A Step by Step Guide to Planting a Church

Obviously, the title of this post is meant to be a joke. There are no step-by-step guides to planting a church. Beware of anyone who claims they know how to plant a church. Here is the best advice for church planting: Be faithful.

That's why I love Mike McKinley's Church Planting is for Wimps.

This book is mainly the story of the revitalization of Guilford Baptist (a good and funny story). But, weaved throughout the story are some very helpful encouragement to those planting new churches or revitalizing old ones. Here are some of the big picture practices that McKinley challenges us to:

1. Preach the Word relentlessly

2. Develop clear membership boundaries (have a clearly defined statement of faith and church covenant)

3. Have a plurality of elders

4. Don't target particular kinds of people

5. Don't neglect your marriage or family

6. Don't try to do everything yourself (develop/train leaders)

7. Stay for the long haul

A Church That Looks Like Christ

A church will look like Christ as it listens to Christ.

I’ve been pondering the statement above for some time now. I really do believe that a church will look like Christ as it listens to Christ. Also, I believe the same is true for our individual lives. A Christian will look more and more like Christ as he or she submits to Christ’s Word. Think about this with me.

This statement assumes at least two things and implies one huge reality. First, notice that this statement assumes that a church wants to look like Christ. It assumes that reflecting the character of Jesus is important and central. Another way of communicating this would be to say, “A church will mature as it listens to Christ.” As a church (and as a Christian), we must have as our goal to grow in maturity. Likeness to Jesus does not just happen. It is a pursuit. Remember: the goal of the church is not how many people are coming, but what the people are becoming (Ephesians 4:1-16).

Second, notice that this statement assumes that Christ’s voice can be heard. It is possible to listen to Christ today. We find the Word of Christ in the Bible. He has spoken finally and fully, and we have His Words written down and translated into a language we can understand.

Finally, notice the huge implication of this statement. If a church matures as it listens to Christ, the church must position herself to hear God’s Word as clearly and as much as possible. A primary means of grace is the preaching, teaching, reading, and obeying of Christ’s voice contained in the Bible. If we don’t understand this, we will never hear the force of Paul’s charge to Timothy: “Preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2). Why leave Timothy with this charge? Why not charge him to be a good organizer or vision-caster? Paul leaves this charge with Timothy because Paul knows that God builds (matures) His Church by His Word.

John Piper has often said, “Beholding is becoming.” We become increasingly like whatever we focus on. I could not agree more. The more we behold Christ in and through His Word, the more we will become like Him and reflect His beauty to this world.

Longing to be like Him,
Pastor Justin

The Call to Worship

I'm not an expert on the history of worship services. I have not taken any surveys. I simply want to make a basic observation: It seems to me that one of the aspects of corporate worship that the modern church growth/seeker sensitive movement has pushed to the side is the Scriptural Call to Worship.

For centuries, worship services have started with a clear, hearty, and compelling call to worship God. Someone stood up, read God's Word, and said something like, "In light of who God is and what He has done, let us worship Him."

I don't get to attend a lot of different worship services (for obvious reasons). However, in the last 10 years, I have noticed that something very different begins most services. You almost expect something funny or loud to begin a corporate gathering. As a college student, I can remember countless gatherings where the Bible wasn't even opened until after the singing. Or, I've come to expect that whoever "starts" the service will begin with a joke to ease everyone into the atmosphere.

I'm not saying that every corporate gathering has to look the same or follow the same order of service. I am saying that there are good and Biblical reasons to normally begin with a Scriptural Call to Worship. Here are a few:

1. God is the initiator of worship. As in every aspect of life, God is the first-mover. God initiated the creation of the world. God initiated the nation of Israel. God initiated the plan of salvation. God initiated our personal salvation. God will initiate the end of this age through the coming of Christ. This is the pattern of everything: God initiates. So, we should reflect this pattern (as much as possible) in our corporate gatherings.

2. Worship is a response to God's nature and actions. God initiates; we respond. God reveals Himself; we worship Him. God speaks; we listen and obey. We need to position ourselves under God's Word as quickly as possible when we gather.

3. Worship is based on the character of God. If we try to worship God apart from His self-revelation, we will end up worshiping a false god. God is a specific God, with attributes and desires and plans. The only way to ensure that we actually worship God is to fill our minds with how He has revealed Himself.

4. We cannot worship God apart from the work of Christ. The main reason we need a Call to Worship is to be reminded that apart from Christ, our worship would be completely unacceptable to God. We must always approach God through the person and work of the Son.

Bryan Chapell's new book has a great chapter with examples and resources on the Call to Worship: Christ-Centered Worship.

For 3 years, my church read through the Psalms as a Call to Worship. You can read my post on that here.

Depart from preaching so as to make the gospel "clearer"?

I'm saddened by this front page article in the Wilson Daily Times today. A church in my city is going to make the gospel "clearer" by abandoning the preached Word. Instead of preaching the Word (clearly commanded in Scripture), they are going to feature a drama (not commanded in Scripture and arguably forbiden in Scripture).

Here is a quote:
"I think for too long the church has not really preached the gospel story that people can understand in a very practical way," Bell said. "I believe that this is more impacting than pulpit preaching."

It is a sad day when we reject God's appointed means of building His church and communicating the gospel in favor of what we think will impact people. Since when do we get to decide what is best for the public gathering of God's people?

Be assured that I am writing this while examining my heart. I am not condemning this church (or any other church that thinks in this way). I would think the same way if I had not been taught the centraility of preaching in the life of the church. I'm simply trying to draw us back to being faithful to God and His Word.

A church will look like Christ as it listens to Christ (through His Word).

Agree or Disagree?

"The more the Church has accommodated her message to suit the palate of the people the greater has been the decline in attendance at places of worship."

-Lloyd-Jones, Messenger of Grace, p. 13.

Church Growth

After Ananias and Sapphira are killed by the Lord, Luke records a strange church growth strategy.

Everyone was afraid (Acts 5:11) and, "None of the rest dared join them" (Acts 5:13).

The result of this fear: Multitudes of both men and women believe in the Lord (Acts 5:14)!

Gospel Growth Conference

The Gospel Growth Conference was both stimulating and encouraging. It was a bit different than I had expected. Here are some of my reflections/wrestlings:

1. The point of the conference was that as church leaders our task is not to "grow" the church. The problem with the modern church growth movement is that it is asking the wrong question. From the title of the conference, I gathered that this would be the main point. I thought they spent way too much time developing this point and not enough time fleshing it out practically. I was already convinced of these things and wanted to go to get help as to what these ideas look like in my local church.
2. I did not agree with Phillip Jensen's definition of a church. He defined a church very broadly. He advocated that a church is simply a gathering of Christians for the purpose of hearing God's Word. Thus, he does not believe that "parachurch" organizations exist. He believes they are churches. Mainly, he argued for this from the word translated "church" in the New Testament (It means 'gathering'). I think he is missing the fact that the idea of church in the NT assumes a leadership structure and assumes a level of commitment from the people (membership). I don't want to say a parachurch organization is a church.
3. I hope the idea of "Gospel Growth" catches on. We need to be concerned with the gospel bearing fruit and increasing in people's lives, not just in seeing our churches get larger. Often, our churches must get smaller in order for true gospel growth to be happening.
4. There was a strong and robust call for expository preaching. God shapes His church through His Word. Faith comes from hearing.
5. I am thankful for the opportunity to attend a conference like this. Although I did not come back with a list of practical implications, I have a renewed passion to be faithful to God's purpose for the church.

"I Will Build My Church"

Wow. Massively encouraging to a weak church planting pastor like myself:

Watch or Listen to John Piper expound on Jesus' words, "I will build My church." Be sure to listen all the way through. He ends with a warning not to listen to anyone who says they know how to build the church. Beware of "know alls!"

This Little Church Went to Market

While on vacation in Texas last week, I got to do a little bit of reading. One of the books I brought with me was This Little Church Went to Market by Gary Gilley. I gave it an airplane read (which is better than a "beach read" and less than an "office read").

Basically, this book is a critique of the current trend of churches who are selling out the gospel and the purpose of the church. In this book, Gilley critiques both Rick Warren and Bill Hybels (and the Willow Creek model).

Here is a little sample of what you will find:

"What we supposedly learn from the marketing study is that the real reason Harry doesn't come to church has little to do with his rebellious, God-rejecting nature. Rather it is because church is boring, predictable, irrelevant, money hungry, and does not meet his needs. The new-paradign church operates under the credo that Harry is 'hostile to the church, friendly to Jesus Christ.' They 'have the misconcerption that to win the world to Christ we must first win the world's favor. If we can get the world to like us, they will embrace our Savior. The expressed design of the user-friendly philosophy is to make unconverted sinners feel comfortable with the Christian message.' The only way this is possible, I fear, is to change the message. For the gospel message is not a comfortable one for the unbeliever, and to try to make it so merely deforms it."

Southern Baptists at Sardis

"If Southern Baptists experienced a true revival, our numbers would go down."
- Voddie Baucham referring to the "16 Million" Southern Baptists reported annually.

Practices of a Healthy Church

Don't judge a book by its cover! That well-known statement is true when you come to The Practices of a Healthy Church by Donald J. MacNair. This front cover is poorly designed, but the content is excellent!

MacNair is a former pastor and now serves churches through consulting. He has obviously analyzed many churches. The examples scattered throughout are worth the price of the book.

He explains 6 healthy pracices:

1. The church must retain its commitment to the Holy Scriptures without compromise.
2. The church must engage in regular vibrant worship to God as the ultimate motivation for personal and corporate growth.
3. The church must continuously train and implement shepherd leadership.
4. The church must have a mechanism for utilizing gifted member initiative while maintaining elder accountability.
5. The church must have a continually modified vision and plan, unique to that church body at that time and in that community, which focuses and implements its purpose and mission.
6. The church must prayerfully seek the grace of God to build commitment to biblical health.

Strengths of the book:
1. MacNair loves the church and it is contagious.
2. The examples.
3. MacNair's discussion of shepherd leadership is fantastic. The middle section on elders could be removed from this book and published separately as a primer on Biblical eldership.
4. Its practical.

Spurgeon's Recipe for Church Growth

Amen!