John Honold

This podcast is personal in a very real way. John Honold has been a close friend for just under four decades.I met him as a cocky, even arrogant, 20-year-old who informed me, “I hope you don’t mind, but I knock off your sermons each Thursday under a tree at Windward Community College.”He was reteaching my Sunday messages in a microchurch he’d started on campus. I responded, “Keep it up, and you’ll become our college pastor.” He did. And he married Brenda Ching, one of the original 30 people to move from California to plant the church.After serving as College Pastor, Youth Pastor and our Exec for over a decade, we launched him to plant a Hope Chapel in Oahu’s “Second City,” Kapolei. It was a tossup as to which of us should plant the new church—me with a built-in audience from our daily radio broadcasts or John, who might reach a younger audience. He won the coin toss, and soon 700+ people met in various borrowed spaces. They multiplied new congregations from that base in Hawaii, Okinawa, Thailand and The Philippines.This episode is about church multiplication, an enduring friendship and how to follow the Holy Spirit in a way that parallels building sidewalks where people trample the grass on a college campus.Today John leads a prevailing model church (which both shrunk and grew after COVID) that operates as a hub for twelve microchurches—and he’s paid a full-time salary to boot. Journey Church Network Hawaii has cracked the code for mixing what worked in the past with the future many envision.Did I mention that they support ministries in Okinawa, Mainland Japan and across the African Continent? John is also consulting with the oldest, and perhaps most famous, church that started in the “Kingdom of Hawaii.” They’re bringing back the fire of the original vision to cover the islands with the gospel.If you’re trying to understand the implications of microchurch on the congregation you lead, this will aid your quest. Besides, it gives good insight into the values that drive this podcast and have driven me for a long time. You can connect with John at pastorjohn@journeychurchhawaii.org or https://journeychurchhawaii.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast is personal in a very real way. John Honold has been a close friend for just under four decades.I met him as a cocky, even arrogant, 20-year-old who informed me, “I hope you don’t mind, but I knock off your sermons each Thursday under a tree at Windward Community College.”He was reteaching my Sunday messages in a microchurch he’d started on campus. I responded, “Keep it up, and you’ll become our college pastor.” He did. And he married Brenda Ching, one of the original 30 people to move from California to plant the church.After serving as College Pastor, Youth Pastor and our Exec for over a decade, we launched him to plant a Hope Chapel in Oahu’s “Second City,” Kapolei. It was a tossup as to which of us should plant the new church—me with a built-in audience from our daily radio broadcasts or John, who might reach a younger audience. He won the coin toss, and soon 700+ people met in various borrowed spaces. They multiplied new congregations from that base in Hawaii, Okinawa, Thailand and The Philippines.This episode is about church multiplication, an enduring friendship and how to follow the Holy Spirit in a way that parallels building sidewalks where people trample the grass on a college campus.Today John leads a prevailing model church (which both shrunk and grew after COVID) that operates as a hub for twelve microchurches—and he’s paid a full-time salary to boot. Journey Church Network Hawaii has cracked the code for mixing what worked in the past with the future many envision.Did I mention that they support ministries in Okinawa, Mainland Japan and across the African Continent? John is also consulting with the oldest, and perhaps most famous, church that started in the “Kingdom of Hawaii.” They’re bringing back the fire of the original vision to cover the islands with the gospel.If you’re trying to understand the implications of microchurch on the congregation you lead, this will aid your quest. Besides, it gives good insight into the values that drive this podcast and have driven me for a long time. You can connect with John at <a href="mailto:pastorjohn@journeychurchhawaii.org" rel="noopener noreferrer">pastorjohn@journeychurchhawaii.org</a> or <a href="https://journeychurchhawaii.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://journeychurchhawaii.org</a>. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

John Honold: My friend for four decades and counting... (part 3 of 3)

John Honold: My friend for four decades and counting... (part 2)

This podcast is personal in a very real way. John Honold has been a close friend for just under four decades.I met him as a cocky, even arrogant, 20-year-old who informed me, “I hope you don’t mind, but I knock off your sermons each Thursday under a tree at Windward Community College.”He was reteaching my Sunday messages in a microchurch he’d started on campus. I responded, “Keep it up, and you’ll become our college pastor.” He did. And he married Brenda Ching, one of the original 30 people to move from California to plant the church.After serving as College Pastor, Youth Pastor and our Exec for over a decade, we launched him to plant a Hope Chapel in Oahu’s “Second City,” Kapolei. It was a tossup as to which of us should plant the new church—me with a built-in audience from our daily radio broadcasts or John, who might reach a younger audience. He won the coin toss, and soon 700+ people met in various borrowed spaces. They multiplied new congregations from that base in Hawaii, Okinawa, Thailand and The Philippines.This episode is about church multiplication, an enduring friendship and how to follow the Holy Spirit in a way that parallels building sidewalks where people trample the grass on a college campus.Today John leads a prevailing model church (which both shrunk and grew after COVID) that operates as a hub for twelve microchurches—and he’s paid a full-time salary to boot. Journey Church Network Hawaii has cracked the code for mixing what worked in the past with the future many envision.Did I mention that they support ministries in Okinawa, Mainland Japan and across the African Continent? John is also consulting with the oldest, and perhaps most famous, church that started in the “Kingdom of Hawaii.” They’re bringing back the fire of the original vision to cover the islands with the gospel.If you’re trying to understand the implications of microchurch on the congregation you lead, this will aid your quest. Besides, it gives good insight into the values and tricks that drive this podcast and have driven me for a long time. You can connect with John at pastorjohn@journeychurchhawaii.org or https://journeychurchhawaii.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast is personal in a very real way. John Honold has been a close friend for just under four decades.I met him as a cocky, even arrogant, 20-year-old who informed me, “I hope you don’t mind, but I knock off your sermons each Thursday under a tree at Windward Community College.”He was reteaching my Sunday messages in a microchurch he’d started on campus. I responded, “Keep it up, and you’ll become our college pastor.” He did. And he married Brenda Ching, one of the original 30 people to move from California to plant the church.After serving as College Pastor, Youth Pastor and our Exec for over a decade, we launched him to plant a Hope Chapel in Oahu’s “Second City,” Kapolei. It was a tossup as to which of us should plant the new church—me with a built-in audience from our daily radio broadcasts or John, who might reach a younger audience. He won the coin toss, and soon 700+ people met in various borrowed spaces. They multiplied new congregations from that base in Hawaii, Okinawa, Thailand and The Philippines.This episode is about church multiplication, an enduring friendship and how to follow the Holy Spirit in a way that parallels building sidewalks where people trample the grass on a college campus.Today John leads a prevailing model church (which both shrunk and grew after COVID) that operates as a hub for twelve microchurches—and he’s paid a full-time salary to boot. Journey Church Network Hawaii has cracked the code for mixing what worked in the past with the future many envision.Did I mention that they support ministries in Okinawa, Mainland Japan and across the African Continent? John is also consulting with the oldest, and perhaps most famous, church that started in the “Kingdom of Hawaii.” They’re bringing back the fire of the original vision to cover the islands with the gospel.If you’re trying to understand the implications of microchurch on the congregation you lead, this will aid your quest. Besides, it gives good insight into the values and tricks that drive this podcast and have driven me for a long time. You can connect with John at <a href="mailto:pastorjohn@journeychurchhawaii.org" rel="noopener noreferrer">pastorjohn@journeychurchhawaii.org</a> or <a href="https://journeychurchhawaii.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://journeychurchhawaii.org</a>. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

John Honold: My friend for four decades and counting...

At age 20, Jeff Fischer is the youngest planter we ever launched. He’s now busy planting a strong Gen Z church at age 63. The new church is a prevailing model/microchurch hybrid in a town with 40,000 college students.A young surfer, he caught waves on Sundays and then finished the day in our evening services in Hermosa Beach. He brought friends to the beach and church. When they ran out of cars to haul his evangelistic fruit, he begged us to plant a church for them. We turned the tables and assigned him the task. Dale Yancy was the salaried “babysitter,” while Jeff was the bivocational planter. Not too different from Peter and John aiding Philip in Samaria or Barnabas nurturing Saul.Decades and several church multiplications later, Jeff is at it once more. They’ve gathered a small group of disciplemakers. The initial interest group comes from different and potentially divisive theological positions. They’ve decided, “Let’s be different but on mission together.”Jeff defines elders in light of “youngers,” believing that the newest disciples can pass along whatever they’ve learned to someone younger in faith. After all, he was teaching the Bible as he was learning it.They snagged a venue called the Classic Rock Coffee Company for public gatherings allowing for a low overhead startup. The model resembles the “school of Tyrannus” from Acts 19. It is a lecture/lab model. Weekend teachings serve as lectures, and small groups are the lab for disciplemaking and raising potential planters. If this podcast catches your imagination, you can email pastorsurf@gmail.com or call Jeff at 818-960-9447. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At age 20, Jeff Fischer is the youngest planter we ever launched. He’s now busy planting a strong Gen Z church at age 63. The new church is a prevailing model/microchurch hybrid in a town with 40,000 college students.A young surfer, he caught waves on Sundays and then finished the day in our evening services in Hermosa Beach. He brought friends to the beach and church. When they ran out of cars to haul his evangelistic fruit, he begged us to plant a church for them. We turned the tables and assigned him the task. Dale Yancy was the salaried “babysitter,” while Jeff was the bivocational planter. Not too different from Peter and John aiding Philip in Samaria or Barnabas nurturing Saul.Decades and several church multiplications later, Jeff is at it once more. They’ve gathered a small group of disciplemakers. The initial interest group comes from different and potentially divisive theological positions. They’ve decided, “Let’s be different but on mission together.”Jeff defines elders in light of “youngers,” believing that the newest disciples can pass along whatever they’ve learned to someone younger in faith. After all, he was teaching the Bible as he was learning it.They snagged a venue called the Classic Rock Coffee Company for public gatherings allowing for a low overhead startup. The model resembles the “school of Tyrannus” from Acts 19. It is a lecture/lab model. Weekend teachings serve as lectures, and small groups are the lab for disciplemaking and raising potential planters. If this podcast catches your imagination, you can email <a href="mailto:pastorsurf@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">pastorsurf@gmail.com</a> or call Jeff at 818-960-9447. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Jeff Fischer: 63 Year-Old Veteran Planter Launches a Gen-Z Church (part 2 of 2)

At age 20, Jeff Fischer is the youngest planter we ever launched. He’s now busy planting a strong Gen Z church at age 63. The new church is a prevailing model/microchurch hybrid in a town with 40,000 college students.A young surfer, he caught waves on Sundays and then finished the day in our evening services in Hermosa Beach. He brought friends to the beach and church. When they ran out of cars to haul his evangelistic fruit, he begged us to plant a church for them. We turned the tables and assigned him the task. Dale Yancy was the salaried “babysitter,” while Jeff was the bivocational planter. Not too different from Peter and John aiding Philip in Samaria or Barnabas nurturing Saul.Decades and several church multiplications later, Jeff is at it once more. They’ve gathered a small group of disciplemakers. The initial interest group comes from different and potentially divisive theological positions. They’ve decided, “Let’s be different but on mission together.”Jeff defines elders in light of “youngers,” believing that the newest disciples can pass along whatever they’ve learned to someone younger in faith. After all, he was teaching the Bible as he was learning it.They snagged a venue called the Classic Rock Coffee Company for public gatherings allowing for a low overhead startup. The model resembles the “school of Tyrannus” from Acts 19. It is a lecture/lab model. Weekend teachings serve as lectures, and small groups are the lab for disciplemaking and raising potential planters. If this podcast catches your imagination, you can email <a href="mailto:pastorsurf@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">pastorsurf@gmail.com</a> or call Jeff at 818-960-9447. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Jeff Fischer: 63 Year-Old Veteran Planter Launches a Gen-Z Church

You'll to meet two of my favorite people in this episode.And, you'll understand more of what made the Hope Chapels so productive at multiplication. Some of this must be caught not taught. It's too difficult to get across in any other way. I've known Ron and Patience for several decades. She served on our staff for several years after planting numerous ministries. Together they planted two churches in places and ways that others might see as impossible or at least unlikely. They now lead the second and are busy launching the third--in another unlikely situation.I tease these people that God loves them more than the rest of us since he gave them 36 hours in their days instead of the usual 24. They are incredibly productive in the kingdom while running a successful business which Ron started in the midst of this fun-filled adventure.If you're interested in learning more you'll find Ron's contact info at the end of the second episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You'll to meet two of my favorite people in this episode.And, you'll understand more of what made the Hope Chapels so productive at multiplication. Some of this must be caught not taught. It's too difficult to get across in any other way. I've known Ron and Patience for several decades. She served on our staff for several years after planting numerous ministries. Together they planted two churches in places and ways that others might see as impossible or at least unlikely. They now lead the second and are busy launching the third--in another unlikely situation.I tease these people that God loves them more than the rest of us since he gave them 36 hours in their days instead of the usual 24. They are incredibly productive in the kingdom while running a successful business which Ron started in the midst of this fun-filled adventure.If you're interested in learning more you'll find Ron's contact info at the end of the second episode. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Ron & Patience Boersma Hawaii: A Remarkable Gen Z Microchurch (part two of two)

Ron & Patience Boersma Hawaii: A Remarkable Gen Z Microchurch (part one of two)

Dr. Ryan Delameter leads a burgeoning microchurch multiplication movement called OCNWTR.com. The group is unique in that aside from making disciples and (rapidly) multiplying churches they provide clean water in communities around the world.Four years after Ryan left staff at Saddleback to plant OCNWTR what began as a disciplemaking group in a jiujitsu studio now numbers nearly 40 microchurches in five countries. And, some are no longer micro with one in Pakistan numbering in the hundreds. These people are planting churches in expensive Southern California places like Malibu, Costa Mesa and even Catalina Island. And they do it at nearly no cost. These are locations where $500,000 probably won't get you started due to the high cost of living, especially real estate. The good news is that everything they've learned could work where you live. Beach House isn't really a beach house but a gathering of likeminded people sharing ideas, fun and good coffee. So, if the podcast catches your interest you'll be happy to know that you're invited to Beach House in San Clemente during the second weekend of September. It costs nothing other than travel expenses. You'll meet new friends, gather new tools and Ryan and his crew can even help you find someone who can offer you a place to sleep. You can connect with Ryan for more information at https://ocnwtr.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Ryan Delameter leads a burgeoning microchurch multiplication movement called <a href="http://OCNWTR.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OCNWTR.com</a>. The group is unique in that aside from making disciples and (rapidly) multiplying churches they provide clean water in communities around the world.Four years after Ryan left staff at Saddleback to plant OCNWTR what began as a disciplemaking group in a jiujitsu studio now numbers nearly 40 microchurches in five countries. And, some are no longer micro with one in Pakistan numbering in the hundreds. These people are planting churches in expensive Southern California places like Malibu, Costa Mesa and even Catalina Island. And they do it at nearly no cost. These are locations where $500,000 probably won't get you started due to the high cost of living, especially real estate. The good news is that everything they've learned could work where you live. Beach House isn't really a beach house but a gathering of likeminded people sharing ideas, fun and good coffee. So, if the podcast catches your interest you'll be happy to know that you're invited to Beach House in San Clemente during the second weekend of September. It costs nothing other than travel expenses. You'll meet new friends, gather new tools and Ryan and his crew can even help you find someone who can offer you a place to sleep. You can connect with Ryan for more information at <a href="https://ocnwtr.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://ocnwtr.com</a>. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Ryan Delameter - Beach House and microchurch multiplication (Part 2 of 2)

Dr. Ryan Delameter leads a burgeoning microchurch multiplication movement called <a href="http://OCNWTR.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">OCNWTR.com</a>. The group is unique in that aside from making disciples and (rapidly) multiplying churches they provide clean water in communities around the world.Four years after Ryan left staff at Saddleback to plant OCNWTR what began as a disciplemaking group in a jiujitsu studio now numbers nearly 40 microchurches in five countries. And, some are no longer micro with one in Pakistan numbering in the hundreds. These people are planting churches in expensive Southern California places like Malibu, Costa Mesa and even Catalina Island. And they do it at nearly no cost. These are locations where $500,000 probably won't get you started due to the high cost of living, especially real estate. The good news is that everything they've learned could work where you live. Beach House isn't really a beach house but a gathering of likeminded people sharing ideas, fun and good coffee. So, if the podcast catches your interest you'll be happy to know that you're invited to Beach House in San Clemente during the second weekend of September. It costs nothing other than travel expenses. You'll meet new friends, gather new tools and Ryan and his crew can even help you find someone who can offer you a place to sleep. You can connect with Ryan for more information at <a href="https://ocnwtr.com" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://ocnwtr.com</a>. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Ryan Delameter - Beach House and microchurch multiplication

Mike is a scrappy guy.He left a job as a financial advisor to pastor a very old congregation in Leighton, Pennsylvania.Having helped breathe new life into the congregation, he’s exploring creative avenues that are sure to interest you.While the 100-plus-year-old congregation snowballs with growth, they’ve planted an online church and another physical church hundreds of miles away in Georgia.The online church is not to be confused with its streaming video from the home base.The Echo Online Campus exists to create a fully digital congregation whereby people from across the country and the world join others via emerging technology.The digital campus mixes virtual reality, Discord, Zoom and a mixed salad of other apps and gadgets to reach people. That congregation is now nearly half the size of the Pennsylvania location and stretches across several states and two different countries.The digital church is planting the physical gathering in Georgia.All the campuses utilize an “apprentice maker” discipling model developed locally and soon to appear in a book by Michael.On another front, Michael presses to generate passive income enabling him to return most of his salary to the church. The latest project is an internet app about to go live.To be sure, these people are building the plane as they fly it. If you’re inventive and working in the digital space, you’ll be challenged and encouraged by pure inventiveness in this podcast.For more information, contact mike at PeoplesEC@gmail.com. The website is https://www.peoplesecchurch.com/.BTW, don't forget to check the free online courses at ralphmoore.net. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike is a scrappy guy.He left a job as a financial advisor to pastor a very old congregation in Leighton, Pennsylvania.Having helped breathe new life into the congregation, he’s exploring creative avenues that are sure to interest you.While the 100-plus-year-old congregation snowballs with growth, they’ve planted an online church and another physical church hundreds of miles away in Georgia.The online church is not to be confused with its streaming video from the home base.The Echo Online Campus exists to create a fully digital congregation whereby people from across the country and the world join others via emerging technology.The digital campus mixes virtual reality, Discord, Zoom and a mixed salad of other apps and gadgets to reach people. That congregation is now nearly half the size of the Pennsylvania location and stretches across several states and two different countries.The digital church is planting the physical gathering in Georgia.All the campuses utilize an “apprentice maker” discipling model developed locally and soon to appear in a book by Michael.On another front, Michael presses to generate passive income enabling him to return most of his salary to the church. The latest project is an internet app about to go live.To be sure, these people are building the plane as they fly it. If you’re inventive and working in the digital space, you’ll be challenged and encouraged by pure inventiveness in this podcast.For more information, contact mike at <a href="mailto:PeoplesEC@gmail.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">PeoplesEC@gmail.com</a>. The website is <a href="https://www.peoplesecchurch.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.peoplesecchurch.com/</a>.BTW, don't forget to check the free online courses at <a href="http://ralphmoore.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ralphmoore.net</a>. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Michael Coulson - Big ideas in a small place (Part 3 of 3)

Want to make a difference in the world? Who doesn't?You can, and should make a difference but ministry can feel like trying to push water uphill.If you're reading this you've probably invested your life in making disciples and teaching people the wonders of our God. You've also had a few disappointments along the way--this is where I think we can make a difference together.I’ve been in your shoes and I think I can help you. I’d like the privilege of sharing experience and insights with you as I do a host of other leaders. This podcast aims to come alongside church leaders who could use a little extra guidance. I've got five decades of experience, a bunch of churches multiplied and lots of war stories that should help you get to where you're hoping to go. I really do think I can help you as you grow into a leader who you would want to follow! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ralph Moore shares his wisdom for church health and effective multiplication, which is wonderful. I love his humility and perspective. His warmth and passion are infectious.

Awesome church podcast for everyone

Want to make a difference in the world? Who doesn't?You can, and should make a difference but ministry can feel like trying to push water uphill.If you're reading this you've probably invested your life in making disciples and teaching people the wonders of our God. You've also had a few disappointments along the way--this is where I think we can make a difference together.I’ve been in your shoes and I think I can help you. I’d like the privilege of sharing experience and insights with you as I do a host of other leaders. This podcast aims to come alongside church leaders who could use a little extra guidance. I've got five decades of experience, a bunch of churches multiplied and lots of war stories that should help you get to where you're hoping to go. I really do think I can help you as you grow into a leader who you would want to follow! Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Ralph Moore Podcast

  Your Church as a Launch Platform  Platform vs Portal-------Two Operating Systems·        Partition your “hard-drive”·        Run two operating systems at once—one as “normal,” the other as an experiment Graduating from Level 3 is more about evolution than revolution.I want to introduce an operating system that we’ve used, successfully, in the United States. However, I learned it on a teaching trip to a developing nation.  Often, we discover that the world outside the United States is forced to act more like the first century church due to persecution and poverty. Their discoveries make good lessons. Look at this example of a multiplication movement instigated by a single church operating among a fairly hostile population.  So, here goes the story:It was late. My ride to the airport hadn’t shown up… (you’ll need to listen to the podcast to hear the story.Five Elements to this Operating SystemHere are 5 takeways from this story. They constitute a new operating system that you could use while doing business as usual with the other 99 percent of congregation:   1. A megachurch operating as a launch platform for church multiplication.   2. A career-holding pastor who leads a church (actually two of them) as a freelance church planter.   3. Autonomous microchurches planted by “lay pastors.”   4. Church planters who remain in fellowship (and tithing to) their home church.   5. Penetration of corners of society that would otherwise not interact with the gospel.  These five elements, taken together, present you with a new tool for experimenting your way into becoming a church multiplier—at limited cost of money, manpower or momentum. Success At Home and Abroad26 YEARS LATER this strategy has multiplied more than 2,060 churches (with just under half meeting in homes). Starting with just 28 people the group has baptized more than 22,000 people since 1983. More than 18,000 people attend their churches. Persecution restricts the churches to evangelism through disciplemaking—they don’t rely on “altar calls” or an attractional model. This is a country where they systematically persecute Christ-followers. By the way, the group has planted reproducing churches in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia, Bahrain, the Emirates, India and Bangladesh. I currently work with one of their pastors in the United Kingdom he re-ignited an aging movement of sixteen churches, taking them to 46 autonomous churches in just six years. He moved there as an IT professional and then planted a reproducing church. The keys to these stories are the twin concepts of microchurch and freelance pastors.Career &amp; Freelance Pastor… What’s impressed me the most about the guy in this story is that they view their careers as providers of financial capital which sponsor ministry away from the marketplace. This is important, for us, because most of what American churches do, off campus, is focused on the marketplace. These guys are taking new territory—we can learn from them.Defining MicrochurchBy now, you know that what I’m calling microchurch figures big in my ideas about the future. It is the backbone of the operating system I observed in Sri Lanka. I also believe that such a vehicle fits into the near future of a church multiplication movement in the United States.A microchurch is different from a bible-study in five ways:1. It is semi-autonomous from the platform church that gave it birth. While answering to an elder board in a sending church, microchurch elders are the “troops on the ground.” They make decisions necessary to expand the kingdom in their unique turf.2. It responds to the “go” of the Great Commission rather than the “come” of Level 3 churches. Bible studies and marketplace missionaries both operate in close conjunction with a central church. “Come join us” is a subtle subtext to their message.  3. The idea is to take the gospel to people who would not fit easily into the sending church. Again, the motive is “go” rather than “come.” Missionaries who remain planted geographically.It brings church into cultures where people are not likely to identify with the cultural majority. Cultural similarities are part of the glue binding any congregation. People worship and play with people much like themselves. Microchurches utilize “bridge people” who are comfortable in more than one culture to penetrate unreached people groups.4. Its elders are endorsed by the sending church as pastors, rather than marketplace missionaries. This generates a huge motivational difference. When a group can self-identify as a church its leaders carry the weight of spiritual authority and the responsibilities attendant to it.5. It is authorized to celebrate the sacraments and reproduce itself as its leaders see fit. More than any other distinguishing factor, handling of the sacraments denotes a spiritual reality not found in Bible studies or marketplace ministries. This may be the determining factor in turning out a movement of culture-penetrating microchurches.Next Time: Five Direct Benefits of Making Disciples and Multiplying Churches  www.ralphmoore.netwww.wordofhope.online www.hopechapelchurches.com  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your Church as a Launch Platform Platform vs Portal-------Two Operating Systems·        Partition your “hard-drive”·        Run two operating systems at once—one as “normal,” the other as an experiment Graduating from Level 3 is more about evolution than revolution.I want to introduce an operating system that we’ve used, successfully, in the United States. However, I learned it on a teaching trip to a developing nation. Often, we discover that the world outside the United States is forced to act more like the first century church due to persecution and poverty. Their discoveries make good lessons. Look at this example of a multiplication movement instigated by a single church operating among a fairly hostile population. So, here goes the story:It was late. My ride to the airport hadn’t shown up… (you’ll need to listen to the podcast to hear the story.Five Elements to this Operating SystemHere are 5 takeways from this story. They constitute a new operating system that you could use while doing business as usual with the other 99 percent of congregation: 1. A megachurch operating as a launch platform for church multiplication. 2. A career-holding pastor who leads a church (actually two of them) as a freelance church planter. 3. Autonomous microchurches planted by “lay pastors.” 4. Church planters who remain in fellowship (and tithing to) their home church. 5. Penetration of corners of society that would otherwise not interact with the gospel. These five elements, taken together, present you with a new tool for experimenting your way into becoming a church multiplier—at limited cost of money, manpower or momentum. Success At Home and Abroad26 YEARS LATER this strategy has multiplied more than 2,060 churches (with just under half meeting in homes). Starting with just 28 people the group has baptized more than 22,000 people since 1983. More than 18,000 people attend their churches. Persecution restricts the churches to evangelism through disciplemaking—they don’t rely on “altar calls” or an attractional model. This is a country where they systematically persecute Christ-followers. By the way, the group has planted reproducing churches in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia, Bahrain, the Emirates, India and Bangladesh. I currently work with one of their pastors in the United Kingdom he re-ignited an aging movement of sixteen churches, taking them to 46 autonomous churches in just six years. He moved there as an IT professional and then planted a reproducing church. The keys to these stories are the twin concepts of microchurch and freelance pastors.Career &amp; Freelance Pastor… What’s impressed me the most about the guy in this story is that they view their careers as providers of financial capital which sponsor ministry away from the marketplace. This is important, for us, because most of what American churches do, off campus, is focused on the marketplace. These guys are taking new territory—we can learn from them.Defining MicrochurchBy now, you know that what I’m calling microchurch figures big in my ideas about the future. It is the backbone of the operating system I observed in Sri Lanka. I also believe that such a vehicle fits into the near future of a church multiplication movement in the United States.A microchurch is different from a bible-study in five ways:1. It is semi-autonomous from the platform church that gave it birth. While answering to an elder board in a sending church, microchurch elders are the “troops on the ground.” They make decisions necessary to expand the kingdom in their unique turf.2. It responds to the “go” of the Great Commission rather than the “come” of Level 3 churches. Bible studies and marketplace missionaries both operate in close conjunction with a central church. “Come join us” is a subtle subtext to their message. 3. The idea is to take the gospel to people who would not fit easily into the sending church. Again, the motive is “go” rather than “come.” Missionaries who remain planted geographically.It brings church into cultures where people are not likely to identify with the cultural majority. Cultural similarities are part of the glue binding any congregation. People worship and play with people much like themselves. Microchurches utilize “bridge people” who are comfortable in more than one culture to penetrate unreached people groups.4. Its elders are endorsed by the sending church as pastors, rather than marketplace missionaries. This generates a huge motivational difference. When a group can self-identify as a church its leaders carry the weight of spiritual authority and the responsibilities attendant to it.5. It is authorized to celebrate the sacraments and reproduce itself as its leaders see fit. More than any other distinguishing factor, handling of the sacraments denotes a spiritual reality not found in Bible studies or marketplace ministries. This may be the determining factor in turning out a movement of culture-penetrating microchurches.Next Time: Five Direct Benefits of Making Disciples and Multiplying Churches <a href="http://www.ralphmoore.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.ralphmoore.net</a><a href="http://www.wordofhope.online" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wordofhope.online</a> <a href="http://www.hopechapelchurches.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hopechapelchurches.com</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Your Church as a Launch Platform for Ministry

Robert Logan

This is part 1 of 2. In this episode you catch a lot of the history behind the church planting momentum that we enjoy today. Beginning with the complete lack of books and training materials or venues the conversation moves into the actual journey of a church planter. Part 2 will go deeper into the nuts and bolts of a church planting journey. The interview is based on Bob's latest book, "The Church Planting Journey." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is part 1 of 2. In this episode you catch a lot of the history behind the church planting momentum that we enjoy today. Beginning with the complete lack of books and training materials or venues the conversation moves into the actual journey of a church planter. Part 2 will go deeper into the nuts and bolts of a church planting journey. The interview is based on Bob's latest book, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Church-Planting-Journey-Robert-Logan/dp/1944955542/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Robert+e+Logan+church&amp;qid=1578598881&amp;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Church Planting Journey</a>." Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Church Planting Journey--Interview with Robert Logan (Part 1)

It was too early to get out of bed, but there I was 8 time zones away from home. The Starbucks in the hotel offered fresh strawberries along with coveted caffiene. The only other guy in the place was this large friendly man who seemed a lot more awake than me. That day saw a friendship born which is bearing fruit in God's kingdom.You'll enjoy the story of Antoinne Lassiter as it takes you from a church merger gone haywire to an introverted pastor hiding from his congregation before Sunday services to a growing congregation with the pastor coming out of his box. Hope you can relate to Antoinne and his joyous ride into fruitfulness. You can catch up to him and his congregation at https://www.thinkkingdomchurch.org/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was too early to get out of bed, but there I was 8 time zones away from home. The Starbucks in the hotel offered fresh strawberries along with coveted caffiene. The only other guy in the place was this large friendly man who seemed a lot more awake than me. That day saw a friendship born which is bearing fruit in God's kingdom.You'll enjoy the story of Antoinne Lassiter as it takes you from a church merger gone haywire to an introverted pastor hiding from his congregation before Sunday services to a growing congregation with the pastor coming out of his box. Hope you can relate to Antoinne and his joyous ride into fruitfulness. You can catch up to him and his congregation at <a href="https://www.thinkkingdomchurch.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.thinkkingdomchurch.org/</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Interview with Antoinne Lassiter: A Bumpy Ride that Went Well

Steve Addison

The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Interview with Steve Addison part 2

THREE Reasons Why Your Church Can And Should Multiply Itself In At Least One New Congregation In The Next 3-5 Years  #1 CHURCH Multiplication is as Biblical as Church Growth The primary explanation for why we should shift from forms and strategies which produce addition to those resulting in multiplication is that it is biblical.  Form follows function---Values beget vision The great function of the church is the Great Commission: “… to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). You might summarize this as everyone on earth praying, “Thy will be done …” Regardless of the forms we choose, we must be faithfully committed to, and be good stewards of, Jesus’ command to “go”, “make” and “teach” in the Great Commission. The bulls-eye of these action words is a surrender to the Lordship of Jesus that produces transformed lives.The Great Commission provides me with a framework for understanding my own life: I’ve always assumed that making disciples and teaching them to obey includes a mandate to plant churches. A church with “add and grow” mentality will have less impact on the world than a church possessing an “add and grow so we can multiply” mentality. Many churches seek to optimize the teaching dimension while falling short on the “go and make disciples” bit. The Level 5 multiplying church must seek the holistic intersection of all 3 commands.Back to the Great Commission In the Greek, “go” communicates, “as you are going”—suggesting that being a follower of Jesus is something we do naturally, on a regular basis. While the fruit of our faithfulness to this command produces fruit geographically to the ends of earth, it’s not referring to a special “missionary mode” reserved for a few select saints. Instead, Jesus expressed this part of the Great Commission to define a way of life for His followers, a mindset to inform their understanding of what it means to be His disciples. Disciples are always in a state of readiness to engage in this mission.4Jerusalem as a Level 3 Addition Model In its early days in Jerusalem, the Church functioned at Level 3, locally. It became a megachurch in one day and remained that way until persecution forced change. It took on Level 4 reproduction attributes (adding preaching points) only after Saul’s persecution (Acts 8:1; 11:19- 20). From Antioch outwards, it looks like Level 5 multiplication.  Antioch as a Pointer toward Level 4 Reproduction Intentional multiplication and commissioning The Jerusalem church was a megachurch that almost accidentally planted churches due to persecution. The first church planters were those who ran away due to the threats of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 7:57-8:4). Philip got something going in Samaria and if it lasted, it became a church, though Acts mentions no Samaritan follow-through. Others spread the gospel in Cyprus, Cyrene and Antioch because of the same mistreatment. There seems to have been little motivation for intentional church planting in Jerusalem.Antioch, however, sent missionaries who planted churches. Antioch was a substantial church that intentionally commissioned some of its best leaders to take the gospel to other locations. This single congregation generated the movement in the West that we enjoy today.   Real multiplication is found, not only in the wider travels of Barnabas and Saul, but specifically after Paul was stoned and left for dead in Derbe.Derby and Asia Minor as Setups for Level 5 Multiplication Paul and Barnabas snuck back into that city and went on preaching “When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith…. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:21-23 ESV). When they appointed select disciples as elders they, themselves, became Level 5 church multipliers.The choice is never to grow or to plant. It is always to do both. They should naturally happen together. The power is in the AND, not the tyranny of the OR.Adding AND Multiplying Addition and multiplication should walk hand-in-hand. All churches should attempt growth, and all should reproduce themselves toward new congregations. There is little merit in size for size sake. And there is nothing gained by keeping a church small. This is not an argument for small over large. In fact, using a multi/micro approach, a church of 30 can reproduce as easily as a church of 3,000 (and smaller might actually make it easier).The bottom line: Let your church grow as big as it can, but whatever its size, seek to value multiplication as the intentional and natural outcome of healthy, Biblical disciple making. Do this Jesus’ way, as you seek to “make” and “teach” don’t leave out the “go.”#2 It works Where it Works The second reason why we should multiply our congregations is that we have lots of room to grow and evangelize our country. By 200 A.D., the Church had grown from zero to about 1.8 million out of the earth’s population of 250 million people, or about 7/10ths of one percent of the world. That incredible growth came mostly through multiplication.   Eighteen centuries later, roughly 33 percent of the people in the world call themselves Christians. That’s good, but two-thirds of the people on earth remain estranged from Christ. Christianity currently grows faster in Nepal than anywhere. Nigeria boasts the highest rate of Christ followers per capita. Asia, Africa and Latin America see serious church growth in the macro sense. Church multiplication is a primary cause for success in these nations.#3 We’re a shrinking minority with a DEMAND NEED to multiply for SURVIVALBetween 1990 and 2006 the number of people born in the United States equaled the size of the church in 1990. The downside to this is that the church was almost exactly the same size in 2006 as it was in 1990. Sixteen years and many more large churches brought no measurable growth to Christianity in America.Evangelicals numbers are growing. But compared to the overall population, our share of the pie is now smaller. Between 2007 and 2014, the evangelical segment of the U.S. population fell by 0.9 percent.6It is possible for your church to grow rapidly while falling behind the growth curve in your own community. More people attend U.S. churches than ever before but when measured against the larger population, but we’re still a shrinking minority. We need to stop measuring church growth and begin measuring cultural penetration.Moreover, church attendance doesn’t always translate into cultural “lift.” We focus on evangelism while neglecting poverty, crime and oppression. To combat this, churches have coined terms like “missional church,” or “missional Christians.”   A. Every church should reflect Jesus’ calling, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come” (Luke 4:18-19, NLT). Our mission expects true spiritual transformation of communities, not just individuals. B. Every church &amp; every Christ-Follower should reflect Jesus’ commandment—great commission.  C. Every disciplemaker should reflect Paul’s admonition in 2 Timothy 2:2  NEXT TIME: Your Church as a Launch Platform rather than a Content PortalRemember to share this podcast if you find it meaningful—sharing is caring!www.ralphmoore.netwww.wordofhope.onlinewww.hopechapelchurches.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THREE Reasons Why Your Church Can And Should Multiply Itself In At Least One New Congregation In The Next 3-5 Years #1 CHURCH Multiplication is as Biblical as Church Growth The primary explanation for why we should shift from forms and strategies which produce addition to those resulting in multiplication is that it is biblical. Form follows function---Values beget vision The great function of the church is the Great Commission: “… to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). You might summarize this as everyone on earth praying, “Thy will be done …” Regardless of the forms we choose, we must be faithfully committed to, and be good stewards of, Jesus’ command to “go”, “make” and “teach” in the Great Commission. The bulls-eye of these action words is a surrender to the Lordship of Jesus that produces transformed lives.The Great Commission provides me with a framework for understanding my own life: I’ve always assumed that making disciples and teaching them to obey includes a mandate to plant churches. A church with “add and grow” mentality will have less impact on the world than a church possessing an “add and grow so we can multiply” mentality. Many churches seek to optimize the teaching dimension while falling short on the “go and make disciples” bit. The Level 5 multiplying church must seek the holistic intersection of all 3 commands.Back to the Great Commission In the Greek, “go” communicates, “as you are going”—suggesting that being a follower of Jesus is something we do naturally, on a regular basis. While the fruit of our faithfulness to this command produces fruit geographically to the ends of earth, it’s not referring to a special “missionary mode” reserved for a few select saints. Instead, Jesus expressed this part of the Great Commission to define a way of life for His followers, a mindset to inform their understanding of what it means to be His disciples. Disciples are always in a state of readiness to engage in this mission.4Jerusalem as a Level 3 Addition Model In its early days in Jerusalem, the Church functioned at Level 3, locally. It became a megachurch in one day and remained that way until persecution forced change. It took on Level 4 reproduction attributes (adding preaching points) only after Saul’s persecution (Acts 8:1; 11:19- 20). From Antioch outwards, it looks like Level 5 multiplication. Antioch as a Pointer toward Level 4 Reproduction Intentional multiplication and commissioning The Jerusalem church was a megachurch that almost accidentally planted churches due to persecution. The first church planters were those who ran away due to the threats of Saul of Tarsus (Acts 7:57-8:4). Philip got something going in Samaria and if it lasted, it became a church, though Acts mentions no Samaritan follow-through. Others spread the gospel in Cyprus, Cyrene and Antioch because of the same mistreatment. There seems to have been little motivation for intentional church planting in Jerusalem.Antioch, however, sent missionaries who planted churches. Antioch was a substantial church that intentionally commissioned some of its best leaders to take the gospel to other locations. This single congregation generated the movement in the West that we enjoy today. Real multiplication is found, not only in the wider travels of Barnabas and Saul, but specifically after Paul was stoned and left for dead in Derbe.Derby and Asia Minor as Setups for Level 5 Multiplication Paul and Barnabas snuck back into that city and went on preaching “When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith…. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:21-23 ESV). When they appointed select disciples as elders they, themselves, became Level 5 church multipliers.The choice is never to grow or to plant. It is always to do both. They should naturally happen together. The power is in the AND, not the tyranny of the OR.Adding AND Multiplying Addition and multiplication should walk hand-in-hand. All churches should attempt growth, and all should reproduce themselves toward new congregations. There is little merit in size for size sake. And there is nothing gained by keeping a church small. This is not an argument for small over large. In fact, using a multi/micro approach, a church of 30 can reproduce as easily as a church of 3,000 (and smaller might actually make it easier).The bottom line: Let your church grow as big as it can, but whatever its size, seek to value multiplication as the intentional and natural outcome of healthy, Biblical disciple making. Do this Jesus’ way, as you seek to “make” and “teach” don’t leave out the “go.”#2 It works Where it Works The second reason why we should multiply our congregations is that we have lots of room to grow and evangelize our country. By 200 A.D., the Church had grown from zero to about 1.8 million out of the earth’s population of 250 million people, or about 7/10ths of one percent of the world. That incredible growth came mostly through multiplication. Eighteen centuries later, roughly 33 percent of the people in the world call themselves Christians. That’s good, but two-thirds of the people on earth remain estranged from Christ. Christianity currently grows faster in Nepal than anywhere. Nigeria boasts the highest rate of Christ followers per capita. Asia, Africa and Latin America see serious church growth in the macro sense. Church multiplication is a primary cause for success in these nations.#3 We’re a shrinking minority with a DEMAND NEED to multiply for SURVIVALBetween 1990 and 2006 the number of people born in the United States equaled the size of the church in 1990. The downside to this is that the church was almost exactly the same size in 2006 as it was in 1990. Sixteen years and many more large churches brought no measurable growth to Christianity in America.Evangelicals numbers are growing. But compared to the overall population, our share of the pie is now smaller. Between 2007 and 2014, the evangelical segment of the U.S. population fell by 0.9 percent.6It is possible for your church to grow rapidly while falling behind the growth curve in your own community. More people attend U.S. churches than ever before but when measured against the larger population, but we’re still a shrinking minority. We need to stop measuring church growth and begin measuring cultural penetration.Moreover, church attendance doesn’t always translate into cultural “lift.” We focus on evangelism while neglecting poverty, crime and oppression. To combat this, churches have coined terms like “missional church,” or “missional Christians.” A. Every church should reflect Jesus’ calling, “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come” (Luke 4:18-19, NLT). Our mission expects true spiritual transformation of communities, not just individuals. B. Every church &amp; every Christ-Follower should reflect Jesus’ commandment—great commission. C. Every disciplemaker should reflect Paul’s admonition in 2 Timothy 2:2 NEXT TIME: Your Church as a Launch Platform rather than a Content PortalRemember to share this podcast if you find it meaningful—sharing is caring!<a href="www.ralphmoore.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.ralphmoore.net</a><a href="www.wordofhope.online" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.wordofhope.online</a><a href="www.hopechapelchurches.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.hopechapelchurches.com</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Three Reasons Why Your Church Can & Should Multiply Itself

I was a part of the team that came up with a list of 10 characteristics of a Level 5 multiplying church. Exponential has used that list in several books, including a book that Jeff Christopherson and I wrote called New to Five: Starting a Level Five Multiplying Church. The list is a living document and still a work in progress. In conversations with Todd Wilson, co-founder of Exponential, we talked through how these ten characteristics look on the ground. As Todd and I talked we agreed that if we could reorganize the outcome of that meeting we would publish the list differently today. Here are my takeaways from that conversation. Think of them as what we call the “1-7-10 characteristics of a Level 5 multiplying church.”We begin with the one primary objective for the church and move to seven non-negotiable pillars. These are fundamental to our understanding of our master and his commission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Without these we have no real basis for partnership in the gospel. After that we consider ten negotiable priorities for any ministry—these you must decide for yourself. As priorities, not pillars, they give wiggle room for you to cling to your convictions while maintaining relationships with others who view them differently.One Disciplemaking ObjectiveThe single overriding objective of the church is to make disciples who make disciples while planting churches that plant churches.This is the direct result of the Great Commission as we read of it in Acts. Every pastor and church should be able to measure this to the fourth generation (2 Timothy 2:2). Scripture states that every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. The goal is for that to happen on our watch. This explains the admonition to multiply disciples from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (having lived in Hawaii, I get “the ends of the earth”). Seven Non-negotiable Core PillarsWhile the following pillars are non-negotiable and necessary for achieving level-five disciplemaking, at the beginning, middle, and end of all these is prayer. We wrestled with an eighth pillar, “the priority of prayer”, but then we realized prayer permeates throughout the whole process. That’s why we mention it here at the beginning—to set the tone for the following seven core pillars.1. Our Distinctive: Jesus is Lord 2. Our Mission: Disciplemaking3. Our Power: The Holy Spirit 4. Our Guide: The Scriptures5. Our Platform: The Church6. Our Call: Mobilizing everyday missionaries into every corner of society.7. Our Accelerator: MultiplicationAddition growth is real growth. We would be in much worse shape if it weren’t for the large, path-finding churches of the past three decades. However, addition growth falls short of the goal to make disciples of all people—for mundane logistical reasons. Some of our best brains bang against logistical ceilings brought on by insistent addition strategies. Worse, many of our recognized leaders are facing retirement and an ultimate graduation to heaven. Because addition is a tough row to hoe, their successors will find it difficult to fill their shoes let alone produce more addition growth.On the other hand, multiplication is rather simple. You teach someone to do what you do then release them to get the job done as the Spirit leads. The result is accelerated evangelism. If new churches evangelize faster than established congregations, we should make more new churches at a faster rate. The math is simple, changing the operating system is not. But change it we must if we intend to leverage disciplemaking to dominate our culture through the love of Jesus.Ten Negotiable Core Priorities There are ten priority decisions you'll need to make if you plan to multiply churches. Your decisions will differ from mine and from those of the guy down the street. We'll look at them in detail in Part 2 next time. Thanks for listening to the podcast. Please remember to subscribe if you haven't already. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I was a part of the team that came up with a list of 10 characteristics of a Level 5 multiplying church. Exponential has used that list in several books, including a book that Jeff Christopherson and I wrote called New to Five: Starting a Level Five Multiplying Church. The list is a living document and still a work in progress. In conversations with Todd Wilson, co-founder of Exponential, we talked through how these ten characteristics look on the ground. As Todd and I talked we agreed that if we could reorganize the outcome of that meeting we would publish the list differently today. Here are my takeaways from that conversation. Think of them as what we call the “1-7-10 characteristics of a Level 5 multiplying church.”We begin with the one primary objective for the church and move to seven non-negotiable pillars. These are fundamental to our understanding of our master and his commission to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Without these we have no real basis for partnership in the gospel. After that we consider ten negotiable priorities for any ministry—these you must decide for yourself. As priorities, not pillars, they give wiggle room for you to cling to your convictions while maintaining relationships with others who view them differently.One Disciplemaking ObjectiveThe single overriding objective of the church is to make disciples who make disciples while planting churches that plant churches.This is the direct result of the Great Commission as we read of it in Acts. Every pastor and church should be able to measure this to the fourth generation (2 Timothy 2:2). Scripture states that every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. The goal is for that to happen on our watch. This explains the admonition to multiply disciples from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth (having lived in Hawaii, I get “the ends of the earth”). Seven Non-negotiable Core PillarsWhile the following pillars are non-negotiable and necessary for achieving level-five disciplemaking, at the beginning, middle, and end of all these is prayer. We wrestled with an eighth pillar, “the priority of prayer”, but then we realized prayer permeates throughout the whole process. That’s why we mention it here at the beginning—to set the tone for the following seven core pillars.1. Our Distinctive: Jesus is Lord 2. Our Mission: Disciplemaking3. Our Power: The Holy Spirit 4. Our Guide: The Scriptures5. Our Platform: The Church6. Our Call: Mobilizing everyday missionaries into every corner of society.7. Our Accelerator: MultiplicationAddition growth is real growth. We would be in much worse shape if it weren’t for the large, path-finding churches of the past three decades. However, addition growth falls short of the goal to make disciples of all people—for mundane logistical reasons. Some of our best brains bang against logistical ceilings brought on by insistent addition strategies. Worse, many of our recognized leaders are facing retirement and an ultimate graduation to heaven. Because addition is a tough row to hoe, their successors will find it difficult to fill their shoes let alone produce more addition growth.On the other hand, multiplication is rather simple. You teach someone to do what you do then release them to get the job done as the Spirit leads. The result is accelerated evangelism. If new churches evangelize faster than established congregations, we should make more new churches at a faster rate. The math is simple, changing the operating system is not. But change it we must if we intend to leverage disciplemaking to dominate our culture through the love of Jesus.Ten Negotiable Core Priorities There are ten priority decisions you'll need to make if you plan to multiply churches. Your decisions will differ from mine and from those of the guy down the street. We'll look at them in detail in Part 2 next time. Thanks for listening to the podcast. Please remember to subscribe if you haven't already. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Characteristics of a Multiplying Church (part 1)

LIBERATING FINANCES WHEN PLANTING CHURCHESPredicated on Micro/Bivo…freelance pastor•      Sending church—low overhead•      New church—none of the traditional costs•      Education•      Salary•      Rent•      Church planter•      No seminary: A. Money B. Time tax•      Good salary•      Freedom to quit job if/when necessary•      “Future Church”•      Church plant can amass money if growth is outsized•      Sending church can send money when it will do the most goodMicro/Bivo solves two major problems•      Problem 1—Constant worry/attention to raising money  •      Matthew 6:24 ESV  No oneone can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.•      Problem 2—Unable to succeed due to pressing finances•      Luke 14:28-30 ESV For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LIBERATING FINANCES WHEN PLANTING CHURCHESPredicated on Micro/Bivo…freelance pastor•      Sending church—low overhead•      New church—none of the traditional costs•      Education•      Salary•      Rent•      Church planter•      No seminary: A. Money B. Time tax•      Good salary•      Freedom to quit job if/when necessary•      “Future Church”•      Church plant can amass money if growth is outsized•      Sending church can send money when it will do the most goodMicro/Bivo solves two major problems•      Problem 1—Constant worry/attention to raising money  •      Matthew 6:24 ESV  No oneone can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.•      Problem 2—Unable to succeed due to pressing finances•      Luke 14:28-30 ESV For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Liberating Finances in Church Plants (actually in any church)

Someone once told me, “The reason the grass is greener on the other side of the fence is that they painted it.” Once when I was surfing at a place called the Cove, in Palos Verdes California. A movie company had been there a couple of days earlier and had actually painted the grass green for shot they were filming. The grass may be greener, but so what? You’ll never innovate if you covet what another person has—at best you’ll seek to copy them, losing a portion of your identity along the way. Innovation starts with accepting and revelling in what God has already supplied.Content in Your IdentityI was just 8 years old when Little League baseball first came to my neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. More than 350 kids tried out for the first teams. Two were not chosen. I went home feeling pretty bad about myself as I was one of the two rejects. However, that summer saw another first in my neighborhood—someone invented a bookmobile. I’m pretty convinced that my clumsiness and poor showing in sports was orchestrated by God as I became a vapid reader that summer. My reading habits have always contributed to the person and roles God intended for me. Today, I’m thankful I never made the cut in baseball.Can you say you are content with “Who I am, how I’m made and what I possess?” Or do you spend time coveting whatever the guy down the street has? How do you answer these questions: “What is my spiritual niche? What am I doing that only I can do? What is my ministry from the Lord? Am I being loyal to it? In what way is my life precious to Jesus?”Do you understand that what you have is better for you than whatever the next person has and what they have might actually be harmful for you. Also, what you have probably wouldn’t do them much good. I began pastoring in a California beach town where my wife and I knew no one. We inherited a tiny building and invested our life savings to get the church off the ground. But two weeks before planting we heard Chuck Smith talk about how he structured and taught a church of 2,000-plus mostly hippies in a building that fit 350 people. I soon found myself a wannabe surfer surrounded by surfers and hippies overcrowding that tiny building. And, overcrowded buildings and a pastor’s sacrifice somehow stoked enthusiasm. The things we apparently lacked became some of our strong points. We learned that creativity comes from appreciating whatever God decided was best for us. Covetousness Is Deceptive Jesus said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own,” Luke 12:15 NLT. It’s scary when I hear pastors bragging about numbers of people, budgets and especially when they get off into talking about “trophy members.” These are the people who own the “biggest…” or manage the “most famous…” or the “first ever…” I’ve sometimes caught myself asking God why he doesn’t send those kind of people to churches I’ve led only to realize that he probably has but it was more important for us to treat everyone the same without identifying some people as more important than others. And, I’ve come to see any kind of bragging as an admission of personal insecurity.  What We Covet Won’t Last Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “…we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever,” 2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT.Coveting and envy sap your strength. You get into competition you cannot win—I found myself in competition with the 1,800 guys over the shirts they possessed. Having grown up without a lot of money, clothing styles became too big a deal to me. As soon as I got a job I began collecting shirts. One overstuffed closet later I realized that it would be impossible to collect every shirt that I coveted when I saw someone else wearing it—a very good lesson.There is nothing wrong with wanting a car if you don’t have one, or house that you hope to purchase someday. The problem comes when we covet something simply because someone else has it. In the end, it’s all going to burn and you’re going to face the Lord who will be concerned with whether or not you accomplish his purposes for your life. I promise you he doesn’t care whether you have more than the next person. He will meet our needs, but is not interested in stroking our egos.If you do manage to obtain whatever you’ve coveted it’s liable to turn to sawdust in your mouth. Just ask King David how happy he was after he spent that first night with the wife of his friend Uriah.The comparison game is a form of covetousness—even when we compare ourselves to ourselves… Paul warned the Corinthians about pretentious leaders who “…tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” 2 Corinthians 10:12 NLT. Those people apparently used self comparison as a way to lower the bar of excellence, but we often do the same thing a little differently. We compare what we have to whatever we had in another phase of life. I loved pastoring the churches that I led but comparing what I do now to what I did then is a losing game. You lose by comparing yourself this year to yourself last year. The comparison game only leads to pride or unhappiness and covetousness.  Peaceful Heart &amp; Healthy Body We all have to find our niche in life and spiritually we find it when we engage our calling admitting that it is a gift from God. Beyond that we need to exhibit loyalty to that calling, to count our lives precious in fulfilling of that ministry. The result is looking in the mirror at a person it’s easy to live with. Covetousness breeds anxiety, jealously and disappointment. Innovation comes to healthy people who are free to embrace God’s creative impulse in their lives. There is truth in the saying, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” Proverbs 14:30 NIV.”I remember hearing a friend talk about someone coveting another person’s job. They said, “When they finally got to sit on the throne, they found out it was only a folding chair and they had to set it up themselves. What a bummer.”Don't stop with the notes, there is more to the podcast.. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Someone once told me, “The reason the grass is greener on the other side of the fence is that they painted it.” Once when I was surfing at a place called the Cove, in Palos Verdes California. A movie company had been there a couple of days earlier and had actually painted the grass green for shot they were filming. The grass may be greener, but so what? You’ll never innovate if you covet what another person has—at best you’ll seek to copy them, losing a portion of your identity along the way. Innovation starts with accepting and revelling in what God has already supplied.Content in Your IdentityI was just 8 years old when Little League baseball first came to my neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. More than 350 kids tried out for the first teams. Two were not chosen. I went home feeling pretty bad about myself as I was one of the two rejects. However, that summer saw another first in my neighborhood—someone invented a bookmobile. I’m pretty convinced that my clumsiness and poor showing in sports was orchestrated by God as I became a vapid reader that summer. My reading habits have always contributed to the person and roles God intended for me. Today, I’m thankful I never made the cut in baseball.Can you say you are content with “Who I am, how I’m made and what I possess?” Or do you spend time coveting whatever the guy down the street has? How do you answer these questions: “What is my spiritual niche? What am I doing that only I can do? What is my ministry from the Lord? Am I being loyal to it? In what way is my life precious to Jesus?”Do you understand that what you have is better for you than whatever the next person has and what they have might actually be harmful for you. Also, what you have probably wouldn’t do them much good. I began pastoring in a California beach town where my wife and I knew no one. We inherited a tiny building and invested our life savings to get the church off the ground. But two weeks before planting we heard Chuck Smith talk about how he structured and taught a church of 2,000-plus mostly hippies in a building that fit 350 people. I soon found myself a wannabe surfer surrounded by surfers and hippies overcrowding that tiny building. And, overcrowded buildings and a pastor’s sacrifice somehow stoked enthusiasm. The things we apparently lacked became some of our strong points. We learned that creativity comes from appreciating whatever God decided was best for us. Covetousness Is Deceptive Jesus said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own,” Luke 12:15 NLT. It’s scary when I hear pastors bragging about numbers of people, budgets and especially when they get off into talking about “trophy members.” These are the people who own the “biggest…” or manage the “most famous…” or the “first ever…” I’ve sometimes caught myself asking God why he doesn’t send those kind of people to churches I’ve led only to realize that he probably has but it was more important for us to treat everyone the same without identifying some people as more important than others. And, I’ve come to see any kind of bragging as an admission of personal insecurity. What We Covet Won’t Last Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “…we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever,” 2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT.Coveting and envy sap your strength. You get into competition you cannot win—I found myself in competition with the 1,800 guys over the shirts they possessed. Having grown up without a lot of money, clothing styles became too big a deal to me. As soon as I got a job I began collecting shirts. One overstuffed closet later I realized that it would be impossible to collect every shirt that I coveted when I saw someone else wearing it—a very good lesson.There is nothing wrong with wanting a car if you don’t have one, or house that you hope to purchase someday. The problem comes when we covet something simply because someone else has it. In the end, it’s all going to burn and you’re going to face the Lord who will be concerned with whether or not you accomplish his purposes for your life. I promise you he doesn’t care whether you have more than the next person. He will meet our needs, but is not interested in stroking our egos.If you do manage to obtain whatever you’ve coveted it’s liable to turn to sawdust in your mouth. Just ask King David how happy he was after he spent that first night with the wife of his friend Uriah.The comparison game is a form of covetousness—even when we compare ourselves to ourselves… Paul warned the Corinthians about pretentious leaders who “…tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” 2 Corinthians 10:12 NLT. Those people apparently used self comparison as a way to lower the bar of excellence, but we often do the same thing a little differently. We compare what we have to whatever we had in another phase of life. I loved pastoring the churches that I led but comparing what I do now to what I did then is a losing game. You lose by comparing yourself this year to yourself last year. The comparison game only leads to pride or unhappiness and covetousness. Peaceful Heart &amp; Healthy Body We all have to find our niche in life and spiritually we find it when we engage our calling admitting that it is a gift from God. Beyond that we need to exhibit loyalty to that calling, to count our lives precious in fulfilling of that ministry. The result is looking in the mirror at a person it’s easy to live with. Covetousness breeds anxiety, jealously and disappointment. Innovation comes to healthy people who are free to embrace God’s creative impulse in their lives. There is truth in the saying, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones” Proverbs 14:30 NIV.”I remember hearing a friend talk about someone coveting another person’s job. They said, “When they finally got to sit on the throne, they found out it was only a folding chair and they had to set it up themselves. What a bummer.”Don't stop with the notes, there is more to the podcast.. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Innovation vs Covetousness

Rapid Multiplication DriversLet’s look at six primary fuel sources that could potentially make the unsatisfied Great Commission a reality during the next hundred years. Think of these as forces which drive any church multiplication movement.1. A Visionary SponsorManagement guru Peter Drucker once observed, “Whenever anything is being accomplished, it is being done, I have learned, by a monomaniac with a mission.” Be it Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, McDonald’s Ray Kroc or inventor Thomas Edison, “narrow-minded” people lead the rest of us into a better future. To turn the flow of American culture back toward Christ, we need extremely focused individuals who can see that adding to the size of their churches has more value if addition results in multiplication. These are people who will build capacity to multiply rather than settling for geocentric addition. Addition should result in a greater capacity for multiplication. My question to you is, “Could you become such a monomaniac?”2. The Backing of a Healthy ChurchMost growing churches give substantial amounts of money to overseas missions. Many sponsor annual mission trips for church members while some liberally fund missionaries on other continents. However, most of the tangible resources in American churches go toward maintaining status quo. Status quo may include addition growth, but it’s still an exercise in more of the same. A church that achieves Level 5 multiplication will reallocate resources to mission rather than maintenance. If you don’t already know, the Great Commission is the mission.3. Microchurch as a Startup ToolThe idea of microchurch is not an end in itself. It is a tool for rapid multiplication of disciples and churches. The ideal would be for a freelance microchurch pastor to reproduce themselves multiple times with each new pastor doing the same. However, some will grow to macro status and may never reproduce. The power in this concept is that it offers a low-risk opportunity for the pastor of an existing church to launch a few disciples into a church planting experiment.Because a freelance pastor maintains their career there is limited financial risk to both the sending church and the new pastor.A microchurch is more than a Bible study. Bible studies come and go. As soon as you identify a group as a church, things change—some abandon you; the rest get serious. Simply using the word, “church” changes the nature of the thing from something temporary to an enduring relationship. Add in the concept of tithing, and people either climb onboard or they get out.I believe microchurches represent the next (and absolutely necessary) step in churches’ influence on American culture.4. An Army of Freelance PastorsWe need to take a closer look at the concept of freelance, pastors. Currently, the bivocational paradigm is somewhat distasteful. After all, we invest time, money and life itself in educating ourselves toward what we hope is full-time vocational ministry. As time passes, we discover that they can’t lead a congregation large enough to sustain their family (many Level 1 churches and pastors fall into this category). The choices are simple: 1. Resign from the church to take a better job. 2. Take a second job to supplement your income.We often think of Paul as a tentmaker or bivocational leader. That source of income appears to have been a fallback when he lacked funds. Scripture paints a different picture of Aquila and Priscilla and their ministry. They were tentmakers who planted ministry in Corinth before Paul arrived (Acts 18:1-3). They did more of the same in Ephesus (Acts 18:18-26) and Rome (Romans 16:3).Aquila and Priscilla seemed to have embraced tent making as their primary funding source, even after engaging in ministry. They planted from their career. Aquila was a career entrepreneur doing ministry on a freelance basis. Paul was a ministry guy serving bivocationally, in our current understanding of the concept. There is a difference in the motivation and the need for funding. Aquila lived with liberated finances. Paul did not.5. Persons of PeaceEvangelism is often a family affair. Wherever we go with the gospel, Jesus tells us we’re supposed to connect with a “person of peace” (Luke 10:6). Through this person, we’ll reach their tribe. As we bond to this single individual, we find our way into their tribe. This reflects the New Testament idea represented in Peter touching the “oikos,” or, household, of Cornelius (Acts 10:1- 48). Cornelius was the person of peace as was Lydia in Philippi (Acts 16:14, 40) or Crispus in Corinth (Acts 18:8).6. PerseveranceIf there is any “secret sauce” in the multiplication process it is perseverance. Whatever success I have known in church multiplication is simply the result of relentless pursuit of the Great Commission via disciplemaking that leads to equipping church planters from within the local church. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rapid Multiplication DriversLet’s look at six primary fuel sources that could potentially make the unsatisfied Great Commission a reality during the next hundred years. Think of these as forces which drive any church multiplication movement.1. A Visionary SponsorManagement guru Peter Drucker once observed, “Whenever anything is being accomplished, it is being done, I have learned, by a monomaniac with a mission.” Be it Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, McDonald’s Ray Kroc or inventor Thomas Edison, “narrow-minded” people lead the rest of us into a better future. To turn the flow of American culture back toward Christ, we need extremely focused individuals who can see that adding to the size of their churches has more value if addition results in multiplication. These are people who will build capacity to multiply rather than settling for geocentric addition. Addition should result in a greater capacity for multiplication. My question to you is, “Could you become such a monomaniac?”2. The Backing of a Healthy ChurchMost growing churches give substantial amounts of money to overseas missions. Many sponsor annual mission trips for church members while some liberally fund missionaries on other continents. However, most of the tangible resources in American churches go toward maintaining status quo. Status quo may include addition growth, but it’s still an exercise in more of the same. A church that achieves Level 5 multiplication will reallocate resources to mission rather than maintenance. If you don’t already know, the Great Commission is the mission.3. Microchurch as a Startup ToolThe idea of microchurch is not an end in itself. It is a tool for rapid multiplication of disciples and churches. The ideal would be for a freelance microchurch pastor to reproduce themselves multiple times with each new pastor doing the same. However, some will grow to macro status and may never reproduce. The power in this concept is that it offers a low-risk opportunity for the pastor of an existing church to launch a few disciples into a church planting experiment.Because a freelance pastor maintains their career there is limited financial risk to both the sending church and the new pastor.A microchurch is more than a Bible study. Bible studies come and go. As soon as you identify a group as a church, things change—some abandon you; the rest get serious. Simply using the word, “church” changes the nature of the thing from something temporary to an enduring relationship. Add in the concept of tithing, and people either climb onboard or they get out.I believe microchurches represent the next (and absolutely necessary) step in churches’ influence on American culture.4. An Army of Freelance PastorsWe need to take a closer look at the concept of freelance, pastors. Currently, the bivocational paradigm is somewhat distasteful. After all, we invest time, money and life itself in educating ourselves toward what we hope is full-time vocational ministry. As time passes, we discover that they can’t lead a congregation large enough to sustain their family (many Level 1 churches and pastors fall into this category). The choices are simple: 1. Resign from the church to take a better job. 2. Take a second job to supplement your income.We often think of Paul as a tentmaker or bivocational leader. That source of income appears to have been a fallback when he lacked funds. Scripture paints a different picture of Aquila and Priscilla and their ministry. They were tentmakers who planted ministry in Corinth before Paul arrived (Acts 18:1-3). They did more of the same in Ephesus (Acts 18:18-26) and Rome (Romans 16:3).Aquila and Priscilla seemed to have embraced tent making as their primary funding source, even after engaging in ministry. They planted from their career. Aquila was a career entrepreneur doing ministry on a freelance basis. Paul was a ministry guy serving bivocationally, in our current understanding of the concept. There is a difference in the motivation and the need for funding. Aquila lived with liberated finances. Paul did not.5. Persons of PeaceEvangelism is often a family affair. Wherever we go with the gospel, Jesus tells us we’re supposed to connect with a “person of peace” (Luke 10:6). Through this person, we’ll reach their tribe. As we bond to this single individual, we find our way into their tribe. This reflects the New Testament idea represented in Peter touching the “oikos,” or, household, of Cornelius (Acts 10:1- 48). Cornelius was the person of peace as was Lydia in Philippi (Acts 16:14, 40) or Crispus in Corinth (Acts 18:8).6. PerseveranceIf there is any “secret sauce” in the multiplication process it is perseverance. Whatever success I have known in church multiplication is simply the result of relentless pursuit of the Great Commission via disciplemaking that leads to equipping church planters from within the local church. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Six Rapid Multiplication Drivers

Ten Negotiable Core Priorities Along with the one primary objective and seven non-negotiable pillars there are 10 priorities that acknowledge differences in church doctrine, polity and mission field (affected community). Regardless of your tribe affiliation, you need to define these 10 priorities for yourself.A short list of the ten includes:New Measures of Success (L5 vs L3)Liberated Financial SystemsMinimal EcclesiologyLevel 5 Leadership within an Apostolic AtmosphereKingdom-centric/Geo-centric FocusEveryone a MissionarySending ImpulseEasily Accessible (everyone gets to play)Bias to YesRelational Affiliation to a Tribe, Family or Network of ChurchesLet’s stretch our thinking by expanding on these ten. Please understand that each of these 10 negotiables requires decision-making on your part. It might be wise to read the next few pages with a journal in hand. Jot your thought as you read, then formalize them into a working document that you can use to disciple your most promising leaders.1. New Measures of Success/Scorecards (L5 vs L3): Do you seek to grow a single congregation or to disciple nations my multiplying disciples and churches? Do you seek to create the best possible “come and see” environments AND “go and be” environments or are you captive to the Level 3 “come and see” bias?What gets measured gets done! If you measure conversions and baptisms, you will get them. Measure church attendance and you will figure out how to make it grow. But you need to measure more to disciple a nation.At Level 5 a church will measure how many people are involved in active disciple making. It will look at what proportion of the budget went into church multiplication. It will keep its members focused on the possibility that they could involve themselves in multiplying a new church. It will celebrate the number of churches stemming from itself and it will make heroes of the people who took new territory for the kingdom of God by planting those churches. A Level 5 church will want to know what percentage of its church plants reproduced themselves.2. Liberated Financial Systems: Whenever money is involved, things get sticky. This requires a redefinition of excellence away from perfection toward multiplication. If you spend all your funds perfecting a Sunday morning performance, you grow addicted to money and find it difficult to invest, significantly, in the world outside your congregation.A multiplication movement places a higher priority on multiplication than it does on presentation. This means that you consumer Christians either mature into fully surrendered Christians or they become uncomfortable in church. One handy tool for this is a statement of mission on your church website. If you make it clear that you intend that every Christ follower learns to live life as a mission, you can begin to filter out “consumer Christians” or spectators.By reconstituting our priorities around disciple making and church multiplication, we drastically reduced our overhead while expanding the Kingdom at a much higher rate. Remember that if you build a beast, you must feed it. I would rather feed a menagerie outside our walls than a monster within. A liberated church can afford to invest heavily in church planting, especially when planting overseas. Or a liberated church might stick with business-as-usual while planting a movement of microchurches at almost no cost. Whatever pathway you take toward multiplication, can you liberate your finances (change your spending priorities) to the point that you could invest a tithe of your church income to church multiplication in your community, across the country and overseas?3. Minimal Ecclesiology: Does your church polity enable multiplication or is it a hindrance? The simpler your ecclesiology, the more potential pastors you can embrace. To frame your minimal ecclesiology, you MUST stay true to New Testament truths while minimizing the number of man-made rules that stifle mobilization. We can’t expect to deviate from Jesus’ way of doing things and expect strong impact.“What is church?” Is a microchurch a “real church?” How does the Bible functionally describe church minimums? When two or more are gathered together in His name, is that church? It can be. If so, is a Super Bowl party church? I think not. The word, ecclesia, appears 114 times in the New Testament. Mostly it refers to the universal body of Christ—there is little theology attached to local gatherings. You would do better to define the roles of leaders, especially pastors (elders) and deacons, including deaconesses because you have scripture for these roles while there is so little scripture describing local assemblies. As you attach biblical qualifications to these roles inside your particular culture and church culture you can identify your minimum threshold for multiplying churches. The idea is to remove, or at least reduce, impediments to individuals reproducing churches.Do the hard work to wrestle through these questions. Don’t just toss out everything that stands in the way of rapid multiplication. Think this through as you don’t want to lose something biblical in the name of pragmatism, but you shouldn’t further mere church tradition at the expense of f the Great Commission. Find balance. You don’t want to stand before Jesus someday and have him say, “Why were you so legalistic and controlling?” You also don’t want him to say, “Why didn’t you take my words more seriously? Did you really think you could get my intended results by using human regulations?”4. Level 5 Leadership within an Apostolic Atmosphere:Discussing Ephesians 4 in the light of the modern church can incite volatile conversations. In his classic book, The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating Apostolic Movements, Alan Hirsch summarized the gifts in that chapter as APEST or apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds (pastors) and teachers.Along with Alan, many hold that these five leadership gifts are offices in the church and necessary to its current success. Others believe that the gifts ceased with the death of the last of Jesus’ immediate disciples plus Paul (all of this begs the question about whether Barnabas, Andronicus or Junia who are called apostles in the New Testament). Another question is whether, or not, the list of gifts in Ephesians 4 is comprehensive or simply mentioned as means toward a goal of maturing the body of Christ. These are open questions—with answers open to negotiation.Whatever your view, the functions mentioned in the list are more important than the forms. I’m uncomfortable with people describing me as a pastor if I must conform to a definition. First, I am not as much a shepherd as I am a teacher. I have an apostolic bent but won’t answer to the title. My point is that we can put aside our definitions and forms in favor of an environment that seeks a well-rounded ministry that reflects the spirit of this important passage.5. Kingdom-centric/Geo-centric Focus: Do you pastor a church or a geographic area? Do you disciple others with a goal of releasing them into the larger kingdom of God to carry the fullness of Jesus into every corner of the geographic area you pastor? We can disciple nations if we organize toward that goal. This implies that leaders serve as hero-making multipliers. These leaders are willing to sacrifice what they might enjoy at home for what they can produce in other places and cultures. A posture of giving rather than holding.If you view the Great Commission as a call to disciple entire nations, you’ll never be satisfied just leading a single church—large or small. Instead, you’ll seek to discern whatever part of the world is your parish and then attempt to saturate it with the gospel. When I lived in Southern California, we saw California beach towns as our unique cultural ballpark. When we moved to Hawaii, we understood the whole state was our primary mission field. Our goal was one percent of the population in churches we planted or helped plant in 10 years. It took 11 years but caused a rise of apostolic leaders (outside our own circles) that moved the needle from four percent in 1983 to 62 percent declaring their faith in Christ by 2006. The same survey had 34 percent of people stating that they had been in church during the past seven days.Japan was next and finally, whatever doors the Lord opened elsewhere. The goal was never to build either a movement or an organization—we always sought to expand the Kingdom through a “disciple and release” approach to ministry and church multiplication.6. Everyone a Missionary:Does the “priesthood of all believers” work in shoe-leather for you? Your members will seize unexpected opportunities if you train them to.Statistics show that the church in the U.S. is not penetrating every crack and cranny of society. Our answer is in part to mobilize people to “go and be” the church into their unique mission field in society rather than simply trying to attract people to “come and see.” The “footprint” or “shadow” of the church’s impact is greatly increased when we mobilize an army of everyday missionaries.The challenge is that the prevailing paradigm in the Level 3 operating system is one of “we can do it, you can help.” The Level 3 church is possibly the best mobilizer of volunteers in the world (possibly the history of the world). Unfortunately, we mobilize volunteers primarily to run the internal operations of the church and to build our capacity for more growth. Imagine the impact of shifting our approach to “you can do it, how can we help!” What if the church became a mobilizing and launching platform for followers of Jesus to discover and engage and catalyze their unique personal calling! What if we mobilized missionaries into the mission fields represented by everyday life? BTW, I see everyday missionaries ministering in their workplace, neighborhood or serving in a soup kitchen as distinct from people operating microchurches. Everyone is a Matthew 28 missionary, not everyone functions as a pastor.The secret of Hope Chapel as a movement has been the idea that every member is on a mission. We focus on the priesthood of all believers as pragmatic rather than symbolic. Each member of the body of Christ has a function. All are called as fishers of men, and all are called to make disciples capable of making other disciples. The most important task of church leadership is to help these folks find their way into ministry through intentional disciple-making systems. Our network of home groups is a starting place. Often, these people band together to join a single member in some outreach venture. This, then, inspires us to do more which, in turn, helps people find their way into some unique ministry.7. Sending Impulse:Can you see the value in lining up with Jesus in Acts 1:8? Are you a sender or an accumulator?The question is never: “Are you called to ministry?” but rather, “What ministry does God have for you?” Helping people discern this leads to an outward mentality. Again, people will come to you with farfetched ideas. Learn that ministry is about what happens “out there,” rather than fitting more bodies into your church machine.Last summer I spent a week, training leaders in a Level 4 reproducing church in Russia. The leader had recently left a successful church (and network) in a small city to start anew in the former Russian capital of St. Petersburg. He’s operating with more faith than money. In spite of the difficulties, he launched two new churches in just two years from a congregation numbering fewer than 100 on a weekend. The church he pastors is young, poor, and filled with possibilities.Their biggest struggle is to grow fast enough for their finances to catch up to their ability to multiply ministry. We hit a speed bump late in the meetings. Confusion arose over one man, Dmitri, potentially planting a microchurch among recent Jews immigrating from Muslim lands. To the pastor, the idea of one of his mature leaders launching small churches seemed like a threat, “Why not just invite them to come to our service? Why deny them the joy we have in our worship and teaching?” The answer: These folks speak broken English and could not fit into the Russian language congregation.Once he grasped the idea that a leader might remain in the mother church while planting a microchurch as a freelance pastor, everything fell into place.Ten hours after our discussion, one immigrant family contacted Dmitri to ask if he could hold “church” for them and a few of their friends who wanted to know about Jesus. At the end of the day, this pastor was excited to see that he could extend the boundaries of his ministry with a new tool that would not demand the financial resources he puts into ordinary church plants.The Russian pastor already has a spending impulse, but financial considerations along with performance driven church meetings inhibited it. Once freed from those restraints he now launches churches at a faster rate. Ten months later, Dmitri has replaced himself as pastor of that microchurch and is moving to Sochi with a plan to plant 12 microchurches in villages surrounding that city. We must guard our own sending impulses. If you are reading this book it underscores the sending impulse within you. The key is to root out any obstacles to that impulse. Lives depend on it.8. Easily Accessible (everyone gets to play): What training and rules must a person negotiate before joining your ministry team? The fewer you have, the more likely you are to multiply.Everybody plays. Make it easy for people to gain access to ministry. Rereading Matthew 28 (verse 17) tells us that some of those commissioned still doubted the resurrection. This is interesting. Jesus wasn’t bothered by the contradictions common to a movement. Some people go off half-cocked but if you eliminate them, you tend to stomp out the tender seedlings of good grass (Matt. 13:24-30). If you want to lead a Level 5 movement, you must get used to an inclusive messiness, which can be as simple as inviting unskilled people to join a ministry team. For example, we allow musicians to hone their skills while serving on our worship teams—we just don’t plug them in until they reach a certain Level of musical competence.Our churches must allow every member to play a role in ministry. Early on, we began breaking every job description into four pieces. We’d arrange them hierarchically by order of difficulty. The easiest chunk became an entry point for new believers to enter ministry.One metaphor that sticks with me is the idea that you would feed an army of rabbits rather than elephants because they multiply so rapidly. When it comes to disciple-making ability, we need thousands of rabbits reproducing all over the place. Instead, we see rabbits trying to morph into elephants—which never works!9. Bias to Yes: Do you find it easier to give permission than to withhold it? Mobilizing the priesthood of all Believers requires that we move from “we can do it, you can help” to “you can do it, how can we help?” This requires letting go of some control and allowing new ideas which are often messy and risky.Do frontline people have the ability to change protocol to meet needs or seize rising opportunities? Christ followers run everything from households to small businesses to huge construction projects, yet some pastors want to retrain them in basic skills before allowing them to participate. In churches I’ve pastored, some of our most productive ministries came through people whose “crackpot schemes” would only get them into trouble—according to the naysaying voice in my head. It often took discipline to say, “Yes, you can; how can I help?” However, it usually paid off.The interesting thing about saying, “yes,” was how often the next 14 days would introduce me to someone with a similar idea. I became an effective networker through granting permission. The Jerusalem church did well in sending Peter and John to help Philip when he got in over his head. They did even better when they endorsed the goings-on in Antioch after sending Barnabas to explore the new (and radically different church). A bias to yes, usually involves building a support net of relationships around the new idea.10. Relational Affiliation to a Tribe, Family or Network of Churches: Are you connected with others who see beyond the local church into the unreached people groups in your community? You need likeminded peers.We can’t live fully without human relationships. Most multiplication movements are birthed inside an existing denomination or network much like Microsoft and Apple; both incubated in the lap of IBM. A multiplication movement generates a tribe by maintaining contact with churches born of it. How you construct this is vital to your success.Besides your original tribe, you need to connect with likeminded peers who can help feed your fire and pick you up after a mishap. You’ll often discover these relationships through people you meet at events like the Exponential conferences.Finally, you should build a tribe among those you commission to multiply churches. Over my adult life, a host of churches have come from a single congregation my wife and I planted in 1971. We have no formal organization but do maintain a tribal relationship. Through written materials, email and my personal website, we’ve maintained a “Hope Chapel identity,” (though most of our churches don’t use the Hope Chapel name). Larger training venues have helped, but sometimes we felt we needed to cede that territory to the denomination that birthed me. My point, though, is that you must build tribal relationships or face a breakdown in your future and the futures of the pastors you commission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ten Negotiable Core Priorities Along with the one primary objective and seven non-negotiable pillars there are 10 priorities that acknowledge differences in church doctrine, polity and mission field (affected community). Regardless of your tribe affiliation, you need to define these 10 priorities for yourself.A short list of the ten includes:New Measures of Success (L5 vs L3)Liberated Financial SystemsMinimal EcclesiologyLevel 5 Leadership within an Apostolic AtmosphereKingdom-centric/Geo-centric FocusEveryone a MissionarySending ImpulseEasily Accessible (everyone gets to play)Bias to YesRelational Affiliation to a Tribe, Family or Network of ChurchesLet’s stretch our thinking by expanding on these ten. Please understand that each of these 10 negotiables requires decision-making on your part. It might be wise to read the next few pages with a journal in hand. Jot your thought as you read, then formalize them into a working document that you can use to disciple your most promising leaders.1. New Measures of Success/Scorecards (L5 vs L3): Do you seek to grow a single congregation or to disciple nations my multiplying disciples and churches? Do you seek to create the best possible “come and see” environments AND “go and be” environments or are you captive to the Level 3 “come and see” bias?What gets measured gets done! If you measure conversions and baptisms, you will get them. Measure church attendance and you will figure out how to make it grow. But you need to measure more to disciple a nation.At Level 5 a church will measure how many people are involved in active disciple making. It will look at what proportion of the budget went into church multiplication. It will keep its members focused on the possibility that they could involve themselves in multiplying a new church. It will celebrate the number of churches stemming from itself and it will make heroes of the people who took new territory for the kingdom of God by planting those churches. A Level 5 church will want to know what percentage of its church plants reproduced themselves.2. Liberated Financial Systems: Whenever money is involved, things get sticky. This requires a redefinition of excellence away from perfection toward multiplication. If you spend all your funds perfecting a Sunday morning performance, you grow addicted to money and find it difficult to invest, significantly, in the world outside your congregation.A multiplication movement places a higher priority on multiplication than it does on presentation. This means that you consumer Christians either mature into fully surrendered Christians or they become uncomfortable in church. One handy tool for this is a statement of mission on your church website. If you make it clear that you intend that every Christ follower learns to live life as a mission, you can begin to filter out “consumer Christians” or spectators.By reconstituting our priorities around disciple making and church multiplication, we drastically reduced our overhead while expanding the Kingdom at a much higher rate. Remember that if you build a beast, you must feed it. I would rather feed a menagerie outside our walls than a monster within. A liberated church can afford to invest heavily in church planting, especially when planting overseas. Or a liberated church might stick with business-as-usual while planting a movement of microchurches at almost no cost. Whatever pathway you take toward multiplication, can you liberate your finances (change your spending priorities) to the point that you could invest a tithe of your church income to church multiplication in your community, across the country and overseas?3. Minimal Ecclesiology: Does your church polity enable multiplication or is it a hindrance? The simpler your ecclesiology, the more potential pastors you can embrace. To frame your minimal ecclesiology, you MUST stay true to New Testament truths while minimizing the number of man-made rules that stifle mobilization. We can’t expect to deviate from Jesus’ way of doing things and expect strong impact.“What is church?” Is a microchurch a “real church?” How does the Bible functionally describe church minimums? When two or more are gathered together in His name, is that church? It can be. If so, is a Super Bowl party church? I think not. The word, ecclesia, appears 114 times in the New Testament. Mostly it refers to the universal body of Christ—there is little theology attached to local gatherings. You would do better to define the roles of leaders, especially pastors (elders) and deacons, including deaconesses because you have scripture for these roles while there is so little scripture describing local assemblies. As you attach biblical qualifications to these roles inside your particular culture and church culture you can identify your minimum threshold for multiplying churches. The idea is to remove, or at least reduce, impediments to individuals reproducing churches.Do the hard work to wrestle through these questions. Don’t just toss out everything that stands in the way of rapid multiplication. Think this through as you don’t want to lose something biblical in the name of pragmatism, but you shouldn’t further mere church tradition at the expense of f the Great Commission. Find balance. You don’t want to stand before Jesus someday and have him say, “Why were you so legalistic and controlling?” You also don’t want him to say, “Why didn’t you take my words more seriously? Did you really think you could get my intended results by using human regulations?”4. Level 5 Leadership within an Apostolic Atmosphere:Discussing Ephesians 4 in the light of the modern church can incite volatile conversations. In his classic book, The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating Apostolic Movements, Alan Hirsch summarized the gifts in that chapter as APEST or apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds (pastors) and teachers.Along with Alan, many hold that these five leadership gifts are offices in the church and necessary to its current success. Others believe that the gifts ceased with the death of the last of Jesus’ immediate disciples plus Paul (all of this begs the question about whether Barnabas, Andronicus or Junia who are called apostles in the New Testament). Another question is whether, or not, the list of gifts in Ephesians 4 is comprehensive or simply mentioned as means toward a goal of maturing the body of Christ. These are open questions—with answers open to negotiation.Whatever your view, the functions mentioned in the list are more important than the forms. I’m uncomfortable with people describing me as a pastor if I must conform to a definition. First, I am not as much a shepherd as I am a teacher. I have an apostolic bent but won’t answer to the title. My point is that we can put aside our definitions and forms in favor of an environment that seeks a well-rounded ministry that reflects the spirit of this important passage.5. Kingdom-centric/Geo-centric Focus: Do you pastor a church or a geographic area? Do you disciple others with a goal of releasing them into the larger kingdom of God to carry the fullness of Jesus into every corner of the geographic area you pastor? We can disciple nations if we organize toward that goal. This implies that leaders serve as hero-making multipliers. These leaders are willing to sacrifice what they might enjoy at home for what they can produce in other places and cultures. A posture of giving rather than holding.If you view the Great Commission as a call to disciple entire nations, you’ll never be satisfied just leading a single church—large or small. Instead, you’ll seek to discern whatever part of the world is your parish and then attempt to saturate it with the gospel. When I lived in Southern California, we saw California beach towns as our unique cultural ballpark. When we moved to Hawaii, we understood the whole state was our primary mission field. Our goal was one percent of the population in churches we planted or helped plant in 10 years. It took 11 years but caused a rise of apostolic leaders (outside our own circles) that moved the needle from four percent in 1983 to 62 percent declaring their faith in Christ by 2006. The same survey had 34 percent of people stating that they had been in church during the past seven days.Japan was next and finally, whatever doors the Lord opened elsewhere. The goal was never to build either a movement or an organization—we always sought to expand the Kingdom through a “disciple and release” approach to ministry and church multiplication.6. Everyone a Missionary:Does the “priesthood of all believers” work in shoe-leather for you? Your members will seize unexpected opportunities if you train them to.Statistics show that the church in the U.S. is not penetrating every crack and cranny of society. Our answer is in part to mobilize people to “go and be” the church into their unique mission field in society rather than simply trying to attract people to “come and see.” The “footprint” or “shadow” of the church’s impact is greatly increased when we mobilize an army of everyday missionaries.The challenge is that the prevailing paradigm in the Level 3 operating system is one of “we can do it, you can help.” The Level 3 church is possibly the best mobilizer of volunteers in the world (possibly the history of the world). Unfortunately, we mobilize volunteers primarily to run the internal operations of the church and to build our capacity for more growth. Imagine the impact of shifting our approach to “you can do it, how can we help!” What if the church became a mobilizing and launching platform for followers of Jesus to discover and engage and catalyze their unique personal calling! What if we mobilized missionaries into the mission fields represented by everyday life? BTW, I see everyday missionaries ministering in their workplace, neighborhood or serving in a soup kitchen as distinct from people operating microchurches. Everyone is a Matthew 28 missionary, not everyone functions as a pastor.The secret of Hope Chapel as a movement has been the idea that every member is on a mission. We focus on the priesthood of all believers as pragmatic rather than symbolic. Each member of the body of Christ has a function. All are called as fishers of men, and all are called to make disciples capable of making other disciples. The most important task of church leadership is to help these folks find their way into ministry through intentional disciple-making systems. Our network of home groups is a starting place. Often, these people band together to join a single member in some outreach venture. This, then, inspires us to do more which, in turn, helps people find their way into some unique ministry.7. Sending Impulse:Can you see the value in lining up with Jesus in Acts 1:8? Are you a sender or an accumulator?The question is never: “Are you called to ministry?” but rather, “What ministry does God have for you?” Helping people discern this leads to an outward mentality. Again, people will come to you with farfetched ideas. Learn that ministry is about what happens “out there,” rather than fitting more bodies into your church machine.Last summer I spent a week, training leaders in a Level 4 reproducing church in Russia. The leader had recently left a successful church (and network) in a small city to start anew in the former Russian capital of St. Petersburg. He’s operating with more faith than money. In spite of the difficulties, he launched two new churches in just two years from a congregation numbering fewer than 100 on a weekend. The church he pastors is young, poor, and filled with possibilities.Their biggest struggle is to grow fast enough for their finances to catch up to their ability to multiply ministry. We hit a speed bump late in the meetings. Confusion arose over one man, Dmitri, potentially planting a microchurch among recent Jews immigrating from Muslim lands. To the pastor, the idea of one of his mature leaders launching small churches seemed like a threat, “Why not just invite them to come to our service? Why deny them the joy we have in our worship and teaching?” The answer: These folks speak broken English and could not fit into the Russian language congregation.Once he grasped the idea that a leader might remain in the mother church while planting a microchurch as a freelance pastor, everything fell into place.Ten hours after our discussion, one immigrant family contacted Dmitri to ask if he could hold “church” for them and a few of their friends who wanted to know about Jesus. At the end of the day, this pastor was excited to see that he could extend the boundaries of his ministry with a new tool that would not demand the financial resources he puts into ordinary church plants.The Russian pastor already has a spending impulse, but financial considerations along with performance driven church meetings inhibited it. Once freed from those restraints he now launches churches at a faster rate. Ten months later, Dmitri has replaced himself as pastor of that microchurch and is moving to Sochi with a plan to plant 12 microchurches in villages surrounding that city. We must guard our own sending impulses. If you are reading this book it underscores the sending impulse within you. The key is to root out any obstacles to that impulse. Lives depend on it.8. Easily Accessible (everyone gets to play): What training and rules must a person negotiate before joining your ministry team? The fewer you have, the more likely you are to multiply.Everybody plays. Make it easy for people to gain access to ministry. Rereading Matthew 28 (verse 17) tells us that some of those commissioned still doubted the resurrection. This is interesting. Jesus wasn’t bothered by the contradictions common to a movement. Some people go off half-cocked but if you eliminate them, you tend to stomp out the tender seedlings of good grass (Matt. 13:24-30). If you want to lead a Level 5 movement, you must get used to an inclusive messiness, which can be as simple as inviting unskilled people to join a ministry team. For example, we allow musicians to hone their skills while serving on our worship teams—we just don’t plug them in until they reach a certain Level of musical competence.Our churches must allow every member to play a role in ministry. Early on, we began breaking every job description into four pieces. We’d arrange them hierarchically by order of difficulty. The easiest chunk became an entry point for new believers to enter ministry.One metaphor that sticks with me is the idea that you would feed an army of rabbits rather than elephants because they multiply so rapidly. When it comes to disciple-making ability, we need thousands of rabbits reproducing all over the place. Instead, we see rabbits trying to morph into elephants—which never works!9. Bias to Yes: Do you find it easier to give permission than to withhold it? Mobilizing the priesthood of all Believers requires that we move from “we can do it, you can help” to “you can do it, how can we help?” This requires letting go of some control and allowing new ideas which are often messy and risky.Do frontline people have the ability to change protocol to meet needs or seize rising opportunities? Christ followers run everything from households to small businesses to huge construction projects, yet some pastors want to retrain them in basic skills before allowing them to participate. In churches I’ve pastored, some of our most productive ministries came through people whose “crackpot schemes” would only get them into trouble—according to the naysaying voice in my head. It often took discipline to say, “Yes, you can; how can I help?” However, it usually paid off.The interesting thing about saying, “yes,” was how often the next 14 days would introduce me to someone with a similar idea. I became an effective networker through granting permission. The Jerusalem church did well in sending Peter and John to help Philip when he got in over his head. They did even better when they endorsed the goings-on in Antioch after sending Barnabas to explore the new (and radically different church). A bias to yes, usually involves building a support net of relationships around the new idea.10. Relational Affiliation to a Tribe, Family or Network of Churches: Are you connected with others who see beyond the local church into the unreached people groups in your community? You need likeminded peers.We can’t live fully without human relationships. Most multiplication movements are birthed inside an existing denomination or network much like Microsoft and Apple; both incubated in the lap of IBM. A multiplication movement generates a tribe by maintaining contact with churches born of it. How you construct this is vital to your success.Besides your original tribe, you need to connect with likeminded peers who can help feed your fire and pick you up after a mishap. You’ll often discover these relationships through people you meet at events like the Exponential conferences.Finally, you should build a tribe among those you commission to multiply churches. Over my adult life, a host of churches have come from a single congregation my wife and I planted in 1971. We have no formal organization but do maintain a tribal relationship. Through written materials, email and my personal website, we’ve maintained a “Hope Chapel identity,” (though most of our churches don’t use the Hope Chapel name). Larger training venues have helped, but sometimes we felt we needed to cede that territory to the denomination that birthed me. My point, though, is that you must build tribal relationships or face a breakdown in your future and the futures of the pastors you commission. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Pt 2 Characteristics of a Multiplying Church

Listen as I catch up with an old friend and student of mission and movements. Steve Addison has led a church planting movement in Australia for many years and become something of an expert on the subject. The book he refers to, The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders is available at Amazon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen as I catch up with an old friend and student of mission and movements. Steve Addison has led a church planting movement in Australia for many years and become something of an expert on the subject. The book he refers to, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/s?k=steve+addison+rise+and+fall+of+movements&amp;crid=R95B2FTKIU46&amp;sprefix=steve+addison%2Caps%2C232&amp;ref=nb_sb_ss_i_4_13" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Rise and Fall of Movements: A Roadmap for Leaders</a> is available at Amazon. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Interview with Steve Addison part 1

I've been working with Surekha and his team for four years. Got around to interviewing him about: A. His roots in a church multiplication movement coming our of Sri Lanka.B. How he was trained by his local church to leverage his employment as an IT professional into a missionary opportunity in England.C. How the proliferation of small churches led by discipleship trained pastors is penetrating the spiritual fog of Europe.D. The money monster and how they tamed it.E. Process stuff--the how-to part of a movement that is crossing into cultures from white Brits to African migrants to students from China.You might want to take note on this one... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've been working with Surekha and his team for four years. Got around to interviewing him about: A. His roots in a church multiplication movement coming our of Sri Lanka.B. How he was trained by his local church to leverage his employment as an IT professional into a missionary opportunity in England.C. How the proliferation of small churches led by discipleship trained pastors is penetrating the spiritual fog of Europe.D. The money monster and how they tamed it.E. Process stuff--the how-to part of a movement that is crossing into cultures from white Brits to African migrants to students from China.You might want to take note on this one... Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Church Multiplication in England

Note: These notes are an extremely truncated version of the actual podcast.SUPPLY AND INNOVATION Ever have a time when you felt God had let you down—completely? I have.Shortly after planting the first church we had gone through all the money our previous church had given us as a departing gift along with the money we had saved for a down payment on a house. We emptied the savings account, put the money into checking and mailed off the bills. We had pocket change to buy our kids an ice cream cone, but not enough to get them for ourselves. God had supplied zilch! In the midst of my despair, the Lord gently spoke, “I’ve taught you to abase (go without) and now I’ll teach you to abound (have plenty). Two days later the windows of heaven opened. This was God telling me that he was TEACHING through lack. That’s a very important lesson. Paul wrote, “my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Yet, I needed to hit empty to learn to function with less than I thought necessary. My point is that sometimes my vision gets in the way of his vision and having everything I think I need keeps me from looking at things through God’s eyes. Not having what I think I need can lead to innovation if I assume that he already supplied all I need. I’m forced into a different paradigm—this is where creativity blossoms.Innovation and SupplyJesus made some pretty astounding statements in John 15…  “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit… ‘These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain… ‘whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” His goal for us includes bearing lots of fruit—that will remain long after we depart the planet. It also includes joy which can be difficult to come by during winter when everything is brown and rainy, or when you’re burned out and lack sufficient leaders to accomplish whatever you’re trying to do.  In those down times its hard believe his words promising that the father will give us “whatever you ask…”  A Higher Purpose Than I Can See at the Moment Along with the suffering church in first century Rome, we’re told, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son…”God created the world through his son. Jesus is creator and creative. Part of being fashioned into his image is to become more creative today than yesterday. And, tomorrow is another new opportunity. However, we’re prone to copy more than to create. We read a book and imitate the author, especially if they are outwardly more successful than we are. Not good! God often strips us back to bareness in order to press us toward innovation. I’ve got dozens of stories about forced innovation, mostly having to do with Jesus “painting” voids onto the canvas of my life. It is in those voids that we learned to multiply and train prospective church planters through small groups. It was the crowds being forced to sit on the floor in the aisles and on the platform, even outside looking in the windows that gave enthusiasm to our first church. It was after our church opened a free clothing store only to get ripped off by the swap meet crowd who stole stuff that the lady who started it began distributing food bank groceries in a government housing project which led to “crafts day” for little kids and a microchurch for their parents. The saga continues to make the point. Jesus shapes us as much by withholding what we don’t need as by supplying what we do.Values drive narratives and narratives drive behaviors. Telling these stories generates even more creativity. In the end it comes to doing what he asks with what he supplies. Paul wrote, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. “His words bring me back to Jesus’ promise of joy. We get joy when we live in fulfillment of our created purpose and part of that includes becoming more like Jesus in the area of creativity. Let both supply and the lack of it drive innovation and you’ll be a happier person.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Note: These notes are an extremely truncated version of the actual podcast.SUPPLY AND INNOVATION Ever have a time when you felt God had let you down—completely? I have.Shortly after planting the first church we had gone through all the money our previous church had given us as a departing gift along with the money we had saved for a down payment on a house. We emptied the savings account, put the money into checking and mailed off the bills. We had pocket change to buy our kids an ice cream cone, but not enough to get them for ourselves. God had supplied zilch! In the midst of my despair, the Lord gently spoke, “I’ve taught you to abase (go without) and now I’ll teach you to abound (have plenty). Two days later the windows of heaven opened. This was God telling me that he was TEACHING through lack. That’s a very important lesson. Paul wrote, “my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Yet, I needed to hit empty to learn to function with less than I thought necessary. My point is that sometimes my vision gets in the way of his vision and having everything I think I need keeps me from looking at things through God’s eyes. Not having what I think I need can lead to innovation if I assume that he already supplied all I need. I’m forced into a different paradigm—this is where creativity blossoms.Innovation and SupplyJesus made some pretty astounding statements in John 15… “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit… ‘These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain… ‘whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” His goal for us includes bearing lots of fruit—that will remain long after we depart the planet. It also includes joy which can be difficult to come by during winter when everything is brown and rainy, or when you’re burned out and lack sufficient leaders to accomplish whatever you’re trying to do.  In those down times its hard believe his words promising that the father will give us “whatever you ask…” A Higher Purpose Than I Can See at the Moment Along with the suffering church in first century Rome, we’re told, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son…”God created the world through his son. Jesus is creator and creative. Part of being fashioned into his image is to become more creative today than yesterday. And, tomorrow is another new opportunity. However, we’re prone to copy more than to create. We read a book and imitate the author, especially if they are outwardly more successful than we are. Not good! God often strips us back to bareness in order to press us toward innovation. I’ve got dozens of stories about forced innovation, mostly having to do with Jesus “painting” voids onto the canvas of my life. It is in those voids that we learned to multiply and train prospective church planters through small groups. It was the crowds being forced to sit on the floor in the aisles and on the platform, even outside looking in the windows that gave enthusiasm to our first church. It was after our church opened a free clothing store only to get ripped off by the swap meet crowd who stole stuff that the lady who started it began distributing food bank groceries in a government housing project which led to “crafts day” for little kids and a microchurch for their parents. The saga continues to make the point. Jesus shapes us as much by withholding what we don’t need as by supplying what we do.Values drive narratives and narratives drive behaviors. Telling these stories generates even more creativity. In the end it comes to doing what he asks with what he supplies. Paul wrote, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. “His words bring me back to Jesus’ promise of joy. We get joy when we live in fulfillment of our created purpose and part of that includes becoming more like Jesus in the area of creativity. Let both supply and the lack of it drive innovation and you’ll be a happier person.  Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Supply and Innovation

In the second part of this interview we walk through the stages of church planting. You'll benefit from Bob Logan's personal experience as both a church planter and from his vast experience coaching planters toward fruitful ministry.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second part of this interview we walk through the stages of church planting. You'll benefit from Bob Logan's personal experience as both a church planter and from his vast experience coaching planters toward fruitful ministry. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Church Planting Journey--Interview with Robert Logan 

Small Place Church Planting Opportunities Church planting in small places is a new concept for me. I’ve done it for years, but somehow missed the grand opportunity and huge need that it represents.Think of urban neighborhoods and towns of fewer than 15,000 people as small places. Add the 5 million, or so, people who live an entirely rural lifestyle and the numbers are huge. Thankfully, there is a renewed focus on urban areas in the U.S. Lets talk about the 60 to 90 million people living in small towns and rural areas. The numbers vary depending on who is measuring. It’s 60 million if you look at towns smaller than 15,000 and 90 million if you think a community becomes large if it boasts more than 25,000 people. This represents a wonderful opportunity for the gospel. Everyone knows that the United States is currently the third largest mission field in the world. North America is the only continent where the church is shrinking while it grows everywhere else. Not everyone knows that 90 million people would represent the 13th largest country in the world if they were their own nation, or that these people are seriously underserved by the church. We need to think missionally toward rural and small-town America. They constitute nearly 25 percent of our entire population.Rural/Small-Town America is Growing And the opportunities are growing. Rural America lost population in the 1980s, only to reverse the process beginning in the 1990s and continuing to the present. Millions of people flee mostly the suburban commuter lifestyle to live in smaller places each year. This is different from the nasty “white flight” of a generation ago. People of all socio-economic backgrounds now make the trek. They bring with them their high-tech industrial parks, brew pubs and upscale coffee shops. What’s lacking are new churches to go with the migration. And its not just the new arrivals who need new churches. Churches across America are closing their doors. Older churches are dying faster than newer ones and the mainline denominations shrink the fastest. The unique combination of older mainline congregations that were once foundational to small communities is going away and going that way faster than churches in the suburbs. We need to replace the dying churches by planting new congregations. But replacement alone won’t touch the opportunity or the need. The 13th largest mission field in the world awaits us. The same logic holds for most urban neighborhoods.This is SignificantIn the 1970s more than 90 percent of Americans called themselves Christian of one stripe or another. Today, according to Pew Research, that number has fallen to just 71 percent. In the early 70s, 53 percent said they attend church at least once each month. In the early 2010s that number has fallen to 43 percent. Of those who say they attend on a regular basis, the 1970s tally was 38 percent. Today it has fallen to 28 percent. We are losing ground.When you consider that these numbers are magnified in smaller communities you realize there is a massive mission field that is white unto harvest and awaiting our attention.Seeing the Culture Through A Different LensI spent most of my years pastoring suburban churches. The last congregation was on the edge of an urban area of Honolulu. Things were different there. We had to plant “homegroups” in food courts and coffee shops because of unavailable parking near urban apartments. I came to realize that I unintentionally saw the world through an “us-them” paradigm. We in the suburbs got things right while urban dwellers didn’t quite get it. I simply didn’t understand the differences in needs and opportunities. Now I understand that the same is true of my understanding of rural/small-town America. This has been a good wakeup for me. Question: “Are you thinking about ‘us’ or thinking about getting the gospel to ‘them?’” Do you think “Come to my church?” or “How can we get the gospel into every corner of our land?”A Question for YouI recently discovered something which Jesus said that I had overlooked, “Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” (Mark 1:38, NIV). In referencing villages, he said, “That is why I have come.” I get it that he’s not only interested in the villages, but I have not been interested in them at all. Question: “Do you believe small towns are central to God’s plan for the church?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Small Place Church Planting Opportunities Church planting in small places is a new concept for me. I’ve done it for years, but somehow missed the grand opportunity and huge need that it represents.Think of urban neighborhoods and towns of fewer than 15,000 people as small places. Add the 5 million, or so, people who live an entirely rural lifestyle and the numbers are huge. Thankfully, there is a renewed focus on urban areas in the U.S. Lets talk about the 60 to 90 million people living in small towns and rural areas. The numbers vary depending on who is measuring. It’s 60 million if you look at towns smaller than 15,000 and 90 million if you think a community becomes large if it boasts more than 25,000 people. This represents a wonderful opportunity for the gospel. Everyone knows that the United States is currently the third largest mission field in the world. North America is the only continent where the church is shrinking while it grows everywhere else. Not everyone knows that 90 million people would represent the 13th largest country in the world if they were their own nation, or that these people are seriously underserved by the church. We need to think missionally toward rural and small-town America. They constitute nearly 25 percent of our entire population.Rural/Small-Town America is Growing And the opportunities are growing. Rural America lost population in the 1980s, only to reverse the process beginning in the 1990s and continuing to the present. Millions of people flee mostly the suburban commuter lifestyle to live in smaller places each year. This is different from the nasty “white flight” of a generation ago. People of all socio-economic backgrounds now make the trek. They bring with them their high-tech industrial parks, brew pubs and upscale coffee shops. What’s lacking are new churches to go with the migration. And its not just the new arrivals who need new churches. Churches across America are closing their doors. Older churches are dying faster than newer ones and the mainline denominations shrink the fastest. The unique combination of older mainline congregations that were once foundational to small communities is going away and going that way faster than churches in the suburbs. We need to replace the dying churches by planting new congregations. But replacement alone won’t touch the opportunity or the need. The 13th largest mission field in the world awaits us. The same logic holds for most urban neighborhoods.This is SignificantIn the 1970s more than 90 percent of Americans called themselves Christian of one stripe or another. Today, according to Pew Research, that number has fallen to just 71 percent. In the early 70s, 53 percent said they attend church at least once each month. In the early 2010s that number has fallen to 43 percent. Of those who say they attend on a regular basis, the 1970s tally was 38 percent. Today it has fallen to 28 percent. We are losing ground.When you consider that these numbers are magnified in smaller communities you realize there is a massive mission field that is white unto harvest and awaiting our attention.Seeing the Culture Through A Different LensI spent most of my years pastoring suburban churches. The last congregation was on the edge of an urban area of Honolulu. Things were different there. We had to plant “homegroups” in food courts and coffee shops because of unavailable parking near urban apartments. I came to realize that I unintentionally saw the world through an “us-them” paradigm. We in the suburbs got things right while urban dwellers didn’t quite get it. I simply didn’t understand the differences in needs and opportunities. Now I understand that the same is true of my understanding of rural/small-town America. This has been a good wakeup for me. Question: “Are you thinking about ‘us’ or thinking about getting the gospel to ‘them?’” Do you think “Come to my church?” or “How can we get the gospel into every corner of our land?”A Question for YouI recently discovered something which Jesus said that I had overlooked, “Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” (Mark 1:38, NIV). In referencing villages, he said, “That is why I have come.” I get it that he’s not only interested in the villages, but I have not been interested in them at all. Question: “Do you believe small towns are central to God’s plan for the church?” Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Small Place Church Planting Opportunities

INNOVATION AND CONTENTMENT vs FRUSTRATION AND PARALYSIS  As a young person I learned that if I would seek God, he would meet my needs. This took the form of great jobs that I didn’t quite deserve. As I learned to save and invest money, I made more mistakes than most of you in this room. Yet, God turned even my mistakes into financial blessings. He is in the business of working miracles for those who take him seriously at his word. He will meet your needs!Jesus told us this in Matthew, “Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the non-believers seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.In spite of great experiences, which I attribute to God, I still fight worry and anxiety which can lead to a spiritual, emotional and leadership paralysis. This is the polar opposite of faith-filled wonder leading to creativity and innovative leadership.DISCONTENT AND ANXIETY HAUNTING A FAMILYI’ve known chronic anxiety, or “Generalized Anxiety Disorder,” my entire life. Since I blew an emotional tire, I’ve discovered that several people in my extended family constantly struggled with anxiety and worry. It can’t be coincidental that they were prescribed the same medication as I take today.Anxiety and discontent stuck to my family a long time. Its presence may have spiritual ramifications, but there were circumstantial contributions as well. My great-grandfather lost a large cattle ranch to the Great Depression. He was a strong man who eventually rebuilt his life and raised my father after his parents divorced. As a child I loved to hear his stories about his forebears and the Oregon Trail. His colorful life included a stint as an old-time Western marshal. However, he lived in the grip of fear stemming from his Depression Era financial loss. For him, if it happened once it could always happen again.When my dad turned fourteen, he left his grandfather to live with his mother in Portland, Oregon. He moved from the countryside in order to attend a specialized (public) school in the big city. Upon arrival, he discovered that his mom had no room for him—the depression impoverished her to the point that she could not afford an apartment large enough to include him. As a high school freshman, my dad found a job as a personal caretaker for a mentally ill man. On several occasions he awoke to find the man trying to strangle him. My father worked his way through high school with cardboard stuffed in the holes in his shoes. He would walk three miles, many Sunday afternoons, to stand on the corner in front of a friend’s house. He always hoped the family would invite him in for a hot meal. Most Sundays they did not. Lack of money heaped of anxiety on my dad during the days when he should have been playing sports, or just being a kid. That anxiety never left him.In my family, anxiety hung in the air like fog over the ocean. My father worried about money until the day he died. That worry found its way into my own head. You might ask, “Is this a spiritual matter or purely a product of environment?” “Is it possible that anxiety is inscribed on the chain of a person’s DNA?” Or, “is it a matter of a satanic assault against a family?” I don’t know the answers to those questions. Looking back, I do see that I have been prone to unreasonable worry all my life. WE CAN CHOOSE TO THINK CORRECTLY ABOUT GOD AND OUR CIRCUMSTANCESI’ve learned that I can exercise choice over how I will view my circumstances. I can choose to see through eyes of deprivation or to see the world in terms of God’s provision. The one leads to a sense of never having enough. The other is a path toward creativity. I love the way the Message Bible puts this, “So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!” Ephesians 5:15 THE MESSAGETo use my head, making the most of every opportunity and every resource is innovative thinking. The times are indeed desperate. Our country is divided. People are ignoring Jesus by the hundreds of millions. We need to think very differently than we’ve recently done. God’s done what he’s done, so it’s time to look at ourselves and examine our thinking. We should ask, “Am I seeing my situation correctly in light of scripture that says he will meet my every need?” That question will lead to innovation. To wallow in what we don’t have—discontent leads to mental and operational paralysis.PRAISE RELEASES BLESSING   It’s easy to overlook the Psalms as we formulate understanding over day-to-day experiences. I recently discovered an interesting passage linking praise to intended blessing (after decades of walking with Jesus I’m still learning the Bible). It goes, “May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.” Psalm 67:5-6 NIVThe implication is an if/then proposition. If people praise God, then the land will yield a harvest and God will bless. It seems that praising God for what we have somehow unlocks our guarded hearts toward him allowing his hand of blessing to operate within our jurisdiction. The passage presents an interesting prayer.CONTENTMENT IS LEARNED BEHAVIORPaul wrote the Philippian church thanking them for offerings they had sent his way. He acknowledges having learned to live with little and to live in abundance. He expands the educational part of this by saying, “…not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.” Philippians 4:11 NLT.  He had what he had because God resourced him, both through the Philippians and others. Either way the education was over contentment and making much of whatever situation he was in. The deal is that we can learn a lifestyle of abundance if we adjust our paradigm to appreciate whatever ways God has blessed us rather than focus on what we would like for him to have done. Don’t know about you, but I’m still learning this…Contentment does not come naturally, especially in a society which repeatedly pelts us with advertisements about things that are supposed to make us into more of a person than we are. In the end a luxury car and an economy car accomplish the same purpose. A $20 Timex watch keeps time as well as a $9K dollar Rolex. You get the picture. This is all about attitude and learned behavior. In the end it pays off with satisfaction.   GREAT GAINPaul wrote to a young pastor, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 NKJV Whenever I’ve chosen contentment I’ve found freedom to look at the world through different eyes. It unlocks the prison of fear and frustration making way for creativity and a freshness in leadership that is as pragmatic as it is winsome. Godliness with contentment is great gain! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

INNOVATION AND CONTENTMENT vs FRUSTRATION AND PARALYSIS As a young person I learned that if I would seek God, he would meet my needs. This took the form of great jobs that I didn’t quite deserve. As I learned to save and invest money, I made more mistakes than most of you in this room. Yet, God turned even my mistakes into financial blessings. He is in the business of working miracles for those who take him seriously at his word. He will meet your needs!Jesus told us this in Matthew, “Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the non-believers seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.In spite of great experiences, which I attribute to God, I still fight worry and anxiety which can lead to a spiritual, emotional and leadership paralysis. This is the polar opposite of faith-filled wonder leading to creativity and innovative leadership.DISCONTENT AND ANXIETY HAUNTING A FAMILYI’ve known chronic anxiety, or “Generalized Anxiety Disorder,” my entire life. Since I blew an emotional tire, I’ve discovered that several people in my extended family constantly struggled with anxiety and worry. It can’t be coincidental that they were prescribed the same medication as I take today.Anxiety and discontent stuck to my family a long time. Its presence may have spiritual ramifications, but there were circumstantial contributions as well. My great-grandfather lost a large cattle ranch to the Great Depression. He was a strong man who eventually rebuilt his life and raised my father after his parents divorced. As a child I loved to hear his stories about his forebears and the Oregon Trail. His colorful life included a stint as an old-time Western marshal. However, he lived in the grip of fear stemming from his Depression Era financial loss. For him, if it happened once it could always happen again.When my dad turned fourteen, he left his grandfather to live with his mother in Portland, Oregon. He moved from the countryside in order to attend a specialized (public) school in the big city. Upon arrival, he discovered that his mom had no room for him—the depression impoverished her to the point that she could not afford an apartment large enough to include him. As a high school freshman, my dad found a job as a personal caretaker for a mentally ill man. On several occasions he awoke to find the man trying to strangle him. My father worked his way through high school with cardboard stuffed in the holes in his shoes. He would walk three miles, many Sunday afternoons, to stand on the corner in front of a friend’s house. He always hoped the family would invite him in for a hot meal. Most Sundays they did not. Lack of money heaped of anxiety on my dad during the days when he should have been playing sports, or just being a kid. That anxiety never left him.In my family, anxiety hung in the air like fog over the ocean. My father worried about money until the day he died. That worry found its way into my own head. You might ask, “Is this a spiritual matter or purely a product of environment?” “Is it possible that anxiety is inscribed on the chain of a person’s DNA?” Or, “is it a matter of a satanic assault against a family?” I don’t know the answers to those questions. Looking back, I do see that I have been prone to unreasonable worry all my life. WE CAN CHOOSE TO THINK CORRECTLY ABOUT GOD AND OUR CIRCUMSTANCESI’ve learned that I can exercise choice over how I will view my circumstances. I can choose to see through eyes of deprivation or to see the world in terms of God’s provision. The one leads to a sense of never having enough. The other is a path toward creativity. I love the way the Message Bible puts this, “So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!” Ephesians 5:15 THE MESSAGETo use my head, making the most of every opportunity and every resource is innovative thinking. The times are indeed desperate. Our country is divided. People are ignoring Jesus by the hundreds of millions. We need to think very differently than we’ve recently done. God’s done what he’s done, so it’s time to look at ourselves and examine our thinking. We should ask, “Am I seeing my situation correctly in light of scripture that says he will meet my every need?” That question will lead to innovation. To wallow in what we don’t have—discontent leads to mental and operational paralysis.PRAISE RELEASES BLESSING It’s easy to overlook the Psalms as we formulate understanding over day-to-day experiences. I recently discovered an interesting passage linking praise to intended blessing (after decades of walking with Jesus I’m still learning the Bible). It goes, “May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.” Psalm 67:5-6 NIVThe implication is an if/then proposition. If people praise God, then the land will yield a harvest and God will bless. It seems that praising God for what we have somehow unlocks our guarded hearts toward him allowing his hand of blessing to operate within our jurisdiction. The passage presents an interesting prayer.CONTENTMENT IS LEARNED BEHAVIORPaul wrote the Philippian church thanking them for offerings they had sent his way. He acknowledges having learned to live with little and to live in abundance. He expands the educational part of this by saying, “…not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.” Philippians 4:11 NLT.  He had what he had because God resourced him, both through the Philippians and others. Either way the education was over contentment and making much of whatever situation he was in. The deal is that we can learn a lifestyle of abundance if we adjust our paradigm to appreciate whatever ways God has blessed us rather than focus on what we would like for him to have done. Don’t know about you, but I’m still learning this…Contentment does not come naturally, especially in a society which repeatedly pelts us with advertisements about things that are supposed to make us into more of a person than we are. In the end a luxury car and an economy car accomplish the same purpose. A $20 Timex watch keeps time as well as a $9K dollar Rolex. You get the picture. This is all about attitude and learned behavior. In the end it pays off with satisfaction. GREAT GAINPaul wrote to a young pastor, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 NKJV Whenever I’ve chosen contentment I’ve found freedom to look at the world through different eyes. It unlocks the prison of fear and frustration making way for creativity and a freshness in leadership that is as pragmatic as it is winsome. Godliness with contentment is great gain! Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Innovation & Contentment vs Frustration and Paralysis

Think Small? Think Again!I’ve mostly pastored large churches in suburban neighborhoods. However, my last church plant was in an urban area and the congregation remained under 300 people during my tenure. Frankly, that church was the most fun to pastor.In both earlier plants, we grew very quickly so I never experienced the life of a pastor in a smaller congregation. As I’ve become aware of the 90 million Americans living in small towns and rural areas, I’m thinking about all the fun I’ve missed.Not for a New York minute do I regret the larger churches I’ve pastored—each was unique, and the people were blessings from God. But I’m re-thinking how we approach church planting in ways that go beyond the suburbs into urban, small town and rural areas.If you pastor a smaller congregation you may believe that your efforts are less significant than those of your peers in larger settings. If that’s you, you should count your blessings. The big boys are copying you at this very moment.Larger churches, including megachurches, imitate small churches all the time. The most obvious imitation is the area of READ MORE AT RALPHMOORE.NET Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think Small? Think Again!I’ve mostly pastored large churches in suburban neighborhoods. However, my last church plant was in an urban area and the congregation remained under 300 people during my tenure. Frankly, that church was the most fun to pastor.In both earlier plants, we grew very quickly so I never experienced the life of a pastor in a smaller congregation. As I’ve become aware of the 90 million Americans living in small towns and rural areas, I’m thinking about all the fun I’ve missed.Not for a New York minute do I regret the larger churches I’ve pastored—each was unique, and the people were blessings from God. But I’m re-thinking how we approach church planting in ways that go beyond the suburbs into urban, small town and rural areas.If you pastor a smaller congregation you may believe that your efforts are less significant than those of your peers in larger settings. If that’s you, you should count your blessings. The big boys are copying you at this very moment.Larger churches, including megachurches, imitate small churches all the time. The most obvious imitation is the area of <a href="https://www.ralphmoore.net/think-small-think-again/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">READ MORE AT RALPHMOORE.NET</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Think Small, Think Again!

We're all facing enormous disruption as the corona virus makes its way through our country and our churches. I've included some advice rooted in what I would do (and have done) when I was pastoring. Hope it's useful. For more go to https://ralphmoore.net/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're all facing enormous disruption as the corona virus makes its way through our country and our churches. I've included some advice rooted in what I would do (and have done) when I was pastoring. Hope it's useful. For more go to <a href="https://ralphmoore.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://ralphmoore.net/</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Pastoring Through a Pandemic

My interview with Jim Graff. Jim is a new friend. A former missionary, he set out to lead a large church that could support missions in a big way--however, God had a detour in mind.After his stint as a missionary, Jim led a small congregation, in a small town to rapid growth. The result? He was offered a larger church in a Dallas, Texas suburb. As he puts it this was in the epicenter of megachurches. He visited the potential new job promotion, incognito. During that visit the Lord spoke to him about staying where he was, pastoring a significant church in a smaller town. He stayed in Victoria Falls, Texas.Over the years Faith Family Church has grown into a megachurch despite being located in a smaller community. Along the way, Jim became aware of the struggle of many leaders in smaller towns. The result is the Significant Church Network bringing leaders from churches in smaller communities together for fellowship, training and strength. I recently spoke at a Significant Church event where I came away greatly imppressed by the love, camraderie and lack of any hint of competition between the pastors I met. I was even more impressed by the massive impact some are having in some very small places. This is not a Texas initiative--these people came from all across America. I even met a church multiplier who pastors a megachurch in a smaller town in Mexico while launching 20-plus church planters. The upshot, for me, is that I've learned that one-fourth of the population of the United States lives in towns and rural areas numbering fewer than 25,000 people. I'm amazed at the opportunities as well as the needs in these often overlooked communities. Join me as I interview pastor Jim Graff. After that, you may want to connect with these people at https://significantchurch.com/  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My interview with Jim Graff. Jim is a new friend. A former missionary, he set out to lead a large church that could support missions in a big way--however, God had a detour in mind.After his stint as a missionary, Jim led a small congregation, in a small town to rapid growth. The result? He was offered a larger church in a Dallas, Texas suburb. As he puts it this was in the epicenter of megachurches. He visited the potential new job promotion, incognito. During that visit the Lord spoke to him about staying where he was, pastoring a significant church in a smaller town. He stayed in Victoria Falls, Texas.Over the years Faith Family Church has grown into a megachurch despite being located in a smaller community. Along the way, Jim became aware of the struggle of many leaders in smaller towns. The result is the Significant Church Network bringing leaders from churches in smaller communities together for fellowship, training and strength. I recently spoke at a Significant Church event where I came away greatly imppressed by the love, camraderie and lack of any hint of competition between the pastors I met. I was even more impressed by the massive impact some are having in some very small places. This is not a Texas initiative--these people came from all across America. I even met a church multiplier who pastors a megachurch in a smaller town in Mexico while launching 20-plus church planters. The upshot, for me, is that I've learned that one-fourth of the population of the United States lives in towns and rural areas numbering fewer than 25,000 people. I'm amazed at the opportunities as well as the needs in these often overlooked communities. Join me as I interview pastor Jim Graff. After that, you may want to connect with these people at <a href="https://significantchurch.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://significantchurch.com/</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Interview: Jim Graff--Leading Significant Churches

Ethan grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he cut meat, earned a degree, worked for a bank, and met his wife, Stephanie.Ethan and Stephanie have three children. Ethan is the president of Renewing Management a firm that has been restoring hope by transforming communities for 16 years. Ethan found Christ later in life and feels compelled to live out his faith in community with others.Ethan serves on the Operations Team at Mercy Road, Panhurst Farms Foundation, Nexus, Renewing Communities, and Multiply Indiana.Multiply Indiana is a church planting "machine," dedicated to bringing one million people in the state to Christ by 2030. They welcome church planters, offer coaching, emotional and even financial support to church planting efforts. You might want to join them at http://multiplyindiana.com/For more on disciplemaking and church multiplication from Ralph Moore, including blog, books and free sermon library go visit http://ralphmoore.net/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ethan grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he cut meat, earned a degree, worked for a bank, and met his wife, Stephanie.Ethan and Stephanie have three children. Ethan is the president of Renewing Management a firm that has been restoring hope by transforming communities for 16 years. Ethan found Christ later in life and feels compelled to live out his faith in community with others.Ethan serves on the Operations Team at Mercy Road, Panhurst Farms Foundation, Nexus, Renewing Communities, and Multiply Indiana.Multiply Indiana is a church planting "machine," dedicated to bringing one million people in the state to Christ by 2030. They welcome church planters, offer coaching, emotional and even financial support to church planting efforts. You might want to join them at <a href="http://multiplyindiana.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">http://multiplyindiana.com/</a>For more on disciplemaking and church multiplication from Ralph Moore, including blog, books and free sermon library go visit <a href="http://ralphmoore.net/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">http://ralphmoore.net/</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Interview: Ethan Fernhaber -- President, Multiply Indiana

The best podcast episodes about true crime. For any thrill seeking podcast listeners who just can't get enough of the captivating stories of murderers and criminals. This topic has all the best episodes from many different true crime podcasts.  Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

Best True Crime Podcasts

The best podcast episodes on global issues affecting everyone. Covering topics such as the #metoo movement, climate change, the impact of technology and some of the biggest global issues facing us right now. For anyone interested in learning more about the world, and some of the issues we're facing, pick an episode below and start listening! Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!