A Year Ago – Church Planting Reflections
July marks the month everything changed. With a little fear and a lot of faith we decided to finally do what we had no interest in doing, but God seemed to have a lot of interest in doing.
We began meeting with people to explore planting a church in our hometown.
In some ways it has been exactly what I imagined.
In other ways it’s been nothing like I imagined.
I imagined some people being strong supporters who didn’t make it this far.
A year ago I didn’t even know most of the people who now serve with us.
We are nowhere where I thought we would be, and yet we are exactly where we should be.
Support has come from the unlikeliest of places, thanks Central Church!
Conflict has come from the unlikeliest of places…no names here. 🙂
Through it all this is what I have learned.
1. Obey the call of God, then trust Him for the results.
2. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
3. Evaluate, re-evaluate, and then communicate some more.
4. Set the bar high from the beginning after all God gave his Son for this.
5. Always do it with 100% commitment, but never think you know what you are doing.
6. Smile. It goes a long way.
7. If it’s not working change it.
8. Share the work…all of it.
9. Ask for help, or pay for help.
10. It is entirely possible to successfully plant a church without denominational, mother church, or agency financial support. Don’t let a lack of it deter you!
Getting Married All Over Again
I awoke at 4:00 AM again for the second day in a row. On my drive to work I began to think about complexity of emotions I am experiencing: anticipation, anxiety, excitement, fear, doubt, trust, burden, freedom, unsatisfied yet satisfied. Sunday is going to be just another day for the majority of the people in the world, but not for me.
Launch Day is a lot like a wedding day, only it’s not. At 20, when I married Kristi, I was foolish enough to think I knew what I was getting myself into. I REALLY believed my expectations were realistic, and that all my fantasies would come true.
Don’t laugh!
Actually, laugh all you want. I don’t remember a whole lot about my wedding day, or the days leading up to my wedding day, but I do remember one thing. I remember being fully confident that I had it all under control. Two days into the honeymoon cracks emerged, but I kept pretending and four years in I almost lost it.
I’m more than twice 20, and the years have taught me one thing well. I have very little idea of what I’m getting into. I have very little control of what the results will be. I am not very confident in my skills or expertise in navigating these waters. No matter how hard I work it ultimately isn’t really even up to me. I’m a failure more than I am a success. I am more weak than I am strong. I seem to want to flip a coin to make most decisions. Cracks have already emerged and the “wedding day” hasn’t even arrived. This is nothing like my wedding day, but I wish it would have been.
Because just like my marriage, just like my wedding day, Launch Day isn’t about me. So, it is with fear and trembling that I step into this weekend hopeful that my expectations are aligned with God’s and that regardless of how incompetent I feel I know He is more than able to receive the glory He is due because of and in spite of me.
Regeneration Church Launch Day
Sunday, November 24, 2013
10:10AM and 5:20PM
No better advertisement than a personal invitation
David Timms is one of my favorite teachers. I call him friend even though we don’t speak much or see each other often. I know that with everything he writes and publishes comes from a very significant and deep understanding of what it means to be Jesus’ people. Here is what he said in his last post,
Church planters feel this pressure as much as anyone. Indeed some church-planting models require considerable support and resources before they even launch.
Then we open up Matthew 10 and it wriggles beneath our skin. Jesus prepared to send out His disciples and declared:
9-10 “Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.
Jesus looks at His disciples and tells them to drop the props and leave the lights. To paraphrase Him, He declares what all of us need to hear. “You are the message.”
That’s my heart. We don’t need the big crowd. We need people to stick with it, and no amount of money we spend on a campaign will be as successful as you and I inviting people to be regenerated with us. This weekend, you get to do that.
Go here to read all of David’s post.