Traveling to England

As I write this blog I am preparing for my departure to England where we will have a busy schedule. Linda and I are looking forward to our arrival and immediate transfer to Poole where we will be with Gateway Church led by Matt Hosier. Matt is a longtime friend, so we are very much looking forward to having a few days with them. Matt made it a priority to have me come to Sidcup, New Community Church in London every year to minister to this great church during his years as pastor there. He now leads Gateway Church in the coastal city of Poole. It was a joy to be with them last year and I am looking forward to my second visit where I am sure to note much progress. I look forward to the Sunday preaching but especially to meeting with elders and leaders and their wives during our stay.

Following my time at Poole, Linda and I will travel to Brighton, England for the "Together On A Mission" conference which draws nearly 5,000 leaders from around the world. We will be teaching at this conference on the topic of the priority of the leader's marriage. We do feel the weight of this important topic particularly as we note each year the failure of marriages among leaders, which goes beyond those that are often noted as high profile leaders. It is my belief that a leader's marriage priority supersedes all other priorities in ministry. This has been a topic we have often been asked to share internationally as well as in the USA. It has been rewarding to receive many expressions of appreciation from leaders and wives following these teachings. I do expect this year's "Together On A Mission" conference to be a most historic occasion following the 2008 conference. Terry Virgo will be taking three very important sessions as he prepares us for the transition that is taking place in Newfrontiers.

After the Brighton conference we will travel to Sidcup, a suburb of London, to again be with New Community Church, which is led by Dave Holden. It will be a joy to minister again to this wonderful church which has always been so warm and embracing of our ministry. I will also again be meeting with the elders for a time of input. I have greatly appreciated the openness of the elders to receive from me and I count it a special privilege to have this opportunity. Dave and his wife, Liz, have been such wonderful friends and we are so looking forward to having time together on the Monday following our week-end of meetings. Newfrontiers is indeed a family of churches together on a mission with wonderful relationships among the leaders and churches.

Report on June 09

I'm just about to conclude a busy but very productive month of June. I traveled to Seattle/Tacoma for several days and enjoyed meeting with the leaders of nine churches for two days. It was so excellent to witness the amazing advancement that is taking place in the Northwest. Four more churches have a desire to become a part of what we are in Newfrontiers and have been in the process of building relationship with us for some time now. I feel a real kinship with these leaders; in fact, it feels like I have always known them. I am very impressed with the heart and quality of these pastors who value relationships, having a great desire to be together on a mission as a family of churches. I honor the work they have already accomplished and know they will make a great contribution to us. It was also a joy to be with Bo Noonan and Sam Poe as well as our church plant New Community Church in Tacoma and to see the growth of the church. Although I was unwell during the Sunday preach, I was aware of God's presence and several expressed appreciation for the message.

During some free time on Saturday, Sam Poe took me to Mt. Rainer for a little mountain climbing. I have to say we did not make the summit of 14,000 feet, but did climb high enough to look back at Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens on what was a beautiful, clear day. It was amazing to stand on Mt. Rainer knowing that 711 inches of snow had fallen that year and much of it still underneath our feet. The beauty of God's creation continues to be vividly embedded in my memory.

Upon my return to Missouri, we spent a day with Terry and Wendy Virgo and traveled up to "Celebration Midwest" at the University of Central Missouri campus. What a joy to meet together with hundreds of people from our Midwest churches for three days. I encourage you to download the teaching which received such an excellent response. This event is like no other we do: the entire family is involved as people serve to make this conference such a great blessing. I greatly appreciate the way the churches pitch in to administrate, teach children, oversee recreation, supervise the book table and usher. More than any other type of event, our Celebration conferences express our churches as a family together on a mission. The presence of God was so precious during our times to worship. I noted particularly as people seemed eager to drink in the preaching and respond during prayer times. The Saturday evening meeting is a time in which we report news, pray for new church plants, give a financial report, and show a video of our past activities as well as vision for the future and then receive an offering for our mission together. It is great fun to welcome the ONEBLAZE into that meeting as we celebrate late into the night. That particular evening has become a highlight for us and is often commented on as the most envisioning point of our conference. I always find myself in awe as to the way our people serve and give so generously in the offering. If you were unable to attend, I would like to encourage you to come next year; your children and teens will love it as well.

Update on New England

Recently I was in New England for a very busy program which involved meeting with the leaders of both our Boston churches, a morning meeting with additional New England leaders, as well as spending time with those emerging in leadership from the various churches in the region. It was thrilling to note the sense of mission and movement among them. Christ the King has sold their building and moved into the city of Dover. I enjoyed spending time with Simon Wong, who leads Christ the King, and noted the growing faith among the church there. Ian Ashby, who leads Harbor Church and oversees our work in New England, has expanded into another meeting site in the historic city center of Portsmouth. The meeting in the historic "North Church" building has attracted a great deal of attention and Harbor is experiencing many guests and growth.

It was a joy to spend a day teaching at their quarterly leadership training program "Project 100." The packed hall represented our churches in New England and we were even able to provide a live video feed of the sessions to our churches in Canada! It was interesting to take questions at the end of each session, including those watching by teleconference! At the conclusion of the day we enjoyed a gathering of people from Harbor Church to celebrate the sending of Ian Jukes to a church plant in the UK. On Sunday it was a delight to preach at both Sunday meetings at Fenway Church in Boston. I love church plants, and being at Fenway church was a special thrill. Fenway Church meets in a trendy Boston bar ironically called "Church of Boston." I believe this was a first for me, preaching in a bar, and I must say I loved it. David Hill, who leads this church plant, is one of the most enthusiastic church planters I know. I love David's passion for lost people and anticipate that the rapid additions will continue.

The Joy of Apprenticing Others

Replacing yourself is about taking a responsibility that you own and handing it off to someone else so that they not only do what you do but also own what you owned.

All of us will be replaced. We will either replace ourselves intentionally, or we will be replaced unintentionally. In order to intentionally apprentice others we must resist the tendency to feel as though we are losing control or status.

The church is comprised of volunteers who carry on the ministry. Whenever you implement an intentional replacement strategy you increase the pool of volunteers and increase the quality of volunteers. Without a replacement strategy you will always suffer in both quantity and quality of volunteers.

The joy of apprenticing is that in developing a replacement we are present to watch someone do what we used to do and we can enjoy the process. We all will be replaced someday, but to participate in the process is a big win. To embrace a value of replacement will erase the question of how we get more volunteers. Replacing yourself as a leader is personal whereas just getting more volunteers is impersonal.

Why don’t we have more leaders and volunteers?”
• A leader’s insecurity
• A leader’s need for control

Ephesians 4:11-12 states that our primary activity is to equip others for the work of effective ministry.

Feeling threatened:
What if someone takes my ministry away from me and we are no longer needed? We need to realize that gifting and anointing cannot be taken away by others, only positions can.

Demands of working in the church rather than on the church will keep others out of ministry and not allow leaders to develop.

Moses had to address this issue. In Exodus 18 Jethro told Moses he was going to wear himself out if he didn’t start to replace himself with others. He told Moses to get men who would oversee groups of 10, 50, 100, and 1,000’s. Within this new infrastructure he appointed men who had different levels of leadership capacity. Each would have a different capacity, however all have within themselves an ability to grow and increase their leadership.

Because Moses listened to Jethro’s counsel Moses went from a force of one to a force of 131,000 leaders.

We have a lot of people in the wings coming along behind us that demand we break out of a self-limiting structure in order to allow them to develop.

We get caught in the maintenance matrix. When this happens, the demands of the current structure often take all of the leader’s time.

A primary reason churches do not grow is because they often have wrong concepts of what a leader is supposed to do.

Replacing ourselves requires deliberate effort or it will never happen.

We must not cast a leadership shadow in which nothing grows. To embrace this enables you to do less and accomplish more.

Raise the bar:
By doing it him/herself, a leader sets the standard. However, responsibility must be handed off so others can take on more responsibility and ownership. The apprentice knows what the standard is as it has already been set by the previous leader. However, the leader must make room for the apprentice to make mistakes and to grow in their responsibility and ownership.

Take the lid off:
If the same people are always assuming responsibility for things, there is a cork in the bottle when it comes to leadership development. It is expedient to broaden the base of leadership and allow others to grow. If you are a leader who feels you must go to every meeting and participate in every decision, if you have a high need for control, then you never broaden the base of leadership.

We do not have competition in our leadership. When one person does well, we all do well. Mature leadership delights in giving away responsibility and seeing others do well and garner praise. Success in ministry is not doing the task but finding others who can do the task better than you can.

Leadership must facilitate multiplication at every level in the church.

Make it a value that when anyone is leading anything, part of their responsibilities is to recruit, train and release others into the same ministry (i.e. children’s, youth, worship). Write down the names of one or more people you know who can help do this and go get them.

Volunteers in the church must see themselves as recruiters. Part of every volunteer’s job description is to replace themselves. When a volunteer in the church says to a friend, “You must come and watch me as I do this because I am so excited about it.” They are far more likely to participate and engage in ministry. Not only are they more likely to engage in ministry, but also to stay in ministry. This approach to recruiting is much more relational rather than task oriented. When you recruit by announcement on Sundays, you may get some sign ups but when the pressure is on they often quit. But if your friend asked you to come and help them, you are more likely to stick with it. It is the relational connection that solidifies their commitment.

Increasing the leadership and volunteer base of the church summary:

1. Replace yourself and see it as a win.

2. When you replace yourself with others, you become a multiplier.

3. Have multipliers at every level of the church.

4. Write down one to two names of people that you may train.

5. Every leader is to be a recruiter.

6. Every volunteer has another responsibility to recruit someone for their job. Every volunteer must see themselves as a recruiter, not just doing ministry but recruiting others for ministry and thereby multiplying your volunteers.

7. We will rarely get great leaders by giving a general plea for help. In fact people view it as somewhat of a failure, “Please come join our uninteresting, unchallenging, failing endeavors.”

8. Leaders are recruited one by one, through an enthusiastic, compelling vision. They do not respond to a general plea for help.

9. Relational connection solidifies commitment.

10. Leaders must recruit their own leaders.

11. Find the 20% that influence the 80%

12. Intentional apprenticing;
• Watch what I do
• I will watch you do what I did
• You do what I just did with you, with someone else watching you.

13. Coach others to a certain level. Set the bar high to ensure quality. Watching you do things at a high level automatically sets the level high for the apprentice to shoot for. An apprentice leader comes along with an excellent leader which sets the standard.

14. Apprenticing allows you to watch them before you hand over ministry.

15. If an apprentice has some issues (personality issue, methodology issue or doctrinal issue) it will surface during the apprenticing period. It’s better to discover this at that time rather than after they are in the position of ministry.

16. Because we are always learning many do not feel qualified to apprentice others. The goal is not to get leaders who feel they are such an expert and are therefore qualified to apprentice others, but to simply bring others on the journey with you so they can discover what you know and do.

How do we replace ourselves?

Step one: Break it down.
You need to have a clear understanding of what you do and why. Each responsibility should be broken down into steps that can easily be communicated and explained. Some people who lead various ministries in the church are very good at it, but couldn’t communicate what they do.

Step two: Be intentional about giving it away.
We are not in competition with people around as we are not running a race against each other but with each other. This is different than having people fill in for you. I am present when others are doing what I do. My apprentice is not filling in for me, he is replacing me. A seasoned teacher is in the classroom when others are teaching, it is not to fill in for you, but to replace you. They are there to coach you and applaud you when you finish.

People whom you hand-off to will make mistakes and these are a great training ground. Mistakes have no value unless someone is there to coach them afterward and debrief with them about it. Everyone involved at every level of ministry must understand that their goal is not a lesson well taught, but somebody to do it when you are not there.

Step Three: Allow them to run, own it, and walk away.
I have had to back away from meetings I once participated in order to let others grow into areas of responsibility. If you don’t let go, they will never thrive and grow. Control destroys apprenticeship.

REPRODUCING CHURCHES Pt 3

I want to continue sharing with you in part 3 of the series “Reproducing Churches” from Tim Keller’s article “Advancing The Gospel Into The 21st Century.”

Keller points out two features in the book of Acts that are particularly applicable to the day in which we live. Keller notes that the strategy prominent in Acts is “Church-multiplying” (Acts 14) and “Gospel-centered” (Acts 15).

First, it is to be noted that the Church multiplied naturally. Church planting in Acts was not an aberration. It did not happen occasionally. In fact, Church planting seemed to be a consistent strategy for the advancement of the gospel. In healthy mission focused church life the reproduction of churches is to be desired, practiced and happen with regularity. The reproduction of churches in Acts was woven into the natural fabric of their commitment to the Great Commission.

Keller notes that scholars have looked to Acts to discover the elements of ministry. They list Bible teaching, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and worship. What seems to be strangely absent is church planting. They really miss a key element of the Acts church.

When examining Acts 14:21-28, Keller recognizes two phases to the Pauline strategy.

First: Christian formation. Paul in a very focused way produced believers. He did this by preaching the gospel. However, the word “preach” in not actually used, but the word they ‘evangelizdomenol; or ‘gospeled’ the city. This indicates much more than preaching. Paul preached in synagogues, communicated in small groups, debated and persuaded out in market-places, and led in participatory discussions in rented halls. And, of course, he engaged in one-on-one conversations. He was skilled at producing new converts.

Paul also went back to these converts and brought in depth instruction (vs 21b-22). He built up and strengthened new believers by teaching and re-teaching them. He laid a foundation that rooted them in beliefs and doctrine and practice. It is evident that part of the city being ‘gospeled’ was the way these believers lived out their life in Christ. The way we live before the city is itself a most significant witness of the gospel. In fact, the way we live our life in Christ becomes an apologetic for authentic faith. It is important not to miss the implications of preaching the gospel, which is certainly more comprehensive than just verbal proclamation.

Second: Church formation. David Hesselgrave, “Planting Churches Cross-culturally” notes that Paul congregated the believers. In chapters 14-16 they are led to gather regularly and are established into a community of believers. The next event was to congregate leaders, that is elders were appointed in each new community of believers. Paul always chose elders (plural) out of the converts who then became responsible to care for and to continue instruction to the community. Paul’s apostolic ministry handed authority over to these elders rather than have them develop a dependence on him. His relationship would be with the church but through the elders. His continuing connection with them was relational and gift-based, not autocratic. When Paul began meeting with them, they were disciples, (v22) and when he left them they were “churches” (v23). It is clearly evident that in the book of Acts church multiplication is as natural as convert multiplication.

REPRODUCING CHURCHES Pt 2

I have been stimulated by an article written by Tim Keller entitled “Advancing the Gospel into the 21st Century” and have drawn some summary items from his article for this posting.

History has come full circle in that we are reflecting the 1st century worldview and practice. This, of course, makes the book of Acts, with the advance of the gospel of the kingdom of God, particularly helpful as we structure our strategy for gospel advancement.

Keller points to three characteristics taking place in the 1st century:

Firstly, it is a globalized world again. The Romans created a mobility of people, capital and ideas. Cities were multi-ethnic and international, which is also true today. With international trade, business, and the internet, cities are linking more to the rest of the world than they are the nations in which they are located. People in major cities are more like “residents in the major cities of the world” than they are like residents of their own country.

Secondly, it is now an urbanized world much like the world of the Roman Empire. During the period of the Greco-Roman world, large cities were powerful while the nation-states surrounding these cities were weak. Cities were the major influence of culture and power. Technology and the ease of travel and communication have weakened the control governments' exercise over their own citizens. Nations cannot control the flow of information or money in and out of countries. Multi-national corporations operate out of major cities and no longer are serving the interest of any country. Executives may live in several cities at once. The recent global financial meltdown is further evidence as to the power these corporations exercise in our world.

Thirdly, like the Greco-Roman world, our world is fragmented and pluralistic. The day of a national consensus' about truth, morality, and the nature of God are no longer in place. Cities are filled with multiple religions and people groups living within those cities. This is the result of the globalization of our world. Globalization has contributed to the rejection of western culture and the belief that humanism along with science will solve our world’s problems. As a result we are witnessing an increasing spiritual hunger among the peoples of the world. Further evidence of this trend is that more room is given for Christians to occupy philosophy departments at universities in the USA. Keller notes that departments of philosophy have gone from 0% to nearly 25% in our country during the last 30 years. More Christians are finding a place to be involved in the arts and scholarship. Christians have an opportunity today to more effectively influence culture, philosophy, and academics than at any other time since the 1st century.

Because our world so closely mirrors the 1st century, Keller notes the urgency of carefully examining the book of Acts which is so applicable to our present time in order to more effectively expand the gospel today.

In Part Three of this series “Reproducing Churches”, I want to continue to draw from Keller’s examination of the features of ministry strategy in the book of Acts.

Reproducing Churches, Pt. 1

At Jubilee Church in St. Louis we have a reproducing church vision to start twenty locations in the greater metro region. It was a special joy last Sunday to send out a team to begin a new location in the far western region of St. Louis, in the growing town of Wentzville. This next Sunday will be the grand opening. A team has been working all during spring and summer with preview meetings and many community service projects.

C. H. Spurgeon wrote years ago these timely words. “The Christian Church was designed from the first to be aggressive. It was not intended to remain stationary at any period, but to advance onward until its boundaries became commensurate with those of the world. It was to spread from Jerusalem to all Judea, from Judea to Samaria, and from Samaria unto the uttermost parts of the earth. It is not intended to radiate from one central point only; but to form numerous centers from which its influence might spread to the surrounding parts. In this way it was extended in its first and purest times. The plan upon which the apostles proceeded, and the great apostle in particular in his mission to the Gentiles, was to plant churches in all the great cities and centers of influence in the known world. (Sword & Trowel, Vol 1, April 1865, p. 63)

More than 300 years before the time of Christ, Alexander the Great was marching across Asia Minor as the commander of the greatest army ever assembled up to that time. This war machine had conquered every army it faced. When they reached the Himalaya Mountains, the leaders of the front-line came back to Alexander, filled with concern. “We have marched off the map, we should go back to where we know.” They had literally marched off the known map of that time. Alexander the Great listened to them and then said this, “Mediocre armies always stay within the known areas. The great armies always march off the map.”

Jesus, our great conqueror, gave a mandate in Acts 1:8 to this beginning and very small first church that they would receive power after the Holy Spirit came upon them to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. Jesus told this first church to literally “march off the map! to the uttermost parts of the earth!”

The book of Acts chronicles the forward progress of the gospel. The gospel was preached and a vibrant community of God was established in Jerusalem that led to the gospel going to Samaria and onward into Antioch, which became the first Gentile church plant. From the Antioch church Missional and reproducing churches were established in Turkey, Greece, Asia and Europe.

The Ephesus church reproduced churches in Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatria, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. These cities surround Ephesus connected by a circular Roman road.

The Thessalonian church is commended by Paul because they reproduced into the surrounding areas to such an extent that Paul did not need to come into those areas that had already been gospelized.

The Church is central in the purposes of God. These apostolic churches were reproducing churches which was simply normal church life in the New Testament. Starting new churches was vital and central to mission of the church in Acts. Paul never evangelized and made disciples apart from church planting. When looking at the church in Acts people often mention Bible teaching, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, and worship, everything but a church multiplying by starting new churches.

However, if our passion to be a reproducing churches it is important that we not lose sight of the main issue, with that sentiment I offer the following quote.

“In I Corinthians 3 Paul reflects on what makes for good church planting. And the key thing is that the gospel is at the heart of church planting. The Corinthian church plants had lost sight of the gospel. They were concerned with human power and wisdom. They were dividing over secondary issues. Paul puts the gospel of Christ crucified back at the heart of church and church planting.

"Those whose primary commitment is to evangelism can too easily get locked into pragmatism. The literature on church planting abounds with prescriptive techniques and procedures. Detailed plans are offered from forming a team through to holding public launch and beyond. Paul reminds us of the sufficiency of the gospel of Christ crucified. People are saved and the church is built through the sovereign grace of God and the power of the gospel (I Cor. 2: 1 – 5). We should be careful that what we build rests on the true foundation of the gospel of Christ (I Cor. 3:10 – 11). It is God who ‘makes things grow’ (I Cor. 3: 7)

"Those whose primary concern is church can easily get absorbed with the internal dynamics or structures of the church. Paul reminds us of the centrality of the gospel. Our great desire should be for gospel growth.”

(“Multiplying Churches” p.44)