In 1962, the Beatles auditioned for Decca Records.
The label turned them down, saying that “guitar groups are on the way out”
and “the Beatles have no future in show business.”
And after that, the Beatles stopped making music forever.
How to avoid church “splanting”
WHAT IT IS: Church splanting is when a pastor plants a new church by splitting the mother church.
While many church plants are born out of a passionate call of God on a person’s life, on occasion a church plant has less noble beginnings.
In spite of Jesus’ Call for unity among His followers, at times the Church struggles to achieve it.
HOW IT HAPPENS: Anger & bitterness grow in the pastor’s heart at the circumstances in their church, and all of the sudden they develop a call to become a Church Planter.
Often motivated by frustration or hurt they declare “God is calling them to start a new church,” not in another town or state, but just down the street.
READ MORE: https://www.glichurchplanting.com/church-splanter/
10 YEARS OF LIFE CHURCH
““I will build my church — and the power of death will not be able to overpower it!”
”
Ten years ago today, my family took a deep breath and cannonballed into the unknown by launching weekly worship experiences... the birth of the church we love!
Just like childbirth it was messy, scary, and even a little bloody... yet what emerged is beautiful and bringing Life to the Great Lakes Bay Region.
We started by renting theater and classroom space at Saginaw Valley State University.
It was a herculean task setting up and tearing down our portable church environments every week, but we got it done (even in Michigan winter!).
When you start something new completely from scratch, EVERYTHING is HARD... but it's worth it.
For the past ten years, we've lifted up Jesus, inspired our region, and seen lives transformed by God's amazing love.
To date, we've seen three hundred and fifteen people baptized at Life Church -- Holy Wow!
Every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to God.
As I’ve said for years at Life Church, every person matters!
Healthy Things Grow
In November 2014, we opened the doors of a former Golf Mania as our main worship facility and suddenly became kites in God's Hurricane.
By February 2015, in the middle of Michigan winter, we ran out of space and began adding additional worship times!
New Locations
In March of 2017 we stepped out in crazy faith by becoming One Church in Two Locations: Saginaw and Midland!
We became the very first multi-site church in the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Our rapid growth continued with young adults and families from across the region discovering new life in Christ at Life Church.
A Movement of Changed Lives
In 2018 we broke 1,200 in attendance and baptized 60 new Christ Followers.
Outreach Magazine & LifeWay Research recognized Life Church Michigan as one of the Top 15 Fastest-Growing Churches in America (September 2019).
Then 2020 hit, a year that closed our campuses and delivered a near-fatal blow to our labor of love. In late 2020 we reopened our doors in Saginaw and began rebuilding home.
Today we are a thriving, scrappy church for people who don’t always like going to church. Heading into our tenth year of ministry, we are focused on working like it depends on us and praying like it depends on God.
Current Stats on the Post-Pandemic Church
While there is much yet not understood about the effects of the post-pandemic/post-Christian climate we are now experiencing, some data and research is beginning to emerge to paint a picture of today’s spiritual environment.
What follows are three important articles that church leaders should take under serious consideration when planning ahead for the future.
Losing Their Religion: Why U.S. Churches are in Decline
Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics.
As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The situation means some hard decisions for pastors, who have to decide when a dwindling congregation is no longer sustainable. But it has also created a boom market for those wanting to buy churches, with former houses of worship now finding new life.
About 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019, the last year data is available, with about 3,000 new churches opening, according to Lifeway Research. It was the first time the number of churches in the US hadn’t grown since the evangelical firm started studying the topic. With the pandemic speeding up a broader trend of Americans turning away from Christianity, researchers say the closures will only have accelerated.
The New Very Large Church
It’s time to rethink church size. For the purpose of this article, I define church size as average weekly worship attendance, including children and youth who may not be in the primary worship service. In other words, we count every person attending a worship weekend (or other days for a few churches).
Let’s look at the breakdown of churches by average worship attendance:
Under 50 in attendance: 31% of all churches
51 – 99: 37%
100 – 249: 24%
250 and above: 8%
All of the numbers are fascinating, but the largest category should cause us to pause. Only 8 percent of churches have an attendance of 250 or more. These churches now define the category, “very large churches.”
In Church Planting, More Money Means More People
A church plant’s attendance is directly proportional to the money spent at launch and in the congregation’s first year, the research found. At churches with average attendance over 200 in the first five years, average startup costs were $100,000 and first-year costs $225,000—a total launch cost of $325,000.
Smaller churches tend to spend far less. Church plants more than two years old with less than 100 in attendance averaged $10,000 in startup costs and $60,000 in first-year costs. For churches more than two years old with between 100 and 200 in attendance, average startup costs were $84,500.
The correlation between spending and growth held over time. Growing churches continued to spend more as they continued to grow, while nongrowing spent less.
CREATE A CULTURE BY DESIGN, NOT DEFAULT
"Create a culture by design, not default"
(Walt Disney)
Since our very first Informational Meeting eleven years ago today (!), Life Church has chosen to be known by what we are for, not what we are against.
Our culture is the secret sauce. We're all about Jesus: dangerously, obsessively, undeniably Jesus.
Culture determines behavior. In order to be the church we dream of, we must fight for our culture -- our unique flavor that propels us forward to reach the lost at any cost.
This is why I am committed to raising up a generation of fearless leaders in the Church.
The Church is worth fighting for. We must always rally around our shared heartbeat if we are to extend that passion into the world.
Being a Culture-Keeper requires thick skin and calcium in the spine.
Agendas must always be eclipsed by the Culture Code of your organization.
"For it is Christ’s love that fuels our passion and motivates us, because we are absolutely convinced that He has given His life for all of us.
This means all died with Him, so that those who live should no longer live self-absorbed lives but lives that are poured out for Him—the One who died for us and now lives again."
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15, The Passion Translation)
Heading into 2023, I have been working on codifying our original Culture Code. The words are nearly exactly the same, the passion is as present in my bones as on Day One, and now it's been distilled into 4 easy-to-remember big ideas.
For what it's worth, here is Life Church's 2023 Code:
HONOR: We are a generation of honor and integrity. We do not gossip. No insider politics. We are not competing with any churches. Full of honor and integrity, we will do the right thing even when it hurts. Our heart is to out-love, out-serve, and out-give those who misunderstand us.
HUMBLE: We will be known for what we are for. We will speak vision and life over our people. We choose to leverage humor over hammer. We will lift up the life-giving power of Jesus Christ rather than using our platform to condemn.
Movements move. We are not Atari, we are Apple, joining God's audacious movement of changed lives. We will always maintain a posture of learning new methods. We will always narrow the focus in all we do. We think steps, not programs.HUNGRY: We are united under one vision -- to reach the lost at any cost. To reach the people no one else is reaching, we will do the things no one else is doing. We will do anything short of sin to reach people far from God. We will aggressively defend our unity and vision.
The church is a rescue organization, not a social club. We will not cater to personal preferences in our mission to reach this region. This is not a Yacht Club. We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep. We are only as "deep" as the last person we served!HUSTLE: Don't just stick your toe into the water -- Cannonball! We do it right and do it big! Greatness is never on sale. We believe undistracting excellence honors God and inspires people. We place a disproportionate value on creating a worship experience that boldly celebrates Jesus and attracts people far from God.
We are all about the numbers. Every numbers represents a person. Every person represents a story of life-change through Christ. Tracking metrics measures effectiveness. We will unapologetically celebrate life-change!
Whether somebody bounces back or not has to do with one question...
I've often been asked the question: What is the difference between people who thrive and people who decline over a long period of time? It’s not that they don’t get knocked down; it’s that they bounce back up.
Every successful person I can think of has had to come back from discouraging circumstances. That’s true of people I know personally and those I read about in the Bible.
As a matter of fact, every single person in the Bible is a comeback story from something.
Check out this list and see if you can find yourself:
Joseph endured mistreatment from a dysfunctional family. I bet there isn’t anyone who doesn’t have some relative the others try not to sit next to at Christmas dinner.
David bounced back from several devastating failures: moral, leadership, career, and even worse. Have any past failures? A great comeback is possible!
Elijah suffered personal criticism. I speak to hundreds of people every weekend. Usually, people each week write in or come up to say something encouraging. I remember very little of that. But I can tell you every critical comment. Why do we remember the things we ought to forget, and forget the things we ought to remember?
Nehemiah was discouraged with harsh political, legal, and social circumstances at the highest levels. He had wall-to-wall problems—literally.
John Mark was rejected by a high-ranking Christian leader. I know people for whom one negative comment from an authority figure—be it a teacher, a pastor, or a coach—has marked them for life.
Peter was disappointed with his inability to withstand pressure and also disappointed with himself. Sound familiar? My number one source of discouragement is, unfortunately, myself.
Jesus was let down by people of all types—friends, relatives, religious leaders. At His hour of greatest need, He takes three guys and says, “I need your support.” When He comes back, they are fast asleep.
In almost every case, whether somebody bounces back or not has to do with one question: “Does that person have hope?” Hope looks at what can be instead of what is. Hope looks at the future rather than just the past. Hope believes in future possibility rather than resigning to current reality. People bounce back when they have hope.
Life Church's Core Values
Values are important in any organization as they articulate the kind of organization we dream of becoming.
Putting into words the culture you are seeking to model into existence is hard work.
During my recent doctoral studies, I've been refreshing Life Church's Core Values for the journey ahead.
For what it's worth, here are our Core Values, Version 2.0...
We Are United Under One Vision
To reach the people no one else is reaching, we will do the things no one else is doing.
We will do anything short of sin to reach people far from God.
We will unapologetically and aggressively defend our unity and vision.
Every Person Matters
All people are image-bearers of God and are wonderfully made.
Because every person matters, relationships are not disposable.
We will always choose conversation over condemnation.
We will always seek to maintain the relationship over winning the argument.
We choose honesty over hypocrisy and gospel over gossip.
We Strive for Integrity, Transparency & Accountability
We do not gossip or spread rumors. No insider politics here.
Full of honor and integrity, we will choose to do the right thing even when it hurts.
Our position is to out-love, out-serve, and out-give those who misunderstand us.
Because we have nothing to hide, we value humble transparency in all areas, including finances.
Everyone is accountable to someone at Life Church.
Found People Find People
We will put more effort into reaching the Lost than keeping the Found.
We will never allow this lifeboat to become a yacht club.
We will spare no expense because the just-one-more is worth it.
We will celebrate every story because every person matters.
Saved People Serve People
“... just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..." (Jesus in Matthew 20:28)
Becoming more like Jesus means we focus on serving others.
When we take the spotlight off ourselves and place it on other people, it will result in improving our marriages, making a difference in our workplaces and discovering our spiritual gifts.
We are never more like Christ than when we see Sunday mornings as our mission field.
Growing People Change
Jesus accepts us as we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay that way.
Over time, the Lord changes us from the inside out.
Colossians 3:9-10 reminds us that we have "taken off the old self" and "put on the new self."
Once we know Jesus, we can’t go back to the people we were before.
As we listen to Jesus and do what He says, our desires change.
We begin to think and act and love as He did.
I Cannot Out-Give God
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (Jesus in John 3:16)
It is a spiritual impossibility for us to outgive God, because He has already given us everything.
Everything belongs to God and we are simply managers of God's stuff.
When we give, we’re giving God back a small portion of what He’s already given us.
Jesus is Our Only Celebrity
We celebrate the contributions of God's servants to our spiritual education and formation,
but we look to Jesus above all others and put our hope in Him alone.
Movements Move
We are not Atari, we are Apple.
We believe in humor over hammer.
We will always maintain a posture of humility and learning new methods for reaching people far from God.
We will always narrow the focus in all we do. We think steps, not programs.
Want to learn more? Check out Life Church’s Next Steps Class online!
IMPROVISE - ADAPT - OVERCOME
Marines get stuff done.
They face impossible missions yet always prevail.
2 Timothy 2:1-6 tells leaders to think like a Marine.
During a recent Leadership Coaching Session, I shared 8 Leadership Lessons from the Marine Corp: Common Sense Principles for Success.
I hope these 8 Leadership Lessons encourage you and your team to fearlessly lead your church to grow!