Missional Church
There is a lot of talk today about “missional” vs. “attractional” church. This short video gives a bit of a synopsis as to the difference. Not that attractional ministry is wrong or ineffective overall, but evidence does seem to indicate that, the attractional model is struggling amongst younger generations who are looking for something authentic and relational. If anything it demonstrates that attractional event driven ministry is not the only way to do church.
What does it mean to be missional?
Ed Stetzer briefly explains the concept of missional…it’s pretty simple really.
What Does It Mean to Be Missional? from The Resurgence on Vimeo.
Building a Missional Workplace
Jim Tyson who blogs at Redeemer’s City to City blog wrote this article about living missionally at work – it’s worth your read. (more…)
Missio Dei Schedule
Here is a Sunday service schedule for Missio Dei from January through our Easter launch date -
All Sunday Evening gatherings are held at the Evangelical Covenant Church
All Sunday Morning pre-launch services are held at the TR Paul Academy of Arts and Knowledge (more…)
Ambition Conference Audio
Last week I attended an Acts 29 Conference (church planting bootcamp) at Sojourn Church in Louisville, KY. As I said in my summary of the conference the messages were amazing and well worth listening to.
The audio of the sessions is now available
If you only listen to one message then make it Matt Chandler’s wrap up session on Ministry for the Long Haul.
Chandler Interview – Part 1
Dustin Neeley, Pastor of Crossing Church in Louisville, KY interviews Matt Chandler about church planting , preaching, and leadership.
Acts 29 Conference in Louisville
I just returned from Louisville, KY where I attended an Acts 29 conference called Ambition at Sojourn Community Church.
I have been to a lot of ministry conferences over the years and not that those weren’t good because many of them were, but this event was simply amazing.
The theme of the conference was:
“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not known.” Romans 15:20 NIV
And that’s pretty much all that was talked about…in the sessions, the workshops, and the casual conversations. It was all about Jesus, and the gospel and how to bring it to a lost world that desperately needs Him.
No one asked me how large my church is…in fact it is more likely that you’ll be asked how large your family is before you’re asked how large your church is in Acts 29 circles. The lone hero of the conference was Jesus…I only heard Mark Driscoll’s (founder and president of Acts 29) name a few times from the stage and that was only in admonition; exhorting pastors to not try to be like Mark Driscoll, Darrin Patrick, or Matt Chandler (the big dogs of the movement). Driscoll was not venerated nor was Mars Hill propped up as the prime paragon of how to do church.
In fact the only model we were told to follow was Jesus (the model missionary), Paul (the model church planter), and Scripture (our mission model)…nothing else! Just go to your city and contextualize the gospel.
What does that mean? Contextualize the gospel.
Does that mean we compromise the gospel by making it palatable to the masses? Absolutely not!
Does it mean we make the gospel cool with edgy preaching, hip music, and cutting edge graphics? Uh no…not that those things are wrong but contextualizing the gospel is much bigger than that. It’s following the example of Paul who said that he became all things to all men that he might save some (1 Cor. 9:22).
It’s about decoding your city, your “context” by understanding their idols (what they worship) so that you can bring the gospel into their world by addressing the issues that are keeping them from Jesus.
Do you know your city? Do you love your city? Do you know what the idols in your city are?
It takes work. It means that we have to build relationships with unbelievers. It means that we can’t isolate ourselves into a Christian subculture expecting the lost to flock to our buildings where they will fall down at the altar (now that happens and when it does we rejoice) because let’s face it; many of the people we are trying to reach will not step foot into our churches. It’s too big of a step for them. We must go to them. We must understand the questions they are asking, the things they are worshipping, and bring the gospel into that worldview.
The harvest is plentiful, but unfortunately we aren’t willing to put in the hard work of bringing it into God’s storehouse (Luke 10:2).
Pray for laborers…at Missio Dei we pray at 10 and 10 for just that; people to be sent into their context with the message of the gospel that we might preach Christ where He is not known.
Will you join us?
Seasons of a Church Life
Mark Driscoll (Pastor of Preaching at Mars Hill Church in Seattle and President of Acts 29) wrote a great article about the different seasons in the life of a church. I liked it so I thought I would it post here for your reading enjoyment. (more…)
The Scoop
Just wanted to give you a heads up regarding what is going on with The Bridge church plant.
In June I was contacted by Aaron Santini, a church planter planting “The Crossing” with CrossWay Chapel (a local church planting network associated with Mountain View Com. Church in Fort Collins), he wanted to meet like minded church planters and he had heard about me through Acts 29. After meeting a few times and discussing our vision, goals, and plans we began to discuss the idea of joining our efforts for the sake of the Kingdom. It is almost uncanny how similar Aaron and I are in theology, philosophy, and vision. So after a few months of praying and getting to know each other Aaron and I have decided to join The Bridge and The Crossing…in fairness to one another we have decided to change the name of the new church (which was really difficult for me because I absolutely love the name The Bridge =)
That is however a small sacrifice for what this joining of efforts is going to bring to the Kingdom. The new name will be “Missio Dei” which means mission of God in Latin. Both Aaron and I felt that this name encapsulates our theology and the vision of our church plant very well and will also create some great opportunities to share the gospel when people ask what in the world “Missio Dei” means. =)
The Crossing has been meeting in Aaron and Rita Santini’s home for about 6 months and they have about 40 adults and 20 children attending. Starting this Sunday evening we will begin meeting together at the Evangelical Covenant Church at 6pm. We will continue with our plan of holding a series of preview services (third Sundays of Oct, Nov, and Dec) and launching on Sunday January 17th at 10am at the TR Paul Academy of Arts and Knowledge. The joining of The Crossing and The Bridge will instantly give both groups critical mass and great momentum as we will now have approx. 60 adults and 30 children to launch the church with, not to mention the multiplication of servants, gifts and leadership abilities that both groups will bring each other.
Aaron and I are a lot alike but we are also very different in our gift sets. Aaron is passionate about small groups (we will call them Life Groups), discipleship, and pouring into men (the ground war). I am gifted as the big picture guy and overseeing things like administration, media (website, audio video stuff), marketing, and our mission will be my responsibilities (the air war).
Aaron and I will share the preaching duties and work together to formulate a preaching schedule ahead of time. We will teach through books or passages of Scripture so it will be very easy to keep continuity while also creating some variety in preaching style and perspective.
Aaron and I are both passionate about church planting and our vision is to plant churches up and down the 1-25 corridor and beyond. There are approx. 4.5 million people in the front range region and we believe that church planting is the most effective method in reaching these people with the gospel. In order to make this vision happen we must train young men to be pastors and leaders and therefore Missio Dei will have a Pastor’s School where men can be equipped to lead as elders both at Missio Dei and elsewhere as church planters.
Please keep Missio Dei and all that is involved here in prayer. We have some other big decisions to make in the near future and we are excited about all that God is doing and is going to do!
What Is Missional Christology?
This is an article from The Resurgence blog taken from a class being taught by Dr. Bruce Ware, on this subject, at the Resurgence Training Center. (more…)
Heart for the City
During our gatherings on Sunday nights we are studying through the book of Nehemiah. One of the reasons I chose to teach through Nehemiah as we are establishing The Bridge here in Fort Collins is due to Nehemiah’s heart for the city of Jerusalem. When Nehemiah heard the news of Jerusalem’s plight he sat down and wept for many days. His heart broke for the condition of his city.
When was the last time your heart broke for the condition of your city? Nehemiah was simply displaying the heart of His God. A heart that compelled Jesus to humble Himself by taking on human flesh and then willingly become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). This was Jesus’ mission…to restore humanity and all of creation back to its created goodness (Gen. 1:31 cf. Rev. 21:5).
It is my desire to plant a church here in FoCo that is on this same mission with God (John 20:21). A church with a heart that bleeds for the city, a city filled with broken and devastated people who desperately need to be restored and redeemed by their Creator.
Will you join God on this mission?
Here is a poem written by Francis DuBose that really captures the heart of what it means to be missional (Thank you to Tommy O’Keefe for making me aware of this great piece).
I choose the city…
Not simply to live in it,
to see it,
to hear it;
But to touch it;
yes, to embrace it,
to hold it,
To feel the wild glory of its
pulsating soul,
To move over its wide,
hurried broadways,
To stand stilled and sobered
at the nowhere of its dead-end streets,
To be trapped with it in its
pain and problems,
To be at once chilled by its ill
and covered with its confetti.
I choose the city because I choose God,
Because I choose humanity,
Because I choose the divine-human
struggle–
The struggle which will be won
Not in the serene path through
meadow and wood,
among the bees and birds, and flowers,
But in the city street
Made by the hand of man
Through the gift of God–
Main Street: the final battle field,
The scene of the ultimate struggle,
Where man chooses right
Because he is free to choose wrong.
Babylon, dirty and daring–
Babylon, yes–
Babylon today–
Tomorrow…
The New Jerusalem!
Are you a Church Planter?
Those that read this blog with any regularity know that I am passionate about church planting. And while that is true the reality is that I am passionate about the local church in general, and its mission to glorify God and make Jesus famous in whatever context she finds herself.
In order for the local church to function properly it needs strong male leadership. Without qualified male leaders the church will flounder and fail to achieve its mission of being a powerful gospel influence in its city.
The article is entitled Ten Qualifications of a Church Planter…and while its focus is church planting, the principles therein apply to all men who desire to lead God’s people. (more…)
The Pastor Scholar
This article written by Dr. Philip Ryken, senior minister at the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, is a brief history of John Calvin and his amazing ministry. (more…)
Random Stuff
I’m reading several books right now…if you are a pastor or church planter I recommend each of them. Not because I agree with everything that’s written but because I think it will challenge you and help you to think through things that you may not otherwise.
1. Launch “Starting a new church from scratch” (Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas)
2. Lost and Found “The younger unchurched and the churches that reach them” (Ed Stetzer)
3. Planting Missional Churches (Ed Stetzer)
Rory Rodgers begins his work here tomorrow…we will introduce him to the church and then he and I will work together in transition for about a month. My last Sunday here at CCCC will be Sunday August 9th. I can hear the collective cheers from those who are excited about our departure. 
Seriously we are going to miss this church, this community, and it is going to be really difficult to leave this behind. We are however confident that God is in this and that He is going to continue pouring out His blessings upon CCCC through the leadership of Rory and that He is going to begin a new work in Fort Collins through the planting of The Bridge.
On a completely different note…Riley Taylor, the son of Wayne Taylor (pastor of Calvary Fellowship in Seattle), has put together some stinkin’ hilarious videos for a teaching series in the book of Acts. Here is Acts 1…you can find the rest on youtube or around the web.
[youtube WO0PKQiZROE]
Bringing Masculinity Back
I was reading an article on The Resurgence and had to share an excert from the article here.
“Dr D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was asked publicly why the churches of his day had so few young men in the pews. He instantly shot back, “Because there are so many old women in the pulpits.” Preaching should either send men away angry or turn them in heartfelt repentance. The one thing it must not do, but too often does, is dull them.”
Love it…
Speaking of masculinity…you can download Mark Driscoll’s e-book called “Pastor Dad” here for free.
Great Trip
My family and I just returned from a quick trip to Fort Collins. Well our time actually spent in Fort Collins was short but the 18 hour drive each way made it seem like a journey.
We had a great time meeting with people, looking at homes to rent, and exploring the area. The kids absolutely love it there and Andrea and I are becoming more familiar with the city with each visit. On Tuesday we traveled up to Estes Park in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. All I can say about that is wow!
I had an extremely busy week meeting with contacts and people that are interested in the church plant. Each visit we’ve had there has been full of divine encounters that continue to serve as confirmation for God’s call upon us to pull up stakes and begin a new work in Northern Colorado.
One of the most amazing things about Fort Collins is the unity amongst the pastors in the city. I have met with a few of the pastors, and have received several emails from others, and one thing is consistent among each of them; they are Kingdom minded. Not one of them has said, “Fort Collins has plenty of churches.” or “What do you think you’re going to do that we aren’t already doing?” I applaud these men for putting Jesus and His Kingdom first…it’s sad that it’s so rare but in a church climate where pastors fight over church hoppers like two dogs with a bone, these men stand out as unique examples of what the Church should really look like. One such man is Reza Zadah. Reza is the young adults pastor at Timberline Church in Fort Collins. He has gone out of his way to welcome me to the city and offer his help in whatever way he can. Thank you Reza!
Oh…on the home front we did find a house to rent that is available at the perfect time, and the owner is allowing us to live in the house for 2 weeks rent free! The home is located in West Fort Collins…about 5 minutes from Old Town and 5 minutes from Horsetooth Reservoir. Perfect!
I anticipate that the next 6 weeks in Prineville will go by extremely fast. Rory and I will work together in transition for about a month. It should be a great time working together and learning from one another. I hope that I can pass a few things along that I’ve learned in my time here and then before you know it we’ll be off to our next adventure.
It’s sad, exciting, and scary all at the same time.
Marks of a Healthy Church
Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, preaching at the recent Advance Conference gives us 5 marks of a healthy church from Hebrews 13:1-8.
1. Consistently love one another (vs. 1)
2. Care for those in need (vv. 2-3)
3. Honor marriage (vs. 4)
4. Unshakable faith in the providence of God (vv. 5-6)
5. Respect for those in authority (vv. 7-8)
Go here for the complete manuscript of this message.
Go here for the rest of the Advance Conference messages
What If?
For the last few months my preaching in the gospel of Luke has centered on the concept of mission. That is being on mission with God. As someone who has been involved in pastoral ministry for over a decade now, I think it is safe to say that many Christians are not on mission. They’re on a mission…career advancement, more money, bigger house, living vicariously through their child’s athletic achievements…but it’s not God’s mission.
What if every Christian, or even most Christians, were on mission? What if Christians were as passionate about Jesus and the gospel as we are the myriad of other activities that choke the life out of us (can anyone say farmtown?).
Please don’t get me wrong…I love sports (just ask my wife). I’m passionate about the things I enjoy but what if we could direct some of that passion toward the Kingdom?
My family and I are moving to Fort Collins to plant The Bridge Church in mid-August. Part of my focus is going to be reaching young men, getting them on mission, and then setting them free to use their God given masculinity, drive, and passion to further the Kingdom of God in Northern Colorado. I’m praying for 100 young men to make Jesus famous in Fort Collins and on the campus of CSU.
Will you pray with me? Will you join us in being on mission with God in your community? Will you begin investing your God given time, talents, and treasures in things that will advance His Kingdom instead of your own? (Luke 12:13-34)
What if…
Something I've Noticed
I have had the privilege of late to meet several Calvary Chapel pastors who are being transformed in much the same way I have been over the last several years.
I see this trend developing in three main ways -
1. Openness to divergent views - It is easy as a pastor to become locked into a stream of thinking at the expense of learning from gifted people outside your own tradition. This has certainly been the case in the Calvary movement, but I have noticed recently that God is really broadening the horizons of many of our men and I’m looking forward to watching the fruit blossom in the years to come. Clearly we need to use discernment and wisdom in what we are reading or listening to but as a lead pastor you should be able to sift through the rough to glean the diamonds. If you are only being influenced by those you completely agree with you are limiting God from teaching you new things that are outside your perspective.
2. Dedication to the text – As Calvary Chapel pastors we have been given a wonderful legacy of simply teaching the Bible simply. However many of us were never given the tools to teach the Word accurately which has resulted in many sermons that simply are not faithful to the text. The end result is not heresy but it’s not rooted in the text either. While it’s certainly creative to twist John the Baptist’s beheading into a charge against “getting ahead” in life, that was definitely not the author’s intended meaning. The text cannot mean today what it didn’t mean when it was originally written. It is the duty of the preaching pastor to determine what the text originally meant then, so that they can tell their listeners what it means to them now. I am absolutely stoked to see many Calvary guys getting this; forsaking the creative, allegorical, “I’ve never seen that before” sermon for simply teaching the text and bringing the Spirit’s intended application from it.
3. Giving up control – One of the weaknesses of our movement has been the abuse of the Moses Model. The Moses Model essentially states that the Senior Pastor is in full control of the church and that his assistants and elders are simply there to implement his vision. He hears from God and then disseminates this revelation to the people. This model (which many men have exercised with no abuse) has lead to some controlling pastors who are running rough shod over their people. However it has been a great joy for me to meet several Calvary pastors lately who are sharing leadership with their elders and allowing these men to help shape the vision and direction of the church. As lead pastors we should simply be a leader among equals. If our leadership simply exists to rubber stamp our plans and serve as a buffer to blame hard decisions on; then we should be honest with the church and let them know that we are an autonomous pastor with no accountability. Of course this sounds ridiculous which is precisely why I’m advocating that more Calvary pastors relinquish their grip on the church and allow God to speak to them through the men He’s raised up around him.
What is good preaching?
Every pastor who spends any time in the pulpit or in small groups explaining and applying God’s Word should ask themselves this question constantly.
I found this article, written by Scott Thomas on the Acts 29 blog to be particularly helpful in answering this question. The article features the thoughts of men like John Piper, and Tim Keller as well as some feedback from people on Twitter, which I will also post below.
“I asked people on Twitter to share the characteristics of what they thought comprised a good sermon. I compiled their helpful thoughts and came up with 8 qualities.
1. Gospel-centered
- Leads to the cross and trust/surrender in Jesus.
- Uses the Scriptures to unearth the heart not behavior.
- Bringing people to repentance
- Did Christ need to die for this to be true?
- Having the main thrust of the passage explained & applied in a way that grips and changes me
- Missional/Evangelistic
2. Bible-based, exegetically-sound (Intelligent but not academically arrogant)
3. Empowered by the Holy Spirit
4. Preached through a passionately changed man
5. Relationally-connected
- Displaying honesty and authenticity
- Inspirational (not just informational)
- Challenging and encouraging
- Humbly and compassionately
- Engaging (not boring)
- Contextualized
- Winsome
6. Simple, memorable and concise with clarity of thought
7. Bible-generated points of application
- Answers the question, “So, now what?”
8. Leads to the worship of Jesus”
May we as preachers and teachers of the Scriptures never reach a point where we feel like we’ve arrived. The preacher who ceases to learn is an oxymoron. Let’s pursue our craft in a manner befitting the Subject matter. Keep growing, keep learning, keep pointing people to Jesus everytime you open the Bible.
“I standing vigilantly on the precipice of eternity speaking to people who this week could go over the edge whether they are ready to or not. I will be called to account for what I said there. That’s what I mean by preaching.” (John Piper)
10 skills a church planter needs
I was reading the Church Planting blog and came across this article about the skill sets that are needful to be a successful church planter. In light of the fact that 8 out of 10 church plants fail, it’s probably good to evaluate your calling as a church planter to make sure you have the gifts, personality, and fortitude to do the difficult work of starting a church from scratch.
Here are the ten skill sets (the article linked above goes into much more detail about each skill set) -
1. You need to exercise a clear sense of the call of God on your life.
2. You will have to be a visionary.
3. You will have to be a good leader.
4. You have to be able to gather people
5. You will have to be able to communicate effectively.
6. You always need to be developing new ways to reach out to people.
7. You will need to be able to develop strategic plans for your church plant.
8. You will need to be able to handle financial matters competently.
9. You will need to have your family in order.
10. You will need to maintain a healthy spiritual life with God.
Name for Church Plant
I’ve settled on a name for the new church plant in Fort Collins, CO.
The Bridge
I really like Emmaus Church but there is a Nazarene re-plant in Fort Collins called “Emmaus Road”, so that’s not going to work.
Therefore…The Bridge it is.
The implications fit very well into the core values of the church.
1. It points to our Man – Jesus…He is the Bridge that mediates God and man (1 Timothy 2:5)
2. It points to our message – The Gospel…God’s plan of redemption to bridge the gap between death and life (Romans 6:23)
3. It points to our mission – To make disciples…to bridge the chasm between the church and the lost culture it exists in (Matthew 28:18-20)
Thank You for praying for The Bridge and Fort Collins.
*I added the logo, what do you think?
Church Plant in Fort Collins
I wanted to write this post sooner but I’ve been insanely busy since we got home from Colorado Sunday night.
Andrea, Carson, and I spent last week in Fort Collins networking and meeting with dozens of people in preparation for planting a church in Fort Collins, CO.
It was an amazing trip…we made many connections, found a few families who are praying about joining us in the work, connected with a musician who is very excited about helping us in the area of worship and arts.
On the way home Andrea and I were just rejoicing at the incredible doors God is opening up for us there. We absolutely love the city and are extremely excited to establish another strong gospel influence there.
Please continue to pray for this adventure.
1. Pray for the transition here at Calvary Chapel of Crook County
2. Pray for the Lord to continue to put a team together to join us in the work there.
3. Pray for provision for this church plant.
If you would like to support this work financially you can email me at rscouch@gmail.com