Doesn't Deserve to be Called a Religion

Imagine early Christians talking to their neighbors in the Roman Empire. "Ah," the neighbor says, "I hear you are religious! Great! Religion is a good thing. Where is your temple or holy place?" "We don't have a temple," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our temple."

"No temple? But where do your priests work and do their rituals?" "We don't have priests to mediate the presence of God," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our priest."

"No priests? But where do you offer your sacrifices to acquire the favor of your God?" "We don't need a sacrifice," replies the Christian. "Jesus is our sacrifice."

"What kind of religion IS this?" sputters the pagan neighbor. And the answer is, this Christian faith is so utterly different than how every other religion works that it doesn't really deserve to be called a "religion." [from Gospel in Life by Tim Keller]

Spiritual Transformation in Orlando - Inspiring Video

How to Plant a Church

Just a Ride on the Subway

This is one day that I wished I had been on the NY Subway! This is too cool!

Easter Sunday 2010 in Budapest, Hungary

The Gospel Centered Life

The leaders I am working with are captured by the vision of "every man, woman, and child having repeated opportunities to hear and respond to the gospel." I share that vision. However, this past year I've been thinking more deeply about what the gospel is. I fear that my generation of baby boomers has tended to reduce the gospel to a verbal commitment or a prayer, missing the deep and rich implications of it. I have come to believe that we are not only saved by the gospel but we are sanctified by it as well.

A resource that has helped me is "The Gospel Centered Life" curriculum published by World Harvest Mission. I have also enjoyed working the larger study they published entitled "Gospel Transformation." One more resource that has blessed me this year is Milton Vincent's devotional book "A Gospel Primer for Christians."

For any united city reaching effort to take root, I think we must be in agreement about the gospel. As we understand and apply the gospel more deeply we are truly able to become "partners in the gospel" as Paul writes about in Philippians 1:3.

Living and working with the great ministry leaders in Houston over the past 16 years has been an enriching educational experience for me. What brings transformation to a city? We have studied the work of George Otis and followed transformation stories from around the world. I have been deeply impacted by Tim Keller and the work that Redeemer Presbyterian Church is catalyzing in New York City. I'm very encouraged by what I see in cities like Austin, TX and Columbia, SC.

But what will it take for us to move to a new level? How can Christian leaders become more effective at engaging and impacting a city for Christ? I think it begins with a deep and passionate understanding of and appreciation for the gospel. That's the good news. That's the power of God released through us (Romans 1:16).

I close for now with this verse: "I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." (Philippians 1:3)

What would it look like for us to embrace the gospel more deeply and more fully become partners in the gospel?

Coming Back

I have taken a break from my blog for a few months to think and reflect about where God is moving and what He wants my part in that to be. My heart and mind is being captured by the idea that the church can and should have much more of a transformational impact in the community, city, and world. That's really nothing new, but I'm burdened by the ongoing conversations and activities that are suppose to lead to more transformation with seemingly minimal impact.

I want to start a conversation to hopefully take this to a deeper level. I do not want to criticize the church, the Bride of Christ. I want to uplift and encourage the church. I want to bless the church, and I want to empower the Body of Christ to dramatically increase their missional impact in the world. I hope you will follow and give me comments and feedback.

Church Planting in America

Every church planter I talk to tells me a similar story, "We're going to do something different." I say "OK," and then when they get going this is what I see.

The Missional Church: Driven By Program-Development or People-Development?

I have recently been re-reading Reggie McNeal's book Missional Renaissance. What a great book. What I like most about it is Reggie addresses the issue of the "scorecard."

Most churches have only 1 or 2 real scorecards. Those are typically attendance and giving. Some churches will add "baptisms." But the truth is that most church leaders are lulled into thinking everything is great if the attendance and giving is growing.

If we are truly going to plant and lead missional churches, then we have to honestly re-evaluate our scorecard. What do we call success? What causes us concern or heavy hearts? What gives us joy as church leaders?

One of the key shifts that the Western church has to make to be missional is the shift in focus from "program-development" to "people-development."

There is not a problem with having programs, but for many churches success is defined by how many programs you have and how many people attend these programs. You can be very successful in a "program-development" environment and make very little progress toward making disciples.

Could it be that the rise of the program-driven church is directly correlated with the rise of the service economy in post-World War II America? Is that where the Western church really began to take on the role of being a "vendor of religious services and goods?" What would it look like for our churches to be more focused on people-development than program-development? Church planters, let me know what you think!

The Biggest Social Media Mistakes

This is a great interview with Jay Baer on how to use social media.

Jay Baer Interview from Michael A. Stelzner on Vimeo.

Prioritization: The Key to Success and Life Balance

There are two things that are most difficult to get people to do: To think & to get people to do things in order of importance. - John Maxwell

More than ever before in history people are over-loaded with information, to-do's, opportunities to consider, problems to solve, and relationships to manage (just to name a few.) In order to succeed we must develop 3 critical skills.

1. We must learn to set daily and weekly priorities. Every day is a challenge, so we need to start our day with clarity on what's most important for that day. The same is true for every week. However, this must not be decided in a vacuum. Each day and week we should review the bigger picture (e.g. your 90-day strategic plan and your 1-3 year vision.) With the bigger picture and longer perspective in mind, we can set daily & weekly priorities that will move us toward the life, business, and goals that we truly desire.
2. We must learn to delegate everything possible. I hear my clients say "Nobody can do it right" or "My staff is just too busy." Let me be blunt: These are terrible excuses for not delegating! If someone can do something 80% as well as you can, delegate it! They'll most likely improve if given the opportunity. If you do not have team members who can do the things you do at least 80% as well, your priority needs to be either training or replacing staff! "But they already have too much to do" you might say. The truth is, our time will always fill up with stuff. Chances are they will never have time. So delegate things that are important to you, and help them to prioritize. If you don't, they will be constantly busy doing things that are not the priority!
3. Say "No" to the obvious low-value, low priority stuff. I call this "clutter." You and I are attacked by clutter daily. If you don't have the ability to evaluate the obvious clutter quickly, and then say "No", you will not accomplish the most important things. If the clutter is not obvious to you, take a few minutes every week and make a list of the low-value, low-priority activities you engaged in the previous week. Consciously start saying "No" to those things. Also, start setting your priorities and watch what does NOT get done by the end of the day. These are clues to the clutter as well. If you prioritize and you get to the end of the day, you've eliminated the clutter, and there are still mission critical priorities on your list that aren't getting done, most likely then you have a delegation problem. Go back to step 2.

One final thought, many people tell me "Everything is a priority." That's just not true! If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. That's just an excuse for not having the skill or will to set priorities.

This may be one of the most difficult challenges you face on a daily basis. Train yourself and discipline yourself to prioritize. If you need help, get a coach or an accountability partner. But DO IT! Prioritization is the key to your success and joy in ministry!

What is a Missional Church?

Great video! This gives a powerful yet simple explaination of the missional church. Enjoy.

Understand Your Host Culture

Buck Birch is a friend and church planter in Russia. He offers a very encouraging blog post on "Enjoying our Host Culture." Every church planter should be thinking about their "host culture" even if they are living and planting in the U.S. Our mission is to take the gospel into a "host" culture in a relevant and meaningful way.

We must love the culture in which God has placed us (see Buck's post). However, we must remember the words of Jesus in John 15:17 - we are to be in the culture but not of the culture. We must love the culture and appreciate the beauty of the culture (a reflection of the image of God) without becoming "inculturated" and assimilated into the culture.

We must always remember that we are pilgrims (aliens) in this world. We're only passing through. Our true home is yet to come. But in the meantime, God has given us all things richly to enjoy. Enjoy the culture, but be an agent of grace and transformation in YOUR host culture. Our aim as church planters and church planting leaders is to create biblically faithful, culturally relevant, counter-cultural communities of faith. Check out what Buck has to say!

Baptism and New Churches

Almost all church planters have to educate their new congregations on Baptism. In this message at Crossbridge Church last week I offer some helpful information on the subject "What is Baptism All About." I hope this will be useful to you as you listen to this audio.

http://crossbridge.cc/media/talks/?series=23

Leverage Facebook for Outreach

I'm very excited about what Ben Hays and his team at Church in the Center are doing. I've seen about 10 attempts to start a new church in the Texas Medical Center are over the past 15 years. Church in the Center is the only one that I have seen survive and thrive. One key is their ability to use social media, particularly Facebook. If you are a church planter or serve on a church planting team, check this out. If you need more help with leveraging social media, contact us here at NCI. Watch this:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=402233002094&ref=nf

First and Never

Ministry (and life) today is full of "firsts" and "nevers." Seth Godin captured this well in his blog post today. As ministry leaders we need to keep this in mind not only for ourselves, but for the people whom we lead. Seth says:

...We keep discovering firsts, the biggest viral video ever, the most twitter followers ever, the fastest bestseller ever... And we constantly discover nevers as well. There's never going to be a mass market TV show that rivals the ones that came before. There's never going to be a worldwide brand built by advertising ever again either. And Michael Jackson's record deal is the last one of its kind...

Read Seth's blog post and think about how this applies to church and ministry life. What are the "firsts" and "nevers" that you have experienced? What are the "firsts" and "nevers" the people in your congregation are experiencing? These are powerful thoughts!

Missional Church

My good friend Will Mancini has some excellent blog posts on "Missional Church." Check them out!

Will's Blog Posts on Missional Church

Are You Fighting the Good Fight?

This past weekend I went on a retreat with 40 other men from our church. We had a lot of fun - shot guns, played Texas Holdem, etc. But we also read through 2 Timothy and talked about what it meant to "fight the good fight of faith."

We must teach our men to be fighters! It probably should be natural right? It's not. To read my reflections on "fighting" see my blog post for business professionals at God Is My Coach.

A Cure for Distrust

I want to highly recommend that you read A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent. Every Christ-follower should be preaching the gospel to themself. This is a powerful resource. Let me share one excerpt:

Every time I deliberately disobey a command of God, it is because I am in that moment doubtful as to God's true intentions in giving me that command. Does He really have my best interests at heart? Or is He withholding something from me that I would be better off having? Such questions, whether consciously asked or not, lie underneath every act of disobedience.

However, the gospel changes my view of God's commandments, in that it helps me to see the heart of the Person from whom those commandments come. When I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever.

When controlling my thoughts as described above, the gospel cures me of my suspicion of God, thereby disposing me to walk more trustingly on the path of obedience to His commands.

The Gospel Gives Us Boldness Before God

I've been thinking a lot these days about what it means to live a gospel-centerd life. The essence of the gospel is that God does not give me what I deserve (which is His wrath), but instead overwhelms me with His love and grace.

The truth is that I do not always believe that He is so generous. I don't fully appreciate His kindness and grace.

There are moments when I seem to get it (at least a little.) In those moments I pray with more boldness. I trust God for bigger things. I am not hesitant to ask Him for something significant. I don't deserve any of this. But the gospel is the good news that says I can approach my Heavenly Father with boldness and confidence (Heb 4:16).

Milton Vincent says it this way:

With greater boldness in prayer comes an increased enjoyment of God and the bounty that He gives, due simply to the fact that I was daring enough to ask for what was needed. Preaching the gospel to myself each day nourishes within me a holy brazenness to believe what God says, enjoy what He offers, and do what He commands.

Though I've been a Christ-follower for many years, I still long to live in the Gospel more each day. I have yet a long way to go.

10 Types of Emerging Church

Very interesting summary of the different types of churches being planted today. Thanks Andrew for sharing your observations and experience.

10 Types of Emerging Church That Will No Longer Upset Your Grandfather by Andrew Jones.

Join Me at The Verge Conference

I hope you will join me at the Verge Conference in Austin, TX on February 4-6. If you have a heart and passion for starting missional communities, this is a "must attend" event! Presenters will include:

Francis Chan
Alan Hirsch
Hugh Halter
Dave Ferguson
George Patterson
Matt Carter
Dave Gibbons
Neil Cole
David Garrison... and more!

For more information click here! See you there!

First, Organize 1,000

Seth Godin is a business blogger but offers many interesting insights for pastors and especially church planters. Check out this blog post on "First, Organize 1,000."

Also, read his book Tribes. A great book on gathering a following!

Stop Trying to Reach Most People

This is a "must-read" from Will Mancini.

Stop Trying to Reach Most People

Great post Will!

More Observations About Millennials

The Pew Research Center is helping us understand more about the millennial generation. These are mostly twenty-something adults. Our church is focused on reaching the 30 year old male so this is vitally important information for us. Maybe you will find it helpful too.

Here are 3 more big things you need to know about the Millennials:

• They are the most ethnically and racially diverse cohort of adults in the nation's history: 18.5% are Hispanic; 14.2% are African American; 4.3% are Asian; 3.2% are mixed race or other; and 59.8% (a record low) are white.
• They are the first generation in human history who regard behaviors like tweeting and texting, along with websites like Facebook, YouTube, Google and Wikipedia, not as astonishing innovations of the digital era, but as everyday parts of their social lives and their search for understanding.
• They are the least religiously observant young adults since survey research began charting religious behavior.

Unfortunately, most churches in the U.S. are declining in attendance. This typically results when our churches are unable to reach the emerging generations and/or the changing communities around them. We must know and understand this new generation, and we must adapt our methods to be increasingly culturally relevant while always remaining Biblically faithful.

Do You Know the Millennials?

Pew Research has recently released some interesting data about Millennials. Just so you will know, Baby Boomers are now ages 46-64, GenX'ers are now ages 31-45, and Millennials start with teens and go up to 30 years of age.

One interesting fact about these Millennials is that they are more inclined toward trust in institutions than were either of their two predecessor generations (Boomers & X'ers) when they were coming of age. What are the implications of this for the church?

Another important observation is that they are starting out as the most politically progressive age group in modern history. In the 2008 election, Millennials voted for Barack Obama over John McCain by 66%-32%, while adults ages 30 and over split their votes 50%-49%. In the four decades since the development of Election Day exit polling, this is the largest gap ever seen in a presidential election between the votes of those under and over age 30.

From a generational standpoint in the U.S., twenty-somethings are the most unreached segment by the church. We need to know these young adults and discover ways to reach them with the gospel.

Do You Have Enough...

Do you ever feel like you don't have enough time? Enough people? Enough money? Enough opportunities, etc.?

Silly question, right? This is the daily mantra for most church planters. Take a look at this blog post, I Don't Have Enough.... I think you'll find it very encouraging!

Celebrate Small Wins

Having worked in business and church I can say with conviction that in the church we generally do not know how to measure success.

It’s easy in business, you must make a profit or you will not stay in business. You can celebrate small wins because you know they are the things that move you toward making a profit. However, in ministry “profit” is not the goal. In fact, many churches continue to generate income through tithes and offerings while never accomplishing much toward their mission. This is partly due to the fact that we are not clear on our mission!

In his excellent book 7 Practices of Effective Ministry, Andy Stanley states “It is possible for a church to become very efficient at doing ministry ineffectively.” This is because we do not have a clear picture of the end. We must work with the end in mind, or as Andy says it, we must clarify the win!

Yogi Berra once said “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” That characterizes many (if not most) churches in North America. When we don’t know where we’re going, we never know what or when to celebrate! We don’t know what the “small wins” are if and when they come. Without celebration, people lose vision, hope, and motivation.

In a church plant, we must have a plan of action! That plan must move us toward a clear vision and it must identify small wins along the way. These should be the focus of our intercessors (please tell me you have an intercession team), and they should be markers for celebration. I encourage planters to maintain a 90 Day Plan and to update it monthly. At least monthly you and your team should celebrate the small wins!

I Was Wrong About Church Buildings

Just read an excellent article by Dan Kimball entitled "I Was Wrong About Church Buildings." Every church planting leader needs to read this. Dan says:

If you had asked me eight years ago what I thought about church buildings, I would have said, "Who needs a building? The early church didn't have buildings, and we don't need them either!" But I was wrong... Read the article here.

The Essentials for Starting a Missional Church - December 11th

Our NEW seminar "The Essentials for Starting a Missional Church - 2010" is less than 2 weeks away. This will be a one-day intensive training for church planters, prospective church planters, and church planting teams. The date is Friday, December 11th! The location is Crossbridge Church, 1049 Eldridge Rd, Sugar Land, TX.

This seminar is built on over 20 years of church planting research and experience. In this power-packed day you will learn about the most critical issues that every church planting leader should be thinking about TODAY as they start a new church.

For more information and to register click here and go to our New Church Initiatives Website. Our call our office at 281-635-3086.

Coaching: A Discovery Process

Coaching focuses on promoting discovery. A good coach will not tell you what to do, but instead will ask you the right questions to help you discover what you need to do. As Christians we have the added benefit of the Holy Spirit indwelling us to guide us into truth. A skilled coach will help you find untapped potential within yourself. A good coach thinks about you and your needs. He focuses entirely on you.

Jane Creswell, author of Christ-Centered Coaching, says "The best image for coaching is a vehicle. The word coach derives from an old British word meaning 'horse-drawn carriage.'" She encourages us to think of the coaching process as a journey, "one in which you are caught up in the process as you move toward a specific, targeted destination." The goal of the coach is to help you find direction and enjoy the ride, while maximizing all the resources at your disposal. The skilled coach helps you be the best you can be.

I said it before, every church planter needs a coach. In fact, I believe that every pastor needs a coach. Do you have one? What do you think? Let me know.

Throw Out Your Assumptions

For those of you who know me you know that I am big on planning. Part of this is my gifting and part of this is my OCD. My favorite TV show line comes from the old show "The A Team." Every episode the leader of the team ends the show by saying "I love it when a plan comes together." (You have to see the show to get it.)

I am very insistent that the church planters I coach create a project plan for their new church, even if it is a simple church. I love all the passages in Proverbs that affirm planning! I think they were placed in scripture just for church planters.

However, I am very aware while we prayerfully make our plans, the Lord directs our steps. I am aware that church planting is not a work of human effort, but a work of the Spirit.

With that said, I always encourage church planting leaders to re-evaluate their plan every 30 days. Is it still realistic? Does it seem to be in step with how the Spirit is moving? What progress are you making toward your milestones? What new things are you discovering?

One colleague told me that in a startup, you have to throw out all your assumptions every 3 weeks, while at the same time staying focused and moving forward.

This doesn't mean that your entire plan changes every 3-4 weeks, but it does mean that this venture is a journey into the unknown, and we must always be sensitive to what the Spirit of God is saying and doing. This is another value a good coach brings to the church planter - he is an advocate who can help you discern, evaluate, and make mid-course corrections as needed.

Always make good plans. But always monitor and evaluate your plan as you move forward! What are your thoughts?

Tell Your Story

Every church planter needs to write and communicate his/her story!

People are drawn to passion and they are moved by stories. Every church planter has a story and they should be communicating that story with passion. To get focused and clear on it, you MUST write it down!What is your story?

Your story should answer the questions:
• Why are you planting a church instead of doing something else?
• Why are you planting in the location that you’re planting?
• What has led you to this place?
• What do you hope for/dream of?

Your story should define your calling. It should express your passion. It should articulate your dream. You must understand that stories touch the hearts of people. When you touch the heart, people will join with you to make this new church a reality.

To succeed as a church planter, your new church must have at its foundation a story that drives and directs it day by day. And that story begins with God’s story and your story! A compelling story will answer the “Why?” questions and cause others to want to become a part of that story.

Have you written your story? You should be able to do this in one page. Have you communicated your story? You should be writing letters, articles, blogs, etc. every week. Have you engaged others with your story? You should have 10 face to face appointments every week sharing your story with someone new!

You are not ready to plant a church until you have written and begun articulating your story!

Know Your Local Calling

Every missional church is keenly attuned to their local situation. I believe that a missional church is engaged both locally and globally as agents of the Kingdom of God. Think about your local setting and ask yourself these questions:

• What are the unique needs around you? In your neighborhood? In your city?
• How do you see these needs revealed socially, economically, environmentally, relationally, politically, and religiously?
• Where do you see the Kingdom of God most relfected? Least reflected?
• What special opportunities or events are found immediately around you?
• What prominent issues stand out in the eyes of the public and/or media?
• What needs and opportunities do the industries specific to your area create?
• What are the most significant changes in your community over the last decade, and what needs does this create?
• What is the creation story of our particular community, and what insights can this give us?
• Does the history of our community reveal any spiritual strongholds?
• How would you describe "lostness" in your community?
• What one positive change in your community would have the most dramatic effect in people's lives and/or the community as a whole?

1 Chronicles 12:32 tells us that the men of Issachar "understood the times and knew what Israel should do." Do you deeply understand your community at this time, and do you know what God is calling you to do?

Your Kingdom Concept

In the book Church Unique my friend Will Mancini teaches us how to discover God's unique vision for our church. He says the first step is to discover your "Kingdom Concept." I love what Will does with this. He says "The Kingdom Concept is the simple, clear, big idea that defines how your church will glorify God and make disciples." He goes on to say that "your Kingdom Concept is what differentiates you from every other church in how you develop followers of Christ."

What is your greatest opportunity to have an impact on the Kingdom? What can your church do better than ten thousand other churches? When you answer these questions you will discover what Will calls "your organizational sweet spot" or your Kingdom Concept. The big question is how do we discover our unique Kingdom Concept?

Will borrows from Jim Collins' model in Good to Great to help us answer that question. In Good to Great Collins introduces the idea of the "Hedgehog Concept." He describes an organization's "Hedgehog Concept" as the intersection of three circles. For Collins, circle one is "What you can be the best in the world at." Circle two is "What drives your economic engine." Circle three is "What you are deeply passionate about." Once a company or organization answers these three questions they are set to discover their "Hedgehog Concept," which is the key to their longterm success. Where these three circles overlap DEFINES their unique "Hedgehog Concept."

Will masterfully applies this concept to the local church using three circles. Circle one is to know your local predicament: "What are the unique needs and opportunities where God has placed us?" Circle two is to identify your collective potential: "What are the unique resources and capabilities that God brings together in us as a church?" Circle three is to declare your apostolic esprit: "What particular focus most energizes and animates our leadership?" Where these three circles intersect is your "Kingdom Concept."

Every church young and old needs to be crystal clear on their Kingdom Concept. Are you clear? Is your church clear?

How Different Generations View and Use the Bible

Have you ever considered how different generations view and use the Bible? I've been watching this, but now Barna offers some interesting research. He says:

As observers of American culture debate whether the nation has entered a post-Christian phase, one overlooked discussion is how attitudes about and usage of the Bible may be changing. A new research report from the Barna Group examines recent nationwide studies on how different generations of American adults view and use the Bible. Read more...

"The Essentials" is Postponed unitl December 11th!

Our popular seminar "The Essentials for Starting a Missional Church" has been postponed from October 30th until December 11th! Please note this change and plan to join us at Crossbridge Church for this new, updated One-Day Intensive seminar for church planting leaders! For more details click here.

Tools and Templates - Free Resources

Are you looking for some tools and resources that will help you as you gather people for your new church? Here are some resources designed for the new church planting leader. We call these our Essential Experiences. Here is an idex of tools that are available to you, absolutely free!

Also, join us for "The Essentials for Starting a Missional Church," on October 30th in Houston, TX. This is a one-day intensive for church planting leaders. Find out more here.

Jesus' Health Care Plan

Wow! This is the best article I've read from a Christian perspective on the health care debate. George Barna writes:

You can’t turn on the TV, listen to radio or read a newspaper without confronting some information about the raging debate on health care. Surveys continue to show that Americans are not well-informed on the issue and are struggling to figure out who is telling the truth about existing needs, the financial implications of the policies under consideration, and how they will personally be affected. Read more...

Things To Ask Before You Redo Your Website

One of my favorite thought leaders and marketing gurus is Seth Godin. He has posted an excellent resource on his blog entitled "Things to ask before you redo your website." Check it out!

Acts 29 Boot Camp

It was a great day today at the Acts 29 Boot Camp in Houston. I believe that this will be a catalyst for some new church planting activity in this area. A big thank you to Scott Thomas, Jeremy Pace, Chad Clarkson, and many others who helped to make this happen!

God Communicates With Church Planters

God is at work around us, and to accomplish this work He personally communicates His will to His people, inviting each church to join in His activity in specific ways. - Henry Blackaby

In church planting, it's absolutely critical that you know how to discern the "communications" that come from the Lord. One way to increase your spiritual sensitivity to this call is to engage in reading, conversations, and training around church planting. Join me this week at Acts 29 Boot Camp in Houston!

Is Social Media a Fad?

Is Social Media a fad or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? Take a look at this and decide for yourself...

A Cure for Distrust

I want to highly recommend that you read A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent. Every Christ-follower should be preaching the gospel to themself. This is a powerful resource. Let me share one excerpt:

Every time I deliberately disobey a command of God, it is because I am in that moment doubtful as to God's true intentions in giving me that command. Does He really have my best interests at heart? Or is He withholding something from me that I would be better off having? Such questions, whether consciously asked or not, lie underneath every act of disobedience.

However, the gospel changes my view of God's commandments, in that it helps me to see the heart of the Person from whom those commandments come. When I begin my train of thought with the gospel, I realize that if God loved me enough to sacrifice His Son's life for me, then He must be guided by that same love when He speaks His commandments to me. Viewing God's commands and prohibitions in this light, I can see them for what they really are: friendly signposts from a heavenly Father who is seeking to love me through each directive, so that I might experience His very fullness forever.

When controlling my thoughts as described above, the gospel cures me of my suspicion of God, thereby disposing me to walk more trustingly on the path of obedience to His commands.

How Many People Attend a House Church?

There is much debate about how to count the number of Americans who attend a "house church." I think Ed Stetzer has done a great job of helping us understand the most accurate picture. See is research here, "Counting People Who Attend House Churches."

Discerning Your Calling

As I coach pastors and prospective church planters I ask a lot of questions about calling. As I've mentioned before there are many different views about this issue. However, I think there are 5 components to discerning and clarifying your calling.

1. It requires an increasing intimacy with the one calling us. Without an increasing intimacy we will not be able to discern the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds. We will know our calling only to the degree that we know the Caller!
2. It requires an increasing level of self-awareness. It's important to have a good understanding of your strengths and your weaknesses. It will not be your weaknesses that create the most confusion or problem for you, it will be your blindspots. Know yourself.
3. It is confirmed in at least 3 ways. First, it is confirmed by an inescapable passion. What do you always come back to? Second, it is confirmed by the community of believers. What are those who know you well telling you? Third, it is confirmed by the fruit of your efforts. Are you an evangelist? Are you a gatherer of people?
4. The calling to church planting requires certain aptitudes. That's why we always encourage prospective planters to complete a thorough church planter assessment to see how they measure up to the qualities of successful planters.
5. The calling usually flows out of a journey. Can you identify the "markers" in your life that have brought you to the place of planting a new church?

Before you launch out in a church planting venture, make sure of your calling. For an additional training and resources, join us for "The Essentials for Starting a Missional Church." Also, get a coach!

Calling: What Do You Mean?

I have the privilege of working with church planters from many different faith traditions. I've discovered that the concept of "calling" is understood differently depending on your tradition or theological orientation.

Our brothers and sisters that come from a "Holiness" background tend to view calling as a very mystical experience. Those that come from a more "Biblicist or Fundamental" background tend to view calling as a more rational process primarily based on one's talents or spiritual gifts. Those from a more "Reformed" or "Covenantal" tradition tend to think of calling as something that comes from the church or the "covenant" community. Who's right?

I've wrestled with this concept for years and have systematically studied it from Scripture. (See last post for a summary.) I've come to believe that there is truth in each perspective. There is something that has to happen between you and God (mystical). There is something very rational about it that comes from ones journey/experiences and gifting. And I also believe that the Body of Christ plays an important role in clarifying and confirming one's calling.

So, what do we mean by calling? From Scriptural study, from great theological thinkers, and from faith tradition I have come to define calling in this way. Calling is a summons from God, a strong inner pull toward a particular course of action and/or place of service.

I close with a quote from Os Guiness: The problem with Western society is that we have too much to live with, and too little to live for. Discover your calling and live it out with passion!

A Biblical Perspective on Calling; A Practical Definition

What can we learn about "calling" from simply looking at the Scriptures? Here's what I see:

1. OT – to summons; to request their attention; everyday sense “God called to Adam…”
2. OT – to name; to speak into existence (“God called the light day…”)
3. NT – synonymous with salvation (ecclesia = called out ones)
4. NT – called to various roles, responsibilities, lifestyles, places, and positions (Rom 1:1,6,7; I Cor 1:1-2,9,24,26; I Cor 7:17,20-21,24; Gal 5:13; Eph 1:18; Col 3:15; 2 Th 2:13-14; I Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 5:4; I Pet 2:9,21; I Pet 3:9; I Pet 5:10)

From these passages I have come to see 2 dimensions of calling:

1. Our PRIMARY calling is TO Jesus (into relationship & communion!)
2. Our SECONDARY calling is FOR Jesus (to live out our primary calling in a specific direction, for which He has uniquely created us!)

In his book The Call, Os Guiness describes calling this way; Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and his service.

With that said, here is a working definition that I like to use for calling: Calling is a summons from God; a strong inner pull toward a particular course of action and/or place of service.

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest), how clear are you on your calling? If you're planting a church you need to be in the 9-10 range. If not, don't plant until you get clearer on your calling!

The 4 Essentials for Starting a Missional Church

As we train church planting leaders we talk about the 4 essentials for starting a missional church. Here are those 4 essentials:

1. Church Planters Must Have a Story. There should be a clear and compelling reason for what you are doing. This reason can be seen in how God has led you and worked in your life and circumstances up to this point. That's your story! You should be able to capture it and share it in a way that not only makes sense to others, but gives them confidence that this is truly what God has called you to do! By writing and refining your story you gain clarity of calling, clarity of mission, and clarity of values.
2. Church Planters Must Have a Vision. There is so much confusion surrounding this concept of vision. Let me encourage you to "de-mystify" this. Yes there is certainly a divine component to vision, but really it is not that difficult. You simply want to get a clear picture of a preferred future in your mind. You want to clarify a picture of a specific church, in a specific community, impacting that community in a specific way. Gaining clarity does take some work, but you must do it in order to inspire others with a dream and direction that they will give their lives to.
3. Church Planters Must Have a Plan. Unfortunately many planters are very undisciplined. They do not take the time and discipline to think, to write, to refine, and to schedule. We train planters in a simple form of project planning that requires them to be detailed and specific. This is just good stewardship. Yes, plans always change some in the process of implementation. But wise planters are always refining and managing their plan. Good plans include mobilizing intercessory prayer, evangelism & people gathering strategies, and resource gathering strategies, just to name a few.
4. Church Planters Must Have Milestones. How do you know that you're on track? How do you know that you're really making progress? How do you know when to celebrate? Every big venture requires small wins. These are the milestones. They also serve as the metrics for measuring your success. Ed Stetzer's research suggests that many (if not most) planters have unrealistic expectations when beginning. This leads to discouragement for themselves and their teams. Milestones enable you to measure your progress and stay on track.

We are currently re-designing our entire training system for church planters. We hope to have this available soon. For more information on future "Essentials" seminars or church planter coaching email us at glenn@nciglobal.org.

Here Comes The Bride...

How about this for a wedding entrance...

The Church Office

You've got to see this video, The Church Office! This is truly a church planting team!

Find Your Strengths

The effective executive builds on strengths - their own strengths, the strengths of superiors, colleagues, subordinates; and on the strengths of the situation. Peter Drucker

In order to be all that God created us to be, and to do all that God created us to do, we must discover, know, and leverage our strengths! As a strengths coach, my aim is to help church planters and church leaders learn to use their strengths 80% or more of the time.

Conventional wisdom tells us that we must learn from our mistakes. However, all we learn from mistakes is the characteristics of mistakes. Instead, we should focus on learning from our successes. That's where we will discover our strengths.

Peter Drucker wrote that the best leaders "get their strengths together and make their weaknesses irrelevant." As a missional leader, that's what you must do. This also describes how we must lead our people. Help them discover their strengths. Then help them leverage those strengths on mission!

Common Mistakes Church Planters Make

My friend David Putman has written a good article on Common Mistakes Church Planters Make. Check it out!

Small Churches Thrive

Ed Stetzer has a post on how small churches are thriving. Check it out: Small Churches Can Thrive.

More Mega Church Research

My friend Ed Stetzer has some new research on the people who attend America's mega churches. You might find this surprising! I did. Check it out here.

Business as Mission

Two of my favorite people are featured in this article. These are men who love God and want to make a difference with their lives. They have been very involved in church planting in the U.S. and oversees. We have not only ministered together but we also share a passion for business as mission through The Growth Coach. Check this out...

The Growth Coach Attracts the Spiritually Motivated

Twitter In The Church

I am enjoying watching the rapid changes that are taking place through online social media. As both a ministry leader and business owner, I'm engaging the new tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and now Twitter.

I know, some of you have been on Twitter since 2007. I'll admit, I'm not on the "bleeding" edge, but this is still a very new, yet powerful medium. You can find me at @coach4growth. To learn more about how this tool is changing our lives see these new articles from Time:

Twitter In Church, With the Pastor's OK

How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live

10 Ways Twitter Will Change American Business

If you are not Twittering, catch up! It's a powerful tool. But beware! It can be a crippling distraction and highly addictive!

Strengths Performance Coaching

I just returned from training with the Gallup Organization to become certified as a Strengths Performance Coach. Every pastor and ministry leader needs to know their talents, gifts, and strengths. Unfortunately, many do not. They end up spending a lot of time and energy working in their areas of weakness or mediocrity rather than in their strengths. I highly recommend that you and your team use StrengthsFinder. Three books that make this available to you are Now Discover Your Strengths, StrengthsFinder 2.0, and Strengths Leadership. If you truly want to leverage your strengths in ministry, take the inventory and then contact me or another Strengths Performance Coach.

Spiritual Formation

Today I preached on Gal 4:19, "...I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you." My questions were:
1. What does it look like when Christ is formed in us?
2. What does it take for Christ to be formed in us?

The message went well and the two congregations seemed engaged with me. The bottomline is this: Behavioral conformity is NOT spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is not:
1. legalism,
2. rule-keeping,
3. pressure,
4. exhaustion,
5. behavioral conformity.

Spiritual formation is a heart issue. See Pr. 4:23. When Christ is formed in us, Jesus behavior flows from the heart. To hear the podcast go to www.crossbridge.cc.

A Jesus To Snack On

We must do a better job of discipling...

A Jesus to Snack On @ Yahoo! Video

Missional Renaissance

Reggie McNeal's latest book Missional Renaissance is a must read for every pastor, church planter, and church leader. Reggie always offers the church rich and practical insight. For a church to become missional it has to make three shifts in its thinking and behavior:

1. From internal to external in terms of ministry focus


2. From program development to poeple development in terms of core activity


3. From church-based to kingdom-based in terms of leadership agenda

What is most powerful about Reggie's book is that he gives us "scorecards" that help us measure the things that missional churches need to be measuring. Home run Reggie! Thanks.

Build Men

Every church planter needs a team like the Road Crew at Crossbridge. The Road Crew was a group of men who made a huge commitment week after week to set up and tear down for our Sunday service. Last night we had an appreciation dinner to honor these dedicated servants. It was incredible.

While Road Crew was very hard work and while it required a tremendous amount of commitment, there were lasting friendships and memories made. Also, many of these young men grew tremendously in their faith. As I listened to them tell stories of our 6 years as a portable church it was both hilarious and humbling. I felt honored to be in their presence.

The Road Crew started out as a few highly dedicated men who started at 6:30am on Sunday morning and didn't finish until nearly 2:00pm. Eventually more men were recruited and it grew to two groups, a set up group (that worked from 6:30-8:30) and a tear down group (that worked from the end of the service until about 2:00pm). Then more men were recruited and there were 4 groups - two for the even months and two for the odd months. What made it successful was the leadership exhibited by the original team and the expanding group leaders.

Now that we are in a permanent facility my big concern is that these men will not find a new challenge that will stretch them even further. Men need to be challenged to do things that only men can do. They need big challenges, masculine challenges, tough challenges. Every man needs a big vision. I pray that we can step up now and take them to a new level. Build men!

Never Stop Meeting New People

Some church planters have a difficult time meeting new people. This creates a problem in the pre-launch phase because their goal has to be to gather enough of a following to form a “critical mass.” The best church planters are often “people magnets.” They draw many others around them. Usually this means that they must be aggressive in meeting new people.

If a planter hopes to launch large I encourage them to build a solid prospect base of at least 200 people. They also need a missional core team who will build a solid prospect base of at least 200 people (400 total). Many church planters have never operated this way before, so this is a stretch. However, with some basic people skills and a high degree of intentionality, this is very doable.

The danger comes when the church is launched and the church planter becomes very busy with weekly services, preaching, programming, counseling, etc. The danger is to stop meeting new people. Don’t let this happen to you!

Even after you launch your new church, make it a habit to get out, network, and meet new people every week. Keep building your personal prospect list. Keep encouraging your core to be investing in people and inviting people who are far from God. Don’t lose the missional focus and discipline that you started with. Set the example. Never stop meeting new people.

Did You Know?

Reflections From Exponential '09

I got home last night from Exponential, the National New Church Conference in Orlando, FL. It was the biggest crowd ever, probably in the 2,000 range. There were more church planting resources and organizations there than I've ever seen in my entire life. Ed Stetzer was right when he wrote about energy and enthusiasm surrounding church planting in North America. It truly is at an unprecedented high! The conference was a huge success in everyway. Congratulations to Todd Wilson and crew for an exceptional line up of speakers and a phenomenal event.

I'm very encouraged that so many denominations and churches are so passionate about church planting. More churches are being planted every year in the U.S. than probably ever before. There is a lot to be grateful for. There are more resources available today than ever before. There's no excuse for someone not educating themself thoroughly before planting. There are more coaching organizations than ever before - everyone eager to provide coaching to church planters. How can anyone not have dramatic success?

Francis Chan brought it all home at the end reminding us that this is really a work of God and we must be utterly dependent upon Him. A huge thank you to everyone who made this an incredible experience.

2008 Was The Year That Man-Made Global Warming Was Disproved

Being a pilot and having an avid interest in meterology, I have been following the politically charged theories about man-made global warming for some time. The following article helps everyone see how we have been suckered by the polititians to believe something that is totally unscientific. Click here.

I'm also happy to see my good friend Ed Stetzer speaking up about this as well, see his "tweet" today @edstetzer.

Exponential: The National New Church Conference

I fly out early Monday morning for Orlando to be at Exponential. I hope you will be with us. This is the largest gathering of church planting leaders in North America. We are also working to schedule our next Essentials Training here in Houston for June. I'll have more details soon.

Church Planting can be very lonely and discouraging. Let me encourage you to work at staying connected to other planters, coaches, mentors, and advisors. Don't let yourself become isolated. It can happen before you know it. Isolation is the first step down a bad road. Stay connected and work to keep your heart encouraged.

Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet

Gavin Bryars composed this orchestral arrangement for the voice of a hobo singing, in London in 1971. His friend was making a movie about down and out sort of people, many who would break into drunken song while they were filming them. This particular man was not drunk. Later..."When I copied the loop onto the continuous reel in Leicester, I left the door of the recording studio open (it opened onto one of the large painting studios) while I went to get a cup of coffee. When I came back I found the normally lively room unnaturally subdued. People were moving about much more slowly than usual, and a few were sitting alone, quietly weeping. I was puzzled until I realized that the tape was still playing and that they had been overcome by the old man's unaccompained singing."

Power Point Help for Graphically Challenged People Like Me

Seth Godin has done it again. He has given us a great resource for free. Do you need help creating better looking power points and presentations? This is for you, check it out:

Click here: Become a Really Good Graphic Designer.

Chick Fil A

This is the funniest video I've seen in a while - maybe because it is so true!

You Must See This!

Wow! This is the most moving video I've seen in a long time. Take a look.

A Heck of a Day

One of my favorite stories is that of Jim Valvano, the legendary basketball coach at North Carolina State University. Nicknamed "Jimmy V", Valvano was diagnosed with bone cancer in June 1992 and then died in April 1993. The month prior to his death he spoke at the inaugural ESPY Awards, presented by ESPN, where he was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award. In his speech, which drew a lengthy standing ovation, he made these comments:

To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.

I like this quote because it sounds like a day in the life of a church planter, and that's a heck of a day! Ask God to help you enjoy every day of your church planting experience.

Train Your Core Group in Stewardship

My friend Ed Stetzer has conducted research on the health and survivability of church plants in the U.S. today. His research is available through the Leadership Network (www.leadnet.org). His research has revealed this:

Survivability increases by 178% when there is a proactive stewardship development plan within the church plant.

I've seen this to be true in my experience as well. I encourage every church planter to have an intentional stewardship training plan for their missional core prior to launch, and to have a plan for ongoing stewardship training after the new church is launched. Don't be afraid to teach on this topic!

One of my favorite examples of this is found at Hill Country Bible Church in Austin, TX. All of their planters (and they plant 3-5 churches each year) take their core groups through 3-4 weeks of stewardship training, they ask all their core to commit to tithe faithfully to the new church plant, and they ask for a one-time "first fruits" gift on top of that to cover start up costs. All of this happens prior to the launch of the new church. As a result, their plants are almost financially self sufficient from day one!

Train your core in stewardship. Ask for a strong financial commitment. Raise the bar higher than you've ever raised it, and see what God does!

Give The Challenge

Don't be afraid to give the challenge!

Sometimes we are afraid to raise the bar high. We ask ourselves "What if they say no? What if they bail out? What if we get criticized? If they turn away, am I a bad leader?" These are all common questions that church planters wrestle with in their minds. As a result, we're afraid to give a strong challenge to our core teams.

My encouragement to you is don't be afraid. Just do it! You must raise the bar high with the core team that is going to help you plant this new church. You'll never succeed if you don't have a team of highly committed missionaries in your core group.

What's holding you back? What fears are controlling you? What limiting beliefs are going through your head? Be bold and courageous. Call people to a high level of commitment and don't be ashamed. Jesus calls us to a high level of commitment - we should call our leaders to a high level of commitment as well. For resources to help train and equip your core click here. If you need more help, get a coach! We're here to help.

Join Us For Essentials

This week we will be presenting "The Essentials for Starting a Missional Church." The date is Thursday - Friday, Feb. 26-27. This will be the first presentation of our NEW 2009 VERSION. If you are interested in joining us or sending someone else to join us, please email me at glenn@nciglobal.org.

Leverage Social Media Marketing

Many of the church planters I'm working with are beginning to use the social media in very effective ways. Facebook is becoming a powerful tool for networking and advertising. The good thing about advertising like Facebook ads and Search Engine ads is that they are "pay per click." You can set your budget and know that every dollar you spent had some kind of impression. One of the planters I'm coaching had 8 first time visitors from Facebook last month.

Some of my clients are beginning to use a national company called Reach Local. It's a little more expensive than say Google ads, but it offers more capabilities.

Another tool that is growing in popularity is Twitter. The booklet "The Reason Your Church Must Twitter" by Anthony D. Coppedge is a great resource. Many have been using blogs but now with Facebook and Twitter the bloggers are going to a new level. And don't forget about YouTube - a powerful tool that is being way under-utilized!

In my business I like Linked In and Ning. These are excellent professional networking tools that have many applications for churches as well as businesses. MeetUp.com groups are also proving to be very effective in networking and outreach.

For those church planters who have relied primarily on marketing strategies like direct mail and print ads, this new strategy may seem quite unconventional. However, for the planters that have been leveraging "relationship marketing" like we teach in our "Essentials" training, these new online tools can take you to a whole new level. Plus they are very inexpensive. Whoever you are, you need to leverage the new social media opportunities that are available now.

My Valentine

It was Valentines Day, 35 years ago (senior year in high school), that I sent my first valentine to a girl whom I fell in love with on our first date (9 months prior), though I first met her in 7th grade (another story), who later became my wife (33 years ago). She has been, and will always be, the love of my life. I love her smile, I love her voice, I love her touch, I love her embrace, I love everything about her. She has always gone the extra mile for me and with me. Every song Chicago sings makes me think about her. As I look back over the years, I can't imagine what life would have been like without her. She has been and will always be the greatest treasure of my heart. For me, Valentines Day is the day that I feel the most blessed.

What Is The Gospel?

My thinking has been greatly influenced by Tim Keller. He has helped me come to appreciate the Gospel in much deeper ways. I think the key to really understanding and appreciating the Gospel is to understand how pervasive sin is in the human condition. Sin is not just a behavior, but it effects my identity, my relationships, my purpose, my work, my motives & ambitions, my longings, my thoughts, and my behavior. Until we understand how deeply sin has effected us we will not deeply appreciate the power of the Gospel.

When I look in my heart and my life I realize that I am far worse than I ever imagined. I am hopelessly and utterly sinful. But it's at exactly that point that I discover God's grace is far greater than I can even comprehend. The new identity, capacity, and potential that He gives me in Christ is amazing.

For a simple introduction, I highly recommend Tim's book Prodigal God. For a more indepth study I encourage you to visit his church website and find more of his articles and resources. I also recommend an old resource by Larry Crabb entitled Inside Out.

SYSTEMS - CRITICAL TO ONGOING EFFECTIVENESS

I am a fanatic about systems. However, not all pastors are! Some feel like systems stifle creativity or the movement of the Spirit. Some think systems are almost anti-spiritual. Nothing could be further from the truth!

The truth is that you have a system for almost everything you do, though you may not know it. God created using systems; just consider the solar system, the ecosystem, the family system, not to mention the human body which is a conglomerate of highly sophisticated systems (nervous system, respiratory system, etc.)

If you are planting a church you must think about the systems you are creating. Remember, you cannot NOT create systems. You will either create good systems that produce health and effectiveness or bad systems that make your ministry ineffective, inefficient, and stagnate. Begin by identifying and evaluating the systems you have. Every missional church must have four major systems. You must have:

1. An Assimilation System
2. A Spiritual Formation System
3. A Leadership Development System
4. An Administrative System

Remember this, good systems:
Save,
You,
Stress,
Time,
Energy, and
Money!

Take a look at your systems! They are the key to ongoing effectiveness.

Tell Your Story More!

Your story should define your calling. It should express your passion. It should articulate your dream. You must understand that stories touch the hearts of people. When you touch the heart, people will join with you to make this new church a reality.

To succeed as a church planter, your new church must have at its foundation a story that drives and directs it day by day. And that story begins with God's story and your story! A compelling story will answer the "Why?" questions and cause others to want to become a part of that story.

Have you written your story? It's never too late. You should be able to do this in one page when you launch your new church. Have you communicated your story? You should be writing letters, articles, blogs, twits, facebooking, etc. every week. Before you launch your church you should have 10 face to face appointments every week sharing your story with someone new! After you launch, be sure you have at least 2 or 3 of these appointments each week.

You are not ready to plant a church until you have written and begun articulating your story. If you've already launched, keep building your story and keep sharing it! Make sure your leaders can tell the story too!

Tell Your Story

Every church planter needs to write and communicate his/her story!

People are drawn to passion and they are moved by stories. Every church planter has a story and they should be communicating that story with passion. To get focused and clear on it, you MUST write it down.

What is your story? Your story should answer the questions:

• Why are you planting a church instead of doing something else?
• Why are you planting in the location that you're planting?
• What has led you to this place?
• What do you hope for/dream of?

Start writing! Start publishing it. Blog it. Tweeter it. Facebook it. Communicate it everywhere - large groups, small groups, one-on-one, everywhere! Tell your story! It's the foundation of your brand!

What Are You Seeing?

There has been a dramatic increase in energy and activity around church planting in the U.S. over the past 5-10 years, which is a good thing. The number of churches being planted in the U.S. has more than doubled in that time, which is also a good thing. Many people are talking about church planting today who would not have entertained the conversation 10 years ago, and there is an abundance of resources available today that were not available a decade ago, which is a VERY good thing! There is a lot to be greatful for as it relates to church planting in the U.S. today.

However, I do have a growing concern. It is appearing to me that an increasing number of new churches are closing. This may or may not be a bad thing. It does cause me to pause and ask the question "What are we doing?"

My hope is that the churches we work with will be sustainable beyond 2-3 years! My hope is that the churches we plant will thrive for at least one generation, and hopefully many more. The biggest challenge I see planters facing is the challenge to achieve the necessary critical mass for sustainability. This is a major focus of our coaching and consulting work. Let me know what you are seeing!

What Are We Teaching Our Kids?

I just got this link from Seth Godin's blog. As you watch this, think about how we are discipling our children. Click here.

Happy New Year!

As I have been reflecting back on 2008 and thinking about where God may be leading us in 2009, a few things are becoming clearer to me than ever before. Our mission at NCI is to empower pastors and church leaders to dramatically increase their missional impact in the world!

Our NCI team is made up of dedicated practitioners, trainers, consultants, and coaches. Our guys - Tom, Paul, Roy, Hal, Phil, Bob (alias MissionAl), Ken, Wally, and our Houston based Hispanic leaders, Moises, Jorge, Jesus, and Maggie, are some of the most wonderful people in the Kingdom! It is a privilege for me to get to interact and co-labor with them.

Our focus is church multiplication and church mobilization. Our dream is to mobilize the church to transform the world.

Thank you to all of our supporters and ministry partners! We are looking forward to a great year this year! Wishing you a very blessed and happy New Year!

Branding Faith

I have to confess that I was inspired and enthralled with the "Missional Church" movement as I began to see it emerge about 10 years ago. I've pretty much been on the bandwagon ever since, although I have been hesitant in more recent years because of the "popularity" of the word "missional." It's now the marketing buzz word among evangelicals, meaning different things to different people. It's still a great word and I use it, but I try to define it now.

In my pursuit of authentic "missional" ministry I went through a phase of totally rejecting anything related to business or marketing, even though that was my background. More recently I have moved back into the business world and have been asking the question "How do we live and work Biblically in the business world?" For too long we've tended to compartmentalize our lives. I've been pursuing a more holistic mindset that's grounded in the Scriptures.

Recently I've come across Phil Cooke, initially through his excellent book Branding Faith, and then through his blog. I highly recommend him to you! He is not only a good theologian, but he understands communication - which is what we're focused on in ministry! If you want to truly impact culture, read his book. Check out his blog too at http://www.philcooke.com/. He has helped me gain a more Biblical perspective on the subject of "Branding." Thank you Phil!

Sticky Church

I have to give a plug today for Larry Osborne's new book Sticky Church.

For those of you who know me, you know that I've been around churches, ministry, and small groups for a long time (I mean, a long time!) I think I have read most of the literature out on small groups, cell multiplication, etc. I want to tell you that I think Larry has written the best book on small group ministry in the U.S.! This is a must read for every pastor doing small group ministry in the U.S.

Larry is strategic and practical. He is honest about what works and what doesn't work in the U.S. culture. He's a "no nonsense" kind of guy!

Have you ever wondered why most small group ministries don't assimilate people very well? Have you ever wondered why most attempts to copy Cho's model in the U.S. fails? Have you ever wondered why it's difficult to get leaders to faithfully attend leadership training or why they burn out so easily? Larry does a marvelous job of explaining why. But best yet, he shows us from years of experience how to be effective and how to use groups to "velcroe" people to your church.

Way to go Larry! Thank you, once again, for another invaluable contribution to pastors and to the church in America.

Making Them Stick!

As you think about "Assimilation" be sure you understand the difference between assimilation and spiritual formation. I define assimilation as the process of getting people who are far from God and far from the church "connected" to a local Body of believers. If done well, this will happen before they even come to a personal faith in Jesus.

Once someone is "connected" to us, then we have the opportunity (and responsibility) to engage them in an intentional process of spiritual formation. However, the first goal is to assimilate them, or get them into a relationship with us. Of course they have to choose to be in this relationship, but we should do everything within our power to reach out, invest in them, shower them with the love of Christ, and establish a definite bond.

Too many times we focus on worship attendance as our measure of success. Truthfully, many people who attend worship services are not really assimilated. I encourage you to create a practical, realistic, measurable system for assimilating new people into your fellowship. If you need help give us a call. This is one of the three critical systems that every church needs to have to be healthy.

Start Assimilating New People

There are several books written on the subject of "assimilation" and I've found that all of them have some helpful information. However, they all come from the assumption that the assimilation process begins in the parking lot or at the front door of your church. Most pastors/church planters I talk to have the same assumption.

I want to challenge that assumption!

We must realize that to "make disciples" as Jesus talked about in Mt 28:19, we must begin with people who are far from God and far from the church. THAT is the starting point, not when they drive into the parking lot. This is a profound difference in the way we need to think about assimilation!

If our people are not connecting and building loving, credible relationships with people who are far from God and far from the church we are giving them the wrong mental model about disciple-making! Disciple-making begins with each believer building relationships in their workplace, their neighborhood, and in their normal course of life. Mt 28:19 literally says "As you go, make disciples."

The first half of your assimilation process should be getting them to the parking lot. The second half should be "being sticky" when they get there. What does your assimilation process look like? Have you documented it? Are you measuring it? Is your process improving? We coach pastors/church planters on how to have exceptional assimilation systems!

It's Going To Space!

I love this clip I found on the Thinklings (www.thinklings.org)!



Are we spoiled or what?

Death By Suburbia

For the past few weeks my pastor, Chuck Land, has been teaching on the topic "Death By Suburbia." He has been pointing out some of the unique dynamics in the suburbs that kill our soul. These have been very powerful messages.

I appreciate that fact that he has not shamed or criticised us for living in the suburbs. He has pointed out that wherever you live, suburbs, city, or country, there are forces at work to kill our soul. Since we mostly live and minister in the suburbs that's his focus.

If you would like to listen to the podcasts go to www.crossbridge.cc.

Check This Out! Mission Al!

A New Generation Shapes America

As I watch the election returns and listen to the analysis it seems clear: The deciding factor in the presidential election was the new, younger voters!

The emerging younger generation has "emerged" as a strong and powerful political voice in America. The new, younger voters engaged like we have not seen in some time (maybe even since the 60's). They want to have impact and they want to shape our nation. In this election they proved that they can influence an election.

This behooves us as Christian leaders to pay very close attention to this segment of our society. Most churches in America are not reaching or discipling the 20' somethings. The reality is that the 20' somethings are the most unreached segment of our society.

New churches and established churches are going to have to think differently and operate differently if they want to have any hope of reaching this new generation of policy shapers! My aim has been and continues to be to help congregations think deeply about how to engage and impact this generation. Let me encourage us all to give careful thought to this call!

How Is My Church Really Doing?

We should periodically take time to assess how our church is really doing, but what do we assess? As I've studied the New Testament I've come to the conclusion that a NT church is simple a community of Christ-followers continuing the mission of Jesus. That's what a church is (and should be) in its simplest form.

With that in mind, here are the three components that we should assess. First, we should assess how we're doing as a community:

• Are there strong relational connections between the members/attenders of our church?
• Is there a high degree of fun and fellowship among our people?
• Are new people being assimilated into our community?

The second component that we should assess is mission:

• Do we have a sense of momentum?
• Are individuals joyfully engaged in missional activity?
• Do we as a Body have a clear, focused missional vision that is shared by all?

The third component that we should assess is disciple-making (Christ-followers):

• Do we have weekly/monthly stories of life-change?
• Do we have an effective system for spiritual formation that produces disciples and leaders?
• Are our people engaged in disciple-making relationships?

Let's not beat ourselves up for the areas where we see deficiencies, but lets work toward continually improving our life together as the Body of Christ. Let's always be working toward being the church that Jesus desires.

Leverage: The Focus of Strategic Leaders

As I work with post-launch planters the concept I try to help them understand is leverage! Leverage is getting more accomplished with less effort. Leverage is working smarter not harder. Leverage is about exceptional impact!

Most church planters do way too much of the work themselves. They all think they delegate well, but very few do. (This is true about pastors in general.) There are four major ways we achieve leverage:

1. We can leverage communication. Think strategically about how you will use your pulpit, your Sunday service, your weekly communication vehicles, etc. Think strategically about how you will communicate to the community (often referred to as marketing - but it is much more than our traditional mindset about marketing.) Think about other strategic opportunities you have to communicate.
2. We can leverage the gifts of our people. Think about everyone (not just your favorites) in your congregation. Who is not engaging their gifts or talents in significant ways? Brainstorm on ways to engage the talents of newcomers & prospects too.
3. We can leverage systems. Think systems. Learn to develop systems. Implement systems. Measure the effectiveness of your systems.
4. We can leverage technology. How are you using your website? E-marketing? Blogs? Facebook? Meetup.com? Linked In? etc.

Don't miss the opportunity to multiply your impact and effectiveness through leverage. Need help? Get a coach!

Don't Stop Doing Evangelism!

One of the major mistakes I see church planters making in their first and second year is that they stop engaging aggressively in outreach and evangelism. This is a mistake!

In our Essentials Training we talk about "How to do the work of an Evangelist." Let me remind us all of a few key points:

• We must continue to build intentional relationships with people who are far from God and the church. We must continue to encourage our Core Team to do this as well. We must never stop initiating this!
• We must continue to pray for open doors. Opportunities don't just happen. As we pray, God opens doors for conversations, outreach, and assimilation.
• We must continue to gather non-believers around us. They may not be ready to come to church, but they will come to your house for dinner, go to a movie with you, or do something fun. Every leader on your team (and especially you as the planter) must be doing this.
• We must look for the best ways to leverage our time to build more relationships. This is the biggest problem of all. Once our new church is launched, we get busy. Our busy-ness is what robs us of time and energy for evangelism.

Remember, as the church planter, it is your responsibility to keep the evangelism temperature high. No one else can or will! You must set the example. You must be telling fresh stories every week. You must be challenging others and holding them accountable to this. It is the life blood of a new church.

Are you needing help with outreach and evangelism? Get a coach!!! To know more about our coaching services email me at glenn@nciglobal.org.

God's Favor in Church Planting

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as a shield." Psalm 5:11-12

Church planting can be very discouraging at times. Many planters describe their experience as providing them with their "highest highs and lowest lows." These words can bring comfort, encouragement, and hope. I pray that every church planter will feel God's favor; that you will feel His favor surrounding you!

Church Planting Movements or Jesus Movements?

Recently I have been reading two excellent books, The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch, and The Multiplying Church by my dear friend Bob Roberts. I recommend them both.

One of the key things that both of these men tell us is that the early church and the dynamically expanding church these past decades in China were not focused on creating a "church planting movement." Their focus was making disciples who knew and were passionate about Jesus. What they created were "Jesus Movements."

Sometimes I think we today miss the point when we focus on church planting movements. Authentic cpm's are the result not the goal. The goal is to make authentic disciples. When we do that we create a Jesus movement and churches are naturally born.

The central question and issue is this: Are we making passionate, missional Christ-followers? Or another way of saying it is are we making authentic disciples? Multiplication, movements, and church planting is the by-product. Let's be sure our focus is right and clear!

What Are You Trying To Accomplish?

Recently we have been asking ourselves the question, "Are we being successful as a church?" I serve on the elder team of my church and we are clear about our mission. It is Mt 28:19-20. The way we say it is "To honor God by making growing followers of Jesus Christ." But how do we measure that?

As we wrestled with this question, we went back to define "What is a Disciple?" and "How do we know when we've made on?" This led us to do two things:

1. Create a Profile of a Maturing Disciple (e.g. a growing follower of Jesus Christ), and


2. Clarify the process of spiritual formation, beginning with the "pre-Christian" (e.g. how do we turn someone who is far from God and the church into a growing follower of Jesus?
   

What we have defined as our target (end goal) is a person who is pursuing:

• Spiritual Intimacy


• Biblical Community


• Missional Living

We are now in the process of placing behavioral identifiers on each of these charactersitics, ways that we can know that this person is becoming a growing follower of Jesus. We are also defining the steps along the process -

Far from God & the Church ---------------->Growing Follower

We are identifying our metrics so we can evaluate how we are doing along the way. We are identifying the knowledge, character, and skills/practices that we want to develop in our people. We are also continuing to refine our profile of our outreach target group.

Are you making disciples? How do you know? You cannot manage what you do not measure. But what you measure will be your mission. Are you measuring the right things?

Hurricane Ike - How Leaders Deal With the Unexpected

This past weekend we got visited by Hurricane Ike. We suffered some minor damage but many residents in Houston have suffered a lot. Yesterday one of our church plants was to have their final pre-launch Preview Service. It didn't happen. He called me and said none of the books talked about what to do if a hurricane hits on launch week. We talked through his NEW strategy for launch!

That's just one value of coaching. Unexpected things happen. However, leaders take the unexpected and turn it into a victory! That's what my friend is doing. What unexpected challenge or set-back are you dealing with right now? How can you turn it into a victory? That's leadership!

Protect Your Marriage While Church Planting

I'm back after taking a couple of weeks off. My recent reflections have been around the need to guard our marriages.

In church planting the work is never done! At the end of the day there are still more people to see, more details to cover, more strategy to plan, more projects to manage, and more ideas to create & develop. Plus we must always keep evangelism as a central focus, be discipling new and very immature believers, not to mention recruiting and developing more leaders. The work is never done.

Here's the issue: Can you say "no?"

Do you know when to stop? Are you monitoring the balance between work and family? Do you maintain enough margin in your life so that when those most critical relationships (e.g. spouse and children) need more time, attention, and energy from you - do you have the margin necessary to give them what they need without creating a crisis in the other areas of your life?

I have 3 suggestions:

1. Reflect and journal about this aspect of your life. Pay close attention and be brutally honest with yourself. Remember, we lie loudest when we lie to ourselves (Eric Hoffer).
2. Discuss it openly and honestly with your spouse. Give them permission and space to express fully their thoughts and feelings about this. Make sure you know their honest perception about how well you are present for spouse and family.
3. Discuss it with an accoutability partner. To be honest, sometimes our spouse is so committed to us and what we're doing that they are not honest with themselves about personal needs and desires that are going unmet. Have an outsider asking you tough questions and challenging you about your marriage and family.

Church planting is demanding! It is very hard work. But it is something we are passionate about; so passionate that sometimes we lose perspective about our personal reality. It's easy to become obsessed with our "mission."

Don't fool yourself and don't lie to yourself. Make sure you have a firm grip on reality in your marriage and family. Be intentional. Always be taking action to nurture and protect your marraige while church planting. What are you going to do today?