Thursday, November 1, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Leadership Institute Philippines 2007
Here are some pics from the Leadership Institute I did in the Philippines.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Back from the Philippines
I just got back from the Philippines. It was an amazing experience. There were times of testing but also times when God just blew me away! I'll be posting pics here as soon as I get them from some friends.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Four Secrets of Great Team-Based Leadership by Dave Ferguson (Lead Pastor, Community Christian Church)
There are some things you would never say out loud, even though you know they are true. If you uttered these secrets people would probably misunderstand you. Or maybe you'd decide they aren't really true after all. So you keep your mouth shut, and they remain secrets. Fourteen years ago, five people — a childhood friend, a college roommate, a brother, a friend-of-a-friend and I — made up the team who pioneered the adventure called Community Christian Church (CCC). We started as a team partly because of a shared dream and partly because it sounded like a lot more fun doing it together than doing it on our own. And from the beginning when it was just the five of us until today where there are more than 3,000 of us at three campuses, CCC has always been led by teams.
The leadership team I'm a part of today — Jon Ferguson, Troy McMahon, Eric Bramlett and myself — is the finest team of which I've ever been a part. And during those 14 years there have been some things about these teams that I knew were true (I have a hunch we all knew they were true), but we never said them out loud. We might be misunderstood. We might be wrong. So we kept these as secrets.
However, now I'm more confident. I think these secrets are true, and I'm willing to risk being misunderstood. So I've decided to tell all! Here are four secrets of great team-based leadership:
The Secret About the Cause
"We are committed to the cause first and each other second."
Great leadership teams are always clear about the cause. A lot of other stuff may get fuzzy, but the cause is always very clear.
At CCC there is sometimes a lack of structure and policy, but the one clear thing is the cause. It's embodied in our mission statement: "Helping people find their way back to God by reproducing congregations, campuses, and churches that celebrate, connect, and contribute to the dream of God."
Last week my assistant, Pat, got an e-mail from a pastor requesting a copy of our staff policy manual. Her answer: "Our policy is not to make policy." I love that! Why? Policy is what happens when we can't get people to do what we want them to do because people are not championing a clear cause. Policy occurs when the ethos of a church culture is weak and the cause is not compelling.
Why all this talk about cause? Because I believe our leadership team is committed to die for the cause of "helping people find their way back to God." And when I say "die" I'm not using hyperbole. The four of us who lead CCC today are willing to die for the cause, whether it is one day at a time or all at once.
We are committed to the cause first and each other second. This is scary to say out loud. That's why it's a secret. But the truth is that it's the cause that brings us together and keeps us together. It is when we put other things or other people before the cause that we compromise what God dreamed of in the church and in the Great Commission.
I believe this is at least 50 percent of what it takes to create great team-based leadership, an uncompromising loyalty to a clear cause. There is never a great lead team when the cause is not clear!
In Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith's great book, Wisdom of Teams, they make it very clear: "The primary objective of the team must be performance results (cause), not becoming a team." One of the great mistakes is forgetting that the cause is what creates community or team. Ask yourself, "Why do men always remember athletic teams or army platoons as the place where they experienced the most genuine community?"
Answer: because a clear cause created community. The cause of winning a game created a team. The cause of defeating a common enemy created a team.
Why is it so hard for athletes to retire? Listen to them talk and you'll see it’s not the money they miss as much as the team.
The Acts 2 church was also brought together by a clear cause. It was the cause called the Great Commission that brought about koinonia or community. That first great leadership team of apostles had a clear cause for which they were willing to die.
The Secret about Community
"We don't know when we are working and when we are playing."
I love the way Eric Bramlett describes working at CCC: "Working here feels like recess." I feel the same way. Sure, there are times we fight about who gets to go down the slide first; but it's still a playground, and it feels a lot more like recess than school. In my 14 years as a part of the leadership team at CCC I don't remember one day (literally) that I looked at my watch thinking, When is it going to be 5 o'clock so I can leave work? It sounds trivial, but being a part of the leadership team at CCC is just plain fun! Working and playing feel the same!
When we are looking for new staff, my teammates have been coached to consider the three C's of character, competency, and chemistry. For us, chemistry is always the first priority, because that's what draws someone into our church culture and draws us to them.
We have a chemistry test that a prospective hire must pass. We call it the "parking lot test." The "parking lot test" is comprised of one question we ask ourselves before we put someone on our staff team: "When we drive up, are we glad to see their car in the parking lot?" If we are excited about seeing their car and knowing we will find them inside, they pass — there is chemistry! If we feel our stomach sink knowing they are inside, they fail — no chemistry! All this is to say that there is a great chemistry with each of the people on our leadership team.
What contributes to the chemistry of a great lead team? First, complementary gifts help create the chemistry. Second, chemistry comes when we all buy into a common strategy. And third, none of the four of us can imagine doing anything else. We all have had offers to do other things in other places for more money, but we just can't imagine doing anything else.
The Secret about Chaos
"We may look crazy to you, but there is a method to our madness."
When other churches visit and see the open office concept we use, where almost all of our 35 staff are in the same room with one another, they will often say, "How do you get anything done in the middle of this chaos?" When other teaching pastors find out that we write all our messages as a team of people from not only multiple campuses, but multiple churches using video conferencing, they say, "Oh, my style would never work in that environment." I used to be concerned that outsiders might think we are crazy, chaotic, or even out of control, but now I understand that as one of our secrets.
One of the secrets of a great leadership team is that in their relentless pursuit of the cause they become a community with unique characteristics according to how God made them. This may appear crazy or chaotic to the outsider, but there is a unique method to their madness.
These characteristics are often paradoxical. Here are some of the paradoxes you would see in our lead team:
Highly Collaborative AND Very Competitive
Every person in our lead team is very competitive. We want to win in basketball, and we want to win the argument. But at the same time we know if we are going to win our part of the world for Christ (back to the cause that creates community), this will take collaboration. So we collaborate on everything. I started to make a list of things that we collaborate on, then it hit me that the much shorter list would be those things on which we don't collaborate.
Very Compassionate AND Comfortable with Conflict
Patrick M. Lencioni, in his book, Five Dysfunctions of a Team tells us that healthy teams are comfortable with conflict. We are definitely comfortable with conflict — confronting, challenging, debating, and sometimes yelling (and later apologizing). But, I also know that when I need a group to rally around me, they will be there for me. There is no doubt about it — my team loves me!
Loves Spontaneity AND Wants Accountability
"Lead with a yes" is a saying you hear from our leadership team. We love being flexible and spontaneous enough that we lead with a yes to new ideas. The new idea could be anything from going for shakes during our lead team meeting to starting a new service in a few weeks. We love leading with spontaneity and the "yes." That spontaneity however is balanced by our desire (that might be a stretch — I think we just know we need it) for accountability. We want accountability for how we are doing versus the goals we set for ourselves a year ago. We want and expect accountability for the ministries we oversee. We want accountability for our budget areas.
To the outsider we may look like an overly competitive team that is constantly fighting about our goals. But come back next week, and we may look like this highly collaborative group in love with one another. To the outsider it might look crazy, but it's just how God made us. And it works!
The Secret about Creating Culture
"We REALLY are going to change the world."
It is the lead team more than any other team that will create the culture and the ethos for a church. When you have a lead team that is clear about the cause, willing to die for the cause, and where serving feels like recess, you have created a church culture where people start to believe that we really are going to change the world!
When people get wind of that kind of opportunity, tremendous sacrifices become normal. Tim, a leader in our church, came to us and told us that he would like to take early retirement and work for the church without a salary for one year. After that year was over he wanted us to evaluate him. If we felt he added enough value to our church, then we would hire him. If not, then he would find another job and continue as a leader in the church.
We said, "Sure!" (Talk about a deal you can't refuse!) One year later, Tim proved himself so invaluable that we brought him on staff. Now he oversees hundreds of unpaid servants and all of our ministry teams. I could tell you many stories like this.
Tremendous sacrifice is normal here. Why? Because of a belief (that starts with the lead team) that this might just be the church that actually does change the world! There is a vibe in our church that we are up to something big and something special. This is not something that we talk about in a prideful manner; in fact we are very careful to make sure that God gets all the credit.
It starts with a lead team that is the microcosm of the rest of the church. They are very clear about the cause and willing to die for it. When they serve it feels like recess, and together they believe that they really are going to change the world!
OK, I've said the secrets out loud. What do you think? Do you agree, or am I just plain wrong?
The leadership team I'm a part of today — Jon Ferguson, Troy McMahon, Eric Bramlett and myself — is the finest team of which I've ever been a part. And during those 14 years there have been some things about these teams that I knew were true (I have a hunch we all knew they were true), but we never said them out loud. We might be misunderstood. We might be wrong. So we kept these as secrets.
However, now I'm more confident. I think these secrets are true, and I'm willing to risk being misunderstood. So I've decided to tell all! Here are four secrets of great team-based leadership:
The Secret About the Cause
"We are committed to the cause first and each other second."
Great leadership teams are always clear about the cause. A lot of other stuff may get fuzzy, but the cause is always very clear.
At CCC there is sometimes a lack of structure and policy, but the one clear thing is the cause. It's embodied in our mission statement: "Helping people find their way back to God by reproducing congregations, campuses, and churches that celebrate, connect, and contribute to the dream of God."
Last week my assistant, Pat, got an e-mail from a pastor requesting a copy of our staff policy manual. Her answer: "Our policy is not to make policy." I love that! Why? Policy is what happens when we can't get people to do what we want them to do because people are not championing a clear cause. Policy occurs when the ethos of a church culture is weak and the cause is not compelling.
Why all this talk about cause? Because I believe our leadership team is committed to die for the cause of "helping people find their way back to God." And when I say "die" I'm not using hyperbole. The four of us who lead CCC today are willing to die for the cause, whether it is one day at a time or all at once.
We are committed to the cause first and each other second. This is scary to say out loud. That's why it's a secret. But the truth is that it's the cause that brings us together and keeps us together. It is when we put other things or other people before the cause that we compromise what God dreamed of in the church and in the Great Commission.
I believe this is at least 50 percent of what it takes to create great team-based leadership, an uncompromising loyalty to a clear cause. There is never a great lead team when the cause is not clear!
In Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith's great book, Wisdom of Teams, they make it very clear: "The primary objective of the team must be performance results (cause), not becoming a team." One of the great mistakes is forgetting that the cause is what creates community or team. Ask yourself, "Why do men always remember athletic teams or army platoons as the place where they experienced the most genuine community?"
Answer: because a clear cause created community. The cause of winning a game created a team. The cause of defeating a common enemy created a team.
Why is it so hard for athletes to retire? Listen to them talk and you'll see it’s not the money they miss as much as the team.
The Acts 2 church was also brought together by a clear cause. It was the cause called the Great Commission that brought about koinonia or community. That first great leadership team of apostles had a clear cause for which they were willing to die.
The Secret about Community
"We don't know when we are working and when we are playing."
I love the way Eric Bramlett describes working at CCC: "Working here feels like recess." I feel the same way. Sure, there are times we fight about who gets to go down the slide first; but it's still a playground, and it feels a lot more like recess than school. In my 14 years as a part of the leadership team at CCC I don't remember one day (literally) that I looked at my watch thinking, When is it going to be 5 o'clock so I can leave work? It sounds trivial, but being a part of the leadership team at CCC is just plain fun! Working and playing feel the same!
When we are looking for new staff, my teammates have been coached to consider the three C's of character, competency, and chemistry. For us, chemistry is always the first priority, because that's what draws someone into our church culture and draws us to them.
We have a chemistry test that a prospective hire must pass. We call it the "parking lot test." The "parking lot test" is comprised of one question we ask ourselves before we put someone on our staff team: "When we drive up, are we glad to see their car in the parking lot?" If we are excited about seeing their car and knowing we will find them inside, they pass — there is chemistry! If we feel our stomach sink knowing they are inside, they fail — no chemistry! All this is to say that there is a great chemistry with each of the people on our leadership team.
What contributes to the chemistry of a great lead team? First, complementary gifts help create the chemistry. Second, chemistry comes when we all buy into a common strategy. And third, none of the four of us can imagine doing anything else. We all have had offers to do other things in other places for more money, but we just can't imagine doing anything else.
The Secret about Chaos
"We may look crazy to you, but there is a method to our madness."
When other churches visit and see the open office concept we use, where almost all of our 35 staff are in the same room with one another, they will often say, "How do you get anything done in the middle of this chaos?" When other teaching pastors find out that we write all our messages as a team of people from not only multiple campuses, but multiple churches using video conferencing, they say, "Oh, my style would never work in that environment." I used to be concerned that outsiders might think we are crazy, chaotic, or even out of control, but now I understand that as one of our secrets.
One of the secrets of a great leadership team is that in their relentless pursuit of the cause they become a community with unique characteristics according to how God made them. This may appear crazy or chaotic to the outsider, but there is a unique method to their madness.
These characteristics are often paradoxical. Here are some of the paradoxes you would see in our lead team:
Highly Collaborative AND Very Competitive
Every person in our lead team is very competitive. We want to win in basketball, and we want to win the argument. But at the same time we know if we are going to win our part of the world for Christ (back to the cause that creates community), this will take collaboration. So we collaborate on everything. I started to make a list of things that we collaborate on, then it hit me that the much shorter list would be those things on which we don't collaborate.
Very Compassionate AND Comfortable with Conflict
Patrick M. Lencioni, in his book, Five Dysfunctions of a Team tells us that healthy teams are comfortable with conflict. We are definitely comfortable with conflict — confronting, challenging, debating, and sometimes yelling (and later apologizing). But, I also know that when I need a group to rally around me, they will be there for me. There is no doubt about it — my team loves me!
Loves Spontaneity AND Wants Accountability
"Lead with a yes" is a saying you hear from our leadership team. We love being flexible and spontaneous enough that we lead with a yes to new ideas. The new idea could be anything from going for shakes during our lead team meeting to starting a new service in a few weeks. We love leading with spontaneity and the "yes." That spontaneity however is balanced by our desire (that might be a stretch — I think we just know we need it) for accountability. We want accountability for how we are doing versus the goals we set for ourselves a year ago. We want and expect accountability for the ministries we oversee. We want accountability for our budget areas.
To the outsider we may look like an overly competitive team that is constantly fighting about our goals. But come back next week, and we may look like this highly collaborative group in love with one another. To the outsider it might look crazy, but it's just how God made us. And it works!
The Secret about Creating Culture
"We REALLY are going to change the world."
It is the lead team more than any other team that will create the culture and the ethos for a church. When you have a lead team that is clear about the cause, willing to die for the cause, and where serving feels like recess, you have created a church culture where people start to believe that we really are going to change the world!
When people get wind of that kind of opportunity, tremendous sacrifices become normal. Tim, a leader in our church, came to us and told us that he would like to take early retirement and work for the church without a salary for one year. After that year was over he wanted us to evaluate him. If we felt he added enough value to our church, then we would hire him. If not, then he would find another job and continue as a leader in the church.
We said, "Sure!" (Talk about a deal you can't refuse!) One year later, Tim proved himself so invaluable that we brought him on staff. Now he oversees hundreds of unpaid servants and all of our ministry teams. I could tell you many stories like this.
Tremendous sacrifice is normal here. Why? Because of a belief (that starts with the lead team) that this might just be the church that actually does change the world! There is a vibe in our church that we are up to something big and something special. This is not something that we talk about in a prideful manner; in fact we are very careful to make sure that God gets all the credit.
It starts with a lead team that is the microcosm of the rest of the church. They are very clear about the cause and willing to die for it. When they serve it feels like recess, and together they believe that they really are going to change the world!
OK, I've said the secrets out loud. What do you think? Do you agree, or am I just plain wrong?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The 4 Ways of Being
One of the things that Starbucks does exceptionally well is to translate their vision and values into measureable behavior. As Starbucks partners, we are trained to demonstrate key behaviors that enable us to provide legendary service to our customers thus fulfilling our corporate mission. These key behaviors are known as "ways of being."
Taking a cue from the coffee company that will someday rule the world, we've developed "The 4 Ways of Being" to fulfill our mission at SOULNET.
SOULNET Mission: To establish SOULNET as a growing movement of disciples of Jesus committed to bringing the Kingdom of God within the domains of society. We will do this by practicing the 4 Ways of Being:
1. Be passionate: We are committed to the passionate pursuit of God.
2. Be Gospel-centered: We are committed to applying the Gospel to all of life.
3. Be connected: We are committed to intentional, authentic connections with one another.
4. Be missional: We are committed to the convergence of life, vocation, and gifts to fulfill God’s mission.
These 4 Ways of Being are the core behavioral commitments that we ask everyone in SOULNET to demonstrate. This becomes the common thread that binds us together.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Summer Series: Introduction to Galatians
When men and women get their hands on religion, one of the first things they often do is turn it into an instrument for controlling others, either putting or keeping them "in their place." The history of such religious manipulation and coercion is long and tedious. It is little wonder that people who have only known religion on such terms experience release or escape from it as freedom. The problem is that the freedom turns out to be short-lived.
Saul of Tarsus was doing his diligent best to add yet another chapter to this dreary history when he was converted by Jesus to something radically and entirely different---a free life in God. Through Jesus, Paul learned that God was not an impersonal force to be used to make people behave in certain prescribed ways, but a personal Savior who set us free to live a free life. God did not coerce us from without, but set us free from within.
It was a glorious experience, and Paul set off telling others, introducing and inviting everyone he met into this free life. In his early travels he founded a series of churches in the Roman province of Galatia. A few years later Paul learned that religious leaders of the old school had come into those churches, called his views and authority into question, and were reintroducing the old ways, herding all these freedom-loving Christians back into the corral of religious rules and regulations.
Paul was, of course, furious. He was furious witht eh old guard for coming in with their strong-arm religious tactics and intimidating the Christians into giving up their free life in Jesus. But he was also furious with the Christians for caving in to the initmidation.
His letter to the Galatian churches helps them, and us, recover the original freedom. It also gives direction in the nature of God's gift of freedom---most necessary guidance, for freedom is a delicate and subtle gift, easily perverted and often squandered.
(Excerpted from THE MESSAGE REMIX: The Bible in Contemporary Language Copyright © 2003 by Eugene Peterson)
Saul of Tarsus was doing his diligent best to add yet another chapter to this dreary history when he was converted by Jesus to something radically and entirely different---a free life in God. Through Jesus, Paul learned that God was not an impersonal force to be used to make people behave in certain prescribed ways, but a personal Savior who set us free to live a free life. God did not coerce us from without, but set us free from within.
It was a glorious experience, and Paul set off telling others, introducing and inviting everyone he met into this free life. In his early travels he founded a series of churches in the Roman province of Galatia. A few years later Paul learned that religious leaders of the old school had come into those churches, called his views and authority into question, and were reintroducing the old ways, herding all these freedom-loving Christians back into the corral of religious rules and regulations.
Paul was, of course, furious. He was furious witht eh old guard for coming in with their strong-arm religious tactics and intimidating the Christians into giving up their free life in Jesus. But he was also furious with the Christians for caving in to the initmidation.
His letter to the Galatian churches helps them, and us, recover the original freedom. It also gives direction in the nature of God's gift of freedom---most necessary guidance, for freedom is a delicate and subtle gift, easily perverted and often squandered.
(Excerpted from THE MESSAGE REMIX: The Bible in Contemporary Language Copyright © 2003 by Eugene Peterson)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Simply Church
the church at matthew's house
By Jason Evans - May 2002
I was tired of the church, as I knew it. It was an event, a building, a program. I wanted to be the church; I wanted my unchurched friends to be the church, not become churched. I wanted it to be something I lived, rather than something I lived for. I heard of crazy people that met together, ate meals, shared their resources and studied the Scriptures together... in homes and coffee shops of all places! It couldn't be that simple! You were supposed to bring the sofas, the coffee (and the candles if you're real serious) into the sanctuary, but not use them in their common setting! That was ludicrous! It was two years ago that I thought that. Now, I'm one of those crazy people.
My wife and I along with several other couples had a burden, I'm not so sure it was a "vision” but it was definitely a burden. We were certain that the church was simpler than what we had known it to be. We wanted to be a part of something that encouraged spiritual things to evolve in a natural way. We wanted to go where God was rather than build a place for him to reside. We had a desire to invite people into an experience that was informal, yet intentional like the story of Levi throwing a party at his house with Jesus. Not long after that we found ourselves becoming the church to each other. It was a house church I suppose, but we weren't quite sure what to call it.
On a usual Thursday night, we would meet at about 6:30 p.m., eating dinner together, talking about our weeks, sharing high points and low points and getting introduced to a couple of new people that might have just stopped by. At one point, one evening, towards the end of dinner one of the new girls opened up a little. She said that she couldn't believe how welcome she felt. She had always been so "turned off" to religion and had become very skeptical. But she felt more comfortable and loved than she felt normally with her closest friends. This night was already the high point of her week and dinner wasn't even over yet!
And then one night it happened.
After dinner, all of us crammed into the family room to carry the conversations further. At the end of a time of reflection, people decided to wrap things up in prayer. And then it happened... without any explanation, no instruction, nor a request, this new girl said, "I don't know you God, but all I know is that I want more of you. I need you to be part of my life, like these people. Jesus, please, I want to know you..." As people kept praying there was this rush of wonder and amazement as those Christians in the room began to realize that one more had come into the Kingdom. To think, this girl hadn't been given a Gospel message, she wasn't told how to become a Christian... she just knew. This was a totally un-evangelical salvation!
We had committed ourselves to no longer putting on a show and just lift God up in our lives. Through that the Holy Spirit got all the credit, we did nothing, He drew someone to the Savior without us tripping things up along the way. Many more young adults were coming and things began to quickly get tight around the dinner table and in the family room. We soon started another church to relieve some of the size limitations in the first group. We didn't know what to do next; all we knew was that God was up to something.
Not long after that my wife and I began opening up our home to the many young people involved in the local punk/hardcore scene and started a church there. The night began with dinner together and then each shared a few chapters of our personal stories. As we talked the conversation moved into what each expected of a group like this. What blew me away was that each of them was saying the same thing. Learning to love God and other people in an authentic way was what each of them wanted.
By the end of the night, this group of young people were bonded together on a journey to learn what it meant to really love God, love their friends, and provide a safe haven for them to come, hang out, and talk about life. They decided that we would come together every week to do this for each other and anyone else who came through the door.
Less then 6 months after that church was born two young men within that group have been called to shepherd that church. Less then a week after we talked with those two young men, all of us were sitting in our house, sharing life together, and the Spirit laid it on my heart to challenge another young person to begin a house church. Once again, we will help him lay the foundation and empower him to guide a church. A few days later, at a concert, some of us were talking to some old friends that live in the next county to the east and they are catching the vision. We now have the opportunity to help them start a movement of simple churches planted by normal people.
Simple churches come together.
Monthly, we have gatherings where all of these simple churches come together to share and celebrate God's work. I had the opportunity to speak with a housewife that is incredibly excited about the church meeting in her home. To my amazement she told me that the group is getting ready to bust at the seams. Therefore, she felt God must be getting ready to call some of them to go and start some new churches where there will be more room for more people!
I sat with a friend to think about these various situations and we could see up to 10 churches being born out of the hearts of people committed to loving others and Jesus in a simpler, honest manner. I don't think I've ever seen a multiplication process happen like this before.
The question many are asking is, "is it really that simple?" In fact, I think it is. Welders, daycare supervisors, housewives, electricians, waitresses and others are gifted to care and guide small, simple churches in there homes, apartments, coffee shops, tattoo parlors, bars and diners across the country. They won't separate the saints from the seekers. They will blur the lines between what we deem secular and what we raise up as sacred. They are gifted to express their creativity in new, unexpected ways and mediums, but not in the walls of our homes and church buildings but out there, in the real world. They are prone to make us uncomfortable and question our methods, which is exactly what Jesus did. They are gifted to teach us through rabbinical-like conversation, rather than monotone dissertations. They are gifted to help us become selfless Christ-followers, rather than selfish commercial-guzzlers. And most importantly they are gifted to take the church into realms us "clergy-types" never could. Who could ask for more? Can we humble ourselves to set aside the complicated organizations for a simpler organism?
Can we humble ourselves to take our gifts, talents and abilities to serve this movement? I believe that it will allow people to come to Christ, flourish in their giftedness and be a part of revolution across our country that we never expected! So... who's in?
By Jason Evans - May 2002
I was tired of the church, as I knew it. It was an event, a building, a program. I wanted to be the church; I wanted my unchurched friends to be the church, not become churched. I wanted it to be something I lived, rather than something I lived for. I heard of crazy people that met together, ate meals, shared their resources and studied the Scriptures together... in homes and coffee shops of all places! It couldn't be that simple! You were supposed to bring the sofas, the coffee (and the candles if you're real serious) into the sanctuary, but not use them in their common setting! That was ludicrous! It was two years ago that I thought that. Now, I'm one of those crazy people.
My wife and I along with several other couples had a burden, I'm not so sure it was a "vision” but it was definitely a burden. We were certain that the church was simpler than what we had known it to be. We wanted to be a part of something that encouraged spiritual things to evolve in a natural way. We wanted to go where God was rather than build a place for him to reside. We had a desire to invite people into an experience that was informal, yet intentional like the story of Levi throwing a party at his house with Jesus. Not long after that we found ourselves becoming the church to each other. It was a house church I suppose, but we weren't quite sure what to call it.
On a usual Thursday night, we would meet at about 6:30 p.m., eating dinner together, talking about our weeks, sharing high points and low points and getting introduced to a couple of new people that might have just stopped by. At one point, one evening, towards the end of dinner one of the new girls opened up a little. She said that she couldn't believe how welcome she felt. She had always been so "turned off" to religion and had become very skeptical. But she felt more comfortable and loved than she felt normally with her closest friends. This night was already the high point of her week and dinner wasn't even over yet!
And then one night it happened.
After dinner, all of us crammed into the family room to carry the conversations further. At the end of a time of reflection, people decided to wrap things up in prayer. And then it happened... without any explanation, no instruction, nor a request, this new girl said, "I don't know you God, but all I know is that I want more of you. I need you to be part of my life, like these people. Jesus, please, I want to know you..." As people kept praying there was this rush of wonder and amazement as those Christians in the room began to realize that one more had come into the Kingdom. To think, this girl hadn't been given a Gospel message, she wasn't told how to become a Christian... she just knew. This was a totally un-evangelical salvation!
We had committed ourselves to no longer putting on a show and just lift God up in our lives. Through that the Holy Spirit got all the credit, we did nothing, He drew someone to the Savior without us tripping things up along the way. Many more young adults were coming and things began to quickly get tight around the dinner table and in the family room. We soon started another church to relieve some of the size limitations in the first group. We didn't know what to do next; all we knew was that God was up to something.
Not long after that my wife and I began opening up our home to the many young people involved in the local punk/hardcore scene and started a church there. The night began with dinner together and then each shared a few chapters of our personal stories. As we talked the conversation moved into what each expected of a group like this. What blew me away was that each of them was saying the same thing. Learning to love God and other people in an authentic way was what each of them wanted.
By the end of the night, this group of young people were bonded together on a journey to learn what it meant to really love God, love their friends, and provide a safe haven for them to come, hang out, and talk about life. They decided that we would come together every week to do this for each other and anyone else who came through the door.
Less then 6 months after that church was born two young men within that group have been called to shepherd that church. Less then a week after we talked with those two young men, all of us were sitting in our house, sharing life together, and the Spirit laid it on my heart to challenge another young person to begin a house church. Once again, we will help him lay the foundation and empower him to guide a church. A few days later, at a concert, some of us were talking to some old friends that live in the next county to the east and they are catching the vision. We now have the opportunity to help them start a movement of simple churches planted by normal people.
Simple churches come together.
Monthly, we have gatherings where all of these simple churches come together to share and celebrate God's work. I had the opportunity to speak with a housewife that is incredibly excited about the church meeting in her home. To my amazement she told me that the group is getting ready to bust at the seams. Therefore, she felt God must be getting ready to call some of them to go and start some new churches where there will be more room for more people!
I sat with a friend to think about these various situations and we could see up to 10 churches being born out of the hearts of people committed to loving others and Jesus in a simpler, honest manner. I don't think I've ever seen a multiplication process happen like this before.
The question many are asking is, "is it really that simple?" In fact, I think it is. Welders, daycare supervisors, housewives, electricians, waitresses and others are gifted to care and guide small, simple churches in there homes, apartments, coffee shops, tattoo parlors, bars and diners across the country. They won't separate the saints from the seekers. They will blur the lines between what we deem secular and what we raise up as sacred. They are gifted to express their creativity in new, unexpected ways and mediums, but not in the walls of our homes and church buildings but out there, in the real world. They are prone to make us uncomfortable and question our methods, which is exactly what Jesus did. They are gifted to teach us through rabbinical-like conversation, rather than monotone dissertations. They are gifted to help us become selfless Christ-followers, rather than selfish commercial-guzzlers. And most importantly they are gifted to take the church into realms us "clergy-types" never could. Who could ask for more? Can we humble ourselves to set aside the complicated organizations for a simpler organism?
Can we humble ourselves to take our gifts, talents and abilities to serve this movement? I believe that it will allow people to come to Christ, flourish in their giftedness and be a part of revolution across our country that we never expected! So... who's in?
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