall in to a trap of wanting others to think of me as important. It is a dangerous trap. It often makes one think more highly of oneself and when others don't see it then you are handed a hurt.

Well, the Lord took the "ouch" and made realize that what matters is being faithful to who and what He has called you to be. Yes, there is always someone smarter, more experienced, more educated and better at what you do. However, there is only one me and what the Lord wants me to be is the most important thing.

Thanks Lord for the "OUCH!"

Journey Into Blogging

2009-07-30T16:07:00.000-05:00

After sometime I have decided to start blogging. I don't know who will read it but I want to share ideas about ministry subjects that I keep reading about and hearing. I hope it will help others