What I’ve Learned From Planting [Part 2]
About a month ago I took a few minutes to share some things we are learning as we plant a new community. I took some time to share some of the wins. Here are some things that I’ve learned on a day-to-day basis over the last 13 months.
Vision Is Important
We’ve learned that having a clear and concise vision is important. The reality is there are close to a hundred evangelical churches in our city so if you want a smorgasbord you can have it.
The tendency is to do to much and spread yourself thin as a young church. To avoid this we’ve focused on three primary things in how we function as a community:
- Corporate worship on Sundays
- Meeting house to house
- Releasing every person in our church to be a missionary (living on mission) in the city
Less On The Organization More On The Individual
I’ve been a pastor for seven years now and I have always found it amusing when people pose the question, “what is the church doing for the poor, the city, for this, for that, etc..”
I’ve always wondered why there is so much pressure on the church as an organization and very little expectation on the people who are the church.
Since we’ve started City View my answer to this question is another question. “What are you doing as a Jesus follower?”
We are working hard to shift from everything on the organization to more on the people who are the church. Our vision is to empower people in our corporate gathering on Sundays and from house to house throughout the week so that they can go and accomplish the mission of God in the city.
This doesn’t mean we won’t do things corporately for the marginalized. We have already started a ministry that gives away thirty or so lunches in the downtown core after our gatherings. It also doesn’t mean we won’t do certain things corporately to reach out to the community.
What it does mean is that we are not putting the mission simply on the organization. Less on the organization more on the people who are the church!
Calling People To “Be” The Church Isn’t Easy
We have a lot to work to do in the West. I don’t have all the answers but I’ve learned that it’s almost unique now to call people to be the church.
I am convinced theologically that God is not just creating for himself individuals. He’s creating for himself a people, the church, who are called to be priests to care and serve one another (1 Peter 2).
When you emphasize this in your community your growth may be slower. The reality is a lot of people want an event or to be entertained.
We have cautioned ourselves from simply herding people in and out of a church service.
Calling people to something greater isn’t easy.
A Church Plant Won’t Solve Your Church Problems
If someone is burnt out and critical on the global church from the beginning, a church plant is not going to help their church problems. If anything it is going to illuminate those problems because things are typically smaller and in the beginning stages of getting established.
Often people think something new will change their struggles with the church. In most cases it’s just not true.
Prayer Is The Engine For Everything
I have learned over the last 13 months that prayer is everything.
When we work to do things as the church and we do not pray we are basically declaring ourselves as God.
I have learned quickly that we do not bring growth. We do not sustain. We do not save. We do not change. We do not transform. God does.
If we do not dwell in Him and if we do not ask him to move for His glory we are simply missing the point.
Total Church
In week 3 of our series ONE PRAYER at RVC we talked about Gospel Community.
There is a fantastic book by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis called Total Church. Total Church discusses a radical reshaping that needs to take place in the church around Gospel and Community.
It is hands down the best book I have ever read on Gospel Communities. It is reformed and theologically robust, while at the same time practical with insight in how to see Gospel Community happen.
If you are passionate about the Gospel, community and mission and are a small group (community) leader this a great resource to look through. I am hoping to have a summary of the book done over the summer at some point.
Also, the Resurgence has provided training from Steve Timmis on Gospel Communities. You can find the sessions linked below:
Total Church Training – Session 1
Exponential Day 1: Matt Chandler
Matt Chandler
“Paul continually preaches the gospel to people who have already heard it.”
Romans 1:13-15
1 Corinthians 15:1-6 – past tense, present tense, future tense
“The gospel should not be assumed.”
Galatians 1:6-9
Ephesians 2:1-10 – the gospel
“The gospel isn’t something that just saves you, it’s something you walk in.”
The Gospel Defined
Colossians 1:13-23
1. The Gospel On The Ground
Colossians 1 Verses 13-14, 21-23
GOD – MAN – CHRIST – RESPONSE
GOD – creator/perfect
MAN – sinful and wretched
CHRIST – paid the price
RESPONSE – Christ’s work generates a response
2. The Gospel In The Air
Colossians 1 Verses 15-19
CREATION – FALL – REDEMPTION – CONCEMNATION
CREATION – loving creator created everything good
FALL – fractures shalom, sin enters the world, the ground will war against you
REDEMPTION – Jesus becomes our righteousness, takes on our wickedness
CONSUMMATION – rescued from our sin and used as an agent of reconciliation
“Often the gospel on the ground and the gospel in the air play ‘textual tennis’. They both might be true.”
“You and loving your city without the gospel is crap.”
Luke 24:13
Implications Of The Resurrection
In the cross we are being saved from SIN
In the resurrection we are saved to MISSION
We’ve been saved from SIN to the job of RECONCILIATION
Exponential
For the next few days I’m at the Exponential Conference in Orlando. The focus of the conference is mission and multiplication.
Excited to hear from some guys like Francis Chan, Mark Batterson, Matt Chandler, Dave Gibbons, Ed Stetzer and more.
I’m hoping to blog my notes and thoughts throughout the week.
Encouraged
Just read a great post by Dave Ferguson, pastor of Community Christian Church in the Chicago area. He just started a new church campus in the greater Chicago area and I love how First Presbyterian Church responded. Check out the video below!
When I see this I pray with everything I have that this is how our church community would respond if another church was started close by. It’s so easy to mark territory when it comes to new churches in the area. I don’t think it has dawned on us that it will take hundreds of churches to reach our cities and towns for Christ.
It’s encouraging to see a church living the way Jesus would.
The Story
We just wrapped up our two week mini-series called ECCLESIA. Part of what we wanted to do is talk about our mission, vision and values and we also wanted to expose our church community to what is happening in our nation.
What I love about the Kingdom of God is that there are so many different expressions of the local church.
I had a chance to sit down at the beginning of December with a church planter named Joe Manafo. We were able to hear what God is up to at The Story which was started three years ago in downtown Sarnia, Ontario.
I was able to hear a great story of a new church and what they are seeing happen as they live missionally in their community.
Check out an interview I put together:
This Weekend
Join us this weekend for part 2 of our series ECCLESIA. If you want to get ahead you can read Acts 19. Check out the video invite below.
I’ve put together a 10 minute interview with Joe Manafo from a church plant in Sarnia, Ontario called The Story. See the video invite below.
