Check out jesusculture.org
It's no longer about 'starting a church' - It's more about "Invading a culture with the Kingdom of God's Love" and there are a billion ways to do this.
The great thing about church planting today is that it's much more about the Kingdom of God than it is about building an empire or big church... it's about doing something in a culture of people that is so full of God that no one can get the credit for it.
There are so many - millions - of gifted ministers in the world - and church planting has become more about networking and doing life together within a community than it is about building a congregation.
Though - .... there's a huge purpose for healthy local congregations of believers and local church government...
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I've been interested in Church Planting for the past 12 years that I've been in ministry. In 1996, I attended my first Willow Creek Leadership Summit in Chicago, Illinois.
At the conference - I left with the following question in my heart from one of the speakers:
"If you were free to go anywhere in the world and do anything God wanted you to do in order to use your life to make the greatest impact on the world WITH GOD - where would you go - what would you do - what would be your focus - and how would you live?"
My answer to that question was: "I would start a church for the glory of God!" - that was it - that was all that my 22 year old brain and heart could fathom with the Lord.
I began reading all I could read on church leadership, spiritual growth, personal development, culture, and church planting. I couldn't get enough of the Lord and I couldn't read enough on "church leadership".
Little did I know that I would be married and divorced within the next 3 years and deeply wondering if anything in ministry was ever going to happen. I came up against a barrage of obstacles that seriously challenged the "call" in my heart.
But I kept growing - moving forward - pressing through very tough situations and I ended up preaching at a small church in Greenville, Ky and finishing my Master's degree.
In Kentucky, I kept the vision to "start a church" but - it matured into a clearer context of "multiplying churches" in small towns around the world.
Then I moved to Sulphur Springs, Tx - I kept that same vision: "Plant and multiply churches in small towns in Northeast Texas and around the world."
After all that I experienced in Sulphur Springs - the vision just got more and more clear. God put me in touch with many many leaders who had a greater capacity than I did for the vision.
NOW I SEE that ALL of the past 12 years has been preparation for me to do what God called me to do and we're now entering the next phases of preparation.
The key to being an effective church planter is having inside of you what you want to create outside of you. This is why we've been resting and going to counseling and retreating and slowing down...
It takes a very still and peaceful disposition to accurately hear from the Lord and it takes and well Spirit Oiled unity in a marriage vision for a church plant to last the long haul
It's much better to do the tough work up front...
There's such a different strategy for church planting today - IT'S NOT ABOUT THE CONGREGATION! This is why it's still so fresh to me. The Lord continually gives new vision and new mercies to the world every morning.
I love How the Lord has taken this all so far beyond "starting a church" - it's now about "Invading a culture with the Kingdom's Love". It transcends any local congregation and is truly about the Lord and people.
He has/is stripping me of the "mega church/empire" mentality that permeated so many young leaders in the 90's as we all saw what Hybles and Warren did. What young pastor wouldn't want to "start a church" after visiting the Willow Creek Campus in the mid 90's?
These churches are successful in the Kingdom because of the roots - not the methods.
So - we're relaying the foundation of the vision in our hearts and allowing the heart to catch up with the vision...?
Make sense?
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I like what I've seen over the past 15 years in Pastor Dino Rizzo at The Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, La.
I remember when this church started - I was a sophomore at LSU and just cutting my teeth on the mission of God for my life.
Dino started this ministry as an outreach to the poor and needy. It was a true mission church that was designed to offer healing to the Baton Rouge community and the world.
Recently, Pastor Rizzo has been heavily involved in a church plant organization called ARC (Association of Related Churches) out of Baton Rouge, La.
They train pastors to plant missional Spirit-Filled churches in North America.
This week, they hosted an ARC Conference in Birmingham, Alabama and Pastor Dino spoke on "Engaging the Future".
When I read his post last night on his blog - I felt that I had to re-post it here and give a huge "keep speaking, Lord - we're listening and ready to do something!"
Here is the post:
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"Here’s some thoughts I shared at the ARC conference today. Check out Luke 10:33-37.
Here’s verse 33 from the NIV:
But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.
Here are six hot topics we have to be ready as a church to engage:
1. The need of engaging our very own cities
We have found (and are still finding) new ways to reach out to our city that are proving effective - like kids sports leagues, food distribution, mobile medical and dental clinics, dream centers, strip club outreaches and water giveaways. But what Healing Place Church does in Baton Rouge may not work in Topeka, Buffalo and Santa Barbara. You have to know your community and engage it based on the needs you see.
2. The need of engaging the poor
The Church has to develop a culture of recognizing the poor in and around our communities. They are there. We have to realize that “poor” isn’t just those with little in the way of finances, but those who are less fortunate than us - those who have a shortage in their health, in their family, in their relationships. The poor are among us. The poor are part of us. We just need to recognize and embrace them.
3. The need of engaging clean water
According to www.globalissues.org, 1.1 billion people have inadequate access to clean water. That’s about one out of six people on the planet! They also report that millions of women spend several hours a day collecting water. I have seen it going on first-hand when I was in Africa. We have to engage this problem that quite often can so easily be solved. For more information: Blood:Water Mission, 1000 Wells
4. The need of engaging AIDS
It isn’t just a homosexual problem, or a problem for Africa. It is our problem today. UNAIDS/WHO reports that 2.5 million people contracted the disease in 2007 alone. Statistics state that there are anywhere between 14 and 18 million children who have been orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. We cannot turn a blind eye to AIDS - we have to engage it by caring for those hurting and dying because of it and do all we can to help prevent others from contracting it. For more information: Children’s Cup, Mission of Mercy
5. The need of engaging human trafficking
Equip and Empower’s A21 Campaign site reports that nearly two million children are forcibly trafficked each year by the commercial sex trade industry. How can we not engage this need as the body of Christ? For more information: A21
6. The need of engaging our very own heart
We must increase our capacity personally and as groups of believers in the body of Christ so that we can actually do something about these needs. We have to keep our hearts in check - feeding ourselves the Word of God and spending time with the Author of life so that we can be filled with the truth that will set people free and see lives rescued from these terrible situations. We need to be messengers of hope - so we must continually fill our own hearts with the Giver of hope. We need to develop who we are. For more information: Dan Ohlerking post of notes from a recent HPC staff meeting I taught."