You have an Assignment

When God created you, He gave you certain gifts and talents to accomplish something that He wanted you to do. It's called an "Assignment".

I want to share something you've probably never thought about...

The problem that infuriates you the most is often the problem that God has assigned you to solve. Everything that God created is a solution to something. You are a life-jacket to someone drowning. Find them! Those who unlock your compassion are those to whom you have been assigned... this not a game...

"I praise you because I am fearfully & wonderfully made; you works are wonderful, I know that full well" Psalm 139:14 

Missional Church?

The gospel is always a stumbling block. But, the fact that so many people reject the gospel before they get to hear the gospel is a painful reality.

In our well-meaning bid to "make the Bible and God relevant," we often marginalize ourselves from the very culture we seek to reach. The Bible and God are relevant in this culture and in every other culture. He and His gospel are relevant! Always!

We are the roadblocks to relevancy, not the Bible...

We live in a way that makes God seem irrelevant, but He is not to blame...

A missional church with a Great Commission passion will care about relevance--making the message clear...

I think part of the challenge is to keep "missional" from dying as a buzzword but flourishing as an idea that presses believers forward into God's work. "Missional" is not a new word for cutting edge and contemporary. And, it should not be used as the adjective for every ministry so we can pretend we have missional music, missional quilting, and missional lighting. Instead, we need to ensure that "missional" is a driving force for how we live out God's work...

No Greater Love...

So, I'm starting a missional church. What does it mean to be missional?

Some clarification around the definition of "mission":

In my estimation, any definition of "mission" that is not biblically faithful and culturally applicable will be problematic. We should vigorously discuss our understanding of "mission" with love and humility. This, however, should not be the main focus of our attention. We must put into practice that which we know to be true:

1. The idea of "mission" originated with God when he sent His Son to "give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

2. God "desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4) and we are assured that people from "every tribe and language and people and nation" will be present in heaven (Revelation 5:9).

3. Followers of Christ have been entrusted with the message of the gospel (2 Timothy 1:14) and given the mission to make disciples wherever they go (Matt. 28:19-20, Mark 16:14-18, Luke 24:44-49, John 20:19-23, and Acts 1:4-8).

4. Even if we develop a definitive definition of "mission," followers of Christ must still apply Jesus' command "to make disciples" to their daily lives. I am not sure that we need more "head knowledge" as evangelicals as much as we need to put into practice what we already know to be true!

Just a thought...

Church planting

There are many changes in church planting today, and I want to point out some good trends that I see that should be an encouragement to us and the mission we are called to in the world. Trends don't last unless there is a good foundation of support and more people buy into the trends as helpful and good. So I hope you won't just recognize these trends, but embrace them and promote them as far as you are able.

One of the trends is that there is more church planting. It's is getting recognized more, celebrated more, and done more. When I planted my first church in the Nashville, TN area in 1996, the idea of someone going out and starting a church was foreign to most people. As a planter I looked odd to people. People would wonder why I didn't go and pastor an established church. Unfortunately, not all denominations are getting this message.

Some are still focused on fighting and separation over the establishment of new, healthy churches.

Consequently, denominations are losing people who have caught on fire for God and desiring to see a movement they aren't finding in their denomination. So they leave and join a movement and take the Gospel into the world. That can hurt denominations. I would love to see more people stay in their denominations and work for reform. I would love to see them get serious about church multiplication in their own mission and ministry, setting an example to their denominations.

When I was planting a church in Kansas City, MO I went to a church planting boot camp (assessment center). It was a four day assessment on the qualifications and readiness of being a church planter. I was taught that churches should start new churches out of our new churches, and that if you didn't start a church within three years you probably never would start one. I love church planting and want to be about planting new churches, so I went back to Nashville, TN and planted another church five years ago. Today, I am two weeks into a church planting endeavor in Los Angeles, CA. I am meeting with new people everyday... God is faithful...

Vision is...

Vision... It’s a buzz word in leadership. It's the "what if?" question that drives us to create and communicate...

The challenge is molding that buzz word into reality. So,  I'm killing the sacred cow... Few things can derail vision faster than the mentality of doing something simply because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” Change is ok. In fact, it’s vital... That doesn’t mean I change the vision. It means I change the way the vision is carried out....  I will regularly look at what our people do - events, departments, programs and staff members, and if something begins to drag people away from the vision God is revealing, I will cut it. Also, I'm keeping it simple... For some reason, complexity is mistaken for being “deep.” But truly, complexity is just muddiness.

The most powerful message in the world, the Gospel, is incredibly simple and simply incredible...

A God-given vision doesn’t need fluff added to it. I will make sure to communicate in clear language what God is showing me... All I am asking for you to do is Pray... and if possible, financially support this vision to shed some light in a very dark place... Los Angeles, California.