“Church planting is easy… anyone can do it.”
Philosphy of Church Multiplication, Church Planters | Email This Post January 13th, 2009On Monday, January 12, 2009, the following comment appeared in response to my post about National Church Planting Sunday.
“So, when is National Church Revitalization Day? I am making it my goal to bug, bother, pester, and annoy anyone and everyone associated with the Assemblies of God until someone, anyone, takes church revitalization seriously in our fellowship.
Church planting is easy… anyone can do it. Church revitalization is a real challenge.”
I’d love to know what other readers of this blog think about the ideas shared by this commentator. Here are a few of mine.
1. “Church revitalization is a real challenge.” I agree wholeheartedly with that statement.
2. “Church planting is easy… anyone can do it.” That’s like saying “Brain surgery is easy… anyone can do it. Heart surgery is a real challenge” They are both difficult in different ways.
3. “… someone, anyone takes revitalization seriously in our fellowship.” I served as the Church Planting and Development Director for the Rocky Mountain District for 6 years. I had the privilege of observing Superintendent Bob Cook up close and personal. My observation is that he spent at least half of his time working hard to help existing churches be healthy. It’s the same way with other Superintendents I know. These leaders carry the heavy burden of the need in the churches they oversee and regularly take serious action to help churches stay and become healthy. An increasing number of districts have some plan in place to help existing churches move toward health. My point is that a lot of leaders in this fellowship take revitalization very seriously.
The position of the Church Multiplication Network is that church planting and revitalization are both essential activities of a healthy fellowship of churches. The resources and systems we are producing can be used to start vigorous new churches and to help existing churches get back on mission. The mission is far too important for us to squabble about whether to plant or to revitalize. We’ve got to do both and while the solutions and resources provided by CMN are specifically designed to support the starting of new churches, they can all be very beneficial for existing churches as well. Additionally, Dr. Ron McManus and the Center for Church Leadership are working to develop specific tools to assist leaders in existing churches.
January 13th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
“Church planting is easy… anyone can do it. Church revitalization is a real challenge.”
It depends on how you view “Church?” I know the way I relate to the church is a bit unconventional and some even call it dangerous. Believe me, I understand that concern because I used to think that way myself, and I even taught others to think that way as well.
I understand his meaning of “Church,” or at least understand what it means culturally, but it is based on a false premise-that church is something you can go to as in a specific event, location or organized group. I think Jesus looks at the church quite differently. He didn’t talk about it as a place to go to, plant or revitalize, but as a way of living in relationship to Him and to others in His family.
Asking me where I go to church is like asking me where I go to McCool. How do I answer that? I am a McCool, and where I go a McCool is. ‘Church’ is that kind of word. It doesn’t identify a location or an institution. It describes a people and how they relate to each other. If we lose sight of that, our understanding of the church will be distorted, and we’ll miss out on much of its joy.
I know it may only sound like quibbling over words, but words are important. When we only ascribe the term ‘church’ to starting an organization or recovery of the organization (revitalization), we miss out on what it means to live as Christ’s body. It will give us a false sense of security to think that by adding buildings/congregations we are participating in church planting. Conversely, I hear people talk about ‘leaving the church’ when they stop attending a specific congregation.
I believe his view of church planting and revitalization are skewed. Church planting in the sense of starting a new organization that requires well-planned presentations, detailed systems, and dependency on leadership is hard work. But if “church planting” is when you share the journey of knowing Jesus with others and it consists of open, honest sharing, genuine concern about each other’s spiritual well being and encouragement for people to follow Jesus however he leads them– than maybe church planting is not so hard. This can happen among established congregations, as it can also happen beyond them.
Perhaps the real problem is when people find it is far easier to sit through a finely-tuned (or not so finely-tuned) service and go home without ever having to open up our life or care about another person’s journey. Somehow “church plants” compel people to care and connect (fellowship), while some established congregations presuppose it exist.
I believe in church planting and I believe in the established churches. Keep in mind, however, that your gathering is not the church. It is just one of the many expressions of it in the place where you live. And “church plants” work together with the more traditional community churches and mega-churches to show the transforming power of Christ to our neighborhoods, thus reviving those churches around them in need of revitalization.
So “church planting” and revitalization go hand-in-hand if you view the Church as people and not buildings.
January 15th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Hi Steve: I agree that both are absolutely essential. I don’t think it is fair to say that just anyone can church plant or that it is easy. On the flip side, I’ve heard many people say that going to an existing church is much easier than church planting. I disagree with this as well. I have a great deal of respect for both components. I think it has more to do with a person’s giftings. There are those who enjoy building projects from the ground up, thus church planting is probably what they are gifted to do. There are also those who are able to go into a church and provide the type of leadership that revitalizes and brings life. This too is a gift!
Saying we need one without the other is like saying that we only need one eye or one hand. God gave us two eyes and two hands, two legs, etc. We have church planting and church revitalization and we absolutely need both!!
January 15th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Hey Steve .. yes we need both and it does have to do with gifting.. if more church leaders got real about the UNIQUE Strength / gift God has given them and we pooled our resources together we could do both. Some churches may need a leader or 5 fold gift mix (Eph4) to help revitalise it . What is struggling church related to and benefitted from a healthier church .. without feeling threatened or insecure .. and without the healthier church getting arrogant. Each community needs, in fact deserves, an incarnational expression of the Body of Christ to experience redemption, Righteousness and Justice in their context. What if struggling churches invited apostolic minded leaders to re-plant or re-vitalize ..all for the cause .. all for Jesus!? .. thoughts from South Africa.. AG too.
February 7th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
DJ:
I just had a chance to read your comment and I like how you think. The type of partnership you describe is actually taking place in many places in the US… it’s just not “main stream” yet. But I think we are trending in that direction and I thank God for that trend!
February 12th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
I am currently working both sides of this discussion. I am an associate pastor at a church that needs revitalization and I am working with another team to plant a church in a different city. Both planting and revitalization are difficult work, but the difficulty of revitalization is that most people are opposed to change and favor the status quo and just getting by. Both efforts need deliberate actions to be taken to set up functioning systems within the congregation.
The organization or changes that need to be made fall on the leadership and lead pastor. The problem that I have seen with church revitalization is that a congregation ceases to do the things that are necessary to plant a church. For example, truly listening to and making connections with people and leaders from their community so as to build ministry that truly serves them in tangible ways; being deliberate about reaching out to their community on a regular basis to build relationships and opportunities to share the gospel; to link good deeds with the good news (read The Externally Focused Church -Rusaw and Swanson); to evaluate systems and processes within the congregation that actually produce the desired results, etc. The list really goes on. I do not believe that good and effective works come without intense effort and prayer for direction and empowerment.
Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” The idea is that a church that is being grown by Jesus is deliberately and purposefullly attacking the gates of hell. Whether revitalization or planting it requires deliberate and purposeful steps. Those steps are available for leaders and lead pastors to learn if they are willing to put forth the effort and expense. Sadly, my experience is that many congregations desire the hard work to be done for them by some revitalization program or team. And more sad to say, that most of the hindrance to change comes not from the people of the church but from the leadership. (I say this out of my own personal experience. I was on staff at church that ended up closing its doors. The church had been persuaded to sell their old building and purchase a more updated facility. While the majority voted in favor of the change, the majority was not actually convinced of the move. As a result, the people left the church in droves - secretly offended by the loss of their building. I came on staff after the fact and dealt with the Sr. pastor who was on a 3 month sabatical, deeply offended and hurt, who just could not let go of that hurt, and eventually ceased to do the things that are necessary to regrow a healthy church. This pastor has since left the ministry. The church I am currently at is much better yet still struggles to institute change and prefers to “do ministry.”) I am not saying that I am by any means an expert but I do know that the responsibility for revitalization and planting successfully falls on the lead pastor and leadership team. Bill Hybells in his book “Axiom” speaks of the criticalness of leaders to be constantly reading and learning because there is no real Obi Wan that is for hire to effectively mentor. We must learn to be mentored through books, conferences, podcasts, videos, etc. by all the great Christian leaders throughout history on how to do what God has called us to do. Like the manna provided for Israel outside of their tents for them to gather daily, so God has provided resources for us if we will go and gather them. God bless you all!!