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A Church Planting Check Up
(What’s your church planting temperature?)
A recent survey by the North American Mission Board revealed that 98.6% of responders agreed that sponsoring new churches is Biblical and that the great commission cannot be fulfilled without starting new churches. Those results indicate that our theological temperature appears to be a normal and healthy 98.6. In the same survey, 96.2% agreed that churches starting churches is the preferred method of church planting--another healthy indicator. Yet, upon closer examination, there seems to be a serious spiritual abnormality affecting the body’s reproductive process. Somewhere between only 4% and 20% (depending on who’s reporting) of SBC churches are, in any way, involved in starting new churches. That seems a long way from normal and healthy. Our brains are obviously sending theological messages that the body refuses to acknowledge.
Why is there such a disconnect? And what will it take for church planting to become the habit of all churches and not just the hobby of a few? The problem is no doubt systemic and complicated by multiple issues. However, there are three chronic ailments that if left untreated will continue to retard kingdom growth.
Church planting is not normal for most churches, first of all, because of impaired vision. A lack of kingdom focus blurs the very purpose of the church. As Jesus stood with His disciples beside the well outside the city of Sychar and watched people streaming from the town toward them, He said, “Open your eyes and look…” (John 4:35). Jesus intends that we really see people; to view them in a way that transcends the physical. But, like our physical eyes, our spiritual eyes are subject to maladies that prevent us from seeing clearly.
People blindness comes in a variety of forms. A church’s vision is often clouded by prejudice. Other churches suffer from tunnel vision, allowing those on society’s fringe to go unnoticed. Near-sightedness is another common affliction in churches. Spiritually myopic churches can’t see beyond their own local context, and their mission awareness is restricted to those who are “just like us.” Still others, ironically, have a far-sightedness that enables them to see needs afar off, even on the other side of the world, yet prevents them from seeing needs on the other side of their own town, or street.
Clearly, our vision needs correcting. Acquiring a kingdom focus begins on our knees in the word of God. Getting beyond our blind spots and into our mission field requires us to become like the blind man, who was asked by Jesus, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man responded, “Lord, I want to see!” (Luke 18:41).
Heart trouble is another malady hampering our church planting effectiveness. If subjected to the careful scrutiny of the Great Physician, we may discover our hearts have shrunk to the size of our church rolls, and our heartbeat out of sync with God’s mission. God’s heartbeat resonates clearly, in that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Furthermore, Jesus prioritized all the law and prophets by insisting that we love God with all our being, and our neighbor as ourselves. He, personally, resisted the pull of His disciples’ agendas, and the press of a needy crowd to take the gospel to neighboring towns, adamant that, this is why I have come” (Mark 1:38) .O, that God would sync our heartbeats with His, and enlarge our hearts to include all our neighbors near and far.
The third chronic ailment negatively impacting church planting is spiritual anemia. That may actually be too mild a term, but multitudes of churches are listless, lethargic, and lack a robust spirituality. Unless they experience genuine spiritual renewal they will continue to exist in a kind of ecclesiastical fetal position. Years of inward focus and lack of regular spiritual exercise has left us weak. Recognizing our condition, repenting of our sin and selfishness, and realigning with God’s will are necessary first steps to spiritual health. Getting outside the walls of the church and into the fresh air of different neighborhoods and communities has a way of raising the fitness level of a church. Personal contact with others, building relationships, and gathering them together to make disciples who will make disciples, can have a viral effect that results in a church planting epidemic—in other words, normalcy.
When Jesus scanned the five porches surrounding the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, He saw “a multitude of the sick—blind, lame, and paralyzed… They were all waiting for a miraculous movement of God that would restore them to a normal—98.6 life. He singled out an individual who had been sick for 38 years and asked him one critical question: “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:3-5). How about you? Do you want to get well…really?
(For help in developing a vision for church planting, a heart for unreached people groups, and a healthier church, contact your associational missionary or your state convention resource teams.)
Bob Beike
Associational Missionary, Muskingum Valley Baptist Assoc.
BETWEEN TRAPEZES
Reaching for an effective future
Life in the kingdom of God is a lot like flying from one trapeze bar to another. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians, it’s about continually releasing the past and reaching for the future in order to accomplish our God given mission and become mature in Christ. Today, it’s more critical than ever that we properly negotiate the precarious but thrilling life between trapezes. If we are to lay hold of God’s preferable future we need to let go of some things in the past. Not only the bad, but even good things that served us well may need to be “forgotten,” so we can focus on the best possible future. So, as we release the trapeze bar of the past, along with its reassuring familiarity, and catapult forward into an exciting, yet unknown future, allow me to describe what I believe is an effective future for a “high flying” association.
1. Focused. Life between trapezes requires a clear focus on what the association is about, not about, and where it’s headed. Values and vision must align with the purposes of God, and these become both filter and fuel for what it does. Therefore, MVA is a network of churches advancing God’s kingdom together @ “light speed” through churches that are healthy, trained servant leaders, starting new congregations, and being on mission for God (ACTS 1:8 On Mission).
2. Fast. Effective associations will need to respond quickly to challenges and opportunities. Timely decision making and on time resourcing will have to be the norm. “Light Speed” is a term borrowed from Erwin McManus, that defines “light” as the revealed will of God, and “Speed” as the immediate obedience of God’s people. It describes the life of a Christ follower, and characterizes the on mission association. Structures will need to be streamlined, the organization becoming lean and not layered.
Future associations can ill afford operating like a snake that has swallowed a large meal; just laying there, doing nothing while the issue works its way through the system.
3. Flexible. Rapid change will require increased flexibility. Leith Anderson, in speaking on “mapping the future,” compared the changing nature of various maps. Topographical maps, rarely, if ever, change. Mountains, rivers, streams, etc. exist for generations. Road maps change, but, slowly, over years. However, weather maps change, almost hourly. Our hyper changing world is more like a weather map, and we will need to adapt accordingly.
Our documents and structures will need to remain pliable if we are to ride the chaos of change to an effective future. The challenge will be to anchor ourselves in Biblical values while being animated by bold vision. Like the children of Israel, who were instructed to dress for travel, and wear their sandals as they ate the Passover meal, we must live in the ready position, anticipating the next move of God.
4. Friendly. Maintaining a friendly posture will be the hallmark of an effective association in the future. Friendly relationships with one another, and other entities will allow for productive cooperation and collaborative ministry opportunities. Staying user friendly and people friendly will enhance the resourcing and fellowship capabilities of the association.
5. Fruitful. Without question, effectiveness requires fruitfulness. The association exists to make a difference; to see people, churches, and communities transformed. Measuring that fruitfulness, however, may necessitate more creative approaches. Our reaching, keeping, and growing effectiveness will still be measured by baptisms, new churches, attendance, and giving. But, tracking fruitfulness in sending, engaging, and partnering will become a challenging, but non-negotiable means of determining missional living on the frontiers of the future.
Living between trapezes demands a high level of trust. At the crucial moment of release from one bar, there is nothing left to do but surrender and trust that the catcher on the other bar will grasp you securely. Fear not, as we reach for the future, we rely on a flawless catcher, just as Paul discovered as he focused on the prize that lay ahead, “I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12).
Bob Beike
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