"10 Reasons to Partner in Planting Now" by Ed Stetzer

Ed Stetzer is a nationally recognized expert on church planting and church growth. His latest blog on partnering in planting churches is right on target with what we are launching out to do. Check it out at the following link:

"10 Reasons to Partner in Planting Now"

A New Church in Nashville?

By now, most of you have heard that Judy and I are planning to start a new church next year in Nashville's central city. (You can hear our announcement to our church and why we feel called to this ministry by clicking here and then on "Our Call to Plant a Church." I'm not going to repeat all of that message in this blog, so I hope you'll listen.) This past summer, Judy and I were presented with an opportunity to plant a missional church in Nashville. We've spent the past several months working through this decision. The most difficult part has been knowing the impact it will have on so many of our brothers and sisters at the Donelson Church of Christ who have been so supportive of our ministry here and to whom we have become so close. The fact that we will be in Nashville and that the Donelson Church will help support us, though, means that these relationships won't change in the way they would have if we were moving to another city.

This announcement naturally has raised lots of questions. I'll try and answer some of those here.

Does Nashville really need another church?

That's a great question. There are certainly a lot of churches in this city. Unfortunately, as in the rest of America, few churches are having much success at reaching people who don't believe in Jesus Christ. Most churches aren't growing. Of those that are growing, most are just moving members from other churches or reactivating people who used to go to church (an important ministry, but not quite the same as converting unbelievers into believers).

This summer Judy and I read a book on planting missional churches called The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay. It had a powerful impact on us as we were considering this work. They cited several studies that showed that the church is not only not growing in America, we are actually losing ground…fast. About 100 million Americans have not been to any kind of church service in the past 6 months. In the 1990s, the number of adults who do not attend church nearly doubled. And the problem is getting much worse with young adults (aged 18-30), who are over three times more likely to have no religious affiliation than those over 65.

What we are doing in our churches (and in our personal lives) is not reaching unbelievers. They cited another study from 2001 showing that "half of all churches in America did not add one new person through conversion growth last year." The study also reported that "it takes the combined effort of eighty-five Christians working over an entire year to produce one convert."

And Judy and I had to be honest and say that we're part of the problem. I have been doing ministry for almost 30 years, but nearly all of that has been among the saved. I often lament that "my job is the church, my church is the church, and my friends are the church." I have little or no meaningful contact with unbelievers. Rarely do I have the joy of sharing Jesus with someone unless a church member introduces me to a friend who has questions—and that doesn't happen very often. We know we have to learn to live and serve in a different way.

And so do most churches. As Halter and Smay observe:

"Without blaming church leaders, the church at large, or denominations, we can at least acknowledge that something must change to reverse these trends. We need to start by doing some things we haven't been doing, and we must stop doing some things we have been doing."

We know that planting new churches is the most successful means of reaching new people in our culture. Our hope is that our ministry in this new church will find ways to reach people we have not been reaching. And perhaps we will learn some things that we can share with Donelson to help us all do more to reach those who live in our community.

What do we mean by a "missional" church?

The term "missional" refers to a church that is focused on God's mission to reconcile people to himself and to help those who are poor and suffering. This is the mission that brought Jesus into the world and shaped his ministry. God has a mission and created the church to accomplish that mission. So it is often said that "the church doesn't have a mission, the mission has a church." The term "missionary" implies that we are sending others out on the mission. "Missional" suggests that we should all be on God's mission in this world.

Our hope is to plant a church made up of people from various socio-economic, racial, and ethnic groups. We want to reach people who are moving back into the city and draw them into a fellowship of believers who are serving the needs of the poor who live just blocks away. Our focus will be much less on a Sunday worship service. Rather than try to attract people to a church building, we hope to partner with ministries in the city to serve children, unwed mothers, the homeless, and more. “Membership” will have less to do with attending a service and more to do with joining followers of Jesus in serving those in need.

Who are the church planting ministries working with us?

We are working with two church planting ministries who will help train us, coach us, and support us as we get started. As part of trying to determine whether we were being called to this work, Judy and I went through two assessments this summer, one with each of these church planting ministries. Those assessments were designed to evaluate whether we were gifted and ready to plant a church. Both assessments recommended us as church planters.

One of these, Mission Alive, is a ministry from Churches of Christ that helps plant missional churches. (Randy Harris helps provide theological training for church planters working with this ministry. I just attended their Theology Lab in Dallas.) The other is Stadia, a ministry from the independent Christian Churches. Partnering with such ministries helps church planters be more effective and successful, and also provides some accountability to assure supporters that the work is being carried out responsibly and faithfully.

Although the details are still being worked out, here's how the general process will work. A management or partnership team will be formed to help oversee the first 2 or 3 years of the work. This team will be composed of representatives from Mission Alive and Stadia, as well as from the churches who become partners in a network to support the work, and of course the church planter (me). This team provides advice, accountability, and assistance in making important decisions until the new church has it's own leadership and is self-supporting. An experienced church planting coach will also be assigned to work closely with us. And financial accounting will be provided as well. We won't be on our own!

You can learn more about Mission Alive at missionalive.org and more about Stadia at stadia.cc. A helpful article about church planting is "Encouraging Trends in Church Planting" by Dr. Philip Claycomb, the director of another church planting ministry called Nexus.

What are the networks of churches involved?

We hope to be supported by two networks of churches. A network is a group of churches committed to church planting, who partner with a church planting ministry to start new churches. The network churches provide financial support and may also provide volunteers for certain projects, or even a few members to help form a core to start the new church. The new church plants become part of such networks and continue to support the planting of more new churches.

We are working to form a network of Churches of Christ to partner with Mission Alive in this church planting. The elders of the Donelson Church of Christ have said they want to be part of this effort. In the weeks ahead, we will be talking with a number of other churches in the area to ask them to help us form a network of congregations committed not only to plant this church, but to continue planting other churches, that will plant more churches, and so on.

The other network is made up of several independent Christian Churches in Middle Tennessee. They have already been partnering with Stadia to plant churches in Murfreesboro, Mt. Juliet, and other towns. They have hoped that some Churches of Christ might join them in planting a church in Nashville. Christian Churches come from the same heritage as Churches of Christ, the American Restoration Movement begun by Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell (in fact, they call themselves, "Christian Churches and Churches of Christ"). They are virtually identical to Churches of Christ in every respect, except that they use instrumental music in their worship assemblies. In recent decades they have been more evangelistic and more committed to planting new churches.

An important part of this new ministry is the way it will unite our churches in the common mission of reaching the lost and serving the poor.

Where will the new church be located?

We don't know that yet. That decision will be based on some demographic research that we are just beginning and some strategic planning. We want to find a place that is not already targeted by other new church plants. An area like Germantown, just north of downtown is one possibility. People are moving into that neighborhood and refurbishing old homes or building new ones, while just a few blocks away are much poorer neighborhoods.

Our plan is to begin by forming a house church, and then more house churches. Eventually, we'll begin some kind of regular meeting together, probably in a rented facility. We don't plan to purchase a building, at least not any time soon.

What is next?

We are currently working out the details of the partnership between Mission Alive and Stadia. We're also beginning to meet with other churches to ask them to be part of the network. The church planting ministries tell us we'll need to raise about $300,000 to fund the effort for the first three years, so we'll continue to work to raise support from churches and individuals. We also have to choose the neighborhood where we will begin the work, and find a home there. As we meet with churches, we will also be looking for individuals and couples who may want to join us in this new work. At some point next year, we'd like to find another couple to actually work with us as church planters. In January, we'll attend a week-long training session with Mission Alive and another week-long session with Stadia.

There is much to learn, and much more to do. We are excited by the possibilities and the dreams of how God may use this new church to reach more people for Jesus and to serve the least of these his brothers and sisters.

We hope that you will pray for us, that you will consider supporting us, and even more importantly, that you will consider how God might use you to accomplish his mission where you are.

Has the World Lost Its Mind???

Someone recently pointed me to a post by Brent Singer on parentdish.com about reports of a new pole-dancing doll . . . yes, you read that right—a little girl's doll that dances around a pole!!
Here are his opening lines:

Gizmodo has an item about a new doll. Does it burp? Does it breastfeed? Nope. It dances. On a pole.

If anyone was wondering if the world was doomed, here is your confirmation.

The scoop on this new plaything came from Gizmodo's Jesus Diaz, and features a somewhat grainy photo of a doll in a shiny dress hanging on a pole. A giant heart emblazoned with the word "Pole Dance" is at the top. The box promises "Style." "Interesting." "Music." "Flash." "Up and Down." "Go Round and Round." It might've said "Ewww," "Gross," "Criminal"," but in all likelihood the upstanding manufacturers ran out of room. (http://www.parentdish.com/2009/08/31/next-up-a-pole-dancing-doll/)

Singer goes on to express hope that the reports are false (I hope so, too!), but also identifies the disturbing trend of stripping becoming mainstream. And not just mainstream among adults—stripper poles are showing up in marketing and media targeted at teens and younger children.
It's enough to terrify parents, worry child psychologists, turn optimists into pessimists, fascinate doom-sayers, and probably put the final nail in the coffin of the once popular notion that human civilization was evolving to higher and higher levels (if that coffin hasn't been buried already).
Selling stripper-pole dolls to little girls! Has the world completely lost its mind??
It seems that St. Paul thought so:

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. (Ephesians 4:17-19, Today's New International Version)

That was Paul's evaluation almost 2,000 years ago.
I don't think the level of sanity is improving.

Charleston “From Below”

A number of years ago my brother David introduced me to the idea of seeing the world "from below." I sometimes don't know whether to thank him or curse him for it.

The phrase comes from the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a minister who opposed Hitler during World War II and died for it. The phrase refers to seeing the events of world history—and the world around us—from the perspective of the oppressed, the outcasts, the suffering, the mistreated, the powerless. History is almost always written from the perspective of the powerful and the victorious. It is most often the story of the rich, the educated, the successful, and the privileged. This is probably unavoidable, to some extent, since they are the ones who write it.

Not only do we see history from the perspective of the privileged, we generally see life from that perspective. The very fact that you are reading a blog on the internet is probably an indication that you belong to the American middle or upper class. You are, as am I, part of the privileged minority in this world. And our viewpoint on life cannot help but be shaped by that reality—we see the world "from above." The challenge is to learn to see the same events, the same realities, the same relationships, the same policies, and the same society from the viewpoint of those who experience them from below rather than from above.*

As my brother explained the concept to me, and as I later continued to reflect on it, I realized that I had already been learning to see the world from below—a little at a time to be sure, but nonetheless in life-changing ways. The first time I can remember seeing "from below" was at an event in high school, sitting with African-American friends when the band struck up Dixie—and everyone stood. The next time was when my American history teacher in college made us read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and forever changed the way I would think about cowboys and Indians. The journey has continued, and in recent years has changed the way I see the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians—again with my brother's insightful and disturbing help.

On our recent vacation, Judy and I visited the city of Charleston, SC—a city filled with beautiful homes and historic sites. We visited the home of Thomas Heyward, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. George Washington rented this house for a week on a presidential visit to Charleston. We also toured the antebellum home of William Aiken, governor of South Carolina in the 1840s. We saw lavish homes decorated with striking architecture, beautiful antique furniture, lovely gardens, and fine art. But as I strolled through the buildings, I really didn't see all that.

Everywhere I looked I saw luxury enjoyed at the expense of human suffering. What I saw were not beautiful mansions, but small slave quarters above the kitchen where slaves burned themselves preparing the sumptuous meals of their masters. I saw a huge dining room where slaves scurried to wait on the waiting wealthy. I saw the laundry where sweating slaves labored to clean the expensive fabrics worn by those who owned both the clothing and the cleaners. I saw the back stairs used by the slaves so they wouldn't "disturb the family."

I saw rows of beautiful homes just around the corner from the slave market. I saw canons and fortifications used to defend the right of the rich to own the enslaved. I saw churches built by slaves, who then had to worship in the balcony. I saw one church that slaves built for themselves, but which was then closed in 1834 when South Carolina outlawed all-black churches along with education for slaves.

From below, Charleston did not look so pretty.

I sometimes think I'd like not to see this way. But it seems as though some sort of surgery was done to correct my eyesight. And even if it were possible, who would want to have surgery done to take away your eyesight?

I think I am seeing a lot more clearly these days. You just may not want me as your tour guide in Charleston.

 

*For more on Bonhoeffer's "view from below," check out this blog from my friend, Larry James: http://larryjamesurbandaily.blogspot.com/2008/06/bonhoeffer-on-racism.html

Socrates and the Beach

The beach is not my favorite place to vacation. Sitting in the hot sun with sweat dripping in my eyes and sand in my shorts is not my idea of a great time. On our first day out, Zack sprayed me with sunscreen, but it apparently didn't go on smoothly. (I'm sure spray-on sunscreen was a great idea on paper; but in the real world of windy beaches, it doesn't seem so bright.) Now I have a funny-looking sunburn.

But Judy loves the beach, my kids love it, and Judy's family goes every year. So I have learned to enjoy it with them. And to be honest, when the kids were younger I really did enjoy playing in the sand and waves. (The waves are still fun. Sand in my shorts—not so much.)

As a younger man, I would have preferred to go places and do things. Now I enjoy a quiet, beautiful setting to relax, read, and think. So I prefer to retreat to the mountains. And there is no better place than the mountains to pray.

In recent years, Judy has graciously returned with me several times to the mountains above Gatlinburg for a time of rest and renewal. It seemed only fair that this time I would go with her to the beach. So after a week at St. Simon's Island with her family and our grown kids, Judy and I have now moved to Myrtle Beach for a quiet week to ourselves. It's not as secluded as the mountains; but we are enjoying time to ourselves, time to rest and reflect, and time together with God.

There are aspects of the beach that I do not find helpful. It's overcrowded this time of year. Too many people and umbrellas block my view of the ocean. The scantily clad sun-worshipers frequently strolling past are an uncomfortable distraction. And then there's the distraction of those scantily clad sun-worshipers who make you silently wonder, "What in the world did they see when they looked in the mirror and thought that was a good choice in beach attire!"

But there are other aspects of the beach that are a blessing, much as are the mountains. The vast expanse of the ocean…the relentless surge of the tides…the quiet roar of the waves drowning out almost all other noise…the mysteries of the deeps hidden beneath the white-capped waters—these all give testimony to the Great Creator.

I'm reminded of the biting words of God in response to the complaints of Job:

Where were you when I laid the earths' foundation?
Tell me if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions?
Surely you know!

Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb…
when I said, "This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt"?

Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
Tell me, if you know all this!

My father used to tell me that the value of an education is not in what you know, but in what you know that you don't know. I have to admit, I'm getting quite an education this trip. Our visits to the relatively obscure Fort Frederica from the Colonial era and to Fort Jackson from the Civil War, to the oldest African-American church built by slaves in Savannah, and to the exclusive winter club on Jekyll Island for the captains of the Industrial Revolution taught me lessons in American history that I was embarrassed I had never heard. I'm reading a very challenging book (The Tangible Kingdom) that is reminding me how little we church leaders really know about the church and God's mission in this world. My son and I tried to swim from the sand bar to the shore against the outgoing tide and I discovered how uninformed I was about my physical condition. And looking out at the ocean, I shudder at how pathetic our confidence must seem to the One who made the seas and all that is in them.

I wore a T-shirt to the beach today that I bought last year in Greece. On the front is a quotation from Socrates: hen oida hoti ouden oida. It translates roughly as:

"I only know one thing, that I don't know anything."

Jesus and Old Glory

Last Saturday was the Fourth of July. Instead of having our usual cookout and excursion to see Nashville's impressive fireworks show, Judy and I were driving back from a week volunteering at Barefoot Republic Camp. By the time we got home, unpacked and showered, we were too pooped to do much but have a quiet dinner at my parents' and watch fireworks with them on TV (but I must admit, the fireworks looked pretty good in high definition!).

Each year on Independence Day I find myself somewhat uncomfortable. As an American I feel patriotic. I am certainly grateful for the freedoms and prosperity we enjoy in this country. And having travelled to many other countries, I am convinced we live in the greatest country on earth. (I wonder if French travelers say the same thing about their country . . . and if they do, is that patriotism or self-delusion!)

On the other hand, as a Christian, I struggle with what it means to live as "aliens and exiles" (1 Peter 2:11), a stranger in a foreign country longing for a better country (Hebrews 11:8-16), knowing that my true citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 2:11). What does it mean to be a Christian and to be an American? Can I have dual citizenship, like someone who is a citizen of two countries at the same time?

And what does it mean for an "alien and exile" to pledge allegiance to a flag? Is it enough to say "one nation under God" and by that to assert that my allegiance to my country can only go so far as is consistent with my higher commitment to God?

Sometimes it seems to me that our talk of "God and country" runs the risk of confusing the two. If I were a Christian in Brazil or South Korea or New Zealand, wouldn't I love my country and face these same questions? And then what would we all do if we found our countries at war with each other (like the British and German Christians facing each other in the trenches of World War I). If we are not careful, could unquestioned loyalty to our country and saluting the flag in church put us at risk of following the path of Christians in Nazi Germany who saluted the Nazi flag in their churches?

Now please don't misunderstand me. I am certainly not saying that America is Nazi Germany! But then, in 1930 Germany wasn't yet Nazi Germany. Yet within a few years, many Christians in Germany somehow found themselves saluting the flag hanging in their churches—a flag that stood for almost everything the cross stands against. Somewhere along the way they crossed a line—or maybe it was more a gray area—between loyalty to their country and faithfulness to the will of God.

I wonder where that gray area begins. I wonder at what point our patriotism could enter that gray area. I wonder if we would realize we were in it.

As we were driving home Saturday along a rural highway, we passed a little church with a row of dozens of flags out front. As an American, seeing the row of red, white, and blue stirred feelings of pride. As a Christian, I couldn't help but wonder if we were slipping into that gray area.

Last year I attended a Christmas parade in Texas. Amid the various floats and clowns and marching bands came a group of horses with riders dressed in red, white, and blue. Some were carrying a U.S. flag and a Texas state flag with crosses on top of the flag poles. That image troubled me. What were we to make of a cross on top of a flag pole? Did they mean that the flag is under the cross—that what the flag represents should always be seen as subordinate to what the cross represents? Or, was it possible that they actually had the cross and the flag confused—that patriotism and religion were becoming too intermingled?

My question was answered a moment later when two riders came by with a specially-made American flag spread between them. Across the middle of the flag, between the red and white stripes, in large blue letters . . . was the name, "Jesus."

More on Baptism Matters

I've been thinking a little more about how to explain what I mean by "baptism matters." Let me expand a little on the education analogy (acknowledging that no analogy is perfect).

To say that baptism doesn't matter unless it is a get-it-right-or-be-lost issue seems to me to say that the only things that matter are those that keep you out of heaven. To me that says that following Jesus is just a pass-fail class and nothing matters except what is required to pass the class. I'm reminded of those students in a college class (I've had some of these in my classes) who don't care about anything but the minimum required to pass. If you don't have to do it to pass, then it doesn't matter to them.

But better students want more than just to pass. They want to learn. They want to become competent in a field of study. They want to be good students. They want to be the best they can be. They want to grow. Other things matter to these students than just what it takes to pass. They want to know what it will take to make an A. They want to do more, read more, study more, discuss more, and attend class more than students who only care about passing.

Aren't there things in the Christian faith that matter even if failure to do them or understand them correctly doesn't keep you out of heaven? Do I really want to stand before God and say, "Nothing you said in the Bible mattered to me except what I thought was a requirement to get into heaven"?

Figuring out what is on the "heaven or hell" list is not always easy. But I think Jesus put his emphasis on something other than baptism.

Rob