6 Steps to Relaunching Your Church

If we want our churches to grow and to reach more people for Christ, we have to learn to speak the same language.

Ask your team: Why does your church exist?

Everyone has a vision for your church, but you need to know why.

Vision & Values are required for your church to grow.

A program won't grow your church, but a process will.


  1. Engagement

    People are interested in spiritual things, but too often the church is answering questions that no one is asking.

    Discover what keeps your neighbors up at night (HINT: usually it’s something involving finances or relationships). Use their felt need to take them to their greatest need!

    In engagement comes explanation (see Nehemiah 8:1–10).

    Make it clear and give the meaning to the people.

  2. Excellence


    It's not about achieving perfection, it's about giving the best effort with what you have. Jesus has never given us anything but His absolute best!

    Excellence doesn't always mean spending more money, but it does mean expending greater effort.

  3. Excitement

    Listen, you need to become your church’s BIGGEST CHEERLEADER for EVERY Sunday!

    The devil is excited if you’re not excited about this coming Sunday!!

  4. Patience

    What a lot of churches call discipleship is nothing more than a form of control and manipulation. We cannot ‘microwave’ leaders!

    Thank about it: What would happen if the church responded to spiritual babies the way we respond to our children?


    We have to be patient with people.

    Discipleship is not a program, it's a process.

  5. Kindness

    What if the church was known because it was nice to people?

    Jesus was kind! People will come to Christ if we preach the biblical version instead of the denominational version of Jesus.

  6. Remembrance

    Don't ever forget what he's saved you from (2 Corinthians 1:26–31).

Fighting Your Fears Through Laughter

The late Dr. Martin de Maat had a profound impact on my life (I wrote about that here).


He was not only my professor and mentor, he was a close friend (Martin was even one of my wedding groomsmen!).

Dr. de Maat taught me so much not only about improvisational-comedy, but more importantly about the joy of doing life together:

"What happens... in being with each other in acceptance and Yes And-ing each other, is that you as an individual start to believe in yourself because you begin to see yourself in the others' eyes.

Your ensemble, your group, your team, your committee, is the one that's believing in you and you pull it together to do it for them.

You know, it's simply recognizing you're not alone. It's love and unconditional acceptance.

You put yourself in a place of support, unconditional acceptance and love for who you are, the way you are and your uniqueness, and what you do is grow. You surround yourself with people who are truly interested in you and listen to you, and you will grow.

And it doesn't take much to start advancing you, it doesn't take much of that support, it doesn't take much of that love and that care and you can do it. You can play act with people. You can be in a state of play together."



This is how comedians create new material.
Yes And leads to trust leads to contagious unity leads to childlike creativity.
It's how leaders might lead teams in the 21st Century.

Don't settle for the loneliness of leadership isolation.
Dream of and strive for a team of church leaders who are accepting of one another's uniquenesses. After all, we each bring different strengths to the table.

I love what Martin would say about the group dynamics of creating comedy through Yes And:

"There's a lot of laughter that goes on. Since we're laughing together, we're true community. It's a very safe place to confront your fears. The minute somebody says, 'Perform!' your fear comes up..."


As we Yes And, may we as leaders embrace contagious unity and laughter.
By refusing to perform and instead choosing raw, authentic community, we may just lead at a higher, deeper, more spiritually-sensitive level than before...

The 3 Types of Church Start-Up Models

Based on chapter five of Planting Missional Churches,1 three different leadership models are presented for church planters: The Apostolic Harvest Church Planter, The Founding Pastor, and Team Planting. Each model offers different strengths and weaknesses, which will be briefly explored here.

The Apostolic Harvest Model occurs when a church planter starts a new church, raises up leaders from within (i.e. Paul and Timothy), and then moves on to begin a new church work. To be sure, this model was championed by Paul in the Book of Acts, as the Apostle would travel along the Mediterranean Rim in his efforts of spreading the Gospel through establishing new churches.2 The recording of Paul's words to the new Ephesian Elders gleans insight into the leadership hand-off of the church planter to indigenous leadership.3 This model excels at multiplying many churches since the main church planter is made available every few years for new church planting efforts. However, this model lends toward weakness if strong internal leadership is not properly trained or raised up in the church planter's absence.

The Founding Pastor Model involves a church planter starting a church initially, remaining as the entrepreneurial leader for the short-term before transitioning into a more long-term role as pastor of the new church. Examples of this model include Priscilla and Aquila,4 C.H. Spurgeon, and Rick Warren, the latter of which have influenced the majority of current North American church planters with this model. Strengths include stability for the newly-established congregation leading to long-term impact in their community. A weakness of this model could be the mission field "loss" of a church planter who neglects possible skills and giftings for future Kingdom expansion.

Finally, the Team-Planting Model is exemplified by a team of planters/pastors who relocate to a new area to begin a church plant. This model is rare in North America due to the financial cost and group buy-in required. Internationally, however, it is excelling: "Today, in cross-cultural mission, the team approach has become the norm for pioneer church planting. Often team members are all vocational missionaries, but this is not always the case; some may be bi-vocational."5

An indirect example of the Team-Planting Model in Scripture involves the church at Ephesus which had a number of formative leaders (Priscilla, Aquila,6 Paul,7 Apollos8), underscored by Paul's letter to Timothy to now lead the church at Ephesus: "To Timothy my true son in the faith... As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies."9

Strengths of this model include robust spiritual gifts being deployed into one new congregation, sharing the tasks and burdens of starting a new church from scratch. Weaknesses include, as mentioned before, the higher financial costs of employing multiple ministry workers at the onset of a new church plant.

While all models provide opportunities for advancing the Gospel, one finds himself most drawn toward the Founding Pastor Model, as it provides both creative flexibilities for the church planter while also allowing shepherding gifts to be utilized in caring for the new congregants and making a lasting impact for eternity. Due to this model's prevalence currently in the North American context, training and coaching is readily available for the Founding Pastor, better supporting the ministry efforts of the new church start-up.
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1 Stetzer, Ed and Daniel Im, Planting Missional Churches (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2016).
2 Acts 16 (NIV)
3 Acts 20:22-35
4 Romans 16:3
5 Ott, Craig, and Gene Wilson. Global Church Planting: Biblical Principles and Best Practices for Multiplication (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011).
6 Acts 18:18-19
7 Acts 18:24-25
8 Acts 19:1-21
9 1 Timothy 1:2-4

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Life Church's Core Values

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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.

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3 Steps to Becoming a Better Servant-Leader

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The heart behind leadership is serving others. It’s never about the title, it’s about the towel:

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many.”

(Jesus in Mark 10:45)

For what it’s worth, here are 3 steps I’ve discovered toward becoming a better servant-leader.

  1. Choose Trust

Believe the best about others, rather than assuming the worst. When in doubt, lead with the most generous explanation for someone’s behavior.

“Love never stops believing the best about others.” (1 Corinthians 13:7, TPT)

2. Stay Curious Longer

Everyone you meet in life has expertise. Some of the best mentors and friends are known as much by the quality of their questions as the answers they give. Don’t be interesting, be interested.

“Do you not understand these things?” (Jesus in John 3:10)

3. Take the Low Place

Push others into the spotlight. Ask how you can serve others, rather than seeking to be served.

“For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.” (Jesus in Luke 19:10, MSG)

LET ME TELL YOU WHO WE'RE NOT

One of the smartest things you can do in leadership is to find people, heroes, and role models that are ahead of where you want to be and emulate them. But as we take notes on who we are or who we want to be, we must do the same with who we’re not. 
 

Here are 10 things to consider not allowing within your leadership:

1. WE’RE NOT BIG TIME

  • It is often so easy to get caught up in things like positions, titles, etc. Leadership is not about us and it never will be. 

  • The grass isn’t greener on the other side - the “big time” is where you’re at. The biggest platform I get the honor to step onto is ZOE’s. 

  • WE ARE leaders that have a pure, humble, and simple devotion to Jesus. 

2. WE’RE NOT INTO OURSELVES, WE ARE INTO OTHERS

  • Leaders are people-obsessed. A leader's words about others reveals whether or not they are about people or about themselves. 

  • Everyone’s favorite topic to talk about is themselves. People could go on and on about their life and what they are going through. However, a leader can’t lead others if they only talk about themselves. 

  • WE ARE leaders who ask questions about others, want to learn about people, and want to hear about how they’re doing. 

3. WE’RE NOT LOOKING FOR THE EASY WAY OUT

  • A minimum effort will always produce medium results. 

  • I’m not saying you can’t work smart. I love things like Postmates that make my life easier. I have nothing against convenience; there is no sense in making things harder than they need to be. 

  • WE ARE leaders who do everything for Jesus and give our best. 

4. WE’RE NOT TAKING OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY

  • My dad used to always say, “Everybody is laughing at you - join them.”

  • I take my calling from God seriously. I take the church seriously. I take my family seriously. But I also live within the tension of seriousness and fun. I take things seriously in an appropriate measure and live with levity and joy. 

  • WE ARE living with an appropriate measure of taking our call seriously while not taking ourselves too seriously.

5. WE’RE NOT TRYING TO BE ANYONE ELSE

  • We all have people who inspire us. We all have people we want to be like. But we’re working to be OURSELVES. 

  • Don’t be a copy! Be the contrast. Be you!

  • WE ARE secure and confident in who we are! 

6. WE’RE NOT TRYING TO BE DISCOVERED

  • In the church, you don’t need to try to be discovered. So many times we see people trying so hard to make a name for themselves and get the attention of others. This isn’t what leadership is about!

  • Narcissistic leaders drain the value out of an organization because they make everything about them and their agenda and not about the team and the organization. 

  • WE ARE only concerned with building His kingdom!

7. WE’RE NOT BAD AT GETTING BACK TO PEOPLE

  • Not getting back to people (something as simple as not replying to a text) could open up a wound of abandonment. We don’t always know people’s situations. Not replying to a text may cut deeper than we think. 

  • If you’re bad at getting back to people, you create a narrative of mistrust about you. 

  • If you have offended someone by not replying, don’t make excuses. It’s important to just simply just apologize. 

  • WE ARE good at getting back to people.

8. WE’RE NOT MASTERS OF MANIPULATION

  • There’s a difference between encouraging people towards something and the act of manipulation: motive. 

  • We ought to always be checking our motives and intentions - are we encouraging people towards reaching their full potential or to do something that we want them to do?

  • WE ARE leaders that have pure hearts and have people’s best interests in mind!
     

9. WE’RE NOT USERS OF PEOPLE...OR LEADERS THAT LEVERAGE

  • We value people, we don’t use them.

  • We have to be careful. We can often use people to accomplish a vision or goal and not care about them in the process. Sometimes we can completely neglect to lead them, build them up, invest in them, etc.

  • WE ARE leaders that add value to people, we don’t use them!

10. WE’RE NOT LIVING IN DYSFUNCTION

  • The classic saying goes: “What you are willing to tolerate, you are willing to live with.” We have to be careful and diligent as to what we are okay to live with.

  • We need to have a desire to grow. We want accountability. These types of measures are how we have a strong life and strong leadership.

  • WE ARE striving to live a healthy life.

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Recognizing the Dreaded Signs of Church Splits & Why They Happen

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Nobody enjoys a car wreck, but we all inevitably slow down in traffic to peer out the window as we drive by, attempting to ascertain what happened and to (hopefully) learn something that will prevent such a tragedy from happening to us.

With over 20 years of full-time ministry under my belt (plus another 20+ as a pastor's kid), I've seen my share of ugly wrecks in church world. I'm sure you've also heard the stories -- usually whispered around a kitchen table -- of a minor church disagreement erupting into a full-blown church split that affects lives and livelihoods, leaving a black eye on the local Body of Christ.

The stories of church splits are never fun. Real people get hurt. Reputations are slandered. Hurt and heartache can echo for years due to unhealed wounds. And nobody wins: not the church of origin nor the newly formed congregation that results from a church split.

Perhaps by looking at one church split story, we can all learn how to better guard our unity within the church that Christ bled for (Acts 20:28).

This story is my story. You see, during an already-chaotic 2020, I went through a church split as the lead pastor (and founding pastor) of a church I love dearly.

I barely survived the trauma of what one of my counselor's diagnosed as a "mass casualty event" (Yes, I said counselors plural. Even pastors need therapy to ensure they are emotionally-healthy.).

The first thing you should know about church splits is this: at the time of this church split, even though I was the Founding Pastor, I had no idea what was happening behind my back.

My wife and I were not privy to the cruel whispers and private gossip sessions engulfing our staff team and then spilling out into the membership during the COVID lockdowns.

Looking back, I wish there was some sort of ministry alarm that would go off and alert a lead pastor when he is in danger of facing a church split. But, there isn't one. You usually have no idea that a church split is happening under your nose until after it has already occurred and the damage has been done.

My wife and I were completely taken by surprise. We were focused on the primary crisis of navigating COVID lockdowns and frantically fundraising for our staff team. During a crisis when I was putting out fires from COVID, I would look behind me for a bucket of water to be handed up to me... only to realize there was nobody behind me helping.

During this insane season of the COVID crisis now layered with an internal insurrection, I thought and truly believed that a minor misunderstanding at the staff level could be easily resolved with one honest and simple 5 minute conversation (and I still believe that to this day!).

Unfortunately, when you're the lead pastor and staff members try to hijack the church out from under you, behind-the-scenes conversations and condemnations move quickly behind the pastor's back and rumors can spread like wildfire on Facebook.

So, in the interest of helping church leaders who read this blog and sparing you from the immense pain and hurt and betrayal of a church split in the future, allow me to ask and answer the main question: What is the cause of church splits? 

In a word: factions. 

Factions arise when there is a pile-up of disgruntled people who build up a case that becomes a driving fantasy.

Factions are driven by the What If:

  • "What if my assumptions are correct?"

  • "What if the rumors I've heard are true?

  • "What if my pastor - the same guy who led me to Christ and baptized me - what if he is actually a rotten person?"


Factions sadly live their lives on something that has not actually happened.

Factions thrive on anger.  Why anger?

When someone is hurt or experiences pain in their life, the person will often seek to numb the inward pain with outward anger. 

Anger is always secondary to a deeper hurt.  Anger allows the brain to release key hormones that soothe and numb the pain.

When someone is driven by anger, they can become emotionally-flooded.  This makes peaceful resolution difficult.  Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul wrote:

"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently." (Galatians 6:1)


When angry people pile-up, you have a faction.  Factions are very manipulative and will often warp facts to fit their narrative.  Because anger arousal is high, it is difficult for the faction to parse facts from fiction.  

This is why the Scriptures warn believers against bitterness:

"See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Hebrews 12:15)


When factions form, conflict is inevitable.

The Solution

The solution involves honest, gospel-centered conversation:

"Contrary to our instincts, hard conversations usually don't kill relationships.

They save them.

It's choosing the short, life-saving pain of surgery over the long-term, fatal pain of cancer."
(Josh Howerton)


Galatians 6:1 and Matthew 18:15-17 say to go to our brother.


Ephesians 4:25-27 says to go without delay.

If a faction shuns/ghosts/refuses you, you can still forgive them.

Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice.

You have the rightful choice to untether your heart from their hurt.


"You can forgive even if the person who wronged you is unrepentant.
You can repent even if the person you've wronged won't forgive you.
But there can be no reconciliation without repentance from the wrong and forgiveness from the wronged."
(Jared Wilson)

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
(Ephesians 4:3)


At the church I love, we have decided on three proactive approaches to head off the forming of any future factions.

For what it's worth, here is what we have learned from this heartbreaking experience:

1. We will always choose conversation over condemnation.

2. We will always seek to maintain the relationship over trying to win an argument.

3. We will always speak with honesty, not hypocrisy.

And as always, I choose to remain open and ready to meet with anyone, anytime, anywhere with a humble heart and a listening ear.

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