After having finished going through a series on failed church plant endeavors last week (post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4) I was forced to remember my personal church planting struggles and failures. As time goes by, it gets easier and easier to work through that experience and look to the positives and assess where I stand in all of it. For me, I still have a passion for church planting and feel like my role is emerging into something more like a mentor and advocate for other planters. I’m starting to transition into an active role at Church! at Bethany, a 3 year old church plant here in Beaverton, OR and the prospects of seeing things take shape as we continue trying to leave a lasting impact on the community in the name of Christ.
I accompanied the leadership team of Church! at Bethany to the monthly gathering of the Northwest Church Planters Conference yesterday. I was wondering to myself, if I have been removed from being a lead pastor and visionary of a church plant, what would be my purpose for attending a church planter’s conference? I figured it would be a great chance to connect with other church planters and see what God is up to in the metropolitan Portland area. To my surprise, Randy Shaw who leads the conference basically spoke to our whole leadership team about some of the things I foresaw as some missing systems, strategies, and vision casting elements that could help propel the church to the next level. The discussion was in the context of what a planter should do in preparation to plant a new church. However, it really did meet us where we were at as a leadership team and helped springboard us into some deeper, relevant dialog as we plan for the future.
I’m no longer a lead pastor nor am I directing a God-given vision to reach a group of people in a unique way, but I must admit that for the first time since I arrived here in Beaverton I am starting to sense some clarity and purposeful collaboration in all of the changes thrown at us during this transition. A lot of conversations I have previously had with friends/mentors about: multi-cultural (not necessarily multi-racial, but reaching people of different cultures), multi-site (multiplying campuses as a way of growth rather), attractional vs missional (or better stated, being an attractional, yet missional church at the same time), third culture (feeling displaced in an environment of people unlike myself), and mentoring are all coming to the forefront here in Beaverton. Here are some random thoughts regarding church planting bouncing around in my head today:
- “Some church planters stop planting churches while their best plant is still inside of them.” –Randy Shaw
- “Once a church planter, always a church planter.” –Marc Payan
- Jesus was a multiplying trainer of leaders…He wasn’t just out to congregate a bunch of followers. –Randy Shaw (paraphrased)
- Some people are called to the excitement and excruciatingly hard work of starting new churches, so once a new ministry gains momentum and starts operating on its own they may feel led to move on to the next adventure in their journey.
- “The first 50 [people in the church] will determine the next 150.” –Bill Easum
- Sometimes it takes big, across-the-board changes in order to see the necessary change in just one area.
- “Spend extra time taking care of my soul.” –Randy Shaw
- Sometimes others on the outside can see (and know) what is ultimately best for ourselves…we often live in denial or base things on our previous experience rather than common sense.
- The burden for the community and the love of its people must take precedence over building the church.
- People are not a commodity and we shouldn’t take advantage of their generosity and willingness to serve…if we care for our leaders, it enables and equips them to care for others.
- Having a big dream and moving forward in that at all cost may get you there, but without celebrating the small victories along the way, you may find yourself alone at the finish line.
As you can see, a lot of stuff is rolling around in my head. I’m not exactly sure why these are thoughts I am thinking about at the moment, but as with everything else, I am sure it will be clarified soon enough.
If you’re a church planter or potential church planter, please let me know. I’d be honored to be able to lend an ear to your thoughts or help pray for you in your amazing journey.
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