The dummy's guide to church planting

The Dummy’s Guide to church planting

So, you want to plant a church.

Great!

You could work alongside a church planter, read some books, do a course, attend conferences or hook up with a network for some assessment or training.

Or, you can read this post and follow these tips.

LOCATION

Find an area where there are already many church plants that are doing okay. After all, if they could do it there, the ground is fertile, and you may as well join in. Avoid areas where churches are thin on the ground as they are clearly the rocky soil of the parable and your pearls will fall to unappreciative swine.

For a flying start, choose a location with hipster cafes and a craft brewery – that almost guarantees that you will be the next star.

PEOPLE

This one is tricky.

Pastors who say they support you fully, may try to offload their problem people to you. Don’t fall for that and don’t take other’s discards.

Instead, do some advance networking in select churches and cherry pick the best people. That’s the willing workers who will influence others and who can help pay the bills.

While having some diversity looks good in your promo picks, too much diversity can be counterproductive. The best bet is to collect a group of uni students and graduates born not much earlier than 1990. They tend to have lots of energy and are ready to follow the leaders who inspire them without asking too many questions … so long as you are attentive to their needs.

Do have some good filters to encourage certain types of people that another church may be best for them. You know the ones ... they are ‘different’, ask too many questions and have ideas of their own. Proactive greeting is a good way to keep these certain types at bay.

STYLE AND TONE

This is really important, and we suggest your church has a digital stylist. Think logo and slogan; colours; fonts and layouts. Match it to your community. Be aspirational. Have a style that hints at something higher without being too specific about it.

Music is a special part of your style.  The play list doesn’t need to be long, but it does need to match your audience. nothing earlier than 2,000 in composition please (after all, the Bible urges us to sing a new song unto the Lord). Reserve the front of stage posts for the younger and more attractive musicians. Some cute girls and spunky guys is a good look. A drummer is essential.

DIGITAL PRESENCE

We know a church that existed in its digital presence for some time before anything actually happened. We’re not suggesting a purely virtual church, but do observe that a good Facebook, twitter and Instagram feed can cover a multitude of sins.

MESSAGE

Okay, you stand for the age-old message and have nothing to do with that liberal nonsense.

Great!

But you still need to be all things to all people. Discard the dross and focus on the core. What do you really stand for – what is the irreducible minimum message? Once you have that, think how to express it. You don’t want to raise barriers or give needless offense, so take care to make the message short, memorable and positive. If you give it from a trendy perspex stand and with slides that capture the “how did he do that?” feeling, it really doesn’t matter what you say.

READY TO GO

Go for it!

Assemble the launch team; give them plenty of food, sound like you have a vision and go launch. With a bit of luck, you’ll last long enough to write a post like this and be an expert.

On second thoughts, maybe you had best read the books, apprentice yourself to a church planter and hook up to the assessment and support networks.

Just friends?

Just friends?

Many of us have many friendships but we may not think much about them or value them highly. Are we ‘just friends’?

The Christian Bible gives examples of friendships, such as that of David and Jonathon (1 Sam 18:3) and Jesus with Lazarus, Mary and Martha (eg, Jn 11:3). The Bible also speaks about friendship.

Just some of the many sayings are:

·      A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. (Pvb 17:17)

·      … there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Pvb 18:24)

·      Wounds from a friend can be trusted, … (Prvb 27:6)

·      … the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.  (Pvb 27:9)

·      As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Pvb 27:17)

Discussion of friendship needs broader perspective.

God, in Trinity, embodies relationship in which the persons are distinct (eg, Jn 15:26) yet are one (eg, Jn 10:30). Its no surprise that, as creatures made in his likeness, we humans are made not to be alone (Gen 2:18). That latter text leads into a discussion of marriage which, is many ways, is the epitome of not being alone (Gen 2:18-25).

However, marriage is not for all, for many will be single by circumstances, calling or choice (eg, Matt 19:12; 1 Cor 7:32-38). Nor does marriage exhaust the possibilities of Gen 2:18 and our need of complementary companionship. In a day when (in the west, anyway) relationships seem in flux, are constructed in many different ways and when many people are never married or no longer married, there is a place to rediscover Christian friendship.

Friendship is not just a topic for singles. The primary human relationship of a married person is their spouse. There needs to be an iron gate around the marriage, for it is a private space that belongs to the partners alone. But is it a reasonable expectation that marriage meets all needs of its partners and excludes friendships? That may be too heavy a load for most marriage to bear. The happily married and their marriages can benefit from friendships by the partners, whether individually or together. And even those who do marry will spend much of their lives as singles, both before marriage and after marriage ends.

The bottom line is that none of us are made to be alone and friendship is one way of addressing that social need. We all need and gain from friends.

The verses quoted above give some picture of what a Biblically-shaped friendship looks like.

·      Christian friendship is close (Pvb 18:24)

·      Christian friendship is loving (Pvb 17:17)

·      Christian friendship is truthful, even when it hurts (Pvb 27:6&9)

·      Christian friendship builds both parties up (Pvb 27:17)

This is quite different to friendships shaped by fallen humanity which may be characterised by superficiality, double dealing, falsehoods and which may cover up misdeeds. Christ-shaped friendship brings truth and love together for mutual good and in ways that serve God and others.

Friendships are crafted one by one. Each has its own shape that may change with time and circumstances. Each will have its challenges and friendship can be damaging and even sinful (for they are made between fallen people).

Friendships cannot satisfy our longing for the divine and should not be idolised.  However, friendship is part of the way that God address a deep creational need for companionship and ultimately points to the friendship with God which is our deepest need and greatest satisfaction.

It’s never “just friends”.

Escaping the (phone) cell

Escaping the (phone) cell

A friend recently asked what was the most life-changing innovation of the last 20-25 years. Several answered ‘the cell phone”.

It’s an amazing device. My cell phone cost 1/20^th of the cost of my first computer but has immeasurably more capability (and fits in my pocket). With a push of my finger on the fingerprint pad, I’m ‘in’. Another click or two and the world is my oyster as I access websites, download boarding passes and movie tickets, correspond with global friends, access anything on my computer and more.

However, it’s amazing nature conceals a dark side. It’s addictive! I’ve never tried crack, but figure that a cell phone can hook you in just as effectively. Are you sitting in a dull meeting – then use your phone to check into the world. Is the church service going too long – under the cover of accessing a phone Bible, have a look at Facebook or next week’s diary. And so it goes. As someone says, with a cell phone you can be present everywhere but where you are and with everyone but the person next to you.

There’s another dark side. A cell phone can change our internal wiring. The immediacy of smartphone multi-tasking breeds a fidgety spirit in which we become incapable of focussing on one task at a time and for an extended time even if we are nowhere near our phone.

What to do? One solution is to ditch the cell phone and go back to an old analogue phone. Or lock your cell phone in another place at times. Or turn it off. Or throw it in a bucket of water.

Here’s a few more practical thoughts on overcoming the addiction:

• Put the phone to silent or aeroplane mode when driving, talking with someone, at a meeting and especially when you go to bed (how many us see the phone screen last thing when we sleep and first thing when we wake?)
• Go on a phone-fast, just as you may fast from other permissible things in order to foster self-discipline or to make space for other things. Start small, say half an hour, then build it up.

What about the fidgety distractedness that makes us restless even when our phone is not at hand?

Here we can turn the cell phone back on itself. Choose a task (just one) that you want to focus on for a set period of time. Turn your phone to silent (or plane mode) and set the phone timer to your chosen period. Don’t get up and wander about; or pick up something else, or do anything else but the chosen task until the timer beeps. Then give yourself a break to walk about, check what needs to be checked and then repeat. and repeat and repeat until undistracted focus on a single task becomes a skill recovered. This can be realy hard at first and then become liberating!

Little steps like this can stop the cell phone becoming an entrapping cell and instead be the amazing device that it really is.

Must go … my timer beeps!

Modern Australia

Modern Australia

A group of about 25 family and friends recently gathered in Sydney to mark some 70^th birthdays.

The assembled people reflected much about modern Australia.

There were married and some still single in older age. One married gay couple attended.

Of the three birthday people, one is never married; one is divorced; and the other a widower.

The attendees included six couples who were married in the same church by the same minister 40+ years ago.

Of the six, three are still married, two are divorced and one marriage ended by death. Of those six, five still profess the faith. Of the five, one has undergone divorce, one is widowed and two have undergone major strains on their marriages.

There’s a picture of modern Australia. The only outlier is the number of the six who still profess the faith. I believe that figure is over-represented.

The (Singaporean) wedding feast

The wedding feast was ready.

This was the big one. No expense was too big and no detail too small to be fussed over. It was a once in an eternal lifetime wedding feast of the bridegroom to his church.

He had a flawless track record and had put himself in harm’s way to the point of death for her. The bride looked great today in flawless white, but it had not always been so. To be frank, she had once been a common prostitute hiring herself out to any with trinkets. But then, as he said, he came for such people.

Back to the feast. The tables were groaning with the best food and drink of all creation. Every taste and cuisine was represented. A small army of minor angels had been assigned to care for the Greeks, Turks, Arabs, Mexicans, French, Italians, Africans, Russians, Indian (north and south) and the rest. (It was universally agreed to leave British, American and Australian cuisine off the list as thy were better eaten in another place.) The Asian table was especially resplendent in a myriad of Chinese dishes, along with Vietnamese, Laotian, Japanese, Cambodian, Myanmese, Indonesian; Peranakan and Singaporean.

Singaporean! That table poised a particular challenge given the reputation of those from the little red dot. The Lord assigned senior seraphim to oversee its stocking and himself received daily updates on the nasi lamak, mee goreng, laksa, chicken rice and more.

And now the feast was ready to begin. The combined new creation choir sang a magnificent grace and then the Lord raised his hand to say: “let the wedding feast of the lamb begin.”

Silence! 

A slipper-clad Singapore aunty shuffled into view. Her upraised nose and peering eyes suggested suspicion. All held their breath as she tasted first this then that. (She and her kind were renown for finding fault with any meal.) At last she paused, smiled, faced the throne and said, ‘this is the best!”.

And so the new creation rejoiced. Singapore was satisfied.

Gender and violence

Gender and violence

The recent attack on a young woman in Melbourne Australia has unleashed debate about gender and violence. The lady concerned was walking alone through an inner-city park after finishing a late night’s work as a comedienne. She was raped and murdered by a young man who is now before the courts. Large public vigils have been held and social media is abuzz.

Victorian Police issued a statement urging people to show situational awareness and look after themselves. That has been heavily critiqued as a gender-shaped blaming of the victim and there is a counter push of comment asserting a women’s right to dress, go and behave as she chooses free from male violence. (www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-15/warning-on-personal-safety-after-eurydice-dixon-death-criticised/9873588).

Let it be known that most violence involves a male perpetrator (up to 95%) and that women experience more violence than they perpetrate (https://www.ourwatch.org.au/understanding-violence/facts-and-figures). We men have a lot to answer for and take responsibility for, both in violence against men and the majority) violence against fellow men. We commit most crimes including assault (www.crimestats.aic.gov.au/facts_figures/2_offenders/A2/).

In a Christian view, men and women are equals in sin, but our sins take different shape. Violence against women and against other men is a particularly male sin. Not all men are violent, and most male violence is against other men, but most violent people are men.

However, is it wise to run gender-specific campaigns in response to violence by men against women? Or do they run the risk if dividing the community by getting men’s backs up rather than getting them on side? Given that men as a group are responsible for most violence, such divisiveness seems counterproductive.

Why not a campaign that urges all to take responsibly for themselves and those around them? That means all take responsibility for themselves in situations where they could be victims, whether male or female. And it means that all take responsibility for themselves in situations where they could be perpetrators. And yes, that means its mostly women who need situation awareness as potential victims and we men who need situational responsibility as potential assailants. Pointing to the dominance of male violence without seeing joint responsibility achieves little to make it safe for people to walk home from work.

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Two sermons

Two sermons

I recently heard two sermons in close sequence.

One was by an experienced church leader. The setting was impressive, the music was traditional church fare performed with grandeur and the refreshments were a feast fit for royalty. The preacher used his voice well, had energetic body language and spoke with compelling pathos.

The other sermon was by a young lay preacher. He spoke in a rented hall with uncomfortable chairs, with so-so music followed by average coffee and snacks. The A-V system was on and off, so parts of his talk were muted.

The Bible was read before both talks.

One talk soared away like a moon shot. The other stayed close to the text and was marked by plain words carefully arranged and spoken with directness.

One talk was like fast food - feeling good at the time but with little nutrition for the next day. The other gave food for life. One, a feast that left hearers hungry.  The other, a modest spread that satisfied.

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Meet B

Meet B.

I met B on a visit to Nepal. Aged just 28, he has already lived a life worth living. B was born into a high-caste Hindu family and his father was the village priest. A visiting evangelist met B and told him the gospel … and persisted in giving him a Bible, encouraging him to read it and urging him to faith.

B eventually believed. An early fruit of this is that this hitherto dumb man was able to speak. And speak he did – for Jesus. Despite a money offer from his father to abandon Jesus he continued as a Christian. Because of this he was ejected from the family home with just one set of clothes. He married a Christian woman and settled in her town.

Economic need saw B work in many middle eastern countries in some low-level jobs. While there he talked about Jesus and gave people Bibles. He was several times arrested and beaten and even spent time in a Saudi gaol for this.

B is still active for Jesus as a Bible teacher and through his home. He and his wife have two children of their own. They have taken several homeless children into their house in order to give them a Christian upbringing. They don’t always have the money for food and school fees, but they know whom they trust to provide.

I taught some Bible lessons which B translated, and he said that he had much to learn from me as a teacher. Perhaps - but there is more to learn from him about following and serving Jesus.

Who's over here now?

Who’s over here now …?

They were everywhere. Lots of them. They were loud and ill-mannered. The way they attacked a breakfast buffet can only be compared to a herd of elephantine locusts who had not eaten for a month. Locals complained about the way they acted as through they owned the place and could do as they pleased.

Who are they?

They used to be what became known as the ugly American, especially in the decades after WWII when America was the emergent global super-power and cashed-up Americans spread all over the globe waving their USD with gusto. Americans did own the place and were not shy in acting like it. The rest of the world resented them.

The they is changing. They are now mainland Chinese who spread globally as tourists, business travelers and government representatives. Overheard conversations in Asia reveal resentment about cashed-up mainland Chinese taking local jobs, overcrowding public facilities and having bad manners at buffets. They act as they own the place – which they increasingly do. What’s interesting is that the complaints now come from diaspora Chinese, much as non-American Caucasians used to complain about the ugly American.

What’s the point?

Locals dislike an overbearing outside presence, especially if the outsider has the numbers people-wise and dollar-wise. Those who have wealth and power will typically flaunt it, with a swaggering arrogance towards the locals towards who they may have a measure of pity and despising.

But it’s not just the old ugly American or the new mainland Chinese who do this. It’s easy to act this way when any of us have the power and the money that feeds a sense of superiority.

So, before I criticise others I need to look in the mirror and remove the log from my own eye before I see the speck in my neighbour’s.

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