Church Planters are an unique breed. They're discontent with the status quo and go out to shake it up a bit. They'll play around with church structure, definitions of 'congregation', and reject labels like 'pastor' for more culturally fitting titles. My favorite replacement for 'Pastor' is 'Cultural Architect'. Imagine having that on your business card? How many phone calls would you get to spruce up a home or garden? Especially if the name of your church on your business card happens to be something like "Home" or "Garden".
Which is another part of this love for uniqueness. The church name. Not since 1997 has a church plant had the word Baptist or Pentecostal, or perhaps even the name Church, involved in any way. 'The Journey' is probably the #1 unique name for a church plant. 'Mars Hill' is brilliant, and many other church planters have thought so too.
The problem is that we can get so creative, that we create a new type of irrelevance. Society, even in Canada, knows and for the most part respects what a 'Pastor' is but is unfamiliar with the term 'congregational facilitator'. Even Saturday evening worship gatherings may seem cool and cutting edge to Christians, but the culture you are reaching may wonder why you would ever 'do church' on a Saturday. Hanging out in the bar to meet people and have spiritual conversations may seem cool to you, but might be too much of a stretch for those you're trying to reach.
Innovation is good, but don't become so unique that you lose your focus from being a Christian attempting to start a church.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Stuff Christians Like: Starting New Churches!
Here's a shout out to John Acuff, and Stuff Christians Like. Check it out!
http://stuffchristianslike.net/2010/10/starting-new-churches/
http://stuffchristianslike.net/2010/10/starting-new-churches/
1. Beer.
Even if they don't drink beer, they'll talk about it. Some church planters hate the taste, the smell, the thought of beer, but they'll expound its attractive properties to non-churchgoers.
Mentioning beer and beer drinking, bars and pubs, pints and kegs in regular conversation without flinching is a hallmark of an 'effective' church planter. It shows that he is not afraid of taking risks, of crossing traditionally-held boundaries, and becoming relevant to the people he's called to reach. He's not bound to some old-school Christian thinking and practice. He's doing what it takes to reach the unreached. It makes him 'cool' to the unchurched. Some set up "Beer and Bible" discussion groups*. Some even go to the great lengths of working in a brewery*. People ooh and ahhh - that church planter is SO culturally relevant, he works with the heathens in the brewery!
Of course, lots of 'churched people' won't like it. Not one bit. But that's okay, as long as they understand that his calling has mandated that he's gotta drink beer (or, at least, talk about it).
Church Planters like beer. They have to. It goes with the package, along with the faux-hawk and facial hair.
*Disclaimer: I am that guy who worked at a brewery, and who started a Beer and Bible night at a local Bar and Grill (not exactly 'pub', but it's what we've got in this town). Unfortunately, neither tactic made me cooler than I was before.
Mentioning beer and beer drinking, bars and pubs, pints and kegs in regular conversation without flinching is a hallmark of an 'effective' church planter. It shows that he is not afraid of taking risks, of crossing traditionally-held boundaries, and becoming relevant to the people he's called to reach. He's not bound to some old-school Christian thinking and practice. He's doing what it takes to reach the unreached. It makes him 'cool' to the unchurched. Some set up "Beer and Bible" discussion groups*. Some even go to the great lengths of working in a brewery*. People ooh and ahhh - that church planter is SO culturally relevant, he works with the heathens in the brewery!
Of course, lots of 'churched people' won't like it. Not one bit. But that's okay, as long as they understand that his calling has mandated that he's gotta drink beer (or, at least, talk about it).
Church Planters like beer. They have to. It goes with the package, along with the faux-hawk and facial hair.
*Disclaimer: I am that guy who worked at a brewery, and who started a Beer and Bible night at a local Bar and Grill (not exactly 'pub', but it's what we've got in this town). Unfortunately, neither tactic made me cooler than I was before.
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